T_i_B
T_i_B's JournalLack of knowledge is the single biggest problem here
People don't have a clue about the role of the EU, and because of this a lot of liars and charlatans have been able to spread a lot of disinformation unchallenged.
During the referendum campaign it became clear that because of my career I know more about the single market than most others in the campaign, never mind the rest of the population. However there were huge and important issues that I did not really know anything about.
The person on the "Stronger In" campaign I reported to was very knowledgeable about the Article 50 process because of her background (which is much more impressive than mine). That is a big subject that very few people grasped in any way.
The issue currently dominating and derailing negotiations is Northern Ireland, which again, hardly anybody on this side of the Irish sea grasped at all.
With so little understanding of the issue or what is at stake, it was easy for "Vote Leave" to turn the referendum into a contest to see who can lie the loudest. EU membership cannot be decided in any credible way by such a referendum.
And this is why I refuse to "respect the result" as Brexshitters wish. That would be like accepting that the world is flat just because the Flat Earth Society had persuaded people otherwise.
You've just hit the nail on the head there!
I can't see Tory MP's, let alone Tory activists accepting somebody even vaguely non-loony like Phillip Hammond.
Boris Johnson is unfit to run a bath, let alone a government department, and his backstabbing has alienated a fair few people. Same goes for Michael Gove.
David Davis is failing catastrophically in his current job. Jeremy Hunt is not a good health secretary. Amber Rudd is not a good home secretary, and has a wafer thin majority in her constituency. Not only is Liam Fox terrible at his job, he should never have been let back into government after having previously being forced to resign over a nepotism scandal.
Jacob Rees Mogg is virtually a parody of Tory MP, has no ministerial experience and is also a complete idiot. Dominic Raab's name has also been mentioned, which is concerning as he may be an even bigger idiot!
Denzil may possibly be preoccupied with the idea of Ruth Davidson as Tory leader, but I don't think English Tories would accept her for a number of reasons, not least of which being that she isn't a Westminster MP.
Even though Theresa May is an atrocious PM, the alternatives are all really bad. My recommendation to Tories would be to forget about the willy-waving rubbish and concentrate on the basic stuff. Even if that means revoking article 50!
The problem with political "isms"....
...is that they are words which get that badly abused by bad politicians and bad journalists that they become meaningless. Nothing more than bandy words for people who like to bandy words about.
To one politician something like "socialism" will mean pretty much any policy they like regardless of whether it is even vaguely socialist. To another politician it will mean the exact opposite, and the non political will only become ever more confused about what the politicians are wittering on about.
The worst of these terms is "Centrist". Not only because it gets used badly by the aforementioned bad politicians and journalists but also because it is a terrible term in its own right. The centre of the political spectrum is an entirely theoretical construct and changes according to political fashion.
Theresa May: Tories were not prepared for snap election
Well why the flying chuff did she call a snap election then? 
The lack of self awareness from our Prime Minister is actually quite disturbing. Especially as she made the Tories general election campaign all about herself.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/sep/28/tories-werent-ready-snap-general-election-theresa-may
The prime minister said she had failed to communicate the message she gave on the steps of Downing Street after winning the Tory leadership last year, and that her words about making the country work for everyone “didn’t come through in the election".
The prime minister hinted that she believed there had been too much top-down control in the campaign, which delivered the Tories a net loss of 13 seats and forced May to strike a pact with the DUP in order to remain in power.
“There weren’t the links with the centre [of the party] that there should have been. That’s one of the issues we need to look at,” she said.
I always felt sorry for Dugdale
She came to the role much too early in her career, and she was always going to get slaughtered by all sides no matter what she did.
I do hope that Labour has somebody decent lined up to replace her, who can stand up to the Tories, the SNP and even Jeremy Corbyn on occasion!
The reason why they can get away with it right now....
....is that quite frankly the Conservatives don't look like a potential party of government either!
Politics in 2017 has degenerated into a contest to see who can bugger up the least! Pretty awful when you think about it.
Corbyn has already made many mistakes!
However, in the general election Theresa May made far more mistakes than Corbyn, and her party has paid the price for failing to make her more accountable.
It worries me greatly appreciate that British politics has degenerated into a contest to see who can f**k up the least, but that is where we are. On the eve of the most important negotiations since the end of WWII as well! 
Really bad news
Even worse that it's over what should be a non-issue. Even if Farron didn't handle the subject well during the election.
The coalition was only 2 years ago, and that continues to hurt the Liberal Democrats far more than nonsense about whether or not gay sex is a sin. And the Liberal Democrats options to replace Farron have either been in parliament for about 5 seconds or carry baggage from the coalition that Tim Farron did not.
The Liberal Democrats platform this year was a colossal improvement from 2015. In a way it was quite disheartening to see people moving away from the Liberal Democrats and Greens towards inferior quality Labour candidates. Especially when Labour tended not to return the favours of tactical tactical voting, letting in Tories like Zac Goldsmith.
But more work needs to be done for the Liberal Democrats. Both in terms of rebuilding the party at grassroots level and fleshing out their platform with other positive policies besides opposition to the madness that is leaving the EU. The party is currently struggling to make it's voice heard against Corbyn's Labour, but sooner or later things will change. Farron stepping down will make that process much more difficult IMHO.
There is a lot to dislike about the Tory campaign
Suffice to say that if William Hague had campaigned this badly in 2001 he would have been slaughtered by many of the same people now lauding Theresa May.
One major issue I have with the Tory campaign is how centered it is on Theresa May. It's bad enough to make me stop taking pot shots at Corbyn fanboys!
It also affects the local campaign with Tory literature and those big signs you see in farmers fields proclaiming that Tory candidates are "Standing with Theresa May". This makes Tory candidates come across as little more than lobby fodder and will make it very difficult for them to challenge the executive as MP's. And we need more MP's to start holding the government to account for a change!
Still, could be worse than Lib Dems.....
My Labour MP has written a 4 page statement in favour of fracking locally and sent it to everyone in my postcode. This arrived through my letterbox inside a free glossy mag. It was the main topic of conversation at the pub quiz I attend, with people who are pro and anti-fracking being equally perplexed by the decision of the local MP to do this in the middle of a general election
https://nataschaengel.com/fracking/
This is of course in direct contradiction of Labour policy. In an area with considerable opposition to fracking, in a marginal seat and with the Tories clearly divided on the issue between local opposition and the national parties strong support for fracking.
And we have yet to see a proper general election leaflet from Labour!
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