Month: June 2024

It really is different over there! If Biden went now Harris would become President. But the Democrats will nominate the candidate for the Presidency in a convention in Chicago in August. Biden has already got enough nominations to be that candidate. – but it is probable that he will be advised to stand down before then (although he says he will not!). So there are 3 candidates who stand out Gavin (cool to have a Gavin as President?), Gretchen (bit of a fairy story?) or JBPritzker (savory snack?). JBPritzker has the money, Gavin the all-American looks and Gretchen youthful enthusiasm.

However the wider picture is rather bleak! Trump is basically threatening civil disobedience if he does not win and seems to be backed by both wealthy and the well armed insane! My belief is that the Democrats would need to spend a shed load of money to get their candidate into te White House. Biden looks and sounds beaten! Trump arogant and aggressive. In this country it is the media (dominated by the right) that seems to want to make it a 2 horse race. In many constituencies such as mine, where the borders have changed quite radically, there is no incumbent MP standing (also about 100 MP’s have resigned/retired). But otherwise there is a local element – one which was promoted by Brexiteers of taking back control and having a local MP to potentially converse with!

Back to the UK – Mail headlines Tactical voting! I am sure I have read about them slagging off Labour in the last election for this very thing! Otherwise they have also turned their sights on Reform – but nt Farage!. I guess Starmer can just sit and watch? Labours lead in the polls does not seem to have diminished much with the prominence that Reform is getting? So he should sit tight – issue some cutting responses to the most dispicable of Farage and cronies. And hopefully next week we can celebrate before holding the next Government to account!

Last nights TV debate revealed 2 things. One person seems unfit to be a candidate, let alone the person who holds power in the world’s still most important country; and the other who it seems cannot put a sentence together without lying! Some choice America!

I have nothing new to say about Trump but the Biden situation is very interesting! Listening to John Sobell – he reckons that there could be 2 alternative democrats who could run for President – one is a California Govenor Gavin Newsom or Gretchen Whitmer, Governor of Michigan. Whether the Democrats could sort themselves out and then raise the finance is questionable! The rest of the world will be looking on with baited breath!

It seems obvious that Farage is using the same tactics as were used to get Brexit.

A wide range of unconnected, uncoated, and generably unobtainable statements, but all of which appeal to the underlying insecurity of the population who have been desensitised by austerity. No one paints a brighter future, and the cowards look nostalgically back to a past that has been cleansed of the nasty stuff.

Perhaps a few truths would be good to emphasise. The war gainst Hitler would not have been won without the USSR – D-Day would not have succeeded. Typhoid and cholera were around in this country in the 1950’s. Life expectancy was much lower than today. The benefits from migrants has been immense. The only unequivical thing that was better? The physical environment before chemicals and agribusiness destroyed the wildlife in the countryside. Cars broke. down regularly, foreign holidays were beyond reach for most and British summers with a couple of exceptions were awful!

If there is anything that we could suggest that the prsent would be better without it would possibly be some aspects, but not all, of the globalisation aspect of capitalism. It would be wrong to condemb capitalism ‘per se’, but its unrestrained spread has created a more unequal and dangerous world. Nividea is worth more than the GDP of the UK! How is that even conscionable? It does not take a genius to realise that unequal wealth distribution (beyond certain limits) creates an environment where violence becomes an option for the underclass.

Supposedly a long time in politics! The last couple of weeks have – not sure how to describe the shitshow that the torries have presented – been boring apart from the mistakes by Tory comms team. Now they are trying the internet thing – we will see how that goes? I just had a tory shit paper delvered and the biggest photo on it was Starmer!

I was surprised it was not in green, but they settled on a beige! We even have a fascist candidate – how horrific is that?

OMG – stop! Please stop! The Conservative Party is getting worse and worse! The betting scandal continues with people now known to be involved. A Health Minister has been accused of cronyism after disclosures related to contracts for ‘advice’. DWP flags 200000 people for fraud and error. 75% of the UK’s rivers are in poor health. The list is endless!.

The shit press are now panicing about a Labour super majority – is this so they can claim a ‘victory’ if the majority is less than 100, or 150, or ………

However there are questions still to be answered. The Muslim vote will not have forgotten Starmers blunder over Gaza; the young want rid of the tories but also want a vision of a better future (Starmer seems scared shitless y the Mail, Telegraph and Murdoch!; are there lots of people who are still undecided? Will Farage undermine Labour in the north? Will Farage support/Reform crumble as people become aware of the reality? This last one is unfortunately not so true!

The geography of it all! I am fascinated by this. Cities seem to be largely Labour. However things are changing as University towns are also joining the red ranks with even Canterbury falling. Will the rural vote stuff the tories to the benefit of the Lib.Dems. The Greens will be interesting with Brighton, Bristol and then a couple of rural areas? Will the Muslim vote have an impact? Will the SNP vote hold up in Scotland (where the Tories could be left with 1 or 2 seats at best?). What about Wales where the Labour Party has held sway for a long time – familiarity breeds contempt could affect both the SNP in Scotland and Lab in Wales. PC do seem to have a limited geographic appeal? Then NI – what will Sein Fein do? Will the SDP make further inroads? I suspect that support for the DUP is too ingrained to be undermined

went to see Taylor Swift, where did Sunak go – William Hills for a quick flutter on the election results – is he hedging his bets?

Just Stop Oil had a go at private jets – good on them, but I wonder if they should take a lesson from Greenpeace and plan their publicity stunts more carefully. How about flash mob appearances across the country? Trafalgar Square or even Hyde Park on a sunny day by the Serpentine – press and public would love it and it would therefore gain credibility? Perhaps getting well know celebrities to join in? They could dress in orange? Maybe free ice creams – they need some imagination!! Perhaps a barge on city centre rivers with music?