2020++ - smiling and waving and looking so fine

alt80

@mark55man that's quite the list. You'll be back to work before you know it with all that stuff on the agenda. We just have the police and crime commissioner election coming up here in May. For the first time I genuinely don't know who I'd vote for if we had a GE tomorrow, on one hand I think the current lot need a term in opposition but I don't much fancy the alternative from a personal perspective either.

@f0xh0les no chance. I reckon they'll hold on to the bitter end, so end of January next year. 

mark55man

I think the powers that be are making sure that they are READY to declare for may (as in there are certain formalities and getting things in order that are being done), but that doesn't mean that they WILL - opinion polls are going very badly.  Tories Down, Lib Dems Flat, Labour Up, but also Reform Up and Greens strengthening, but a lot of the hard left have left labour and joined them and thats not going great for them  The bookies are favoring later and they always seem to know.

So I think personally it could still be May but more likely to be October November

The latest election day can be declared is the 5 years after the 2019 election then you get about 6 weeks campaign so January would mean campaigning in the winter over XMAS.  I can't imagine anything worse Nov Dec 19 was bad enough - leafletting in a !!!!! blizzard.  

@alt80 - good luck deciding - that's oneproblem I never have - RED all the way  

f0xh0les

The Blues are going great guns on the doorsteps in Jon's ward.  Really throwing some people at it.

Can't help but wonder why so many members left the Reds for the Greens  as soon as the pledge to eradicate antisemitism from the party happened and magic Jeremy was ousted  .......   The three local labour councillors that represent our ward all switched .... curiouser and curiouser.  

Election now please! Surely this lot can't limp on much longer, they are shameless and shameful at the same time.

mark55man

Ever since the first Labour government in 1924 there have been these two sides in the coin.  (Not unique to Labour - I've lost count of the number of factions on the right). Generally the blend of radical thinking (often but not always from the lefter side) and the need to govern realistically (often but not always the righter side) is a virtuous supportive circle. 

Every now and then its gets out of kilter, and especially with the modern Social Medias ability to focus division it can create a toxic environment.  We are now very well placed in the centre left but if you're further to the left that is not "acceptable" and many feel very strongly.  But, and this is the calculation, more voters are happy.

Probably a bit politically naive -  but its good to chat    

alt80

That's called being dedicated to the cause mate, fml leafletting in a blizzard haha. 

Can't say I've ever voted Red and from a personal perspective it would be a complete !!!!!! own goal to do so this time. Blue need a term in opposition, Red is the only other real option but see above, Lib Dems are irrelevant, Reform are a bunch of !!!!!!, Green are complete !!!!!! fruitcakes. Looking like no choice but to spoil the ballot then ha.

f0xh0les

Tell us how you feel about the Motorists Party? (proper wingnuts) then there is Count Binface, what's the name of that strange Fox man's erm, not party, is it a business? or a charity? Definitely a movement of sorts! 

mark55man

Lol - it wasn't a blizzard when we started so not like Capt Scott leaving the tent for a while!!

Personally if I was wavering the fact that Labour used the line "The chuckle brothers of decline" to describe Sunak and Hunt would swing my vote .  

You know your business so I'm not going to comment on that other than to say in 1924 at the first Labour government the national press of the day were using the same attack line of economic illiteracy - and we have had a few good innings since then so it won't be terrible and probably more palatable than the horses rrrrs that this lot have made  

savingholmes

I have so many unpublishable things I'd like to say about the current shower - but will play it safe and leave it your imagination. Shameless and shameful is a fab description. They should be grovelling... and apologising to the nation for being so flagrant in their political abuses etc... and scorn for the 'common man'.

alt80

I've just read that "chuckle brothers of decline" speech. Unfortunately, not too much I disagree with there and I don't necessarily buy the "economic illiteracy" lines spouted by the more right wing inclined media - Sunak et al have not done well with it and imo left us with the worst of every world. Taxes at a level you'd expect from a Labour government but with lower investment in public services.

From a business perspective I am not overly concerned. I believe taxes would generally have parity with current levels. One of the bigger sticking points for voting Red, for me personally, is a significant increase in school fees with Starmer's VAT proposals. Bitter pill to swallow when I (and practically everyone else sending their kids to a private school) already pay more than our fair share in taxes.

doingitanyway

Looking back over posts I've missed I like the fact that you achieve some goals, nearly achieve others, miss some. But the focus is really family and community.
Probably as it should be IMHO
Retirement plans are exciting and edge ever closer