[RedSparrows]

Almost as if voters need to take an iota of responsibility for their actions.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I see they're on to "Make sure Labour don't win by too much".

That might be the best line they have, in fairness. But there's not all that much between a majority of 80 and a majority of 180.

[davidjay]

I see they're on to "Make sure Labour don't win by too much".

That might be the best line they have, in fairness. But there's not all that much between a majority of 80 and a majority of 180.

It makes losing next time a lot harder.

[slilley]

I see they're on to "Make sure Labour don't win by too much".

That might be the best line they have, in fairness. But there's not all that much between a majority of 80 and a majority of 180.

It is also quite alarming for Tory activists if people like Grant Shapps is basically throwing in the towel. I have been on a seat by seat poll tracker and even in places that traditionally are rock solid Tory, the cracks are appearing it seems. A majority well over 100 would see them out of office for a good number of years so long as Starmer is sensible.

Here in the seat of Slough which in years gone by was a bell weather seat I had the Labour Party on the doorstep today. There are 11 candidates standing including Reform, Heritage, a pro Gaza independent, Workers Party of GB, and the fomer Conservative and UKIP candidate here Diane Coad standing again this time as an independent.

[kreuzberger]

Sky debate: let's open with some old, white bigots and then watch Beth Rigby disappear up her own arse with flat falling gotchas.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Yeah, very striking that Shapps is so downbeat. Same with Jeremy Hunt who apparently thinks holding his seat would be a big result.

Slough could potentially see Gaza issues, but I assume it's got a lot more "citizens of nowhere" than in the past? So ought to be safe enough.

We're spared Galloway's Goons here, but have lucked out with both Reform and the SDP. I don't know why we get both. UKIP got 14% in 2015 (1.1% higher than the national average) but I'd guess that a fair few of those had died and been replaced with jam knitters.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Starmer’s talked abou pot holes in the debate, I see, as something that he could make a start on straight away. Very timely for us.

We bought electric bikes today and rode them home from the bike shop 3 miles away. I knew already from riding in cars that Herefordshire was a world leader in terrible roads, but fuck, I didn’t realise how bad cycling on them was.

What’s been the difficulty for the government on this? I really don’t understand. Do a video of a petrolhead in a car or a Green on a bike, or both actually. “Labour will sort this shit out for you, rolling programme of repairs”. What’s not to like?

[Youngian]

Having already made it clear there’s little money available, Keir had to filibuster away issues from audience questions that cost money.
But he’ll have Sam Malone’s vote by rolling up his sleeves on day one.

[Youngian]

It’s not that Sunak’s that bad a performer but I’ve never seen a PM who has so lost an audience before the first question. And they’re in no mood to be turned.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I hear he had a moment where he brought up junior doctors and got booed. As Sam Freedman says, he's still not realised people like doctors.

[Tubby Isaacs]

From the seat next door to us. It's ike she has to work up to telling you she's a Conservative.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Is Steve Baker still on holiday? Seems to be enjoying himself anyway.

I'm not Steve's biggest fan, but he doesn't deserve to have the railway crayonists on his case. High Wycombe is already connected to Central London, without needing to build a load of extra track to get there via Maidenhead and the not exactly empty Great Western Line.

[Andy McDandy]

We had our Tory candidate leaflet arrive the other day. Styled to look like a red top tabloid (or indeed a Labour flyer), lots on the front about the problems Lancaster faces, inside aha, it's the Tories.

[slilley]

Yeah, very striking that Shapps is so downbeat. Same with Jeremy Hunt who apparently thinks holding his seat would be a big result.

Slough could potentially see Gaza issues, but I assume it's got a lot more "citizens of nowhere" than in the past? So ought to be safe enough.

We're spared Galloway's Goons here, but have lucked out with both Reform and the SDP. I don't know why we get both. UKIP got 14% in 2015 (1.1% higher than the national average) but I'd guess that a fair few of those had died and been replaced with jam knitters.

Labour are fighting hard in Slough, they knocked on my door yesterday lunchtime. I think the Gaza issue will end up getting split between the Workers Party candidate and the independent who is running on a Gaza ticket. The right vote will split between Conservative, Reform, Heritage, and Diane Coad. The Lib Dems will get a few thousand but they think they have a better shot in Windsor. Tan Dhesi is a good MP, plenty of advice surgeries and is part of Labour treasury team.

[AOB]

Not had a single leaflet where I live. Unlike a local council ward election in February which produced so many that I must've clocked up 10,000 steps to and from the recycling bin. Crewe & Nantwich has previously flip flopped but I think Labour will win easy as it doesn't cover the posh areas in the north of Cheshire, unlike the Cheshire East Council elections which does.

I did the council election count last year. Fucking pain in the arse some of those prospective councillors watching you count, point out a pile of votes, "don't forget these!". "I haven't fucking forgotten them, you bellend. They are the pile I will count shortly. Fuck off and leave me in peace to count." That's what I was thinking in my head with a pasted on smile.

[Youngian]

Labour in Cambridgeshire are a bit pissed off that the party is not giving enough support to local candidates and telling them to get their arses over to bell weather Stevenage and Peterborough. I’m very pleased by this strategy as local members are too wrapped up in a myopic parochial spat with the Lib Dems to see the big picture. I don’t care how tiresome the LDs can be as long they beat Tories where Labour can’t.

[Andy McDandy]

Letter from Cat Smith's team asking us to put (enclosed) poster in the window. Partner's in the party, I'm an affiliate via Unison. Happy to do so.

[Youngian]

Cat Smith’s cheery Twitter account is a role model for a back bench MP. Never gets involved in spats and just shows what’s she up to in constituency and parliament. Out and about doing loads stuff, no way can any voter say we never see her.

[kreuzberger]

I listened to the entire R4 Today programme this morning, and suffered every moment of the Sky debate last evening. Tax, tax, tax - they never shut up about it and frame it relentlessly as a Very Bad Thing.

It is an absolutely cancerous mantra which never seeks to equate paying for things we want with getting the things we want. "Tax is bad".

Just like their previous hobby horse, membership of the EU, tax barely registered as a key concern amongst voters' priorities. A little more so now, now that the highly-remunerated broadcasters keep banging on about it.

Tax in green. Health in magenta. (YouGov)

[Abernathy]

I did the council election count last year. Fucking pain in the arse some of those prospective councillors watching you count, point out a pile of votes, "don't forget these!". "I haven't fucking forgotten them, you bellend. They are the pile I will count shortly. Fuck off and leave me in peace to count." That's what I was thinking in my head with a pasted on smile.

They shouldn't have been doing that. What party workers generally do at election counts is in two phases : the first phase is verification that the number of ballot papers in a box tallies with the number that the presiding officer has recorded as having been issued. This is done with the papers face up, providing party workers with their best opportunity to sample the votes in order to make a rough prediction of the result on the night, and provide useful statistical information for future campaigns. The second phase is the counting of the actual votes, where counters place individual ballot papers into piles, one for each candidate. The party workers' brief at this phase is to keep an eagle eye on their principal opponent's (usually the Tory) pile, not the Labour pile - we don't care if any extra votes are wrongly placed on our pile, in fact it's a good thing, but you do want to be sure that the Tories don't get any votes they are not entitled to. Generally, it's okay to point it out if you spot a vote being wrongly put on the Tory pile.

And that's it. I'm a bit surprised someone was harassing you not to forget to count a load of votes, because that is not what they are meant to do.