Current Affairs The General Election

[catcherintherye]

I'd rather be promised sensible stuff and have it delivered.

This is my one concern for Labour. That people will see their promises as so abstract they switch off.

 

[davek]

The coverage and general feeling around the election does have me a little stumped.

The Tories seem to be fighting a pretty erratic campaign, where Johnson comes across awkwardly and in an out of touch way. There seems to be little message discipline, it's gone from 1.2 trillion, to Corbyn's a racist, to 20k police officers, back to there'll be loads of immigrants, with a bus with get brexit done. If I didn't know better I'd say it was a bit of mess and chaotic thinking.

The fact he was busy making videos about marmite with his back to the camera while the north of England were flooded (where he's targeting voters) is again odd.

Then you have the polls which are closing all the time. Labour are within about 8 points on poll of polls, and with the more accurate companies (survation) have closed 4 points last week in what was a pretty modest week for them and are within 6 points. When you factor in the constituency polling that suggests the Tories really struggling to win a majority.

The pattern being followed is now at 2017. Labour got a massive boost at this point then with the manifesto launch, so it will be interesting to see if that happens again. If it does the cat is well amongst the pigeons.

Yet more political seem sanguine to the point the tories are going to win a massive majority. They seem absolutely certain of it (more so than in 2017). If I'm honest I am not sure what they are basing it on (beyond the BXP losing a lot of support allowing the tories to get to a bigger vote share. How hard they can further beat them down, I don't know.

So it's hard to tell much more at this point. The debates and manifesto's will be important.

My gut feeling is that the Tories will still be a fair bit lower than the 50+ seat majority they are predicting. I still fancy a Tory-Lib Dem agreement of some sort in the next Parliament.

Correct. It's why the Clown was exposing himself today to a grilling on the BBC. The Tories are desperately trying to stop momentum building for the LP.

These will be a loooooong 4 weeks for Johnson and Cummings.

 

[catcherintherye]

Correct. It's why the Clown was exposing himself today to a grilling on the BBC. The Tories are desperately trying to stop momentum from the LP.

These will be a loooooong 4 weeks for Johnson and Cummings.

The problem is he's incapable of doing it. He's a big open goal for Labour. There's no way he should be anywhere near a live TV debate.

 

[Jebus_lives]

Why nationalise though, why not just fund adequately? Not sure I’m comfortable with the state controlling the internet. Exactly the opposite of what was intended but inevitable I suppose.

They won't control the internet.

 

[davek]

The problem is he's incapable of doing it. He's a big open goal for Labour. There's no way he should be anywhere near a live TV debate.

His Chancellor is the same. About as charismatic as a spreadsheet. No wonder he's running scared of McDonnell.

 

[Jebus_lives]

Nailed.

It's such a basic question. He's only stumped because he only cares about himself.

 

[roydo]

They won't control the internet.

Not the content, no. But the main means of accessing it.

 

[davek]

It's such a basic question. He's only stumped because he only cares about himself.

He's stumped because he genuinely cant give an answer about how anyone with normal everyday needs would ever be able to associate with him. He relies on his 'cheeky boy' act to get him out of trouble, and when that's dismissed by an interviewer he flounders.

A PM of this country who behaves like him. FFS, we truly are living in interesting times.

 

[catcherintherye]

He's stumped because he genuinely cant give an answer about how anyone with normal everyday needs would ever be able to associate with him. He relies on his 'cheeky boy' act to get him out of trouble, and when that's dismissed by an interviewer he flounders.

A PM of this country who behaves like him. FFS, we truly are living in interesting times.

There are two aspects to the question (well 3 really). The first is why is he stumped by such an obvious question? Why is it so hard for him to explain why ordinary people can relate to him? This should not be a hard question for someone who wants to serve the country. It shows how out of touch he is with people.

Secondly why are his advisors not giving him some sort of standard line to this question? This is not a hard question to have a standard answer for. Something akin to "people can relate to me because I believe in hard work and opportunity, which I know is what all hard working families in this country believe in". That was the first thing that came into my head. How they can't prepare an answer is beyond me.

The final point, is he flounders terribly. He's not a good blagger.

The tories seem to have fallen into the trap of thinking a good after dinner speaker at the golf club is going to be a good political campaigner to be PM. It's not. The guy has no empathy and no emotional intelligence and it shows. Go and watch the video of Corbyn hugging the kid with down syndrome and see the difference. One of them is very natural around people and campaigning.

 

[dannyboy]

He's nailed himself. I know people seem to have the view this fella is some sort of secret weapon to Tory victory but I just don't see it. For me he's worse than May and streets behind Cameron/Osborne. Whatever idiot decided to risk his 40 odd point advantage over Corbyn on live debates needs sacking.

He has absolutely no idea why anyone can relate to him. Not a clue. And he is unable to lie in any way convincingly. I've said it a few times, it's Ben Johnson off the Thick of it.

Every chance he is going to stumble into those debates with very little prep work. The type of bloke who thinks he can wing it and comes unstuck.

Whereas May went full robot mode, Johnson will go off script all the time. Some people are capable of pulling that off, he isn't. It just turns into him a blabbering mess.

 

[catcherintherye]

His Chancellor is the same. About as charismatic as a spreadsheet. No wonder he's running scared of McDonnell.

That's another big mistake. Worse still he's robbed off, been called out and is now chickening out. Mcdonnell will keep pushing for the debate and he is going to look really silly, like May did if he won;t do it. Perhaps more so, because in truth he initially said he wanted it.

They are not going to be able to credibly fire back at the Labour manifesto. Last time Labour said well ours is costed yours isn't. This time they can add an additional dimension which is that they are happy to debate it, and why the 1.2 trillion is a lie and the conservatives aren't even willing to show up.

I genuinely hope they give him the Kay Burley treatment. Have half an hour of an empty chair, while they read out the tories pitiful economic record. Ideally throw in a big about his record as a trader as well and how they cause this mess.

 

[Charro]

He's nailed himself. I know people seem to have the view this fella is some sort of secret weapon to Tory victory but I just don't see it. For me he's worse than May and streets behind Cameron/Osborne. Whatever idiot decided to risk his 40 odd point advantage over Corbyn on live debates needs sacking.

He has absolutely no idea why anyone can relate to him. Not a clue. And he is unable to lie in any way convincingly. I've said it a few times, it's Ben Johnson off the Thick of it.

That’s a superb comparison.

 

[catcherintherye]

Every chance he is going to stumble into those debates with very little prep work. The type of bloke who thinks he can wing it and comes unstuck.

Whereas May went full robot mode, Johnson will go off script all the time. Some people are capable of pulling that off, he isn't. It just turns into him a blabbering mess.

I think thats exactly it. You can't blag this job though. The problem is he's filled with people who think he's amazing. Thats really dangerous.

The advice May had didn't work for her as she's robotic and needed to come out of her shell a bit. However the same advise is exactly what Johnson needs, as he just makes cock up after cock up. He's far too verbose to be effective in such settings.

It took a bit of time last campaign to realise May was useless. I sense we will have the same moment of reckoning with Johnson and in about 2 weeks everyone will be saying it.

 

[catcherintherye]

That’s a superb comparison.

To give Johnson some credit though, he was getting grilled on specific questions by Paxman. This fella has been asked an open question by a morning TV host.

 

[Blue 1]

He's nailed himself. I know people seem to have the view this fella is some sort of secret weapon to Tory victory but I just don't see it. For me he's worse than May and streets behind Cameron/Osborne. Whatever idiot decided to risk his 40 odd point advantage over Corbyn on live debates needs sacking.

He has absolutely no idea why anyone can relate to him. Not a clue. And he is unable to lie in any way convincingly. I've said it a few times, it's Ben Johnson off the Thick of it.