@bingle-tigger.bsky.social
Living in West Yorkshire's Magic Kingdom. Still a Remainer, though now more of a Rejoiner. Still a bit left of centre. History. Culture. The Great Outdoors. Re-Tweets (??) not endorsements. Necessarily. Bigots blocked without warning.
Obviously there is a need for Labour to appoint a lot of peers to rebalance the unelected house. However, full scale reform would make more sense. Personally, cap the numbers at two hundred, and only appoint peers for one term of five years. After that, can be reappointed, but only as 1 of the 200.
December 11, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Obviously there is a need for Labour to appoint a lot of peers to rebalance the unelected house. However, full scale reform would make more sense. Personally, cap the numbers at two hundred, and only appoint peers for one term of five years. After that, can be reappointed, but only as 1 of the 200.
Labour's strategy since Starmer took over is to appease and support the extreme conservatives and the far right. So to even hint at rejoining would go against the whole Starmer program.
(Yes, I know it's a foolish policy on many levels, but try explaining that to Starmer and his cronies)
(Yes, I know it's a foolish policy on many levels, but try explaining that to Starmer and his cronies)
December 5, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Labour's strategy since Starmer took over is to appease and support the extreme conservatives and the far right. So to even hint at rejoining would go against the whole Starmer program.
(Yes, I know it's a foolish policy on many levels, but try explaining that to Starmer and his cronies)
(Yes, I know it's a foolish policy on many levels, but try explaining that to Starmer and his cronies)
I stopped watching QT a long time ago, the bias was far to obviously extreme Con/Brexit/UKIP. I'm thinking this program might be worth watching on iplayer.
December 5, 2025 at 3:48 PM
I stopped watching QT a long time ago, the bias was far to obviously extreme Con/Brexit/UKIP. I'm thinking this program might be worth watching on iplayer.
Ah, so that's what "TSR" stands for.
I always wondered...
I always wondered...
December 4, 2025 at 3:57 PM
Ah, so that's what "TSR" stands for.
I always wondered...
I always wondered...
I feel the negativity of the Telegraph and other right wing propagandists says more about them than about the excellent series by Olusoga. Which was very interesting and informative. The only problem, and it is a big one, was that Olusoga should have been given six episodes, not three.
November 27, 2025 at 1:35 PM
I feel the negativity of the Telegraph and other right wing propagandists says more about them than about the excellent series by Olusoga. Which was very interesting and informative. The only problem, and it is a big one, was that Olusoga should have been given six episodes, not three.
Absolutely agree. I am fairly well read on the British Empire, but found material I was unaware of, and some interesting perspectives. An excellent series, well informed and entertaining. No wonder the right wing press hated it.
November 27, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Absolutely agree. I am fairly well read on the British Empire, but found material I was unaware of, and some interesting perspectives. An excellent series, well informed and entertaining. No wonder the right wing press hated it.
Congratulations and well deserved. Excellent book.
November 2, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Congratulations and well deserved. Excellent book.
That's a shocking level of non-engagement. Party members tend to be more motivated and keener on politics, and voting, than the general population. If 83% of your members cannot be bothered to post a ballot, there is a major problem with either the candidates or the wider leadership. Perhaps both.
October 25, 2025 at 2:08 PM
That's a shocking level of non-engagement. Party members tend to be more motivated and keener on politics, and voting, than the general population. If 83% of your members cannot be bothered to post a ballot, there is a major problem with either the candidates or the wider leadership. Perhaps both.
Good idea
September 25, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Good idea
They've probably already lost there bin or had it wrecked, getting a new one costs money and can take months.
Or possibly they are just wierdos.
Or possibly they are just wierdos.
September 23, 2025 at 6:54 PM
They've probably already lost there bin or had it wrecked, getting a new one costs money and can take months.
Or possibly they are just wierdos.
Or possibly they are just wierdos.
No, Continuity Conservative Party is Starmer's Labour.
Reform are more Continuity National Front/BNP/EDL/UKIP.
Reform are more Continuity National Front/BNP/EDL/UKIP.
September 15, 2025 at 12:06 PM
No, Continuity Conservative Party is Starmer's Labour.
Reform are more Continuity National Front/BNP/EDL/UKIP.
Reform are more Continuity National Front/BNP/EDL/UKIP.
I had quite forgotten about him, assumed he had lost his seat in 2024.
He does seem on the right wave-length for Farage.
He does seem on the right wave-length for Farage.
September 15, 2025 at 11:59 AM
I had quite forgotten about him, assumed he had lost his seat in 2024.
He does seem on the right wave-length for Farage.
He does seem on the right wave-length for Farage.
Very good article. Personally I agree, but I cannot see Starmer's Labour taking this view. His aim really seems to be to ape the Cons and Reform at every term, with some vague suggestion that he will somehow implement their ideas in a more efficient manner.
September 10, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Very good article. Personally I agree, but I cannot see Starmer's Labour taking this view. His aim really seems to be to ape the Cons and Reform at every term, with some vague suggestion that he will somehow implement their ideas in a more efficient manner.
Yes, visited there last year, it really is something else, very unique
August 28, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Yes, visited there last year, it really is something else, very unique
Thanks. Interesting report, notable that little was done to implement it until the current Lab government set about removing the remaining heriditary peers. However, there is still much to do, and little further government interest. I still think 600 peers is far too high.
August 17, 2025 at 11:47 AM
Thanks. Interesting report, notable that little was done to implement it until the current Lab government set about removing the remaining heriditary peers. However, there is still much to do, and little further government interest. I still think 600 peers is far too high.
Who recommended 600? IMHO any more than 200 is a waste. Saunders is looking at a worse case scenario, with RFM getting a majority of seats, and NF becoming PM. That's certainly a possibility 🤮. The reform of HoL membership, numbers and eligiblity, is very urgent. But not to Starmer.
August 17, 2025 at 10:10 AM
Who recommended 600? IMHO any more than 200 is a waste. Saunders is looking at a worse case scenario, with RFM getting a majority of seats, and NF becoming PM. That's certainly a possibility 🤮. The reform of HoL membership, numbers and eligiblity, is very urgent. But not to Starmer.
Very interesting points. Unfortunately I cannot see the current Starmer government doing anything about this, so 200+ reform peers quite possible, with a House of Lords heading towards 1400 members. HoL reform has been talked about for decades, but the current situation suits the politicians.
August 15, 2025 at 8:19 AM
Very interesting points. Unfortunately I cannot see the current Starmer government doing anything about this, so 200+ reform peers quite possible, with a House of Lords heading towards 1400 members. HoL reform has been talked about for decades, but the current situation suits the politicians.
Absolutely. Encouraging, or even near forcing people to invest in the casino capitalism of the stock market will eventually create a disaster for those individuals. Some of us are old enough to remember the depression of the early 1990s and the 2008 crash.
July 19, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Absolutely. Encouraging, or even near forcing people to invest in the casino capitalism of the stock market will eventually create a disaster for those individuals. Some of us are old enough to remember the depression of the early 1990s and the 2008 crash.
The way things are going that might well apply to a number of other Labour MPs.
July 17, 2025 at 1:29 PM
The way things are going that might well apply to a number of other Labour MPs.
KS appears to want blind obedience. In many ways this reflects his limited political experience. He came from a legal background and then was a senior civil servant. In those areas subordinates are expected to do as they are told. If not, sacked (or "managed out"). He sees Lab MPs as "his" staff.
July 17, 2025 at 12:53 PM
KS appears to want blind obedience. In many ways this reflects his limited political experience. He came from a legal background and then was a senior civil servant. In those areas subordinates are expected to do as they are told. If not, sacked (or "managed out"). He sees Lab MPs as "his" staff.
Yes, they want the Mail, Torygraph, Sun etc to print headlines saying how "tough" Starmer is for attacking his own party, disabled people, the vulnerable etc. Strange that the "tough" decisions inconvenience the rich.
July 17, 2025 at 11:40 AM
Yes, they want the Mail, Torygraph, Sun etc to print headlines saying how "tough" Starmer is for attacking his own party, disabled people, the vulnerable etc. Strange that the "tough" decisions inconvenience the rich.
We used to have a feral cat that lived in our works carpark. On cold mornings they would jump on the (warm) bonnet of the first car to arrive, and then move round other cars as they arrived...
July 15, 2025 at 3:17 PM
We used to have a feral cat that lived in our works carpark. On cold mornings they would jump on the (warm) bonnet of the first car to arrive, and then move round other cars as they arrived...
Yes, considering how, post Cold War, the world should have become much less dangerous and pessimistic, there were still a lot of really grim things happening.
And, in the UK, we had the long tail of Thatcherism conducted by John Major.
And, in the UK, we had the long tail of Thatcherism conducted by John Major.
July 15, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Yes, considering how, post Cold War, the world should have become much less dangerous and pessimistic, there were still a lot of really grim things happening.
And, in the UK, we had the long tail of Thatcherism conducted by John Major.
And, in the UK, we had the long tail of Thatcherism conducted by John Major.