The sliver of petty vengeance in me quite enjoyed this bit:

“There are a load of MPs I thought I’d be spending decades with in this place,” said another. “They’re really good mates. And almost all of them are gone. It’s a reminder of how vulnerable we all are.”

Given that they were responsible for this (or worse) happening to hundreds of thousands of people over the last decade and a half, I wonder if there'll be any life-changing realisations for any of them? What happens when a Tory learns about empathy?

Chasing after Reform is a losing game. You can't win over anti-establishment votes as the establishment. The only way forward for the Tories is to the left.

End FPTP! Then fracture into the two (possibly three) parties you really are.

(the same can be said for Labour. Winning elections in the U.K. is all about getting your own party to find some kind of middle road no-one in the party really likes, then convincing the voters you all believe it, all in the name of avoiding a greater evil, namely not being in power; is it any wonder voters are disillusioned and feel no-one really represent them).

trans ones

There is really only one electoral strategy for them and it's the mirror image of the best strategy for Labour: chase the people they lost to their left. The risk of losing voters to Reform is real, but it will be mitigated by winning over the voters they most need: Labour and Lib Dem voters.

For the Tories in particular, this is the best strategy not only electorally, but morally. They should not be normalising the toxicity of Reform by chasing the mix of fantasists, conspiracists and racists that make up Farage's fan club. Even as a Labour voter who would never consider voting Conservative, I see the fact that some Conservatives have already started speaking out against the two-child benefit cap, the housing crisis and the dropping of net zero targets, as an encouraging sign.

Why would they be 'chasing' any voters with up to 5 years until the next election? How about do your jobs and represent the people who did vote for you in opposition of the government? Then you might win back some respect of the electorate.

I thought the whole point of 5 year terms was to avoid the constant election cycle.

Keir Starmer showed you can do it by looking competent and serious.

He doesn't have a charisma to be honest, unlike Blair.

Also, many people voted Labour solely because they voted against Tories, not because people like Starmer and Labour. The fact that Starmer isn't polling well in terms of popularity shows that. But this doesn't matter seeing as Labour won a landslide.

I just hope that Labour and Starmer doesn't end up like the German SDP and Olaf Scholz. The latter won but doing badly as government. Scholz also presented an air of seriousness but is unpopular.