John Curtice on 2024 General Election: We are looking at a 1997 moment again

Professor Kate Dommett and Professor Sir John Curtice explore what we will see play out in the campaign and how current research helps us understand this and likely voting behaviour.

[@Ulysses042]

He didn't say Sunak is a regular guy. He said making him seem like one is part of the Tory strategy.

[@mr.netflix9149]

Makes sense i wont vote for someone i wouldnt drink beer with

[@johncopeland3826]

I am a huge admirer of Sir John's talents as a political analyser and a decent guy . I am also concerned that he is looking a bit on the thin side recently ? I hope you are fit and healthy Sir John ? Please take very good care of yourself ...best wishes .

[@pic101]

Most wholesome comment of the day.

[@AceCrickey]

He is 70 this year

[@ColinBarrett001]

Sir John neatly summing up the current political landscape, and spot on as ever. Thank you.

[@archvaldor]

Bear in mind that Curtice like every pollster does little better than guessing when it comes to elections. In particular he consistently overstates Labour's share of the vote.

[@nigelsynnott7344]

@@archvaldor Your comment about pollsters guessing is almost certainly based on the last GE. If you understand statistics, you know that in any poll there's a margin of error, typically around plus or minus 3%|. The polls at the moment are way outside that margin of error, to the extent that whilst it's not impossible for the Tories to win the next GE, it's vanishingly unlikely. All pollsters report very similar Labour vote shares, which suggest they're not overstating them, as you erroneously claim.

[@andrewwrench1959]

@@archvaldor He didn't mention votes as such, he talked about what voters are saying are their priorities. Ultimately we can only vote on 1, 2 or at most 3 things that are most important to us. Unless the voter is most concerned about getting from ministers directly awarded government contracts it is difficult to see why anyone would vote for the status quo.

[@stevestephens8969]

All listen very closely suckers, this is the man that called at least a 70% Remain Vote on Brexit. The UK Electorate needs to vote for anybody on the Ballot THAT IS NOT WITH ANY OF THE MAIN PARTIES. UK Indigenous Voters want their Country Back.

[@DrzBa]

He's literally been correct for over three decades within fractions of a singe % point@@archvaldor

[@nicks4934]

How anyone still believes in the Tories is beyond me

[@Jesus420.69]

Natural party of government. Labour left no money left and will make British woke

[@pip1723]

Labour left no money lol .

[@edwardbernthal160]

@@Jesus420.69 National debt 2010 £0.95 trillion 74.6% of GDP. National debt 2023 £2,537.trillion 100.5% of GDP. You make be able to walk on water but you are making a proper country club of yourself when you say Labour made a hash of the economy.

[@knightsnight5929]

@@Jesus420.69 Grow up.

[@allthingstravel8404]

@@Jesus420.69 You sound like Greg Hands .. and believe me, this is not a compliment.

[@martynjones8560]

Curtice being pretty much spot on with his analysis - the laughably glaring error being that Sunak is a "regular guy" who is competent. He's competent enough to put his trousers on the right way round, but not regular enough to buy the right size or pay for a tank of fuel with a debit card.

[@brucemitch928]

Yep, totally agree on the comments regarding Sunak…..the most unsuitable PM after BJ, Cameron, Truss…May….the list goes on…

[@Ulysses042]

How is it a glaring error? He's correct: it does seem to be the Tory strategy. What do you think it is?

[@cshairydude]

I don't think he was actually saying that. He was saying that was the perception that the Conservatives are hoping people have of him.

[@stevestephens8969]

All listen very closely suckers, this is the man that called at least a 70% Remain Vote on Brexit. The UK Electorate needs to vote for anybody on the Ballot THAT IS NOT WITH ANY OF THE MAIN PARTIES. UK Indigenous Voters want their Country Back.

[@JPB-zu6wd]

Sunak!! "a regular guy" who does not give 2 fools for this country and its people.

[@alfching2499]

he is not a regular guy,he is a ignorant Roland Rat Looking little Turd who is clearly no good for the people of this country

[@catlee8064]

All the labour cabinet are "regular guys" If you mean millionaires....

[@user-kt3iv9og5l]

3 million voters are now destitute. 1 million children are now living in destitution. The NHS has been crippled by Tory privatisation, shortages of medicine caused by Brexit and endless cuts. So no, a lot of people in this country cannot feed, warm or clothe their children. No. Neither a GP nor a hospital can treat you should you require it. Hospitals and schools are falling down. 250,000 people died in 2020, because Johnson was too busy partying or negotiating the disaster called Brexit instead of trying to save a single life. No sane human being should even CONSIDER voting Tory at the next election. Anyone who does, should be named and shamed. Vote tactically people, oust every Tory in the land.

[@malthusXIII-fo3ep]

So where's the daddy to pay for the children they father? Too many are poor because they don't work or do as little as possible expecting handouts from those who do work. BTW,...it was boozy civil servants who partied....NOT Boris.

[@grahamhall2662]

Sir John Curtiss didn't say Rishi Sunak is a "regular guy". He said that is the Conservative party "strategy" of how they want to portray Rishi Sunk - sorry Sunak.

[@adam28xx]

When he was defeated in the 1997 General Election and lost his Putney seat, David Mellor remarked: "This isn't a one-party state, so sooner of later there's bound to be a change of government." Added to that, Cecil Parkinson, another former Tory minister, pointed out that no party had won more than four general elections in a row since the 2nd World War. He also said that the electorate felt "it was time for a change." There's little doubt that history will repeat itself at the next general election. It is true that Keir Starmer hasn't got the kind of populist touch that Harold Wilson had, nor the charisma of Tony Blair which helped Labour to win a landslide in 1997. The same could also have been said of Clement Attlee but he led Labour to victory in 1945 with a big majority of 145 seats. We await the next election with interest!

[@richardw2646]

And let’s hope Starmer is as good a PM as Attlee was

[@lloydnaylor6113]

Atllees government just scraped in, in 1950 and lost the 1951 general election bringing in 13 years of Conservative rule.

[@malthusXIII-fo3ep]

And just look at the abysmal failure Wilson and Blair left behind.

[@BlyatimirPootin]

​@@malthusXIII-fo3epwhat failure exactly? Please tell me one area of the country that has improved in the last 13 years. I'll wait.

[@stevestephens8969]

All listen very closely suckers, this is the man that called at least a 70% Remain Vote on Brexit. The UK Electorate needs to vote for anybody on the Ballot THAT IS NOT WITH ANY OF THE MAIN PARTIES. UK Indigenous Voters want their Country Back.

[@glassmuxxic]

If you’re philosophically conservative - why would you support the Tories after these arsonists’ time in power? Preservation of institutions - they have defunded and degraded them. Balancing tradition and ‘progress’/change - they rely on reactionary language but actually *do* nothing. Strong defence as a matter of high politics - they have gutted our military and failed on energy security. Control of borders - net immigration is at a record high, with the economic model of the UK more dependent on it than ever. Prioritising long-term investment over short-term gains - they gave working people and the young austerity so they could redirect the funds and buy the votes of the elderly and wealthy.

[@capri2673]

"Control of borders - net immigration is at a record high, with the economic model of the UK more dependent on it than ever." That's the BS lies they tell us. 606,000 net immigration last year. You think that's to keep the economy going or something more sinister? I know what I think. They're not "skilled workers". They're people from sh*t countries. Just look at what Leicester has become.

[@howtoappearincompletely9739]

Exactly this. There's been no one conservative (in any philosophically respectable sense) in the current government since Johnson expelled them post May.

[@noelgrippen4707]

Yes precisely why I won't be voting for them. I won't be voting Labour either as I don't think they're the answer to our problems, and I also don't really see the difference between Labour or the Conservatives.

[@f1remandg]

Brilliant man brilliant analysis!

[@CHUTNEX]

'A regular guy' with hundreds of millions in the bank (ok offshore!) who's married to the daughter of a billionaire, right............

[@catlee8064]

Have to seen the wealth in the labour shadow cabinet....all of them are millionaires....

[@nigelsynnott7344]

@@catlee8064 Whataboutery doesn't address the point being discussed here. Only those with weak arguments resort to it.

[@neilanderson2374]

Bringing Cameron back has sealed their fate

[@robbeales5516]

Mr, gay marriage 😂😂😂 I wouldn’t like that tag round my neck

[@MrDaiseymay]

THEY MUST BE MAD----THEY ARE MAD.

[@richarddiver1562]

Thankful for the few reasonable voices left in political discourse nowadays, such as Sir John and Paul Johnson of the DIFS. Always factual and non-partisan.

[@user-mi9nb3iy4s]

As always a factual and forensic analysis by Professor Curtice, which if the current government are at all serious about staying in power, they would do well to heed.

[@davidclucas4932]

So labour win next time and spend the next 5 years blaming the tories while doing very little. During the next 5 years we get sick of labour and put the tories back in. Etc etc.

[@SamanthaMadison197]

@@davidclucas4932That’s not the way it works

[@SamanthaMadison197]

They can’t turn the economy and the NHS around in less than a year so whether they heed it or not is irrelevant

[@michaelsaunders6923]

Oh yeah sunak the regular guy ... , borrows a car to fill up with petrol so he looks like a regular guy , cant even work out how to use chip and pin, to pay for the petrol Asks a homeless guy what his plans are for the weekend!?!? And this is just "a regular guy"? God give me strength !

[@Simon-zb6fp]

Great Analysis as always. A Labour victory has now become so inevitable it is becoming boring.

[@PassiveAgressive319]

👏🤣let’s bloody hope so

[@SlowhandGreg]

There is no way the Cons can turn it round Because ENERGY The ideology that drove the privatisation of Energy and Water is making the party totally blind to the current Energy crisis and also abandoning Net Zero is one of the stupidest decisions Sunak ever did. Energy costs feed into the economy at every level Quote With the energy price cap below £1,300 throughout 2021, UK households spent around £30 billion on energy during the year. In 2023 the projected spend is around £170 billion. This is equivalent to more than doubling the basic rate of income tax from 20% to 45% or almost doubling VAT from 20% to 38%. Just over 6% of GDP. The answer is Quote The OBR concludes: the debt impact of future volatility in gas prices is at 13% of the UK gross domestic product (GDP) to 2050. This dwarfs the debt impact of 6% of GDP for investing in net zero. Second, it investigates the potential of new, growing energy solutions to cushion price volatility.

[@pip1723]

Can't wait till labour get in and clear up the Tories mess as usual.

[@kyorin6526]

@@pip1723 The Tories actually need Labout to come in, as they've sold off pretty much everything. They need Labour to come in and build the country back up, so that the Tories will have stuff to sell off again in the future... unless PR.

[@stevestephens8969]

All listen very closely suckers, this is the man that called at least a 70% Remain Vote on Brexit. The UK Electorate needs to vote for anybody on the Ballot THAT IS NOT WITH ANY OF THE MAIN PARTIES. UK Indigenous Voters want their Country Back.

[@pchristophergray]

I'm what you might call a traditional Conservative voter. That is to say that some of the politicians who I've most admired over the past 50 years have generally been in that party. In terms of names that would include people like John Major, Kenneth Clarke, Michael Heseltine, Douglas Hurd, Geoffrey Howe, Francis Pym. Even the Labour politicians who I admire have tended to be on the right of that party, people like Denis Healey and Roy Hattersley. That being said this current incarnation of the Conservative Party is an abomination. The decision to hold an EU referendum was an act of pure political cravenness by David Cameron in an attempt to silence the Eurosceptic wing of his own party and to stave off the threat of UKIP siphoning off votes in marginal constituencies. That vote, and the subsequent Brexit debacle has done huge harm to the social, political, and economic health of the United Kingdom - not least the continued threat of Scotland leaving due to it being forced out of the EU against the overwhelming wishes of its people. Then there's the recent Conservative Prime Ministers. Boris Johnson, a man of absolutely not moral scruple whatsoever, not in his political or personal life, elevated to the highest office only to have to resign in disgrace. Liz Truss, a woman simply so bizarre in every facet of her character and behavior that any rational person would wonder how she ever became an MP in the first place, let alone a minister then Prime Minister. When the party was still run by adults I'd like to think that someone would have stood up and said something to the effect of "this woman is a nutter, which idiot suggested that she stand for Parliament?" This Conservative Party needs to be ground down into dust, swept away, then the pieces meticulously found, and ground down some more before being placed in a concrete drum and sunk to the bottom of the deepest Atlantic trench. Sadly I fear that Labour will be little better but at least their leader seems to be just a regular boring person who has actually achieved some things in his life before entering Parliament.

[@danielmoran9902]

The blue team are going to get trounced, the red team will walk it, the immigration system will worsen, the problems in our communities will deepen, and a few years from now, the blue team will be back again.....etc, etc, etc.... I dearly wish there was an alternative.

[@malthusXIII-fo3ep]

Vote Tory.....abolish Labour...they're shit.

[@JoelJoel321]

Love how Curtice does this from his hallway.

[@jimschannel2220]

His Missus won’t let him in the living room.

[@andyleighton6969]

It's a "time for a change election". Not that the electorate writ large are any more enthused about Labour than the Tories, they are the only other option available. Which just shows how much we need electoral reform. The only question is, how bad will it be for the Tories, and will they be able to rebuild in time for "time for a change" to catch up with Labour in their turn?

[@malthusXIII-fo3ep]

I'm sticking with the Tories. I don't trust Labour on the economy, Brexit or immigration.

[@utwhaleandash]

@@malthusXIII-fo3ep Enjoy 10+ years in the wilderness 😂🤣😂

[@malthusXIII-fo3ep]

@@utwhaleandash Dream on, no one wants rabble cultists Labour, Starmer and his fifth rate dross and mediocrity. Don't gamble your job, home and career in Labour's casino.

[@barryhomeowner9293]

​@@malthusXIII-fo3epit's remarkable to me that anyone's still sticking with them. The current batch are so openly fascistic (heavy disdain for human rights law, openly disparaging toward minorities, strongly nationalistic, strongly militaristic) it truly baffles me that anybody thinks they're a reasonable force to govern.

[@petyrkowalski9887]

Sunaks definition of being « a regular guy » is to roll the sleeves up on his customer-made, Jermyn Street, tailored shirt for a staged photo opp.

[@user-ym7cc2xd5f]

Excellent analysis, the Conservative and SNP governments both on the way out.

[@MrDaiseymay]

A GLIMPSE OF SUNLIGHT

[@dopiaza2006]

Lifelong tory voter here. They do not deserve to be in office. But neither do Labour. What a mess.

[@oohermissus]

Rishi's already got his private jet booked for late '24 to California and a plumb job to boot. 😊

[@crapmalls]

Regular guy richer than the king 😂

[@nazberg445]

HM is actually wealthier than Sunak. The combined net worth of Sunak and his wife is around £800 million, whereas HM is worth around £2 Billion

[@williamhurley8407]

For a man who has never been a politician, John Curtis could teach our politicians a thing or two.

[@gordonhamilton727]

He's talking g rubbish. Sunak is not a guy who can run this country, and is not a "regular guy", regular guys aren't worth £750millon. Biggest threat to the Tories is the Reform Party who are decimating their vote. Something he conveniently fails to mention.

[@crowbar9566]

How? His predictions are usually wrong.

[@AntSudbury-tv3we]

Hopefully Johnson,s in jail by then,,

[@County-ej8vj]

How is 1997 possible? There is no chance of this without Scotland?

[@Fordnan]

The SNP would shore up a minority Labour government in return for a promise of a referendum.

[@County-ej8vj]

@@Fordnan so nothing like 1997 then?

[@alfching2499]

We Seem to have a over abundance of Sirs and Lords and other Parasites,how I hate this countries hangers on system

[@andrewgoodall2183]

Don't know why the subtitles.

[@garybrooks5296]

Well i certainly wont play any part in it. No party have won my vote!

[@watchflexwatchflex5956]

Starmer is no Blair so it will not be like 1997

[@lawrencevincent1]

I like this person he talks real sense. Removing the Tories from power however will not be easy but not impossible.

[@anthonyharris7780]

Here we go around the merry go round. Left right left right, marching ever forward into the mud.

[@Joe-og6br]

Looks like he does his webcam interviews by his front door.

[@johncourtneidge]

The difference between 1997 and now is that the anti-Tory vote is split: look at the Hertfordshire local election reuslt for 1995 and this year. Ps I was elected as part of the first Labour majority Town Council Hertford in 1995. Now, I think not a single Labour Town Councillor there now.

[@cosmicmusicreynolds3266]

The Tories will be replaced by Tory plan B , Starmer!

[@andrewpreston4127]

Agreed.

[@goonerboz6023]

I pray it's not like 97 Blair was much worse than major

[@francisexperience]

you have hit the nail on the head, and they have no time to achieve recovering the economy and the NHS. ~Tories are toast!

[@MrDaiseymay]

THERE IS ONLY ONE CHOICE VOTE FOR DECENT PATRIOTS, VOTE ''REFORM'' THEY WILL HAVE ALL THE CANDIDATES READY

[@allanmclaughlin1152]

TORIES OUT!

[@rickerbyct]

I think most people now understand that a tax cut is likely to put tuppence happeney in their pockets but take billions out of the exchequer. Do people really want that extra few bob but to wait hours in A&E, wait years for a routine operation, spin the wheel of fortune everytime they try and catch a train or see their kids in classrooms with Acro-props?

[@cribbesque]

This interview looks like we have just caught him leaving the house. Gives it a weird edge.

[@MontyCantsin5]

I would strongly disagree with the claim that an odious, billionaire, near psychopath like Sunak is a ‘’regular guy’’.

[@fredflintstone1428]

Who will ever vote again? I would only vote if it was on the understanding that the whole Governmental apparatus was dismantled, from taxation to immigration. Bring back sovereignty for the individual with a 2024 Bill of Rights and dismantle the whole idea of The Strawman and 'lost at sea'. I am 60 and have voted since I was eligible to vote. I have been deceived by a system that keeps you in the dark about how the world really works and who controls it.

[@jimschannel2220]

They want to conserve their wealth. Unfortunately they do not want to conserve public services.

[@sallyraynor8984]

"Sunak is a regular guy who can run the country competently", does this guy know what he's talking about!!! Lol!

[@carelgoodheir692]

You're misquoting him, he said the Tories are trying to present Sunak as a regular guy.

[@cdylancarter9968]

Well yes, because a good vast majority of the electorate cannot remember last time LIEbour was in power or the even worse sh*t show they did.

[@JimJim-kh8rw]

Time for change.

[@MontyCantsin5]

That rules the current Labour Party out then.

[@fredforsythe8310]

If there is a modicum of sense in the country none of the main parties will get power.

[@misterbarker]

Why are you hoping for tax cuts?

[@SlowhandGreg]

There is no way the Cons can turn it round Because ENERGY The ideology that drove the privatisation of Energy and Water is making the party totally blind to the current Energy crisis and also abandoning Net Zero is one of the stupidest decisions Sunak ever did. Energy costs feed into the economy at every level Quote With the energy price cap below £1,300 throughout 2021, UK households spent around £30 billion on energy during the year. In 2023 the projected spend is around £170 billion. This is equivalent to more than doubling the basic rate of income tax from 20% to 45% or almost doubling VAT from 20% to 38%. Just over 6% of GDP. The answer is Quote The OBR concludes: the debt impact of future volatility in gas prices is at 13% of the UK gross domestic product (GDP) to 2050. This dwarfs the debt impact of 6% of GDP for investing in net zero. Second, it investigates the potential of new, growing energy solutions to cushion price volatility.

[@pip1723]

Let's hope so who'd vote for more of this government.....

[@polaris7122]

Me!

[@MontyCantsin5]

@polaris7122: Troll.

[@polaris7122]

@@MontyCantsin5 please explain why you think I am a Troll? I await your in depth intelligent reasons! I would vote for the Cons because only 2 parties can win in the UK under the FPTP voting system. If you need me to explain the difference between a FPTP and PR voting system before replying, just ask me. Now I am waiting with bated breath for your well-thought-out and presented case. My money is on no reply!!

[@polaris7122]

@@MontyCantsin5 still waiting!!!!

[@MontyCantsin5]

@@polaris7122: Only someone who is braindead would continue to vote for the Conservatives after 13 years of utter chaos and downright failure. If you are being serious (that of course would be an admission of serious cognitive dissonance and/or wilful ignorance) it's up to you to explain why they are the correct choice.

[@KAZUYADOG]

John John ...............Sunak is not a REGULAR guy............how many "regular guys" are there that you know who have £ millions in the bank ?

[@petyrkowalski9887]

Or have a billionaire wife

[@catlee8064]

All the labour cabinet are millionaires.....your point?

[@KAZUYADOG]

@@catlee8064 What a load of old shit to quote Nan 🤣

[@catlee8064]

@@KAZUYADOG Starmer is worth 15 million...Rayner 3 million...Reeves 75 million....phillipson 5 million...cooper 5 million.... I could go on, but you get the idea..pretty much all of the shadow cabinet are millionaires....so to quote nan....Fuck off outta here...

[@knightsnight5929]

@@catlee8064They are peasants compared to Sunak

[@davidwackett9375]

This what Bob down the cafe said and he hardly went to school 🤠

[@intergalacticshovel]

The next GE won’t be about immigration? It’ll be about cost of living and the NHS- those age old issues- but not immigration?

[@drewcampbell8555]

I met John Curtice on a train once. He carried a flask of tea - which puts him in the 0.001% of railway passengers.

[@robbothegreat1368]

😂😂 Great stuff, sensible man

[@liamb8644]

Dream on. As if Sir Keith has the political might Blair had in 1997. And even if he did, look how it all ended up for Blair.

[@ianbrew6212]

Normally I agree with Prof Curtice however he’s way out here. People realise that all parties got Covid wrong. Labour also flouted rules . The big big issue is illegal immigration - and its knock on effects re over crowding .

[@AM_o2000]

In other words, the Tories don't stand a chance as long as their strategy is the same as it has been for the last 13 years, namely raiding the public purse to pump up house prices through demand-side measures (to create the illusion of prosperity) and raiding the public purse to hand out the money to cronies (such as ferry companies that don't have any ferries). The Tories are out of ideas and don't have a vision for UK society and the economy. It's tempting to argue that they haven't had such a vision ever since 2010. And as a result, in a desperate attempt to keep voters on side, they're experimenting with all kinds of flavours of right-wing ideology, including populist extremism. I don't support Labour or LibDems, but the Tories need a period in opposition to help them reflect on their values and form a proper vision.

[@malthusXIII-fo3ep]

2010...and Cameron states that ''he is the heir to Blair''....ie continuation of New Labour and socialism Mark 2. Cameron should have returned us back to a low tax, enterprise economy and dismantled Blair's disastrous welfare dependency culture.

[@R08Tam]

As I keep asking people "can you afford private health care?" If not (l certainly can't) why would you vote for the party that has spent decades trying to destroy the NHS?

[@totalvoid6234]

Which one? We have two.

[@totaltouring829]

It’s because of the pathetic voting system we have . If people were allowed to stand based on competence, then maybe we’d have a democracy fit for modern day living. The rewarding of being knighted and titled ect for status over others is just mocking the whole gravitas of holding such a position. You never see John Doe who works in the Hospice for decades get acknowledged or the soldier who lost their limbs saving others from death. As for the professors views , I don’t need a lecture on how the GE will pan out. My view isn’t important as my opinion on how things should be done are based upon what it’s been like living under endless pressure put upon me to seen and not heard.

[@hughjohns9110]

Immigration certainly is one of the biggest problems, it's just that nobody believes Labour will improve the situation .

[@malthusXIII-fo3ep]

It was madman Blair who opened the floodgates in 1997.

[@hughjohns9110]

@@malthusXIII-fo3ep in fact the floodgates were opened when the EEC morphed into the EU and free movement hit us.

[@malthusXIII-fo3ep]

@@hughjohns9110 Yes, that was in 2004 when cheap EU labour poured in and soon they were claiming billions in benefits. We already had 2 million unemployed in the UK, we never needed all this damaging cheap labour. Another Blair disaster.

[@hughjohns9110]

@@malthusXIII-fo3ep it was long before 2004 but for sure Blair supported it.

[@Eightball69]

Immigration has been brilliant for Britain, it needs to be said. Britain's success is because of immigration.

[@covidradio1387]

Regular guy, my arse. He takes from the poor to give to the rich, has a green card and heated swimming pool,and does not know how to pay for petrol with his bank card. How much more regular can he get?

[@tennysonfordblackbird2087]

Starmer flip flops everyweek.🎉

[@Eightball69]

Sure mate, you keep on parroting the Tories attack lines 👍

[@midlandgeordie]

How anyone can contemplate voting Tory,after 13years of decline and incompetence is beyond me. Lizz Truss and clown Johnson!

[@certificate98]

True.

[@pincermovement72]

Or Labour too.

[@malthusXIII-fo3ep]

£67-00 per month off our heating bills last winter thanks to Liz Truss.

[@The8224sm]

Elect a clown, expect a circus.

[@alancooper3331]

Everyone that voted leave the EU should vote ReformUk,that will change everything.

[@pitbull2005]

Time is the problem. All Parties in power have a shelf life and the Tories time is up. It's too late for them to crawl back the votes now...their time is up...we will all have to suffer Labour for a good many years now!

[@mustrumridcully3853]

Rishi Sunak "regular guy" with hundreds of millions in the bank? PMSL.

[@stephenodey5147]

Rishi is no ordinary guy , no ordinary multimillionaire 🤷‍♂️

[@annagilda1]

"Um"

[@garyjones6438]

The British People need a change , Tory & Labour dont deserve votes , what about Reform UK to win and Lib Dem in opposition for a refreshing change

[@edwardbernthal160]

Reform, for those that don't know, is a resorected UKIP party with no sensible policies. Tell me one good thing about the party.

[@Eightball69]

Please do vote for Reform UK, every vote for them splits the Tory vote 👍

[@edwardbernthal160]

@@Eightball69 Reform are the reincarnation of UKIP.

[@DavidMartin-ym2te]

Difference this time being the Tories have left Labour with no money - first time that's happened. Good luck with that Mr. Starmer.

[@johnroberts9701]

No, that's not the first time it's happened. In 1964 when the Tories lost the election, the incoming chancellor, JIm Callaghan, found a note from Reginald Maudling which said "Sorry to leav it in such a mess!"

[@Jacky-Boy]

If i could have a govt resolve the underfunded infrastructure in this country, turn round GDP, make the country one that I could feel comfortable having children in, id be more than happy to pay more taxes.

[@nickmail7604]

All very interesting but of no importance. Has anyone wondered why when the leadership was put to Conservative members for a vote between Sunak and Truss that they voted for Truss? She was never leader material and we all knew this but we voted for her. Well truth to be told she is viewed as both indigenous English and has always paid tax here. Whereas Sunak only started paying tax here when he reached government and his wife only started paying tax here when she was outed by the press. Their skin tone say Indian and their tax behaviour screams Indian. If he wants to be voted in as Prime Minister by the actual voters I suggest he runs for election in India because it will not happen here.

[@apintofbeer1667]

This shyster called the Brexit referendum result wrong

[@dadoots1551]

So, listening to John’s comments on the significant current mess of the UK under the Conservatives, sounds pretty dire. And look at the alternative? Kier Starmer’s Labour Party. We’re in a hole and digging deeper!

[@colinrobinson7869]

Well said

[@NeilCWCampbell]

We must ensure that we prioritise non Brexit and non conservative voters in the NHS

[@DavidMartin-ym2te]

And how do you do that?

[@NeilCWCampbell]

@@DavidMartin-ym2te by prioritising non Brexit voters and non conservative voters in the NHS.. Which particular bit are you objecting to!

[@Samjiri]

​@@DavidMartin-ym2temarked ballot papers, you know like totalitarian regimes love to do

[@garywalling4341]

Actually the first couple of years after 1997 were actually not too bad if I remember. It was after 2000 it started going sour.

[@cshairydude]

Blair's first term was one of the most transformative in postwar history. Devolution, the Good Friday Agreement (admittedly building on Major's work), Human Rights Act, Lords reform (weak as it was), minimum wage, massive expansion of tertiary education... on the negative side, tuition fees and Section 44 stop and search. This was a very different place after the turn of the century. The tide started to turn after 9/11 when Islamist terrorism became a hot topic and the Labour government took a dark authoritarian turn.

[@67Parsifal]

You’re wrong. The economy started going sour in 2007; it has never recovered.

[@malthusXIII-fo3ep]

Yes, a great Tory economic legacy, then trashed by Brown with massive PFI borrowing. And colossal welfare dependency and Benefits Britain. On the PISA metric, education standards slumped disastrously from Tory 4th in 1997 to Blair 21st in 2010.

[@graham1745]

@@cshairydude Spot on, Dude! 👍

[@Just-Ignore-It_88]

​@@malthusXIII-fo3epYou have a problem with handicapped people on benefits? Move to another country then!

[@Mishima505]

1997: things can only get better 2010: there’s no money left

[@DavidMartin-ym2te]

2024: There's still no money....

[@khar12d8]

The Tories by 1997 had no majority left in Parliament. The Tories are going into the next election with a much larger majority. So even if the Tories do as badly as they did in 97 in terms of popular support in percentage terms Labour won't win a huge majority. That is how FPTP works. I reckon Labour will win a moderate majority based on current polls. But Starmer is no Blair and so I do think the Tories could improve a bit once the election is called. Unlikely Tories will win but you could get into hung Parliament territory.

[@jonathancooper4914]

A 1997 moment, yes. As in all promises will be broken and nothing will change.

[@MrDaiseymay]

For a clear , and accurate description of this PM, I refer you, and everyone else, to the 'FORMER HOME SECRETARY'S POST SACKING, STATEMENT ABOUT HIM''. VOTE ''REFORM'' THIS COUNTRY'S LAST HOPE . WE ARE STANDING ON THE EDGE OF A PRECIPICE

[@taffyterrier]

We were standing on the edge of a precipice in 2019. Johnson and Patel pushed us over it.

[@charlesregan9917]

An election now please 2024 too long a time period

[@utwhaleandash]

Tories will end up with less than 100 seats and spend 15 years in the wilderness.Party time.

[@buggerlugz6753]

Whilst the current government is due a really good kicking, there is no viable alternative currently because all the parties are too concerned about lining their own pockets than doing what their constituents expect of them.

[@owainmorgan3897]

Does anyone seriously think the Tories will answer either of those two questions? Cause I don't. The problem is if the electorate thinks a General election is a forgone conclusion they don't turnout and that's the real issue here. We're still looking at anything from a Labour landslide to a hung Parliament with Labour as the largest Party. That final scenario is problematic to say the least, especially if an accommodation with the Lib Dems doesn't give Labour a majority cause then they have to talk to the SNP and that will just hand the next election to the Tories on a silver platter.🙁

[@ziggurat-builder8755]

Should I be trusting someone who keeps calling a democratically elected government a ‘regime’??

[@Wolves942]

Good

[@Samjiri]

Tory voters wont swing to Labour like they did in 97, they'll vote reform or abstain, but yes will still result in a Labour victory

[@1972scott1]

I cant wait to seethe back of the tories but i dread Labour getting in🤦🏼‍♂️

[@mrp5169]

The Tories have got ‘no concerns’ , apart from staying in power, all Cnunts🤥🤥🤥🤡🤡🤡🤡

[@BertWilbers]

NEVER FORGET WHAT THEY DID ......ALL ARE WEF BOUGHT ...ALL OF EM

[@RF_Burns]

Ping-Pong UK politics. Soon it will be Labours turn (again) and in time we will see THEIR incompetence (again). Been here so many times before, I'm numb to it now. Anyone who thinks that life will change dramatically under Labour... prepare for disappointment. Both Parties are worse than useless.

[@Judewilkinsonjfk]

The Labour government 1997-2010 had a great record. Don't pretend there's no difference. For the nurses - Labour is better. For lower earners and young parents - Labour is better. For the climate - Labour is better.

[@lightningleaf23]

Stop reading the daily mail

[@RF_Burns]

@@Judewilkinsonjfk Better than terrible, yes. But still not great, not by a long way! I'm half German and the NHS has been a long-standing joke for how NOT to run a health service. I first became aware of the differences during the 70s when I visited my Aunt at a health spa. Every German is entitled to a 3 week spa every 4 years. Meals, childcare and therapies are all included, and let me tell you they are set in beautiful locations, and the service is top notch! Standard of living? Don't even go there! I've traveled all over Europe (including the old comunist states) and the UK has not faired too well over the last 50 years - again regardless of who was in power. Wanna talk about the 1970s? I was there, it was an absolute mess under Labour. 10 times worse than today, nobody was working. I'm saying that both are bad and it's a sad situation when people think that the "New Labour" years of rising housing costs and the normalization of both parents needing to go out to work just to keep a roof over your heads is something we should all aspire to. Thankfully I'm a retired homeowner now so it's no longer my problem, but I wouldn't want to be a 30 year old on less than 100k p/a, because that's what you're going to need - assuming you don't want to live hand-to-mouth your whole life. Neither of them are going to fix this problem ...and they could.

[@RF_Burns]

@@lightningleaf23 Since I do not, I don't understand your connotation. Care to elaborate?

[@lightningleaf23]

@@RF_Burns low inflation, minimum wage, more attainable home ownership, nhs miles better in terms of care and waiting lists, massive cash pumped into eduction, sustained growth until the financial crash ( global not caused by Labour ), Tony Blair the most important politician in Europe due to close ties to the US, more police on the street, larger armed forces, less poverty. War in Iraq aside new Labour was a very successful period

[@nellyt2807]

Does he really think immigration isn't of much importance to people.

[@brusselssprouts560]

I hope to goodness that he is right.

[@capri2673]

And we get another hopeless rabble. I mean, Angela Raynor, as a cabinet minister?!

[@st.george007]

Cultural issues, to them that sounds so perverse. Speaking about perverse, enough said. Labour seams to falling on foreign affairs. Looks like a good day for SNP coming up.

[@knightsnight5929]

Umm, but unlike the SNP the Labour party is not criminally corrupt, utterly incompetent and in complete chaos, so still some way to go.