General Election 2024

Jericholyte2

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Are you kidding? Murdoch has already approved Starmer's gvt or they wouldn't have a prayer a la Miliband and Corbyn. They know that every decade or so you need a bit of Tory-lite to please the proles.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2024/05/22/telegraph-view-general-election-starmer-sunak/

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/05/22/sir-keir-starmer-isnt-ready-for-this-fight/

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2024/05/17/keir-starmer-tax-rises-jeremy-hunt-election/

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/20...-save-britain-from-most-left-wing-government/

Yeah, Murdoch’s just giving Starmer the keys to Downing Street.

Admittedly they’re not doing the Milliband route of disparaging his dead war-hero grandfather, but let’s not lie about the media’s treatment of Labour.
 

Walrus

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It wont happen, but if Labour continue to drift towards the Right then it would be really interesting if the Lib Dems or even Greens built up enough support - and the Tories died out enough - to have an Opposition attacking Labour from the left, rather than the assumptive far-Right we will get from the Tories.
 

InspiRED

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The Mail, the Express and the Telegraph will do their bit.

My point is that despite our libel laws, during an Election there are many fewer restrictions on the media and the candidates, not least because most of our election law dates from the 19th century. Social media adverts (or lies) will play their part, as will the bigger budget of the Tories.
The tories are done in this election. Those publications you have mentioned will continue to run the same vile agenda that they did before, there is no difference there.
 

InspiRED

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This is the Telegraph. It is not the Telegraph of 20 years ago, It's now the posh equivalent of the Express that caters for a unique foaming-at-the-mouth brand of swivel-eyed loon. Only lunatics read it, like people who bought Liz Truss' book.
 

Jericholyte2

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This is the Telegraph. It is not the Telegraph of 20 years ago, It's now the posh equivalent of the Express that caters for a unique foaming-at-the-mouth brand of swivel-eyed loon. Only lunatics read it, like people who bought Liz Truss' book.
I can do the exact same for The Sun, your point that Murdoch is giving Starmer an easy run is without base.
 

Red in STL

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Labour are inheriting a mess and face a very difficult job, but I don't think the electorate are going to be switching back to the Tories in a hurry, not with their lies and corruption and how bad they've allowed things to get.

It's also important the electorate sends a clear message to the Tories at the ballot box that they have to change if they want to win back their trust, not sure they will, because they'll probably elect Braverman or Badenoch as leader and they will be just as awful in opposition as they've been in govt.
Labour also need to make it clear that they can't fix everything in a single term, things are almost certainly going to get worse before they get better
 

Red in STL

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This is the Telegraph. It is not the Telegraph of 20 years ago, It's now the posh equivalent of the Express that caters for a unique foaming-at-the-mouth brand of swivel-eyed loon. Only lunatics read it, like people who bought Liz Truss' book.
And it isn't owned by Murdoch either
 

InspiRED

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I can do the exact same for The Sun, your point that Murdoch is giving Starmer an easy run is without base.
It would appear to be an open secret that Labour staffers set out to woo The Times and The Sun for some endorsement. Do you really think they would try the same thing with The Telegraph or The Mail?
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/02/times-sun-election-labour-keir-starmer
And it isn't owned by Murdoch either
What is your point here, did I say it was owned by Murdoch?
I'm under no illusions that Murdoch wouldn't push exactly the same agenda as The Telegraph if he thought he could get away with it. The point is that there is nuance, and the readership(s) are different. What will wash with readers of The Telegraph (can't even call it the torygraph anymore as it's a different beast!), won't wash with Times readers. At the least I will be willing to bet The Sun and The Times won't come heavily anti-Starmer this election, so let's wait and see if that is proven wrong.
 

Red in STL

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It would appear to be an open secret that Labour staffers set out to woo The Times and The Sun for some endorsement. Do you really think they would try the same thing with The Telegraph or The Mail?
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/apr/02/times-sun-election-labour-keir-starmer

What is your point here, did I say it was owned by Murdoch?
I'm under no illusions that Murdoch wouldn't push exactly the same agenda as The Telegraph if he thought he could get away with it. The point is that there is nuance, and the readership(s) are different. What will wash with readers of The Telegraph (can't even call it the torygraph anymore as it's a different beast!), won't wash with Times readers. At the least I will be willing to bet The Sun and The Times won't come heavily anti-Starmer this election, so let's wait and see if that is proven wrong.
Indeed you didn't but you were responding to a post with Telegraph links and the line Yeah, Murdoch’s just giving Starmer the keys to Downing Street, so I was just adding an observation about the fact that Murdoch has bugger all to do with the Telegraph, obviously a tad clumsily
 

Tibs

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Low key felt sorry for Rishi yesterday.

Sometimes wonder if deep down he's a good guy - but lacking the backbone and courage to stand strong against loud mouth cnuts like Suella.
 

maximus419

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Labour also need to make it clear that they can't fix everything in a single term, things are almost certainly going to get worse before they get better
They've already admitted that in recent months on political shows. The problem is, will the electorate be patient enough?

I think Labour also need to be a little careful with their campaign and saying we need change because change would suggest a wholesale reform and the complete opposite of what has happened over the last 14 years. Whereas I don't think that is what Labour have planned, nor what the finances will allow them.

It's highly likely that Labours first budget will be a mix of tax rises and some govt dept cuts due to a black hole in the current govt borrowing figures. Unless the economy magically picks up, Rachel Reeves as new chancellor will have to make some very unpopular choices. So how long will the goodwill for Labour last, when people like Owen Jones and others on the left will be sniping away and invited onto Question Time on a weekly basis attacking them!
 

Frosty

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What’s with this haircut and wanting to make life more miserable for people

This feels like she has been told "we haven't written that bit in the manifesto yet". Although I cannot see another (realistic) alternative to fees increasing. No government is going to prioritise university funding over health, education, social care and many other areas.

They won't want to increase taxes (so that means no graduate tax), and if there isn't an increase in funding universities will go bust. We will likely see a reintroduction of the cap on student numbers and some short term funding measures, and possibly relaxing international student visa requirements to encourage applications.
 

P-Ro

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I'm watching Question Time and it's a pretty hilarious that our soon to be education secretary doesn't seem to have anything to say about what Labour plan to do on education other than "well that's a difficult question with difficult answers.."

She's fit though.
 

Sweet Square

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This feels like she has been told "we haven't written that bit in the manifesto yet". Although I cannot see another (realistic) alternative to fees increasing. No government is going to prioritise university funding over health, education, social care and many other areas.
Tbh it wouldn’t be that much of an issue if the other stuff was going to get any decent funding but I’m doubtful that will happen.
 

Red in STL

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This feels like she has been told "we haven't written that bit in the manifesto yet". Although I cannot see another (realistic) alternative to fees increasing. No government is going to prioritise university funding over health, education, social care and many other areas.

They won't want to increase taxes (so that means no graduate tax), and if there isn't an increase in funding universities will go bust. We will likely see a reintroduction of the cap on student numbers and some short term funding measures, and possibly relaxing international student visa requirements to encourage applications.
Maybe some of them should, too many students are taking on huge amounts of debt for a lot of meaningless degrees, and universities have been run like businesses and paying huge salaries to CEO's and the like
 

WPMUFC

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Tbh it wouldn’t be that much of an issue if the other stuff was going to get any decent funding but I’m doubtful that will happen.
The reason they are being so wishy-washy on education is that your current government is about to slash international placements and the price of UK students fees has not gone up. UK students are subsidised by exploiting international students with massive fees. So if labour doesn't currently have a position policy on the international students disaster about to unfold then the only options available will be tax increases to make up the short fall, cut degrees or charge domestic students more.
 

Wibble

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Hilarious that Sunac got sprung putting ringers, Tory councillors wearing hi-viz and pretending to be brewery employees, in the crowd at a photo op to lob him easy questions. Pathetic.
 

Dancfc

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Am I being too paranoid into thinking the Tories will somehow swindle another majority out of this?

I don't trust the average Brit one little bit after Brexit and voting in Boris.
 

sewey89

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Am I being too paranoid into thinking the Tories will somehow swindle another majority out of this?

I don't trust the average Brit one little bit after Brexit and voting in Boris.
Tories are 10/1 to win the most seats. 20/1 for overall majority. Might be worth a few quid to ease the pain if it happens. As you say, the average Brit is very unpredictable.
 

Buster15

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Hilarious that Sunac got sprung putting ringers, Tory councillors wearing hi-viz and pretending to be brewery employees, in the crowd at a photo op to lob him easy questions. Pathetic.
And asking Welsh people if they are looking forward to the football...
 

WPMUFC

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Am I being too paranoid into thinking the Tories will somehow swindle another majority out of this?

I don't trust the average Brit one little bit after Brexit and voting in Boris.
The boris election was a vote against a shit labour party. He didn't win because of some kind of "quiet majority". Plus has any recent polling, post brexit, actually been that far off? UK voting seems pretty predictable.

Hell even brexit was just a normal poll error away. 52/48 is always a tricky outcome.
 

WPMUFC

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Inject it into my fecking veins :devil: :devil:
 
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Pexbo

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Inject it into my fecking veins :devil: :devil:
It really is fantastic to know that any party can have a huge majority in this country if they only shift themselves right and promise that they will do absolutely nothing. A single tear in my eye.
 

rimaldo

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It really is fantastic to know that any party can have a huge majority in this country if they only shift themselves right and promise that they will do absolutely nothing. A single tear in my eye.
i’m surprised you think half of the cnuts in this country deserve any better.
 

Berbasbullet

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The boris election was a vote against a shit labour party. He didn't win because of some kind of "quiet majority". Plus has any recent polling, post brexit, actually been that far off? UK voting seems pretty predictable.

Hell even brexit was just a normal poll error away. 52/48 is always a tricky outcome.
Apparently the brexit polls shifted in favour of brexit right before the vote anyway.