Forum Topics

Bouncy Boris

Last week Conservative leader Boris Johnson said party members guilty of Islamophobia "are out first bounce". And yet ...

David Ainsworth ● 2520d0 Comments ● 2520d

Could Mexico ...

... soon be saying "build that wall?"https://southfront.org/all-sights-on-mexico-as-it-discovers-worlds-largest-lithium-deposit/

Michael Ixer ● 2521d2 Comments ● 2521d

£50 million worth of jewellery stolen from Tamara Ecclestone

Thieves have reportedly stolen £50m worth of jewellery from the Kensington home of Tamara Ecclestone.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-50806902This is quite a hoard!!

Ivonne Holliday ● 2522d17 Comments ● 2521d

Last Word on Election

Why Putney Went LabourA last word on why Labour lost the country but won Putney. As a constituency which voted 65% to Remain (like most of London) Putney was always likely to vote against the Tory/Brexit party. In fact the process had  started in 2017   when the very popular Remain Tory Justine Greening held on but lost 10% of her support.  This time, two years later the Tories, not least having ditched Justine, lost another 10% to go to 18000 while Labour moved from 19 to 22000. The Liberals improved from 5 to 8000 but unlike elsewhere (Kensington) they did not do enough to damage Labour’s chances. Interestingly the Putney Tory vote was something like 35%,ie the same as voted Leave. The only other seats in England which the Tories lost were in next door suburban Richmond and nearby St Albans. Here they were both lost to the more likely,non socialist, ultra Remain Libdems. One of the features of Putney is that  while in next door Richmond the Libdems are a major force here they come a dismal third.

Hugh Thompson ● 2522d4 Comments ● 2521d

The hungry commuter at Putney station

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmK4TPdr

Michael Ixer ● 2521d2 Comments ● 2521d

Ifs

If this that or the other will be floating around for months.But I think the most import if is:If we had a proper written constitution we would have never got in this mess in the first place!And just as important it would stop us making the same mistake again!Just a thought.

Ed Robinson ● 2521d1 Comments ● 2521d

At what point will Labour ever get power...

...and how and why?Not a rhetorical question.

Simon Knight ● 2523d18 Comments ● 2521d

A campaign for Diane Abbott to stand as New Labour leader

https://twitter.com/Abbott4L/status/1205828858806775808

Paul Game ● 2523d12 Comments ● 2521d

Putney post-election analysis - Why did Fleur win?

Putney was the only Labour gain of the night, bucking the national trend and delivering Fleur Anderson close to a 5000 vote majority. Why do you think this happened and who did you vote for?

Daniel Shearer ● 2524d17 Comments ● 2522d

Remainers

How much more proof do you want?We have had a vote nearly every year since 2014, all indicated LEAVE.2014 - UKIP EU elections WIN2015 - Cameron GE (with referendum in his manifesto) WIN2016 - REFERENDUM - leave WIN2017 - May GE majority WIN2019 - BREXIT PARTY Euro elections WIN2019 - Boris GE with a huge majority WIN

Paul Game ● 2523d29 Comments ● 2522d

Johnson soft on crime

"Boris Johnson is set to wage war with the BBC by putting in place plans to decriminalise non-payment of the licence fee.The Prime Minister has asked his top advisers to draw up a review of the mandatory £154.50 annual fee and whether viewers should be prosecuted for not paying it.It tees up a stand-off with the Corporation which was already simmering after Downing Street imposed a blanket ban on ministers appearing on its flagship Today programme. Conservatives were pulled from yesterday's Radio 4 slot and Number 10 intends to 'withdraw engagement' from future broadcasts of the show."Poor old BBC, despite its best efforts, has been insufficiently subservient, obviously. Even the Panorama "documentary", portraying Labour as possibly a Nazi party, has not improved the BBC's chances of survival. The trouble is that now many of those, who would have supported the BBC, trust the BBC less. Just in case the BBC survives perhaps it can learn balance from the Mail:-https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7767789/Jeremy-Corbyn-biggest-global-threat-Jews-warns-worlds-leading-Nazi-hunting-organisation.html"The Prime Minister's late Election plea comes as The Mail on Sunday can reveal that the Labour leader has been named as the worst antisemite on the planet by the world's leading Nazi-hunting organisation.The Simon Wiesenthal Centre warns that Corbyn would turn Britain into a 'pariah state' if he wins Thursday's Election"Sadly I missed that a week ago. Worst, on the planet. Must be true.

David Ainsworth ● 2523d4 Comments ● 2522d

Putney Luna Pics

Just snapped on a phone ... but better than Luna-tics 🙂https://flic.kr/s/aHsmK3v5WW

Michael Ixer ● 2522d1 Comments ● 2522d

Muslim fears of Tories' victory

"‘Boris Johnson Remaining Prime Minister Makes Me Feel I’m Not Welcome’ – Muslims React To Tory Win""Zainab says that on her journey into work on Friday morning, she started looking around people in her community and wondering if they were racist. “It played on my mind and really made me question everything.“People have gained confidence to vote that way and be more outspoken and vocal about their racism.“With Boris Johnson’s leadership, it has given people in the UK confidence to air their racist views and their intolerance of people who are different to them.”"https://tinyurl.com/ukh4yugAnd in the Metro:-"British Muslims have started the process of leaving the UK over fears for their ‘personal safety’ now Boris Johnson is Prime Minister for five years, Metro.co.uk can reveal. Among them is the head of a Muslim charity, which provides food parcels for poor people in Manchester, after saying he was scared for the ‘future of his children’. Manzoor Ali said: ‘I’m scared for my personal safety, I worry about my children’s future.’"Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/15/british-muslims-start-leaving-uk-boris-johnson-wins-election-11911078/?ito=cbshare

David Ainsworth ● 2522d0 Comments ● 2522d

A new survey about the future of our Commons

I hope as many of you as possible will complete the online survey about the future of all our Commons. It doesn't take long.https://www.wpcc.org.uk/about-us/heritage-lottery-grantYou may have missed the “General Open Meeting” held on the 9th of December at 7pm at the London Scottish Golf Club. I reckon about 60 people turned up, or about 0.1% of Levy-payers. Another triumph of openness and transparency by the board and management. Don’t worry though, the minutes of the meeting will be put up on an obscure back page on their website in about six months time, like last time.The Statutory Inquiry report into mismanagement and maladministration by the Charity Commission is expected to be published in January. Perhaps.Nick

Nicholas Evans ● 2523d7 Comments ● 2523d

Humbug

Forum members may be glad to hear that, despite my onerous duties providing balance for Mr Game, I actually managed to get out and buy a Christmas tree. Bargain price, as not many left, and, for extra fun, some banter* with the seller, who reminded me a little of Mr Alan Johnson the ex-Labour MP and minister. *banter - I'm sure that I never used that word until recently, although doubtless it has long been available. Just checked and it is first recorded in the late 17thC.

David Ainsworth ● 2523d2 Comments ● 2523d

Post Election

We all voted differently. Can we now just have discussions that don't involve insults and name calling in this group. If you're unhappy with who is in power that's fine, if you're unhappy about the fact that blue has turned red fair enough, but why should your vote be more important than another?  I've avoided coming on to the forum because there has been too much vitriol and poisonous comments. It's coming up to Christmas, maybe we can, for now, think of a few positive things and spread a little cheer.

Maxine Campbell ● 2525d73 Comments ● 2523d

A new Simon's cat

A Christmas message for the forum participants? 😺https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CmztPezLBKc&feature=youtu.be#dialog

Michael Ixer ● 2523d2 Comments ● 2523d

Arctic research

An interesting piece of international scientific collaboration, lead by a German institution but on a Russian research ship alongside many other nationalities. Missed this previously, but it interesting in spite of what goes on in public with politicians bitching at each other how much cooperation there is behind the scenes by scientists, mathematicians and engineers - and artists, etc. https://www.npr.org/2019/12/04/784691513/polar-bears-ice-cracks-and-isolation-scientists-drift-across-the-arctic-ocean

Michael Ixer ● 2523d0 Comments ● 2523d

Abbott

Good idea as it is Jeremy Corbyn's only chance now of ever living in no10!

Mike Essam ● 2523d1 Comments ● 2523d

Lord Heseltine

The first of the 'political and liberal elite' to come out and say it's time to move on.“We’ve lost.  We’ll have to face up to that. We’re going to leave Europe.”Lord Heseltine finally surrenders on Brexit.https://twitter.com/brexitblog_info/status/1205785213760102400Let's see what Blair, Major and Clarke have to say.Caroline Lucas still banging on about a 2nd peoples vote on twitter yesterday!Anyone else noticed that Brexiteers are talking Britain up and many Remainers are always talking Britain down?Hence the positive campaign from Boris compared to the negative campaign of the Remain parties.

Paul Game ● 2524d15 Comments ● 2523d