[Tubby Isaacs]

Strange tweet here.

The anti-Tory front is doing fine- see Selby and Somerton. The issue with Mid Beds is that Labour and the Lib Dems both think they can win it, and will be going hard for it, and anti-Tory voters probably won't know who they should vote for. Not going to be many seats like that in a general election. The Tories holding Mid Beds with 35% would be another Uxbridge. "We've turned the corner! Watch the polls! Oh shit!"

[Boiler]

I believe it's called democracy.

[kreuzberger]

I believe it's called democracy.

You actually think that FPTP is the best on offer?

No wonder that you also think that it is acceptable to lurch in to gratuitously patronising twattery.

[Boiler]

Have a day off from being a twat, Kreuzy.

It's what we have, not in the country you live in.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Say what you like about FPTP, it's got the potential to absolutely kill the Tories. 1997's tactical voting looks very inefficient in retrospect.

[Yug]

I believe it's called democracy.

You actually think that FPTP is the best on offer?

.

When did Boiler say FPTP was "the best on offer"? Your memory must be better than mine because I don't remember anyone on this forum ever saying that.

[kreuzberger]

I believe it's called democracy.

You actually think that FPTP is the best on offer?

.

When did Boiler say FPTP was "the best on offer"? Your memory must be better than mine because I don't remember anyone on this forum ever saying that.

That was the implication in this needlessly snippy post. I know that. You know that.

And, there isn't that much which you, I or anyone else can teach @Tubby Isaacs about what is and isn't democracy.

[Yug]

You actually think that FPTP is the best on offer?

.

When did Boiler say FPTP was "the best on offer"? Your memory must be better than mine because I don't remember anyone on this forum ever saying that.

That was the implication in this needlessly snippy post. I know that. You know that.

And, there isn't that much which you, I or anyone else can teach @Tubby Isaacs about what is and isn't democracy.

That was the implication you read into it. I just read it as a statement of fact. Because this broken electoral system is called democracy in this country. It just ain't very democratic.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

To be fair I read it as a snippy comment.

But then, like K, I've been on the end of that posters snippy (hah!) comments in the past.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I prefer PR, was just saying that FPTP kills parties like the Tories at the moment.

[Tubby Isaacs]

More of this stuff.

I remain fairly relaxed about this possibility. Nice talking point for when the Tories do their "Lib Dems and Labour have a secret pact" stuff. Like in Mid Beds?

[mattomac]

I think it will.

Doesn’t really mean much as there are handful of seats, Labour will no doubt run strongly in Camborne and Redruth but I don’t expect the LDs to do much in Truro and Falmouth.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Yeah, very few seats in a general election are going to be like Mid Beds. It's just that it's a by-election and it suits both opposition parties to run hard.

Have you seen the Election Maps nowcast? Predicts Tories winning only Cornwall North and Cornwall South East. They could lose both with really sharp tactical voting.

[mattomac]

Only really know the Labour hopeful seats down there but I can see them behaving like the two already down there.

[mattomac]

Interesting that this May sit between the two other by elections so any Sunak boost off this would be short lived.

[Tubby Isaacs]

What a surprise. Labour commissioned poll says "We're clearly the challengers to the Tories, but it's very close!"

Maybe the Lib Dems will come out with one of their own, but if they don't would be surprised if they kept up the full effort.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... ne-dorries

[Tubby Isaacs]

The bar chart boys hit back. As J says, the implication of this is that the Lib Dems will be on 25% on election day at this rate.

And it's 2 different pollsters and methodologies.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I wonder if the Lib Dems have stalled in the by-election. Could be why they're pushing this drivel for cheap attention.

Lib Dems say Liz Truss should not get payments from allowance to fund ex-PMs still active in public life
The Liberal Democrats have said that it is an “outrage” that Liz Truss received £23,310 from a fund available for former prime ministers who still play a role in public life between November last year and March 2023.

No money from fund for ex-PMs for ex-PM, Liz Truss, say Lib Dems.

It's not free money for Liz Truss. It's reimbursement of expenses for things that ex-PMs do as ex-PMs. I would think in her first few months, she got a shedload of letters from people who just wanted something with her signature on. Other stuff will be of varying importance "I work for a charity that helps X, will you support us?" "Dear X, sounds like a great cause, I'm happy to endorse what you do".

Would I write to Liz Truss? No. But some people like that sort of thing. And I can't get angry about paying postage and for someone to type the letters.

[Youngian]

Labour’s putting a lot of effort into Mid Bedfordshire and the nearer the GE, the less Iikely voters are to mess around with protest votes

[mattomac]

That’s the worrying one for the Conservatives.

It feels evidently Labour or Cons now in this seat. But if Labour are polling like that in a seat like this in a GE that’s got to concern for the Tories.

Strangely enough I don’t think todays policies will particularly work down there. Also I assume that drop in LD vote is all to play for, Labour could win this a bit like Selby which showed similar polling.