AND HERE WE GO - THE 2019 GENERAL ELECTION THREAD

[Mudball]

Listened to a podcast today talking about the Boris launch speech he did somewhere in the West Mids yesterday. And they said they were there through all the preparations and it was like a military operation and completely staged. Specific people in the crowd got given banners and told where to stand and when to shout etc etc. It was then filmed to look like the place was rammed when it was actually like TOTP where clever camera angles make it look like there are lot more people there than actually are. Have no doubt for a second this goes on across the board, but another example of just how poorly we are being served by our politicians with most of these type of things being heavily controlled and attended by hard core party acolytes, and how much these things are mostly about image and spin with very little substance.

A bit like his friend Trump's inauguration then..

 

[drdel]

Listened to a podcast today talking about the Boris launch speech he did somewhere in the West Mids yesterday. And they said they were there through all the preparations and it was like a military operation and completely staged. Specific people in the crowd got given banners and told where to stand and when to shout etc etc. It was then filmed to look like the place was rammed when it was actually like TOTP where clever camera angles make it look like there are lot more people there than actually are. Have no doubt for a second this goes on across the board, but another example of just how poorly we are being served by our politicians with most of these type of things being heavily controlled and attended by hard core party acolytes, and how much these things are mostly about image and spin with very little substance.

Its been the same for decades with any TV stunt / reports.

Many years ago I had to regularly go to Greenham Common and numerous other military bases in the days of the Ban the Bomb campaign. There were usually 15 or 20 campaigners at most forced to huddle against a fence by the news crews. TV news reports at the time had them stand in double rows and took pictures up close and a low camera angle to make it look like hordes of mass protests!!

 

[Doon frae Troon]

I really don't understand this.

I'm sure they could have filled a hall with party members / activists that were vetted appropriately. Doesn't need to be a hanger that size.
Surely fairly obvious that media would be able to take images like this and show it up as a bit of a sham.

Are they just so paranoid that one rogue will slip through the net and hold up a Stop Brexit or Boris is Lying sign?

It would have been amusing if that one person who slipped through the net was the STOP BREXIT shouty guy.
He is a big fella, so no chance of the Tory MP who grabbed the woman activist by the neck a few months ago taking him on.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I really don't understand this.

I'm sure they could have filled a hall with party members / activists that were vetted appropriately. Doesn't need to be a hanger that size.
Surely fairly obvious that media would be able to take images like this and show it up as a bit of a sham.

Are they just so paranoid that one rogue will slip through the net and hold up a Stop Brexit or Boris is Lying sign?

Well there were indeed a few outside that hall protesting...with just those sort of signs...

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

It would have been amusing if that one person who slipped through the net was the STOP BREXIT shouty guy.
He is a big fella, so no chance of the Tory MP who grabbed the woman activist by the neck a few months ago taking him on.

Did I read that he's no standing this time...Mark Field blames ‘fractious and febrile’ atmosphere over Brexit - ah the Tories lose one of their best...wrestlers - or maybe not...

 

[Doon frae Troon]

When will a Tory leader have the guts to visit Scotland and actually engage with the public.
The last two really do come across as a couple of right fearty cats.

Give Corbyn his due he is not scared to debate publicly in Scotland.
It's just a shame that very few folk turn up to listen to him.

 

[larmen]

Is the guy who prevented the outlawing of up skirting running?

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Is the guy who prevented the outlawing of up skirting running?

He has not announced that he is standing down so it looks likely. Nov 14th is the date candidates are announced.

He is in one of the safest Tory seats in the country so unless the opposition parties unite or a neutral candidate stands alone against him he will win again. It needs a Martin Bell v Neil Hamilton challenge.

 

[Hacker Khan]

Is the guy who prevented the outlawing of up skirting running?

I'm absolutely sure he will step down. After all the Tories have managed to lose many long standing MPs who represented the one nation side of the party. So unless they want to be seen as a party of out of touch objectionable MPs and hard Brexiteers then surely they will let go the person go who blocks many bills including the upskirting and the second reading of the Alan Turing (Statutory Pardon) Bill. And also who filibustered a private member's bill that would have placed restrictions on hospital parking charges for carers. But mysteriously does not block bills proposed by his mate Peter Bone.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Really? https://news.sky.com/story/general-...ers-to-campaign-in-uk-against-labour-11854965

 

[ColchesterFC]

Could be an interesting few weeks of campaigning if the first two days are anything to go by. Yesterday was a bad day for the Tories. Today it's Labour's turn with a former Labour MP saying that Labour voters should vote for BJ as Corbyn is "unfit to be PM" and another Labout MP quitting in yet another anti-Semitism row.

 

[Hacker Khan]

Could be an interesting few weeks of campaigning if the first two days are anything to go by. Yesterday was a bad day for the Tories. Today it's Labour's turn with a former Labour MP saying that Labour voters should vote for BJ as Corbyn is "unfit to be PM" and another Labout MP quitting in yet another anti-Semitism row.

It's probably going to be an election decided by who can do the least worst screw ups. What a time to be alive, you're welcome future generations.....

 

[ColchesterFC]

It's probably going to be an election decided by who can do the least worst screw ups. What a time to be alive, you're welcome future generations.....

And now the Tories jump back into the lead with their candidate for the Broadland seat in Norfolk no longer standing after comments he made in 2014 about rape where he suggested that women should "keep their knickers on". I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry that this is the calibre of people that the main parties think should represent the public.

 

[Hobbit]

And now the Tories jump back into the lead with their candidate for the Broadland seat in Norfolk no longer standing after comments he made in 2014 about rape where he suggested that women should "keep their knickers on". I'm not sure whether to laugh or cry that this is the calibre of people that the main parties think should represent the public.

You've got to ask just how good are the selection committees too. And once you reach a critical mass, it becomes self-perpetuating, e.g. Momentum.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

You've got to ask just how good are the selection committees too. And once you reach a critical mass, it becomes self-perpetuating, e.g. Momentum.

My son, 2nd year at university, is told regularly by lecturers to beware of social media. What you post can come back to haunt you. They are taking this from the perspective of employers trawling your accounts before offering an interview but election candidates are discovering that it applies to them in spades as well. This guy made the comments 5 years ago, probably off the cuff, maybe after a couple of beers and not imagining the consequences.

I doubt local constituency parties are up to the job of properly vetting prospective candidates but media companies certainly are so expect more of these. A little worrying in many ways. If people dig deep enough will anyone be sterile enough to be a candidate?

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Will there be the televised debates again? I am assuming it'll be a case of how well they come across on these that will influence a lot of people. If Corbyn gets savaged I can see it hurting him at the polls and if there is one thing Johnson is good at is putting on a show and blustering his way through

 

[ColchesterFC]

My son, 2nd year at university, is told regularly by lecturers to beware of social media. What you post can come back to haunt you. They are taking this from the perspective of employers trawling your accounts before offering an interview but election candidates are discovering that it applies to them in spades as well. This guy made the comments 5 years ago, probably off the cuff, maybe after a couple of beers and not imagining the consequences.

In this case it wasn't social media. He made the comment during a radio discussion about the Ched Evans rape case.

To paraphrase what he said, it was that some men find it hard to take no as an answer and instead of jumping into bed naked with the man the woman should keep her knickers on.

 

[Hobbit]

My son, 2nd year at university, is told regularly by lecturers to beware of social media. What you post can come back to haunt you. They are taking this from the perspective of employers trawling your accounts before offering an interview but election candidates are discovering that it applies to them in spades as well. This guy made the comments 5 years ago, probably off the cuff, maybe after a couple of beers and not imagining the consequences.

I doubt local constituency parties are up to the job of properly vetting prospective candidates but media companies certainly are so expect more of these. A little worrying in many ways. If people dig deep enough will anyone be sterile enough to be a candidate?

Leadership comes from the top. Its up to the central office to put the processes in place to stop this from happening. They're multi-million pound organisations being run like a WRVS tea party.

 

[Colonel Bogey]

What I don't get is why we have five weeks of electioneering. Lies lies and more lies for five weeks. I would suggest 100% of people who are going to vote know exactly which bunch of muppets they are going to support. So why wait?

 

[Lord Tyrion]

In this case it wasn't social media. He made the comment during a radio discussion about the Ched Evans rape case.

To paraphrase what he said, it was that some men find it hard to take no as an answer and instead of jumping into bed naked with the man the woman should keep her knickers on.

Ooo, I had not followed that. I should, add, I was not defending his comments, it was more a general point about what I thought was a social media post made in the past. Thank you for making it clear.