Watch the press get their knives out!

Milest0ne

I don't buy newspapers as I don't like being told what to think and how to vote. I prefer to elect my "dictator"
I hope George Galloway isn't re-elected. He doesn't seem to have any opinions of his own, just what he thinks people want to hear. I suppose , much the same as many politicians but just more vocal.
Does any one think we had more sensible government when we had coalitions. I feel it stopped the extreme policies of the larger party. I am in favour of PR.

I think the best governments are ones in which there is a strong opposition. Corbyn,who imo was the sort of back bencher with a social conscience that every party needs, was weak in opposition and Johnson had a dangerous majority that he just threw away by being Boris Johnson. They were talking about Frank Field on TRIP’s and said how difficult it is for a backbenchers once they have cabinet positions. Apart from MP’s like Tobias Elwood I can’t see there being many decent, experienced Conservatives in opposition. I do with people like Tom Brake would come back into politics.

I would find it difficult to vote for Starmer, for one thing he doesn't seem to know what a woman is! As for giving the vote to 16 year olds - I guess that's one way of securing votes!! For the first time ever I don't feel there is a strong enough Party to get me to vote and will probably abstain.

I don't buy newspapers as I don't like being told what to think and how to vote. I prefer to elect my "dictator"
I hope George Galloway isn't re-elected. He doesn't seem to have any opinions of his own, just what he thinks people want to hear. I suppose , much the same as many politicians but just more vocal.
Does any one think we had more sensible government when we had coalitions. I feel it stopped the extreme policies of the larger party. I am in favour of PR.

LottieLouise

I honestly do not know why Sunak puts himself through all this stress. He has enough money to retire for the rest of his life. We need someone in charge who knows how the other half live. Sunak has no idea and neither have all the other cronies in parliament and don't talk to me about the old codgers in the House of Lords who were never elected but still have input, get them out. I think we would be better off voting for the Wombles of Wimbledon if they were still around, they couldn' do any worse than this lot. Some people say, oh goody, goody, we got the triple lock pension rise but what good is it when the personal pension tax has been frozen until 2028. I pay tax because I have small private pension on top of my state pension because we were told many years ago to save for a rainy day and now that rainy day has arrived I am worse off than people on benefits as I pay for everything, glasses, dental treatment, they have even stopped some of my prescriptions because many of them are now over the counter so I have to pay for them when they used to be free. I have not seen a doctor since I had Double Pneumonia four years ago and even then it was the hospital doctors I saw as my doctor could not see me as there were no appointments so was told to go to A & E. I was in hospital for two weeks.

God, I detest politicians and their underhanded ways.

Absolutely agree. Rich pensioners what a joke. I too have a small work pension, get less than a full state pension and I think I am about £40 a month better off after Hunt’s tinkering. Which doesn’t even cover price increases. It would be better to have a tax code which begins after £15,000. Cut out the bureaucracy.

Please can someone define a'worker' ?
Also, what are the Lib Dems policies? No idea except the usual NHS, schools etc etc that all parties spout.

They’ve been trying to find dirt to throw at Starmer for years and all they could come up with was the field he bought so his disabled mum could look at donkeys through her window!

Oh no it isn't.

Just hate the press and TV

They will be digging to find dirt and then will announce it all in order to ruin someones reputation Have we all not got some things in the past we wished we hadnt done and keep secret

I too am dreading the next 6 weeks

Dont forget Sunak’s FIL owns InfoSys, a company that has enjoyed many government contracts since Sunak has been PM - Sunak also has shares in Moderna.
He is a member of the WEF as is Starmer who was noted to say on video, he prefers Davos to Westminster. They are both the same book with a different cover.
Sunak was heard to say he didn’t want to be a war time PM and as PMs are ‘selected’ rather than ‘elected’, (look at previous Tory track record since covid) I would say, he’s done his time and is now handing the WEF baton over to Starmer, as planned.

For all parties as the song says don’t impress me much lol I would rather watch paint dry than vote for all the me me leaders none are saying I will be a good leader. One was to blame for post office scandal one just doing it for a hobby until his wife takes him overseas , other took my son to war and even he flips more times than a pancake and opened the door to immigrants and the other got no chance so I will probably stay home and watch Netflix and avoid the news for the next 6 weeks lol

We won't have a real choice until there is proportional representation

LottieLouise

I honestly do not know why Sunak puts himself through all this stress. He has enough money to retire for the rest of his life. We need someone in charge who knows how the other half live. Sunak has no idea and neither have all the other cronies in parliament and don't talk to me about the old codgers in the House of Lords who were never elected but still have input, get them out. I think we would be better off voting for the Wombles of Wimbledon if they were still around, they couldn' do any worse than this lot. Some people say, oh goody, goody, we got the triple lock pension rise but what good is it when the personal pension tax has been frozen until 2028. I pay tax because I have small private pension on top of my state pension because we were told many years ago to save for a rainy day and now that rainy day has arrived I am worse off than people on benefits as I pay for everything, glasses, dental treatment, they have even stopped some of my prescriptions because many of them are now over the counter so I have to pay for them when they used to be free. I have not seen a doctor since I had Double Pneumonia four years ago and even then it was the hospital doctors I saw as my doctor could not see me as there were no appointments so was told to go to A & E. I was in hospital for two weeks.

God, I detest politicians and their underhanded ways.

I agree with you wholeheartedly

PinkCosmos

I like Rishi Sunak. I think he is genuine and has inherited a bad track record from the Conservatives. In the short time he has been chancellor and Prime Minister I think he has done a good job.

As another poster said, he doesn't need to do this job. I think he is ambitious and this is driving him. He didn't come from a wealthy background. His background was not dissimilar to Maggie Thatcher's - correct me if I am wrong.

I find Keir Starmer very unappealing. He changes his policies at the drop of a hat. He is also wealthy. He looked like a rabbit in the headlights when he was on TV last night.

All parties need to stop their infighting and dedicate themselves to the job.

Shaking my head in disbelief.

maddyone

I know you’re not talking about my son Maybee, but you appeared, like many others I’ve had to listen to over the years, to be quite scathing about people who are Oxbridge educated, and like others, appear to think they are all born with a silver spoon in their mouths. However I know the truth, and the truth is that the majority of Oxbridge students are just ordinary middle class students, who have attended either very minor independent schools (that no one’s ever heard of) or state schools. Most have not attended Eton or Winchester, or any other similar institution. I will not be dismissed about this, because as long as people make these type of false claims, I will continue to refute them!

Yes it is rather scathing, inverted snobbery maybe.
A family members left school with gce not conducive to any Universtiy.Took themselves to college studied for A levels, whilst working. Went to Cambridge came out with a First in Sciences.
Hairdressers son went to local Academy, now studying medicine at Cambridge, hard work and diligence pay off.

PinkCosmos I have to disagree that he is a genuine man. In two years he presented 7 different pledges or commitments and met none. His first core commitment to transparency, accountability and integrity failed from the start. For me his lack of integrity is encapsulated when this ‘genuine man* met Figean Murray, whose son died in the Manchester Arena disaster on Wednesday. She had walked 200 miles to highlight her Martyn’s law to improve big event security, which she wants to get into power. Sunak promised her he would present the bill to parliament before the summer recess. A mere 4 hours later he announced a general election. This is NOT a genuine man!

Thanks Oreo.
Additionally, whilst my son was at Oxford, he took part in a scheme whereby he visited state secondary schools all around the country, where he talked to pupils about applying to Oxford, and encouraging them to think about it, because Oxbridge actually wants state pupils who are bright and capable to attend its colleges. They will not lower their standards though, as many other universities are said to have done, because they wish to remain a centre of excellence.

As someone with nothing but disdain for the media I will be listening in to some podcasts and TV coverage. It will be the usual courting of the predicted winners (Labour) and some whipping of the party in power, becoming more obvious but only because of their past fawning.
The emphasis on Reform is all wrong, I switch off whenever those nonentities Tice and Farage appear but as usual the Greens will be mostly ignored.

With regard to Starmer’s background, I think we all know he came from an ordinary working class background. It’s not a badge of honour, it’s where he came from. A respectable, working class background. He attended Reigate Grammar School, which became an independent school whilst he was a pupil there. He went on to gain a Bachelor of Laws degree from Leeds University and then went on to study for a post graduate degree at Oxford University, St Edmund Hall. In 2008 he became Director of Public Prosecutions, under the Blair/Brown administration. He was honoured in 2014, becoming Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, under the Cameron/Clegg administration.

maddyone

I know you’re not talking about my son Maybee, but you appeared, like many others I’ve had to listen to over the years, to be quite scathing about people who are Oxbridge educated, and like others, appear to think they are all born with a silver spoon in their mouths. However I know the truth, and the truth is that the majority of Oxbridge students are just ordinary middle class students, who have attended either very minor independent schools (that no one’s ever heard of) or state schools. Most have not attended Eton or Winchester, or any other similar institution. I will not be dismissed about this, because as long as people make these type of false claims, I will continue to refute them!

Good for you, I think most people’s perception of Oxford and Cambridge is based on the past.

Witzend

*Wyllow3*, but Sunak married most of that money, didn’t he?
His own upbringing was much more relatively normal.

I won’t be voting Tory but I do think Sunak gets a lot of very unfair slagging off. He inherited a very poisoned chalice - post Boris/Covid - I’m not sure Labour would have done much better. And I do think at least some of the slagging arises from jealousy/resentment of his wealth, with - I wouldn’t mind betting - an element of racism too often mixed in.

Fair comments.

I know you’re not talking about my son Maybee, but you appeared, like many others I’ve had to listen to over the years, to be quite scathing about people who are Oxbridge educated, and like others, appear to think they are all born with a silver spoon in their mouths. However I know the truth, and the truth is that the majority of Oxbridge students are just ordinary middle class students, who have attended either very minor independent schools (that no one’s ever heard of) or state schools. Most have not attended Eton or Winchester, or any other similar institution. I will not be dismissed about this, because as long as people make these type of false claims, I will continue to refute them!

Also judgements are formed from what is written in the media.

Wyllow3, but Sunak married most of that money, didn’t he?
His own upbringing was much more relatively normal.

I won’t be voting Tory but I do think Sunak gets a lot of very unfair slagging off. He inherited a very poisoned chalice - post Boris/Covid - I’m not sure Labour would have done much better. And I do think at least some of the slagging arises from jealousy/resentment of his wealth, with - I wouldn’t mind betting - an element of racism too often mixed in.

Mamie I imagine most people, including me didn’t know about his background. So judgements about whether anyone likes him or thinks he’s trustworthy are made on the basis of what they see or hear now rather than what went on in the past.

If people don't know about Keir Starmer's background, I would suggest that they read the recent Tom Baldwin biography. I would have thought that growing up in a family in difficult circumstances, where money was very tight, becoming a young carer for his severely disabled mother and playing a key roll in holding the family together, would give him pretty good insight into normal life.
I can't understand the negativity towards someone from a working-class background passing the 11+, going to university and becoming a barrister and then Director of Public Prosecutions. Isn't that what success in life is meant to look like?
My overwhelming impression is of somebody driven by a sense of duty and commitment.