Current Affairs The General Election

[catcherintherye]

You can't honestly think this is a good look for Labour electorally?



You just can't...

Is there no awareness whatsoever to how this looks outside their base?

It's like they're trying their best not to be elected, it's proper bizarre.

I just see a bloke who's willing to back a group of people protesting/striking to have a higher wage than £8.80 per hour when they make billions in profits, and think good on him. I could be miles out on that though.

 

[catcherintherye]

6/4 for under 195 seats - albeit that's a far broader range than the other options - is a bit scary

If the fav wins in every market:

336+ for the Tories
Less than 196 for Labour
Less than 31 for Lib Dems

Withdrawal Agreement Bill flies through. Won't be bettting but for me, those lines are really wrong.

(Betting) markets have been very poor predictors of recent political events though.

 

[orly]

(Betting) markets have been very poor predictors of recent political events though.

Not really. Other than the odd anomaly (out of 600+ seats) it wasn't that far out by voting day last time.

Layers don't stay very long in their job if they consistenly fail.

 

[tsubaki]

In an election, nothing is irrelevant. Anything and everything is seized on and used against you.

In the context of these few weeks, Corbyn has publicly supported 6 workers for a 50% pay rise. What do you reckon the first question on Today might be?

If he had said that he fully supports the rights of workers to ask for better conditions etc etc etc, but stopped short of supporting the HEADLINE pay demand, then fair enough. No harm done. But he didnt. Which in the context of an election, makes him look stupid.

Witness Johnson going to them floods and asking what he could do, when the locals had already been working miracles. Made him look a right tit.

How does supporting workers make him look stupid? Surely it would be more stupid to say that he supported their demands for X and Y, but Z was outrageous?

 

[roydo]

Where is the 6% from mate?

Apparently that was the % of workers who protested. Might be wrong, but my central point remains.

 

[Blues Harp]

I really can't get my head around this one. People who have worked hard and trained to get a job that pays between 20 and 30k will will be laughing at this. They're alienating a key demographic.

OK, lets all race to the bottom then.....its a negotiating first position, there are other grievances for the workers. Surely we should be trying to improve conditions of service/pay etc for ALL lower paid, gig economy, zero hours contracts. This is the way to turn workers against each other, rather than fighting together. And before you go on about workers paid between 20 and 30K laughing, I worked for 47 years, ended up on those parameters, not having had a payrise in real terms for the final 15 years. McDonalds can afford it anyway. McDonnell is absolutely right to support these workers........or perhaps we should all rise up in support of billionaires' "rights?"

 

[catcherintherye]

Not really. Other than the odd anomaly (out of 600+ seats) it wasn't that far out by voting day last time.

Layers don't stay very long in their job if they consistenly fail.

They were way out in 2017 and the referendum. 2015 too.

Labour below 196 is too short.

 

[catcherintherye]

Apparently that was the % of workers who protested. Might be wrong, but my central point remains.

Ah ok, I just wondered where that had come from.

 

[Jebus_lives]

Not really. Other than the odd anomaly (out of 600+ seats) it wasn't that far out by voting day last time.

Layers don't stay very long in their job if they consistenly fail.

The big change in 2017, when Labour started to close the gap, was after they published their manifesto. In general, the data suggests that while Corbyn isn't that popular, the policies are.

They'll do the same rallies, big crowds and social media assault once the manifesto is launched and the gap will narrow.

 

[orly]

They were way out in 2017 and the referendum. 2015 too.

Labour below 196 is too short.

Edit: CBA.

 

[catcherintherye]

The big change in 2017, when Labour started to close the gap, was after they published their manifesto. In general, the data suggests that while Corbyn isn't that popular, the policies are.

They'll do the same rallies, big crowds and social media assault once the manifesto is launched and the gap will narrow.

Yes I saw that. Before the manifesto (at this stage) the Tories were up slightly. They really dived in the last 2 weeks when people began to realise Labour could win.

Labour are following a similar graph to 2017 apart from being slightly higher at this point.

What's interesting, is the pattern so far looks very similar for the big two, apart from the Tories being about 5-6 points lower than in 2017.

I agree with you re manifestos, and the Tories choosing not to announce theirs until 2 weeks after seems another big mistake.

 

[tsubaki]

I really can't get my head around this one. People who have worked hard and trained to get a job that pays between 20 and 30k will will be laughing at this. They're alienating a key demographic.

No, they aren't.

Labour are proposing an increase in the minimum wage to £10; thats it.

What Corbyn and McDonnell are doing is supporting workers who happen to be on strike for a load of demands, most of which have been ignored here (and which are common sense), and everyone is focusing on the £15 an hour one - because that is what we the great British public do, go after people who are fundamentally the same as us who make a demand that we think is excessive and ignore all other context.

Meanwhile people like the recently apponted boss of the Royal Mail get £6 million as a golden hello, after an internal transfer, without ten pages of WHAT THE [Poor language removed] IS HE DOING on this esteemed forum.

 

[Blues Harp]

I just see a bloke who's willing to back a group of people protesting/striking to have a higher wage than £8.80 per hour when they make billions in profits, and think good on him. I could be miles out on that though.

This all the time...nail on head!

 

[catcherintherye]

Apparently that was the % of workers who protested. Might be wrong, but my central point remains.

I think there's a broad point about union density in private sector organisations. A majority of those balloted were in favour of strike action, so there's clearly appetite for such action. It's not being followed through so much, but it's a very low base at this point.

 

[roydo]

Surely we should be trying to improve conditions of service/pay etc for ALL lower paid, gig economy, zero hours contracts. This is the way to turn workers against each other, rather than fighting together.

Thing is mate, whilst I dont disagree with the central premise that workers in any industry should have a decent deal, an awful lot of ones in the gig economy/zero hours world actually quite like it.

I am one.

The thought of a Government riding to my rescue to give me paid leave, a minimum wage, having to pay into a pension, and all that, would really annoy me. Being off grid, so to speak, is an option a lot of folk enjoy.

That said, I am sure that plenty of others have different tales to tell. Basically, what I dont like, is a blanket approach to an issue that to many, isnt one.