#ge2024 — Public Fediverse posts

The next UK general election appears to have been sold to the highest bidder, #crypto kid #BenDelo. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3v4zvyde15o

Delo has given £36 million to #ReformUK. Delo writes in the #Torygraph https://archive.is/vP5lA & https://archive.is/IisNT

That's more than half the £69.3 m total spending by ALL parties in #GE2024. https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/party-spending-in-the-2024-general-election/

#ukpol #DemocracyForSale ##UKpolitics #Farage

The next UK general election appears to have been sold to the highest bidder, #crypto kid #BenDelo. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3v4zvyde15o

Delo has given £36 million to #ReformUK. Delo writes in the #Torygraph https://archive.is/vP5lA & https://archive.is/IisNT

That's more than half the £69.3 m total spending by ALL parties in #GE2024. https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/party-spending-in-the-2024-general-election/

#ukpol #DemocracyForSale ##UKpolitics #Farage

The next UK general election appears to have been sold to the highest bidder, #crypto kid #BenDelo. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3v4zvyde15o

Delo has given £36 million to #ReformUK. Delo writes in the #Torygraph https://archive.is/vP5lA & https://archive.is/IisNT

That's more than half the £69.3 m total spending by ALL parties in #GE2024. https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/party-spending-in-the-2024-general-election/

#ukpol #DemocracyForSale ##UKpolitics #Farage

[1/2] By 20:00 on the final #ge2024 Monday we knew exactly which five #VoteCorbyn boards were still out and had promises to return from all but one of the board runners. It had taken 90 minutes but we'd got there. There was one board runner we couldn't get hold of. Someone (me it turns out) had written their number down wrong at 17:00. Our materials were packed away in a car and our driver was waiting in a cafe for us to hand the last things in and shut down for the night.

[1/3] The final #VoteCorbyn canvassing session of the final #ge2024 Monday was assembled and sent out like a well oiled machine. Alessia, Issy and myself juggled team assembly, briefing and paperwork between ourselves like we'd been doing it for years. We only made one mistake and it was aligned with the same mistake I'd been making all day. "We really should have reminded them all to be back by 20:30" opined Issy. "We'd better start texting them now."

[1/3] By 17:30 on the final #ge2024 Monday Jonathan was long gone from Newington Green and so were all but one of my boards. We had one small group of stragglers waiting to go out and by chance that was when Jeremy Corbyn himself turned up. I had no idea if the last board was any good, but it didn't really matter - it was all we had. I briefed the last board runner and the team set off looking very pleased with their celebrity #VoteCorbyn status.

[1/4] Coming up to the 17:00 rush of Newington Green canvassers on the last #ge2024 Monday I realised that I was going to need to do all the prep by myself and entered full goblin mode. I had five extra sheets but they were missing boards and there were no assembled leaflet packs. Luckily the mighty Alessia turned up and was able to take over briefings. I didn't even have time to acknowledge the warning signs when a #VoteCorbyn group that went out at 11:00 turned up after 5.5 hours canvassing.

[1/3] The number of #VoteCorbyn volunteers turning up at Newington Green on the final #ge2024 Monday grew throughout the day and at this point we were losing organizers faster than more were turning up! By 15:30 we had sent out the last of our "Get out the Vote" boards and also one of our new boards. We only had two left. I made a (totally unevidenced) call that we needed at least five more boards, if we were to have enough boards for between now and 18:30 (when old boards could go out again).

By the time I returned to Newington Green on the final #ge2024 Monday we had less organizers on hand and my help was needed. We had several dozen experienced #VoteCorbyn volunteers, but they hadn't done the new "Get out the Vote" script yet and I briefed them in groups as they arrived. By the time we'd sent out 7 of 10 ten total boards at 13:30 we were starting to get worried that we'd run out. Hannah cycled back to HQ with our data returns and to get 3 more fresh boards for the next session.

[2/3] The number of "soft" pledges (people who change their mind) is one of the best gauges of how well a candidate is doing in an election. In #ge2019 my local race lost two thirds of our Labour pledges (largely anti-Brexit protest voters who preferred Boris to Corbyn). The numbers were much more promising for #ge2024 Islington North. We recorded dozens of reconfirmed #VoteCorbyn pledges and only one or two "antis" who had changed their mind or originally been recorded wrong.

[1/3] The last #ge2024 Monday Newington Green canvassing organizers seemed well set so I actually volunteered to go straight out with a team. I got one of 10 "Get Out The Vote" boards. The campaign had switched tactics to securing 2nd contacts with every #VoteCorbyn pledge to remind voters that they needed ID on Thursday. Consequently the contacts were further apart and occasionally fed up with talking to canvassers (a problem that plagued the campaign).

The last #ge2024 Monday I turned up an hour early to the 11:00 Newington Green #VoteCorbyn canvassing session and relaxed with breakfast at Lizzie’s on the Green. I vividly remember one moment when a woman with a pram standing nearby was discussing politics with a friend. It was the usual Middle Class, "Both sides are as bad as eachother!" spiel, but there was a beautiful moment of nervous laughter/concern triggered by the baby too young to talk mumble singing, "Jeremy! Jeremy!" very quietly.

During England vs Slovakia on the final #ge2024 Sunday a #VoteCorbyn supporter from America who didn't know better suggested that Jeremy only pretended to enjoy football.

Later I was inside queueing to buy a round and watched Jeremy watching the game. He looked like he was genuinely enjoying it to me. But then someone interrupted to ask for an autograph. Ever the gentleman Jeremy obliged, thanked the fan for their support and so missed the crucial equalizing goal.

[1/2] By the time I got back to the campaign HQ at 15:00 on the final #ge2024 Sunday the only thing going on was #VoteCorbyn cupcakes. I grabbed one and headed up to the office with my data. There the receptionist handed me a napkin and told me that their only job today seemed to be letting people know that their face was covered in food colouring. Naturally Jeremy turned up outside and there was a grand photo opportunity that I actually remembered to take part in for once!

[1/2] 09:30 Navigator Square Archway on the final #ge2024 Sunday and I was starting to get into a rhythm. It's meet and greet for 120 odd #VoteCorbyn volunteers again. The scripts are the same as Saturday. We've got slightly less organizers so sometimes I'm briefing groups of canvassers but everything goes very smooth. We have everyone ready for canvassing before the rally starts. And everyone out in teams 30 minutes after the rally ends. Only a slight shower dampens our spirits.

[1/2] By 19:00 on the final #ge2024 Saturday we were done organizing except awaiting the final boards to return. I offered to run data to the office and I really should have been sent. We would be back on #NewingtonGreen 11:00 the next morning and back office would be up until 01:30 getting today's data entered and the new sheets printed. Instead we lounged in the shade eating fish&chips whilst the more industrious began work on the #VoteCorbyn banner that would adorn all our final rallies.

[2/3] My #VoteCorbyn volunteering began exactly one week before polling day on Thursday 27th June (two weeks ago today).

I had previously been busy. My American family (last visit #ge2017) managed to plan a visit (with Pirate Prentice levels of #GravitysRainbow empathy) for two weeks in #ge2024. Then I lost my job. Then I got distracted by the amazing #NeilForPoole campaign (final majority 18). And finally I needed a rest. With a book. On my parent's lawn. During the heatwave.

That the #LibDems are predicted to get 61 is HUGE, though. Best election ever for the party.

Edit: In terms of seat gains, 2005 was a total of 62 😅

#UKPolitic #GE2024

Looks like election night on #STV will be the UK network coverage rather than a fully local #Scottish version. End of an era. No more results with #BernardPonsonby or #BrianTaylor down to his braces on #BBCScotland. It'll be different for sure. Think the #Channel4 lineup sounds like fun.

'Britain Decides: The Rest Is Politics & G'box'?
#GE2024
https://www.channel4.com/programmes/britain-decides-the-rest-is-politics-gbox?cntsrc=social_share_android_britain_decides_the_rest_is_politics_gbox

#SocialCare

#UK #CareAgencies accused of exploiting #ForeignWorkers caught in #DebtTraps

Exclusive: Experts raise alarm over ‘national scandal’ that has hallmarks of #Trafficking and #ModernSlavery
https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jun/02/uk-care-agencies-accused-of-exploiting-foreign-workers-caught-in-debt-traps
#ToryPoliciesInAction #Privatisation #ProfitBeforePeople
#GE2024