Lib Dems win in Shropshire

[Tony L]

I'd bet big money that the swing to the Lib Dems had diddly squat to do with the Windrush scandal, or failing to end ZHC's, or the iniquitous removal of £20 a week from UC claimants just when prices are going through the roof!

Don’t forget the LD crowbarred through substantial tax cuts at the very bottom that lifted countless low-earners out of tax altogether. Something Labour had not done in three terms of power. That should have benefitted you fairly substantially, as it did most self-employed.

 

[Arkless Electronics]

Don’t forget the LD crowbarred through substantial tax cuts at the very bottom that lifted countless low-earners out of tax altogether. Something Labour had not done in three terms of power. That should have benefitted you fairly substantially, as it did most self-employed.

Pure whataboutery! It did indeed benefit most self employed including myself but as you very well know my point was that there was no actual swing to the left or any concern over far right iniquity involved in the Lib Dem victory. It was "merely" a protest vote over bozos' lying and corruption. Watch it reverse when someone like sunak is leader and its GE time!

 

[Rockmeister]

What I don't understand is why 12,000 odd voted for the Tories.

Then you deserve your name. A million reasons around being who 'we' are as a nation of ?
Anyway
Loons are what loons do and vice versa.

 

[king brilliant]

no, thats why i asked upthread and said it would be interesting to see some comparative assessment.

I'm just asking for corroboration of what you've seen and the reason(s) behind it. Without these no comparison with the UK is worthwhile.

UK crops have gone unharvested, and our livestock destroyed, due to a depleted workforce. The UK workforce has problems arising both from covid and from EU workers returning to the EU: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopula...almigrationprovisional/yearendingdecember2020.

The EU's problems (whatever they might be) don't arise from a lack of EU workers.

 

[Tony L]

It was "merely" a protest vote over bozos' lying and corruption. Watch it reverse when someone like sunak is leader and its GE time!

Agreed. It will flip back in a GE as that seat is just so stacked under FPTP. It does however show two things to my eyes, a) Labour voters in such seats are far more intelligent than their party, and b) the only real way forward is a strategic coalition and electoral pact between the non-Tory parties in order to implement PR. That is the only way to unseat Tories long term, and it would remove them from absolute power forever. The simple reality is the majority of the population do not want minority rule by any party, least of all by the Tories. PR would guarantee no Tory majority ever again. It would cleanse the country of them and put them back as the elitist minority they are in reality.

The ball is in Labour’s court. The other progressive parties would I am sure get on board.

 

[NeilR]

Agreed. It will flip back in a GE as that seat is just so stacked under FPTP. It does however show two things to my eyes, a) Labour voters in such seats are far more intelligent than their party, and b) the only real way forward is a strategic coalition and electoral pact between the non-Tory parties in order to implement PR. That is the only way to unseat Tories long term, and it would remove them from absolute power forever. The simple reality is the majority of the population do not want majority rule by any party, least of all by the Tories. PR would guarantee no Tory majority ever again. It would cleanse the country of them and put them back as the elitist minority they are in reality.

The ball is in Labour’s court. The other progressive parties would I am sure get on board.

phil moorhouse made an excellent video today about this.

 

[matthewr]

I cannot find any more about the Black Forest situation and we can only hope the gateaux harvest is unaffected.

 

[richardg]

I'm just asking for corroboration of what you've seen and the reason(s) behind it. Without these no comparison with the UK is worthwhile.

UK crops have gone unharvested, and our livestock destroyed, due to a depleted workforce. The UK workforce has problems arising both from covid and from EU workers returning to the EU: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopula...almigrationprovisional/yearendingdecember2020.

The EU's problems (whatever they might be) don't arise from a lack of EU workers.

I was not talking about the EU, I did offer you a Reuters article link that starts with this, though.

'France appealed on Tuesday to workers laid off by the coronavirus crisis to help farmers pick fruit and vegetables that will otherwise be left to rot in the fields due to a shortage of seasonal workers.'

 

[AnilS]

When the winning LD MP said in her acceptance speech, that the party was over for Boris, I couldn't but help think of this. The lyrics are poignant too!

Talk Talk
The party's over
I never thought you'd stay
The love of laughter
My truth's no longer sane
The party's over
Much older than you'd say
THIS FRIEND OF NO-ONE
TIME, CREASES ON YOUR FACE
Take a look at the kids
I've been losing track
This crime of being uncertain
Of your love
Is all I'm guilty of
The party's over
I never thought you'd stay
A style of reason
This life of masquerade
Take a look at the kids
I've been losing track
This crime of being uncertain
Of your love
Is all I'm guilty of
Take this punishment away Lord
Name the crime I'm guilty of
Too much hope I've seen as virtue
Name the crime I'm guilty of

 

[ks.234]

Then you deserve your name. A million reasons around being who 'we' are as a nation of ?
Anyway
Loons are what loons do and vice versa.

The Tories represent what ‘we’ are as a nation??

 

[Arkless Electronics]

What will the tories learn from this debacle for them??? That they need to put more effort into not getting caught!

 

[Caledon1297]

"I accept responsibility"
"It's all the media's fault"
Hmnnnn...

 

[Darmok]

What concerns me now is to provoke a re-action following the bursting of a bubble and all the hoo haa following this result.

We all know how spiteful tories are, do not rattle their cages too much, these ppl are dangerous and vindictive.

 

[peter bj]

I expect most Tories knew that the Boris bubble would burst at some point being less than truthful ,work shy and not keeping up on the detail were bound to catch him out . He was used to win the election with Get Brexit Done ! while others were sharpening their knives ready to make a move when they felt his time was up which could be quite soon at this rate

 

[miktec]

We all know how spiteful tories are, do not rattle their cages too much, these ppl are dangerous and vindictive.

I would turn that around if I may and direct it at Tories themselves:

"We all know how spiteful the electorate are, do not rattle their cages too much, these ppl are dangerous and vindictive."

The Conservatives have taken power for granted before and been brought down by their ineptitude, hypocrisy and sleaze - they should know better.

 

[kensalriser]

I would turn that around if I may and direct it at Tories themselves:

"We all know how spiteful the electorate are, do not rattle their cages too much, these ppl are dangerous and vindictive."

The Conservatives have taken power for granted before and been brought down by their ineptitude, hypocrisy and sleaze - they should know better.

Scorpion and frog - it's in their nature.

 

[Mullardman]

Good to see Boris the Liar get a good kicking in the North Shropshire By-Election. Very well deserved IMHO.

I'm pretty sure his days as Tory Leader and PM are numbered, but the most likely outcome is that he will be replaced by someone rather more focused and less accident prone, but still just as uncaring about really making any serious changes to the major socio-economic issues which plague this country and have catapulted it even more quickly into the terminal decline started by Thatcher.

And of course all those 'dyed in the wool' Shropshire Conservatives who have returned a Tory MP for 200 years are not going to change overnight. Most of them were just sending the Tory Party a message, not rejecting it.

On the other hand the result does clearly show that the neither Boris nor the Tories are 'Teflon Coated'. In my view, people will only allow the Tories to hide behind the Pandemic for so long before they start to demand real socio-economic change and progress, as promised, rather than constant scandal, corruption, evasion, bluster and policy failure.

The main plank of Boris The Liar's promises was 'Getting Brexit Done'. He has not only failed miserably on that, but he and his gang obviously failed to make any plans to alleviate the entirely predictable labour shortages and other negative effects of Brexit. They have failed. There can be no disputing that.

They also need to be stopped from attacking the core of our democracy.

There are a few other issues which these useless crooks have either created, made worse, or ignored for more than a decade:

• Sorting 'Brexit' (If they really must.)
• Levelling Up
• Ending corrupt lobbying/contracting practices
• Tackling Homelessness and the wider Housing Crisis. Grenfell, the continued 'cladding' scandal.
• Sorting out Rail Travel and Transport in general. Ending the foreign ownership of UK Transport.
• Ending foreign ownership of UK Water and other utilities.
• NHS Funding
• Child Poverty
• Energy Poverty and ending the foreign ownership of UK Energy Supplies/Companies
• Food Poverty
• Education
• Skills Training
• Employment Services
• Youth Services
• Adult Social Care

Need I go on?

 

[Mullardman]

Fantastic news. The best bit is it will really annoy Labour tribalists who’d have far preferred a Tory majority than see their own party dead in the water!

Rather depends on exactly what you mean by 'Labour Tribalists'. In my almost 73 years, I have almost never voted other than Labour, except for the odd Lib Dem or Green for local council, if I knew them personally and recognised their integrity. I have absolutely never voted Tory.

So.. Labour 'tribalists'? What exactly are they? I'm a Democratic Socialist. That has never changed, since I became politically aware more than half a century ago. I.O.W., my political principles have not changed and I see no reason why they should. Now, I will give you that the Labour Party is in disarray at present, but I'd also suggest that much of its 'traditional', rather than 'committed' support is confused by the whole Brexit debacle, just as is much of the Tory 'traditional' vote.

I therefore would argue that it is a little careless to dismiss the whole of the Democratic Socialist vote, who would typically/previously have voted Labour. I believe many still will, rather than voting Tory. If the Lib Dems want to capture anything more than a transitory mid term vote, they need to start seriously campaigning on a coherent policy platform designed to address all of the socio economic evils which the Tories have created/perpetuated or ignored for more than a decade. The LibDems also need to beg the forgiveness of the nation for enabling the Tory power grab after the World Economic Crash..which led to the evils of Austerity, Brexit and Boris...

 

[stevec67]

The Tories represent what ‘we’ are as a nation??

to some people, yes they do. Along with a load of other stuff.

 

[ks.234]

to some people, yes they do. Along with a load of other stuff.

Yes, but that’s kinda my point. There seems to be a Tory mindset that says that it is they who are the embodiment of the collective ‘we’, that it is their values that make up a national identity.

Further, anyone who does not share those values is not part of the collective we, is not entitled to share the national identity, and is considered less favourably.

Personally I feel that a national identity based on Tory values is going to be necessarily flawed. We have seen just recently where those Tory values lead, and that are values that need to changed, not enshrined