This Wretched Hive Of Scum And Villainy

[Torrain]

Does anyone have that insane quote somebody leaked about Gove that described him like a demonic entity? i believe it came from the truss adminstration.

Was it Jason Stein (the political mastermind who told Prince Andrew to do *that* interview) briefing that Gove was a "sadist", who got off on undermining PMs, and had a “darkness inside him” that “corrupts his soul”?

I think he was fired after brefing out that Truss thought Sajid Javid was a "sh*t", and he threatened to publicly oppose the government at PMQs unless Stein was let go.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Does anyone have that insane quote somebody leaked about Gove that described him like a demonic entity? i believe it came from the truss adminstration.

Was it Jason Stein (the political mastermind who told Prince Andrew to do *that* interview) briefing that Gove was a "sadist", who got off on undermining PMs, and had a “darkness inside him” that “corrupts his soul”?

I think he was fired after brefing out that Truss thought Sajid Javid was a "sh*t", and he threatened to publicly oppose the government at PMQs unless Stein was let go.

Yes, great stuff.

I love how Liz and the people in her orbit seemed to not even understand the concept of why leaking might be frowned upon.

[CumbrianLefty]

Would this have been briefed by Badenoch or her team in order to rule out Gove for the Home Secretary job and also boost her image as a family values Conservative?

Presumably. It's been briefed in a way that praises Badenoch, paints Gove as a homewrecker, and then treads over the (unrelated) breakdown of his marriage. The only territory it doesn't cover are the old innuendos about his orientation.

Does it mention, well you know, white powder??

[Torrain]

Does it mention, well you know, white powder??

Don't they couldn't find a way to shoehorn it in.

[Torrain]

Couple of notable bits in the Sunday Times:

• There's another raft of Tory MPs who are planning to retire, but they've agreed to hold off until next year, to prevent "a stench of death" overwhelming the government during the King's Speech and Autumn Statement. Includes the likes of Kit Malthouse, Greg Clark, Robert Halfon.
• While Braverman's supporters estimate their strength is 40-60 strong, Sunak believes that (based on attendence at pro-Braverman social events) there are only 6-12 ride-or-die for Suella MPs - a hardcore that includes Cates, Kruger and Lee Anderson.
• MPs are taking some of the claims from Dorries' book seriously - and demands have been made to the Chief Whip to share whether his predecessors were aware of some of the grimmest allegations.

[CumbrianLefty]

Couple of notable bits in the Sunday Times:

• There's another raft of Tory MPs who are planning to retire, but they've agreed to hold off until next year, to prevent "a stench of death" overwhelming the government during the King's Speech and Autumn Statement. Includes the likes of Kit Malthouse, Greg Clark, Robert Halfon.
• While Braverman's supporters estimate their strength is 40-60 strong, Sunak believes that (based on attendence at pro-Braverman social events) there are only 6-12 ride-or-die for Suella MPs - a hardcore that includes Cates, Kruger and Lee Anderson.
• MPs are taking some of the claims from Dorries' book seriously - and demands have been made to the Chief Whip to share whether his predecessors were aware of some of the grimmest allegations.

Her defeat at the next GE is more fervently desired than most - deeply sinister individual.

[Coldstream]

Couple of notable bits in the Sunday Times:

• There's another raft of Tory MPs who are planning to retire, but they've agreed to hold off until next year, to prevent "a stench of death" overwhelming the government during the King's Speech and Autumn Statement. Includes the likes of Kit Malthouse, Greg Clark, Robert Halfon.
• While Braverman's supporters estimate their strength is 40-60 strong, Sunak believes that (based on attendence at pro-Braverman social events) there are only 6-12 ride-or-die for Suella MPs - a hardcore that includes Cates, Kruger and Lee Anderson.
• MPs are taking some of the claims from Dorries' book seriously - and demands have been made to the Chief Whip to share whether his predecessors were aware of some of the grimmest allegations.

Her defeat at the next GE is more fervently desired than most - deeply sinister individual.

I almost miss her predecessor.

[Torrain]

Nick Gibb, the longtime Schools Minister, resigned from government today. He also announced plans to stand down at the next election.

His constituency of Bognor Regis and Littlehampton had a 22k majority in 2019, and Gibb held it with majorities larger than 5k throughout the Blair years. It remains *largely* intact after the boundary change next year, and looks like it'll stay blue.

So, another one for the chicken-runners and former FT journalists to take a stab at.

[Blair]

Don’t think Cleverly’s leadership chances have been done much good by his new job

[CumbrianLefty]

Do these changes mean that LIam Byrne's wretched note can - finally - be laid to rest?

[YL]

Andrea Jenkyns has tweeted her letter to Graham Brady.

https://twitter.com/andreajenkyns/status/1724124983843045539

LOL

[Filuwaúrdjan]

A former education minister!

[Blair]

Proper boomer Facebook post that

[Coldstream]

Nick Gibb, the longtime Schools Minister, resigned from government today. He also announced plans to stand down at the next election.

His constituency of Bognor Regis and Littlehampton had a 22k majority in 2019, and Gibb held it with majorities larger than 5k throughout the Blair years. It remains *largely* intact after the boundary change next year, and looks like it'll stay blue.

So, another one for the chicken-runners and former FT journalists to take a stab at.

In the long term, I actually think it’s a seat Labour could have a shot in. As Brighton became unaffordable people moved to Worthing which has swung heavily to us, and now Worthing is starting to become unaffordable so people are going to Lewes & Littlehampton. I don’t think it’d happen next time, but in the next 10-20 years as the ancient boomers die off I could see Bognor & Littlehampton following Worthing.

[EastAnglianLefty]

Nick Gibb, the longtime Schools Minister, resigned from government today. He also announced plans to stand down at the next election.

His constituency of Bognor Regis and Littlehampton had a 22k majority in 2019, and Gibb held it with majorities larger than 5k throughout the Blair years. It remains *largely* intact after the boundary change next year, and looks like it'll stay blue.

So, another one for the chicken-runners and former FT journalists to take a stab at.

In the long term, I actually think it’s a seat Labour could have a shot in. As Brighton became unaffordable people moved to Worthing which has swung heavily to us, and now Worthing is starting to become unaffordable so people are going to Lewes & Littlehampton. I don’t think it’d happen next time, but in the next 10-20 years as the ancient boomers die off I could see Bognor & Littlehampton following Worthing.

When West Sussex gets 9 seats on its own rather than having to share with East Sussex (and that's probably only one review away) then it'll be impossible to keep the two towns together in a single seat. At that point Littlehampton (which has always had a bit of a Labour vote) is quite likely to be combined with the western outskirts of Worthing.

[CumbrianLefty]

Proper boomer Facebook post that

Which makes it even more tragic that she misses actually being a boomer by a decade.

[TheTide]

Proper boomer Facebook post that

Which makes it even more tragic that she misses actually being a boomer by a decade.

I remember Obama (born in 1961) being described as the first post-'Boomer' president when he was first elected. It's almost as if these categories are not immune to being tweaked in order to fit certain narratives and prejudices. Or, perhaps more to the point, in order to fill the pockets of marketing companies.

[YL]

Proper boomer Facebook post that

Which makes it even more tragic that she misses actually being a boomer by a decade.

I remember Obama (born in 1961) being described as the first post-'Boomer' president when he was first elected. It's almost as if these categories are not immune to being tweaked in order to fit certain narratives and prejudices. Or, perhaps more to the point, in order to fill the pockets of marketing companies.

I am not a fan in general of drawing arbitary lines between "generations" and giving them silly names, but in particular I have no idea how anyone can think that someone born in 1961 can be seen as the same generation as someone born in the immediate post-war years, certainly in a UK context.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

It all gets a little complicated here as there were two baby booms (late 1940s until about 1951, late 1950s and early 1960s) rather than just the one. With the extra oddity that both cohorts had, as a collective group, more 'luck' in economic terms than those who immediately followed.

[Logical]

Boomer is a mindset

[LabourJersey]

It all gets a little complicated here as there were two baby booms (late 1940s until about 1951, late 1950s and early 1960s) rather than just the one. With the extra oddity that both cohorts had, as a collective group, more 'luck' in economic terms than those who immediately followed.

What happened from 1951 to 1958ish, then? Did the economy in the UK slump back after an initial post-war/post-Marshall Plan bounce?

[CumbrianLefty]

Proper boomer Facebook post that

Which makes it even more tragic that she misses actually being a boomer by a decade.

I remember Obama (born in 1961) being described as the first post-'Boomer' president when he was first elected. It's almost as if these categories are not immune to being tweaked in order to fit certain narratives and prejudices. Or, perhaps more to the point, in order to fill the pockets of marketing companies.

I am not a fan in general of drawing arbitary lines between "generations" and giving them silly names, but in particular I have no idea how anyone can think that someone born in 1961 can be seen as the same generation as someone born in the immediate post-war years, certainly in a UK context.

Its a fair point, but "generation" tends to work out at around 18 years in this case as it likely should.

[Pres Mike]

Proper boomer Facebook post that

Which makes it even more tragic that she misses actually being a boomer by a decade.

I remember Obama (born in 1961) being described as the first post-'Boomer' president when he was first elected. It's almost as if these categories are not immune to being tweaked in order to fit certain narratives and prejudices. Or, perhaps more to the point, in order to fill the pockets of marketing companies.

There always debate towards the end of a generation. So while the census bureau says the Baby Boomers were born 1946-1964, I think culturally Obama is more Gen X. At the same time, he was raised by white grandparents in Kansas so I definitly see boomer ness in him. I think Obama gets along better with Joe Biden/Bill Clinton than Kamala Harris/Cory Booker despite be closer in age.

I'm 24, born in 1999. Most people lump me with Gen Z but culturally I relate more to millennials. Although I think zillenial is the best term since I don't quite fit in either generation.

[Torrain]

Bob Stewart is standing down as MP for Beckenham next year. Long-standing soldier with a decorated if controversial career, which he parlayed into commentator gigs, before running for the Commons in 2010. He surrendered the Tory whip this year, following his conviction for public disorder, after racially taunting an activist.

The existing constituency has a pretty durable Tory majority - 14-20k over the past decade. The redrawn seat of Beckenham and Penge looks a lot more Labour-friendly, with a notional Tory majority of only 429 in 2019. Electoral Calculus has it as an easy pickup for them next year, with a majority approaching 10k.

[CumbrianLefty]

Of course he had a substantial pre-politics career, but I still didn't realise he was as old as 74. That of course means this might have happened anyway, and recent events just reaffirmed it.