Swinson made such a mess of this election campaign, beginning with her revoke gambit, then her mercenary move of giving Boris his election exactly when he wanted it, then attacking Corbyn more than Johnson (young people like Corbyn and hate Johnson and they are your best chance for new votes, so alienate them??), to generally being shrill and unlikeable. Probably the most incompetent leader of the lot.

Yes, the decision by Swinson and the SNP to gun for an election was a very risky strategy (although it might have been harder to secure the extension without it). The Labour strategy of keeping Johnson hostage in No10 was working, it was only a matter of time before Johnson would slip up big time. Now we have a dangerous election which is playing into Cumming's hands. I'm watching Swinson viscously attacking Labour again now on TV.

I think that she is desperate to distance herself from Labour, because it would alienate the Tory swing vote. I think she is right to do this and she can smooze with Labour after the election if it's a hung parliament.

I keep my Facebook details and links to other sites to a minimum, so get very few adverts and
forwarded posts.

There is a social media battle going on, I came across one yesterday claiming that the stunt with the boy being treated on the floor for pneumonia yesterday was a momentum plot to discredit Johnson. There is a sophisticated propaganda machine producing this material, it is particularly widespread throughout the Red wall. Once you are tuned into it you can spot the people who are infected straight away. The give away is that they are rabidly anti Corbyn, as though he is some kind of bogeyman. You see lots of them on BBC coverage, because they like to go to leave seats and interview them (part of the endemic BBC bias). It's obvious that they have been corrupted because no innocent bystander would be so vehemently anti one candidate simply from observing the campaign as presented on the TV media. If you want impartial TV coverage you have to watch Channel 4, or Sky News.

Yes that is why my handle is Punshhh, that is my cartoonist signature.

I will post some of the propaganda later.

The degree of social media deception, has reached new heights now. In reference to the story of the boy being treated for pneumonia on the floor of A&E. First, a senior Tory source told senior BBC and ITV political editors that a Labour activist outside the hospital had punched Matt Hancock. Top media journalists rushed outside to discover that nothing had happened. Meanwhile it had been tweeted nationally on major media platforms. Shortly afterwards this photograph of a tweet was widely distributed on Facebook and was all over twitter.


This illustrates the degree to which the Tory's are terrified of a major gaff. Also it has blown their cover, exposing their manipulation of the media and social media.

Here is one I received about a month ago, suggesting that to buy back parts of the NHS which Blair(apparently) sold off, would take 1 trillion pounds.

The degree of social media deception, has reached new heights now. — Punshhh

It's well past time that people realised they can't trust anything they receive on social media. Hence I ignore it. A news story is no more valid than its source. (I would have suggested trusting the BBC and not Sky, but you seem to disagree!)

Turn this down a bit as the audio is tinny (it was only officially posted on Facebook). The message, however, is loud and clear:

Do you get lots of adds and targeted posts on Facebook, or other social media? I get about 30 a day, targeted for Labour, or tactical voting sites. I suspect that other people are getting entirely different messages. — Punshhh

That's one of the most irritating things in a modern democracy: when you get election adds and other material from only one or few political parties...especially if they aren't the party you have and are not thinking to vote. That for some reason the party you support doesn't even bother to target you in the elections. It's the forget those people, not worth even the effort syndrome. But it tells very clearly what the parties actually really thinks of you.

Perhaps now when our personal thoughts and attitudes are data traded in a lucrative business using computer algorithms to map and compartmentalize us for commercial or political use, this isn't as crude as just looking at one's living address or income. Facebook et al. make a buck with this!

Yes, I like to get involved on social media as I am interested in current developments in politics.
The problem with the BBC (With whom I have made a complaint about this), is that they try to give equal weight to what is said by each side in the debate, with very little in the way of challenge and they are very slow in adapting that approach to its exploitation by the Tory's. So what is happening is the Tory's bluster and use double speak, along with crowding out the opposition by talking over others, or refusing to stop talking in a short limited time slot. The problem with this is that their news broadcasts are dominated by lines and slogans from the Tory's which are opportunist, disingenuous, hollow promises, duplicituos etc.. as though it is the accepted truth. There is a lack of equivalence in what messages are shown, or to what degree they are true representations of policy. So basically they are being played by the bully in the room. Secondly they are slightly endemically anti socialist and anti Corbyn, in comparison to their slight endemic pro Tory stance. This distinction is subtle and can be seen in their whole approach to the issues. An example the other day, of which there are many was in reference to the spending announcements of the party's they referred to Labours plans as "give always", while describing the Tory's plans as "spending plans".

Whereas Channel 4 has far higher standards of reporting and addressing issues. They repeatedly win awards for reporting. Sky also has high standards and I can't see any evidence of bias, indeed it's quite refreshing after the BBC. I always watch Channel 4 news and All out Politics on Sky for the most objective presentation of politics.

I strayed onto the Facebook page of a racist brexiter this morning. Here are a few examples of what we, as moderates are up against. The last post is in reference to the recent London Bridge terrorist who was shot by the police.

Brilliant.

Yes, I like to get involved on social media as I am interested in current developments in politics.
The problem with the BBC (With whom I have made a complaint about this), is that they try to give equal weight to what is said by each side in the debate, with very little in the way of challenge and they are very slow in adapting that approach to its exploitation by the Tory's. So what is happening is the Tory's bluster and use double speak, along with crowding out the opposition by talking over others, or refusing to stop talking in a short limited time slot. The problem with this is that their news broadcasts are dominated by lines and slogans from the Tory's which are opportunist, disingenuous, hollow promises, duplicituos etc.. as though it is the accepted truth. There is a lack of equivalence in what messages are shown, or to what degree they are true representations of policy. So basically they are being played by the bully in the room. — Punshhh

I'd say if you're interested in politics, ignore social media. News-wise it's basically a free-for-all cesspit. It's pointless to complain about all the lies. I forecast that it will be widely ignored in a few years.

It sounds like you're blaming the BBC for the way the Tories use their air-time, which I don't see as fair. If the half-truths, bluster and refusing to shut up of populism are more effective then the opposition should and will follow suit. Nevertheless, I am often annoyed by the way journalists on Newsnight constantly probe for a weakness in whomever they interview. Getting a headline is clearly more important to them than enlightening us viewers. However they do have a very hard job. These days politicians are trained to focus on their message and ignore questions which try to open up topics from more informative angles. They will all bluster and drown out counter-views if given the chance. I think Michal Hussein on Today is the best and most ruthless at stopping interviewees wittering on and talking over her questions.

Personally I like my news advert-free.. I can't say I'd noticed any anti-socialist bias in the BBC. It's regularly criticised by the Tory right for being against them, so if the Labour left says the same that's probably a sign both are a little too paranoid..

I'm not going to try and explain the BBC bias now as I will be running a polling station in the morning and have to get up early. What I will point out though is the way the BBC reports the bluster as fact, without question. Because it is a public institution assumed to be impartial people will believe what is reported as truth if it is not qualified or challenged. Also they don't expose the double speak, where Tory's say one thing and then the opposite so that they can appeal to two opposing constituencies at the same time. I know that Channel 4 does this from time to time Sky doesn't and nearly always challenges such tactics.

Interestingly Laura Kuensberg was reported to the electoral commission today following her appearance on Politics live, I missed it unfortunately. Basically she was dissing Labour by claiming that postal votes which have already been opened to be counted were showing a poor turnout for Labour. A clear infringement of electoral law, she has been criticised the most for pro Tory comment.

Anyway it's very exciting, I can't wait to see the results coming in tomorrow night.

Punshhh — Punshhh

Well good luck with the polling station! I think we could be in for some surprises as the results come in. I heard today that 30% of people may vote tactically..

If Johnson doesn't get his overall majority, the milky bars are on me. If he loses his seat, I'll make it champagne.

(I was going to post an inspiring picture of Jeremy Corbyn, but I'll try to maintain a minimum pretence of political objectivity.)

P.S. Fuck Boris.

The problem with the BBC (With whom I have made a complaint about this), is that they try to give equal weight to what is said by each side in the debate, with very little in the way of challenge and they are very slow in adapting that approach to its exploitation by the Tory's. — Punshhh

This is a real problem and a consequence of the 24/7 media coverage of every event. Typically, nowadays it's news when a politicians opens his mouth. So the news is "Boris said: "[insert quote]"", brought to you first by [insert media outlet]. I have newspaper headlines that are direct quotes from someone or other with little to no analysis into the veracity of whatever is claimed.

It would be news and not at all partisan if you'd do this: https://boris-johnson-lies.com/

Yes, that's how they do it. They just reel off phrases, designed to roll off the tongue as slogans. These phrases encapsulate everything that ticks the boxes of the target audience. It doesn't matter if it's nonsense, or if the representative of the opposite party points out that it's disengenuous etc. Their audience doesn't have the time to check it. "Just get it done", " the will of the people"

In my polling station it's busy so far, should be one of the highest turnouts for a long time.It turns out we are about 400m outside a quarantine zone around a highly contagious bird flu epidemic. I hope we don't get quarantined.

The difference between a joke and a dirty trick is whether you get it or not. They are the same thing understood differently. One mans subtle humorist is another man's arrogant liar.

Exit poll says Tory majority of 80+. Death of Corbynism...

Boris won the alpha male vote. Cue break-up of UK.

Congrats Jo Swinson on handing this to him on a plate.

Boris won the alpha male vote. Cue break-up of UK. — Baden

I have to say I agree. Worse for Labour than 1983 with Michael Foot. SNP surging too. John Macdonnell looks crushed talking to Andrew Neil.

They were outmanoeuvred. The Leave vote was united. The Remain vote was split. And Workington man couldn't give a toss that Boris is an areshole. In fact, he probably likes it.

Populism wins. We better get used to it, I suppose. Whoever's with stupid will be running the UK for the forseeable future and probably several other countries too. On the positive side, I'll probably be a grand or two up when I transfer my Sterling back to Euros.

The campaign lessened my conviction in my own forecast, but a big Tory win was what I said as soon as the Brexit deal was signed. I wish I'd been wrong, but people really are as dumbly predictable as I thought..

Cue break-up of UK. — Baden

Let's get Scottish and Northern Irish independence done.

UKxit

Just got home, it's not looking good, I agree populism and duplicity has hoodwinked many people and won the Tory's another five years. It looks like this was the goal and Brexit the means. The blue collar workers who gave him victory are going to wake up to an almighty head ache in a few months, or certainly in about a year. Blojo's premiership will finish the Tory's for good, along with the change in the demographic.

Let's get Scottish and Northern Irish independence done.

Yes that's inevitable now, can Blojo call England Great England, or will it be little England?

Populism wins. We better get used to it, I suppose. — Baden

Where are all the liberal populists at?

My reading from afar is that Brexit fatigue was a huge factor. Conservatives offered certainty, the opposition parties, more dithering, and the Brexit dither has been more intolerable than Brexit, even if Brexit turns out to be a bad idea.

Yes, you're right about the will to get it done, rather than more dither. It is important not to forget that the master stroke of Johnson's advisors is to conflate Brexit with domestic issues and the threat of a socialist government. If we had had a second referendum on leaving the EU, we would have voted remain, this is widely known and is the reason why brexiters were vehemently against a second referendum.

It was won by disenfranchising voters who wish to remain in the EU via the electoral system. So we have a Brexit election piggy backing on and doubling down on a domestic issue general election. Focussing on the fear of a socialist government. It has worked, but it will betray and anger more than half the population. We are in for a rollercoaster ride now, which will probably result in the break up of the Union with the pieces breaking away, rejoining the EU.

haha this sucks ass

Congrats to everyone in the UK!!