Johnson gifts Labour ‘Dickensian’ narrative. December election history
Labour insiders are quietly happy that Boris Johnson has blundered into gifting Labour an ideal environment for a general election, as news emerges that Jeremy Corbyn will whip MPs to vote for Johnson’s one-line bill to call a December general election.
Labour’s campaign will be all about the real-life, bread-and-butter issues facing millions of people in a country blighted by soaring poverty, job insecurity and collapsing services after almost a decade of Tory government.
A cold-weather election as families face the the struggle to keep their children warm and fed, let alone to provide a good Christmas for them, makes the realities of Tory Britain and the desperate need for the change that Labour offers inescapable.
Historically, December elections have typically seen high turnouts and have not often gone well for the Tories, from the 1910 election seeing them remain in opposition to the 1923 general election on 6 December resulting in a hung Parliament and on to Heath’s failed gambit in the 1970s.
A Labour source told the SKWAWKBOX:
We have millions of kids in poverty and a country desperate for change. Christmas is meant to be a happy time but it means misery for many and struggle for many more.
The hope and vision that Labour offers and the need to end the disaster of Tory government will be clear and no media efforts will be able to disguise that.
As the SKWAWKBOX exclusively reported, Jeremy Corbyn will whip MPs to vote for a general election – and for the voting age to be lowered to sixteen – in today’s Commons vote.
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Being hopelessly optimistic (what other choice is there right now?), I’ll go with the notion that the grim financial realities of Christmas for many people will favour this “ideal environment” narrative, though I’m not so sure this was any Labour trap that Boris blundered into. Bring it on, nonetheless…
A nice bit of spin there, Skwawky!
Skwawkbox “Labour tactics pay off as Johnson blunders into GE ‘trap’ ”
Ah yes, great tactics, box youself into a corner and then spin it as though that’s where you wanted to be – great trap!
Peter Kyle has just announced on the Politics Live program that he will be voting against a GE
More baggage by a very sly and nasty piece of work Peter Kyle and ivor caplain Hoves JLM mafia. …ask Chris Williamson!
Heidi Allan has announced she won’t be standing in the GE
There will probably be a lot like her – Angela Smith Mike Gapes Louise Ellman Gavin Suker Joan Ryan Chris Leslie are unlikely to stand again in my opinion as they know they have absolutely no chance of being elected. They have completely wrecked their political careers – they are off the gravy train permanently
Of course they may, like Luciana Berger, up sticks and move to London in order to stand as a Lib Dem in a London constituency but even then I don’t fancy their chances
You are absolutely right Swawkbox about the extreme hardships winter brings to people in poverty. especially at Christmas,
I hope every voter who is experiencing hardship or who knows someone who is, makes the effort to go out and vote Labour
I hope all those who are affected by or who know somebody effected by the lack of social care, homelessness, the failing NHS,rising transport costs etc go out and vote Labour.
The alternative doesn’t bear thinking about.
Chris Williamson needs to be reinstated forthwith so that he is not forced to stand as an independent in his own seat.
100% with you on this Jack, had the pleasure of Blocking a few supposed Socialists on Twitter yesterday for the crud they were espousing about Chris. And, unlike Vaz and the other Traitors on our PLP benches, Chris Williamson went out of his way to visit South Wales and promote Open Selection when requested to do so – most of the Rightwingers would have told me to bugger off had I suggested a visit, among them a few of our own South Wales members.
A party entertaining a McCarthyesque witch hunt, whoever started it, whatever the consequences, is unfit to govern.
Not sure I agree with your analysis and conclusion.
But a Party still overwhelmed by a discriminatory zionist perspective on the world (if it wins) is not an encouraging prospect.
Labour are against Israels persecution of Palestinians.
What’s wrong in that ?
I doubt the cunning trap propaganda,.and its a bit silly to .assume that your posters are dumb enough to believe it.We are going into an election that may very well deliver the first socialist Labour government in history.Thats good enough for me and millions of desperate people who are waiting for a very merry Xmas and a happy new year!
“As the SKWAWKBOX exclusively reported, Jeremy Corbyn will whip MPs to vote for a general election – and for the voting age to be lowered to sixteen – in today’s Commons vote
http://email.trinitymirror-news.co.uk/EJs~bH5H0DmmWALQgyAmk86n7m_Q8XncPGaM2XMF7CF/WebView.aspx
The Bill setting the election date can also be amended which could see MPs or peers attached all sorts of baubles to this frail Christmas tree such as a cap on campaign spending, votes at 16 or giving EU citizens to vote.
Downing Street has said it will pull the Bill if there are an amendments that change the franchise.
Will Boris have the bottle to pull the bill?
At this juncture, it seems questionable whether the amendment on the extended franchise will be called.
I reckon that it would be a good move for Labour to make it a deal-breaker and push the franchise issue forward, exposing the Tories’ dependence on the aged and the addled.
Need to get the school kids on board. Trust the teachers!
Which constituencies would the boarding school kids vote in?
Their home one, or the school’s?
The Toffee (597) at 11:22
Why is this an issue for you?
SteveHYes, correct some of the anomalies from the Brexit vote and we will change the odds in our favour – as long as we don’t ruin it by putting any form of Brexit in our manifesto to satisfy the ‘Skwawkies’.
My preference is to keep it simple, we should not add any amendments, then if Cummings glove puppet pulls the bill our hands are clean,
Uncle Festus can then try again with FTPA,
I do think there is room for a clear out of detestables who break whip
Put as many amendments in as possible.
Incidentally, the R4 newsreader seemed very pleased about Hodge being re-selected. Interesting that no mention made of possible irregularities. Now, if a leftwinger had been chosen would there have been such silence?
Not happy about the timing of G E but we have to make the most of it.
Worth bearing in mind that John Golding wrote that he thought he would lose his seat in February 1974. But election campaigns have a habit of being unpredictable.
Jeremy has just given a cracking speech in the House of Commons.
Rumours that Johnson may be about to ditch his constituency:
https://zelo-street.blogspot.com/2019/10/chicken-bozos-farewell-to-uxbridge.html
Maybe Boris anticipated this when he removed the whip from the incumbents of some safe Tory seats
East Surrey would fit nicely for him..Sir George gardner said “they’d vote for a donkey with a blue rossete” .Well Bozzo piffel should go down well,sort of greenbelt retirement home in oxted or warlingham.The country folk around there love animals!
I heard there’s a toerag in Witney (Oxon) loves animals….Pigs, especially 😏
Hopefully Labour can have mass campaigns with student unions at universities to get students to register for postal votes wherever is more marginal if home may not matter by in university area may matter more.
CLPs also need to organise car pools for canvassers saying to members how many spaces in cars and working out where to pick members and supporters up.
Plus are quite a few retired members & trade unionists who could help in the daytime if CLPs could organise things!
This is the fight of our lives!
JC4PM!
JC4PM!
Tories out and say no to Tory/Lib Dem Coalition!
The party of law and order have got their campaign off to a good start
Rowena Mason
The home secretary’s chief of staff was escorted out of a bar in parliamentby armed police earlier – just as MPs were voting on an election that Boris Johnson wants to make about law and order.
Two people who witnessed the incident say James Starkie was ordered out of Strangers bar after swearing loudly in the vicinity of a Tory MP, Col Bob Stewart, being refused service and appearing to punch a door.
As police escorted him out of the bar, which is frequented by MPs, witnesses said he apologised for his behaviour.
Starkie is a familiar face around Westminster as a former Vote Leave campaigner who went on to work for Michael Gove, before taking up his position as a senior adviser to Priti Patel. A House of Commons spokesperson said:
We can confirm there was an incident with an individual in Strangers bar. The individual was asked to leave, and was escorted from the estate by parliamentary security
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/oct/29/brexit-latest-news-general-election-debate-boris-johnson-faces-backlash-from-tories-over-plan-to-hold-election-before-passing-withdrawal-bill-live-news?page=with:block-5db8b4728f08cb84c60a108d#block-5db8b4728f08cb84c60a108d
It will be interesting to see if Priti Patel applies her ‘zero tolerance’ policy to Starky
More likely to see rees-smog breakdancing in the commons lobby.
It sickens me to see Patel fawning over Johnson at event opportunity,me specially at PMQs. She always sits next to him, and constantly looks at him with puppy dog eyes and smirking face at his every utterance that she obviously finds highly amusing.
Surprise, surprise Boris – It’s Halloween and we are still in the EU.