After Steely Starmer’s assertion that wrongdoers in his party would be marched out with their feet barely touching the ground and in the light of so many examples over the past seven or eight years of the kind of behaviour by politicians that should not have been tolerated, least of all by a “leader” who’d promised to restore trust by ensuring integrity, professionalism and accountability, it would be nice to think that Starmer would be true to his words.
I’m not ashamed to admit, albeit with strong reservations about his reluctance to acknowledge/discuss certain aspects of the immigration situation (the aspects that dare not speak their names), that I have a lot of respect for James O’Brien (especially between 10 am and 1pm, Monday to Friday, on LBC).
Without all the ammunition freely offered up by the Tories, it will be extremely interesting to see how much he will have to get his teeth into with Labour in power.
It’ll be quite an experience, I imagine. Are you able to tell us whereabouts the group will be assembling and in what sort of numbers?
And what, for you, would constitute an anti-climax?
I also wonder if James will be in a fit state the following morning to present his show which (given the intensity he brings to it even in “normal” circumstances) is going to be absolutely shattering.
Whatever the outcome of the election (or to the extent that the outcome will already be apparent) future conversations between 10am and 1pm on weekdays are going to be very different.
I’ve only been following the programme for about five years so I’ve no idea what they were like during the Labour and Conservative/LibDem coalition years. I’d be very interested to know.
It was an invite to a live event in Notting Hill for a podcast I Patreon (a voluntary subscription if you will). James is on from time to time so they’ve invited him as a guest to share the exit polls when they come out at around 10.
I’ve been tee-total for a year but have bought a rather fine bottle of red to savour when I get home on the back of collecting some long standing bets on the result.
The anti-climax would be to discover everyone stayed at home because it was a foregone conclusion and that we end up with a hing parliament or worse.
For some reason I got the impression that it was going to be an all-nighter. They can be pretty knackering from what I can recall of my last one at Chesham Town Hall in 1962.
So James will be well rested for his show the following day and no doubt more than usually cock-a-hoop.
Exit polls aren't the actual results...if you want to stay up for the results then it is an all nighter. The first offical result is normally around 11pm, although I think Sunderland were beaten by Newcastle to being the quickest to announce last time so it may be a little earlier this year.
The enjoyment, as it was in 1997, will come from seeing some of the Tory big guns losing their seats in real time. Those that haven't taken the coward's way out by not standing anyway.
Put LBC on at 10 am as usual. Thought James would be talking about the Sunak/Starmer debate but he was talking about loss of respect for politicians, police and officialdom in general. Didn’t appeal so switched off.
Turned back on twenty minutes ago and Nick Ferrari is in charge. All I’ve heard is that he had to leave the studio. Hope nothing serious has occurred.
Week to go. Labour look a lock in. Give me reason to be optimistic about change. I just don't see it. I suspect we will get the first term of 'it was all the Tories fault, we wish we could change everything' followed by a second term of in-fighting and self-interest. And then we are back to the Tories. Be interesting to see if Starmer makes the full first term, I'm not sure he has everyone's support and as rallying cries go I don't think he has a voice.
Sheila Fogarty has taken over from Nick Ferrari so has a five hour marathon to cope with. She explained that James had to rush home to deal with a family matter. Again, hope nothing too serious.
I this era of instant gratification (the amazon shopping effect) I genuinely believe if there are no changes by the 6th of July people will quite quickly start saying 'see, told you, same old, same old'.
Comments
After Steely Starmer’s assertion that wrongdoers in his party would be marched out with their feet barely touching the ground and in the light of so many examples over the past seven or eight years of the kind of behaviour by politicians that should not have been tolerated, least of all by a “leader” who’d promised to restore trust by ensuring integrity, professionalism and accountability, it would be nice to think that Starmer would be true to his words.
I’m not ashamed to admit, albeit with strong reservations about his reluctance to acknowledge/discuss certain aspects of the immigration situation (the aspects that dare not speak their names), that I have a lot of respect for James O’Brien (especially between 10 am and 1pm, Monday to Friday, on LBC).
Without all the ammunition freely offered up by the Tories, it will be extremely interesting to see how much he will have to get his teeth into with Labour in power.
I’ll be fortunate enough to spend election night with James O’Brien and the Oh God, What Now! team (formally the Remainiacs).
Here’s hoping it’s a night of catharsism and celebration, rather than the biggest anti-climax in election history.
When Keir Starmer says “wrongdoers”, he means Jewish people.
But his wife is Jewish!!!
I don’t think he used that word. I used it in paraphrasing what he said. I don’t retain enough nowadays to do verbatim.
I don’t doubt that you were jesting.
I probably should have reserved the steely epithet for our Chief Football Officer.
Plus half her family still live in Israel and even KS regularly attends the synagogue.
Nightmare for his focus group.
Well yes, it's only the jews who oppose Israel's oppression of Palestinians that he's purging from the party and slapping with anti-semitism charges.
It’ll be quite an experience, I imagine. Are you able to tell us whereabouts the group will be assembling and in what sort of numbers?
And what, for you, would constitute an anti-climax?
I also wonder if James will be in a fit state the following morning to present his show which (given the intensity he brings to it even in “normal” circumstances) is going to be absolutely shattering.
Whatever the outcome of the election (or to the extent that the outcome will already be apparent) future conversations between 10am and 1pm on weekdays are going to be very different.
I’ve only been following the programme for about five years so I’ve no idea what they were like during the Labour and Conservative/LibDem coalition years. I’d be very interested to know.
It was an invite to a live event in Notting Hill for a podcast I Patreon (a voluntary subscription if you will). James is on from time to time so they’ve invited him as a guest to share the exit polls when they come out at around 10.
I’ve been tee-total for a year but have bought a rather fine bottle of red to savour when I get home on the back of collecting some long standing bets on the result.
The anti-climax would be to discover everyone stayed at home because it was a foregone conclusion and that we end up with a hing parliament or worse.
collecting some long standing bets on the result.
Not bets on the date of the election I hope
Ha ha. It’s ironic that that betting scandal was the trigger for him to payout! I’ve got another £20 coming if the Tories get under 145 seats too!
I think we made the bet in the Johnson era so it’s been a long time coming!
A hing parliament to go with the ming vase.
For some reason I got the impression that it was going to be an all-nighter. They can be pretty knackering from what I can recall of my last one at Chesham Town Hall in 1962.
So James will be well rested for his show the following day and no doubt more than usually cock-a-hoop.
Exit polls aren't the actual results...if you want to stay up for the results then it is an all nighter. The first offical result is normally around 11pm, although I think Sunderland were beaten by Newcastle to being the quickest to announce last time so it may be a little earlier this year.
Thinking about it, “…cock-a-hoop” is definitely not an accurate description of James’s usual demeanour ! “More upbeat than usual” would be better.
Not the actual results, but usually fairly accurate.
In 2019, the exit poll at 10pm said: Con 368, Lab 191, LD 13, SNP 55.
Tha actual result was: Con 365, Lab 203, LD 11 and SNP 48.
The spread betting firm Sporting Index currently have the spreads as follows:
Lab 420-430, Con 113-121, LD 54-58, SNP 19-22, Reform 4.75-6.75. So not much jeopardy to stay up for, as it stands.
Seeing the tories get beaten is always worth a day off in my book. Doesn’t happen often so it’s important to savour.
And if Labour underperform vs the polls, we can enjoy Laura K confirming her bias by calling a red majority of 120 ‘an absolute disaster for Labour’.
The enjoyment, as it was in 1997, will come from seeing some of the Tory big guns losing their seats in real time. Those that haven't taken the coward's way out by not standing anyway.
Are reform really going to win 5 seats? That’s depressing
Can’t see it myself @Chris , maybe they get a couple.
Put LBC on at 10 am as usual. Thought James would be talking about the Sunak/Starmer debate but he was talking about loss of respect for politicians, police and officialdom in general. Didn’t appeal so switched off.
Turned back on twenty minutes ago and Nick Ferrari is in charge. All I’ve heard is that he had to leave the studio. Hope nothing serious has occurred.
Week to go. Labour look a lock in. Give me reason to be optimistic about change. I just don't see it. I suspect we will get the first term of 'it was all the Tories fault, we wish we could change everything' followed by a second term of in-fighting and self-interest. And then we are back to the Tories. Be interesting to see if Starmer makes the full first term, I'm not sure he has everyone's support and as rallying cries go I don't think he has a voice.
Sheila Fogarty has taken over from Nick Ferrari so has a five hour marathon to cope with. She explained that James had to rush home to deal with a family matter. Again, hope nothing too serious.
Everyone will hate him by Christmas.
On last night’s debate, I only watched half an hour. It was all too familiar. As gripping as an England football match.
At the point when I switched off, the Nottingham audience were reacting more positively to Sunak than to Starmer.
The East Midlands has always had a nasty streak.
I this era of instant gratification (the amazon shopping effect) I genuinely believe if there are no changes by the 6th of July people will quite quickly start saying 'see, told you, same old, same old'.
I fear a number of problems the country has are so deeply ingrained that no politician of whatever hue has the levers to pull to fix them.