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UK Prime Minister Theresa May announces intention to hold general election

theguardian.com

191–200 of 336 posts

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

#191
post #130

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.

Leaving the EU is fascism? Can you substantiate that?

Nationalism is the road to war in Europe, and always has been. It's not fascism I fear, but nationalism.

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

#192

Don't rule out the very real possibility that this is about heading off the unprecedented police investigation that could lead to twenty Conservative MPs (larger than their working majority) being sent to prison. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/mar/23/conservative-el...

The great thing about a GE is that the media forgets about the election expenses scandal.

Only those of us that follow Michael Crick on Twitter are kept up to date.

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

#193
post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No thanks. It was your austerity cuts that created the favourable climate for Brexit in the first place.

I think your aim is a bit off. Might be better pointing your ire at the conservatives.

Lib Dems looked pretty comfortable with the whole thing

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

#194
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...

The desire for a trade war with the UK is not exactly high on the continent, especially considering the debt crisis is still looming over Brussels. The UK will probably get a deal like Norway and will be better off without Brussels. But then many other EU countries will ask: Who actually needs the political union?

"Brussels" is not in debt.

The monetary union has serious problems, but not all the countries in the EU are part of it.

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

#195
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Corbyn isn't in Europe or Scandanavia, I'm going to assume your post you're under 30 and in the UK judging by your support for Corbyn. Maybe you should ask yourself why in your lifetime a Labour leader hasn't won an election without dominating the centre of the political spectrum. Corbyn is too far left to win a general election the press have nothing to do with it, Teresa May is becoming increasing right wing and he lacks the common sense to vacate that position.

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

#196
Conspiracy theory: May expects the Art 50 talks to not go well and having the election after Brexit has fully played out over the next two years will damage her approval rate. Having the election now means she doesn't have to worry about her approval throughout the negotiations and won't have to face an election right at the time the consequences of Brexit are felt by most voters.

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

#197

Smart timing from May - this will be devastating for Corbyn. Current polling: CON 43, LAB 25 [1] Conservatives won the 2015 Election polling at 34% [2]. [1] https://ukpollingreport.co.uk/blog/archives/9828 [2] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/UK_opini...

Too bad polls haven't been accurate for a while now.

That's not true. Last Uk election was very close and that was reflected in the polls. Same with brexit.

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

#198

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…

It's also an incredibly cynical ploy that'll probably damage belief in democracy more than anything. It's not a vote on whether Brexit happens because she called it after she'd already irrevocably started the countdown on that by triggering Article 50. It's not a vote on how Brexit happens because, as far as I can tell, she's consistently refused to be specific about that and no real negotiation with the EU has happened yet. (Edit: and the Tories have confirmed this is their election strategy: https://twitter.com/DMcCaffreySKY/status/854329597793632257) It lets May claim a democratic mandate for whatever she wants to do without giving voters any insight or say in what that is.

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

#199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

You're being a bit of a bellend. We can hold conservative views and not be fascist, the same as you can hold relatively left-wing views and not want socialism. Life isn't black-and-white, you know that I'm sure and labelling doesn't help anything.

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

#200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It also negates the 'Theresa doesn't have a mandate, no one voted for her' argument.

It is also a move to counter the very real threat from SNP.

I don't see how it does that, In effect it makes them stronger by giving them a general election she gives them an indyref. All her arguments against one fall away.
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