[Abernathy]

I see that Gullis was (entirely predictably) at Farage’s rally today in Nuremburg, sorry, Birmingham. Was fur ein uberraschung.

[kreuzberger]

Was he on the coat check?

[Boiler]

The Speke yore bRanes on the BBC website about the Reform rally is quite amusing.

Highest rated comment?

Hey Nige, when choosing candidates, make sure they

- pay their taxes in this country
- live in their constituency
- aren't washed up ex-Tories
- aren't actually dead

Anything I've missed?

1951 positive votes so far...

[Abernathy]

Well, Farage ticks two out of four, I suppose.

[Tubby Isaacs]

The Speke yore bRanes on the BBC website about the Reform rally is quite amusing.

Highest rated comment?

Hey Nige, when choosing candidates, make sure they

- pay their taxes in this country
- live in their constituency
- aren't washed up ex-Tories
- aren't actually dead

Anything I've missed?

1951 positive votes so far...

Is that a reference to Tice? He'll be paying UK tax on his earnings, like most people who buy property in Dubai.

[Abernathy]

Apparently, Andrea Jenkyns was singing at the Reform conference today.

Fuck a duck.

[Boiler]

More a rally than a conference.

[Killer Whale]

It's a fan club convention. With an audience full of marks.

[Boiler]

It's a fan club convention. With an audience full of marks.

But hopefully without people cosplaying Farage and Widdecombe.

[satnav]

It seems a bit like the rally that Neil Kinnock held in Sheffield just before the 1992 General Election when everybody thought that Kinnock would defeat John Major. Let us hope that history repeats itself.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Starmer reminds me of John Major in Government, having to raise taxes (Major's 1993 Budget was the only bigger tax raising budget than Reeves last year) and having made silly promises about tax in the election campaign. Major lost lots of "his own side", who were silly zealots who thought he should just do the "obvious thing". (in Starmer's case get all the money off the rich, in Major's cut everybody's taxes). Major did retain a decent Conservative base in the 1997 election, even if he lost badly. At the moment, Starmer looks like he'll struggle to do that, though I think the number of Green and Lib Dems who'll vote tactically against Farage may have been underestimated.

[Boiler]

Apparently, Andrea Jenkyns was singing at the Reform conference today.

Fuck a duck.

If you really hate yourself; https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cvg93n0pq5zo

[kreuzberger]

I have been a little distracted, these last few days, so I have finally caught up with footage and press coverage of the Farage rally. I have one abiding take-away.

They are all so physically repulsive and socially awkward that it comes as no surprise that they hate everyone else. They have found their tribe.

Fucking weirdos, every last one of them.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Yeah, and lots of their voters (at least the fairly recent ones) will be relatively normal, just with a bee in their bonnet about boat people. I think there's a major opportunity for all the parties to go for Reform as cranks, whether you call them racists as well or not.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Talking of which, Azeem Malhotra has shown up to the conference, opining that the Covid vaccine may have caused the King's cancer.

My guess is there's very little appeal in this country for this stuff.