The Local Elections

[Taff]

I spent yesterday counting votes and in the ward I was counting there was an indy, 2x greens and 2x cons on the sheet, 2 seats available.

At one point I had 15 piles of 10 and every one of the top sheets had 2 votes for the greens, the conservatives that were stood there watching us were fuming while the greens were having a bit of a party.

[demographic]

Looks to me like people have voted tactically with the main aim of removing the Conservatives and went for the closest option to achieve that.
Then some people who may have thought in the past the Conservatives have been better with the economy have watched in dismay as they drove it into a tree.
I'm guessing most of those wouldn't vote Labour so thats where the Lib Dems will have gained.

[Pirahna]

Not to mention the £60bn PPE scam (that's more than the annual defense budget).

Where do you get that figure from?

It from a report from the National Audit Office which places the figure somewhere between £39bn and £59bn, it's so much money even they don't know.

https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/tackling ... overnment/

This video has some interesting points, the bloke is slightly left of centre with his politics and mildly annoying, but bear with it.

[Horse]

Not to mention the £60bn PPE scam (that's more than the annual defense budget).

Where do you get that figure from?

It from a report from the National Audit Office which places the figure somewhere between £39bn and £59bn, it's so much money even they don't know.

https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/tackling ... overnment/

Damning with feint praise? No, just damning.

In our 2016 Fraud landscape review ... We also found there were few incentives for departments to record and report the true scale of potential fraud; a lack of data or metrics to evaluate performance in detecting and preventing fraud; and mixed capability across departments to tackle fraud.

[Ant]

Not to mention the £60bn PPE scam (that's more than the annual defense budget).

Where do you get that figure from?

It from a report from the National Audit Office which places the figure somewhere between £39bn and £59bn, it's so much money even they don't know.

https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/tackling ... overnment/

This video has some interesting points, the bloke is slightly left of centre with his politics and mildly annoying, but bear with it.

That's more than likely the entire cost, including paying people to stay at home, not on PPE alone. But something had to cost something, no one could just sit there and do nothing, could they?

[Ant]

I swear I was about to ask who was going to be the first to post up something from that mental ex-science teacher on the edge of a breakdown who posts poorly informed shit and is a favourite of TRC

I hope for a Labour government at the end of 2024 (or the start of 2025) for two reasons.

1. It will smash the Tories to pieces and end their outrageous incompetent streak, it will be good for politics because they'll have to bin off half of them to ever hope to get re-elected.

2. The economy will crash and billions will be wiped off the books, it will make the Truss/Kwarti episode look like a jolly. Anyone with brains and a big chunk of money to play the markets will make a mint.

2025 will be bad for most people though, private pensions will be smashed, public services will be a shadow of what they should be and the NHS will be a ghost that only works for the employees.

Careful saying 'bad things' about Labour around here......

[Mussels]

Looks to me like people have voted tactically with the main aim of removing the Conservatives and went for the closest option to achieve that.
Then some people who may have thought in the past the Conservatives have been better with the economy have watched in dismay as they drove it into a tree.
I'm guessing most of those wouldn't vote Labour so thats where the Lib Dems will have gained.

I don't see that round here, tactical voting in this Tory area would be for the Lib Dems and I doubt anyone expected the Greens to do so well.
It was the wealthy rural wards that voted the Greens in, they are the most likely people to suffer from it.

[Ant]

That's more than likely the entire cost, including paying people to stay at home, not on PPE alone. But something had to cost something, no one could just sit there and do nothing, could they?

Furlough cost £70bn.

The government gave out free money, everyone had their hand out, companies, individuals, everyone, it was a massive mess.
Then there was the PPE crisis where the government were accused of not buying it fast enough, so they threw unlimited budgets at it.

The moaners now want someone to blame because they have to pay for it all...

Quite.

Those who are now pointing the finger and claiming how wrong it all was, were quite happy to take the money for sitting at home. Perhaps they'd like to pay it back?

I'm sure there are people and companies who did abuse it, though.

[demographic]

Well, so far the Conservatives have lost 960, Labour gained 635, Lib Dems gained 460 and Other have lost 375.

Conservatives claimed they might lose 1000, but that was done to manage expectations and if they only lost 700 they could claim it as a victory. Thats not looking as good now.
Labour reckoned they'd only gain 400 or so, same expectation management but working the other way.

It might be interesting to see where this goes but over the years I've not been keen on Conservative policies, however they've not totally taken the piss.
More recently theyve shown themselves to be greedy, incompetent and authoritarian, willing to throw away rights that people fought hard to get our population. I want the new conservatives gone.

The older ones actually seemed to care about the country even if I didntagree with what they did.

[Horse]

Well, so far the Conservatives have lost 960, Labour gained 635, Lib Dems gained 460 and Other have lost 375.

Conservatives claimed they might lose 1000, but that was done to manage expectations and if they only lost 700 they could claim it as a victory.

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[cheb]

Fewer independent candidates, which to me is a shame. I'd like my representative to vote as they see fit not as the Party decides. And the Rebel Alliance lost seats too.

[Saga Lout]

I'd like to vote Labour, but Diane Abbotts shoes!!!!

I'd like to vote Conservative but Ann Widdecombe's pendulous, lop-sided bosom.

I have a dream that one day we will live in a nation where politicians will be judged not by their shoes or their breasts but by the content of their character.

[Horse]

I have a dream that one day we will live in a nation where politicians will be judged by the content of their character.

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[Noggin]

Did Boris keep his seat?

[Mussels]

Did Boris keep his seat?

These were local council elections, the local candidate coudn't even tell me what he does to benefit his ward.

[Mr. Dazzle]

We get a monthly news letter/flier from the Lib Dem chunk of our council.

Their crowning achievement so far is replanting the central reservation on the road near CooP

[Noggin]

Did Boris keep his seat?

These were local council elections, the local candidate coudn't even tell me what he does to benefit his ward.

Ah ok. Council not the gurt council type thingy!

I don't think many do anything that benefits nowadays. I know some do, but they seem to be in the minority

[Count Steer]

Did Boris keep his seat?

These were local council elections, the local candidate coudn't even tell me what he does to benefit his ward.

Ah ok. Council not the gurt council type thingy!

I don't think many do anything that benefits nowadays. I know some do, but they seem to be in the minority

It's not a particularly thankful task tbh. There's already an organisation there trying to do the work with the funds available. Quite often that organisation resents being played politics with when they have all on to just do the job. Leadership changes just result in attempts to redistribute the funds available. Some small town politicos try to play fast and loose with planning when it suits their mates etc etc. I suppose they're the visible target for the flak from residents too, so it's sort of a rock and a hard place.

My representative had to be persuaded to stand, even though he was pretty much a shoo-in. Decent bloke, he'll do his best but he's not doing it for the money.

I wouldn't do it, as I say, it's a thankless task - but he says he could hardly complain about things if he turned down the chance to try and do something about them.

My main complaint is that we get to pick people based on politics rather than competence in managing anything. (Same with MPs I suppose).

[Noggin]

It's not a particularly thankful task tbh. There's already an organisation there trying to do the work with the funds available. Quite often that organisation resents being played politics with when they have all on to just do the job. Leadership changes just result in attempts to redistribute the funds available. Some small town politicos try to play fast and loose with planning when it suits their mates etc etc. I suppose they're the visible target for the flak from residents too, so it's sort of a rock and a hard place.

It's less and less of a task anyone would want - unless they want to make money!

My representative had to be persuaded to stand, even though he was pretty much a shoo-in. Decent bloke, he'll do his best but he's not doing it for the money.

I wouldn't do it, as I say, it's a thankless task - but he says he could hardly complain about things if he turned down the chance to try and do something about them.

My main complaint is that we get to pick people based on politics rather than competence in managing anything. (Same with MPs I suppose).

These are the sort of people that are needed, as MPs too. But as you say, why would anyone volunteer if they actually want to do a good job/make any difference. So we end up with the shitfest we have

[irie]

The Tories are twats - the incompetence, incoherent policy making, shameful leadership(s) in any other situation of business would have them out on their ears, fined, probably imprisoned. The Tory war-machine, funded by big business (a conspiracy most of the conspiracists ignore, preferring to bang on about Biden) will grind into gear and slate Labour into oblivion.

So yes Starmer probably needs to be farther ahead right now to win.

In the above you could replace occurrences of "Tory" with "Labour", "business" with "union", and it would be equally valid.