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Westminster Politics

SteveJ

all-round nice guy, aka Uncle Joe Kardashian
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If there was any doubt about how much sway Cummings has in Westminster now, you just have to look at the litany of Government Ministers currently falling over themselves on Twitter making tits of themselves excusing his actions.
Yep. And I doubt they're doing it because of personal affection for Cummings.
 

Pexbo

Winner of the 'I'm not reading that' medal.
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It is, but what I could never figure out is why social media has been such a successful medium for the right when it's predominantly used by the young.
I think it genuinely comes down to morales and hypocrisy. Scandals and fake news generally hurt the left because the left hold their own to accounts whereas for the right it’s a team sport and they can overlook scandals and corruption by their own because they genuinely couldn’t care less if it doesn’t as long as it doesn’t effect them. It’s a point scoring thing for them.
 

BobbyManc

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Keir Starmer is a bit quiet, isn't he?
He is. Ian Blackford may be insufferable at times but he and the SNP are typically far better at holding the government to account and taking action that will get them in the news than Labour are. For instance, I've just seen on Twitter that Blackford has written to the Cabinet Secretary demanding an explanation for Cummings' actions. It wasn't unusual to see this happen under Corbyn's leadership, either.
 

vodrake

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Yep. And I doubt they're doing it because of personal affection for Cummings.
No doubt. The almost identical phrasing of the tweets, "Protecting your wife and child", "trying to politicize the situation", suggests there's a briefing from No 10. on circling the wagons
 

sullydnl

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Presumably the many people in similar situations who actually did what the government asked aren't good parents.

This coming from the actual attorney general.
 

Adisa

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This I don't get. The vast majority of people happily ignored all of the Brexit lies, then swallowed all of the Tory ones too. Does feel like we have the government we deserve cos the majority is to stupid or apathetic to care.
We have turned into America. It isn't apathy. The other side must not win, no matter the cost.
 

Wolverine

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Never really believed that Cummings had so much control over PM and the tory party....until now. Amazing that this is the hill they want to die on.
 

NinjaFletch

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It's almost impressive just how bad their response to this is. Of all the lies to pick you defend Cummings with 'well if you actually loved your relatives YOU would break lockdown rules too'

When they still get away with it we'll truly know how fecked we are.
 

BobbyManc

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I'm still taken aback by the rallying around Cummings. It's so brazen and Orwellian. Why not just offer a token apology, concede it was wrong but rally round him on the basis that they do not believe it is a resigning issue. That to me makes so much more sense. They'd look like hypocrites for the stance taken re Ferguson but it would be much easier to spin why his case was different and therefore incomparable. And to be honest I imagine people would care a lot less. What is especially infuriating about this is the attempt to even dismiss it as an issue.
 

Adisa

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It is, but what I could never figure out is why social media has been such a successful medium for the right when it's predominantly used by the young.
I think young people are wiser to social media and are harder to sway. You should see the things my parents send to me because they have seen it online.
The effect of SM on the older generation is more profound.
 

Wolverine

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I'm still taken aback by the rallying around Cummings. It's so brazen and Orwellian. Why not just offer a token apology, concede it was wrong but rally round him on the basis that they do not believe it is a resigning issue. That to me makes so much more sense. They'd look like hypocrites for the stance taken re Ferguson but it would be much easier to spin why his case was different and therefore incomparable. And to be honest I imagine people would care a lot less. What is especially infuriating about this is the attempt to even dismiss it as an issue.
Completely agree, the doubling down is even more damning. I don't know if its some sort of 5D chess strategy that they think they can pull off. Don't know what the strategy is though, its some alternative facts Trumpian level shit now, maybe they want to polarise their base more.
Or a warning signal to adversarial journalists on their aggressive style of government to know that they're all willing to say stupid shit and get away with it because their base will eat up whatever they dish out. Would be interesting to see what line the Mail, the Sun take on it.
 

Maticmaker

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If there was any doubt about how much sway Cummings has in Westminster now, you just have to look at the litany of Government Ministers currently falling over themselves on Twitter making tits of themselves excusing his actions.
Exactly what is the point in continuing with this? For now Labour should be going after the thing that Boris is now weakest on and that is the lifting of the lockdown. Boris's 'baby steps' are unravelling but most importantly its about looking to the future. People are still frightened about the future, at some point they will want their pound of flesh, but right now attacking the government about what one of its 'backroom boys' has or hasn't done is ludicrous. For the first time in ages there is a potential breach in what the PM can control from No.10.

Starmer was on the right track when he pressed Boris for a strategic plan for lifting the lockdown, because he, like we, all know the 'best laid plans'... etc. and 'no plan ever survives the first contact with the enemy .. and so on, it means this is the time when slip ups are difficult to control and to change direction. Starmer has to get a grip of his shadow front bench, like Boris has with his cabinet and start pulling in the same direction, not firing off at targets which have already passed by.
 

ArmchairCritic

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I think young people are wiser to social media and are harder to sway. You should see the things my parents send to me because they have seen it online.
The effect of SM on the older generation is more profound.
What I find weird about this specific phenomenon is that my parents are generally pretty sceptical about most things but once someone has sent them 'something off the internet' all of that scepticism is deposed of.
 

Adisa

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What I find weird about this specific phenomenon is that my parents are generally pretty sceptical about most things but once someone has sent them 'something off the internet' all of that scepticism is deposed of.
My mum is a professor in psychology and my Dad a retired director of a gas company. You would think above average intelligence but noo...they never vet what they read online. I have told my das to stop forwarding shit to me.
 

utdalltheway

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My 85 yr old father in law told us yesterday that Dwayne (the Rock) Johnson died.
I did a quick check online and found nothing so I asked him where he saw that. “YouTube.”
Cue my wife berating him to stick to mainstream news sites and stop clicking on shitty links.
 

sullydnl

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The defense of Cummings is actually far more aggravating than what Cummings actually did.
 

Adisa

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You are right but also wrong.
Yes the majority of the country put them in.
But that gives them no right to behave in such an abysmal manner.
The Tories had been there for 9 years when we voted. We didn't vote for an unknown quantity.
Many of these politicians have reputations going back well over a decade.
Many of the people who put them there still don't see anything wrong. These people behave as they do becaise it works and they are constantly rewarded.
 

VP89

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I know Labour was completely blown away in the last election but I'm wondering now whether the capitulation of the Tories means their end is more near than I thought. I mean, surely they are completely fecked after covid. Serious errors in virtually every department.
 

VP89

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So Dominic cnut's wife said that she was sick and the day after he was sick. That goes completely against what the Government/Dom said :lol:
 

Jippy

Sleeps with tramps, bangs jacuzzis, dirty shoes
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We have turned into America. It isn't apathy. The other side must not win, no matter the cost.
Well we do follow them with a 10 or so year lag in most things I guess.
But does anyone really believe this will have any impact on Tory voters, particularly given most will read about it on the BBC or DM, Tel etc...
 

Pexbo

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Well we do follow them with a 10 or so year lag in most things I guess.
But does anyone really believe this will have any impact on Tory voters, particularly given most will read about it on the BBC or DM, Tel etc...
It such a troubling statement, especially coming from such a reasonable and sensible poster as yourself.
 

Untied

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On the plus side I'm furloughed so I'm not searching Twitter for "cumming sister' from work
 

Sparky Rhiwabon

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Never really believed that Cummings had so much control over PM and the tory party....until now. Amazing that this is the hill they want to die on.
I can’t believe you didn’t know this. Cummings calls the shots and Boris is the public face. He’s untouchable.
 

TheGame

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I'd recommend Ralph Miliband's work if you haven't read any of his stuff already, Capitalist Democracy in Britain is a good one for explaining how the powerful do not rely on the built-in unpredictability of fair elections as you put it - and I'd dispute that they are "fair", but not because of fraud or stuffing ballot boxes or anything like that, although it would be naive to assume some dodgy stuff does not occur, especially at a local level.
I run elections for my job and it really annoys me when people come out with conspiracy theories about elections. We work flat out during elections, not seeing our families with the long hours and there is no fiddleing or stuffing of ballot boxes. The stuff with the pencils and rubbing votes out alleged by the nutters made us laugh. There are strict rules we have to follow for elections and candidates and agents can see all of the process.
 

SteveJ

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Johnson is so lazy that he can't be stirred even to defend his brain.
 

SteveJ

all-round nice guy, aka Uncle Joe Kardashian
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Hilariously, the Spectator is now stating that Cummings must resign.
 

BobbyManc

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I run elections for my job and it really annoys me when people come out with conspiracy theories about elections. We work flat out during elections, not seeing our families with the long hours and there is no fiddleing or stuffing of ballot boxes. The stuff with the pencils and rubbing votes out alleged by the nutters made us laugh. There are strict rules we have to follow for elections and candidates and agents can see all of the process.
Reassuring to hear from someone with first-hand experience, to be fair I’ve always had faith our elections are fair in that regard. Now’s not the best time to admit that I take my own pen with me to the ballot box though, is it...
 

Adisa

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I know Labour was completely blown away in the last election but I'm wondering now whether the capitulation of the Tories means their end is more near than I thought. I mean, surely they are completely fecked after covid. Serious errors in virtually every department.
The Tories are not fecked. Far from it.