sidcupmark.bsky.social
92 posts
101 followers
193 following
Regular Contributor
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Trump seemed like a clown - to us Brits, like a Monty Python character - political idiocy reduced to absurdity.
Trump's accolades interfere in UK politics.
The UK has history of fascist supporters of Hitler (Moseley/Mail) we have modern day fascists representing trump in the UK.
We stopped laughing.
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It's an important step along the path to having troops on the street in case of dissent. There'll be be no Prague Spring in Oklahoma.
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I read your article, reproducted in "the Londoner ". Well written and captivating, it has convinced me to buy the book. "Basket Weavers" is quite funny - "fascist" shares its root with "fagot" via fascismo. O’Brien aped Mussolini.
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History: Learn from it or condemn the rest of us to repeat it.
In the 2024, how much of the popular vote did those in favour of rejoining win compared to those absolutely committed to hard Brexit?
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As recently as 2019, the LibDems were the only major party to support, at that time remaining (by not finalising Article 50). The LibDems got trounced, even though many progressive voters couldn't see the point in voting for Comrade Brexit.
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The spilt harmed Labour and helped keep the Tories in power for eighteen years, during which time the Tories became so deranged trying to find an agenda they sold our monopolistic water boards to grasping profiteers.
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Labour have a vested interest in the two-party system. Some of their more progressive politicians gained influence 45 years ago so a gang of 4 set up a breakaway party called "The Social Democrat Party".
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If we join the EU then the fascist right will "stand down" their candidates and gift the broader right Tories an undivided 40% of the vote for an 80 seat parliamentary majority. Starmer knows this, but, like most Labour MPs/candidates, seems to prefer a comfortable career of heckling "opposition".
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The insanity predates their fear of Brexiters by a century: over the years, 60% of the popular vote in British general elections goes to progressive parties, but Tories, having an undivided 30-44% have formed governments for most of those 100 years. Finally divided, the tory minority lost. PR now
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Some people approach critical thinking as if it is a marathon challenge and prefer the comforting sofa of lazy emotion. Looks like she's attempting to grift the hard-of-thinking. There are thousands who feel funding such, apparently swivel-eyed, gobshites somehow hits back at those they don't like.
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Labour won't lose many votes to Reform, so I can understand Starmer seeing a strong Reform Ltd as a vote splitter for the right rather than a threat to Labour.
Vote Reform Ltd - get racism; vote Tory - get racism; vote Labour... Where do we go? We need to move en masse to LD or Green, but not split
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...and, predictably, BBC Radio Four's Today Programme gave air time to Dick Tice. Tice boasted Starmer had admitted Reform Limited were right. The interviewer tried to question Tice on policies and Tice repeated his claim Labour were following Reform Limited. Reform followers don't need detail.
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We can all laugh at Badenoch, I know I have, repeatedly. Badenoch has finally got one over Starmer: following the collapse of the Tory vote in the bye election and the council elections, Badenoch will not “chase Reform to the right”. Meanwhile Starmer is stigmatising international student visas.
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Yes, Labour lost these seats much more than anybody else actually won them.
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Many of us lent votes to Labour and will return to Greens or LibDems.
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It's important to realise Reform is not winning hearts or minds, but Labour and Tories are losing votes by chasing the ground already occupied by Reform Limited.
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No need to spin it. Labour lost votes. Labour's continued pro Brexit stance is costing the country in lost growth. Labour is following dail mail Austerity policies (because of that lost growth) and, whilst it doesn't rile Tories into voting Tory, it doesn't inspire Labour voters to vote Labour.
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Ukip garnered 3.8 million votes in the 2015 general election, stood aside in 2019 and disappeared to be replaced by reform limited. In the 2024 general election reform limited "stormed" to nearly four million votes hardly more than ukip in 2015. Reform - loud in the empty vessel of voter apathy
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Get a grip
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Starmer needs to get his head out of the Daily Mail.
Labour voters are not switching to Reform, Labour voters are sickened by Starmer aping the Reform Limited agenda, so they are not voting at all.
I give @obslabour.bsky.social notice: give me reason to vote Labour in May 2026 or I'll vote green
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I've been trying to articulate that for months.
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We saw 'centre right' parties across Europe make the same mistake. Your warnings fell on deaf ears: the Tories continue down that slope.
If only Starmer could learn from it. Promising to "make Brexit work" reinforces Reform Limited. It's time Labour to spoke out against the Brexit policies.
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As a friend of the USA, I wish you well. We miss USA. I think the Democrat party owes Kamala time. Trump was able to make too much capital with his "Sleepy Joe" slur. We can all see Trump is clinically narcissistic - it's not clear who pulls Trump's strings, but somebody helped him get there.
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As we - the UK - are not in either camp, we have to act as a mediator. Speak politely to USA, but rebuild our agreements with our neighbours. You may accuse me of over reacting, but I see Trump and Putin as an Axis alliance. Sanctions hurt Russia - Trump is sanctioning the West.
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from Ian Bremmer:
eu: $235.6bn surplus, $605.8bn exports, 235.6/605.8 = 39%
indonesia: $17.9bn surplus, $28.1bn exports, 17.9/28.1 = 64%
india: $45.7bn surplus, $87.4bn exports, 45.7/87.4 = 52%
vietnam: $123.5bn surplus, $136.6 exports, 123.5/136.6 = 90%
"claimed tariffs charged"
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The far right always cry "they're all the same", they already believe the NatC wing of the Tory party are too left wing, so whilst validating the far right claim to being "the only alternative", it will validate it to only their existing support. It may wake up One Nation Tories and progressives
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glad you're here.
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I only ask because Tory MP Louie French was a Tory Councillor for (the London borough of) Bexley three or four years ago, when Louie and his Tory colleagues abandoned refuse collection, leaving rubbish to pile up in the streets of "Well run" Bexley for several months.
Thanks,
Mark Townsend
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Please could you check my MP (Louie French, Old Bexley and Sidcup) was not one of those braying?
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There is nothing to gain by offering anything to Trump. Trump is a coward who blows in the wind. Putin tells trump what to say; next Macron visits and Trump flips around to agree with Macron, then Starmer visits and Trump agrees with Starmer. Then Putin kicks Trump and Vance and they switch side
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fascists always try and hide their nature until they wield power. They are not offended, they are afraid of being called out. When they cried "You can't say anything nowadays" they were expressing their fear of being challenged or contradicted, because they are cowardly bullies. Not rebels.
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At that point I realised "privatisation" meant privatised profit, socialised debt. I meet plenty of people who are even slower than me to accept their views may have been mistaken. Happily I meet plenty who are quicker to see their errors and act to correct them.
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Across the UK many people are being notified of 25-30% increases to their water bills. Some of us were conned into believing the public sector were inefficient and our water boards needed to be replaced by private enterprise. My penny dropped when Thames Water stole the "super sewer" surcharge.
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Starmer lives in fear of the Daily Mail, so he dare not say anything but the Tory mantra "make brexit work".
In four years the UK general election will be fought between a Trumpian right (lead by Tice/ farage/badEnoch/Johnson) and the progressives. Starmer hopes to make us choose him over fascism
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Tucked away. Meanwhile BBC News continues to avoid any mention of it. Talking, at some considerable length on Radio Four Today programme, of the impediments to the growth Rachael Reeves craves, BBC editor listed so many comparatively minor problems but not the huge problems caused by brexit.
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The "investors" want "a form of temporary nationalisation known as a special administration regime (SAR) to ratchet down its £19bn debt pile". We, the tax-payers, already wrote off their debts before privatisation. Now, having run up huge debts, paying out dividends, they want another bailout.
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Nazis With Attitude
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Those who refuse to learn from history doom the rest of us to repeat it. Perhaps Starmer is still grateful for the way the press buried Corbin?
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Throughout the history of the Labour party, the UK popular vote has been over 60% for progressive parties, but in those 100+ years the UK had mostly conservative governments. Whenever Labour do form a government they seem to forget history and assume the press and electoral system works for them.
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Centre right parties across Europe have blown the racist dog whistle for a few years and lost out to the hard right after racists have been given a taste of influence. Those voters asked "Why settle for the dog whistle when you can get the dog?".
In the same spirit "why settle for Starmer's Lexit?"