General Election 2024

[GordonS]

1 hour ago, orfc said:

Carlisle constituency now includes old bits of Penrith and the Border like Kershopefoot, 20 miles away up in the forestry plantations on the border, but doesn't actually include new build houses on the southern outskirts of the town

Carlisle constituency is all the wards in the north-east of the new Cumberland unitary authority, collected together until you hit the quota. If they had that ward to the south of the city they'd need to give something up to another constituency instead. There's nothing more logical they could give to Penrith & Solway to the south instead, and the only alternative is break the council boundaries (which they're supposed to avoid wherever possible) and give a ward to Hexham, which would mean they'd have to lose something instead and they'd also have a random bit Cumberland council.

Anyone criticising a boundary should say what better alternative they have. That's why they're all consulted upon extensively.

[BFTD]

2 hours ago, Caro-Kann said:

Was out leafleting yesterday for the election which brought to mind the one policy that could surely unite all the parties, namely, any members of a household that live in a property with a door that's got a letterbox set at floor level should be denied the right to vote. I wonder if they realise how much their postie must hate them.

Make it one of those tiny old letterboxes, wide enough only for a single standard-width envelope, and springs that require both hands to push open without losing fingers. And aye, the snarling beast on the other side.

When I delivered free papers as a young shaver, there were a couple of doors I skipped as that's as good as saying "don't deliver anything here" as far as I'm concerned.

[Binos]

3 hours ago, GordonS said:

Ok, so to make up for the loss of Hillfoots from the constituency that's now in, what do they get instead? 

It's irrelevant,  as no way that area voting in a Conservative in a million years, but the decision on my area could swing it

[scottsdad]

8 hours ago, Caro-Kann said:

Was out leafleting yesterday for the election which brought to mind the one policy that could surely unite all the parties, namely, any members of a household that live in a property with a door that's got a letterbox set at floor level should be denied the right to vote. I wonder if they realise how much their postie must hate them.

Rishi appreciates your efforts.

[GordonS]

2 hours ago, Binos said:

It's irrelevant,  as no way that area voting in a Conservative in a million years, but the decision on my area could swing it

How is it irrelevant? If you include Hillfoots in Stirling instead of Alloa & Grangemouth then you have to add a ward from somewhere to that seat. You also need to take something out of Perth & Kinross-shire.

There's nothing remotely "suspicious" about including Strathallan with Stirling, it's no less logical than including any other ward that borders Stirling Council and when you look at what an alternative means for neighbouring constituencies it makes sense. 

[Derry Pele]

9 hours ago, orfc said:

Carlisle constituency now includes old bits of Penrith and the Border like Kershopefoot, 20 miles away up in the forestry plantations on the border

This one annoys me. Fair enough, it’s south of the border, but you could measure it in metres and it’s on the road between Canonbie and Newcastleton (sharing a TD postcode with the latter). Will they feel more community with their neighbours in Dumfriesshire/Tweeddale or with the city a 40 minute drive away?

[JS_FFC]

5 hours ago, Derry Pele said:

This one annoys me. Fair enough, it’s south of the border, but you could measure it in metres and it’s on the road between Canonbie and Newcastleton (sharing a TD postcode with the latter). Will they feel more community with their neighbours in Dumfriesshire/Tweeddale or with the city a 40 minute drive away?

Can you imagine the outcry from the SNP if a constituency was announced that included both voters living in Scotland and England?

 

They’d be taking legal action against the electoral commission by 3pm on the first day because it’s not entirely clear what proposition would offend the party more: having to appear on the ballot paper in England, or not being on the paper in Scotland. 

[Leith Green]

Kemi Badenoch is being skelped all over the place by Mishal Husain on the gender issue this morning Very Happy .

Badenoch is suggesting that "many many people are trying to access rape crisis centres as a man".

Its bizarre - she cant actually answer if someone who has had surgery and holds a GRC can access a rape crisis centre (because that person was born with a tadger).

Its actually hilarious just how poorly this attempt to pander to the idiot base is landing when presented with a sensible journalist.

Now she is ranting about Husain asking her a question about a Tory who said he wouldnt rape a Labour MP as "there wasnt enough beer in the world". Thinks this is "BBC bias".

Holy shit, these people are utterly disgusting.
 

[Freedom Farter]

8 minutes ago, Leith Green said:

Now she is ranting about Husain asking her a question about a Tory who said he wouldnt rape a Labour MP as "there wasnt enough beer in the world". Thinks this is "BBC bias".

 

Was that possibly a former UKIP candidate called Carl Benjamin?

[Binos]

11 hours ago, GordonS said:

How is it irrelevant? If you include Hillfoots in Stirling instead of Alloa & Grangemouth then you have to add a ward from somewhere to that seat. You also need to take something out of Perth & Kinross-shire.

There's nothing remotely "suspicious" about including Strathallan with Stirling, it's no less logical than including any other ward that borders Stirling Council and when you look at what an alternative means for neighbouring constituencies it makes sense. 

Are you on the boundaries committee 

[Crùbag]

Puts me off my pint.

 

[Freedom Farter]

1 hour ago, Freedom Farter said:

Was that possibly a former UKIP candidate called Carl Benjamin?

Googled it and Badenoch was asked about Liz Truss being interviewed for this guy's podcast.

[KirkieRR]

Mr Swinney told activists and candidates at a rally in Glasgow that Westminster decision-making had meant "austerity, Brexit and a cost of living crisis being imposed on Scotland". (BBC Website)

Aye, austerity and Brexit right enough, but would an independent Scotland have avoided a cost-of-living crisis? Admittedly we might have avoided Brexit which contributed but the Ukraine invasion shockwaves would have hit us too.

[GordonS]

1 hour ago, Binos said:

Are you on the boundaries committee 

No, I am a nerd who is really into the mechanics of elections (though I hate politics). The various Boundaries Commissions get a ton of criticism that's almost never justified or informed.

Here's a better area for criticism (though it's not the Boundaries Commission's choice either): constituencies aren't made up using population data, or adult population data, or even the population eligible to vote. They're made up using numbers on the electoral register. Young people, those who move around a lot, homeless people, those in poor health, single parents, ethnic minorities and others are all less likely to be registered to vote. So the make-up of constituencies automatically has a right-leaning bias. Also, with 16 & 17 year olds and immigrants eligible to vote in Scottish Parliament elections, those boundaries are closer to neutral.

FWIW putting Strathallan in Stirling makes it more likely the SNP will win the Perth & Kinross-shire seat, which is much more marginal than Stirling, so it probably helps the SNP overall.

 

[Sherrif John Bunnell]

The election is over a month away and Tories have already hit the big red buttons marked "Bring back National Service!" and "Trans people are evil!"

[Granny Danger]

1 hour ago, Crùbag said:

Puts me off my pint.

 

P&B losing its touch.  Over an hour and not a single ‘wid’.

 

 

 

Mind you…

[sparky88]

23 minutes ago, Sherrif John Bunnell said:

The election is over a month away and Tories have already hit the big red buttons marked "Bring back National Service!" and "Trans people are evil!"

It's like they are worried not enough people want to vote tactically against them . 

[Leith Green]

Farage has tweeted that he has a "big announcement" to make at 4pm today.

While most of us hope it is that all the years of fags and bevvy have caught up with him, I wonder if its going to be an electoral pact with the Tories?

[Granny Danger]

3 minutes ago, Leith Green said:

Farage has tweeted that he has a "big announcement" to make at 4pm today.

While most of us hope it is that all the years of fags and bevvy have caught up with him, I wonder if its going to be an electoral pact with the Tories?

He’s joining Labour.  Starmer has promised to put him in the Lords and make him Foreign Secretary.

There’s precedent you know.

[GTG_03]

3 minutes ago, Leith Green said:

Farage has tweeted that he has a "big announcement" to make at 4pm today.

While most of us hope it is that all the years of fags and bevvy have caught up with him, I wonder if its going to be an electoral pact with the Tories?

He's assembled a squadron of divorced dads to shoot at boats in the channel.