Makerfield. I wonder how it’s going!

MollyNew

Wyllow3

Oh , I grieve Yvette not getting a chance, Iam. Different course to history, hey?

I have often wondered how different history would have been if David Miliband had won instead of Ed. David seemed to have all the right qualities to be an excellent leader at the time.

I agree. I was really hoping he would come back to politics before the last election. I really like Yvette Cooper too, she’s a doer, with a steel backbone.

David Milburn and Yvette Cooper are neoliberal economy to the core, heavens, Cooper ids even married to an ex neoliberal Chancellor. . I'm not too sure that Burnham isn't neo lib, but he has made some promising noises. Neo liberal economics is what has put the country into the state it is in now and is keeping it there. The UK doesn't need even more of it.

We don’t all share your view though MaizieD, as I’m sure you know.

Casdon

We don’t all share your view though MaizieD, as I’m sure you know.

So what is your explanation for poverty and extreme wealth side by side in the same country? Privatised utilities dishing out their profits to shareholders yet expecting consumers to foot the bill for infrastructure improvement? Wages still at the same level in real terms that they were nearly 2 decades ago? Any services still run by the state having funding cut to the bone?

I'm genuinely curious. Do people think that a nation's economy runs by some god given natural laws and that there are no alternatives?

Otr are they just happy with the way things are now?

Iam64

I hope Andy wins. I wish the Labour Party wasn’t in this mess, we need strong, reliable government not back biting and chaos.

Andy B will be an asset at Westminster. Rob the sexist not very bright plumber - would not be an asset anywhere

Completely agree. Can’t understand how Reform’s vetting has produced so many terrible candidates. Trying to explain his comments as ‘banter’ is not acceptable in my world.
Burnham has the experience, passion, and ideas to really sort things out.

He has just rolled out Hugh Grant to support him, buying the consent of a vulnerable woman is not acceptable in my world. The misogyny of the middle class is somehow seen as different.

MaizieD I'm not as knowledgeable about political policy as you - I've just had to google 'neoliberalism'. However, surely privatised utilities (which I object to) were brought in by old Maggie and her Tory cronies? How would you solve the problem? Genuine question.

ronib

There’s no point in worrying about Farage becoming PM in 3 years or so …. IMO

I completely agree

MaizieD

Casdon

We don’t all share your view though MaizieD, as I’m sure you know.

So what is your explanation for poverty and extreme wealth side by side in the same country? Privatised utilities dishing out their profits to shareholders yet expecting consumers to foot the bill for infrastructure improvement? Wages still at the same level in real terms that they were nearly 2 decades ago? Any services still run by the state having funding cut to the bone?

I'm genuinely curious. Do people think that a nation's economy runs by some god given natural laws and that there are no alternatives?

You tend to present your preferred model as though everybody else, including all previous governments, is wrong, when it’s actually just a model MaizieD That’s fine, but you have to accept that others don’t think the system is fundamentally broken - or think that there’s more to running a country than purely the economic model. I don’t want to fall out about it, just don’t assume we are all dumb because we see things differently.

I am not as knowledgeable as MaizieD but I do know that if you (government’s) spend on infrastructure it creates employment which keeps money in circulation.
Expecting big corporations to build infrastructure whilst creating jobs, it also creates extremely rich people who exert influence over governments

(Sorry for simplistic explanation, I am nodding whilst GS (11yr) educates me on the World Cup)

From what I’ve read on Facebook Makerfield has been a pretty unpleasant place to be today.

MayBee70

From what I’ve read on Facebook Makerfield has been a pretty unpleasant place to be today.

Indeed!

10pm
The polls are closed now.
We await the results.

I dont think I can stay up until the predicted at the very earliest 3am...

I would like to stay up and watch the count but I think I'll have to call it a day.

I’d be very,very surprised if Reform win. Watching it live now. They all seem to be just wandering around yakking, not much work/ counting going on. Very different to the counts here where mostly people are flat chat and very concentrated.

Bookies say Burnham. They note the wines vote has been affected by Kenyon's stuff.

I'm wondering how many Restore will pick up, intriguing if they start taking a goodish chunk of the far right vote.

The women's vote not the wines vote!

MaizieD

Otr are they just happy with the way things are now?

No, but we cannot afford to borrow enough.

Looks like the Tories have taken Aberdeen!

Aberdeen South that should be

Andy did it. Very comfortably.

Let's see what next week holds

Restore for 3111

Conservative cave 4th

Well done Andy Burnham. Hopefully onwards and upwards for the British Labour Party . Get rid of your leader asap and move forward.