Mailwatch(ed) Forum

South Gloucestershire, not too far from Stroud, where Labour, lib dems and greens all converge.

Kingswood is in what used to be called Avon, adjacent to Bristol, and is mostly being absorbed by a new Bristol North East constituency. Stroud isn't too far away, but there are a couple of constituencies in between there and Kingswood. Apart from the town of Stroud, Kingswood is much more urban.

Edit- actually you know all this, don't you? Apologies for pedantry.

If the by-elections keep on trickling through before a proper election is called, I wonder how long it might take before another Tory PM tries to curry favour with the DUP again? It's an outside chance at this stage, but still a chance.

I've said before that TalkTV seemed to have my MP on speed dial. It escalated:

Let's see whether there's enough wingnut welfare for all this year's Portillos.

There can only be so many railway and gardening programmes needing a host.
Many Portillos will find that "Former MP for ..." doesn't pull in an many Dirhams as "Serving minister for ..." in the broadcasting world.

Portillo also has, for want of a better word, charisma. The rizz is somewhat lacking in the current crop, very much their stump dat.

Also, in many cases, absolute lack of hinterland.

I have noticed on X (formerly Twitter) several Conservative MPs posting about the Post Office scandal and how something must be done. Apart from James Arbuthnot, now in the Lords who seems to have taken this up a numbe rof years ago and run with it, not too many others have, which makes me think they have seen this as another convinient bandwagon to jump aboard in the hope of perhaps saving their own skins come election time.

In the local newspaper (Coalville and AshbyTimes) Bridgen is claiming to have been at the forefront of the campaign

I can't think of any consistency more Conservative (with a large "C" rather than a bunch of utter ones) than sub-post-people. Yet, still, the tories and their press didn't give a toss until the breathtaking injustices hit the telly.

Yup, par for the course.

Even Priti Patel has now jumped on the bandwagon demanding justice for the postmasters. I can't remember her vocally supporting them when she was Home Secretary.

The only place I ever read about it was in Private Eye

Watchman wrote: ↑Sat Jan 06, 2024 5:34 pm The only place I ever read about it was in Private Eye

Radio 4 has broadcast a couple of multi-episode series over the last three years or so. The tories don't listen to that once their Today Programme clocks off at 09:00.

Definitely a small c conservative demographic, albeit with a significant number of people of Asian descent. Not that it could have borne any weight on editorial decisions, of course. I mean, on the one hand, lots of technical information and stuff; on the other, they're all on the fiddle. What is a Dacre to do?

It’s all news to Kelvin

The rest of that Tweet is vintage "straight talking".

Since the scandal continued under Labour, Tory and Lib Dim administrations ( Ed Davey turned down a meeting with Mr Bates)

Some people gone in 2010 are just as responsible as his mates in government since then, when the problems became much more obvious.

kreuzberger wrote: ↑Sat Jan 06, 2024 5:45 pm

Watchman wrote: ↑Sat Jan 06, 2024 5:34 pm The only place I ever read about it was in Private Eye

Radio 4 has broadcast a couple of multi-episode series over the last three years or so. The tories don't listen to that once their Today Programme clocks off at 09:00.

I was made aware of it through the BBC (which thy wish to defund).

Youngian wrote: ↑Sat Jan 06, 2024 5:58 pm It’s all news to Kelvin

Seems Kelvin had little idea about much news that happened on his watch as (checks notes ... ) Editor of a best selling national newspaper.

Will Kelvin also be recommending peerages for those who campaigned for Justice for the victims of the Hillsborough tragedy?

He also doesn't know (despite considerable publicity) that Alan Bates turned down a knighthood.

I’m sure choosing disgraced MP Peter Bone’s girlfriend to replace him as Tory candidate will go down well with *checks notes* the very same electorate who recalled disgraced MP Peter Bone.

https://news.sky.com/story/amp/disgrace ... t-13043617