John Bercow defects to Labour.

[Freitag 4.17]

I always find it ironic that a libertarian has restricted our freedom and choice of working and living in the 27 closest countries to the UK.

It's hilarious really.

Well said.

[xsnaggle]

I always find it ironic that a libertarian has restricted our freedom and choice of working and living in the 27 closest countries to the UK.

It's hilarious really.

Agreed, but that doesn't explain why sludge always tries to use the word like an insult, the same way as he tries to use ballet opera and classical music.
In his totalitarian society would those things be banned?

[WJ99mobile]

and pigs might fly

Better than half the crap they got in the party

[jon1959]

Agreed, but that doesn't explain why sludge always tries to use the word like an insult, the same way as he tries to use ballet opera and classical music.
In his totalitarian society would those things be banned?

Sludge's 'totalitarian society'?

Really?

Sludge has spent the last few months constantly arguing for a new governing party to be magicked up based on the Lib Dems, the right wing of the Labour Party, a few Greens and a few stray nationalists. Starmer's Labour (with the strings pulled by the old Blairite cabal) might have some Stalinist tendencies - but the whole package looks as far from totalitarianism as you can get.

[Tuerto]

Not that many , the tory party is not the all encompassing church people like you think it is

Mostly daft little englanders and brexit types

Don't blame me when it all goes crackers

If the opposition unites the tories will get blown out of the water , this country is crying out for a moderate alternative to the tories who will soon shit on those that voted them in . Its what they do

The question is , will it the opposition parties in England unite ?

Its the only way realistically now the Scottish nationalists have taken a shed load of labour seats

I got pissed off with labour after a few years of Blair, his meddling in Iraq was a no no and the emergence from the other side of momentum and the likes of Diane Abbott .....someone put her to sleep please ....still hanging around means I am convinced now is the watershed time in British politics .

Accept that the labour and Liberal parties are dead , attract moderate , left leaning tories like Sarah Wollaston , who is now without a party and get on with an alternative

Boris , Gove , Patel , Hancock and the rest are right wing libertarian tosspots , they are a corrupt bunch of liars and any decent opposition would sort them out

But we don't have one and until we do they can do what they like

Starmer isn't the problem , his party in England and Scotland is the problem

How can you possibly have a left leaning Tory? **** me sludge, check yourself, will you. A politician has to get to the centre before leaning to one side.

[xsnaggle]

Sludge's 'totalitarian society'?

Really?

Sludge has spent the last few months constantly arguing for a new governing party to be magicked up based on the Lib Dems, the right wing of the Labour Party, a few Greens and a few stray nationalists. Starmer's Labour (with the strings pulled by the old Blairite cabal) might have some Stalinist tendencies - but the whole package looks as far from totalitarianism as you can get.

I agree it does, but his continual using of 'libertarian' as an insult leads me to think his real politics are at the opposite end of the spectrum.
He continually praises hard left wing policies and berate anyone with more money then he, and he slags off anyone who likes opera etc. as I said, assuming they're the idle rich, but when I lived in a divided Berlin the 'only' place to go to watch, see and listen to such things was communist East Berlin, where it was held up as an example of greatness of the regime, and entertainment for the masses. But I'm sure he won't let that affect his opinion.
His call for cross party unity is only because its the only way he can see to get to a position where his version of the left can begin to change the policies to more totalitarian objectives. He has a long road in front of him
I often mention some of the things he says to my wife and she says, "He's mad, he needs to live like that"

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

I agree it does, but his continual using of 'libertarian' as an insult leads me to think his real politics are at the opposite end of the spectrum.
He continually praises hard left wing policies and berate anyone with more money then he, and he slags off anyone who likes opera etc. as I said, assuming they're the idle rich, but when I lived in a divided Berlin the 'only' place to go to watch, see and listen to such things was communist East Berlin, where it was held up as an example of greatness of the regime, and entertainment for the masses. But I'm sure he won't let that affect his opinion.
His call for cross party unity is only because its the only way he can see to get to a position where his version of the left can begin to change the policies to more totalitarian objectives. He has a long road in front of him
I often mention some of the things he says to my wife and she says, "He's mad, he needs to live like that"

libertarians are basically gun toting right wing idiots

Of course its an insult

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

How can you possibly have a left leaning Tory? **** me sludge, check yourself, will you. A politician has to get to the centre before leaning to one side.

Ken Clarke , Heseltine , Wollaston , socially aware conservatives

I wouldn't vote for that type of person but a lot of soft tories exist and if we have any chance of social democracy we need to attract those voters

Otherwise we just stand on the side of the pitch

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

you always use the word libertarian as if it is some kind of crime. does that mean you believe in the nanny state, intervention in every aspect of peoples lives and control of the masses?

No

But libertarians are idiots who use that very argument to attack moderate social Democrats

Are you a libertarian ?

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Sludge's 'totalitarian society'?

Really?

Sludge has spent the last few months constantly arguing for a new governing party to be magicked up based on the Lib Dems, the right wing of the Labour Party, a few Greens and a few stray nationalists. Starmer's Labour (with the strings pulled by the old Blairite cabal) might have some Stalinist tendencies - but the whole package looks as far from totalitarianism as you can get.

Starmer isn't the problem

The labour party and its factions and focus groups is the problem

The opposition is divided

Perfect for the tories

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

I always find it ironic that a libertarian has restricted our freedom and choice of working and living in the 27 closest countries to the UK.

It's hilarious really.

I think the word libertarian, Boris and **** are one and the same

[Jordi Culé]

I agree it does, but his continual using of 'libertarian' as an insult leads me to think his real politics are at the opposite end of the spectrum.
He continually praises hard left wing policies and berate anyone with more money then he, and he slags off anyone who likes opera etc. as I said, assuming they're the idle rich, but when I lived in a divided Berlin the 'only' place to go to watch, see and listen to such things was communist East Berlin, where it was held up as an example of greatness of the regime, and entertainment for the masses. But I'm sure he won't let that affect his opinion.
His call for cross party unity is only because its the only way he can see to get to a position where his version of the left can begin to change the policies to more totalitarian objectives. He has a long road in front of him
I often mention some of the things he says to my wife and she says, "He's mad, he needs to live like that"

You talk to your wife about Sludgey?

Hello...

[surge]

Comments from defectors need to be taken with a pinch of salt of course; but I wonder how many life-long Tories will be disappointed that their party is so chaotic, has been able to mislead the Queen and Northern Ireland as part of aggressively furthering their agenda, and is acting like the over-reaching, money-wasting (specifically spending on unusable PPE) illiberal sort that they fear Labour are?

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

You talk to your wife about Sludgey?

Hello...

if his wife is Eastern European and mid forties to mid fifties I am prepared to open talks with her

Let's get round the table

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Comments from defectors need to be taken with a pinch of salt of course; but I wonder how many life-long Tories will be disappointed that their party is so chaotic, has been able to mislead the Queen and Northern Ireland as part of aggressively furthering their agenda, and is acting like the over-reaching, money-wasting (specifically spending on unusable PPE) illiberal sort that they fear Labour are?

I don't think most of them give a toss , they are in power , can do what they want and the opposition is on its arse

[life on mars]

At last he has confirmed what his true beliefs are , blood coward not declaring before this , it fully explains his behaviour as speaker, which was supposed to be Impartial , this won't help Labour .

His wife is no real socialist

[xsnaggle]

So apart from the fact that Labour and Conservatives don't take turns at being speaker, the voting records on electing a Speaker are unproven, that his seat was regularly contested by other parties whilst he was Speaker and he is not a Labour MP I couldn't agree more!

Traditionally no one stands against the speaker in elections.

From Wikipedia:
On the resignation of Michael Martin in June 2009, Bercow stood successfully in the election to replace him as Speaker. As Speaker, he was obliged to leave the Conservative Party and remain as an independent for the duration of his tenure. He was re-elected unopposed at the commencements of the Parliaments in 2010, 2015 and 2017.[5] This made him the first Speaker since the Second World War to have been elected four times, as well as the first since then to have served alongside four Prime Ministers.[6][7] In September 2019, Bercow declared that he would stand down as Commons Speaker and MP on 31 October; he remained Speaker until being appointed to the Manor of Northstead on 4 November 2019.[8] Having served 10 years as Speaker, Bercow became the longest-serving Speaker since Edward FitzRoy."

From the Parliament website:
Speakers and general elections

Speakers still stand in general elections. They are generally unopposed by the major political parties, who will not field a candidate in the Speaker's constituency. During a general election, Speakers do not campaign on any political issues but simply stand as 'the Speaker seeking re-election'.

Will that do?

[cyril evans awaydays]

Traditionally no one stands against the speaker in elections.

From Wikipedia:
On the resignation of Michael Martin in June 2009, Bercow stood successfully in the election to replace him as Speaker. As Speaker, he was obliged to leave the Conservative Party and remain as an independent for the duration of his tenure. He was re-elected unopposed at the commencements of the Parliaments in 2010, 2015 and 2017.[5] This made him the first Speaker since the Second World War to have been elected four times, as well as the first since then to have served alongside four Prime Ministers.[6][7] In September 2019, Bercow declared that he would stand down as Commons Speaker and MP on 31 October; he remained Speaker until being appointed to the Manor of Northstead on 4 November 2019.[8] Having served 10 years as Speaker, Bercow became the longest-serving Speaker since Edward FitzRoy."

From the Parliament website:
Speakers and general elections

Speakers still stand in general elections. They are generally unopposed by the major political parties, who will not field a candidate in the Speaker's constituency. During a general election, Speakers do not campaign on any political issues but simply stand as 'the Speaker seeking re-election'.

Will that do?

There was I trying really hard not to take your posts seriously by having a little joke and yet you've gone all earnest on me. You couldn't colour code them so if someone wishes to respond they can strike the right tone could you?

[xsnaggle]

There was I trying really hard not to take your posts seriously by having a little joke and yet you've gone all earnest on me. You couldn't colour code them so if someone wishes to respond they can strike the right tone could you?

That's a plan. I never thought of that. What coloured do you think? Red for serious, blue for humour (alleged humour and black for normal? Or would you suggest something else.
But I'm not having beige or au de nil or any of that. That's right out.

[cyril evans awaydays]

That's a plan. I never thought of that. What coloured do you think? Red for serious, blue for humour (alleged humour and black for normal? Or would you suggest something else.
But I'm not having beige or au de nil or any of that. That's right out.

Red for provocative, Green for humour, can't be having blue in these post-Manning days. Suggest white if you have a snowflakey moment!

[life on mars]

All this proves is that Bercow was, after all, always trying to deliberately block Brexit and the will of the people (as was Dominic Grieve). The words two faced and hypocritical come to mind. Labour are welcome to him.

Oh yes .