If there is an election.....

Boris Johnson must force a general election before the October 31 Brexit deadline if he is to have any chance of winning a majority, a bombshell new poll suggests.

The Tories polled at 37 per cent and Labour trailed on 30 per cent when people were asked how they would vote in a snap poll before Halloween.

But Tory support dipped to 28 per cent - tied with Labour - when people were asked how they would vote in an election held after the current departure date.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7434555/Boris-Johnson-lose-9-support-early-election-not-held-October-31.html

The Chief Constable of West Yorkshire has said he was very disappointed that his officers had been used by Boris Johnson as a "backdrop" to his electioneering speech.

Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill has been asked to investigate whether Boris Johnson broke the ministerial code by conscripting police officers to stand behind him in a piece of “naked electioneering”.

The prime minister has been roundly criticised for giving a wandering speech largely focused on Brexit and his demands for a general election at a police training college in Yorkshire on Thursday evening.

One recruit even became unwell and had to sit down during an address lasting at least 20 minutes. The West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson has demanded an apology.

In a letter sent to Sedwill this morning, Lib Dem Brexit spokesman Tom Brake said the “stunt” appeared to be a “direct and deliberate” breach of the propriety guidance for government communications.

The rules state “publicly-funded government communications cannot be used primarily or solely to meet party political objectives”.

“I write to make a formal complaint about yet another piece of naked electioneering, at the taxpayers’ expense, by the PM,” Brake said.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/cabinet-secretary-asked-to-investigate-if-boris-johnson-broke-ministerial-code-with-police-stunt_uk_5d72223ae4b06d55b971c560?utm_hp_ref=uk-homepage

Boris Johnson's stunt yesterday wasted police time & taxpayer's money, as well as breaching the ministerial code - @thomasbrake

#DemandBetter than Johnson's selfish pursuit of a No Deal Brexit: www.libdems.org.uk/exit-brexit

twitter.com/LibDems

Perhaps nobody voted for this chaos but they did vote for sunny uplands and the easiest deal ever, when the experts they were told to ignore warned them that it was complex, difficult and divisive, and believe £350 million for the NHS on the side of a bus.

As was I, SirChenjin. Had I been replying directly to you I would have addressed you

You were quoting me - that suggests you were addressing me, much as we're doing here.

... I was explaining there scope and remit to a previous poster.

As was I, SirChenjin. Had I been replying directly to you I would have addressed you.

Are you really admitting that you're uneducated?

I would doubt that anyone on this forum is uneducated and being "less educated" comes with the age group and less education being available. It certainly not necessarily a way of guessing someone's intelligence.

My issue is always with those who do not seek to further their knowledge. We can all do that but even the more educated refuse at times to bring themselves up to date. Going on either 'gut instinct' or the knowledge of fifty years ago is lazy and unnecessary and generally doesn't bring about reasoned solutions.

So enlighten me, if I'm naïve.

I'm a little weary of people's throwaway lines, which are supposed to be accepted unchallenged.

Naive or disingenuous remarks growstuff.

GracesGranMK3 - I'm well aware of what assemblies do, I was explaining there scope and remit to a previous poster.

paddy - I have made my position on the forthcoming referendum and the SNP perfectly clear, so you can stop with your silly sniping, it really does you no favours.

Shoequeen53
Nobody voted for this chaos, and nobody has any need to
‘Be ashamed’ for the way they voted either.
The government offered us a choice, the voting public responded, and ‘this chaos’ has been entirely of Parliaments own making.

Why?

I didn't write "let's skew the vote just in case the uneducated dare to vote leave again".

I've never suggested that the uneducated (whoever they are) shouldn't be allowed to vote. Quizqueen did that.

You're reading something which isn't there.

Unpleasant and goady question growstuff.

What an unpleasant question.

Are you really admitting that you're uneducated?

Granny bags- re your suggestion as to the question on a second referendum.....so the 48% who voted remain get one option and the 52% who voted leave have to split their vote between 2. Is that what you, Remainers, call democracy i.e. let's skew the vote just in case the uneducated dare to vote leave again! There should be NO second referendum but, if there was one, the question should simply be the same as the first.

I don't see why the decision to have a referendum on Scotland wanting to be part of UK or not cannot be a devolved decision and let them choose when they want referendums providing they fund them themselves. The point with referendum decisions is they are simple eg. in or out there can't be a bit of each. That was mistake May made and why we are in this mess. She tried to please both leave and remain instead of getting us out with a clean break and simple trade deal. Scotland and N.I voted overwhelmingly to remwin in EU ans England and Wales voted overwhelmingly to leave EU. It makes sense to me for England and Wales to leave with a clean break and simple free trade deal made easier with no Backstop needed. No need to force Scotland or NI to leave if they want to remain or England and Wales to be forced to remain when majority want out. Let each country go with its own majority.

... it doesn't have any legislative powers to enact decisions.

If that is what you want it is certainly not the purpose of the assemblies. They are designed to take place before the question for the referendum is put together and can "advise" on that. The intention is to allow the electorate to feel more knowledgeable, not to influence views. I really don't think that can be a bad thing. They take place over weekends and over a fairly long period if the subject demands that. Experts in various areas will present papers and then round- table discussion takes place. Each table will have a facilitator to ensure the discussion moves forward and does not break down. These weekend meetings are live streamed so all can increase their knowledge. That is the intention of the assembly.

the SCOTSMAN newspaper poll today says 64% of voters will vote SNP in an upcoming election.7% for Tory and 6% Labour .The SCOTSMAN despite its name is a unionist supporting paper .The Times figures yesterday were also encouraging.
That will confirm the mandate for Indpendence ,sorry Sirchengin not what you want to see.Or maybe the messs WM is making might make you jump ship?

Many of those who voted for this chaos were fooled by the Leave liars.

They need not be ashamed of themselves. Many were fooled, but have now woken up to the truth. If you are one of those you can be proud of yourself.

Well, if you voted for this chaos, you should be ashamed of yourself, newnanny.

Most kind of you to 'let' us.

You're right we would have to make a separate application but given that more than 60% of us wanted to stay in then I can imagine we might be quite keen to do that - esp if the alternative is an extreme right wing Govt that takes us out without a deal.

If Scotland wants to vote for autonomy then let it. I don't think it will as there is no guarantee from EU it will be allowed to remain in EU without rest of UK and it will have to make a new application and accept the Euro.

Absolutely no reason why countries who share borders such as England and Scotland cannot live next to each other and trade on free trade agreement. If Scotland were to re-enter EU then of course EU would want to erect border patrols to protect its previous single market.

GillT57

www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1174253/brexit-news-no-deal-boris-johnson-bank-of-england-mark-carney

The Remain campaign was based on blatant lies from both Osborne and Carney. Both of these Remainers have reluctantly had to admit their prophesies of doom were wrong.

The number of people in employment is up since 2016, they both predicted massive job losses from day after referendum.

They predicted house prices would dip to scare people with a mortgage and simultaneously to rise to scare people wanting to get on housing ladder. House prices are stable.

I shall be voting for Boris who is only leader trying to deliver the vote of the referendum. Lib Dems want to revoke and Labour want us in Custom Union, Common Agricultural Policy and Single Market so not really out at all as diminishes UK ability to trade with countries not also in Single Market.

If Remain had won vote we would have stayed in all even though costing the UK as one of only 5 net contributors out of 27. Brexiteers would have been disappointed but accepted the vote.

Parliamentry Remainers are not carrying out vote of their constituents. Yvette Cooper in constituency who voted 70% leave yet tries to stop Brexit at every turn. I wonder what will happen to her 19,000 safe Labour seat at next GE?

Thanks to this rotten parliament it will cost us £1 billion every month to stay in, with not much back in return.

I knew exactly what I voted for and so did other Brexiteers. Why do Remainers always insist Brexiteers did not know what they were voting for?