THREAD:

THIS IS PAINFUL

1. I should feel somewhat relieved with tonight's poll showing the most likely outcome in the GE is a working majority for the Tories.

But I feel concerned & quite upset.

2. What the hell has happened to our country? I've spent today thinking 'what?' It's been surreal. Yesterday's interview with Jeremy Corbyn & Andrew Neil threw no surprises. We know the Labour Party has issues with antisemitism, we know their manifesto is left of left.

3. But today's bizarre press conference. wtf was that all about? Corbyn & Gardiner call the conference with a purported big leak & are filmed looking busy, writing things down whilst being asked "Are you antisemitic?".

4. That question doesn't need writing down - it's not gonna suddenly fly out of your memory bank is it? It reminded me of my crappy school teachers, marking homework whilst they were meant to be teaching, barking "Quiet" when someone dared to put their hand up.

5. But this was their press conference, the LP called it & it was weird & painful to watch. Look busy & write stuff down & we'll blag this seemed to be the strategy. But it was entirely predictable that the press would ask the questions that went unanswered about antisemitism.

6. The Andrew Neil interview was bound to be a hot topic for a few days, until the next 'victim' is called to account. The naivety of today's unsuccessful charade has made me realise what a mess we're in politically. No one had a credible plan.

7. There's Jeremy Corbyn waving the 'secret' document, being untruthful about the contents. Did he think no-one would bother to read it for themselves afterwards & discover the Health Service is not for sale. Pharmaceutical procurement isn't big news & isn't a surprise.

8. Good governance requires a powerful opposition to hold the executive to account for its failings.

So I don't want to see this - the Labour Party collapsing before my eyes. I want a moderate & fair socialist opposition to look out for us.

9. I don't want the arrogant, smug elements of the Tory Party to think they've gotten away with it & can coast along for 5 years doing as little as possible to get by, relying on the civil service too much again. It's not a way forward at a challenging time.

10. We need a big opposition with big ideas to keep the Tories keen & focused. Instead we've got a cabal of neoliberal, virtue signalling wets, offended by the word 'humbug', mixed in with Marxists who want to nationalise everything & throw money about like confetti.

11. There's just no way that those Labour manifesto policies were going to be implemented. The Labour Party should have recognised this. If they'd just wanted to nationalise the rail service, people might have gone for it & there'd be a credible argument for it.

12. So there we have it. The Westminster bubble has burst & we're heading into an election with Labour in tatters & the Lib Dems not much better off.

I should be pleased, but we need 650 capable politicians bouncing ideas off one another, forging a new future for the UK.