Johnson and Corbyn hit the campaign trail for UK Christmas election

 

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks at the House of Commons in London, Britain October 30, 2019. ©UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via REUTERS

 

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn will embark on their first full day of election campaigning on Thursday, pitching their starkly different visions for the country ahead of a highly unpredictable December poll.

 

On the day Britain had been scheduled to leave the European Union, the Conservative Party's Johnson and Labour's Corbyn will join other political leaders in fanning out around the country ahead of a Dec. 12 election.

 

Johnson will accuse the 70-year-old socialist of threatening the country's future with his plan to hold another referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union and possibly another on Scottish independence.

 

Corbyn will respond that the election offers a once-in-a-generation chance to get rid of the Conservatives and rebuild the country. "Real change is coming," he will say on Thursday, according to remarks provided by his office.

 

Britain's opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn speaks at the House of Commons in London, Britain October 30, 2019. ©UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via REUTERS

 

Britain will hold its first Christmas election since 1923 after Johnson failed in his "do or die" promise to deliver Brexit by Oct. 31.

 

With parliament in deadlock, he has gambled that an election is the only way to break the logjam so he can push through the last-minute Brexit deal he struck this month with the European Union.

 

"Today should have been the day that Brexit was delivered and we finally left the EU," Johnson said in pre-prepared remarks provided by his office. "But, despite the great new deal I agreed with the EU, Jeremy Corbyn refused to allow that to happen – insisting upon more dither, more delay and more uncertainty for families and business."

 

Johnson, who was hailed by the U.S. president as Britain's Donald Trump, will visit a school, hospital and police unit to argue that Britain needs to deliver Brexit so it can move on and focus on investing in public services.

 

Corbyn, a veteran campaigner, will pitch his vision of a radical socialist future for the world's fifth largest economy, complete with sweeping nationalisation of rail, mail and water services.

 

He will use his first major speech of the election campaign to tackle what he calls "a corrupt system" and take on "the vested interests" of big business and media barons.

 

"This election is a once-in-a-generation chance to transform our country, take on the vested interests holding people back and ensure that no community is left behind," he will say according to excerpts released by his office.

 

Britain's next election is likely to be one of the hardest to call in years after Brexit smashed the historic loyalties to the two largest parties.

 

When Johnson's predecessor, Theresa May, bet on an early election in 2017, she lost her slender majority in parliament. He then compounded that by throwing several lawmakers out of the party, making it almost impossible for him to win votes in parliament.

 

The Conservatives are ahead of Labour by an average of about 10 percentage points in polls this month, indicating a majority in the 650-seat parliament for Johnson, though pollsters admit their models are imperfect with turnout a key variable.

 

(Reporting by Kate Holton; editing by Jane Wardell)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-10-31

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It's all very depressing listening to these people trying to talk up their campaigns as they hit the election trail.  Does anyone buy all this garbage and empty promises?  Next will come all the polls! And no doubt we will all be quoting those as we join the bickering sideliners trying to talk up our favoured party.

 

On the other hand it will be a refreshing change as everyone will keep insisting this is not about Brexit ???? when in fact it is all about Brexit. As we approach the finishing line, let's see how many people change horses. I can see both the Tories and Labour losing votes to the Brexit Party but will Farage help Boris out by not standing against him in vulnerable areas?  Will there be more protest votes than usual?

 

At this stage it really is hard to call but I am sure we will all be nailing our colours to one flag or the other before long.

 

Let the bickering begin! 

8 hours ago, webfact said:

do or die" promise

Not even this BJ can fulfill. 

And I can't see him in a ditch either. ????

And to think it's still only day 1!...????

(The full interview was hilarious!)

How to stop the Tories -  our friend Gina Miller has worked with a tech collective to launch this site. I know we will all applaud her continuing selfless behaviour. 

 

https://tactical.vote/

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7633271/Arch-Remainer-Gina-Miller-launches-website-help-stop-Brexit.html

 

Former Tory MP Dominic Grieve, who is standing as an independent, said that he was a ‘direct beneficiary’ of tactical voting as the Lib Dems have agreed to stand aside in his seat.

8 minutes ago, evadgib said:

And to think it's only day 1 ????

(The full interview was hilarious!)

Hunt was right only blustering liar-in-chief Johnson continued in his usual vein. 

 

 

4 minutes ago, beautifulthailand99 said:

How to stop the Tories -  our friend Gina Miller has worked with a tech collective to launch this site. I know we will all applaud her continuing selfless behaviour. 

 

https://tactical.vote/

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7633271/Arch-Remainer-Gina-Miller-launches-website-help-stop-Brexit.html

 

Former Tory MP Dominic Grieve, who is standing as an independent, said that he was a ‘direct beneficiary’ of tactical voting as the Lib Dems have agreed to stand aside in his seat.

The other side has one too although frankly I would hope that most voters already know which way their trousers hang.

Where's Scottish fish & the Irish Dup & Lib dems and other parties in all this.

38 minutes ago, beautifulthailand99 said:

Hunt was right only blustering liar-in-chief Johnson continued in his usual vein. 

 

 

Andrew Neil & BBC if you believe what they report why don't ask why they won't report other things, simple totally bias IMV.

32 minutes ago, evadgib said:

The other side has one too although frankly I would hope that most voters already know which way their trousers hang.

In my constituency the Tories have 65% of the vote - so mine is a wasted vote. That said me and missus will have postal votes for the second place Labour as we will be sunning it in Thailand come election day. If I was in a marginal I would certainly be tactically voting anti-Tory. 

34 minutes ago, beautifulthailand99 said:

In my constituency the Tories have 65% of the vote - so mine is a wasted vote. That said me and missus will have postal votes for the second place Labour as we will be sunning it in Thailand come election day. If I was in a marginal I would certainly be tactically voting anti-Tory. 

It isn't a wasted vote, even if it is just a protest vote.  I think you will find in this election safe seats will no longer be safe, such is the strength of feeling on all sides.

 

There has already been a call by the Tory party where I live for volunteers with cars to make themselves available on polling day to collect the elderly voters from their homes and take them to vote.  Only if they are going to vote Conservative though.  Clearly the Tories need to rely on those frail, elderly voters more than ever now.

Corbyn giving a cracking speech...LIVE NOW

 

 

16 minutes ago, dunroaming said:

It isn't a wasted vote, even if it is just a protest vote.  I think you will find in this election safe seats will no longer be safe, such is the strength of feeling on all sides.

 

There has already been a call by the Tory party where I live for volunteers with cars to make themselves available on polling day to collect the elderly voters from their homes and take them to vote.  Only if they are going to vote Conservative though.  Clearly the Tories need to rely on those frail, elderly voters more than ever now.

I'm thinking of getting off this keyboard and volunteering to go help Labour in a nearby constituency where they need help to get a positive message across 'for the many not the few'. And if a Tory comes round here which they won't - they will be concentrating in their marginals as well then I shall take great delight in wasting their time and ripping up their leaflet in front of them . It was a hugely reforming socialist government that gave us the NHS and the Tories truly are the establishment elite. I would rather die in  a ditch rather than doff my cap and bow and scrape before these Eton/Bullingdon Club parasites. 

Very difficult to call this one. I just hope we don't get another hung parliament. Too awful to contemplate.

 

5 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

Very difficult to call this one. I just hope we don't get another hung parliament. Too awful to contemplate.

 

Labour have 500,000 members a lot of them young , fit and active. Many without access to affordable housing , good jobs, pensions and saddled with debt Jeremy Corbyn speaks their language and a lot of tech savvy folk asre in this group. The election will be fought intensively in around a 100 seats and tens of thousand of these guys will descend on them carrying a positive message of hope and real change. JC is great on the stump and he will pack out stadia in key areas and thanks to our election law get equal time on MSM. This is Labour's secret weapon and once the election gets in full swing I expect the Tory lead to shrink and the Brexit Party will stymie the Tories hope to get northern labour seats. My bet is on a hung parliament - Johnson himself could even lose his seat - now that would be real gamechanger !

 

 

2 hours ago, dunroaming said:

It isn't a wasted vote, even if it is just a protest vote.  I think you will find in this election safe seats will no longer be safe, such is the strength of feeling on all sides.

 

There has already been a call by the Tory party where I live for volunteers with cars to make themselves available on polling day to collect the elderly voters from their homes and take them to vote.  Only if they are going to vote Conservative though.  Clearly the Tories need to rely on those frail, elderly voters more than ever now.

Well, Such public spirited volunteering is very much a feature of community politics in some areas of the country. A bit like going round after the postman to collect all the postal ballots, to "take care of them for people who may not understand them"!

Let's just get Brexit Done eh - as Johnson says we have an oven ready Brexit put it in the microwave and we're done. If only life was that simple. 

 

???? - well if that's the case I shall hold back a big money transfer to Thailand until after the election. 

 

https://www.bestforbritain.org/tactical_voting_could_swing_80_seats_and_prevent_tory_majority

 

• IF no tactical voting occurs, the Conservatives will win 364 seats, Labour would win 189 seats, Lib Dems would win 23 seats, Plaid would win 3 seats and the Greens would win 1 seat (Conservative majority of 44)
• IF Remain voters use their vote tactically, however, this will change. We predict that it would take only 30% of pro-Remain voters to use their vote tactically for pro-Remain parties to swing the election and deprive Boris Johnson of a majority
• Under this scenario, the Conservatives would win 308 seats, Labour would win 233 seats, Lib Dems would win 34 seats, Plaid would win 4 and the Greens would win 1 seat (pro-Remain majority of 4)
• IF 40% of pro-Remain voters use their vote tactically, the Conservatives would win 276 seats, Labour would win 255 seats, Lib Dems would win 44 seats, Plaid would win 4 seats and the Greens would win 1 seat (pro-Remain majority of 36)

 

2 hours ago, JAG said:

Well, Such public spirited volunteering is very much a feature of community politics in some areas of the country. A bit like going round after the postman to collect all the postal ballots, to "take care of them for people who may not understand them"!

Yes quite, although at the last election it was only the Lib Dems that offered that service around here.  They offered to take the elderly no matter who they were voting for. I am sure they will be doing the same again this time.

 

 

3 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

Very difficult to call this one. I just hope we don't get another hung parliament. Too awful to contemplate.

 

I fear a hung parliament is a real possibility but let's see as we get nearer the day.

5 hours ago, beautifulthailand99 said:

I'm thinking of getting off this keyboard and volunteering

 

6 hours ago, beautifulthailand99 said:

In my constituency the Tories have 65% of the vote - so mine is a wasted vote. That said me and missus will have postal votes for the second place Labour as we will be sunning it in Thailand come election day. If I was in a marginal I would certainly be tactically voting anti-Tory. 

sunning or should it be slumming,what is it know?37 baht=£1 ? That was labour. Devaluing the £ to bail out their banking buddies.

My predictions for folk who have Thai skin  in the game if Boris gets a big majority - off the top of my head and not cribbed from elsewhere.

 

1. The pound will have a short rally probably settling around 40 baht to the pound if the baht remains stable. If you're cashed up and want baht maybe this is a good buying opportunity. 

2. UK expats pensioners will continue to have their pensions frozen - a) because of the cost of change b)why bother few votes and it is a capital outflow. 

3. Ambition wise he will probably be happy to be a one termer because it's a lot of stamina to last the course and a much bigger job than being Mayor. He won't like being cramped in his private life. Scandals may engulf him. 

4. Brexit 'done' and with new backbenchers owing their victory to him he will pivot away from having to bamboozle the working class with Brexit/ NHS / education all the stuff he is majoring in at the moment to make the Labour gains he needs to big business and keeping the big guns in the UK. In the FTA agreement he needs and wants with the EU he will make plenty of concessions to get it over the line - and quickly. It will be Brexit betrayed.

5. The poor will remain poor and probably get poorer - the Eu funding that went to deprived areas  is unlikely to be replaced by a Tory government trying to balance the books. The NHS will continue to wither on the vine and become more privatised behind the scenes than it is now. 

6. Tax cuts for the rich , inheritance tax reduced a feeding frenzy from the Hedge Funds and vulture capitalists - delighted to have the man they backed in no 10. 

7. Overseas students allowed to work in UK post graduation and importing low cost staff where required as he will not want to invest in long term changes to rebalance the economy to favour Brits. 

8. He will be happy to let Scotland go as they want to and there's no votes in it for the Tories. 

9. The Brexit party will fold and Nigel will earn big bucks on the US lecture circuit and pop up from time to time to tell brexiteers I told you so. 

10. Corbyn will resign to be replaced by a much more voter friendly leader. 

11. There won't be a house building boom - housing will continue to get less affordable. Plenty of sales to overseas investors will bring money in and keep SE property prices high. 

err that's it now for a bit of tun 

 

 

We will see how the polls and the odds change over the next 6 weeks.  

 

 

Todays Oddschecker. 

14 hours ago, beautifulthailand99 said:

Let's just get Brexit Done eh - as Johnson says we have an oven ready Brexit put it in the microwave and we're done. If only life was that simple. 

 

If that is the case what idiots would have done that in the first place. Yes the EU luvvies who are anti democratic. That's who. the GE will rid many out of the trough with Many remainers kissing the gravy train goodbye. I can't wait. Along with Corbyn getting kicked out as leader.

16 hours ago, JAG said:

Well, Such public spirited volunteering is very much a feature of community politics in some areas of the country. A bit like going round after the postman to collect all the postal ballots, to "take care of them for people who may not understand them"!

If you have evidence of electoral fraud report it to the local Elections officer, copy each party contesting the seat in which you allege the fraud.

 

Somehow I don’t see you doing that.

40 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

If that is the case what idiots would have done that in the first place. Yes the EU luvvies who are anti democratic. That's who. the GE will rid many out of the trough with Many remainers kissing the gravy train goodbye. I can't wait. Along with Corbyn getting kicked out as leader.

Having read so many of your Brexit predictions I’m inclined to take your GE predictions with a large pinch of salt.

16 hours ago, beautifulthailand99 said:

???? - well if that's the case I shall hold back a big money transfer to Thailand until after the election. 

 

https://www.bestforbritain.org/tactical_voting_could_swing_80_seats_and_prevent_tory_majority

 

• IF no tactical voting occurs, the Conservatives will win 364 seats, Labour would win 189 seats, Lib Dems would win 23 seats, Plaid would win 3 seats and the Greens would win 1 seat (Conservative majority of 44)
• IF Remain voters use their vote tactically, however, this will change. We predict that it would take only 30% of pro-Remain voters to use their vote tactically for pro-Remain parties to swing the election and deprive Boris Johnson of a majority
• Under this scenario, the Conservatives would win 308 seats, Labour would win 233 seats, Lib Dems would win 34 seats, Plaid would win 4 and the Greens would win 1 seat (pro-Remain majority of 4)
• IF 40% of pro-Remain voters use their vote tactically, the Conservatives would win 276 seats, Labour would win 255 seats, Lib Dems would win 44 seats, Plaid would win 4 seats and the Greens would win 1 seat (pro-Remain majority of 36)

 

The IFs have it, the IFs have it! Unlock! 

1 hour ago, nauseus said:

The IFs have it, the IFs have it! Unlock! 

Your best joke ever I actually laughed out loud !