this post was submitted on 26 May 2024
69 points (94.8% liked)

UK Politics

3090 readers
78 users here now

General Discussion for politics in the UK.
Please don't post to both !uk_politics@feddit.uk and !unitedkingdom@feddit.uk .
Pick the most appropriate, and put it there.

Posts should be related to UK-centric politics, and should be either a link to a reputable news source for news, or a text post on this community.

Opinion pieces are also allowed, provided they are not misleading/misrepresented/drivel, and have proper sources.

If you think "reputable news source" needs some definition, by all means start a meta thread. (These things should be publicly discussed)

Posts should be manually submitted, not by bot. Link titles should not be editorialised.

Disappointing comments will generally be left to fester in ratio, outright horrible comments will be removed.
Message the mods if you feel something really should be removed, or if a user seems to have a pattern of awful comments.

!ukpolitics@lemm.ee appears to have vanished! We can still see cached content from this link, but goodbye I guess! :'(

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Looks like the Labour Party have finally hired someone under 60 to handle their social media. Excellent, no notes.

top 32 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] david@feddit.uk 12 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

"Some of you may die,
but it's a sacrifice
I'm willing to make."

Thanks Rishi.

[–] manualoverride@lemmy.world 7 points 5 months ago

The £120,000,000 in increased personal wealth over the last year is thanks enough.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 11 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The Labour Party do not need a social media department the Conservatives are doing that job for them.

Nothing the Labour Party can do or announce would be better at getting people to vote for them, than Rishi announcing national service, and we're only on day four.

[–] manualoverride@lemmy.world 6 points 5 months ago

I’m hoping for at least one solid meme a day all the way to the election. With a start like this where it’s hard to pick a favourite meme of the day I just don’t know how this level of comedy can be sustainable.

[–] sunbeam60@lemmy.one 5 points 5 months ago (2 children)

It’s a really funny post and I’m not a Tory voter.

That said, I do wonder what it will require for Britain to reintroduce some form of conscription?

I’ve grown up in countries where it was second nature for some to get drafted (forced to join) and many volunteered (80% of the people in my platoon were volunteers), with a mandatory “Forces Day” that you were required to attend not long after your 18th birthday. Even the people who were forced to join accepted it as “oh well, it will be a gap year, I suppose”. There was an option to become a conscientious objector but very, very few took it (it meant spending 10 months working for the same salary in a library or similar).

How bad does the UK’s security outlook have to be before young people will understand a necessity?

[–] manualoverride@lemmy.world 6 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

People turning 18 this year have the lowest wages to housing cost ever, house buying is a distant dream for anyone without £100k+ from the bank of mum and dad, and mum and dad have been squeezed too, most middle class families do not have that sort of money available per child.

Buying a car is beyond the reach of the vast majority, fuel is at record prices and insurance is mandatory and has increased well above inflation. 18 year olds are looking at average insurance of £3000 or 10 weeks of working full time at minimum wage.

The social contract for young people in the uk has been broken, if you are not already wealthy or incredibly lucky you cannot afford to live a fulfilling life. Children, holidays, personal transport, home ownership all out of reach.

Before forcing people to fight for their country, you need to make it something worth fighting for.

If a between A-Level and university 6 week PAID training position in the military were offered, where your housing, food, basic training are provided, and you are able to save some money at the end of it, would probably be a good policy.

[–] sunbeam60@lemmy.one 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The social contract for young people in the uk has been broken

Yes 100% agree.

Before forcing people to fight for their country, you need to make it something worth fighting for.

Again 100% agree.

If a between A-Level and university 6 week PAID training position in the military were offered, where your housing, food, basic training are provided, and you are able to save some money at the end of it, would probably be a good policy.

Completely agree that the volunteer service (whether forces or in a civilian volunteer position) could be combined with education credits, or pay, or housing, it would be much more attractive. Certainly where I served, I was housed and fed and had a salary (£650/month equivalent to £1300-ish today). It allowed me to save most of the money.

[–] manualoverride@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Initial reports of the Tory plan is over multiple weekends so no accommodation, unpaid, mandatory and punishment for non compliance.

Basically slave labour under the guise of community and service.

[–] sunbeam60@lemmy.one 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

If it’s unpaid and mandatory they can fuck right off.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 1 points 5 months ago

Unpaid and mandatory is literally slave labor. It's basically the definition of it.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Part of the problem people have is that the only reason the security situation is so bad is because of the Tories cutting funding to the regular military. It's going to cost 2.5 billion to implement this scheme, well wouldn't it be better to spend that money on professional soldiers, before telling everyone they have to conscript?

If conscription is still required at that point then maybe it will be tolerated, because there'll be an understanding that it's now actually necessary. As opposed to just covering up for previous governmental mismanagement.

[–] sunbeam60@lemmy.one 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

It’s not just the U.K. that’s been neglecting its duties; the whole western world has been sleeping at the wheel. £2.5bn is a drop in the ocean that we, collectively in the west, need to invest to stand up a credible defense posture.

Ignoring for a second the paid/unpaid status of the proposal (which won’t happen anyway as the tories will lose this one), the notion of training some conscripts for a possible mobilisation isn’t the worst idea in the world - it’s how most of the states bordering Russia balance peace vs possible war.

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 5 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Looks like the Labour Party have finally hired....

Have they. Is this an official Labour party post.

[–] Emperor@feddit.uk 7 points 5 months ago (1 children)
[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 6 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

Sorta cool but risky. As tories can claim its a lie. IE no one is forced towards the military under their policy(yet).

So the most dishonest party can claim Labour is being dishonest with voters. Something tories are very good at is whataboutism to distract their own actions. Their voters seem tuned to it.

Labour are almost better of letting the voters and party members have their own fun. And unofficially encouraging MP candidates to link.

[–] manualoverride@lemmy.world 7 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Well it’s pretty funny, and they did literally announce military service and people do die in military service, not a lot of ambiguity there.

I just love how perfectly represented Richi is by the evil and diminutive Lord Farquaad.

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 4 points 5 months ago

Agree fully.

Just dose not seem to match the caution we have seen from starmers labour.

[–] frankPodmore@slrpnk.net 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

If the Tories decide to waste their time debunking a meme, I reckon Labour would be pretty happy with that outcome!

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 2 points 5 months ago

Tory voters fell for bacon sandwich bullshit.

And many of the traditional tory safe seat voters. Are very prown to whataboutism as an argument.

The tory party are good at distraction politics.

Some silly distractive comment or mean is almost garrenteed to be what narrows the gap in the last 2 weeks.

Seriosly over confidence in shy tory voters learning their lesson. Really is something to take care over. At 53yo I have spent far far to much time under tory governments that more then 50% of voters hate.

Tories are good at this crap.

[–] manualoverride@lemmy.world 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Well it’s on the official LabourParty YouTube channel. I don’t work for the Labour Party if that was what you are asking, just fed up of the Tories.

[–] HumanPenguin@feddit.uk 4 points 5 months ago

Honestly on a tablet with bad vision atm. So could not tell it was the official channel. Thanks for confirming.

Honestly I am just surprised starmers party has the currage to play negative this early. I def grinned. And would like to see more of this sort of thing.

I just think letting creative folks less connected with the party is more effective in many ways.

Need to head home and repair my desktop PC so I can enjoy the next 6 weeks at this rate. ;)

[–] mannycalavera@feddit.uk 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I know memes have become, well, memes these days but it says a lot that in a major general election voters are being courted on the strength of either party's memes.

I mean, forget policy or manifestos or explaining tough choices to the electorate: as long as it make makes ya giggle, eh? Jaysus our politics is dire.

[–] manualoverride@lemmy.world 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Labour has a lot of information available on their policies and there was that 6 first steps last week. The election was only called 5 days ago, and I don’t think any major party has a full manifesto published yet.

Maybe we can have memes and politics?

[–] mannycalavera@feddit.uk 2 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Oh don't get me wrong this isn't a dig at Labour. This is politics in general. The same shit is happening with the US elections. It's just an election about personality and nothing else over there. Perhaps parties could spend more time on the boring stuff rather than memes which inherently don't paint the full picture and simplify often complex subjects into the visual equivalent of sound bites.

I don’t think any major party has a full manifesto published yet.

And this is totally shit and unacceptable. They knew an election would happen this year. Why haven't they got manifestos ready to go on day one? In a draft where they can update it quickly after it was called. We've got a little over a month to digest it and scrutinise and challenge it. I actually know why they haven't. Because neither party wants to be challenged on the substance of their policies. You can hear it when interviewed on the radio or telly. They just delay and delay their answers and ultimately don't say anything.

Maybe we can have memes and politics?

😜 We have more memes than politics at the moment.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

It's totally unacceptable from the Conservative Party since they're the ones that called the election. In Labour's case however they probably have the excuse that they genuinely didn't think the election would be called until the end of the year. They thought they had months yet.

[–] manualoverride@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago

Totally agree the ‘good chap’ principle really doesn’t work these days where we have such a corrupt and dishonest government willing to sabotage their opposition at the expense of the country.

Personally I like the more meme style videos, up until this last week the LabourParty shorts and main channel videos have been very dry, boring policy stuff presented in a way that is just not engaging to a YouTube audience. Don’t get me wrong I really want to have the information contained in the videos, but you need to engage with your audience on YouTube, if they are not entertained or effectively informed, then the chances of them clicking on another video is very small.