I know I am a month late.. but given the announcement.. and post count.. lets have a new thread!?
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Civilization 7 has been announced. For more info please check the forum here .
Bonyduck Campersang
Deity
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2022
- Messages
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@innonimatu got the 1000th post
What with the new election in six weeks, that seems fair, but these threads often run for 2000 posts or more. We also get a Brit to start the new thread - would @Nick723 or @Chukchi Husky like to do the honours?
I'm a Brit and I have several pun titles at the ready if need be... 
EnglishEdward
Deity
I am content for Aiken Drumn to propose his pun title.
A few ive been riffing on (and stealing from twitter)
Tory Rain is over with Rishi Soonsacked
Drown in Street Announcement
Suffering from Election Problems?
Things can only Get Wetter
EnglishEdward
Deity
Financial Capitalism: Team A or Team B
Election Time: Will Britain Steir to Karmer Waters
I decided to try and riff on Keir rather than Sunak and it just fell into place nicely.
If you mean that the threads must always be started by a brit, I don't think it's a good idea. Give it to @innonimatu , despite knowing that the title won't be pro-Keir
Do you think Sunak is just totally fed up with the job and wants to be certain he will be free on July 5th? WHy else would he make this announcement:
Tories pledge to bring in mandatory national service for 18-year-olds if they win general election
Plans are currently being drawn up for 18-year-olds to either join the military full-time or volunteer one weekend every month carrying out community service.
The issues as I see it:
There is one possibility, that Sunak sees that the tories real threat is not Labour, who will win most seats and get number 10 whatever he does, but Reform who could split the right wing vote and cause a real wipeout a la Canada in 93. This is consistent with the theory that the reason he called a "snap" election was mostly so reform do not have enough time to select candidates and get them in place in time in all the seats.
Tories pledge to bring in mandatory national service for 18-year-olds if they win general election
Plans are currently being drawn up for 18-year-olds to either join the military full-time or volunteer one weekend every month carrying out community service.
The issues as I see it:
- Is this going to be men only, or are women going to have to do it?
- If men only, they are going to lose votes over for sexism
- If men and women, the tory old guard are not going to want their daughters sent to the army (I suspect)
- If given the choice between full time for a year, giving up a year of you career/education at a crucial point in your life to go into the army, or just doing stuff at the weekend, who in their right mind is going to choose the army?
There is one possibility, that Sunak sees that the tories real threat is not Labour, who will win most seats and get number 10 whatever he does, but Reform who could split the right wing vote and cause a real wipeout a la Canada in 93. This is consistent with the theory that the reason he called a "snap" election was mostly so reform do not have enough time to select candidates and get them in place in time in all the seats.
EnglishEdward
Deity
Yes, it would have been more honest if Rishi Sunak just announced that he was not going to stand for
re-election in his constituency, and that he would limit his remaining time as PM to caretaker duties.
I suspect that it is time for Lance-Corporal Jones to shout "don't panic".
IMO nobody will support the conscription policy in the short term.
The military only has a problem getting volunteers because it outsourced recruiting and the
government is letting the lawyers chew up ex soldiers who shot someone in the fog of war.
I have the feeling that when the student loan system inevitably collapses, the replacement system
may well require most would be students to undertake voluntary work to qualify for a bursary.
Yes, the conservative party goal now is clearly merely to become the official opposition rather than to win the general election.
In my opinion it works the other way round. Reform can always find a volunteer with a CV that can be polished to superficially look alright.
They have found someone for Norwich South (assume CV still being polished), so I now have five candidates to choose from.
And if they are later shown up as dodgy, they can simply say that the snap election meant they had to select them in a rush.
Of course it has messed up Dominic Cummings' plan to launch a new party.
I get the feeling that Rishi Sunak is oscillating between panic and sour grapes modes.
King Charles ought to invite him round to the palace for a cuppa and have a word.
This could turn out really bad. I do not of course know, but it is possible that this process, combined with the "sort of people" who would apply to be an MP for an organisation that will not let them be a member may have the sort of internet history that will not stand up to the glare of public opinion. If half reforms prospective MPs have twitter posts that the tories can use to frighten their faithful back to the fold that could, as you say, give them the official opposition.
[EDIT] Re. the "organisation that will not let them be a member" this was a reference to "In its early days, The Brexit Party officially had three members, who were Farage, Tracey Knowles and Mehrtash A’Zami. The party opted for signing up registered supporters rather than members." It seems something has changed, as their web site says says "Sign up and become a Reform UK member today". Still, it is worth noting that "As of February 2020, and probably since May 2020, Farage holds 8 of the 15 shares in The Brexit Party Ltd."
EnglishEdward
Deity
@ Samson
Five comments:
(1) Reform may take votes off the conservatives, but they are unlikely to get any MPs so it doesn't really matter that much about their candidates.
And it is not as if the current lot of MPs have demonstrated impeccable character.
(2) Nobodies internet history stands up to aggresive misinterpretation e.g. wokism or the right wing mccarthyism etc equivalent.
(3) Membership implies a voting right which is more than being a supporter does.
(4) Mass membership parties can detach themselves from legal ownership vehicles.
In fact I think that the concept of a political partyy having a legal identity rather strange.
I suppose it is because they want to avopid webnsite squatters and the electoral ciommission wants someone to sue.
(5) Nigel Farage is being very shrewd, keeping out of the mess, and waiting to see what will happen.
Five comments:
(1) Reform may take votes off the conservatives, but they are unlikely to get any MPs so it doesn't really matter that much about their candidates.
And it is not as if the current lot of MPs have demonstrated impeccable character.
(2) Nobodies internet history stands up to aggresive misinterpretation e.g. wokism or the right wing mccarthyism etc equivalent.
(3) Membership implies a voting right which is more than being a supporter does.
(4) Mass membership parties can detach themselves from legal ownership vehicles.
In fact I think that the concept of a political partyy having a legal identity rather strange.
I suppose it is because they want to avopid webnsite squatters and the electoral ciommission wants someone to sue.
(5) Nigel Farage is being very shrewd, keeping out of the mess, and waiting to see what will happen.
I think it is more about financial responsibility. For example if the tory party was not a limited company and it took out a loan, I think that loan would have to reside with a natural person.
I think you are wrong. If one practices good data hygiene one should not leave a "dirty" trail. I hope, without access to the CFC logs at least, no one could link my political rants on the internet to my real person.
Did this actually have any chance of happening?
