General Election 2017 - MJ popcorn gif edition

[Fierce_LiNk]

Theresa May has just announced that an election will be taking place 8th June. Previously, she said that she would not be calling a snap election.

 

*will update with more info later as this has just been announced minutes ago*

[bob]

Ol' TRESemme doing another U-turn!

 

For realz though this should be interesting. I don't see anything other than another Tory win.

[Shorty]

What a brave move considering the strong, unified opposition they will face.

[Jimbob]

Brave move. Considering Labour are plummeting at the poles, and it's a most likely Tories win.

[bob]

Considering Labour are plummeting at the poles

 

 

 

[dwarf]

So we're getting a Tory government either way, but for me the choice is between:

 

Labour - a socialist party closest aligned to my poltics, but which is backing Brexit (out of necessity almost) - the worst imaginable course of action for our country.

 

The Lib Dems, who are a watered down Conservative Party, who currently only have a handful of MPs and probably would struggle to run a government, but who are backing a remain ticket.

 

It's just a shit state of affairs if you're a socialist at the moment. Maybe the best chance of Labour gaining power would be to reverse their position on Brexit (which I can't see happening now), and aim to run a pro-EU coalition government with the Lib Dems and other fringe parties, in the hope that the electorate has changed their minds on leaving, having seen some of the Leave campaign lies exposed, and the negotiation shambles unfolding day by day. The Tories want this election now, in what would normally be an inopportune time during the middle of the most important negotiation period in our history, before everyone realises that Brexit will be a complete horror show for the country.

Edited April 18, 2017 by dwarf

[Fierce_LiNk]

Ol' TRESemme doing another U-turn!

 

For realz though this should be interesting. I don't see anything other than another Tory win.

 

I'm not ashamed to say that the TRESemme bit killed me. Well played.

 

This snap election just highlights how badly the UK needs a valuable opposition who will at least provide an alternative and try and fight against the party in power. Labour have not sorted themselves out at all and are just not ready for this snap election whatsoever. They are going to get annihilated.

 

The Lib Dems will get some seats and will generally do ok, I feel. But, it won't be enough to stop a Tory landslide.

[Grazza]

It's just a shit state of affairs if you're a socialist at the moment. Maybe the best chance of Labour gaining power would be to reverse their position on Brexit (which I can't see happening now), and aim to run a pro-EU coalition government with the Lib Dems and other fringe parties, in the hope that the electorate has changed their minds on leaving, having seen some of the Leave campaign lies exposed, and the negotiation shambles unfolding day by day.

 

I wonder if this election might actually embolden enough Labour MPs to defy Jeremy Corbyn on leaving the EU. A huge amount of them don't believe in it (same as Conservatives), and their constituencies are even more against it.

 

In this regard I have a huge amount of respect for Tim Farron, who was one of the few to stand up for what he believes in Parliament - addressing Labour and Conservative MPs who agree with him, but voted for the opposite. That does take guts. It's just possible that the resolute Lib Dems combined with some defiant Labour MPs could swing the balance.

[dwarf]

While that might not be entirely ignoble on Farron's part, he's as much of an opportunistic slimeball as May. He'd be dumb not to power-grab now.

[Ashley]

OH FUCK OFF.

[killthenet]

I like Corbyn but he doesn't play the right games to be able to get elected, he needs to make more media appearances.

[Rummy]

I like Corbyn but he doesn't play the right games to be able to get elected, he needs to make more media appearances.

 

But what if the media are covering him with a bias? How does he overcome that?

[bob]

Seen last weekend on the Berlin Wall...

[Choze]

But what if the media are covering him with a bias? How does he overcome that?

 

Whilst the situation with the media is indeed very poor, even more so now. That does not excuse his handling of the media and Labour's own communication.

[dwarf]

He's damned if he does, damned is he doesn't. But now he should be maximising exposure on mainstream media AND on social media, where he can deliver his message without spin (albeit mostly to the converted).

 

But yeah, Corbyn completely garbles all of his messaging. There isn't a single, repeatable tagline or vision that people can can take away after his speeches or announcements, because he just mumbles about fairness and not being the Tories with zero conviction and with the emphasis in all the wrong places.

[Rummy]

Whilst the situation with the media is indeed very poor, even more so now. That does not excuse his handling of the media and Labour's own communication.

 

I agree it doesn't - but i feel the media is being quite unfair to him. I don't mean it to excuse other issues and his handling but it's certainly not helping. Thankfully social media is helping other voices be heard and I'm grateful for it as i see bits about Corbyn that i probably wouldn't otherwise. I was personally very impressed with his handling of a question about Syria at the recent business conference thing he was at but i don't think I'd have seen that if it wasn't for Facebook etc.

[Fierce_LiNk]

Reports are coming in that Theresa May will not be taking part in any televised election debates.

[Kav]

Reports are coming in that Theresa May will not be taking part in any televised election debates.

 

How on Earth she can do that is beyond me. Such cowardice!

[dwarf]

Didn't Cameron do that last time before buckling under media pressure? Maybe the same will happen to May.

 

The Tories don't stand to gain anything by leveling themselves with the other parties, so while it is cowardly I'm not surprised by her decision.

[Fierce_LiNk]

Didn't Cameron do that last time before buckling under media pressure? Maybe the same will happen to May.

 

 

Yeah, maybe she'll change her mind and do a u-turn. She's quite used to doing that.

[Ashley]

I agree it doesn't - but i feel the media is being quite unfair to him. I don't mean it to excuse other issues and his handling but it's certainly not helping. Thankfully social media is helping other voices be heard and I'm grateful for it as i see bits about Corbyn that i probably wouldn't otherwise. I was personally very impressed with his handling of a question about Syria at the recent business conference thing he was at but i don't think I'd have seen that if it wasn't for Facebook etc.

 

He doesn't help himself on social media anyway:

 

[tweet]800779565119336449[/tweet]

 

His inability to handle the media, any media, well is damaging to the party.

Edited April 18, 2017 by Ashley

[Pestneb]

I'm not ashamed to say that the TRESemme bit killed me. Well played.

 

This snap election just highlights how badly the UK needs a valuable opposition who will at least provide an alternative and try and fight against the party in power. Labour have not sorted themselves out at all and are just not ready for this snap election whatsoever. They are going to get annihilated.

 

The Lib Dems will get some seats and will generally do ok, I feel. But, it won't be enough to stop a Tory landslide.

 

On the plus side, when Labour lose surely that'll be it for Corbyn???

[Fierce_LiNk]

On the plus side, when Labour lose surely that'll be it for Corbyn???

 

I think for the sake of the party moving forward, Corbyn needs to be replaced as leader. He can't unite the party and they are nowhere near providing suitable opposition to the Tories, let alone being the viable party in power.

 

It's a shame for the man, because I do think that he is extremely likeable and is a good politician. But, he's just not the right leader for Labour at this present time.

 

The rest of the party are not blameless either because their conduct has been shocking in support of their leader and they've not provided any reasonable opposition to him as leader. Labour are so shit that they can't even provide opposition to Corbyn, the opposition leader.

[Kav]

I just hope that people actually listen to policies, what each Party's manifesto says and do a little research themselves on each of the leaders voting record.

 

The EU Referendum result and consequences as well as the US Election have shown what can happen when people don't actually listen to information, policies and do research of their own!

[gaggle64]

It's certainly going to bring into sharp relief what a terrible leader Corbyn has been. I was hopeful when he was raised up to leadership to finally a left wing/alternative voice in mainstream politics but he's been so incompetent getting his message across while managing to sabotage his own party. Now it seems likely Labour will take the hit and use it as an excuse to carry on like before. As for May I'm almost impressed - yet again she's completely reversed everything she's ever said and expects no questions. At this rate by next month she'll be going from Conservative to FARC Revolutionary mid-sentence.