UK General Election 2024

Rishi has set a July 4 date for the elections. Labour are leading in the polls. What are the main issues in this election? and where will the pendulum land?

I'm also curious about the timing of the date of the election. Why now? Didn't Rishi say that an election would happen in the second half of the year? Does Rishi know that things are not going to get better? I mean we already knew that but this is happening as the government are also telling us to have an emergency supply kit and stockpile for at least 3 days. The government have launched a new website yesterday advising us all on how to prepare for an emergency is Rishi doing a runner in time for doomsday?

I've just seen someone in the news admit they don't know who Rishi Sunak is

PepperBell said:

I've just seen someone in the news admit they don't know who Rishi Sunak is

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It's shocking how many don't know who is leading their own country!

MPs Michael Gove and Andrea Leadsom are the latest tories who have confirmed they will not be standing at the next general elections. According to The Guardian paper, that ''puts the total number of sitting Tories saying they will not stand again at 78''. I sense a blood bath for the conservatives.

the big issues for me in this election but not limited to is:

NHS ( now officially flat on its face) is not maintaining the highest quality of care but why? we have staff shortages and problematic agency staff, a growing backlog leading to horrendous wait times, lack of spending on mental health services and so forth. My GP doesn't even want to see me. What on earth is going on?

interconnected with the NHS is Adult social care. Two sectors you would expect to be well integrated. Why doesn't the left hand know what the right hand is doing here? there is a huge staffing gap and agency staff not suitably trained (and who don't seem to have the heart to do the job ) are being used to fill the gap which undermines the quality and continuity of care for vulnerable people and as a consequence puts pressure on the NHS. Unpaid carers need to start being paid too. Care workers (paid or unpaid) are essential, so pay them (the unpaid) and pay them all well. Provide better working conditions and invest in quality training and development.

btw the wasted resources across these two sectors is a national disgrace.

Announced today the Tories are planning to bring back national service. 18 year olds would have to do paid military service for a year. One MP has suggested copying the military service done by Israelis in the IDF.

Has Rishi thrown a spanner in the works? I don’t know what Labours position is on this.

I’ve seen reports about the poor recruitment numbers in the military and the year on year cuts in defence spending under the tories. So where was the forward planning in all the years the Tories have been in power to avert a situation like this?

I don’t know if Labour or any party can avoid not bringing back the national service if the situation is as bad as it is being reported.

PepperBell said:

Announced today the Tories are planning to bring back national service. 18 year olds would have to do paid military service for a year. One MP has suggested copying the military service done by Israelis in the IDF.

Has Rishi thrown a spanner in the works? I don’t know what Labours position is on this.

I’ve seen reports about the poor recruitment numbers in the military and the year on year cuts in defence spending under the tories. So where was the forward planning in all the years the Tories have been in power to avert a situation like this?

I don’t know if Labour or any party can avoid not bringing back the national service if the situation is as bad as it is being reported.

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Is that all 18 year olds? In Korea only men do it but in Israel both men and women do it but it's more service than military so some do it at a school.
The boomers will love this situation.
Labour complain about the cuts to gas storage or military but if they had of been in power they would have probably cut also as these things for many years of peace and gas pipelines looked like wasted money and if they hadn't of cut them and they weren't needed then they'd complain about this wastage.

human2 said:

Is that all 18 year olds? In Korea only men do it but in Israel both men and women do it but it's more service than military so some do it at a school.
The boomers will love this situation.
Labour complain about the cuts to gas storage or military but if they had of been in power they would have probably cut also as these things for many years of peace and gas pipelines looked like wasted money and if they hadn't of cut them and they weren't needed then they'd complain about this wastage.

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from what I understand it is all 18 year olds.

The information coming in is that there will be an option to choose between paid military service for at least 1 year and a non-paid non military service e.g. firefighters, policing etc

They're using money to draw naive 18 year olds to opt into the military service.

According to MP James Cleverly this morning, there will be no criminal sanctions if you say no to military service but he wasn't clear if that included non-paid non military service and even if there is no criminal sanction to one or both, could there be a financial sanction? if you make something mandatory by law and someone disobeys, there has to be a punishment of some sort? the tories need to let us know what that is. Labour and co need to press them for more details.

PepperBell said:

Announced today the Tories are planning to bring back national service. 18 year olds would have to do paid military service for a year. One MP has suggested copying the military service done by Israelis in the IDF.

Has Rishi thrown a spanner in the works? I don’t know what Labours position is on this.

I’ve seen reports about the poor recruitment numbers in the military and the year on year cuts in defence spending under the tories. So where was the forward planning in all the years the Tories have been in power to avert a situation like this?

I don’t know if Labour or any party can avoid not bringing back the national service if the situation is as bad as it is being reported.

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There’s been huge cut backs on military bases and what not over the years I can think of at least 4 that have been closed or are due to be closed in the next few years. Something like NS should have been around ages ago. As for voting who do you trust? They all bullshit and do nothing they claim to.

Guesswhosback said:

There’s been huge cut backs on military bases and what not over the years I can think of at least 4 that have been closed or are due to be closed in the next few years. Something like NS should have been around ages ago. As for voting who do you trust? They all bullshit and do nothing they claim to.

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They've been cutting military ever since the end of WW2. They started closing more since the last recession in 2008 and the end of units in the middle east to save.
Agree they're all bullshit. I'm voting green even though its a waste but no one inspires

catching up on this weeks Question Time and Labour have proposed extended hours for GP's in the evenings and on weekends and double MRI scans. I agree with both. Too many emergencies surgeries are delayed because there just isn't enough MRI scans on site and some patients end up being transferred to another hospital because of this. This contributes to the overall long wait times for surgeries. As far as extended hours, I think it's a good idea if they can actually find suitably qualified and experienced GP's especially if the cost is as MP Wes Streeting said: an appointment with your local GP costs the NHS £40 and if you end up in A&E, it costs the NHS £400!! I did fact check and it's about right roughly. Flipping eck!

PepperBell said:

Rishi has set a July 4 date for the elections. Labour are leading in the polls. What are the main issues in this election? and where will the pendulum land?

I'm also curious about the timing of the date of the election. Why now? Didn't Rishi say that an election would happen in the second half of the year? Does Rishi know that things are not going to get better? I mean we already knew that but this is happening as the government are also telling us to have an emergency supply kit and stockpile for at least 3 days. The government have launched a new website yesterday advising us all on how to prepare for an emergency is Rishi doing a runner in time for doomsday?

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Wow I’m happy people think Labour will win! I have a sinking feeling it will be rishi but hopefully I’m wrong.

I wish it was done by total votes not by constituencies. I live in a staunchly Labour area. I’ve historically voted green just to give them a vote and cos it didn’t matter really but I think I’ll vote Labour to hopefully be part of the victory.

Do you really think they’ll win?

Looks like the current candidate for Clacton-on-Sea is finding out for the first time in this press conference that he will no longer be running and his colleague Farage will be standing in this seat

Big Chonky - The Fact Hog said:

Wow I’m happy people think Labour will win! I have a sinking feeling it will be rishi but hopefully I’m wrong.

I wish it was done by total votes not by constituencies. I live in a staunchly Labour area. I’ve historically voted green just to give them a vote and cos it didn’t matter really but I think I’ll vote Labour to hopefully be part of the victory.

Do you really think they’ll win?

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yes by a landslide. Projections by YOUGOV released yesterday show that Labour will win a 194 seat majority. the only issue I have with total votes is it could give way to fringe parties like REFORM UK

what type of voter was Rishi trying to appeal to when he teased us all with his proposed PIP reforms in the middle of a cost of living crisis?

I watched the replay of the first tv debate on itv. The most I got from it was how Rishi had our backs with the furlough scam.

At this late stage I’m not seeing anything coherent from any one of these parties. I want to see each party present a fully costed manifesto with details on how they plan to fund key issues before I do anything.

Another hopeless debate tonight.

Labour will win. Nothing will change. Keir goes on about the debt as if labour wouldn't have racked it up even more with COVID! They called for more spending and more stimulus.

I'm not too fussed who gets in , as long as it isn't a Conservative Government again or Reform , they've had 14 years to change things and they've only made things worse. The love to blame immigration , strikers , the disabled.

People who are thinking of voting for reform need to be careful what they wish for , they'll only vote because they're peed off with immigration , but they forget 90% of reform are washed up Conservatives so hold the same values , they'll do away with pensions , benefits , the NHS , they'll just do it a lot quicker than the cons have. People REALLY thinking Farage is a man of the people , that guy will make the trough at the table even bigger!

Labour will win , people are pissed off, if they at least get the NHS back in a form of its younger glory I'll be happy.

Nolan 🎵 said:

I'm not too fussed who gets in , as long as it isn't a Conservative Government again or Reform , they've had 14 years to change things and they've only made things worse. The love to blame immigration , strikers , the disabled.

People who are thinking of voting for reform need to be careful what they wish for , they'll only vote because they're peed off with immigration , but they forget 90% of reform are washed up Conservatives so hold the same values , they'll do away with pensions , benefits , the NHS , they'll just do it a lot quicker than the cons have. People REALLY thinking Farage is a man of the people , that guy will make the trough at the table even bigger!

Labour will win , people are pissed off, if they at least get the NHS back in a form of its younger glory I'll be happy.

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I agree. Farage is trying to make this election about immigration and in the most distasteful way. And the world is watching.. They blame immigration for most of the key issues (when those issues are much more nuanced than that) and at the same time acknowledge that they need people from overseas to fill job vacancies BUT must leave their dependents behind, keep a smile on their face and thank us for the privilege. The whole approach by the Tories and Reform
on the topic of immigration is just offensive.

Sky News are hosting an elections debate ... in Grimsby