The Politics Thread 3.0

[Hexx]

So...no one's gone to the Tory conference

twitter.com/DavidPrescott/status/914786290939367430

Didn't realise they had to have football style segregation, damn Tory ultras.

Joking aside - I expect they been sitted in camera angles

[KK]

So...no one's gone to the Tory conference

twitter.com/DavidPrescott/status/914786290939367430

Thought that was WWE SmackDown Live.

(niche joke)

[Lagamorph]

So...no one's gone to the Tory conference

twitter.com/DavidPrescott/status/914786290939367430

Thought that was WWE SmackDown Live.

(niche joke)

At least WWE plan things in advance.

[Garth]

Still lots of empty seats:

[Garth]

Joking aside - I expect they been sitted in camera angles

That appears to be the case:

twitter.com/JamieRoss7/status/914775556843098113

[Meep]

I know the Conservatives stopped publishing their membership stats a while ago due to them perpetually dropping. Didn't think it was that bad though. I suppose holding their conference in the desolate north probably dissuaded a lot of people from coming.

[Garth]

I know the Conservatives stopped publishing their membership stats a while ago due to them perpetually dropping.

Yeah, I posted an article recently in this thread where John Strafford, chairman of the Campaign for Conservative Democracy, said that the membership is down to around 100K now (about Lib Dem levels).

I also think it's interesting that the age tipping point of when people are more likely to vote Conservative is now 47 according to YouGov, when previously it was said to be 34.

I think Corbyn was right when he said the centre ground of UK politics is beginning to shift to the left, and I think Conservatives will need to adapt their policies as we move into future elections so they can appeal more to the increasingly important millennial voters. Campaigning again on bringing back fox hunting for instance would make them look completely out of touch.

[Lex-Man]

I'm quite surprised they didn't off Denster a free ticket to prop up the numbers.

Also you think that the Tories would really be trying to get a new leader in place.

[Denster]

I'm quite surprised they didn't off Denster a free ticket to prop up the numbers.

Also you think that the Tories would really be trying to get a new leader in place.

They offered me a reduced price one in May. I had other commitments though. Would have liked to have gone. Some of my friends have gone to protests in town.
Many of them dressed in EU flags.

Sigh.

[Lex-Man]

I'm quite surprised they didn't off Denster a free ticket to prop up the numbers.

Also you think that the Tories would really be trying to get a new leader in place.

They offered me a reduced price one in May. I had other commitments though. Would have liked to have gone. Some of my friends have gone to protests in town.
Many of them dressed in EU flags.

Sigh.

How was comic con?

[Denster]

It's not till the end of October.

[DML]

Honestly what the hell does it matter if the Tory conference is poorly attended? If a Microsoft E3 conference was poorly attended, doesn't suddenly mean it's the end of the XBOX!

[Garth]

It's not the end of the Conservatives, but I think it's a sign of a lack of enthusiasm for them currently, and if enthusiasm and party membership don't recover that could make things more difficult for them when trying to campaign across the country in future. It's an interesting contrast to the swelling Labour membership and enthusiasm seen at their conference.

[Lagamorph]

I think Corbyn was right when he said the centre ground of UK politics is beginning to shift to the left, and I think Conservatives will need to adapt their policies as we move into future elections so they can appeal more to the increasingly important millennial voters. Campaigning again on bringing back fox hunting for instance would make them look completely out of touch.

I'm not so sure about that really. It seems more that the Conservatives have taken a massive shift to the right since Cameron left. Didn't Cameron increase the Conservative popularity with the youth vote once he took over? It was after the EU referendum that it fell back off a cliff.

[Lex-Man]

It will be interesting to see where this goes. I think this points towards the next election going very badly for the Tories. If Brexit is as bad as some people, including myself, think and they continue to giving a bad account of themselves I could see a big lose at the next election.

[KK]

Gove and the government looking at a deposit scheme for plastic bottles and other single use plastic to stop destruction of wildlife/seas. Idea being 15p or so will be put on items which you can then claim back if you put it in a recycle bank. Very popular in a few other countries apparently.

Sticking 10p on plastic bags has certainly helped.

[BID0]

twitter.com/peston/status/914503107601747968

twitter.com/highburyeastlp/status/914536241122742273

[KK]

The government will ban the sale of acids to anyone under the age of 18, Home Secretary Amber Rudd has said.

Her pledge, made at the Conservative Party conference, comes after assaults using corrosive substances more than doubled in England since 2012.

She also said she would "drastically limit" sales of sulphuric acid, given that it can be used to make explosives.

Speaking at the conference in Manchester, she said: "Acid attacks are absolutely revolting.

"We have all seen the pictures of victims that never fully recover - endless surgeries, lives ruined.

"So today, I am also announcing a new offence, to prevent the sale of acids to under-18s."

She said the "drastic" crackdown on the sale of sulphuric acid would help tackle homemade explosive devices containing triacetone triperoxide - often referred to as "mother of Satan" explosives.

Similar devices were used in this year's Manchester Arena bombing and last month's attack at Parsons Green, in west London.

"This is how we help make our communities safer as crime changes," she told delegates.

It's certainly a start, but this still feels rather weak to me. Sentences needed to be increased tenfold, and it's still going to be incredibly easy to purchase online.

[Lagamorph]

I'm surprised under 18's could buy Acids to begin with. I always assumed they were controlled substances.

[Rex Kramer]

It does seem pretty odd. The only legit use I can see for conc. sulphuric acid would be refilling a car battery so I don't see any issue with sticking an 18 limit on it.