This Labour city backed Brexit and went Tory: what did it get in return? | Anywhere but Westminster

[@imaginitivity7853]

It boggles my mind that anyone at any time in history has taken Boris Johnson as a man of his word

[@ohauss]

If it looks like a buffoon, talks like a buffon and acts like a buffoon, it just might be an empty bag of hot air...

[@vulgartrendkill]

I remember when he dangled from the zip line and I said imagine him as PM and we all laughed.......

[@onenote6619]

His career, from beginning to end, is defined by the lies. Fired from both his first and last jobs for enormous falsehoods.

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

There are people that vote, and saw him as lovable, bumbling BoZo The Clown. Most people like to know a bit more about a man that's likely to get his hands on power. The Darius Guppy tape is the one one that paints him starkly as a psychopath. We were and are just furniture for them to write the psychodrama of their empty endless lives. I've always hated public school nihilists.

[@roderickmain9697]

So many people, some of my immediate acquaintance, "voted for Boris" because "He's funny". I can only hope they aren't laughing now.

[@SmithyD86]

Boris wrote two speeches, one to announce he was pro remain, one to announce he was pro Brexit. The man has no shame. He ended up going Brexit because it was the popularist lean. Tells you everything you need to know.

[@barrywest2170]

Spot on 👍👍🏿👍🏾

[@Blastoice]

Brexit suddenly came about because the eu wanted to tax off shore accounts. And suddenly there was a referendum. People don't see through the elite's lies.

[@fleurtaylor7311]

100%

[@TheOutsider840]

What's wrong with that? Isn't it wise to evaluate the pros and cons of each side?

[@barrywest2170]

@@TheOutsider840 It was political opportunism designed to put himself in power and didn’t we all suffer from his oven ready Brexit false promises

[@spe3dy744]

Gotta love the difference between the Labour candidate talking about issues such as cuts to youth services and stuff, and then the Conservative candidate just slags off people and says how he wants to see reactions on twitter.

[@joannelewis3390]

Calling the people skumbags

[@paulgibbon5991]

The Trumpism infestation in the right is scary stuff.

[@Me-ui1zy]

The most insane thing was the first thing he said about if he wins again was seeing people on twitter being upset. Like why tf are you even in politics. Surely he should be there because he thinks he can make things better for all his constituents, those who voted for him and those who didn't. Its so deeply unsettling when politicians seem more interesting in upsetting the other side than actually serving the people they are meant to represent.

[@missrachael1709]

Same in Australia.

[@superhans6997]

Labour are just going to continue flooding the country with third worlders just like the tories have done the last 14 years. We need real change in this country

[@crayontom9687]

Gullis. A symbol of national decline in human form

[@samuelfawell9159]

The totally lack of self awareness, that’s what gets so many people so angry, that anyone can look at their 14 year record and go “yeah… I’m enjoying this”, while people are struggling with everything, but the Tories are able to say “yeah… but you made OUR lives better, so vote for us again”

[@GreyFoxNinjaFan]

Literally the devolution of man.

[@jasonspurs]

I love your comment about Gullis.

[@antonycharnock2993]

"Do you have any sympathy for all the druggies?" Basically they are a symptom of tory underfunding for social services over the last 14 years.

[@jananders1351]

Physically human, mentally rather less certain.

[@alfredlamowen]

"And I will love every minute of watching twitter melt down about it" - It's all a culture war with the Tories. It's not about policy and promises, it's about proving that they have power even if they do nothing with it

[@gonecddm]

Thought the same watching it, first thing he thinks of if he wins isn't how he's going to improve the area for the people but pissing off the "twitter mob". Going to the doorsteps in an ill-fitting shirt calling people scrotes, he's like a sketchy salesman not an MP.

[@diluteduk]

that comment itself just makes the guy look like a scumbag. I hope he loses.

[@jaybee4288]

Yeah it’s just a game to the tories, he thinks it’s funny if people despise him and what he stands for. He should be trying to change peoples perception but instead he trolls them on Twitter like a 13 year old.

[@ScouseJazmin]

I'm a teacher and if a student talked that way, I'd have given them detention. He's asking people to give him the power over their lives, and he's acting worse than a toddler. Also, no one brings up twitter in a TV interview unless they're actually bothered by it. Maybe because that's the only time he sees what real people actually think of Tories 😂

[@geraintharries5754]

It's copied from the US. 'Owning the Libs' is more important than having a functioning country. How many voters have put 'feeling smug on twitter' at the top of their priorities?

[@tb292]

I'm pulling an all nighter on election day just so I can watch Jonathan Gullis lose his seat. Cannot wait.

[@John-lp5xh]

Can you pull an allnighter walking around Whitechapel, Southall, Bradford, Birmingham. Any of those ones please

[@columbus7950]

Same: but I’ve got the mobile number of the local Gammoneer. Michelle from Conservative Home is going to send him regular updates through the night. 🤔😉

[@Pathofplenty]

Oh it’ll be a picture Rodney, a picture.

[@paulcurran3661]

He's not running.

[@milsub59]

Pure joy Brother

[@chrisdrakes2332]

How Gullis can look anyone in the eye and say he and his party have achieved something is mind boggling.

[@G_C340]

Do you think he cares? He has done f' all and pocketed 80,000 a year PLUS expenses. He's alright Jack. If you voted for a conservative you voted for someone intent on smashing the NHS, destroying benifits and leaving the poor to die.

[@billgreen576]

They have achieved something. Massive transfer of national wealth to the over privileged elites.

[@CharlieGilbert]

Wow. The difference in language between the Labour candidate and Gullis (who just happens to be going round the big houses).

[@pspr33]

The people in those (big) houses are his bread and butter who might be thinking of not voting Tory this time around..

[@Dinadino994]

This town literally got what they voted for … nowt !!

[@jimogjimog]

They were mugged by Johnson and Brexit and they're going to get mugged again voting Reform. Torys, promise everything, deliver nothing, blame someone else.

[@heavytreaty]

It was bad under Thatcher and then New Labour and so they voted for anything.

[@sailormanoyster1849]

Own goal😅

[@skullsaintdead]

Too right, and the ladies that say they won't vote cause they're unhappy with the candidates, as if it's a menu you get to pick your favourite dish from?! So, why do you matter then, love? Why should any MP/govt care about your existence if you don't bother to do the most basic, yet necessary responsibility in any democracy - vote (and give someone an incentive to care about you). How can people survive in life being so foolish? It always baffles me when people act against their own self-interests. It's one thing for a millionaire to vote Tory but it's another altogether for a middle-class family to (unknowingly?) self-sacrifice their standard of living for some rich lads portfolio! Improving education in politics should be a top priority.

[@goych]

@@skullsaintdeadwell it says a lot that 1 in 3 don’t vote, I would like to know their reasons. There would be many but as you say a simple education would help you discern that the tories are not to be voted for

[@davidbeazley1958]

Calling the most desperate people in society, “scrotes and scumbags”… this is Tory compassion and empathy.

[@anthonyfrancis2374]

No! its the truth lol

[@davidbeazley1958]

@@anthonyfrancis2374 people in the throes of despair are so funny lol 😒

[@1centimetre]

If these same people voted Tory, then they deserve it

[@Skoda130]

​@@davidbeazley1958yes.

[@irminschembri8263]

If posters with " Funded or co-funded by the EU " were as prominent as the " levelling up" one I doubt Brexit would have happened ! SHAME !!

[@0w784g]

UK was a net contributor.

[@coffeebuzzz]

@@0w784g And?

[@inquiringminds6633]

What is Brexit to blame for exactly?

[@bfcmik]

@@0w784g And that money saved has really helped out the UK, hasn't it? Every single penny has disappeared into the pockets of people like Rishi, Jacob, Boris and their cronies with the 'trickle down' not even reaching the upper middle class, let alone those in need.

[@inquiringminds6633]

@user-rk9it9hz6g that was our point! The UK is the fastest growing economy in Europe growing faster than the top 3 EU states and growing twice as fast as 27 member states. That would not be possible if we had still been contributing to the EU. Step out of the remoaner bubble. If remoaners had actually helped us get Brexit carried out properly things would be even better. Instead they sulked like petulant children for 8 years.

[@TBrl8]

The trouble with democracy is most people are seriously thick.

[@sekib2003]

...in the uk, I've been in countries where it's clear the average person is much more informed and attentive to political goings on.

[@digitalninjatools5670]

indeed - you need a licence to drive a car and have to display a level of competency and understanding...maybe its time...

[@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne]

@@digitalninjatools5670 Maybe we could introduce an IQ test before a driving license is granted, or before you are allowed to reproduce. This would certainly thin out the future population and the roads would lose a significant proportion of the traffic currently clogging it up. I suspect Labour would also lose the bulk of its voter base....🤣

[@cardiffwilly]

I think 'thick' is a bit harsh, but Labour would be smart to emphasise critical thinking and media literacy in education when they get in. People need to be able to tell when they're being lied to.

[@davidr7819]

My local postmaster proudly told me he’d voted for Brexit. He was incredulous when I told him it would be a total disaster. And look at us now 🙄

[@nickinthefield4202]

The Scottish guy preparing food. for his blind neighbour brought a lump to my throat 👏

[@christinegivens9048]

That’s true service. Today there is nothing “civil” about “civil servants”.

[@georgeholmer8563]

Boris promised stuff and then did not deliver. Nobody saw that coming...

[@HA05GER]

Crazy isn't it. I saw it from day one I can't believe the best part of half the country ignored it.

[@jerryorange6983]

He was cristal clear before being elected. No invisible brige, no cheating his wife, no lying as a jornalist.

[@redlightmax]

1:42 I was waiting for someone to say, "Boris lied to me, that's why I'm voting for Nigel." Thankfully that didn't happen in this video.

[@steveholmes11]

OOh,it's that funny man off the telly, I like him..

[@danielcollinson4456]

The fact they call him "Boris" boils my p#ss. He isn't you've mate, he thinks you're scum!

[@TedWard]

Finally "Anywhere but Westminster" is back!

[@CatatonicImperfect]

I spilled my -beer on my sauerkraut- my tea, actually, after I saw the thumbnail.

[@toxlaximus3297]

Tories have been peddling the same lies for 200 years, it's about time people used their brains.

[@CraigBuckton-o3q]

Same as the Labour and probably any other political party. Country is in dire need of a revolution. And some out of the box thinking!!

[@hamblyl]

@@CraigBuckton-o3q Nah, not having it - that's just some sort of baseless ethereal blame shifting - We dont need radical. We don't need revolution. And they aren't all the same, not even a lilttle bit. We need a sensible drama-free government who can get on and prioritise & fund the services that have been neglected or abused for the last 14 years. It is, after all, what we employ the government for - start with getting that done first and maybe we can have a think about what's next after everything is back to some vague state of normalcy.

[@RankinMsP]

​@@CraigBuckton-o3qLabour haven't nearly as much damage and you know this. Take me back to the last Labour govt under Brown

[@Norfolkandchance886]

​@@RankinMsPid say the opposite. Let's not.

[@mattbrown-mb]

@@CraigBuckton-o3q Labour is not the same, the Tories funnel money away from the underprivileged and towards the rich, even Sunak was caught on camera gloating about this.

[@ZER0--]

You can't blame Boris for lying to you. If you paid attention it was obvious Brexit was going to be a disaster for Britain and has been and it isn't over yet. Some folk are still in denial, mainly tory MPs.

[@Elcore]

Complaining that Boris lied to you is like moaning that a man with a stripy shirt, a mask and a tie with burgers on it stole all your hamburgers.

[@tristanphillips351]

Have you asked yourself why Keir Starmer has committed to hard Brexit.

[@wonderingworld119]

You have to remember, when you live in an area that has nothing but deprivation any change seems worth a gamble.

[@davestevenson9080]

Brexit didn't need to be a disaster, it's sensible to want sovereignty . The issue was that we were demanding standards in europe we simply didn't have at home.

[@wijjf8064]

​@@tristanphillips351when did that happen

[@StevenWebb]

All I hear is about winning in this election. It's not about winning and losing, it's about getting an ambulance to somebody that's having a heart attack, giving a bed to somebody that need hospital treatment. A dentist appointment without it costing £300. None of that is about winning, but basic necessities.

[@dw-yl3ln]

Very true. Had a similar realisation myself recently. So much talk of winning and how big the majority is going to be, how much worse it would be with the other guy, etc. I don’t want bravado, I want competency and honesty.

[@ryanl5129]

Winning gives you power to change things like basic necessities ffs

[@StevenWebb]

@@ryanl5129 Absolutely, people know that they don't need to be told that. The voters want to be told how they are going to solve their problems. They don't care who wins or loses ironically. People are so fed up with politics because they are working out how to win rather than how to do the job. Totally get that they need to win, but they will win if they find the solutions.

[@AndyChannelle]

A progressive had to win for these things to happen

[@xtaltia]

@@StevenWebb "how to do the job" is an open question, but every possible answer starts with the same thing: winning

[@Sailing_Antrice]

£580 BILLION A YEAR is avoided in tax by U.K. corporations, companies and wealthy individuals. That’s why austerity is a thing because the money is shipped off to tax havens every week

[@phoenix5054]

Don’t flatter yourself. The UK isn’t that rich. Not a single UK company is even worth that much.

[@MD-wv7ee]

Yet they demonise carers who earned £1 a week more than the limits allowed.

[@laurencedavey3121]

@@phoenix5054 Look at the Forbes list, HSBC has assets worth 3000 billion, Barclays 1800 billion, Lloyds 1200 billion. All of their international headquarters are in London and it's because they don't like paying tax.

[@paulgibbon5991]

@@phoenix5054 The UK is a poor country with some very rich people in it.

[@Sailing_Antrice]

@@phoenix5054 you are mistaken, that figure is an estimate both from the EU when they were calculating the effects of UK off shore tax haves and a similar figure is quoted by UK sources.

[@DanePavitt]

I moved to Stoke in 2010 for university, & the decline has been astonishing. Its a dead city walking. If things don't improve after this election we're pretty set on moving to a new city in the next 5 years or so. I'm grateful for the time I've spent here, the friends I've made & the family I've built, but the city has nothing left to offer, especially in regards to prospects for my daughter.

[@James333-n2q]

I’ve lived all my life in stoke, from the early days when there used to be a steel ind and a coal ind and a pottery ind.. we used to be called the potteries! We were promised that globalisation would bring wonderful opportunities and all it did was outsource all our jobs ( which we knew it would). Fifty years have gone by since then .. and people are daft enough to blame it all on Brexit. We’re easily lead to think whatever the establishment wants, and when they take us back into the EU ( not if) and nothing changes, I hope people will realise how we’ve been betrayed.

[@ShellysAshes]

We’re not going back into the EU.

[@goodbyetothepeople92]

@@James333-n2qyou voted Brexit and Tory didn’t you? Well you reap what you sow.

[@bokhans]

I remember this guy asked if things were better with Brexit and he said sure! “We have much more food banks now.”

[@Robert-cu9bm]

Banks are secure, so we now have more food security.

[@jujutrini8412]

🤦‍♀️

[@MSDosPrompt]

You do realise that we shut the economy down for 18 months unplugged billions upon billions into the economy to keep it float which has resulted in the sky high inflation we now seeing????

[@suttercane6]

Free food is better than no food.

[@MSDosPrompt]

I'm not sure what food banks have got to do with leaving the EU

[@tr3vk4m]

Reform would make this nightmare 10X worse.

[@christinegivens9048]

💯✅

[@condor07uk]

not would, defo will

[@lrs7777]

It’s delusional to think the Tory Party cares about working people.

[@tobytroubs]

Same as Labour

[@AJustmenow]

Our leaders only care about migrants, both sides of the Political Spectrum that is.

[@HarryNicNicholas]

it's actually delusional to think tory MP's care about tory voters and i think it's becoming apparent to tory voters, finally.

[@melmorrison1400]

@@HarryNicNicholasI agree, it’s delusional if you think Labour are any different

[@judyhouy5578]

@@tobytroubshe mentions that it was so much better in the old days. Did he mean when Victorian days when the Empire went around pillaging and subjugating. Karma has hit England right square in the jaw and I cry crocodile tears for those fears!!

[@Yeah-Buddy-Lightweight]

She'll vote for Boris, who did what he did, but she doesn't seem to want to vote for a party who does want to help her. Fallen for the usual "They're all the same". Then she'll just complain down the road that her life is even worse, if Labour don't get in. Some people just don't use critical thinking to find out the facts, instead of newspaper headlines. I hope she votes and votes tactically to get the Tories out.

[@declanstewart5690]

Both are two sides of the same coin. No one's life is genuinely going to get better when labour gets in. You can't be that naïve.

[@LeftAndProud]

​@declanstewart5690 how do u know Labour won't improve things? What information tells you that? Is it just your git feeling or hope?

[@declanstewart5690]

@@LeftAndProud Labour started the descent into madness and decline, the Tories just facilitated it.

[@MrMmnngghh]

@@declanstewart5690 No, Rupert Murdoch started the descent into madness and decline, by appointing Margaret Thatcher. This all goes back nearly fifty years.

[@LeftAndProud]

@@declanstewart5690 U are having emotional outbursts. That's OK. Many people are dissatisfied with their lived. But say something that is real. Give examples of policies. Pretend you are an expert at least

[@france2j]

It grossly upsets me that anyone would vote Tory at any time, ever. Anyone who falls for their lies needs to give their head a shake.

[@0w784g]

Get out more.

[@kieranhudson4938]

They all lie so you're just a mug as the rest of us unless you don't vote then you're a mug for not participating in democracy maybe go live in North Korea?

[@JamesFTW1]

@@0w784g aplícate el cuento

[@laurencecheyne593]

​@@0w784gYou don't disagree, surely.

[@Anon1370]

Reform said the door is open for Tory's to come join us...looks like people will get Tory no matter what systems are all corrupt I trust no governments

[@MikeBenko]

Step 1. Vote for Brexit. Step 2. Vote for Boris Johnson. Step 3. Everything goes from bad to shit. Step 4. Refuse to vote for anyone who might unscrew your steps 1&2. Step 5. Profit? These people literally deserve where they are.

[@rtk3543]

Many Labour voters and Labour MPs voted for Brexit so your point is poorly made.

[@SJG-nr8uj]

Please tell us what you know about EU fiscal union, EU economic union, EU political union, the unification of member states’ armed forces under command of the European Council, the reckless expansionism of the EU across Eastern Europe, and the unfettered migration into the EU from North Africa and the Middle East, at the EU’s open invitation. It shouldn’t take you long!

[@a.m.gnovember151]

It's the whole country. We are about 5 years away from turning into dust. If Tories or Farage get voted in then I'll have lost the last scrap of hope for things ever getting better here.

[@SJG-nr8uj]

@@a.m.gnovember151 Labour will get in, and then Starmer will make you long for the Tories!

[@slavaukraini1991]

You forgot Step 2.5 - COVID-19

[@IEddits]

Been waiting for this! As someone from Stoke-on-Trent, it's great to see Stoke still getting some attention this many episodes in! Love this series, keep up the great work!

[@beltingtokra]

You should 100% turn up and vote. If you think all the options are awful, spoil your ballot. Don't just tick the box of the candidate shouting the loudest.

[@Fercough]

Draw a picture, anything. Just do something with your voting slip.

[@notmyname4261]

Just imagine the shock if we all spoil our ballots. Especially the right wing media after all the money they've spent buying our politicians.It could even force a much needed change to our parliamentary system and give us some actual choice.

[@gerryclarke9795]

Are you guys working for the Tory party, underhand gits.

[@Geffo555]

@@gerryclarke9795 I'd say that the Tories are desperate. And will try anything to lessen the damage.

[@KaleunMaender77]

Holy heck, are you some level of special or something!? "Spoil your vote"!? THAT ONLY GUARANTEES THE TORIES WIN!

[@jmo8934]

They’d probably vote for Bojo again if he was on the ballot. How people could swallow his obvious lies I do not know but why people in areas like these would ever vote Tory is just perplexing.

[@itemushmush]

said this in a comment above: everyone knows politicians lie! they fell for the obvious scam hook, line, and sinker. No empathy with these dullards

[@AIJimmybad]

They should vote Reform this time.

[@goodbyetothepeople92]

@@AIJimmybadare they really that thick?

[@steveosborne2297]

I noticed that Jonathan Gullis appeared to be canvassing around what would be one of the more affluent areas and saying oh I’ve managed to get two votes . The Labour candidate explained that they’ve lost something like £60 million for youth services whilst Gullis is boasting about getting them 200,000 then saying it’s all the labour councils fault

[@mrelba9176]

Working class people who believe the Bridge that is being sold to them is real are the most frustrating people in this country.

[@Robert-cu9bm]

I've just bought a heap of scrap steel from Paris.

[@stevenhenry5267]

As they are in America.

[@heavytreaty]

It was bad under Thatcher and then New Labour and so they voted for anything.

[@TheKoentje1994]

So much empathy!

[@Jake_5693]

Ahh because Stoke was a utopia under a labour government. *spoiler alert… it wasn’t

[@zoranblackie5921]

The irony of 2010 promoting the Big Society, promising help for community and voluntary sector organisations... the reality since then, enormous cuts to local authority funding which kept the groups alive. Now the VCSFE has to spend most of its time applying for charitable funding and the many hoops to jump through

[@ricardosharry8944]

Crazy I remember pre 2010 applying for funding being able to do many great activities with young people then they gutted funding and made us redundant 😡😡😡😤

[@zoranblackie5921]

@ricardosharry8944 With one hand demonise the young and 'feckless' then cut funding to youth projects making it even worse

[@angelachicken4141]

just a bait and switch - get everyone excited about 'community' whilst pulling the carpet out from under us all

[@sunalp2]

It’s mind boggling to me, that ordinary folk vote for the wealthy party.

[@MattThomas-dq6fj]

The phrase 'shy tory' springs to mind whenever I hear someone say they don't know what they are going to do in the election.

[@grumreapur]

I wonder how many are silent labour voters at this point aswell

[@jordanwood3150]

Jonathan Gullis just epitomises the downgrade in the standard of MPs in 2019 - absolutely unfit for public life. How on Earth was that man ever a teacher?

[@martinmcdonald4207]

Standards have never been this low. Dumb down world at work!

[@pip1723]

And looking at the poll's some weren't content being fooled by brexit they want a second helping from nigel quite incredible.

[@inquiringminds6633]

Fooled by Brexit? Please explain.

[@emm_arr]

@@inquiringminds6633 "Fooled by Brexit? Please explain." cuZ yuz is StupiD?

[@Phuc_Yhou]

If you need it explaining you are not in this country

[@MWTT72]

@@inquiringminds6633 £350 millon on the NHS, control of our borders, new trade deals to make us a richer nation - there's 3 things which some people were fooled by.

[@winterwulf1995]

​@@Phuc_Yhouyeah that or they have the brain of a cheese sandwich

[@janetmoore6036]

My old home town. Absolutely heartbreaking to see how this once proud centre of the best pottery manufacturers in the world has been so let down. It's not enough to say that Stokies are the friendliest of people anymore, it's time for support and respect.

[@PassiveAgressive319]

‘Boris lied to us’……shocker

[@stephanosuk78]

Starmer is lying to us.

[@donnatyler9907]

They didn't lie, they told people things would change, and it did change, it changed for the worse. It's strange that those who voted leave do not take any responsibility

[@peter_meyer]

"Anywhere but Westminster" - one of the best journalistic series of the last decade

[@aaroncrilly2005]

If your sheep and you voted for wolves then prepare to be their dinner

[@YearRoundHibernater]

Not sure the Tories are wolves, they didn't eat the people of Stoke, they're landowners they just fenced off the fields for grazing and left them to starve.

[@inquiringminds6633]

What? 😂

[@Exstellisvenimus]

You're*

[@dominicbritt]

So true - beautifully put.

[@dominicbritt]

@@inquiringminds6633poor people believing lies from rich people and giving them the keys to steal more from them… In 1997 most people said “Never again” specifically referring to the Conservative Party and then they forgot….

[@bwytacig]

John's an outstanding old-school journalist who actually speaks to people of all walks. The answer in places like Stoke are as complex as the causes. Here's hoping that we see improvements (even small) across the board in five years.

[@glenwhite4494]

Outstanding is an understatement. I love the bloke. He gets to the root of affairs non- judgementally.

[@Evemeister12]

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

[@dominicbritt]

It just boggles my mind that places like this, all across the country are confused about who to vote for. The good times that those people spoke about were under a Labour Government 1997-2009. There is no arguing about that because communities like this crumbled under Thatcher and Major before that. It’s not Brexit for these people, it’s mainly the deliberate austerity policy of austerity and Brexit was the big promise that failed to deliver.

[@MrShikaga]

Labour just didn’t hate foreigners enough I am afraid

[@nathandts3401]

Labour manifesto is basically more austerity.

[@G_C340]

@@nathandts3401 No it is not. Their is a limit on what can be done because of Brexshit but the wild tax-cuts for the rich will go and investment in infrastructure, NHS, will generate jobs. It won't be fast because the country has f'ed itself with Brexshit, setting us back maybe 15 years, and we won't catch up with the rest of Europe for decades, if at all.

[@bornagraphicversuspornagraphic]

You're forgetting that the global economy collapsed in 2008 and we've been living in a long depression ever since.

[@MrShikaga]

@@bornagraphicversuspornagraphic yeah, because of the Tory party’s management of the economy. The US has bounced back incredibly well since 2008, because they didn’t keep shooting themselves in the foot with austerity and Brexit.

[@mmcfarlane001]

Gullis is completely divorced from reality.

[@G_C340]

But not divorced from his bank balance.

[@RomanticZero]

The money goes in at the top, and by the time it gets to the bottom there's nothing left. < That's it in a nutshell.

[@manuhamoa]

@RomanticZero yes they call that trickle down economics, something the Conservatives specialises in

[@jmmypaddy]

People vote Brexit and Johnson, then when asked about who they'll vote for, they say don't know. What isn't asked is 'what does Keir Starmer have to say or do to get your vote?' It doesn't mean people have to vote Labour, but you'd ask real people when, in the face of such failure and lies by Tories, why Labour isn't the obvious choice. Give people the chancr to think why they are put off Labour. This surface level discussion doesn't change anything. It's like a low level uni essay, that describes everything, but never tries to analyse.

[@youcantalwaysgetwhatyouwan8419]

That’s why it’s better to vote tactical. If there’s an upsweep of Lib Dem or Green support, boost them into office. I want the tories gone without giving Labour a super majority. We need more voices in government.

[@Robert-cu9bm]

Labour doesn't support 50% of the population. They don't know what women are. How you can have someone who doesn't know that simple fact running a country.

[@JackCooper243]

People are tired of the political elite. Especially outside of London where many people I talk to think that as long as a Londoner is in charge of the Labour Party they won’t care for anybody else. There is an anti-establishment, anti-London attitude that has developed across swathes of the country. Many people that feel this way have been voting for years and have adopted a belief that labour seems to always go one step forward and two steps back. That’s why reform have been booming in the polls because they feel as if labour is now just the lesser evil of the two main parties (ironic really)

[@halflink]

My take on it is that people just don't want to speak on camera (it's not just in this video, in many others too where people say they haven't decided yet). They might have made their mind already. It's a rather small town, where many people know each other. They might not want to make their voting preference public for a number of reasons.

[@ChartreuseDan]

I will be voting tactically this election but I can also tell you what Keir Starmer could do or say to make me happy about it:, he could F off and let the Tories own-goal the country into a proper decent socialist government just like they'd be getting at exactly the same time as we'll get his tory-lite government if he hadn't burned the left down for his own benefit

[@Zharkov1969A]

It’s worth pointing out that the presenter spent a long time hammering Jeremy Corbyn who would have made a significant difference. Shame on The Guardian.

[@Philcopson]

Corbyn DID make a significant difference - he mainstreamed anti-Semitism.

[@nunyvanstta135]

Oh please, what would he have done? 🙄 Hes just another typical politician like all the rest, promising everything under the sun and saying anything to get your vote.

[@DavidR_192]

Gullis is so arrogant and self-assured. And surprise surprise, he blames the council. The destruction of communities around the UK is on a national level. I hope he loses.

[@randomdaveUK]

Sums it up really, this is why the UK declines. People vote leave, vote Tory, things decline but when it comes to voting for something else they say no. So there's never a reversal

[@houghi3826]

Voting should be rational, but people vote emotional.

[@stephanosuk78]

They where safe Labour seats for decades! No one wanted Corbyn.

[@lochnessmunster1189]

The UK is declining because successive governments are failing to curtail their borrowing. The welfare system is unsustainable, especially with thousands arriving each week claiming to be refugees.

[@banditalley9592]

I'm from Stoke originally - at no point in history has Tunstall ever been happy!

[@joeroche552]

Bahahaha and this wins the internet today

[@ricardosharry8944]

He he out of curiosity what city did u move to?

[@antonycharnock2993]

Is that because its next to Burslem?

[@weeksy79]

Same here, the people saying it was better before are fooling themselves. The only positive I’ve seen is the “scorched earth” places where commercial rents have gotten so low, that young people can actually open interesting shops/restaurants.

[@timbanwell1756]

@@antonycharnock2993did not spot the spelling mistake - Burslum

[@diluteduk]

It blows my mind how many people say they aren't sure if they are going to vote. You have to stop thinking of it as a two party system, it's not just between Labour and the Tories. I don't have much faith in either, but I plan to vote for a local independent candidate who actually understands my area and is in touch with the community. As I see it, if you don't bother voting, you've no right to complain about the outcome. Even if you spoil your paper in protest, that becomes a message if spoiled ballots are a significant percentage of the outcome. I don't care if you vote for someone I love or hate, but I implore everyone to vote.

[@redlightmax]

"Even if you spoil your paper in protest, that becomes a message if spoiled ballots are a significant percentage of the outcome." Doesn't seem like much of a message to me.

[@albert7311]

I absolutely have every right to complain about anything I choose if I don't vote. When a bully gives you limited choices it doesn't mean you have to choose the choice they impose.

[@beresfordquimby]

@@albert7311 I can understand - whilst not agreeing with the position - that people don't want to engage with a political system they see as broken, but what alternative would you propose to engaging with the "limited choices" we have? What would you say needs to happen to fix the system, and what part would you see yourself playing in that?

[@AIJimmybad]

I don't give a f*** if you don't think I have a right to complain if I don't vote.

[@nickdoughty518]

Surely it's quite simple. Stoke lost its main industry that initially created the place and made it grow. Without that wealth creation and supply of good jobs, decline is inevitable. This has happened across the country. Most of these jobs are now in China.

[@antonycharnock2993]

That's basically the story of most of the North of England. One or two industry towns that saw everything close in the 80's with no intervention from Thatchers government because of neo liberalism. She basically left places to rot(managed decline I think it was called). Many of these places relied on EU development funds but brexit has put paid to that.

[@martinmcdonald4207]

And Europe!

[@JKMeZmA]

Very glad to see the return of John Harris to the streets and Anywhere but Westminster back on the channel

[@wmoellers]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ANYWHERE BUT WESTMINSTER IS BACK BABBBBBBBEEEEEEEE!

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

What did they get? Richi stood in The Conservative Club garden in Tunbridge Wells, saying "We've moved funding from deprived northern areas, to this town." Tunbridge Wells is gammon central, very wealthy green belt commuter town, that's what The Tories did for this town. Sweet FA.

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

Worse than sweet FA, they took money away from them.

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

And Gullis as mp, that's a wee hours of the night, sports hall I'll be looking out for. Watching Gullis realising The Gravy Train just crashed and burned. Will be one of the highlights of the night.

[@leecollison7527]

What I have noticed more over each election since I became old enough to vote in 1997, is it is more geared towards voting for the Party/Party Leader rather than who you think is the best local candidate to represent your constituency in parliament. You see more and more MP's nowadays putting the party first before what's best for the constituency they represent and what's best for the Country. THIS is what needs to change to fix things in this Country. The more it carries on the way it is, the more broken and divided we become.

[@molybdomancer195]

I’m much older than you. It has been ever thus.

[@stephanosuk78]

My first election was 97 too. My local MP only voted differently to her party once in the last election cycle. Once...

[@geertstroy]

I very often donot understand their english , and I dare say I am proficient in english as a native Dutch speaker. What is remarkable is the fact that you donot even see a faint spark of modernity in infrastructure or building substance. It looks frozen in time and covered with a dust that emphasizes its anaemic colourless soullessness. It is on a steep gradient of irreparable decline and it will vegetate in a state of managed hopelessness for the future. As long as resources trickle in that means , because it looks all poised to get deeper into the rut of structural societal and economic decay. A dystopian place even quite close to my country Netherlands . I live in one of the so called economic weakest regions here but in comparison it is paradise.

[@WilliamBrown-e3t]

It's never recovered from industrial decline. Stoke used to be the centre of the 'Potteries' that manufactured ceramics and sold them across the world. This provided huge employment. Nothing has taken its place - and its a relatively small and forgotten place stuck between Birmingham and Manchester. Unfortunately, nobody wants to visit there - let alone live or invest there. It's a sad depressing place that you just want to drive through as quickly as possible. I'm sure there are some decent people living there - and I feel genuinely sorry that their town has been neglected for so long.

[@byrnemeister2008]

@@the55squadOh I don’t know. I live in the south west. We are bit more Czech Republic. But without Prague! LOL

[@geertstroy]

​@@byrnemeister2008Towns and villages increasingly sparkle in post restauration investments , I would love living there if it werent for that difficult language..😮

[@bbbf09]

@@the55squad Not universally true. There are parts of UK I woudl rather live than in London. Anyway its the milking of that Bulgaria that keeps London ahead. Not the other way round that many Londoners like to promote the myth of.

[@ItsOctoberr]

@@jammysmears4077 Tell that to the farmers.

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

To quote an old music hall song, a favourite of my dad's, "It's the rich that gets the pleasure, and the poor that get the pain!"

[@robinholland1136]

'Ain't it all a bleeding shame . . .'

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

@@robinholland1136 I can still hear him. He was a quietly remarkable man.

[@kasper52173]

Did the Tory “scrote” say inflation came in the way? What for the last 14 years 😂.

[@milsub59]

If you dig up a broken sewer pipe...Gullis would be there.

[@memarkiam]

These videos are so important and valuable. I’m fortunate enough to be able to say my life is a million miles from this deprivation, and these videos really bring to life the struggles so many people are facing. And it’s not acceptable! Not in one of the richest countries in the world. We need to do things differently. I don’t know what the answer is, but I know the Conservatives don’t have the answers. Farage even less so. Change is way overdue. I just really hope Labour can make a difference to communities like this. Even if it costs me personally more. I’d be happy with that.

[@emm_arr]

"This Labour city backed Brexit and went Tory: what did it get in return?" It got worse. Brexit needs to be undone and certain people prosecuted.

[@rigbysan]

Brexit needs to be finished Nigel for PM

[@emm_arr]

@@rigbysan "Brexit needs to be finished" Brexit will be finished when we rejoin the EU.

[@fannishfanning160]

You made your bed; sleep on it.

[@emm_arr]

@@fannishfanning160 "You made your bed; sleep on it." We'll rejoin the EU and leave the soiled Tory-Putin bed alone.

[@tonyh1515]

Remainers are ill !!

[@stonehengemaca]

All the money the tories promised Stoke was spent on signs saying how much they will help Stoke..

[@Gdsamplify]

This series is great. The UK is in such a sorry state, I hope they can turn things around.

[@ThemWeirds]

Have you seen the piece on Bloomberg Originals called "How Private Equity Ate Britain"? Came out about 6 days ago and it was fascinating.

[@inquiringminds6633]

Such a sorry state? We’re the fastest growing economy in Europe and our economy is growing twice the speed of 27 EU states. So who are you comparing us to exactly?

[@Gdsamplify]

@@ThemWeirds Yep I did, fantastic video.

[@Phuc_Yhou]

Stop lying @inquiringminds6633

[@etziowingeler3173]

Yeah, we can see, living standards have massively improved and the economy is booming. Not

[@toxictony4230]

My duaghter went to the university there and I was amased how rundown the area was. I thought South-Shore Blackpool was bad, but Stoke just knocked it into a cocked hat. Levelling up was always a con in the same way Brexit was. Boris came to my neck of the woods promising to renew the rail link here and all that happened was the track bed was sold off for development after development.

[@StevenWebb]

The problem is we vote for charisma. I would rather have the charisma of a dead fish representing me as my lawyer if they know what they're doing. As opposed to a funny charismatic lawyer that hasn't got a clue. Yet, we want them to fix the problems but we vote in people we think are characters.

[@zabocathief602]

Exactly that!

[@James333-n2q]

Definitely! A lot of the population vote for someone who’s presentable and that’s all they base their decision on.

[@tonedowne]

No one would dream of running a company based on a popularity contest. This is why the parties are supposed to bring costed manifestos and the media is supposed to focus on that, not on personalities and gossip.

[@wtfboom4585]

@@tonedowne unfortunately studies have shown that the candidates that more people would rather go for a drink with, usually end up winning. This is the whole schtick of Farage and Boris, whose entire PR strategy revolves around being photographed with as many pints in pubs as possible.

[@tonedowne]

@@wtfboom4585 The media is absolutely responsible for this. There will always be hucksters looking to blag their way into power with charismatic lowest common denominator nonsense, and it is up the media to expose their vacuousness, not join in the hype and promote their idiocy with the both sides fallacy.

[@jamietful]

Anywhere But Westminster is a most insightful, considered, and bought provoking mini-series. It’s wonderful to see it back!!

[@grahamkearnon6682]

Always someone else's fault with the Tories eh Gullis,14 yrs but, not their fault!

[@RankinMsP]

Working class Tory voters.. Turkeys voting for Xmas

[@TK-Yogi]

Working Class voters opting for Globalist Parties is Turkey for Christmas. a vote for Labour or Conservative is a vote against the working class.

[@stephanosuk78]

Where's Corbyn now, Labours alternative? Oh yes, fired by the Labour party because they couldn't stand his ideology either. He didn't last the election cycle as a Labour MP but sure, he should have been PM... Do you hear yourself!!

[@APRCraig]

Former Security Officer here, worked nightclubs, pubs and general daytime security in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme and I can say without a doubt that Stoke is probably the worst place in England. Its filled to the brim with druggies and homeless. Theres a very clear divide between working class and middle class, probably the biggest in the country. I've worked in council buildings in that time and I can say the council both Labour and Tory just have a huge disdain for every Stokie, its only about 1 in 10 staff actually care about the area, they all live on the outskirts where its much nicer.

[@lythalls]

Has this decline been in the last 14 years by any chance ?

[@APRCraig]

@@lythalls pretty much been since Thatcher closed the mines according to knowledge passed on by the elderly, alot of what was done in that period really reduced the wealth in Stoke and its ability to not decline the way it has

[@G_C340]

@@APRCraig So the Tories then!

[@Jake_5693]

@@lythallsNo, plenty happened under labour. Many big name brands offshored work from Stoke to multiple countries during Labour. It’s easy to blame Thatcher, she played a part obviously but I can’t say labour were much better.

[@Jake_5693]

@@G_C340Nope, not just the tories.

[@rodericde876]

Gullis is a right Jeremy Hunt.

[@antonycharnock2993]

Definitely sounds it. Surprised he's not standing for Reform with his attitude. I loved the little shot of him pulling his trousers up as he marched purposefully to the next house.

[@Side_Eye_Shibe]

12:37 not being funny but if no retail, no office, no warehouse jobs then what jobs WILL YOU actually do?

[@Midland_Wolf_71]

Its terrifying to think that Gullis was once a teacher….. Stoke wasnt great when I used to go over there in the 90s but what I see these days is prety grim all round me duck.

[@davidwebb6]

Being a teacher for the last 19 years I can believe he was a teacher. He would’ve been the kind of teacher that thrived and flourished in the Tory Academy Trust system since 2010: arrogant, aggressive and no real care for the students.

[@harrimi]

Brilliant John. One day you will go to one of these towns and it will better. You can only hope….

[@redlightmax]

"You can only hope…." You can also vote.

[@bbbf09]

@@redlightmax But many will likely vote Farage and still expect better things

[@AbigailBrown-wk7xl]

The heros are those amazing people in the community making a difference

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

A very grim place. I never thought I'd see a town worse than Grimsby.

[@ricardosharry8944]

This is what happens when you leave towns behind a truly sad state of affairs

[@WilliamBrown-e3t]

Or Boston (my birth town, and the most Brexity place in the country).

[@sharonharris9782]

​@@WilliamBrown-e3tthere's a Boston in the UK? Really? Sorry, I'm from the States.

[@redlightmax]

​@@sharonharris9782 "there's a Boston in the UK?" PoliticsJOE did a video in 2024-June about Boston: "Asking the most Brexit place in Britain how they'll vote in the general election"

[@capt.bart.roberts4975]

Born and bred!

[@drewbobaggins5212]

Good that stokies tried something different in the first place. Now its clear to them that neither party will change anything.

[@AaronOkeanos]

A Labour Council with a Tory Westminster is pointless. Even if Labour has the best intentions - all the money to do things comes from Westminster. Before Brexit at least the EU could help out here and there bypassing Westminster buerocracy but not even that is possible anymore.

[@y2kelly66]

As an American, I don't understand how such an important economic policy could be placed on a ballot for people to vote yes or no to. Seems like there were details left out on that ballot. Truckers and fishermen didn't think they were putting themselves out of work but they were.

[@colinb9183]

I lived in burslem and tunstall for 47 years,I watched the towns decline, in the 70s and 80s they were the places to be, moved to Wales 17 years ago every time I go back to see my family I can't believe how run down and derelict these places have become.

[@bcgraham3512]

Watching this, I see three things. Decent people. Poverty. Poor health. Makes me wonder where all the public money in this country goes, and where is the wealth?

[@Craicfox161]

Into the pockets of the Tory cronies of course

[@belbrighton6479]

Brilliant reportage, as ever.

[@donnadeaville7558]

Unless you are from Stoke on Trent you know NOTHING. We swayed to the Tories because Labour did nothing for this city. We wanted a change. Us in Stoke are risk takers. We got hit hard with great losses to the Pottery industry if which the EU played a part. Get your facts right and get educated about Stoke on Trent and watch the whole video.

[@OrangeNash]

Couldn't the same be said of any place? Those not from there know nothing about it? So will outsiders opinion on it be wrong? Doesn't stop people ranting about others.

[@Jake_5693]

Literally! So many pottery jobs and other big brands offshored to other countries within the EU 😂 My dad associates the EU with his redundancy 😂

[@Jake_5693]

@@OrangeNashThey’re wrong if they simply saying ‘well they got what they deserved, life under Labour was better’ when that really wasn’t the case at all.

[@stephanosuk78]

Spot on, pathetic to see the same comments "you voted for it, so you get what you deserve". Stoke was bad under Labour, no one voted for Corbyn (he didn't make it to the next election as a Labour MP!) But sure it's the red walls fault for voting for what they thought was their best option. Love it when I read people saying it was obvious Boris and the Tories were going to lie, they're in for a shock starting July 5th...

[@gary1642]

97% cuts in youth social projects. Labour need to raise the taxes of the rich. All these cuts yet the tax burden is the highest it's been in over 70 years. Where does the money go? The rich are getting wealthier and the poor getting poorer. Thats where the money goes.

[@20storiesunder]

So good to see this series back - hope the conditions don't depress y'all too much.

[@joeroche552]

What I’m hearing is we need community, this is something we have lost and we need it back

[@kieranhudson4938]

You will need to learn Gugarati to become part of the community now

[@AndyChannelle]

The people who helped elect Johnson (including The Guardian) should apologise to the country. Every morning. For the rest of time.

[@HistoryonYouTube]

That is getting Brexit done! If only someone had warned them!

[@HistoryonYouTube]

@@SJG-nr8uj I suspect you read The Sun.

[@paulgibbon5991]

@@HistoryonKZbin It's a spambot. Report and move on.

[@HistoryonYouTube]

@@paulgibbon5991 Sorry Paul, you are right!

[@Jake_5693]

Arguably a lot of Stoke is like this because big companies offshored well paid, highly skilled jobs to the wondrous EU. It’s hardly surprising they voted to leave when for a lot of people the EU is associated with offshoring work, job losses and redundancy packages.

[@paulgibbon5991]

@@Jake_5693 And now they're being offshored to China, just with fewer rights for the workers. Progress!

[@robstewart1703]

They got shafted, like everyone in the UK. 100billion cost per year... Which is what remainers said would happen 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@ronrolfsen3977]

11:25 He definitely got his priority straight. I figure he would have said something sensible like "I will love every minute representing the people". But no, his first order of business when elected is reading Twitter. Not just reading Twitter. He is going to enjoy reading how part of those he is suppose to represent is going to be disappointed or even angry. Very uniting fellow. Charming man.

[@markshaz8691]

Turkeys that voted for Christmas.

[@MD-wv7ee]

And they'll vote for it again

[@SJG-nr8uj]

Please tell us what you know about EU fiscal union, EU economic union, EU political union, the unification of member states’ armed forces under command of the European Council, the reckless expansionism of the EU across Eastern Europe, and the unfettered migration into the EU from North Africa and the Middle East, at the EU’s open invitation. It shouldn’t take you long!

[@goodbyetothepeople92]

@@SJG-nr8ujplease tell us a single Brexit benefit?

[@SJG-nr8uj]

@@goodbyetothepeople92 Certainly. 1. The EU is heading for a federal state, ie. one big country. It has absolutely no democratic mandate whatsoever to proceed in this way, but is proceeding by stealth anyway, from fiscal union to economic union to political unification. Once installed, the federal government will take over all major policy decisions, effectively stealing the right of every person on Europe to choose his/her own government. End of democracy. You voted for that. Leaving the European Union has preserved, and in fact restored, sovereign independence and representative democracy in the face of the threat to both posed by European federalism. We voted our way out. The rest of Europe will have to fight their way out. As you Remoaners will surely be aware, Lisbon Treaty Article 42 commits member states to the military defence of a member state under attack. The EU wants Ukraine in. If Ukraine is still under attack when it joins the EU (and the EU wants it in by 2030), the EU will be at war with Russia. You voted for that too.

[@pizzaperson9744]

@@goodbyetothepeople92 The benefit was that Britain now has sovereignty over it's immigration policy as the British majority has voted consistently for less immigration for decades. Too bad the conservatives just do whatever the left wing parties demand and actively oppose the democratic will.

[@chrislaurenceleo]

I'm nearly 70 years old. Tories have been telling the same lues but delivering decay all that time. 14 years ago satisfaction with the NHS was at a record high!

[@G_C340]

💯 and then the Tories gutted it and Farage wanted it done faster. That's why Brexit.

[@adamlee3772]

Voted for Boris because of his promises. How thick are they?

[@Tomalak]

Another great film in this series. Thanks for getting the band back together!

[@JC-1405]

Been binge watching the other videos from this series hoping it would come back. Much needed in these troubling times.

[@nicolassTRAVEL]

Brexit disaster

[@MSDosPrompt]

This place was a disaster while we were in the EU. As if it's got anything to do with leaving 🙄

[@MSDosPrompt]

@@Buckets1000 once again that has nothing to do with EU membership.

[@nunyvanstta135]

It isn’t, but whatever 😴

[@paulf9487]

How easy it is to get people to vote against their own self interest.

[@lochnessmunster1189]

What do you mean? If the Tories were actually Conservatives, and limited the number of people arriving to get things for free, these workers would actually have benefited.

[@mooseduck]

Tory and Reform voters are sadly very gullible.

[@frank834skinner3]

Next time someone says, " Never mind the experts," what are you going to do?

[@sdaiwepm]

"I voted for Boris." Well, she has no one to blame but herself.

[@EadwinTomlinson]

Glad to see you doing what you do best mate... Showing the humanity out there.