| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing some people 16:41 - Oct 6 with 4842 views | Dubtractor |
But she is absolutely hopeless when put under any scrutiny.
These are pretty soft questions from a tory friendly journalist about their big announcement at the conference.
"I'm not a defence expert."
Even by Kemi Badenoch's lamentable standards, this is agonising. Just give thanks she will never, ever be Prime Minister. 🙏
#politicslive — paulusthewoodgnome (@paulusthewoodgnome.bsky.social) 2026-10-06T12:02:00.491Z
[Post edited 6 Oct 17:23]
|  |
| |  |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing sone people (n/t) on 09:53 - Oct 7 with 1430 views | DJR |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing sone people (n/t) on 09:33 - Oct 7 by balcombeblue |
Away from policy, Hague is a good speaker, intellectual historian and serious parliamentarian. Blair in particular was very respectful of his intellect. |
Wrong post. [Post edited 7 Oct 10:09]
|  | | |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing sone people (n/t) on 10:09 - Oct 7 with 1383 views | DJR |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing sone people (n/t) on 09:31 - Oct 7 by balcombeblue |
We're not arguing about politics though, more the seriousness of the people.
Prescott and Blunkett had their own failures, but they were at least recognisable and authentic. |
When I mentioned gravitas, I suppose I was focusing on something a bit more than seriousness, which Badenoch has in spades. Perhaps the expression "big beast" would have been a better one to use.
And the coalition government was led by three relatively young people in Cameron, Clegg and Osborne with not much in the way of life experience, something that seems an increasing trend in politics and which only adds to the contrast with older times.* Putting it another way, it seems to me that age can add a certain wisdom and experience to people.
And if you look at today's politicians, there are precious few one would see as proper leaders.
*It's not just the politicians but the special advisers who are often not long out of Oxbridge but drive policies which aren't tested in the way that once might have been the case. I suppose it's the modern world and the electoral cycle but a little more time in getting policy right wouldn't go a miss.. | | | |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing sone people (n/t) on 10:20 - Oct 7 with 1351 views | baxterbasics |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing sone people (n/t) on 10:09 - Oct 7 by DJR |
When I mentioned gravitas, I suppose I was focusing on something a bit more than seriousness, which Badenoch has in spades. Perhaps the expression "big beast" would have been a better one to use.
And the coalition government was led by three relatively young people in Cameron, Clegg and Osborne with not much in the way of life experience, something that seems an increasing trend in politics and which only adds to the contrast with older times.* Putting it another way, it seems to me that age can add a certain wisdom and experience to people.
And if you look at today's politicians, there are precious few one would see as proper leaders.
*It's not just the politicians but the special advisers who are often not long out of Oxbridge but drive policies which aren't tested in the way that once might have been the case. I suppose it's the modern world and the electoral cycle but a little more time in getting policy right wouldn't go a miss.. |
I think it's definitely a problem that across the whole house politicians are skewing younger than in the past. They come in with little real world experience - they haven't run a business, or had to raise a family on a limited budget, for example. A career as an activist or working in think tanks. There's a lot of churn too - by the time they've actually got a few years under their belt, they step down to work in the private sector and/or get a place in the House of Lords. Look how many PMs and cabinets we've gone through since Cameron - none of this is good for stability, consistency or addressing the long term challenges we are facing. |  |
| |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing sone people (n/t) on 10:35 - Oct 7 with 1324 views | balcombeblue |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing sone people (n/t) on 10:20 - Oct 7 by baxterbasics |
I think it's definitely a problem that across the whole house politicians are skewing younger than in the past. They come in with little real world experience - they haven't run a business, or had to raise a family on a limited budget, for example. A career as an activist or working in think tanks. There's a lot of churn too - by the time they've actually got a few years under their belt, they step down to work in the private sector and/or get a place in the House of Lords. Look how many PMs and cabinets we've gone through since Cameron - none of this is good for stability, consistency or addressing the long term challenges we are facing. |
That's why Burnham's speech last week rings so hollow to me. He's completely unfit to tackle to problems of our age. His announcement on the rebranding of GB Energy being a great case in point.
It's going to be downhill for him from the 28th October onwards. Still, bus fares are capped. |  | | |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing some people on 11:20 - Oct 7 with 1273 views | DJR |
NIck Timothy now blaming Labour for some recent killings, and ignoring the fact the Tories were in power for 14 years, not that any government is really to blame for the actions of individuals.
"So many parts of government are corrupted by radical identity politics and a deference to clan culture.
The faces may change, but the policies live on because this is Labour’s ideology. An ideology with serious consequences in the real world: the Southport killer, Axel Rudakubana, Henry Nowak’s killer, Vikram Digwa, the Nottingham killer Valdo Calocane.
This is a cancer and the next Conservative government will root it out." [Post edited 7 Oct 13:02]
| | | |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing some people on 11:27 - Oct 7 with 1253 views | ITFC_Essex |
She will make Liz Truss look impressive if she was the PM. She doesn't get tough questions because people are scared of her, even in her own Party, she's lost more Councillors and more by-elections as an opposition leader than anyone and yet they are terrified of removing her as she'll take everyone down with her.
She's right of Farage, an alt-right, take from the poor and give to the rich candidate.
Awful local MP as well. [Post edited 7 Oct 11:28]
|  |
| |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing some people on 11:34 - Oct 7 with 1236 views | Mullet |
Thatcher, tradition, business, low tax, Thatcher, Britishness, Thatcher, greed, Thatcher, keep you rich.
They're desperate and clueless on loop aren't they?
Now to smash the fash and we might get our country back |  |
| |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing some people on 12:11 - Oct 7 with 1158 views | NthQldITFC |
"We're just like Marks & Spencers."
"In what way are you just like Marks & Spencers?"
"Oh, I don't know, I don't do details. Is it old women's big knickers?" |  |
| |
Login to get fewer ads
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing some people on 12:37 - Oct 7 with 1118 views | soupytwist |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing some people on 11:20 - Oct 7 by DJR |
NIck Timothy now blaming Labour for some recent killings, and ignoring the fact the Tories were in power for 14 years, not that any government is really to blame for the actions of individuals.
"So many parts of government are corrupted by radical identity politics and a deference to clan culture.
The faces may change, but the policies live on because this is Labour’s ideology. An ideology with serious consequences in the real world: the Southport killer, Axel Rudakubana, Henry Nowak’s killer, Vikram Digwa, the Nottingham killer Valdo Calocane.
This is a cancer and the next Conservative government will root it out." [Post edited 7 Oct 13:02]
|
Nick Timothy is really making his predecessor as MP for West Suffolk look like an intellectual giant. |  | | |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing some people on 17:01 - Oct 7 with 1019 views | DJR |
She said this with a straight face. 
"No other party in Britain has got a team with talent like mine." | | | |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing some people on 17:36 - Oct 7 with 990 views | Portmanteauxcurling |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing some people on 12:11 - Oct 7 by NthQldITFC |
"We're just like Marks & Spencers."
"In what way are you just like Marks & Spencers?"
"Oh, I don't know, I don't do details. Is it old women's big knickers?" |
Skid & Frank? |  | | |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing some people on 17:58 - Oct 7 with 968 views | Whos_blue |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing some people on 17:01 - Oct 7 by DJR |
She said this with a straight face.
"No other party in Britain has got a team with talent like mine." |
I give you Chris Philp.
 |  |
| "Look, I don't wanna be the same as everybody else. That's why I'm a Mod, see?" |
| |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing sone people on 18:27 - Oct 7 with 955 views | jontysnut |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing sone people on 17:03 - Oct 6 by Kievthegreat |
The whole thing is a bit of a joke. It's a pretty nothingy policy statement dressed up as revolutionary with a name like Britannia Shield.
Essentially the Tories proposal is integrated air defence and early warnings. Which we've had in some form since the 1930s. They've made comparisons of this "Britannia Shield" to Israel's Iron Dome, plucked some numbers out of thin air, so we could do it for a fraction of cost, over a larger area of geographic coverage.
They aren't really proposing any revolutionary tech. Nor articulating a particularly impressive plan. Also really not helped by Kemi showing she has no clue* what she's talking about and fumbling through cluelessly. Defence is one of those areas where I don't want politicians grandstanding about their fantastic idea and attaching political capital to their pet projects. I'd much rather the armed forces decide on defence projects based on practical considerations rather than electoral.
*I don't expect her to be educating Ferrari on different types of interceptors, exact numbers of launch platforms, and real nitty gritty detail. However I do expect her to sound like she didn't just read a 3 line memo this morning and then blagging her way through it like a teenager who didn't do their homework. |
Didn't we play Port Vale in The Britannia Shield in 1985 |  | | |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing sone people on 19:37 - Oct 7 with 904 views | flykickingbybgunn |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing sone people on 16:56 - Oct 6 by carlo88 |
I think it's quite a remarkable achievement to be 4% lower in the polls from what was your worst ever election result two years ago. She's certainly got something going there.. |
As opposed to labour who are currently 7% lower than the '24 result ?
It is mid season and silly time. When it comes around to the general election we will all find out where they are. But not before.. |  | | |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing some people on 19:52 - Oct 7 with 875 views | GlasgowBlue |
I thought this rejection of Reform and Suela Braverman was very good.
"To those who say “unite the right”... we are not uniting with THAT. I don’t want to live in a country run by people who threaten journalists, call veterans traitors and debate whether my mixed-race children are English.
"I don’t want to explain to my son, when we’re watching our brilliant England team play football, that some people don’t think our black players are English.
"I remember back in the day when Ian Wright and John Barnes were playing - nobody was questioning whether they were English. We certainly didn’t have sitting MPs questioning whether they were English.
"We must not let these people take us backwards. That is not the country we are. I don’t know whether you’ve noticed, but I am black. I am British. I’m proud of my country, I’m proud of our history." |  |
| |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing sone people on 20:53 - Oct 7 with 833 views | Swansea_Blue |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing sone people on 17:27 - Oct 6 by benrhyddingblue |
That’s impressive, but not in any positive way. This was their big announcement today and she sounds like a sixth former who didn’t do any revision for the latest test because she thinks she didn’t have to. There really is very low bar in British politics nowadays, which really is worrying for the country. |
She’s genuinely, gob-smackingly awful isn’t she. I’d feel sorry for her if she wasn’t so smug and arrogant about her uselessness. Agree, it’s been a very low bar for a while. There are signs that a corner may have been turned now, but we shouldn’t have got to 2 years into a massive majority with a confused government. 2 years wasted imo. |  |
| |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing sone people on 22:12 - Oct 7 with 770 views | balcombeblue |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing sone people on 20:53 - Oct 7 by Swansea_Blue |
She’s genuinely, gob-smackingly awful isn’t she. I’d feel sorry for her if she wasn’t so smug and arrogant about her uselessness. Agree, it’s been a very low bar for a while. There are signs that a corner may have been turned now, but we shouldn’t have got to 2 years into a massive majority with a confused government. 2 years wasted imo. |
I do quite like Kemi!
As I have said before, I reject much of the idea of unconscious bias, but you never hear people saying it in relation to Kemi. | | | |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing some people on 10:05 - Oct 8 with 602 views | Dubtractor |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing some people on 19:52 - Oct 7 by GlasgowBlue |
I thought this rejection of Reform and Suela Braverman was very good.
"To those who say “unite the right”... we are not uniting with THAT. I don’t want to live in a country run by people who threaten journalists, call veterans traitors and debate whether my mixed-race children are English.
"I don’t want to explain to my son, when we’re watching our brilliant England team play football, that some people don’t think our black players are English.
"I remember back in the day when Ian Wright and John Barnes were playing - nobody was questioning whether they were English. We certainly didn’t have sitting MPs questioning whether they were English.
"We must not let these people take us backwards. That is not the country we are. I don’t know whether you’ve noticed, but I am black. I am British. I’m proud of my country, I’m proud of our history." |
Yep. Credit where it is due.
Though her having a pop at Reform for banning journalists, after banning some of the very same journalists, was a a bit rich. | |
| |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing sone people on 10:11 - Oct 8 with 588 views | DJR |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing sone people on 10:02 - Oct 8 by balcombeblue |
No doubting Sunak is incredibly clever and likeable.
Neither actually relevant in politics anymore!
What do we make of this Man City Business? Damaging to Burnham’s “everyday man” image? |
Lewis Goodall had a phone-in on LBC at the weekend which posed the question of whether Manchesterism, Burnham's main selling point, had been undermined given the role the owners of Man City had had in the development of the city.
For my own part, I wouldn't have anything to do with the UAE because of its support for the Rapid Support Force in Sudan.
https://www.humanrightsresearc
And leaving aside the extent to which the Man City business will damage Burnham, I am not convinced what has gone on in Manchester can be replicated in deprived towns and rural areas because there may well be little incentive for businesses and the like to invest in such places, which lack things like prestigious universities.
EDIT; the front page of the current issue of Private Eye picks up on the controversy.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/267 [Post edited 8 Oct 10:48]
| | | |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing some people on 10:15 - Oct 8 with 570 views | eireblue |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing some people on 10:05 - Oct 8 by Dubtractor |
Yep. Credit where it is due.
Though her having a pop at Reform for banning journalists, after banning some of the very same journalists, was a a bit rich. |
Yeah, Suella being so dumb has given Kemi and the conservatives that Kinnock/Militant opportunity.
Shame other leaders, such as Polanski, haven’t been able to stand up against extremists. |  | | |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing some people on 09:02 - Oct 9 with 389 views | Dubtractor |
The party of fiscal competency....
NEW: Kemi Badenoch’s flagship party conference policy document, The Right Way, overestimated the cost of net zero by nearly £500bn, seemingly after someone accidentally double-counted figures on a spreadsheet.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202... — Peter Walker (@peterwalker99.bsky.social) 2026-10-09T06:07:02.893Z
| |
| |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing some people on 09:21 - Oct 9 with 356 views | Mullet |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing some people on 19:52 - Oct 7 by GlasgowBlue |
I thought this rejection of Reform and Suela Braverman was very good.
"To those who say “unite the right”... we are not uniting with THAT. I don’t want to live in a country run by people who threaten journalists, call veterans traitors and debate whether my mixed-race children are English.
"I don’t want to explain to my son, when we’re watching our brilliant England team play football, that some people don’t think our black players are English.
"I remember back in the day when Ian Wright and John Barnes were playing - nobody was questioning whether they were English. We certainly didn’t have sitting MPs questioning whether they were English.
"We must not let these people take us backwards. That is not the country we are. I don’t know whether you’ve noticed, but I am black. I am British. I’m proud of my country, I’m proud of our history." |
It’s quite the pivot from her incessant culture wars nonsense all of 5 mins ago isn’t it?
Not sure Barnes is the best example either is he? Wasn’t he pelted with bananas and called a Jamaican back in the 80s?
Either way I think the arrogance of them pretending to be the opposition still might work to split the right a bit more. | |
| |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing some people on 09:33 - Oct 9 with 344 views | DanTheMan |
| Kemi Badenoch is supposedly impressing some people on 09:02 - Oct 9 by Dubtractor |
The party of fiscal competency....
NEW: Kemi Badenoch’s flagship party conference policy document, The Right Way, overestimated the cost of net zero by nearly £500bn, seemingly after someone accidentally double-counted figures on a spreadsheet.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202... — Peter Walker (@peterwalker99.bsky.social) 2026-10-09T06:07:02.893Z
|
The fun things about these "how much it will cost" is that they don't take into account how much it would cost to not do it. It's always the pure cost.
Apparently buying natural gas is completely free, who knew? |  |
| |
| |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
