Kmflett's Blog

Lest we forget: the 2024 Election Portillo moment. Liz Truss loses

Liz Truss had a majority of 26,000 in her South West Norfolk seat. She said (Sunday Times 2nd June 2024) that she was focused on winning the seat at the Election on local issues and had no ambition to return to Downing St. That didn’t  quite fit with the extensive publicity her political memoir received where she styled herself as the saviour of Western civilisation.

There were also two other right-wing candidates James Bagge a former Tory standing on an anti-Truss platform, who usually described himself as the ‘Turnip Taliban’ and Toby McKenzie for Reform. With the potential for a split vote on the right there was a, very welcome, Labour surprise. Labour’s Terry Jermy won by 640 votes

Martyn Gibson

The Ambridge Socialist

6^th July

Amber influence

As the actress who is her alter ego noted after defecting from Corrie, Amber is shaking things up a bit in Ambridge. She has had a major run-in with George who she blames for his incarceration. Presumably being the partner of, as she would present it, a wrongfully jailed hero, does good business on Insta. It begs the question of who else in Ambridge has an Insta account. Meanwhile Brad has spotted that Amber is quite probably rather less than genuine. That however is normal for influencers.. George has told Amber that Brad is ‘proper’ a word that is used by both Keir Starmer (support for Arsenal) & Farage (good lunch).

Amber in the latest prison visit has claimed she lurves George. However there is a parents issue…(on both sides in reality). That doesn’t stop George proposing marriage & a prison marriage would be mega on Insta

Legacy issues

Justin is still pursuing his legacy via the plan to get Borchester Land to nod through rewilding a substantial rewilding scheme, otherwise known as undermine Brian Aldridge’s farming business. Justin via Damara Capital has a controlling vote but when capitalist brothers war strange things can happen..

In Other News

Martyn has fallen off a horse after taking riding lessons. This of course was a subplot the warring brothers issues, as the lesson was given by Lilian. He has also been spotted wearing a floral shirt in The Bull which he claims is the ‘real me’. Martyn is having a liaison who also sits on the Borchester Land Board. Love and war… Jazzer commenting on Martyn’s new person has noted that he preferred him when he was miserable, at least he knew where he was coming from

Henry has sorted Clarrie being bullied by some obnoxious schoolboys

Kenton has had another go at the Markey & friends ID virtual parade..

This post is from a US local union branch but it underlines an interesting point about Big Beer, Union Beer and ethical beer.

I don’t know all the beers on the list but those I do I’d be unlikely to drink in most cases. Some are ok, if there was nothing else, others definitely not. However being produced by a unionised workforce is an important issue for ethical beer, particularly when the most well known UK craft brewer Brewdog resists unionisation. Meanwhile Camden is unionised by Unite the Union because its owner ABInBev the epitome of Big Beer does understand why a unionised workforce is a good thing.

Work in progress

A Year of Farage as Clacton MP. Visits to the US=8. Constituency Surgeries=0

July 4^th marked a year as Nigel Farage as MP for Clacton.

The Mirror, which is not sympathetic, has published some interviews with his Clacton Constituents. Some clearly hoped he would bring change and are frustrated. Others have tried to get his assistance as an MP and failed. Completely.

Of course Farage has supporters in Clacton and the Reform response notes various activities that he sponsors including it seems managing a football team. Neasden FC’s Ron Knee will be jealous particularly as Farage’s sport is cricket.

Some statistics

Farage has 10 jobs outside of Parliament

He has spent 800 hours on outside employment since July 4^th 2024

His earning for the same period are around £900,000

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/i-needed-help-local-mp-35496742

England v India at Edgbaston, Day 5. Can Bazball’s ideology cope with a draw.

Bazball named after the style of cricket favoured by England cricket coach Brendan McCullum is focused on winning games. Defeat is not countenanced (even though they still happen) and the draw is an official Thought Crime.

On Day 5 of the Second England v India Test at Edgbaston, England need 536 to win with 7 second innings wickets remaining. Only one team has ever scored more in a Test day and that was England against India on the second day of aa Test in 1936. There have been a few successful run chases of 400 and over

https://www.espncricinfo.com/records/most-runs-in-one-day-283082

In the circumstances England do still have the batters to bat the day out and get a draw. Is it an ideological step too far for Bazball

Steve James (Times 19^th November 2024) provided an interesting stat focused survey of what is happening in cricket Test wise across the world.

2024 saw just two drawn Tests, one between the West Indies and South Africa in August and the Third Test between Australia and India in December 2024. That is an historic low.

In terms of Steve James’s Stat, there were eventually 46 Tests played in 2024. His Stat does not include a two match series between New Zealand and England and four of the five Tests between Australia and India (the 5^th Test was in January 2025). That means the percentage of drawn Tests in 2024 was in fact 5%ish

Bazball may be the culprit or hero depending on your view. England under McCullum play to win (or more recently lose) rather than draw. The idea is to bring the pace and excitement of short form cricket into Tests.

Of course better pitch preparation and better drainage reducing rain delays have also helped but it means that five day Tests have become less common.

Personally and I’ve been watching the cricket since the 1960s I think a hard fought draw can show cricket at its best, as a battle between bat and ball where neither quite prevails.

What I don’t like are one sided victories (even if the team I’m supporting wins) and run fests where huge first innings scores see a result achieved via short form methods in the second.

Of course there are wider issues. Firstly in many countries, the audience in person is not there for Tests and staging them is costly. Secondly we are talking men here. There should be a lot more Test Matches in the women’s game.

The Spectator summer party took place on 3rd July. The summary of some notable attenders is from the Spectator itself.

The photo shows 50% of Reform UK’s MPs (now that another McMurdoch has been purged) together with far right figures Paul Staines who was the original person behind the Guido Fawkes site. Paul Marshall owns the Spectator and fund UnHerd and GBNews.

One might argue that thee gathering reflects a broad political consensus across the right despite divisions , although no doubt some attended because it was a nice summer evening with free booze. Whether Spectator columnist Rod Liddle leg guests in a chant to bomb Brighton and Glastonbury (in the current issue of the Spectator) is unknown.

A specific mystery is what Farage is drinking in that blue mug. Every other pictured guest whether drinking alcohol or not as a clear glass…

From Sir Paul Marshall to the SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, there are a number of notable faces. And despite all the Labour drama, Mr S has noted a Labour presence while Reform UK and the Conservatives turn out in force. Several Cabinet ministers appeared, including Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds and Environment Secretary Steve Reed. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch appeared, as did Reform leader Nigel Farage. Former Chancellor George Osborne also enjoyed the event while ex-Cabinet minister Victoria Atkins and Therese Coffey appeared. It was a cross-party affair, with the Liberal Democrats’ Daisy Cooper enjoying the event, while Alba’s Ash Regan turned up. Personalities including Piers Morgan, Trevor Phillips and Rachel Johnson came too. Below are a selection of photos from the event:

While the left is well known for in-fighting and occasional purges nothing can compare with the record of the political far right. Not only have many of those involved have rather dubious track records, shall we say, but there are often clashes of personalities, as to who should be the leader (or as we go further to the right the ‘little Hitler).

James McMurdock has now quit the Reform Whip after it became clear that the Sunday Times is about to publish details of some unusual and so far unexplained financial dealing that McMurdock was involved with during the pandemic.

It mirrors the history of political organisations where Farage is the key figure, going back to UKIP where the fallings outs, purges and general chaos were and are a constant feature

Measuring Labour’s Vote on 4^th July 2024 points to the issues 12 months on

Labour won the Election on 4^th July 2024 with 412 seats and a majority of 170. It was close to Blair’s win in 1997

The media, by contrast, noted that the 203 seats won in December 2019 was the lowest total since 1935.

One interesting measure which allows us to get underneath the headlines is the total number of votes  cast for Labour. This (fairly obviously) is not a guarantee of Electoral success but it does in a very broad way reflect a class vote and the depth of a Party’s support.

Labour won 9.7m votes on 4^th July and an obvious reflection is that relative to seats won this reflects an unfair FPTP voting system. A point less heard is that whichever voting system is used has pluses and minuses. It’s a political choice.

If a vote for Labour is a class vote, and it is in many areas, the 2024 figure is less impressive than those achieved by Jeremy Corbyn in 2017 and 2019. Part of this relates to a low turnout of around 60%. Part of however relates to Labour’s strategy of targeting seats to win rather than building up votes in ‘safe’ seats.

One thought might be that this ‘safe’ support needs to further engaged with and organised to help secure a future Labour win. Its surely not about Westminster but about the grassroots in workplaces and communities across the country.

Whether Starmer’s Labour has grasped this 12 months on seems highly doubtful. Meanwhile Jeremy Corbyn who even in the debacle of 2019 won more votes than Starmer in 2024 has re-entered the fray as part of a putative new left grouping

Labour votes

2024 9.7m

2019 10.3m

2017 12.88m

2015 9.35m

2010 8.61m

2005 9.55m

2001 10.72m

1997 13.52m

1992 11.56m

1987 10.03m

1983 8.46m

I noted this on a recent visit to a large Sainsburys. A reasonable beginners guide perhaps but also indicating they see a market for ‘craft’ but think there is a lack of clarity as to what it is beyond a niche sector of drinkers