I'm fully prepared to be proven wrong by events next week but I just don't see it happening. Sunak's had a week of big ticket announcements that appear to be the reheated same old rubbish they always are. Was this really he prelude to launching a general election campaign? If so it's not really made much of an impression. Though I see Harry Cole in the Sun today is trying to puff Sunak up after this week and pretend he's turned a corner and that an election campaign in the summer where he could pin Starmer in a debate about cancelling a plane taking off at that very moment would be very effective. Seems like wishful thinking several times over to me.
Yes, but if the results are poor, Tory MPs in danger of losing their seats would surely prefer to wait just in case things get better. There’s enough of those to put significant pressure on the leadership. And if the results turn out better than expected, Sunak could conceivably call the election next week. Either way the rational choice seems to me to be to wait until after next week. Still, when has politics ever been rational?
I don't like the current person so I'm going to vote for someone even worse is an interesting tactical vote...
I'm not sure that the Tories have got on the campaign bus yet, Labour on the other hand have been actively campaigning really well for at least two year. So far they have been pretty faultless, using key paraphrases, Zombie Government, Run Out of Ideas, 14 years of failure, Party of high taxation, Hanging on, Squatting in No10, Using the union Jack as a back ground in press conferences and on leaflets. Its been really well orchestrated and well planned. Sunak would be mad to do anything before the May locals and while its kicking off in Scotland. He must know his going to take a kicking north of the boarder and if they are forced into an Scottish election up there, it will give him a real indication of just how much of a kicking and how split the voters are when it comes to the ballot box. If he calls it sooner rather than later with out a decent campaign than the blokes panicking.
A big problem for Sunak is that the Party members and conservatives more widely can’t bear him, so few will talk his initiatives up. In fact, many want him to fail so they can usher in a new dawn of real conservatism of the Farage/Truss variety, because, y’know, it’s what the Country is crying out for alongside National Service and the return of Lyons Tea Houses.
Tories grasping at straws and hoping to claim a victory this week in two mayoral contests: https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/49269-west-midlands-and-tees-valley-mayoral-voting-intention The swing in Teeside towards Labour if that was the final result would still be huge, but not enough to win. I find it curious Baron Houchen of High Leven (for it is he) is allowed to stand under his normal name of Ben Houchen. He accepted the ermine from Boris, he should be forced to wear it at all times. I have a feeling his vote share would plummet if his full title was on the ballot paper.
I think there’s concern over a potential heat wave up there, so him not wearing ermine is a health issue.
It's getting interesting North of the border with Dumza Useless callign it a day. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1225498/scotland-holyrood-voting-intention/ Even with the investigations into financial irregularities and woeful managment of public services and contracts, the SNP are still hanging on by the skin of their teeth but the gap is narrowing.
