davidirwin1987.bsky.social
Former journo, left for pastures news. I enjoy good books, old footpaths, folklore, writing, watching wildlife and tennis and most geeky things involving goblins.
199 posts
62 followers
110 following
Regular Contributor
Active Commenter
comment in response to
post
Wilson stood firm against calls for us to get involved in Vietnam. More recently Cameron lost a vote on strikes in Syria in 2013 - although in that case it was more that Parliament blocked him.
comment in response to
post
It isn't leftism that these people object to, it's the standard checks and balances which separate democracy from autocracy. They want hand-picked judges, universities that won't disagree and propaganda outlets posing as impartial media. Quite, quite mad.
comment in response to
post
Counter-factuals are sort of pointless, but if he hadn't done a deal I suspect it would have been a one-term Tory govt.
comment in response to
post
He deserved the inclusion far more than Corbyn in my mind - a man who I felt was far more the victim of a lot of the forces you describe, rather than their facilitator.
comment in response to
post
You go to jail?
comment in response to
post
comment in response to
post
Well the obvious test case would be how he feels about the extremist preachers who were previously brought to book. Presuming he wouldn't argue that endorsing a Jihad was just broadening debate?
comment in response to
post
"If you say you're English these days they throw you in jail."
comment in response to
post
Some in the media have too quickly forgotten just how serious the riots were and the direct correlation between nonsense being shared online and the violence which followed.
comment in response to
post
Also, let's be honest, if you were to confront Farage or Braverman with "so you think people who encourage acts of violence should escape jail sentences" and they replied yes, you'd get a very different answer if you asked if that extended to some of the extreme Islamist preachers jailed years ago.
comment in response to
post
It's funny in that his list of convenient bogeymen never includes tax avoiders or bad bosses or the speculators who caused the financial crash. For all his talk of change he is continuity Conservative - he'll never pick a fight with someone who might bankroll his campaign.
comment in response to
post
Here in the UK range is probably less of a concern as you're likely as not hit the sea before your battery goes flat in most cases, I'm going to see an old mate of mine in a day or two and at 80 miles that's a pretty long trip by my standards!
comment in response to
post
I bought a second-hand Nissan Leaf for my first car. Really happy with it and it's impressed a couple of family members who were slightly sceptical of EVs prior to me buying it.
comment in response to
post
"Do you remember those things we imposed that really pissed people off and delivered none of the things we promised they would, well we're going to bring them back."
comment in response to
post
When you've got people elected tweeting about chemtrails or calling for small boats to be machine-gunned then you might consider tweaking the AI quality control!
comment in response to
post
There is the notion that many voters tilt more left on the economy and more right on social issues - which may have some basis in fact and then there's going on mad-rants which could easily be attributable to Robert Jenrick.
comment in response to
post
It begs the question what happened to all the moderate conservatives? Some of those around now were always headbangers but those like Truss and Jenrick were once pretty mainstream. Is their new brand just going with the flow or is this always what they believed and they now feel brave enough to say?
comment in response to
post
This is very true, I worry a lot of the reason they won't back down on some of this stuff is that they've convinced themselves it'll look bad if they do something that John McDonnell has called for, whereas in fact John McDonnell is in tune with the public mood on these things
comment in response to
post
For me one of the early warning signs was the response to the RAAC crisis where there was an outpouring of anger at the cuts to the school programme but no firm commitment that Labour would find the cash. Pointing at problems is easy, in power you need to know how you'll solve them.
comment in response to
post
They are definitely governing the way they ran opposition - with crippling caution. The problem is that people now look to them to fix things so this isn't a viable option. Main thing for me is they've got to review the fiscal rules - cash is the only way to realise the change people want.
comment in response to
post
But I suspect his core vote is not much more than 20 per cent of the population, he can't win a GE on that. Anything which damages him in the minds of waverers and protest voters is important. And on something like net zero he is flying against something like 65 per cent public support.
comment in response to
post
I hope he goes back to the Commons eventually. If he stood in a leadership contest I think he'd win.
comment in response to
post
This is true, mayors have strategic powers covering the whole region but they can't micro-manage individual councils.
comment in response to
post
Totally off topic, but Bubble Bobble - nice.
comment in response to
post
I often think interviews could get a lot of mileage out of asking them basic policy questions. For example, if you asked Farage what the actual technical definition of "net zero" would he actually be able to tell you? A few embarrassments like that wouldn't go amiss.
comment in response to
post
They're going to shit themselves when they have to balance the budget and realise all the waste on "woke" projects and paperclip counting only exists in the fevered imagination of the Taxpayers' Alliance.
comment in response to
post
I am pleased for you. Our own MAGA-tribute act in the UK has just done very well in the local elections, which is a worry. I'm hoping the links to Trump will start to tell as he's very unpopular here.
comment in response to
post
Interesting, they also nicked your climate wars after a long period of being fairly sensible on the environment
comment in response to
post
So far so UK.
comment in response to
post
I confess to being much more worried than I was 24 hours ago but certainly true we don't know how this translates to a Westminster poll
comment in response to
post
It is Brexit all over again.
comment in response to
post
Am I right in saying there is a specific left and right faction to your Labor?
comment in response to
post
Don't threaten me with a good time.
comment in response to
post
Mate, I was a full-blown Corbyn supporter, I really don't like Starmer and many of his cabinet. But I don't want to wake up in four years chuffed that the Greens got 12 per cent of national vote on a day that a MAGA-style band of nutcases form a majority govt.
comment in response to
post
The problem is that a far-right govt is worse on every one of those issues.
comment in response to
post
I honestly think something snapped when she was forced out, it's almost like mainlining online conspiracy theories and grievances is the only way she's been able to cope with the humiliation of it all
comment in response to
post
When I was a local news reporter a Tory councillor was immediately suspended for sharing this sort of bile. Admittedly he was eventually readmitted after an apology and training but the initial reaction less than a decade ago compared to now shows how much the debate has degenerated...
comment in response to
post
Why is it that the UK is so far behind the curve on this aspect of the transition specifically? Our renewable energy and EV take-up seems pretty comparable with other countries but not home-heating. What's the main problem?
comment in response to
post
Part of the problem is the asymmetry of all this. The BBC cowers at imagined risks of bias while the like of GB News - a thinly veiled propaganda platform for the populist right - staffs news programmes with sitting politicians and activists masquerading as journalists.
comment in response to
post
Thanks for highlighting this Hannah, I got my first car - an EV - second-hand. Thought I'd struggle to find one in my price range but was pleasantly surprised...