I bet

[TwoWhalesInAPool]

Cabinet office has renamed the door.

 

[TwoWhalesInAPool]

The Bet Shop Boys

via Cold War Steve

 

[LadyOnArooftop]

Worra tawdry shower of self-entitled, snouts-in-the trough, Im-alright-Jacks.
For me, this is worse than Partygate, that just warranted fixed penalty fines. These Betgate offences carry a prison sentence!

 

[TwoWhalesInAPool]

MP Philip Davies is Esther McVey's husband and is the latest Tory caught up in the betting scandal after he bet £8000 on him losing his own seat in Shipley. His slogan is "Your interest not self interest"

quote from inews.co.uk

''A senior Conservative has been accused of placing an £8,000 bet that he would lose his seat at the election, as the gambling scandal continues to dominate the campaign. Sir Philip Davies, who is married to Cabinet minister Esther McVey, is defending a 6,242 majority in Shipley, West Yorkshire...''

 

[TwoWhalesInAPool]

From Led by Donkeys -

'Tory MP Philip Davies put a £8k bet on himself to lose.
This is what we found when we dug into his and his wife Esther McVey’s finances'
.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1806247705238253750

 

[TwoWhalesInAPool]

one of my favourite charts about the last 14 years of British politics.
via the Financial Times. link below
.

Unusual burst of bets preceded Rishi Sunak’s election announcement - Financial Times link​

 

[Moriarty]

Tories know they are screwed, so why not profit from it lol.
As for labour, I would love to take a bet on if they will make sh** worse.
But its a given, so no real odds.

 

[Kev45]

Objectively, the problem for Labour now is that they were caught at it as well, albeit on a much, much smaller scale, and at least Starmer acted immediately to suspend the candidate.

Of course, what the Tories did was on a much grander scale, but I suspect a large enough % of right-wing swing voters just won't see it that way at all.


Personally though, I think more questions were asked than have been answered and largely ignored by the MSM, at least in any great depth, but well reported on the left.

Kevin Craig, the Labour candidate suspended, owns a lobbyist company that ironically helped create a nationwide awareness campaign to promote safe gambling. Much more importantly though, Craig's company lobbied against VAT in the private education sector and, which is a flagship Labour policy.

Craig donated more than £100k to the Labour Party and was parachuted into Central Suffolk and North Ipswich totally unopposed.


Slightly off-topic, but leading to my main point. Another parachuted candidate Luke Akehurst has reportedly erased well over 2,000 social media posts, often inflammatory and who was one of the main drivers who smeared Jeremy Corbyn and which in part led to the 2019 election defeat.

This is an important point, 1,000s of left wing Labour members have been purged from the party and including left wing candidates for just “liking” or “sharing” social media posts.

I have no doubt that Starmer will win a sizeable majority, probably with a lower count, but the question remains, why on earth were these candidates chosen, from a certain political background (centre-right), and then parachuted into Labour safe (ish) seats?

Starmer himself stated during the leadership contest that “local” candidates would be given preferential treatment, there would be no more interference in the selection process, and when in fact the total opposite has happened.

 

[Confused_Fred]

Kev you really don't get what Starmer up to. No wonder you got banned from there forums

Starmer is being told he will win by various people and polls. But..... some of those in the party right now are more trouble than there worth.. And this will cost him support if he makes it to number 10 in the wider community. While a few of these MP's were good in opposition, in government there a liability. Starmer is looking toward to the next election in 2028-29.

Starmer also knows Reform UK will effect his vote. If they do pick up male voters over 40 placing placing a candidate from minority back ground to run ageist Reform will cost him votes.

Starmer's clearly been taking a hard look at the Brexit voting and moving people around to accommodate this.

I feel Reform UK may be a damp squib but they're polling well in Labour heart land and those who voted Tory last time, may vote Reform UK this time.

 

[TwoWhalesInAPool]

 

[LadyOnArooftop]

As a right-leaning swing voter, this news about Sir Phil stunned me. I always thought he was one of the good Tories (there must be some!). It shows how naive I am at times. to bet on yourself losing... and 8,000 quid! What must the constituents who were considering voting Conservative think of that? What's even more surprising is how this dropped out of the news so quickly, because when a Labour prospective candidate pulled a similar stunt, it was all over the news. Oh and not a word from Rishi... yet Sir Keir stepped in straight away. I don't know how Sir Phil has the bare-faced cheek... As for Esther, He's punching above his weight there.

 

[Confused_Fred]

I think people are tried of the two main parties. Nigel Farage may do a lot better than people think. It's clear the media is out for this blood again.

IF the Tory vote switches to Reform and labour vote switches to pro Palestine candidates by more than 20% combined ....then who ever wins the election is in trouble. Again it would leave parties like SNP, Plaid Cymru and Northern Ireland unionists as king makers.

Right now I cant see labour winning enough seats inside the cites.

 

[Kev45]

It shows how naive I am at times. to bet on yourself losing.

I don't think most of us believed that politicians could be that grubby, but who were not all that surprised when it turned out that yes they are.

But it does make me think what else has gone on in these private WhatsApp groups in previous elections etc because it's not what we know now, it's what we don't know about then.

 

[Moriarty]

Labour will win, theres no doubt.
Reform may come second because they are actually what Tories should be, I will be voting for them.

The problem is, Labour have no fecking idea, which is why the Tories brought the election forward.
Tories need to lose so they can be seen to battle against Labour and win the next election, it's long term thinking.

They can say "We listened to the people who wanted change" and then spout what labour has fecked up, which they will, because the economy is fecked.

It's not rocket science, it's long term planning, cause labour, at the moment, is without any ideas, they are looking at victory, but they have no actual policies.

 

[TwoWhalesInAPool]

 

[TwoWhalesInAPool]

Maths by Carol Vorderman on X

We've had 5164 days of Tory Rule today.

I've done some maths.

Since May 2010, the NATIONAL DEBT HAS INCREASED, on average, by a staggering £380 MILLION A DAY- EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR #5000DAYS

Which begs the question....

Where has all our money gone?

I wouldn't trust the Tories with my shopping list, let alone the economy

FACTS - David Cameron became PM, after Gordon Brown, on May 11th 2010, 5164 days ago.

In June 2010 he said the national debt was £770 billion (other sources quote £903 billion, but I'll use HIS £770 billion for the calculation)

By end Nov 2023 the National Debt had grown to a colossal £2,670 billion (Source:ONS)

That's an increase of £1,900 billion.

Divide that by 5,000 days of Tory Rule and gross mismanagement.

It means an increase, on average, of c£380 million every single day for 5,000 days.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1748075594292531481

 

[Kev45]

Here is where £1.4 billion of it went, chucked in a field and just left to rot. Just one example of thousands.

There really should be a Labour government inquiry once they get in on Thursday/Friday , forensic accountants going through the books with a fine tooth comb and criminal prosecutions when evidence is found of skulduggery.