Paul Sandham

Thank you for your insight.

An old colleague of mine had a saying: “We need a plan, because if we have no plan we can’t change it.”
If Reform didn’t have plans to plan they wouldn’t be able to change the plans they plan to make.

What’s wrong with that?

Appalling!

I’m increasingly thinking that the current White House team think they’re players in the Yellowstone TV series.

The trouble with the US is that it rarely has a Plan B,

But under Trump it doesn’t even have a Plan A.

#Iran

🤭

Do American politicians think they’re all based on the Yellowstone Ranch?

I remember when ‘Brexit Means Brexit’ became a way for silly people to insist that they supported something they could neither justify nor explain. Obviously the context is very different, but something similar is already happening with the ‘war’ in Iran. And it’s mostly the same people doing it.

Duff, duff, duff duff duff, duff duff duff, duff.

Awful, awful, awful.

Trump couldn’t be more explicit in explaining that he wants to do do exactly this.
He has now openly stated that he *should* be involved in appointing a new leader in Iran.

Also, they’ve never met my wife.

Or, probably, any other woman.

Exactly this. Often, quite the reverse is true.

Respectfully, could I suggest you read my post again?

I think not. Rep. government is exactly that. We elect the people to *represent* us. We don’t elect people to be instructed by us at every twist and turn. That’s simply not feasible. Which makes it crucial that the representative actually *believes* as we do. Doesn’t just pretend to chase votes.

Bizarre scenario in evidence there!

I think you miss the point. They cannot always do what every voter believes they should. But they can say what they believe is right and we can choose the candidate who most aligns with the views of most voters.

Your scenario assumes the ‘wrong’ person is elected. My view is that the candidate tells us what they believe and how they can best represent us. We decide whether to elect them or not. But they are not simply echoing what they believe we want, in order to get votes.

I agree that communication is at the root of Labour’s current unpopularity.
I live in hope that they can turn this round. Soon. Ish.

Yes. It is a big ask. And yet politicians always tell us how much they respect the ‘intelligence’ of the voters.

Our NHS has been in decline for several decades. But it is at least still free at the point of use. I’d be happy to hear how adoption of a more European approach to care would improve things. From my perspective we appear to have too few beds and too few carers to manage them.

Well I guess most obvious is Mahmood’s moves on immigration.

Have they? They recently seem more frequently than not to have adopted more populist policies.

Indeed they do. Indeed they have.

Stopped clocks and the time occasionally coincide.

He said he wouldn’t start any new wars that he would create world peace, stop all wars (only he can do this, he says) and that he should win the Nobel Peace prize.
He said the courts have found in his favour over his illegally introduced tariffs.
Trump and the truth are not easy bed fellows.

I’m in the UK. We have free healthcare for all. We also have a surprising number of relatively less well off workers who swallow the story that rich people are already overtaxed.
Because, of course, all of the country’s problems are caused by ’immigrants’ who are all branded ‘illegal’. 🤷‍♂️

I’m sure. But do they have ‘none of the above’ ?
Let’s face it, there is no ideal form of democracy.
We’re always strive for the least imperfect outcome.

I have long argued for this. Alongside compulsory voting.

How tiresome!

😉