The selection process for the candidate is beyond bizarre. If I was a Labour supporter I would be asking some serious questions about just what the hell was going on when they went for this guy.

The reality for Labour is that it NEEDS people who voted for Brexit to come back it. No ifs, no buts, just basic political common-sense.

In a seat like Hartlepool the notion of putting forward anybody who voted Remain and then subsequently thought Labours second-referendum policy is beyond negligent. Their candidate should have been banned from stepping foot into the post-code, let alone heading the charge. His selection flies in the face of any kind of rational thinking.

Starmer simply cannot be that stupid. I refuse to believe that he is but what other explanation is there? OK, wanting to engineer a policy that get rid of Corbyn in 2019, sort of works if you take a 'House of Cards' view of how politics works (which I do by the way).

But then, when you have achieved your objective and are serious about turning things around? No. The only conclusion is that Starmer is as thick as pig s***? Would love to be convinced otherwise.

"The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." - 1984 - George Orwell.

That is your opinion I believe the voters are entitle to theirs as well.

I hate Khan and think he is a terrible politician yet he will win again and I have to suck it up, that's democracy.

Edited by Badger11 (07 May 2021 8.07am)

One more point

Absolutely.

Don't think you can disagree about the lies though, but I appreciate that many don't seem to care.

Whatever party one supports, I fear for the hatred that is becoming endemic in this country.

What has happened to us?

Hartlepool result big win for the Tories

""However, the swing to the Conservatives of 16% is more than can be accounted for by the collapse of the Brexit Party.

Labour's vote fell 9 points to 29%, so the party clearly lost some of its 2019 support, as well as suffering from the movement of Brexit Party voters to the Conservatives. Part of the explanation may lie in the success of independent candidate, Sam Lee, who won 10% of the vote. ""

Labour are at a crossroads Starmer will either use this and the other expected terrible results to push for further reforms or the Union barons will use it to kick him out and go further left.

One more point

Delighted !!
Just about to leave my abode to meet up with fellow Conservative Party members !!
We still await the results of the local elections, including for the PCC, and expecting more positive news !!

Edited by Willo (07 May 2021 9.33am)

You can sense the Corbynistas itching to describe the Hartlepool voters as thick racists etc etc.

The Labour candidate selection was a stroke of brilliance, for the Conservatives.

If Labour win the inaugural West Yorkshire mayoral election then there will have to be a by election in Batley which is very winnable for the Conservatives.Laughs.

I would be delighted to see Starmer forced to put some of the Socialist Campaign Group in the Shadow cabinet, getting the racist anti semitic band back together.

Burgon already calling for 2019 manifesto to be policy and Lloyd Russell-Moyle sending bitchy sarcastic tweets, brilliant.

Responsibility Deficit Disorder is a medical condition. Symptoms include inability to be corrected when wrong, false sense of superiority, desire to share personal info no else cares about, general hubris. It's a medical issue rather than pure arrogance.

And that's it in a nutshell.

The moral elitists in Labour still don't get it. And they still don't understand that there is a country with opinions outside London.

Living down here does have some advantages. At least you can see them cry.

Too many in the Labour Party hate their own people Working class / white van man "thick racists" Anybody votes for Brexit "thick racists". Come election time "don't forget to vote Labour cos the Tories hate you"

One more point

I am a bit busy at the moment, so these elections have largely passed me by. I was though, for completely unrelated reasons, talking this morning to a County Councillor in Wales, who is a Tory and past leader.

We agreed this was an odd election which has been very much impacted by the pandemic and the euphoria that people are feeling as things ease. Additionally, the Brexit impact, has been blurred by the pandemic and not really hit home yet. Brexit enthusiasts now have no other home than a Johnson led Tory party and retain their motivation.

My own view is that the very low turnout in Hartlepool of only 45.5% confirms this.

So drawing too many long term conclusions would be a mistake. We need an opposition and right now we don't have one. Whether Labour can reposition themselves to represent the huge swathe of people who now feel that no party really shares their values is doubtful. The working class no longer really exists and those that would traditionally fit such a description no longer have strife as their motivating force. Many now vote on populist values and not on principles.

Whether this means a continuous series of open goal elections for a populist version of the Tory Party or the much needed emergence of a new party of the middle ground, with integrity and compassion as its core message, remains to be seen.

For the avoidance of doubt any comments in response to a previous post are directed to its ideas and not at any, or all, posters personally.

Hartlepool is hilarious but I too feel that local elections are being skewed by the current feel good factor of vaccines etc.
Also - that whatever the consequences that we left the EU when we said we would.
Obviously and on top of that is the fact that Starmer just doesn't cut it - he has no charisma.
He is not someone you would want to follow if he was your leader.
I think that the left will again take Labour over and that will be the death of the Party.
If only it were an end to politics.
The UK needs to be run as a business with a social conscience and I would love it to happen in my lifetime - it might - if I live to 200 years old I guess!
Starmer will stand down in the next week I reckon.
Wallpaper and Hartlepool will see to that.