An overview of what's happened just this week in government

33 3. A report this week found 9m voters – most thought likely to oppose the Conservatives – will vanish from the electoral roll when new Westminster seats are drawn up

This was one item that was new to me. I know that the threat of new constituency boundaries has been around for at least 3 or 4 year, but how can it cause voters to be 'lost' from electoral rolls?

Does anyone know anything about the report he mentions?

Oh god it gets worse

MaizieD

^33 3. A report this week found 9m voters – most thought likely to oppose the Conservatives – will vanish from the electoral roll when new Westminster seats are drawn up^

This was one item that was new to me. I know that the threat of new constituency boundaries has been around for at least 3 or 4 year, but how can it cause voters to be 'lost' from electoral rolls?

Does anyone know anything about the report he mentions?

This report was written before the 2015 election, but the issues are still the same. It explains in detail what's happened.

www.smith-institute.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/10-million-missing-voters-a-briefing-report.pdf

The Parliamentary Constituencies Bill passed its second reading on 3 June. Although there will no longer be fewer seats, there will be some quite significant boundary changes. The areas most affected are London, other cities and (I think) South Wales. Scotland will also be affected. All of these seats are mainly held by opposition MPs.

The issue with London is that it has a highly transitory population and many people (students, short term tenants) aren't registered to vote. When the new boundaries were drawn up, these people weren't counted, so the new constituencies will almost certainly have more people eligible to vote than are being counted.

Thanks, growstuff

sparkling and others who may find the original post 'ridiculous' - do you mean that some, or all, of it is untrue? Or that you think those things are of no concern? Or....??
Please give us your perspective on that post.

Oh and in case it hadn’t been mention.

The flag on the plane that cost us £900k is upside down..

Distress indeed

Isn't that because the photo we all saw was taken from the 'wrong' side of the flag and plane?
The effect meant to be of an actual flag streaming behind the plane.
(I read that online, so it must be true)

The effect meant to be of an actual flag streaming behind the plane.

It's not very effective if it has to be explained, is it?

The fact seems to be that most people are annoyed that, after all that money being spent, the flag appears to be upside down. A distress signal.

Another blunder, really, that I don't think will go away...

I can’t understand that? Why should a union flag streaming out look as if it upside down?

It should still be the right way up shouldn’t it?

Well, speaking as someone who can't work out which way up it is, I can't go any further with this... It just looks like a muddle of red, white and blue stripes to me.

But that's what's being said. It's the right way up if you look at it the right way

varian, the answer to your question yesterday (20:47:40) is of course not - just look at the Trump voters who are still supporting him. Some politicians seem to be able to get away with anything, however shameful. I am disgusted, and like Luckygirl, increasingly worried for the future of my DGC. What do this shower have to do before the hardened Tory voters will turn against them?

Nothing this government does surprises me now. I can well believe the statements in the OP. I find it very worrying but as we can all go to the pub soon then all is well.

I doubt very much whether hardened Tories will ever turn against him. In politics, it has to be accepted that some people's views are so entrenched that they will never change. It doesn't matter how much you reason with them. You have to accept them and work round them, like you would if you wanted to construct a road but a huge granite mountain were in the way.

All you can do is use the systems we have to encourage floating voters and those who will listen, so that your party has the highest number of seats (not the same as the majority of voters).

Cummings and Tory strategists understood very well how the system works, which is why they now have a majority which means they can do more or less what they want, despite the fact that the number of seats doesn't reflect public opinion. They did the same with Brexit. We had a 52/48 split, which was not decisive and certainly doesn't justify the "hard" Brexit we're about to have imposed.

Boris will please some (me) and displease others.

Apparently the flag is the right way up. Confirmed by experts. Good. I can sleep tonight. The RAF plane needed servicing and a repaint anyway!

He knows Brexit needs to be delivered. It was voted for 4 times. It’s long overdue. A deal will be struck. Don’t blame him for not publishing details along the way. As with C-19 details can change within a couple of weeks.

Overseas aid will still be allocated - but in a more targeted way. No more money for ‘Ethiopian girl bands’ sorry about that. Never mind, it was good for some while these quango groups were doling out taxpayer’s money.

To be continued.

Brexit was never ever at any time supported by the majorit of British people, but because of our corrupt ab

Because of our corrupt undemocratic FPTP voting system, the will of the minority has destroyed the rights of the majority of UK citizens, who never wanted to leave the EU.

We now have to accept that has happened and the totally incompetent Vote Leave government have made our national situation worse by their inept handling of the pandemic and their focus on leaving the EU on the basis of no deal.

Is it any wonder that so many of our brightest and best have already emigrated to other EU countries?

You are absolutely and completely wrong about the Overseas Aid department, Ug, which has been internationally lauded as a model of how aid should be done. No bribery and corruption there..

But that's by the by.

The real question is, are you thrilled by the demolition of Parliamentary democracy that Cummings is bent on and the corruption that is going unpunished?

Granite mountains.

MaizeD-I got to point 29 and lost the will to live. I'll return tomorrow when hopefully, Im restored.
I'd never heard of Russ of Cheshire but I'm a fan and will look him up.

You really couldn't make it up could you. I veer between thinking I have to keep calm and carry on and feeling desperate.

I never said there was bribery and corruption involved MaizieD. Just a flinging of money - huge amounts - to ‘get it spent’ to hit targets (!) especially in the closing weeks of each financial year.

There is plenty of evidence of such behaviour if you Google it.
?

I’m with Cummings on his mission to defenestrate the red tape that has multiplied exponentially in recent years. He wants to get things done. So do the majority of voters!

Having an unelected 'adviser' running the government and 'getting things done' is completely subverting Parliamentary democracy, Ug.

Urmstongran

I’m with Cummings on his mission to defenestrate the red tape that has multiplied exponentially in recent years. He wants to get things done. So do the majority of voters!

I don't think you actually understand the implications of "defenstrate the red tape".

How do you know the voters (all of them?) wantthe same thing as Cummings. Maybe the ones in your bubble do, but he is unelected. You have absolutely no way of knowing what voters want on red tape - or even what it means.

He advises Boris. Comes up with good ideas. Boris is popular = things will happen soon and changes will be implemented.

I’m happy.