Rumour of snap GE -announcement 11.15

[thplinth]

Just looking at her wiki page... do you really think she is a suitable person for this role? I am not convinced at all. Some of the garbage she believes about race especially makes her a borderline if not outright racist herself. She also does not strike me as the sharpest tool in the shed. Did not know she was once shagging Corbyn however!

Political controversies[edit]

Education of Abbott's son[edit]
Abbott's decision in 2003 to send her son to the private City of London School after criticising colleagues for sending their children to selective schools, which she herself described as "indefensible" and "intellectually incoherent", caused controversy and criticism.[61][62][63][64]

Her son contacted a radio phone-in to say that his mother was following his own wishes: "She's not a hypocrite, she just put what I wanted first instead of what people thought," he told LBC. He added that he had wanted to go private rather than attend a local state school in Abbott's Hackney constituency.[65][66][67]

Register of Members' Interests[edit]
In 2004, following a complaint made by Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell, Abbott was investigated by the Committee on Standards and Privileges regarding payments she had received from the BBC. The committee found that she had failed to declare earnings of £17,300 in the Register of Members' Interests she had received for appearances on the television programme This Week. The Committee upheld the complaint and required Abbott to apologise to the House.[68]

Comments on race[edit]
In a 1984 interview with the journal of the Labour Committee on Ireland (LCI), when asked if she saw herself as Black British, Abbott replied "No - I would self-define myself just as Black. Though I was born here in London, I couldn't identify as British and anyway most British people don't accept us as British. God! British people can be so racist".[69][70]

In 1988, Abbott claimed at a black studies conference in Philadelphia that "the British invented racism."[71]

In 1996, Abbott was criticised after she claimed that at her local hospital "blonde, blue-eyed Finnish girls" were unsuitable as nurses because they had "never met a black person before".[72] Abbott's apology came as Marc Wadsworth, executive member of the Anti-Racist Alliance, who is half-Finnish, pointed out that the current Miss Finland, Lola Odusoga, is black, of Nigerian and Finnish descent. "She's a black Finn like me," he said. Abbott's position was supported by fellow Labour MP Bernie Grant: "Bringing someone here from Finland who has never seen a black person before and expecting them to have to have some empathy with black people is nonsense. Scandinavian people don't know black people—they probably don't know how to take their temperature".[73][74]

On 4 January 2012, Abbott tweeted that: "White people love playing 'divide and rule' We should not play their game", which again led to widespread criticism including accusations of racism.[75] Only after being told by the Labour Party leadership that the comment was unacceptable did she apologise for "any offence caused", claiming that she had not intended to "make generalisations about white people".[76][77] The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg called her comments a "stupid and crass generalisation". Nadhim Zahawi, Conservative MP, said: "This is racism. If this was a white member of Parliament saying that all black people want to do bad things to us he would have resigned within the hour or been sacked."[78] Members of the public lodged complaints but the Metropolitan Police stated that no investigation would be launched and no charges would be brought against her, saying she "did not commit a criminal offence."[79]

In January 2012 Abbott suggested that taxi drivers discriminate on racial grounds, tweeting that she was "Dubious of black people claiming they’ve never experienced racism. Ever tried hailing a taxi I always wonder?"[80]

In a Guardian article in February 2017, Abbott wrote about receiving racist and sexist abuse online every day.[81] Soon afterwards, in an interview with Sophy Ridge on Sky News, Abbott proposed a parliamentary inquiry into the sexist and racist abuse of MPs in social media and the way Twitter and Facebook investigate cases which arise.[82]

IRA[edit]
The Sunday Times in May 2017 reported that Abbott backed the IRA in a 1984 interview with Labour and Ireland, a pro-republican journal.[69][83] In the 1984 interview, Abbott criticised the Unionist population of Northern Ireland as an “enclave of white supremacist ideology comparable to white settlers in Zimbabwe" and called for their views to be ignored on the question of Unification adding "Ireland is our struggle — every defeat of the British state is a victory for all of us. A defeat in Northern Ireland would be a defeat indeed".[69][70]

In May 2017, while Shadow Home Secretary, she was asked several times by Andrew Marr if she regretted the comments but she would only say some of her views had changed, like her hairstyle. She told Marr: "It was 34 years ago and I've moved on".[84]

[hampden_loon2878]

Whats the deal with the survey monkey wan#ers i will end up with an aneurism with their polling 

[exile]

I'm not sure why people are so antagonistic towards Diane Abbott. Sure she's had some controversies and faux pas but who doesn't?

As with Corbyn the right wing press are keen to dredge up things said and done in the Eighties, whereas for people like John Bercow - part of a group whose slogan was 'hang Nelson Mandela - for him and who knows how many other Tories, that is all forgiven and left to rest in the past.

One notable Scottish angle on Diane Abbott is that she has always seemed pretty well informed on Scottish politics, knowing and having a feel for what's really going on, more than probably 99% of other Westminster [non Scottish] politicians which is not bad for a London MP (with plenty of other causes to champion and without Scotland or constitution being her remit). So I think she deserves respect for that, even if you don't agree with her politics.

Edited June 7, 2017 by exile

[Mox]

A real conundrum for me tomorrow. I have been a Labour supporter my whole voting life pre 2014 and Corbyn fills me with genuine hope and I really want to vote for Labour, but I cannot bring myself to vote for these Scottish Labour cretins who represent everything that is wrong with modern politics. I really do hope Labour upset the odds but I just cannot bring myself to vote for this Scottish version.

 

[exile]

I find it hard to call this election. It feels like a calm before the storm....

It could either be just a small reshuffling of seats and almost back to where we started... or could there be a late Corbyn surge and upset everything and get the most unusual unexpected election in living memory?

Edited June 7, 2017 by exile

[exile]

Theresa May is really determined to live out her stereotype. Challenged that she'd hardly said anything about what she'd do, she just said something like I've been very clear, I've set out the challenges and opportunities, and it's the right thing to do - but without setting out anything that she'd actually do. We know almost nothing more about her Brexit strategy - that she seemed to seek a mandate on - than when the election was called. I'd rate her worse than John Major - at least he went out on his soapbox - the least deserving PM in living memory.

[killiefaetheferry]

Ooooh.......a bet on Sky for labour to get 197, SNP 48, and no overall majority........11/2. Just sayin' like. 

[exile]

I made the mistake of watching too much TV today, the news being mostly politics

Sarah Smith signs off her pre-election roundup saying the election on Scotland was all about  supporting or opposing independence. But... if SNP win the Scottish contest, everyone knows it won't result in an indyref; and if they lose, everyone knows that indyref won't go away. So the state broadcaster is wilfully spinning a line that only the unionist parties claim in public, but no-one actually believes.

I was thinking it would be fairer to say the unionist parties claim it's about stopping the SNP, while the SNP claim it's about stopping the Tories. Which, it turns out, is more or less how Channel 4 summed it up...

[Caledonian Craig]

3 minutes ago, exile said:

I made the mistake of watching too much TV today, the news being mostly politics

Sarah Smith signs off her pre-election roundup saying the election on Scotland was all about  supporting or opposing independence. But... if SNP win the Scottish contest, everyone knows it won't result in an indyref; and if they lose, everyone knows that indyref won't go away. So the state broadcaster is wilfully spinning a line that only the unionist parties claim in public, but no-one actually believes.

I was thinking it would be fairer to say the unionist parties claim it's about stopping the SNP, while the SNP claim it's about stopping the Tories. Which, it turns out, is more or less how Channel 4 summed it up...

One thing I do know is that any amount of seats the Tories win this time around will be promptly lost in the next election once Hard Brexit hits home and May ruins the country.

[ParisInAKilt]

"Hard Brexit"

Another political term that needs to be forgotten quick. 

[iainmac1]

2 hours ago, Mox said:

A real conundrum for me tomorrow. I have been a Labour supporter my whole voting life pre 2014 and Corbyn fills me with genuine hope and I really want to vote for Labour, but I cannot bring myself to vote for these Scottish Labour cretins who represent everything that is wrong with modern politics. I really do hope Labour upset the odds but I just cannot bring myself to vote for this Scottish version.

 

Don't vote for a unionist party. There you go.

[Caledonian Craig]

2 minutes ago, ParisInAKilt said:

"Hard Brexit"

Another political term that needs to be forgotten quick. 

Whatever term you wish to use - once exit of the EU is complete and repercussions kick in then people will know all about it and the party in power will certainly not be flavour of the month for a few years.

[ParisInAKilt]

24 minutes ago, Caledonian Craig said:

Whatever term you wish to use - once exit of the EU is complete and repercussions kick in then people will know all about it and the party in power will certainly not be flavour of the month for a few years.

Things aren't great the now for most people and the same party are probably going to increase their majority. 

[Caledonian Craig]

7 minutes ago, ParisInAKilt said:

Things aren't great the now for most people and the same party are probably going to increase their majority. 

Sorry I have to disagree vehemently with that. The Tories are already exhibiting how grim the situation is by admitting there may be no agreement. That says they know the EU isn't going to bend to what they want and so there will be no agreements. Sounds damned shambolic to me.

[ParisInAKilt]

1 minute ago, Caledonian Craig said:

Sorry I have to disagree vehemently with that. The Tories are already exhibiting how grim the situation is by admitting there may be no agreement. That says they know the EU isn't going to bend to what they want and so there will be no agreements. Sounds damned shambolic to me.

Disagree that things are bad now but the Tories are still gonna be the government? 

The UK leaving the EU should be easy, it's what the people wanted, sadly that's not how politics works, as we may find out when we try and leave the UK one day 

[Caledonian Craig]

4 minutes ago, ParisInAKilt said:

Disagree that things are bad now but the Tories are still gonna be the government? 

The UK leaving the EU should be easy, it's what the people wanted, sadly that's not how politics works, as we may find out when we try and leave the UK one day 

Campaigning has shown the Tories up for what they are - all talk and no action. All I've heard from them is smears trying to put people off voting for Labour in the UK or SNP in Scotland. May has hidden from public debates and a finger has to be pointewd at her for cutting the police force by 18,000 in the present climate and then of course there are the other glaring issues with them. I see no way on earth that they win seats in Scotland, do well in Westminster in government with May at the helm and coax the Tories to even more seats in Scotland at the next election.

 

[thplinth]

Enough blah blah...

What are your predictions?

Tory / Labour Majority, Tory / Labour Minority, Hung etc...

No guts no glory.

 

 

[Caledonian Craig]

4 minutes ago, thplinth said:

Enough blah blah...

What are your predictions?

Tory / Labour Majority, Tory / Labour Minority, Hung etc...

No guts no glory.

 

 

I'd say something similar to how things stand now.

[wheres the pies]

I see the polls are all over the place the night again so will go with you gov poll a hung parliament 

[kumnio]

Guardians latest poll has a 12 point lead for the Cnuts, increased majority for them 

[wheres the pies]

14 minutes ago, kumnio said:

Guardians latest poll has a 12 point lead for the Cnuts, increased majority for them 

Radar canny follow these polls last the independent gave a 23 seat loss for the torys the night there giving them 76 seat majority 

[stocky]

Torys will win with around the same as they have the noo 10-20 majority

 

SNP to lose a few, Libs to gain a few..  lab to get a few more. Torys win some and lose some.....

 

Its a wee bit like 1992.....  big campaign, not much changed...

 

 

 

I think Corbyn movement is the English version of the YES movement...  

[Ally Bongo]

Hope the polls are way off

[weekevie04]

Most of those Scotland polls would give the SNP about 45-52 seats. I'd certainly take that!

We'll find out tomorrow. Some polls as high as Tory lead at 12% and a few others have it pretty much neck and neck/margin of error between the Tories and Labour (latest Survation was 41/40).

Labour minority government propped up by Plaid, Greens, SDLP and the SNP would be utterly glorious, to be honest. And the Mail/Telegraph seethe too! Although that's a pipe dream!

If Corbyn pushes the Lab vote up on 2015, he has to stay on!

Even if the Tories dont win a majority - that would be a failure - and would be amazing to see them trying to paint up the turd and (expense) of having this election to actually lose seats!

Hopefully SNP supporters turn out tomorrow though. I'd love to see all this Tory hype end up with something like 1-2 gains or none at all. Of course that's a dream, but would be magnificent seeing the likes of Murdo Fraser and Ruth Davidson trying to paint up the Tories remaining static.

[Ally Bongo]