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UK Prime Minister Theresa May announces intention to hold general election

theguardian.com

161–170 of 336 posts

Re: UK Prime Minister Theresa May announces intention to hold general election

#161
post #41

Worst possible timing, who do I vote for? I live in a tory safe seat currently.

Have you considered spoiling your ballot paper?

What effect does this have? AFAIK spoiled ballot papers counts are not announced at all (or not very widely if they are) so what's the point?

Re: UK Prime Minister Theresa May announces intention to hold general election

#162

Actually this is just good business for the Tories, and I've long expected it. The opposition is in disarray under Corbyn, and our prime minister has never won an election. This is as easy a victory as Theresa May will ever be able to bank on, and legitimises her leadership in the eyes of a large section of the public. She can also claim (maybe rightly so) that she has the undisputed majority support of the public fo…

Vote Lib Dem. Seriously. I am a candidate in very north london, we're all organised for this possibility.

I wish you all the best. I think you may be able to capture some Conservative voters who do not like what is going on, but critically as always there need to be enough people without a defeatist attitude to switch and for you to succeed.

Re: UK Prime Minister Theresa May announces intention to hold general election

#163
post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Labour have already announced they will support it.

According to what I read here the Labour is going to lose many seats. Are those Labour MPs so eager to lose their job? Amazing.

If they think (a) their seat is safe and (b) nothing can unseat Corbyn short of an election loss and (c) the party can't win an election with Corbyn at the helm; then they might figure they might as well unseat Corbyn in 2017 and have a fighting chance in the 2022 election; rather than unseating Corbyn in 2020 and hoping to win the 2025 election.

Of course, if they think their seat isn't safe; or they think they can dump Corbyn early and win in 2020; it's easy to imagine them opposing an election.

Re: UK Prime Minister Theresa May announces intention to hold general election

#164
post #28

Actually this is just good business for the Tories, and I've long expected it. The opposition is in disarray under Corbyn, and our prime minister has never won an election. This is as easy a victory as Theresa May will ever be able to bank on, and legitimises her leadership in the eyes of a large section of the public. She can also claim (maybe rightly so) that she has the undisputed majority support of the public fo…

I wonder (I'm not from UK), is there really zero chance of someone from Labour to challenge Corbyn (someone more moderate/center leaning) and rally the pro-EU voters ?

Everyone is always describing Corbyn as some far left nutjob, look at Europe or Scandinavia and you'll see he is actually the moderate left. Don't let the continued hatchet job by every media outlet in the country fool you.

Re: UK Prime Minister Theresa May announces intention to hold general election

#165
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Democracy is about more than one party winning a popular vote.

This is the last chance the UK has to avoid fascism. I wish that was hyperbole. But I really don't think it is.

No, you were right first time. It is. Of course if you'd like to defend your comment with a supported argument that might be more interesting. First off you might define what you mean by fascism. On the other hand, this is not what HN is about.

Re: UK Prime Minister Theresa May announces intention to hold general election

#166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hear you. You even see people openly embracing Enoch Powell's ideas again. Brexit and Trump removed the taboo on fascism and those long time closeted fascists are now very openly pushing their propaganda. The rest of us are too busy defending their right to destroy our society and our values.

As a Tory and a Brexit voter, let me reassure you that I (and my Brexit voting friends) are not closeted fascists. The idea is quite offensive, actually. :)

Sorry that it hurts, but you are, really.

Re: UK Prime Minister Theresa May announces intention to hold general election

#168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the last chance the UK has to avoid fascism. I wish that was hyperbole. But I really don't think it is.

This is literally the most hyperbolic thing I've read in a while. Are you a writer for The Independent by any chance? (Seriously, you're saying that this will be the last ever democratic election in the UK?)

We've already had it! Any democracy without a free vote is a sham. Democracies have free speech, and their citizens ought to have a free conscience and privacy is a cornerstone of that - or do you wish to find out what we have to hide (plenty), make windows into all our souls and still want to know what we really, really think? Certainly democracies do not depend on nudge politics, dog-whistle tactics or the thought police, allow people to associate freely and not have to submit to arbitrary detention and interrogation and most often of all have a Law which is the same for everyone regardless of status and those who make the Law make it and those who rule on the Law do not fear for their lives! Democracies rarely have chiefs of police warning about police states. Perhaps you are unawares of your party's late-night retro-active legislation making what was once illegal legal. What sort of democracy is that? One more redolent of Pyongyang than Putney. Brexit is a nasty little englanders' nationalist working class pipe dream on something that will never be again. If you don't want to be offended by being called a fascist don't support a fascist party and hold fascist views actually.

Re: UK Prime Minister Theresa May announces intention to hold general election

#169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I hear you. You even see people openly embracing Enoch Powell's ideas again. Brexit and Trump removed the taboo on fascism and those long time closeted fascists are now very openly pushing their propaganda. The rest of us are too busy defending their right to destroy our society and our values.

As a Tory and a Brexit voter, let me reassure you that I (and my Brexit voting friends) are not closeted fascists. The idea is quite offensive, actually. :)

As a student of history, let me point out that the point of being a "closeted fascist" is to not admit one's fascist tendencies in public.

Re: UK Prime Minister Theresa May announces intention to hold general election

#170
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the UK will be fine, post Brexit, as the UK is a very important trading partner for The Netherlands, Denmark & Ireland. These countries don't want harsh punishments for the UK (as Brussels seems intent on) and they want little trade barriers: http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/792782/EU-rebellion-Bloc...

Of course the UK will be fine. The doomsday rhetoric is completely out of hand. The EU is going to fragment and crumble over the next ten years. And Europa will be, if not fine then at least better for it.

Watch out what you wish for.

If the eu falls there will be huge economic suffering, it will mean almost certain war, and probably an invasion by Putin in the east after he takes Ukraine.

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