The Political Thread

[Jim_Campbell]

Oddly, we don't seem to have received our polling cards for tomorrow. If you haven't either, please remember that YOU DON'T NEED THESE TO VOTE.

[Professor Bear]

Dianne Abbott has stepped down after being diagnosed with a "serious, long term condition", so we can look forward to seeing plenty of "she's just faking it because she's so rubbish and shit" comments.

I think you're being pretty optimistic by not including comments on her race or appearance in those comments.

Was going to post some of the screengrabs of abuse directed at Abbott from social media that people are sharing, but figured they'd breach forum rules on offensive content.  Instead I'll just ask why much worse interviews from the likes of Karen Bradley haven't prompted the same level of examination as Abbott's - I mean, it's almost as if there were some immediately-apparent difference between these two women that made people immediately judge Abbot by a different, more demanding standard, though heaven knows what that difference might be.

[TordelBack]

I still don't understand the Corbyn IRA thing. Labour party contacts through Corbyn, Livingstone, Simpson & Co, and Tory contacts through folk like Brooke and Hurd were key to keeping channels open. John Hume, who repeatedly sought talks with the IRA Army Council throughout the worst of the '80s, and Mo Mowlam, whose positive relationships with IRA and Loyalist figures is credited with smoothing progress towards the GFA, are rightly venerated here. Take a spin in the fabulous Mo Mowlam Memorial Playground at Stormont if you don't believe it!

Are people so stupid that they think a lasting peaceful settlement could ever have been reached without negotiation between actual people, however difficult and distasteful that may have been for all concerned? Do they not realise that virtually every UK PM since the '60s - including Thatcher - authorised negotiations with the IRA, even if covertly? As Major, not usually much of a wordsmith, put it, he'd talk to the devil himself if it meant an end to violence.

[Theblazeuk]

To be fair I think member of the Conservative Party is the major one for not needing to actually provide anything other than a slogan or an attack piece when making a statement. Likewise, that's the Corbyn/IRA thing.

I wish this piece could be played to everyone drawn in by the idea 'human rights' are obstructing anti-terror operations....

[Modern Panther]

Take a photo of yourself on your way to vote, and Brewdog will give you a free pint...

https://www.brewdog.com/lowdown/blog/vote-for-punk

[JayzusB.Christ]

Take a photo of yourself on your way to vote, and Brewdog will give you a free pint...

https://www.brewdog.com/lowdown/blog/vote-for-punk

Fair play.  That's the pompadour-and-beard vote secured anyway - probably not a bad thing.

[Hawkmumbler]

Take a photo of yourself on your way to vote, and Brewdog will give you a free pint...

https://www.brewdog.com/lowdown/blog/vote-for-punk

Fair play.  That's the pompadour-and-beard vote secured anyway - probably not a bad thing.

...

Have you been spying on me Jayzus?!

[JayzusB.Christ]

   Never pictured you as having the DC Shaggy look.

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

For the first time, I find myself an undecided voter.

[Jim_Campbell]

For the first time, I find myself an undecided voter.

NHS: yes or no? It's basically that simple, for me.

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

For the first time, I find myself an undecided voter.

NHS: yes or no? It's basically that simple, for me.

Not if you live in Scotland it isn't. There's a whole independence subtext. And I don't know how I feel about that as I am not sure how Brexit is going to pan out... but vote SNP and it'll be waved around like a vote to leave the UK, vote Labour and it ends up the same thing (as they'd give an independence referendum and Corbyn's left bollock to the SNP to support a minority government, I suspect), vote Tory and it makes no difference to the MPs you get but may affect independence.

As for independence, I flip around on it and would like to know what was going to happen.

It's all just so uncertain and I can't help but feel that, no matter what, my vote will be taken to signify something with which I disagree.

[Jim_Campbell]

Not if you live in Scotland it isn't.

Aha. Fair point. I'll be honest, from south of the border (but with strong family connections to Scotland) I was heavily on the Union side of the last IndyRef for, I concede, entirely selfish/sentimental reasons. Now I look at the state of the English electorate and I'm firmly convinced you'd be better off without us.

[The Legendary Shark]

Whatever the result, there's no need to worry now that martial law Operation Temperer is in effect.

[sheridan]

Take a photo of yourself on your way to vote, and Brewdog will give you a free pint...

https://www.brewdog.com/lowdown/blog/vote-for-punk

Ah, brewdog, so punk that they sue real punks for calling themselves punk...

[sheridan]

Not if you live in Scotland it isn't.

Aha. Fair point. I'll be honest, from south of the border (but with strong family connections to Scotland) I was heavily on the Union side of the last IndyRef for, I concede, entirely selfish/sentimental reasons. Now I look at the state of the English electorate and I'm firmly convinced you'd be better off without us.

Very similar here - I think of myself as first and foremost British (having all the sub-nationalities represented in my family tree) and I can't see much good coming from any of the four nations apart, but the last year has made me wonder why anybody in NI or Scotland would want to stay part of the union any more