General Election 2024

What can we do to change the minds of decision makers and people in general to actually do something about preparing for the forthcoming economic/energy crises (the ones after this one!)?

Moderator: Peak Moderation

User avatar
UndercoverElephant
Posts: 13476
Joined: 10 Mar 2008, 00:00
Location: UK

Re: General Election 2024

Post by UndercoverElephant »

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crgggw4qkxzo: More people investigated over election bet claims
The gambling regulator’s inquiries into bets placed on the timing of the general election involve more people than those publicly named so far, the BBC understands.

Other people linked to the Conservative Party or the government are being looked into by the Gambling Commission, I am told.

The Commission itself has at no point named any of those it is taking a look at nor said how many. The BBC has previously reported that four Conservative officials, including two election candidates, are being looked into.

Part of the inquiries the betting industry conducts in instances like this is attempting to establish if bets have been placed not just by those who may have had access to privileged information, but those with connections to them too.

This can involve a trawl of social media, for instance, to try to establish digital fingerprints that may provide suggestions about how people may know each other.

The Gambling Commission, we understand, asked betting companies to share details of anyone who had bet £20 or more on a July election.

Labour has stepped up its attempts to keep asking questions about what it is calling "a scandal".

Pat McFadden, the party’s National Campaign Co-ordinator, has written to the chief executive of the Gambling Commission, Andrew Rhodes, to argue that “it is in the public interest that the Gambling Commission makes public the names of other figures you are investigating relating to this matter".

"There will be particular interest in whether any government ministers bet on the date of the election before it was called," he wrote.

In other words, Labour are stoking speculation - without any specific evidence - that a minister, or perhaps more than one, might have placed a bet.

Election campaigns can be a rough old business, and so the absence of knowing the full list of those being looked into allows Labour to ask that question, until every single minister has denied putting on a bet.
And why not? If ever there was a time to come clean quickly, deal with whoever is guilty, and try to move on immediately having shown you're in control and are capable of making tough decisions in the thick of it, it is right now. The longer Sunak delays and obfuscates, the greater becomes the stink, even without any specific evidence for who is being investigated. If they try to rely on "we can't comment because the Gambling Commission is investigating" then this could lose them more votes than D-day.

How senior a person could be involved? Are there any cabinet ministers that stupid? I don't think we can rule it out.
"We fail to mandate economic sanity because our brains are addled by....compassion." (Garrett Hardin)
User avatar
UndercoverElephant
Posts: 13476
Joined: 10 Mar 2008, 00:00
Location: UK

Re: General Election 2024

Post by UndercoverElephant »

https://archive.is/w98pF/again?url=http ... -7wdc95hdt
The Times: The great Sunak shaming: please stop this human sacrifice

“Shame, shame,” the audience bellowed, while Fiona Bruce, a lilac Dementor, did nothing to shut it down. It didn’t matter whether you agreed with Sunak or not. The intensity, the anger, the Maoist weirdness: if they could, they’d have killed him.

Why are we treating a prime minister like this?
Because we want to kill off the tory party forever. On with the ritual slaughter!
"We fail to mandate economic sanity because our brains are addled by....compassion." (Garrett Hardin)
User avatar
Potemkin Villager
Posts: 1959
Joined: 14 Mar 2006, 10:58
Location: Narnia

Re: General Election 2024

Post by Potemkin Villager »

UndercoverElephant wrote: 24 Jun 2024, 12:50
The intensity, the anger, the Maoist weirdness: if they could, they’d have killed him.

Why are we treating a prime minister like this?
Because we want to kill off the tory party forever. On with the ritual slaughter!
[/quote]

It really is turning into a clusterfeck cross between a great leap forward and a cultural revolution.

One might respectfully caution to be careful what to wish for. Any huge jubilation on foot of
the election result will be rapidly dissipated as reality sets in.
Overconfidence, not just expert overconfidence but general overconfidence,
is one of the most common illusions we experience. Stan Robinson
User avatar
clv101
Site Admin
Posts: 10540
Joined: 24 Nov 2005, 11:09
Contact:

Re: General Election 2024

Post by clv101 »

Potemkin Villager wrote: 24 Jun 2024, 13:59 One might respectfully caution to be careful what to wish for. Any huge jubilation on foot of
the election result will be rapidly dissipated as reality sets in.
Indeed, I'm expecting the next five years to be worse than the last., A good chance Labour will lose in five years times to a nationalist, authoritarian, extreme conservatism, big on populism and propaganda party. We ain't seen nothing yet.
Default0ptions
Posts: 867
Joined: 20 Mar 2020, 22:20
Location: Shrewsbury

Re: General Election 2024

Post by Default0ptions »

I don’t see anyone who has the courage to take peak oil and peak debt by the hand and run with it.

All else is fluff.
User avatar
UndercoverElephant
Posts: 13476
Joined: 10 Mar 2008, 00:00
Location: UK

Re: General Election 2024

Post by UndercoverElephant »

clv101 wrote: 24 Jun 2024, 15:12
Potemkin Villager wrote: 24 Jun 2024, 13:59 One might respectfully caution to be careful what to wish for. Any huge jubilation on foot of
the election result will be rapidly dissipated as reality sets in.
Indeed, I'm expecting the next five years to be worse than the last., A good chance Labour will lose in five years times to a nationalist, authoritarian, extreme conservatism, big on populism and propaganda party. We ain't seen nothing yet.
It needs to be socially conservative but sympathetic to the economic predicament of the working class. The tories can't fit that bill and at the moment Reform only vaguely fits it. But I too think something along those lines is the most likely outcome. I think Labour's honeymoon will be quite short. The huge majority they are about to win is down to them being as neutral/non-committal as possible and not being the tories, neither of which is likely to help them get re-elected in 4/5 years time.
"We fail to mandate economic sanity because our brains are addled by....compassion." (Garrett Hardin)
User avatar
UndercoverElephant
Posts: 13476
Joined: 10 Mar 2008, 00:00
Location: UK

Re: General Election 2024

Post by UndercoverElephant »

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/ ... e-33089620
EXCLUSIVE: Tories instruct lawyers to fight release of Universal Credit documents ahead of election

The Tories have instructed lawyers to fight the release of documents showing the impact of a cut to Universal Credit ahead of the General Election.

It comes after the Information Commissioners' Office last month ruled in favour of The Mirror and ordered the Treasury publish an analysis of a scrapped Covid-era top-up in benefits. The watchdog gave Rishi Sunak's government until June 21 to disclose the details.

But now the Tories have instructed the Government Legal Department to appeal the ruling at a tribunal - delaying any publication until after the country heads to the polls on July 4. Critics described the move as "shocking", saying it "stinks of a cover up".
Another really bad political decision by Sunak. If they are that desperate to avoid these documents being released before the election, the only reasonable assumption is that the contents are so unbelievably bad that an obvious cover-up is considered the least bad option. The electorate is well and truly sick of being treated like fools.
"We fail to mandate economic sanity because our brains are addled by....compassion." (Garrett Hardin)
User avatar
Mark
Posts: 2513
Joined: 13 Dec 2007, 08:48
Location: NW England

Re: General Election 2024

Post by Mark »

Lots of investigations have been kicked into the long grass...
Like this one into sewage treatment works - 31 months and waiting...

Environment Agency investigation into sewage treatment works:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collectio ... ment-works
User avatar
UndercoverElephant
Posts: 13476
Joined: 10 Mar 2008, 00:00
Location: UK

Re: General Election 2024

Post by UndercoverElephant »

https://x.com/focaldataHQ/status/1805265098803450304
EXCLUSIVE: Our first MRP poll of the campaign suggests Labour are on course for a 250-seat majority.

Probabilistic seat counts:
Labour: 450
Conservative: 110
Liberal Democrats: 50
SNP: 16
Plaid Cymru: 2
Reform UK: 1
Green: 1
"We fail to mandate economic sanity because our brains are addled by....compassion." (Garrett Hardin)
User avatar
UndercoverElephant
Posts: 13476
Joined: 10 Mar 2008, 00:00
Location: UK

Re: General Election 2024

Post by UndercoverElephant »

https://archive.is/6D8jO

FT: Labour diverts activists away from Lib Dem target seats
Campaign data analysed by FT reveals electoral strategy likely to maximise Tory losses in the south of England
Labour is directing its activists away from Conservative-held seats targeted by the Liberal Democrats into constituencies far from their homes, a strategy that is likely to maximise Tory losses in the south of England.
Volunteers in Somerset have been told to travel more than 80 miles to Plymouth, while London activists have been advised to ignore Lib Dem targets in the capital’s south-west, data from the Labour campaign website shows.
The data suggests Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has diverted his party’s army of door knockers away from roughly 80 Tory-held seats that the Lib Dems have focused on trying to take at the July 4 general election.
The effect is that the two opposition parties have minimised the resources they spend fighting each other and focused their energies on inflicting losses on UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives.
This election really is a one-off. Everybody against the tories. The trouble for Labour is the more successful this is, and therefore the smaller the tory party gets, the less effective the same strategy will be next time. No use not being the tories when the tories only have 50 MPs.
"We fail to mandate economic sanity because our brains are addled by....compassion." (Garrett Hardin)
User avatar
mr brightside
Posts: 583
Joined: 01 Apr 2011, 08:02
Location: On the fells

Re: General Election 2024

Post by mr brightside »

clv101 wrote: 24 Jun 2024, 15:12
Potemkin Villager wrote: 24 Jun 2024, 13:59 One might respectfully caution to be careful what to wish for. Any huge jubilation on foot of
the election result will be rapidly dissipated as reality sets in.
Indeed, I'm expecting the next five years to be worse than the last., A good chance Labour will lose in five years times to a nationalist, authoritarian, extreme conservatism, big on populism and propaganda party. We ain't seen nothing yet.
In series 2 of BBC's 'Grumpy Old Men', a few notable talking heads were very clear about how betrayed they felt in the months following Blair's victory. I haven't a clue what it will be like, to me personally things probably won't feel any different, i really do want to see the end of Tory scandal and lying though.
Persistence of habitat, is the fundamental basis of persistence of a species.
User avatar
clv101
Site Admin
Posts: 10540
Joined: 24 Nov 2005, 11:09
Contact:

Re: General Election 2024

Post by clv101 »

If the new Labour government can get a couple of years under its belt *without* lies and corruption, it'll be doing well. The party must be stressing 'good behaviour' internally, it's so important.
Ralphw2
Posts: 515
Joined: 05 Jul 2023, 21:18

Re: General Election 2024

Post by Ralphw2 »

Sunak withdraws support from the two Tory candidates.

Not sure about the party officials.
Default0ptions
Posts: 867
Joined: 20 Mar 2020, 22:20
Location: Shrewsbury

Re: General Election 2024

Post by Default0ptions »

Whoever ‘wins’ this election is inheriting a poisoned chalice.
Ralphw2
Posts: 515
Joined: 05 Jul 2023, 21:18

Re: General Election 2024

Post by Ralphw2 »

Labour party drops one candidate for betting against himself to win his constituency.

Tory member of the Welsh parliament also being investigated for betting.
Post Reply