The 2019 General Election - Campaign Debate and Discussion

[Struner]

What about the Womens Equality Party ? - they seem to have sunk without trace !!

All you have to do is change FPTP.

 

[Butts]

All you have to do is change FPTP.

We already have for a lot of Elections in Scotland and they are still nowhere to be seen.

 

[SteveP29]

Would that be like the huge uproar that was being predicted if we didn't leave on 31st October?

I looked around for evidence of this on my way to work on the 1st Nov, I kept myself close to news outlets and social media to see where had been destroyed first.
Imagine my disappointment when I found nothing, just people going to work and getting on with their lives, no burnt out cars, wrecked bus stops, looted, burning shops, nothing.

 

[Geezertronic]

I looked around for evidence of this on my way to work on the 1st Nov, I kept myself close to news outlets and social media to see where had been destroyed first.
Imagine my disappointment when I found nothing, just people going to work and getting on with their lives, no burnt out cars, wrecked bus stops, looted, burning shops, nothing.

I fail to see why you were disappointed at the lack of burnt out cars, wrecked bus stops, looting, burning shops etc... it almost sounds like you wanted it? Unless you were being ironic...

 

[radamfi]

We already have for a lot of Elections in Scotland and they are still nowhere to be seen.

The only elections in the UK that use FPTP are for local elections in England and Wales and for the UK Parliament. Everything else uses some form of proportional representation.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Any manifestos published yet? I want to see what all parties are saying about transport/rail/electrification etc.

 

[radamfi]

Any manifestos published yet? I want to see what all parties are saying about transport/rail/electrification etc.

Manifestos are not binding so better to go off what they have done in the recent past. Both Labour and the Conservatives have a very poor record on local transport. Over the last 30 years both parties have presided over bus deregulation and have had little or no interest in integrated fares or networks. Same goes for the SNP in Scotland and Labour in Wales.

 

[telstarbox]

I see @Xenophon PCDGS has written the Telegraph front page today

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The only elections in the UK that use FPTP are for local elections in England and Wales and for the UK Parliament.

Those elections you mention above that are decided by FPTP are the main types of elections that people in our area of England vote in? What others of any significance did you have in mind?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I see @Xenophon PCDGS has written the Telegraph front page today

Whilst not having sight of the front page referred to, I hereby do so confirm that neither "Jacob Rees-Mogg" nor "John Greenwood" are not another of my numerous usernames that I use when having any dealings with media sources.....

 

[radamfi]

Those elections you mention above that are decided by FPTP are the main types of elections that people in our area of England vote in? What others of any significance did you have in mind?

All elections in Scotland and Northern Ireland, European Parliament, London Assembly and all mayoral elections.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

All elections in Scotland and Northern Ireland, London Assembly and all mayoral elections.

Cheshire East must indeed be fortunate in not having such matters as those to concern us.

 

[radamfi]

Also Welsh Assembly.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Manifestos are not binding so better to go off what they have done in the recent past. Both Labour and the Conservatives have a very poor record on local transport. Over the last 30 years both parties have presided over bus deregulation and have had little or no interest in integrated fares or networks. Same goes for the SNP in Scotland and Labour in Wales.

What actual percentage of the electorate ever bother themselves to take the time to read through the manifestos and what percentage of the electorate rank Public Transport amongst their top priorities.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Also Welsh Assembly.

Again, the distance to the Welsh border is far enough removed from our rather nice part of the eastern portion of Cheshire East as not to cause me any concerns.

 

[SteveP29]

I fail to see why you were disappointed at the lack of burnt out cars, wrecked bus stops, looting, burning shops etc... it almost sounds like you wanted it? Unless you were being ironic...

We were promised riots and unrest in the streets by some Brexity types if we didn't leave the EU on October 31st.
We didn't, and there wasn't any.
And there won't be if we just cancelled the whole thing either.

Same goes for the SNP in Scotland and Labour in Wales.

So how come I can buy a day ticket on a bus in Edinburgh and use that same ticket on the tram and vice versa?
Is that not a form of integrated public transport?

All elections in Scotland and Northern Ireland, European Parliament, London Assembly and all mayoral elections.

Except for General Elections, no?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

We were promised riots and unrest in the streets by some Brexity types if we didn't leave the EU on October 31st.

Not wishing to miss out on matters, the usual feral youth gatherings found in the larger towns and cities treated the populace at large to their own versions of mindless mayhem on both "Mischief Night" and "Bonfire Night"...

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

All you have to do is change FPTP.

Try to convince your local betting shop manager of that when your horse on which you placed a tidy sum to win, gets beaten by a short head...

 

[radamfi]

So how come I can buy a day ticket on a bus in Edinburgh and use that same ticket on the tram and vice versa?
Is that not a form of integrated public transport?

There are various transport networks in Scotland that are run in competition with each other rather than in coordination. Edinburgh even charges for changing vehicle during a single journey.

 

[Butts]

There are various transport networks in Scotland that are run in competition with each other rather than in coordination. Edinburgh even charges for changing vehicle during a single journey.

The closest thing to an integrated system in the East is probably One Ticket. Unfortunately whilst including Rail and Bus it excludes Edinburgh trams.

 

[Journeyman]

The SNP were very big on re-regulating buses for years, but that policy quietly disappeared some years ago, and they've done nothing about it.

Brian Souter made a very large donation to the SNP at around the same time, but I'm sure that's purely coincidental...

 

[kermit]

The election campaign has got off to a depressing start. Rees-Mogg (a man I personally have never liked) made a stupid and insensitive mistake, then in fairness quickly apologised. Media and party machines piled in to maximise the spin, and ensure everybody knew. Jo Swinson has been the subject of a vile and utterly baseless smear campaign alleging that her family profits from EU membership. And Keir Starmer has a TV interview doctored by Conservative Central Office, who are then unrepentant about their duplicity. If we get the politics we deserve, then clearly we have all been really, really bad............

 

[Journeyman]

Jo Swinson has been the subject of a vile and utterly baseless smear campaign alleging that her family profits from EU membership.

Nigel Farage's family does quite well out it too, the hypocritical ****wit.

 

[Pyreneenguy]

The election campaign has got off to a depressing start. Rees-Mogg (a man I personally have never liked) made a stupid and insensitive mistake, then in fairness quickly apologised. Media and party machines piled in to maximise the spin, and ensure everybody knew. Jo Swinson has been the subject of a vile and utterly baseless smear campaign alleging that her family profits from EU membership. And Keir Starmer has a TV interview doctored by Conservative Central Office, who are then unrepentant about their duplicity. If we get the politics we deserve, then clearly we have all been really, really bad............

Well, when people can't even bother voting we get the result we deserve ( Brexit referendum anyone ?).

Boris Johnson is no fool. He'll probably get his Brexit done, with a tiny overall majority and perhaps no more than 35% of the poll, which IMHO is much less of a mandate than the original E.U referendum. It will be the will of a minority of the people but will shape Britain for decades.

 

[AlterEgo]

The election campaign has got off to a depressing start. Rees-Mogg (a man I personally have never liked) made a stupid and insensitive mistake, then in fairness quickly apologised. Media and party machines piled in to maximise the spin, and ensure everybody knew. Jo Swinson has been the subject of a vile and utterly baseless smear campaign alleging that her family profits from EU membership. And Keir Starmer has a TV interview doctored by Conservative Central Office, who are then unrepentant about their duplicity. If we get the politics we deserve, then clearly we have all been really, really bad............

In a nutshell. It is tiresome.

 

[transmanche]

The election campaign has got off to a depressing start. Rees-Mogg (a man I personally have never liked) made a stupid and insensitive mistake, then in fairness quickly apologised.

The best thing I can say about his apology is that it was 'somewhat disingenuous'. And not helped by a fellow Tory MP, Andrew Bridgen, wading in to say that Rees-Mogg is "cleverer than the people who took the fire brigade’s advice".

And Keir Starmer has a TV interview doctored by Conservative Central Office, who are then unrepentant about their duplicity.

Listening to James Cleverly (Conservative Party Chairman) on Radio 4's Today this morning, desperately trying to justify the doctored video was... *sigh*... depressing.

 

[bramling]

The best thing I can say about his apology is that it was 'somewhat disingenuous'. And not helped by a fellow Tory MP, Andrew Bridgen, wading in to say that Rees-Mogg is "cleverer than the people who took the fire brigade’s advice".

Just recently I've grown sick of hearing about Grenfell Tower. The LFB were placed in an impossible situation of being called to a fast-growing fire in building which had (it seems) been modified in a way which totally compromised its original fire safety integrity, and which without that integrity was clearly a death-trap on the basis that it just one small stairwell provided the sole means of access and egress. There's a lot of being wise in hindsight being thrown around. Rees-Mogg's comments were probably badly thought out, but for me that's as far as they go - they're no worse than some of the (IMO disproportionately heavy) criticism of the likes of the LFB we've been hearing recently. If people want accountability then IMO focus on those who designed and approved the modifications which wrecked the fire compartmentation.

Rees-Mogg has apologised, that's good enough for me. Careers shouldn't be ended on the basis of misguided remarks IMO.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

If Labour were to win by a landslide, would their Momentum inner-core celebrate by renaming London....as Corbyngrad?

 

[GRALISTAIR]

If Labour were to win by a landslide, would their Momentum inner-core celebrate by renaming London....as Corbyngrad?

Please no Paul. Anyone but Corbyn please. Joe Swinson - anybody.

 

[radamfi]

If Labour were to win by a landslide, would their Momentum inner-core celebrate by renaming London....as Corbyngrad?

At least there's a chance of avoiding Brexit if Labour win. Even if you have voted Conservative your whole life, voting for them is unthinkable at the moment given their commitment to Brexit.