[Yug]

Why are so many senior members of the British Government wasting so much time on a private individual's battle with a private company?

It has nothing to do with the private individual being a grifting racist fascist rabble-rousing arsehole. After all, "Birds of a feather flock together" is only an old saying with no basis in fact. Can't be anything to do with that, can it. Nope, no fascist arseholes in the British Government. No sirree.

[Youngian]

Frosty doing the free market now. "Cold fury".

Vaclav Havel, the Czech president who warned the European Parliament not to throw away what Europe had achieved post Cold War on a cast of populists, clowns and demagogues. That Vaclav Havel? Being quoted by a golf club Viktor Orban. Frost’s never ending ability to get up my nose is almost uncanny.

[Spoonman]

"We want businesses to have the freedom to decide who they wish to do business with, without the state meddling into their affairs... "

"No, not like that!"

[Watchman]

I'm starting to think some of Coutts "more powerful customers", and I don't mean Chaz 3, will have on the one hand; decided they don't want to be associated with Mr Shitweasel and have exerted a little influence, and on the other, will not be overly happy with the publicity, and will be exerting the same influence at government level, e.g. "you know that arms deal", or "that directorship when you loose your ministerial post"

[Bones McCoy]

I'm starting to think some of Coutts "more powerful customers", and I don't mean Chaz 3, will have on the one hand; decided they don't want to be associated with Mr Shitweasel and have exerted a little influence, and on the other, will not be overly happy with the publicity, and will be exerting the same influence at government level, e.g. "you know that arms deal", or "that directorship when you loose your ministerial post"

SO IT IZ THE USTABLISHMUNT!!!!

[Watchman]

Indeed, and not necessarily "our establishment"

[Youngian]

His brother Andrew had been putting a word for Brexit as a roving ambassador or whatever. Has he got a Coutts account?

[Tubby Isaacs]

Frosty does political science, and makes up a new definition of "notional". Voters who abstain sort of don't count, or something.

[Watchman]

Or have died

[Malcolm Armsteen]

So, Dave, why are they staying at home?

I would have thought that was pretty much the definition of 'not voting for you'.

[Tubby Isaacs]

If you ask Frosty, he'll probably say heat pumps and Net Zero.

[Andy McDandy]

Preparing the ground for anything short of an absolute 50%+ 1 of the total population voting Labour as "not a mandate" because more people didn't vote for them than did.

It's your standard thick people's electoral calculus - whatever maximises your score or minimises the opposition's.

[Youngian]

Don’t all governments lose elections because of stay at homes who previously voted for them?

[Youngian]

Or have died

Far sighted Tories have warned about betting the house on pensioners for obvious reasons. Doubt there’s many of those Cassandras left or are ignored. Instead there are looney tunes like Miriam Cates who wants fewer educated young people in order to boost the Tory vote among those who can still walk unaided.

[Boiler]

Don't assume all Tory voters are old.

That is plain fucking stupid.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

https://www.ukonward.com/data/age-profi ... intention/

The Age Profile Of Conservative Voting Intention
Among 18–24 year olds, 14% said they would vote Conservative if there
was an election today. 62% said they would vote Labour. 9% of this group
said they would vote for the Liberal Democrats.

Among those over 65 years old, the opposite was true, 56% of respondents
said they would vote Conservative, against 24% for Labour. The only groups with a net positive vote for Conservatives are 55–64s and voters over the age of 65.


https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/ar ... ing-britai

The Conservatives are polling best amongst older voters, with 58% of those aged over 70 backing them, compared to just 16% of those aged from 18 to 24. However, they are down quite considerably from the last election amongst older voters as many have moved to the Brexit Party.

In total 14% of voters aged over 70 will back the Brexit Party, as well as 16% of those aged between 60 and 69. However, just like the Tories, they are struggling amongst young voters - just 5% of those aged from 18 to 24 support them.

[Youngian]

Don't assume all Tory voters are old.

That is plain fucking stupid.

I didn’t assume that, I’ve read the stats like Malcolm. Neither would I assume the Tories have always had the elderly vote in the bag as I’ve read the 1980s stats as well.

Trying to recall who has been warning about this demographic problem in their party and Malcolm Rifkind comes to mind.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Trying to recall who has been warning about this demographic problem in their party and Malcolm Rifkind comes to mind.

Here's David Gauke two years ago trying to warn Conservative Home about it.

https://conservativehome.com/2021/05/12 ... attention/

Sure, as someone who ran against them in a general election, he might not be the best messenger, but the response BTL is as bad as you'd expect.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Here's a particularly good one.

G Wilson
2y
Hasty generalisation, as usual from Gauke.

While extrapolating from a narrow and specific observation, he's still making the remainiac error of forgetting that, as people mature, they become more conservative, and he's ignoring the likely dash for growth in the coming years.

What dash for growth was that?!

If lots of people are moving into the area from London that might trump the "maturing and voting Tory" factor. Not to mention the many Remain supporters in the area that might get a bit fed up with being slagged off all the time.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Somebody on there links to this drivel. Things could get worse for Labour. This was written in 2021 just after Labour lost Hartlepool.

https://unherd.com/2021/05/ten-ways-thi ... or-labour/

Classics like this.

As Ed West wrote on UnHerd this week, long-term generational shifts should certainly worry the Tories. But Labour ought to worry too. The party’s extreme dependence on younger voters is not a strength, but a vulnerability. Not only do young people have a habit of growing up and changing their minds, there’s a lot the Conservatives could do to win them over.

Tough one that- do you want all these votes now, some of which might defect over the next forty years? I think I'll have those votes, thank you.

And this.

Take the Government’s housing policy, which is so bad that it serves as a rare example of something that can’t get any worse. Appointing a true reformer to put that right is an open goal for the Tories. Labour should hope they don’t bother.

The Tories did indeed not bother, and actually make a big campaigning point about how they weren't bothering.