Theresa May calls General Election on 8th June.

[AlterEgo]

You've missed out several lyrics.

Notably:

Will we have rainbows
Day after day?

A: Unlikely under a Tory hard Brexit.

 

[Senex]

I expect the Tories' majority to be about the 40-50 mark. Close enough; although obviously worse than 2015, not the disaster I was expecting a year ago.

That would be a good working majority and in most elections a cause for rejoicing by the winning party. But would such a majority in this election for May look like anything but a disaster after all the hype at the start of the campaign? Might it not, perversely, weaken her position?

 

[Senex]

If you are going to have these debates why has there not been an "England Only" one ?

Wales,and Scotland have had their own so why not England ?

Leanne Wood has been on just about every one - would not be suprised to see her turning up on the next Scottish one

Because all the politicians just see the English as the milch cows for the benefit of the Celtic Fringe?

 

[Dave1987]

It still does not alter the case that it will be those candidates of all political persuasions who currently strive to win the seat they are standing for who will individually add their own constituency successful win to the total number of seats won by MPs of that party. Whether a party leader or a newcomer to the political fray, each can only win one seat.

I may have expressed my views about Jeremy Corbyn in past times, but anyone who has read all my postings since he was elected leader of the Labour Party have always made it clear he is naught but a figurehead for Momentum.

Paul at the start of all this the Tory faithful wanted to make this all about May vs Corbyn. "Strong and stable leadership" 100 times over. She has lead a pretty disastrous campaign. She is only willing to be seen surrounded by the Tory faithful and looks extremely uncomfortable when ever she is asked questions she doesn't like. Tories made this all about May so you can't start complaining about it turning all American when it has backfired.

 

[Dave1987]

I've actually warmed to Corbyn during this campaign. He has stood up and taken some pretty serious grilling from various journalists and tv hosts and hasn't been afraid to take the heat. He seems like a genuine guy. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of his shadow cabinet, like Abbott. A vote for Labour is a vote of support for Abbott as Home Secretary, and there is no way I can do that.

 

[AlterEgo]

I've actually warmed to Corbyn during this campaign. He has stood up and taken some pretty serious grilling from various journalists and tv hosts and hasn't been afraid to take the heat. He seems like a genuine guy. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of his shadow cabinet, like Abbott. A vote for Labour is a vote of support for Abbott as Home Secretary, and there is no way I can do that.

The Tories are having problems with finding new things to throw at him.

People are bored of hearing "IRA, Hamas, can't do maths, bad leader" - by and large, those are obvious Corbyn flaws upon which most of the electorate have already decided. The Tories used up their ammo far too early.

It's May making most of the mistakes at this point.

I have become much less hostile towards Corbyn the longer his campaign has gone on, largely because he's been quite sensible. Lately he has appeared completely unruffled, an almost Zen-like figure compared to the frightened May.

May had her top two comms people walk out on her because she's a crazy control freak, right before the election - which explains why she's completely limiting her appearances (read: she is nothing without them).

 

[Busaholic]

Let's stick our necks out in order to get them chopped off. I'm saying a Tory majority of 3 to 5 seats, though I think I may be overestimating it. I'm convinced the Tories will win fewer seats than in 2015, anyway.

 

[Dave1987]

The Tories are having problems with finding new things to throw at him.

People are bored of hearing "IRA, Hamas, can't do maths, bad leader" - by and large, those are obvious Corbyn flaws upon which most of the electorate have already decided. The Tories used up their ammo far too early.

It's May making most of the mistakes at this point.

I have become much less hostile towards Corbyn the longer his campaign has gone on, largely because he's been quite sensible. Lately he has appeared completely unruffled, an almost Zen-like figure compared to the frightened May.

May had her top two comms people walk out on her because she's a crazy control freak, right before the election - which explains why she's completely limiting her appearances (read: she is nothing without them).

Agreed. May has a face like a smacked arse whenever she is asked a question she doesn't like or is put under pressure.

 

[phoenixcronin]

I've actually warmed to Corbyn during this campaign. He has stood up and taken some pretty serious grilling from various journalists and tv hosts and hasn't been afraid to take the heat. He seems like a genuine guy. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of his shadow cabinet, like Abbott. A vote for Labour is a vote of support for Abbott as Home Secretary, and there is no way I can do that.

The problem with Corbyn is not only himself but the type of environment he has fostered within the Labour Party. Full of conspiracy theorists, communists, trots and anti-Semites.

Just look at the immediate "Zionist" charges labelled at any (particularly female) reporter who questions him

 

[Dave1987]

Let's stick our necks out in order to get them chopped off. I'm saying a Tory majority of 3 to 5 seats, though I think I may be overestimating it. I'm convinced the Tories will win fewer seats than in 2015, anyway.

I'm guessing Tory majority of 10 seats.

 

[90sWereBetter]

One thing I'm looking forward to on the morning of June 9th is, depending on which way the election goes, the epic meltdown that either Dan Hodges or Paul Mason will have on Twitter. It will be absolutely hilarious.

 

[phoenixcronin]

One thing I'm looking forward to on the morning of June 9th is, depending on which way the election goes, the epic meltdown that either Dan Hodges or Paul Mason will have on Twitter. It will be absolutely hilarious.

or Owen Jones!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

You've missed out several lyrics.

The one that I chose was the most apt for the discussion that was then in progress.

 

[RichmondCommu]

The one that I chose was the most apt for the discussion that was then in progress.

Well you say that.

 

[Jonny]

So the SNP and Plaid would be excluded then?

Essentially what you've proposed there is a debate about England.

Basically, the SNP and Plaid are geographical minority parties; the former have an inglorious track record of going out of their way to vote on matters that don't affect them. But hey, that's for another day. IMO only the MPs whose constituencies are affected by a particular bill should vote on it.

 

[EM2]

May I quote from the lyrics of a song by Doris Day......

"Que sera, sera,
Whatever will be, will be,
The future's not ours to see,
Que sera, sera,
What will be, will be"

May I quite from the lyrics of a song by Kirsty MacColl.....

I thought of you when they closed down the school
And the hospital too
Did they think that you were better?
They were wrong
You had so many friends
They all left you in the end
‘Cause they couldn’t take the patter

 

[phoenixcronin]

May seems more calm and confident with Dimbleby. Much less jerky than last time

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Well you say that.

That sounds remarkably the same as what Jesus said to Pontius Pilate during his interrogation...:roll:

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

May I quite from the lyrics of a song by Kirsty MacColl.....

That well-known philosopher...:roll:

 

[bramling]

That would be a good working majority and in most elections a cause for rejoicing by the winning party. But would such a majority in this election for May look like anything but a disaster after all the hype at the start of the campaign? Might it not, perversely, weaken her position?

I don't think she would be weakened from a governing point of view. What could be an issue is if the party gets jittery about whether she's the best person to take them into the next election in, presumably, 2022. Presumably there would be a discussion to be had about that nearer the time, although if poll ratings are strong then there's less likely to be a move against her. There will also be a lot of other unknowns during that time, not least how Brexit plays out.

 

[Butts]

May seems more calm and confident with Dimbleby. Much less jerky than last time

The whole thing was far more civilised and enjoyable than the "7 Way Rant" the other night and demonstrated May is capable of holding her own answering questions from voters.

I enjoyed listening to Corbyn as well.

This is the correct format with DD the maestro at the helm

 

[phoenixcronin]

Corbyn really struggled on the nuke questions

 

[Kite159]

Ah good the thorny issue of university tuition fees, back to the goal of sending 50% to university to pick up degrees in pointless subjects (i.e. media studies) which said student can't make any use of when working behind a checkout at a local supermarket or cooking burgers

 

[Busaholic]

I thought both May and Corbyn did well by their own lights i.e. they can't help their limitations, any more than any of us can. Their respective parties have put them there. If it was a boxing match I'd have scored it as a draw.

 

[sk688]

Leanne Wood has been on just about every one - would not be suprised to see her turning up on the next Scottish one

I think you'll find it's Natalie , not Leanne

 

[RichmondCommu]

I think you'll find it's Natalie , not Leanne

Are you sure?

 

[jon0844]

Ah good the thorny issue of university tuition fees, back to the goal of sending 50% to university to pick up degrees in pointless subjects (i.e. media studies) which said student can't make any use of when working behind a checkout at a local supermarket or cooking burgers

Soon there won't even be many checkout jobs, and I'm sure even fast food restaurants will find ways to automate the process to run with minimal staff. Indeed, it may soon be that you'll end up working for a company like Deliveroo to bring that food to a customer on a bike, and treated like dog s***.

Quite a lot of roles people are studying at degree level today are likely to fall foul of AI/automation. We really do need to stop and discuss this issue, but has it been raised at any debates? What will future Government to do give the next generation work, with or without Brexit as a further complication?

 

[Butts]

Ah good the thorny issue of university tuition fees, back to the goal of sending 50% to university to pick up degrees in pointless subjects (i.e. media studies) which said student can't make any use of when working behind a checkout at a local supermarket or cooking burgers

Are Free Tuition Fees not effectively a Middle Class Subsidy ?

People send their kids to Private Schools for ££££ and then are major beneficiaries from this largesse.

In Scotland there is not much evidence that this measure has encouraged higher participation rates from disadvantaged kids than in the rest of the UK where fees are charged.

 

[Senex]

Quite a lot of roles people are studying at degree level today are likely to fall foul of AI/automation. We really do need to stop and discuss this issue, but has it been raised at any debates? What will future Government to do give the next generation work, with or without Brexit as a further complication?

No, it doesn't get raised. We just carry on blindly assuming that a degree of some sort is necessarily desirable and that ever more of the population are capable of degree-level studies (whatever degree-level now means). We stillhear the argument that fees are fully justified because graduates will earn so much more during their working lives. But no politicians seem to want to want to discuss where the jobs will be in the future and what sort of jobs they will be -- particularly if AI developments mean that "automation" can slowly but steadily take over more and more traditional "middle-class" jobs.

 

[Groningen]

One newspaper is Theresa may now calling Theresa Maybe.