UK General Election 2019 - Campaign Thread

[YPestis25]

Conservative Leadership Teams Per Region

Scotland - 59 seats
1 . David Mundell
2 . Ross Thomson
3 . Kirstene Hair

Wales - 40 seats
1 . David Davies
2 . Guto Bebb
3 . Stephen Crabb

West Midlands - 59 seats
1 . Wendy Morton
2 . Andrew Mitchell
3 . Caroline Spelman

East Midlands - 46 seats
1 . Alan Duncan
2 . Andrew Brigden
3 . Nicky Morgan

East of England - 50 seats
1 . Priti Patel
2 . David Gauke
3 . Jo Churchill

London - 80 seats
1 . Boris Johnson
2 . Justine Greening
3 . Zac Goldsmith

North West - 75 Seats
1 . Esther McVey
2 . Seema Kennedy
3 . Nigel Evans

Yorkshire and the Humber - 55 seats
1 . David Davis
2 . Julian Smith
3 . Andrea Jenkyns

South West - 55 seats
1 . Jacob Rees-Mogg
2 . Tobias Ellwood
3 . Liam Fox

South East - 84 seats
1 . Michael Gove
2 . Jeremy Hunt
3 . Amber Rudd

North East - 29 seats
1 . Simon Clark
2 . Guy Opperman
3 . Anne-Marie Trevelyan

Note: The Conservative Party will be competing for every seat in every region in which leadership teams are present. The leadership teams simply indicate the three MPs who will head the lists.

[YPestis25]

Conservative Schedule:
August 8th-14th

From: The Telegraph

August 8th

-Meet voters in Exeter
-Attend community meeting in Torbay
-Canvassing in Plymouth

August 9th

-Canvassing in Dorchester
-Canvassing in Southampton
-Speech in Portsmouth:

Our trading relationship with the Eurozone is of the utmost importance to our national economy, but this importance is seen no more strongly than here in the south of England. I promise you today that as your Prime Minister, I will ensure that equitable and fair free trade agreements are signed in the wake of Brexit so that local communities like Portsmouth are not harmed by the final deal.

August 10th

-Canvassing in Colchester
-Canvassing in Ipswich
-Canvassing in Norwich

August 11th

-Attend local Conservative clubs in London 
-Prime Ministerial Duties
-Speech in London

In building an economy for everyone, we must work to ensure that every Briton from Aberdeen to Portsmouth and from Belfast to Brighton have the ability to actually benefit from that economy. It is simply impossible to do that without housing. As your Prime Minister one of my first moves will be devoting 150 million pounds to the construction of new shelters for the homeless and to the providing of new services for them. Moreover, my government will work to establish new tax abatements for those constructing affordable, good quality housing.

.

August 12th

-Meet with voters in Birmingham
-Canvassing in Coventry
-Canvassing in Northampton

August 13th

-Prime Ministerial Duties

August 14th

-Meet with voters in Northampton
-Meet and greet in Nottingham
-Speech in Leicester

I am sure that many of you saw the debate, and I wonder if you are struggling as much as I am to understand both Labour and the Liberal Democrats’ position on Brexit. I mean, Labour has all but stated they are willing to hold repeated referenda until they get the result they want, and I suppose that’s at least logically consistent. Now the Lib Dems, and look I don’t blame them for making mistakes, they haven’t been in government in years, but the Lib Dems are both opposed to Brexit entirely, but have decided to support a plan to leave the European Union anyway! I guess I’ve got to ask Jo Swinson, which is it?

Strategy

The strategy for this week will be in much the same vein as the previous. Heavy focus will again be played into ensuring that the Conservative base turns out. This will be reflected with increased resources being put into the south of England along with the Prime Minister competing there.

Additional focus will be put on attacking both the Liberal Democratic and Labour position on Brexit itself. With the Prime Minister himself taking up the lead on this front, resources will be devoted into ad campaigns to target Brexit backing Labour areas in order to swing their votes. The Liberal Democrats will also be targeted, anticipating the fear of a Brexit-UKIP led government in light of their recent merger.

[Continential]

Plaid Schedule

August 8th to 12th: Campaign in Rhonda

August 13th to 14th: Campaign in Ynes Mon

[Orwell]

Labour: Together with Pride

August 8

surgery in Glasgow with Paul Williams, and Ian Murray.
speech to young labour on education with Spokesperson for Education
canvass in pro-Labour areas of Edinburgh and Glasgow

Top candidates in every region
Except for those already listed
Wales: Kevin Williams
East of England: Stephen Timms
East Midlands: Jon Ashworth
Northwest England: Peter Dowd
Southeast: Tan Dehsi
Southwest: Ben Bradshaw
West Midlands: Preet Gill
Yorkshire and the Humber: Dan Jarvis

August 9

surgery in Northeast England with local MPs in Durham, and New Castle Upon Tyne

Speech in Cardiff about the Blue New Deal to revitalize coastal areas.

Speech in Edinburgh about jobs

August 10

Canvassing and Advertisements with Paul Williams Anwar Shadat, and Ian Murray in Glasgow and Edinburgh

Meeting with members of young labour leadership.

Campaign on focusing on urban renewal and building new council homes in Britain. 

August 11

Meet with prominent members of the public, discussing ways they can revitalize the North of England.

Campaign amongst unemployed factory workers, promising a return to a working Britain.

Speak to Labour leaders across Britain via conference on the campaign strategy in the general election.
 

August 12

The campaign in Swansea, Cardiff, and Ghent. Focus on getting the working-class Labour base.

Continue the strong campaign in Wales with canvassing of the 3 cities.

Meet with local labour leaders and trade unionists about a possible endorsement.

August 13

rest

August 14

rest

[Lumine]

Change UK:

Time for Change in Britain!

₁

______________________________________________________________

Week 2:
Building the National Base

In General: Change UK focused its campaign for the second week on consolidating the polling gains made on its first week, seeking to ensure a base of at least 5% in virtually all regions in order to obtain MP's in all corners of Britain. The campaign for the week consisted on emphasizing three key areas: the manifesto pledges on domestic policy, the clear anti-Brexit messaging, and the need to preserve and defend the union against both nationalist parties and the prospect of a hard or no-deal Brexit (this emphasis in order to make an impact in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland).

Concepts: Continuing to make full use of the "Coalition of Chaos" to refer to Cameron and to the UKIP-Brexit combination as well as the "Stop Brexit" / "No Deal Brexit" concepts, Change UK decided to introduce a risky innovation from the grassroots - not to be uttered by the leadership yet - and have it tested at rallies or campaign events. This is the "B*llocks to Brexit" slogan already used by some Remain activists, which is hope might introduce a further element of anti-Brexit defiance in the campaign.

Strategic: Three key calculations are being made by the campaign this week as efforts are expanded: one, that pro-union Remain voters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland need a strong pro-Remain alternative outside of Sinn Fein/SNP; two, that the abandonment of the Lib Dems of Yorkshire and the Humber offers a prime opportunity to surge there and recruit their possibly angry activist base; and three, that ensuring a floor of at least 5% per region will give the party further credibility as a national alternative to power.

Candidates: Change UK will contest every single region in the UK, even attempting to expand into Northern Ireland to offer pro-Union Remain voters an alternative to Sinn Fein. The lead candidates for each region are:

Scotland: Gavin Esler
Wales: Jon Owen Jones
Northern Ireland: Jane Morrice
East of England: Heidi Allen
East Midlands: Chris Leslie
London: Anna Soubry
North East: Diana Wallis
North West: Luciana Berger
South East: Richard Ashworth
South West: Rachel Johnson
West Midlands: Neil Carmichael
Yorkshire and the Humber: Angela Smith

Campaign:

• August 8th: Mrs. Soubry, Angela Smith and a team of prominent Change UK figures started a two-day tour offensive across Yorkshire and the Humber, choosing to fully exploit the Lib Dem refusal to contest the region. Change UK was consistently portrayed as the lead party of Remain in order to absorb as much of the Lib Dem votes as possible.
• August 9th: The Yorkshire and the Humber offensive was continued, with messaging on the second day also focusing on the lack of Conservative clarity on Brexit and Labour declining to mention Brexit on certain regions.
• August 10th: Next came a trip into Scotland with lead candidate Gavin Esler - born in Glasgow -, seeking to expand the Change UK base by offering a clear Remain and pro-Union party, criticizing the SNP over attempts to break the union and promoting Change UK's own support for a federal UK.
• August 11th: Taking a gamble, Mrs. Soubry and Change UK flew to Belfast and undertook a Northern Ireland tour for the day, mostly in the hopes of launching a viable - if limited - effort to surpass the 5% threshold. Harshly attacking the DUP over their involvement in the Coalition of Chaos, Soubry also appealed to pro-Union voters by noting that a Sinn Fein victory would be damaging for the union.
• August 12th: The day was spent in a return to London to further organize the campaign at the Change UK HQ, plus debate preparations and the debate itself.
• August 13th: The campaign moved into South West England as an area likely to be receptive to the economic message - due to zones hit by austerity -, foreign policy - due to the several military bases and the jobs they support - and Brexit policy itself, constantly portraying Change UK as a party of real change and one appealing to young voters.

• August 14th: Finally, the campaign for the week ended with a trip to Wales to once again promote the federal UK manifesto pledge, stand as a pro-Union, pro-Remain party and remark on the sheer economic damage that would be caused to Wales if another "Coalition of Chaos" government pursued a hard or no-Deal Brexit.

___________________________________________________________________

^{1.) Original Image:
BBC One, Party Election Broadcasts: Change UK - The Independent Group, modified.}[/list]

[DKrol]

Breaking News: Soubry Facing Expense Scandal
The Daily Telegraph Staff

Anna Soubry: Umunna made ‘serious mistake’ leaving Change UK
Dimitris Legakis/Athena Pictures via The Guardian

Anna Soubry, MP for London and leader of Change UK, is facing calls for her to stand down as Leader of Change UK as reports have surfaced which allege she misused funds from Parliament. The reports, sourced from a Freedom of Information Act request, seem to show that Ms. Soubry, while a Conservative MP, hired her eldest daughter, Roma, to work in her Westminster office. The younger Ms. Soubry, a university student at the time, was supposed to work as a researcher for her mother and received more than 1,000 pounds a month from October 2015 to May 2017. No records can be found, however, of any work the younger Ms. Soubry did in the Westminster office or in the MP's London constituency. The amount of the stipend also raised eyebrows by several Westminster watchers, who noted it is above the mid-range point for a staff member with a similar job description. Some are calling on the elder Ms. Soubry to stand down as leader of Change UK, while others believe an apology and the repayment of the stipends would be more appropriate. The elder Ms. Soubry and Change UK have not yet commented on the scandal.

[DKrol]

Turn Three
August 15 - August 21

Sky News, National Poll - August 15, 2019:

Labour: 26% (+4)
Conservatives 22% (-1)
Liberal Democrats: 18% (-2)
BFP: 17%
Change UK: 13% (+2)
Green Party: 4% (+/-0)

Sky News, Scotland Poll - August 15, 2019:

SNP: 36% (+2)
Labour: 21% (+2)
Conservatives: 16% (-3)
Change UK: 10% (+2)
Liberal Democrats: 7% (-5)
Green Party: 7% (+1)
Other: 3%

Sky News, Wales Poll - August 15, 2019:

Conservatives: 26% (+/-0)
Liberal Democrats: 20% (-2)
Labour: 20% (+3)
Plaid Cymru: 14% (-3)
Change UK: 7% (+1)
BFP: 5%
Green Party: 4% (+/-0)
Other: 4%

Sky News, Northern Ireland Poll - August 15, 2019:

Sinn Fein: 46% (+5)
DUP: 20% (-8)
UUP: 14% (+2)
SDLP: 13% (+1)
Change UK: 3%
TUV: 2% (+1)
Other: 2%

Sky News, West Midlands Poll - August 15, 2019

Conservative Party - 27%
Liberal Democrats - 20%
Labour Party - 20%
BFP - 13%
Change UK - 10%
Greens - 5%
Other - 5%

Sky News, East Midlands Poll - August 15, 2019
Conservative Party - 30%
Liberal Democrats - 19%
BFP - 15%
Labour Party - 15%
Change UK - 14%
Greens - 3%
Other - 4%

Sky News, East of England Poll - August 15, 2019
Conservative Party - 25%
BFP - 23%
Liberal Democrats - 20%
Labour - 14%
Change UK - 5%
Greens - 5%
Other: 8%

Sky News, London Poll - August 15, 2019
Liberal Democrats - 30%
Change UK - 25%
Labour Party - 14%
Greens - 13%
Conservative Party - 12%
BFP - 4%
Other: 2%

Sky News, North West Poll - August 15, 2019
Labour Party - 25%
Conservative Party - 22%
Liberal Democrats - 21%
BFP - 11%
Change UK - 7%
Greens - 5%
Other: 9%

Sky News, Yorkshire and the Humber Poll - August 15, 2019
Labour Party - 27%
Conservative Party - 21%
Change UK - 18%
BFP - 15%
Greens - 15%
Other: 4%

Sky News, South West Poll - August 15, 2019
Conservative Party - 35%
Liberal Democrats - 28%
Labour Party - 17%
BFP - 15%
Change UK - 3%
Other: 2%

Sky News, South East Poll - August 15, 2019
Conservative Party - 34%
Liberal Democrats - 20%
Greens - 17%
BFP - 15%
Labour Party - 10%
Change UK - 3%
Other: 1%

Sky News, North East Poll - August 15, 2019
Labour - 27%
Conservatives - 25%
Liberal Democrats - 14%
BFP - 13%
Change UK - 11%
Greens - 7%
Other: 3%

From the GM
1. This turn will last for five days, ending at 11:59 PM on Wednesday, July 17.
2. There is no debate this turn, and regional lists are in. Feel free to post interviews or other RP-type things to spice up the turn. The quality and content of schedules will weigh heavily this turn.

[DKrol]

State of the General Election
The Sunday Times Staff

According to the most recent polls, no party come close to securing a majority in Westminster. To an extent, that's what we've come to expect from the proportional, party-list system implemented in 2012. But few expected to see a projection for a Parliament as diverse and broad in spectrum as the one that is project now. No party would claim above 200 seats, assuming the polls are accurate, if the election was held tomorrow. Considering that, prior to 2010, there had not been a coalition government since the Second World War, many find that both fascinating and terrifying, unsure if such a grand coalition could be worked out without a pressing, World War-level crisis. It is not of use to speculate if a Government can be formed or how it will happen, because both of those are several weeks in the future. It is more important to understand how we got there, and how the campaign has brought us to this point. It makes sense to begin with the Prime Minister.

David Cameron has led the Tories in a fairly standard campaign. The Conservatives are playing to their strengths: the East Midlands, the East of England, and the South East. While the messaging has been cookie-cutter, the locations Cameron has brought the messaging have not been. He's visited Sunderland, Birmingham, Manchester, and Liverpool - all traditional, working class, Labour-voting areas. He's trying to expand the Tory campaign, but he hasn't changed the language or the policies to do so with great success. In the Leaders' Debate, Cameron's refusal to even acknowledge the possibility of reforming the House of Lords showed this clearly. The people want to see a Prime Minister who is open to new ways of thinking about issues, especially as the nation grapples with the idea of life outside of the European Union, and they don't know if they're seeing that in David Cameron and another term as Conservative leadership.

As Opposition Leader, Jo Swinson has done a fine job. She's held Cameron's feet to the fire at PMQs, she's built a smart frontbench team, and she's handled the media with poise. But the minutes the lights of the election went on, she started to melt. The Liberal Democrats, a party on the ascendency, have been stuck and started to slide on Swinson's campaign. She's struggled with presenting strong policies she would actually implement as Prime Minister and, perhaps worse, she's had more trouble explaining those policies to the people. The election isn't over for the Liberal Democrats, not by a long shot, but they've got to hone in the messaging if they're going to stave off the return of Labour and the rise of both the Greens and Change UK.

The election of Alistair Darling as Labour Leader had some activists furious that a return to the Tony Blair and Gordon Brown branch of the party had begun. But since the campaign's started, Darling has done a decent job of bringing in the radical leftists who propelled John McDonnell to Number 10 and Jeremy Corbyn to Number 11 without throwing away his own base. Labour is not going to be able to return to their success of 1997, not under the party-list system, but they're making a comeback. Darling has done well to make inroads in Scotland, the North East, and the North West, all places they'll need to find success if they want to return to their place as the largest party on the left in Parliament. Darling needs to focus in on his schedule more, however, to ensure their success in the polls is translated into MPs. He can't keep up a schedule that starts the day in Durham, stops in Cardiff, and ends in Edinburgh. He will kill himself from stress and exhaustion on the trail.

Paul Nuttall and the British Freedom Party are still almost an unknown entity. People voted for Brexit and they're mad it has not been implemented yet, at least in some parts of the country, and that is fueling the BFP's early signs of success. While they are not leading in any region, they don't need to under the party-list system. They're set up to be the fourth largest party in the next Parliament if the election were held tomorrow. By absorbing UKIP's established infrastructure, Nuttall is set up for success, if he can unify the Leave-voting members of Remain-supporting parties. Nuttall has done a good job of spreading the campaign load across his surrogates and they're talking the way they need to talk to win over voters who support their basic message: leave the European Union as soon as possible. The question is if there are enough voters who support that message strongly enough to put Nuttall into Government.

Change UK is in an uncomfortable place. They've done well in the most recent polls but that's despite Anna Soubry's leadership, not because of it. Despite ticking all the boxes in the first week of the campaign, she's come under a lot of fire in the second. Largely because of the revelation that her daughter was paid as a researcher despite no records being kept of Roma Soubry working for her mother, Anna Soubry has been received poorly on the campaign trail this week. The decision of some local supporters to use the phrase "B*llocks to Brexit" has also been perceived very poorly, with many who heard it believing it made the party seem amateur and childish. This is especially clear in the South East, a region where the Change UK message should be received well but the party is polling below the seat-allocation threshold. The policies that Change UK are supporting are backed by a solid chunk of the population, the only problem is they're competing for voters with the Liberal Democrats, Labour, and the Greens. Soubry needs to come out swinging in the next week and get her party back on track or else they'll be remembered only in passing as a temporary flare-up.

Nicola Sturgeon, who is being hailed as the winner of the Leaders' Debate, has a strong record to run on in Scotland. Her tenure as First Minister has largely been a success in many Scottish eyes. The struggle of Sturgeon is the party-list system. There are only so many people in Scotland who believe in independence, and even fewer who are comfortable using their only vote at the ballot box for the issue. The people of Scotland are still affected by housing, and tax, and security, and energy costs. Some are worried if they voted for the SNP they are only voting for independence and that their other worries may be left aside. Sturgeon will need to work to combat that idea on the campaign trail.

In Wales, Plaid Cymru is polling fourth. Under Adam Price's leadership, they're set to gain one seat from the 2014 results, but they could be doing so much better. Price has fumbled the campaign kick off. His policies aren't sharp and clear; voters aren't even sure his position on Welsh independence after the Leaders' Debate. His schedules have been fine, but Plaid activists are worried that Price isn't going to excite nontraditional Plaid voters and increase their vote total at the ballot box. Price isn't growing the party, but he's not killing it. In order to find success, Price and Plaid need to sharpen up their image, clarify their positions, and bring their message to all corners of Wales.

Northern Ireland is a mess. As far as anyone can tell, the Democratic Unionist Party has closed up shop. Arlene Foster hasn't been seen in public in weeks, no one has campaigned for the party this election, and the DUP failed to publish a list of candidates for Northern Ireland's 18 seats. This has led to a massive surge in support for Sinn Fein, as well as the other Unionist parties, through no real effort of Mary Lou McDonald. The appearance of Anna Soubry and the Change UK team in Northern Ireland could cause a stir, but it is too early to tell at this point. The complete disappearance of the second largest party in the region is clearly the bigger story here. What it means for the peace in Northern Ireand also remains to be seen.

[DKrol]

MLB Looks to London for Future
The Independent Staff

After the widely heralded success of the MLB's London series earlier this summer, America's game may be coming to Britain for good. Sources in New York City have told The Independent that Major League Baseball's Commissioner, Robert Manfred, is looking at London as the future home of a Major League Baseball franchise. Manfred, reportedly, was very pleased with the result of the Red Sox-Yankees two-game series at the end of June and has begun to reach out to potential ownership groups for a team based in the capital. No concrete terms have been discussed, but there is a rumor that Tony Bloom, owner of Brighton and Hove Albion, has been linked to the potential team. A major factor in MLB's decision-making process, it is believed, will be the receptiveness of the British Government to financing for a stadium and for tax easements as the team builds its roots.

Soubry Finds Relief - Daughter's Work Found
The Times Staff

Change UK Leader Anna Soubry has breathed a sigh of relief in the probe into her daughter, Roma's, work in her office as a researcher. Investigators were able to find several documents that the younger Ms. Soubry produced during the time frame involved that proved she actually provided services for her mother. The only critique left, according to Mr. Gilbert Southerly, the lead investigator, is the amount paid to the younger Ms. Soubry. 1,000 pounds per month is in the higher third of salaries for such positions in Westminster and there are allegations that the elder Ms. Soubry inflated her daughter's salary because of their relationship.

Liberal Democrats Endorsed by FBU
The Metro Staff

Jo Swinson received a boost to her lagging campaign today. The Fire Brigades Union, a large union of firefighters and emergency response staff, endorsed the Liberal Democrats today after endorsing the Labour Party in every election since the union was founded in 1918. The chairman of the union highlighted Swinson's opposition to austerity measures and knocked Alistair Darling for his record as Chancellor under Gordon Brown. The FBU reports a membership of over 45,000.

[GoTfan]

Green Party Candidate List

[/color]

Scotland

Patrick Harvie MSP
Maggie Chapman
Alison Johnston MSP

Wales

Amelia Womack
Lisa Rapado

London

Jean Lambert
Scott Ainslie MEP
Sian Berry AM
Caroline Russell AM
Sharar Ali
Cllr Jonathan Bartley

South-East of England

Caroline Lucas MP
Keith Taylor
Alexandra Phillips MEP
Elise Benjamin
Vix Lowthion

South-West of England

Molly Scott Cato MEP
Cleo Lake
Carla Denyer

Yorkshire and the Humber

Natalie Bennett
Andrew Cooper

Other regions will not be contested

[NyIndy]

BREXIT PARTY SCHEDULE

*I'm sorry for the short update but I don't have a lot of time this week

August 15th: Jill Seymour Campaigns in West Midlands on solving homelessness in the UK.

August 16th: Patrick O'Flynn, Nigel Farage, and Paul Nuttal campaign in E. of England on security and proper police funding.

August 17th: Janice Atkinson campaigns in S.E England on reversing decline of struggling areas.

August 18th: Earl of Dartmouth in S.W. England talking about how Brexit will help fishing and tourism industries

August 19th: Margot Parker campaigns in East Midlands on tax breaks for small businesses

August 20th: Caroline Jones campaigns in Wales about reducing foreign aid budget

August 21st: Jane Collins and Gerard Batten campaign in Yorkshire and the Humber on benefits of Brexit on industry

[Lumine]

Change UK:

Time for Change in Britain!

₁

______________________________________________________________

Week 3:
National Offensive

In General: Having obtained an important voting base through previous efforts and having survived a somewhat difficult week retaining a strong position, Change UK will be focused on securing two key objectives as the mid-point of the campaign comes near: one, to correct perceived weaknesses and expand support in areas with a large number of MP’s in order to further become a serious alternative for government; and two, launching a key offensive against the Liberal Democrats to capitalize on Jo Swinson’s perceived weaknesses and hopefully leap ahead of the Lib Dems. Although it is not expected to make this a focal point, additional efforts will be launched to dispel the notions of any wrongdoing and assert Mrs. Soubry’s now demonstrated innocence.

Concepts: Recognizing that some of the more colorful adjectives towards the Brexit issue may have received a questionable response, the Change UK will be moving towards a series of concepts that are to be used in association to campaign messaging to appeal to Green, Lib Dem, Labour and Conservative Remain voters: alongside the continued case against the “Coalition of Chaos” and the framing of David Cameron as “irresponsible” and “vague” Change UK will also be pursuing an unyielding focus on “leadership”, in the hopes of reinforcing the point of Soubry and Change UK as a serious alternative for government. This will be coupled with an emphasis on “preserving the union” (to hit against Swinson’s regional Brexit plan, the nationalists and the Brexiteers) and on “environmental leadership” (to attract Lib Dem and Green voters). Finally, although a key part of the message will be directed towards criticism of the Lib Dem campaign and their promises emphasis will be place on refraining from personal criticism.

Strategy: The biggest part of the offensive towards the Lib Dem involves a significant emphasis on both the South West and South East, which require extensive efforts in order to turn Change UK competitive; and a reinforcement of efforts in London to reach first place in the polls. The secondary part is associated with drawing voters away from Labour and the Conservatives on large regions so as to contain their growth in terms of MP. A more focused one involves ensuring the environmental message helps to absorb the green vote in the English regions in which they will not stand, as well as wielding the staunchly unionist message to ensure Unionist Remainers in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland become a firm voting base for the party.

Campaign:

• General: Trying to combine meetings with activists and would-be campaigners with actual campaign tours in key cities, the Change UK efforts will do a conscious effort to make as many questions from the media as possible, particularly on a vigorous defense of Mrs. Soubry over the debunked scandal.

-

• August 15th: Mrs. Soubry and all of the Londoner Change UK MP’s returned to London today to start the offensive to reach first place in the city, focusing on the attempt to absorb the Lib Dem vote. Although sympathetic towards Mrs. Swinson, it will be relentlessly argued that the Lib Dem Brexit plan is unsustainable and would collapse the union, and that the general lack of detail or a vision would make it difficult to see the Lib Dems actually leading an efficient government. Change UK will be presented again and against as the natural party of Remain and a serious alternative to lead a Remain government of change.

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• August 16-17th: The offensive towards the Lib Dem vote moves into South East England for the next two days, with the added challenge of also having to build an actual base for Change UK. Messaging will again focus on the enormous cost for the region that a hard or no-deal Brexit would bring (particularly in Dover), the need for an effective government that will tackle issues such as Brexit, crime or the economy, and the doubts that the Lib Dems or the Greens could achieve that.

 
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• August 18-19th: The offensive towards the Lib Dem vote moves into the South West for the next two days, understanding that breaking through in the region (or failing to do so) will be decisive. Although messaging will also focus on the damages caused by Brexit to the South West, emphasis will also be placed on education, voting age and tuition fees (youth vote) and environmental protection (green vote), once again emphasizing skepticism towards Lib Dem action on the issues and harshly condemning the Conservative record on those issues.

 
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• August 20th: Shifting to a somewhat different approach, the campaign will move into the MP-rich North West in the hopes of A. giving a needed boost to a limited voting base, B. successfully hit the Tory, Labour and Lib Dem vote, and C. absorb the Green vote in a region they will not be standing. As a result, Mrs. Soubry and the Change UK campaign will pursue a positive message of environmentalism, crime and security and the Social Market Economy (to fight poverty and lack of social mobility) whilst targeting a specific negative message for the competition, tying the Conservatives to austerity and abandoning the North; Labour over Darling’s record as Chancellor and a lack of credibility on security; the Lib Dems over regional Brexit and vague stances on the issues.

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• August 21st: The campaign for the last day of the week will move into the also MP-rich West Midlands, following a somewhat similar model than that of the North West in hopes to expand the base, hit the main parties and pursue the Green base in the area. The main difference will be that instead of appealing to the North being left behind emphasis will be placed on core issues of crime, the economy and Brexit as ones in which the “old politics” has failed. Acknowledging the Conservatives as the biggest rival, attacks on the Lib Dem stances will be complemented with a persistent rebuke of the Tory record, arguing they have failed to cut down crime, handle Brexit responsibility or ensure the economy improves for all.

___________________________________________________________________

^{1.) Original Image:
BBC One, Party Election Broadcasts: Change UK - The Independent Group, modified.}[/list]

[thumb21]

Scottish National Party: A voice for Scotland

15th August:

Nicola Sturgeon knocks on doors and speaks to voters in East Edinburgh. She makes a short speech about ending homelessness.

The SNP's approach to homelessness focuses on prevention. Since 2008, we have reduced homelessness by 39%, when UK-wide it has been increasing. We have a 5 year program in place to end homelessness by investing £50 million. Every Scot has a legal right to housing, including temporary housing while they await somewhere permanent. We plan to deliver another 50,000 affordable homes this parliament in addition to 86,000 affordable homes we have delivered since we took power. We are also investing £125 million to mitigate Tory cuts. The SNP is the party which protects the poorest Scots and provides a robust social safety net.

16th August:

While traveling, Nicola Sturgeon passes through Newhouse and tweets about it.

Just passed through the hometown of Keir Hardie. He founded the Labour Party as a progressive party for working class people. Its a shame that today's Labour Party doesn't live up to that standard. The SNP is the party of the working class.

Nicola Sturgeon knocks on doors and talks to voters in Motherwell. She tweets.

Three years ago, we re-opened the Dalzell Scottish steel plant here in Motherwell. The SNP is committed to protecting the 190,000 Scottish jobs that depend on manufacturing.

17th August:

Nicola Sturgeon knocks on doors and talks to voters in Falkirk. Nicola Sturgeon tweets about the Lib Dems' decision not to run in Yorkshire and the Humber.

The Liberal Democrats' abandonment of the great county of Yorkshire is an extreme demonstration on how much the Westminster elite cares about communities outside the South East of England. Vote SNP to send the message that we won't be abandoned!

18th August:

Nicola Sturgeon knocks on doors and talks to voters in Perth.

19th August:

Nicola Sturgeon knocks on doors and talks to voters in Dundee. She delivers a short pro-Independence speech.

In 2016, the SNP was elected to government on a mandate that included an independence referendum if we get dragged out of the EU against our will. After the Brexit referendum, Scottish parliament voted to hold an independence referendum, yet the Tories ignore this and hold Scotland in contempt. The Tories have lost every election in Scotland since 1959, yet continue to act like they speak for Scotland. As an independent country, the only people speaking for Scotland will be the people who it has elected. Scotland has 64% of the EU's oil, worth £4 trillion! With independence, we'd get full control over this wealth and would put the profits in the pockets of Scottish people. An independent Scotland is a Scotland that runs its own affairs, benefits from its own resources and isn't hurt by decisions made in Westminster. Vote SNP, vote for Independence!

20th August:

Nicola Sturgeon knocks on doors and talks to voters in Dundee.

21st August:

Nicola Sturgeon knocks on doors and talks to voters in Arbroath.

Image source: www.twitter.com

[GoTfan]

Green Party: For the Future

15-17 August: Caroline Lucas travels to Scotland to meet with members of the Green Party there and campaign in their seats. Of particular notice was the plan to expand the wind power capacity of Scotland, both onshore and offshore. Lucas also continued to hit on plans for a second Brexit referendum and the NHS, but the focus remains on implementing the NEP and fighting climate change.

18 August: Lucas travelled to London to attend a fundraiser hosted by David Attenborough for the Green Party. The fundraiser was attended by all candidates in the London area, and is hoped to bring in significant financial support for candidates across the country.

August 19-21: Lucas travelled to Wales to campaign for Womack and Rapado, the party's two candidates standing there. The emphasis was son climate change, as always, and defending Wales' natural beauty. Fire was also turned on the major parties and Change UK for almost totally ignoring the environment during the campaign, calling it an utter failure of conscience. Attenborough, while campaigning in Wales as well, went a step further and slammed it as them totally and completely failing young voters, who will have to live through the effects of climate change.

[YPestis25]

Conservative Schedule:
August 15th-21st

August 15th
-Canvassing in Penrith.
-Canvassing in Kendal.
-Canvassing in Middlesbroug.

August 16th
-Canvassing in Hartelpool.
-Canvassing in York.
-Speech in Kingston upon Hull.

The Labour Party is trying to tell you all with a straight face that they want to keep voting on Brexit until they get the result they want. Why don’t they just finally admit that they simply do not respect the will of the people in places like Kingston? I promise you as your Prime Minister to carry out the people’s will on Brexit and secure an amiable deal for our United Kingdom.

August 17th
-Canvassing in Blackpool.
-Canvassing in Preston.
-Rally in Manchester.

August 18th
-Canvassing in Leeds.
-Canvassing in Sheffield.
-Canvassing in Lincoln.

August 19th
-Canvassing in Kendal.
-Canvassing in Carlisle.
-Rally in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

It is a matter of trust. Who will you trust to deliver on Brexit? The parties that have demurred time and time again on the issue? The parties that have all but said that they wish to hold as many referendums as they can until you give them the result they want? There is only one party you can rely on to deliver Brexit, the Conservatives.

August 20th
-Canvassing in Sunderland.
-Canvassing in Scarborough.
-Prime Ministerial Duties.

August 21st
-Prime Ministerial Duties.

Strategy: Conservative strategy will follow broadly the same strokes of the past two weeks. Noting however the lack of traction that the focus on economic policy has had, the focus will instead shift heavily towards Brexit. In particular, a return to Labour strongholds in the Northeast and Midlands which supported Brexit is in order. The weaker Brexit Party push this week should also serve to allow the Conservatives to rest back at least part of the authority on the issue of Brexit.

Brexiteer surrogates such as Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and others will lead the charge in areas where the Prime Minister is unable to campaign. These aforementioned with continue the focus on Labor areas, while figures such as Jacob Rees-Mogg and Liam Fox will focus their efforts on juicing turnout in Conservative strongholds in the south.

Infrastructure: This week Conservative turnout and persuasion efforts must be kicked into gear. Campaign offices will focus on base voters throughout the South, Southeast, and Southwest. Canvassing, billboards, and surrogates will be the hallmarks of the strategy in this portion of the country.

In the Midlands and the Northeast efforts will be trained on persuasion instead of turnout. Here significant funds will be devoted to an activist driven, field program. Campaign offices will focus almost exclusively on canvassing. Features of the program will include a strong focus on Brexit and efforts to paint both Labour and the Liberal Democrats as out of touch, and the Conservative Party as the only party they can trust to carry out their will on Brexit.

[Lumine]

₂

Speech Excerpt:

Soubry addresses Telegraph report

Soubry: It was, no doubt, an inaccurate and unfortunate piece of reporting. My daughter Roma is a talented and responsible professional who has been of a great help me to me on my work as a Member of Parliament, and as it has been proved by investigators she most certainly provided these services by doing necessary research. As a journalist I fully understand the need for the press to report and to ensure politicians face proper scrutiny and accountability, but there are times in which there can be something of a rush towards a certain piece of "news", and I think that was the case here.

That said, I would certainly push against the notion that I would allow my own relationship with my daughter to affect a separate working relationship in terms of a salary, and reject allegations in that sense. I love my daughter with all my heart, but I respect her too much to consider she should receive a higher salary simply by virtue or being my daughter and not an excellent student at the time, and now an excellent professional. Nonetheless, this whole situation shows the need for extra scrutiny, transparency and proper channels within parties to deal with these issues, and Change UK will absolutely commit not only to further reviewing current transparency guidelines for Westminster, but for politics in general as part of our belief in significant political reform.

____________________________________________________________________

Press Release:

Lib Dem Regional Brexit would collapse the UK

PRESS RELEASE: Change UK expresses its continued and serious concern over the Liberal Democrat plans to allow for different regions of the UK to stay out or in of the European Union, considering a prime example of a reckless, unworkable policy that would clearly split the nation apart into an unworkable situation. Although we strongly respect Mrs. Swinson's work as Leader of the Opposition and her support for Remain, having different regions of the UK subject to different economic and political rules would be a disastrous way ahead, inevitably establishing trade borders within our own nation whilst empowering regional nationalisms in their quest to split apart the UK. We encourage Remain and Unionist voters to carefully consider the consequences of such a plan.

____________________________________________________________________

Press Release:

Darling's record on the economy remains troubling

PRESS RELEASE: At a time in which it is vital to ensure not only economic growth for the whole nation but that prosperity finds its way towards those left behind by Conservative and Labour governments, Change UK believes it is important to point out Alistair Darling's disastrous record as Gordon Brown's Chancellor of the Exchequer. Despite constant claims that a Labour government would "create new jobs", Mr. Darling presided over a Treasury which engaged in reckless overspending, economic mismanagement, enormous tax increases and rises in fuel prices; a scenario which ended with the infamous "there is no more money" note at the Treasury. With the Conservative Party having failed to deliver and Mr. Darling's record offering little to no confidence, Change UK believes it is time to pursue a Social Market Economy of fairness and stability and move away from the failures of the old parties.

____________________________________________________________________

^{2.) Original Image:
Official portrait of Anna Soubry, June 2017, Wikimedia Commons}

[Orwell]

Labour: Together with Pride

Usercreated

15 August

Alistar Darling kicks off the Labour campaign in Glasgow, giving a speech with other prominent members of Scottish Labour.

Usercreated

Darling went to an abandoned industrial park in outer Glasgow and delivered a speech on the failures of the Conservative Government on Britain and with the benefits of a Labour government.

A Britain with a Labour government is one where we see this park working again. A Britain with a Labour Government is one where we bring people up so they don’t have to live on food banks. A Conservative Government has lost Britain these jobs and made many Britains turn to the food banks to make ends meet. With a Labour Government, we will take the fight to poverty and not turn our backs on those of our people so much in need. How do we claim to be strong as a nation, when our immediate moral fibre is weak, we are as strong as our weakest link, and what have the Conservatives done to strengthen the position of these impoverished peoples? More people than ever rely on food banks.

Last year the UN published a report concluding that the Conservative Government had committed Grave, systematic violations of the rights of persons with disabilities. Currently, 4.2 million people with disabilities live in poverty in Britain, and the disability pay gap remains stubbornly high. As a government Labour will fight back against the joblessness, homelessness, and food insecurity that plagues our nation. We need to put money in the hands of the consumers, so we can help our small businesses keep working for Britain.

Labour will continue to put money in the hands of hardworking people in Scotland, Wales, England, and Northern Ireland. Because we work, for the people of this nation. If you elect us your government expect a stronger Britain, and a Britain that stays in the EU, and a Britain that stays whole. We need to focus on fighting against the like of Nigel Farage and Paul Nuttall who try to tear our nation apart and tear the European community apart. Not as Scotsman, but as a Britain I say, Stronger Together.

Alistair Darling takes a train to Edinburgh, where he comments on his plans for public transport and then holds a surgery with MP's Ian Murray the Shadow Secretary of State for Scotland, and Paul Sweeney the Shadow Minister for Scotland in Edinburgh.


To end the day, Darling takes the train south to the region of northeast England.

Scotland Campaign Constants

Focus on attracting Younger Voters in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and other cities in Scotland
Use Grassroots Labour support to pass advertisments on the ground, focus on densley populated areas
Capitalize on the unpopularity of the Conservative government in Scotland (Remain voters) by painting Labour as the only real alternative to a Conservative Government.
Emphasize the Scottish background of Alistair Darling, "The Scottish Choice".

16 August

Alistair Darling holds a town hall in Durham focusing on making a more equal and fair Britain, and a holding a Labour volunteer drive. 

Darling then went to a town hall event where he discussed his plan to put money in the hands of the workers in this region, and across the nation.

Speak to Northeast England Young Labour in Durham on the importance of fixing the United Kingdom's Education system.

Education is a crucial issue here in the Northeast, and across Britain. As Prime Minister and as leader of a Labour Government, we promise to make sure all of our nations primary and secondary school teachers have a masters degree because we want the British youth to be taught by the best and brightest. We will also be making it easier to achieve a University education, and raising the pay of our teachers.

That is why, as a nation, we need to continue to be on the forefront of education and the values we stand for. Following the General Election, I would like to form a government to fix Britain's schools, because as we saw with the death of Councillor Carson violence, comes from those who know, no better. We need to end violence in the United Kingdon, and having a better-educated populace is one way we can do that. 

I look back on my friend Jo Cox murdered before the Referendum a few years ago, and the man who killed was a man like any other in Britain, but he couldn't settle a debate with words he settled it with violence. I look back on her, and I think we need to make sure that never happens again. That is why a strong independent Britain needs strong independent schooling. Labour is the Teacher's choice, the Progressive Choice, and the British Choice. Thank you all. 

Following the speech to young Labour, Darling appeared with Sharon Hodgson and Laura Pidcock to promote Labour's strong record on women's issues and Labour issues at a surgery.

To end the day give a train stop speech to supporters in Newcastle Upon Tyne on the state of British public transit. Promising a Labour Government will end 9 years of Conservative Government mismanagement and destruction by the Conservatives.

Following the speech, he takes the train to London to prepare for the Labour Manifesto launch.

Northeastern Campaign Constants
Focus on attracting Younger Voters and Working-class voters in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Durham, Darlington, Washington, Sunderland and other cities in the Region
Use Grassroots Labour support to spread the primary campaign messages of the region, Labour is the party of Healthcare, Trade Unions, and Education. Do NOT campaign on Brexit
Use Labour's traditional strength in the area to press the advantage, attack the Conservatives on their inaction in the area while it has been losing good paying jobs, and blast the Liberal Democrats for abandoning a generation of Britain's. 
Local MPs campaign in their home areas, with MP Paul Williams reaching out to younger voters primarily, and MP Chi Onwurah reaching out to the minority communities of these cities.

17 August

Continue the swing through the northeast of England with a constituency surgery with MPs Ian Mearns and Andy McDonald.

Speak to a group of Seniors at a state-run home, promising a Labour government will do more to help those in need and increase funding for senior homes.

Meet with Labour activists, encouraging them to get out and help defeat the tory/Liberal Democrats to bring real progressive change to the United Kingdom.

In Durham, attack the Liberal Democrat and CHUK Brexit policies as broken and not doing enough to help everyday Britain who voted for Brexit because they were afraid,  promise that Labour government will make Britain whole again and not fight over issues.

18 August

Meet with Labour activists, encouraging them to get out and help defeat the tory/Liberal Democrats to bring real progressive change to the United Kingdom.

Speak to Trade Unionists encouraging them to reject the false call of nationalism and to fight for better workers rights.


Speak to Northeast England Young Labour in Newcastle Upon Tyne on the importance of fixing the United Kingdom's Education system.
 
To end the day, Darling takes the train south to the region of Wales.

 

18 August

The campaign in Swansea, Cardiff, and Ghent. Focus on getting the working-class Labour base.

Continue the strong campaign in Wales with canvassing of the 3 cities.

Meet with local labour leaders and trade unionists about a possible endorsement

End the day with a train ride to the north of Wales

19 August

Focus the campaign on small communities in the north of Wales, and speaking to farmers about how Brexit will hurt them.

Meet with farmers and local community leaders, about a campaign against the disinformation spread by the tory and Brexit parties about leaving the European Union.

Finish off a short campaign day with a rest to alleviate some of the stress from the campaign trail.

20 August

Focus the campaign on small communities in the north of Wales, and speaking to farmers about how Brexit will hurt them.

Meet with farmers and local community leaders, about a campaign against the disinformation spread by the tory and Brexit parties about leaving the European Union.

Finish off a short campaign day with a rest to alleviate some of the stress from the campaign trail and a trip back to Scotland.

 

20 August
Canvassing and Advertisements with Paul Williams Anwar Shadat, and Ian Murray in Glasgow and Edinburgh

Meeting with members of young labour leadership.

Campaign on focusing on urban renewal and building new council homes in Britain.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Sinn Féin
Schedule for 15–21 August

_______________________

In General: Sinn Féin is taking no prisoners as they enter the third week of the campaign. On the stump, on social media, in the press and party literature, they hammer home the simple message: Westminster is broken, and Sinn Féin is the only party who mean business. The DUP and ChUK are equally complicit in the disasters of May's and Leadsom's ministries: the former voted again and again to sustain Tory government, throwing their constituents under the bus for a seat in Number 10; the latter is led by Anna Soubry, a "reformed" Tory who sat on the government benches with David Cameron for years —voted for austerity, for cuts to public services, for tax giveaways to the super-rich —and now wants to be believed as a leftist hero in the most cynical power-grab of the decade. There are no innocents in Westminster: only those too foolish to have foreseen the disaster looming on the horizon, and those who saw and let it happen in service of their own selfish interests.

In contrast to this circus of incompetence, Sinn Féin have been in the trenches, fighting, every day of the last seven years —opposing Tory cuts, opposing no-Deal Brexit, working to restore home rule to Northern Ireland and build a society where all people can lead lives of dignity. Sinn Féin is the only party with a serious plan to prevent a hard border in Ireland, the only party that will stand up for the poor and working classes when the campaign is over and the politicians go back to their chambers in Westminster. A united Northern Ireland can survive the chaos of Brexit and emerge stronger than every —but only with real leaders in Stormont who will demand the interests of the Northern people go before the selfish wants of the privileged class. The United Kingdom is the past; Ireland is the future. Sinn Féin alone is equipped to lead the North out of the darkness of the 2010s and into peace and prosperity in a new decade.

Strategy: While McDonald continues to make speeches and public appearances, and generally be the public face of Sinn Féin, volunteers and local organizers will carry the battle to the hearths of Northern Ireland, ensuring the party's message is heard from every door and every kitchen. No effort will be spared to energize the faithful and convert the wary. In the third week, two projects of the leadership will take priority: first, to convince SDLP supporters to cast a one-time vote for Sinn Féin in the interests of presenting a "united front" of Republican Remainers; second, to warn against support for Change UK as a "Tory mole," led by a willing co-conspirator in the May and Leadsom ministries. Sensible of the need to dissuade left-wing Remainers from defecting to ChUK, Sinn Féin will frequently contrast Soubry's "lovably leftist" rhetoric on the campaign trail with her past as a Tory MP, reminding voters that she cannot be trusted and dismissing ChUK as a viable choice for Remain voters.

Campaign:
15 and 16 August     McDonald visits Derry and the surrounding county. The theme of her appearances is the defense of local industry, under siege as a Tory-led Brexit threatens to close off trade with Europe and draw a hard border across Ireland. McDonald's remarks touch equally on the importance of standing with workers against deregulation and neo-Thatcherite policies from Westminster, and Sinn Féin's plan to prevent a hard border and maintain access to the Single Market and Customs Union. Here, it would be natural to observe that no other party has a serious plan to achieve this: the DUP have sold their soul to the Devil, Jo Swinson wants to patch up the EU with fairy stories, and ChUK are Thatcherites in disguise who were happy to sign off on austerity and deregulation under Theresa May, provided they can continue to enjoy imported French wine and hide their fortunes in Swiss bank accounts. Sinn Féin is the only party with a proven record of fighting for the working class, and the only choice that will send a strong message to Westminster.

17 and 18 August     In Omagh and the surrounding county, McDonald calls for an end to austerity and condemns the millions in Tory cuts to public services targeting the most vulnerable in society. As exemplary of the neo-Thatcherite attitude in Westminster, McDonald references the proposal to slash funding for the NHS (which Anna Soubry supported during her time as a Conservative MP). "ChUK and the DUP are two sides of the same coin in David Cameron's pocket." Unlike Soubry, who discovered her opposition to austerity when it became politically convenient, Sinn Féin has stood against Tory austerity and Tory cuts from the beginning. A vote cast for Sinn Féin is the only sure way to secure full funding for essential social programs and ensure the neediest among us are supported.

19 August     In County Down, McDonald again decries the travesty of Tory cuts—this time highlighting education. "Not content with robbing the widows and orphans, and the Northern workers, to fund their massive tax giveaway to the wealthy, the Cameron–Foster–Soubry coalition mortgaged the future of our children on their neo-Thatcherite crusade." Sinn Féin will continue their fight to fully fund all public services and demand the restoration of home rule, so that all Northerners have a voice on the issues affecting their communities.

20–21 August     In Belfast and County Armagh, McDonald calls on Westminster to restore home rule to Northern Ireland, and reiterates her willingness to engage in negotiations. Blame for the breakdown in talks rests squarely at the feet of the DUP, who cynically derailed negotiations so that they could impose direct rule from Westminster. "The DUP, and their aiders and abettors in the Tory party, are engaged in the biggest offensive against democracy since 1832. Rather than abide by the Good Friday Agreement, they have cynically chosen to ignore the results of the election and impose their anti-worker, anti-poor agenda without reference to the voice of the people." As a result, Northern Ireland is voiceless as Westminster moves to pass the Tory Brexit deal and reimpose a hard border across Ireland. Only a strong show of support for Sinn Féin can signal the unity and determination of the Northern people and force Andrea Leadsom to join talks to restore the Stormont Executive and the Good Friday Agreement.


Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

Sinn Féin
Campaign Literature

 


Image Credit: Own work

[DKrol]

Turn Four
August 22 - August 28

Sky News, National Poll - August 22, 2019:

Labour: 29% (+3)
Conservatives 24% (+2)
Change UK: 15% (+2)
Liberal Democrats: 14% (-4)
BFP: 14% (-3)
Green Party: 4% (+/-0)

Sky News, Scotland Poll - August 22, 2019:

SNP: 34% (-2)
Labour: 22% (+1)
Conservatives: 18% (+2)
Green Party: 10% (+3)
Change UK: 7% (-3)
Liberal Democrats: 5% (-2)
Other: 4%

Sky News, Wales Poll - August 22, 2019:

Conservatives: 23% (-3)
Labour: 23% (+3)
Liberal Democrats: 17% (-3)
Plaid Cymru: 9% (-5)
BFP: 7% (+2)
Green Party: 6% (+2)
Change UK: 5% (-2)
Other: 10%

Sky News, Northern Ireland Poll - August 22, 2019:

Sinn Fein: 47% (+1)
UUP: 20% (+6)
SDLP: 16% (+3)
TUV: 7% (+5)
Change UK: 4% (+1)
Other: 6%

Sky News, West Midlands Poll - August 22, 2019

Conservative Party - 28% (+1)
Labour Party - 24% (+4)
BFP - 16% (+3)
Liberal Democrats - 15% (-5)
Change UK - 13% (+3)
Other - 4%

Sky News, East Midlands Poll - August 22, 2019
Conservative Party -27% (-3)
BFP - 20% (+5)
Labour Party - 17% (+3)
Change UK - 16% (+2)
Liberal Democrats - 13% (-6)
Other - 7%

Sky News, East of England Poll - August 22, 2019
BFP - 26% (+3)
Conservative Party - 23% (-2)
Labour - 21% (+7)
Liberal Democrats - 13% (-7)
Change UK - 12% (+7)
Other: 5%

Sky News, London Poll - August 22, 2019
Change UK - 30% (+5)
Labour Party - 24% (+10)
Greens - 15% (+2)
Conservative Party - 14% (+2)
Liberal Democrats - 13% (-17)
BFP - 2% (-2)
Other: 2%

Sky News, North West Poll - August 22, 2019
Labour Party - 28% (+3)
Conservative Party - 28% (+6)
Liberal Democrats - 16% (-6)
BFP - 13% (+2)
Change UK - 10% (+3)
Other: 5%

Sky News, Yorkshire and the Humber Poll - August 22, 2019
Labour Party - 26% (-1)
Conservative Party - 24% (+3)
Change UK - 16% (-2)
BFP - 16% (+1)
Greens - 15% (+2)
Other: 3%

Sky News, South West Poll - August 22, 2019
Conservative Party - 30% (-5)
Labour Party - 20% (+3)
Liberal Democrats - 18% (-10)
BFP - 14% (-1)
Change UK - 14% (+11)
Greens - 2%
Other: 2%

Sky News, South East Poll - August 22, 2019
Conservative Party - 35% (+1)
Greens - 15% (-2)
Labour Party - 15% (+5)
Liberal Democrats - 13% (-7)
BFP - 13% (-2)
Change UK - 7% (+4)
Other: 2%

Sky News, North East Poll - August 22, 2019
Labour - 31% (+4)
Conservatives - 27% (+2)
BFP - 17% (+4)
Change UK - 15% (+4)
Liberal Democrats - 6% (-8)
Other: 4%

From the GM

1, Turn Four will last for five days, and ending at 11:59 PM on Friday, July 26. There is not a debate this turn, so schedules, speeches, and RPing will weigh heavily.

[Continential]

I am going to a bunch of trips, can I drop out please?

[GoTfan]

Green Party

August 22-23: Caroline Lucas campaigned heavily in the southeast to bump up support for the Green Party in the area. Of note was the fact that the campaign began to hit the notes on NHS expansion, calling for nearly 50 million in extra funding, as well as building additional hospitals and focus on establishing specialist centers around the whole country to ensure everyone had access to the healthcare they needed. There was also a call for expanding rural access to healthcare by establishing incentives for doctors to establish practices in rural areas.

August 24-25: The focus these days was on Wales, as Lucas toured through the region meeting with Green candidates and supporters all across it. Lucas also introduced plans to beef up the minimum wage to 11 pounds an our and the apprentice wage to 7.50 an hour. She also stated that these would be tied to inflation, so as inflation rises, so does the minimum wage. Another big policy introduced was the re-nationalisation of the railways, arguing that privatisation has failed and that the railways should be brought back under public ownership

Image credit: www.aol.co.uk/news

"Privatisation has failed our national railways. How many shakeups have we gone through in the last ten years? It is a travesty that our essential services are being savagely cut in pursuit of corporate profits. We need to bring our railways back into public ownership, now!

One thing that I have found beyond disturbing is that in 2004, the Labour Party Conference voted by a nearly 2 to 1 margin to bring the railways back into public ownership! The Labour Party membership voted for it! And then it was vetoed by none other than the then Transport Secretary, and now the Right Honourable Leader of the Oppostion Alistair Darling! He vetoed his party's rank-and-file who wanted the railways renationalised!

The Green Party is committed to renationalising the railways as franchises expire. We need to reinvest in our rail infrastructure with an eye to modernising and upgrading our network. Not only will this mean increased convenince, but it will be far better for the environment."

August 26-28: Lucas headed to Scotland to campaign with Green Party candidates there. Throughout the tour, she continually led the charge for plans to create new wind farms across Scotland, declaring that under the New Energy Plan, Scotland had the potential for massive growth in jobs. As expected, the focus was again on arresting climate change as in addition to the creation of new wind farms, she also announced plans to create 3 large energy storage batteries across Scotland to store excess power generated by wind farms to be provided free of charge to those who needed it.

[DKrol]

Greens Endorsed By Bring Back British Rail
Metro Staff

The pressure group Campaign to Bring Back British Rail has endorsed Caroline Lucas and the Green Party in the upcoming General Election, it was announced today. Bring Back British Rail's Chairman, Alan Blatt, announced the endorsement at a press conference held outside of Waterloo Station in London this afternoon. Blatt cited the Green Party's support for renationalizing rail service in the UK as the reason for the endorsement. Blatt also took aim at Labour Leader Alistair Darling who served as Transport Secretary from 2002 to 2006, attacking Darling's record in the office as "beholden to the tax monopoly" of private rail. The Campaign to Bring Back British Rail, founded in 2009, claims to have over 150,000 supporters across the country.

New Poll Finds Support for Lords Reform
Guardian Staff

A YouGov poll released yesterday finds significant support for reforming the House of Lords across the British public. The poll, in the field from August 20 to August 24, found that 67% of British residents support reforming the House of Lords in some way. Those 67%, however, are split on what type of reform they'd like to see. Of those supporting reform, 21% support the complete abolishment of the upper house, 18% want a house that is half elected, half appointed, 17% want to see a fully elected upper house, and the remaining 44% were either unsure of what type of reform they'd like or supported an "other" option. Most of the major parties have come out in favor of reforming the House of Lords, but it is unclear if a coalition government could agree to specific reforms.

Tory MP Hit with Expense Claims
Mirror Staff

Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leading Tory candidate in the South West, has been fined under the Parliamentary Standards Act of 2009 for failing to properly file expense claims. Investigators found Rees-Mogg purchased a series of landscape paintings for his Gournay Court estate in Somerset. The true cost of the paintings was over 800 pounds. Rees-Mogg's expense forms, however, only show two receipts for around 600 pounds. A spokesman for Rees-Mogg said that it was "a simple accounting error" that the arch-Brexiteer hopes to correct "with haste". A file has been given to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Swinson Attacked in Edinburgh
National Staff

As Opposition Leader Jo Swinson was arriving at the Edinburgh Waverly train station to travel to London, a man rushed at her and threw what is reported to be a milkshake. The milkshake, which has become a frequent tool for attacking fascists and neo-nazis, struck the Liberal Democrats' leader in her left shoulder before spilling down her back. The man, identified as Josh Dunn, released a statement via his lawyer, saying that he threw the milkshake "because [Swinson] has let down the people". Dunn, 29, is a resident of Aberdeen and attends the University of Edinburgh. He has been charged in connection to the incident. Swinson was rushed into the station by her security detail. A Liberal Democrats spokesman said Swinson was "fine" but "a bit shaken" from the incident.

[thumb21]

Scottish National Party: A voice for Scotland

22nd August:

Nicola Sturgeon knocks on doors and talks to voters in Aberdeen. She makes a short speech about the oil industry.

Although there is much hardship in Scotland, we are blessed with the extremely valuable natural resource, oil. For a long time, Scottish oil has been used to fill the pockets of Westminster and big companies like BP. In an independent Scotland, this wealth will be spread to all Scots. With this extra revenue, we can end poverty in Scotland once and for all! Its our oil!

23rd August:

Nicola Sturgeon knocks on doors and talks to voters in Peterhead. She tweets about the fishing industry.

The SNP has invested £77 million to support the fishing industry. The SNP is proud to support fishing communities across Scotland!

24th August:

Nicola Sturgeon knocks on doors and talks to voters in Fraserburgh. She in response to Labour.

Labour wants to present itself as the only credible alternative to the Tories in Scotland. The last poll had us way ahead of both Labour and the Tories. We decided to help them out by making a LibDem graph!

25th August:

Nicola Sturgeon knocks on doors and talks to voters in Inverness. She tweets.

I haven't seen David Cameron campaigning much in Scotland. What's he scared of?

26th August:

Nicola Sturgeon knocks on doors and talks to voters in Dingwall. She tweets about House of Lords reform.

A poll has found that 67% of Brits support reforming the House of Lords. I hope Mrs Swinson and Mr Cameron have taken note! The SNP has the strongest stance on this issue, we are the only major party which refuses to sit in the House of Lords. This is an institution that rewards the wealthy while the poor struggle. It is antithetical to the SNP's vision for a progressive and fair Scotland.

27th August:

Nicola Sturgeon knocks on doors and talks to voters in Wick.

28th August:

Nicola Sturgeon knocks on doors and talks to voters in Stornoway. She tweets about the milkshaking of Jo Swinson.

I condemn the perpetrator of the attack against Mrs Swinson in the strongest possible terms. Violence has no place in our politics.

Image source: www.flickr.com
Image 2 source: My own work

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22 August

Speech in Edinburgh, about a second EU referendum

For many here in Scotland, you chose to remain in the United Kingdom, as the leave efforts are currently going poorly, I reiterate my support for a second EU referendum. This why the people of Scotland and the people of Britain, can decided, if they truly want to leave, after seeing how the attempts to leave have worked out.

23 August

Speech in London, about the NHS proposal

We plan to put 100 billion pounds into the NHS. We also plan to build 500 new hospitals. Our plan is for a healthier Britain and a better NHS. There will be more hospitals and hospitals will have more funding. This will make it easier for sick Britons to get the care, that they need.

24 August

Speech in Cardiff about education proposal

We have a plan to make education more accessible here in Britain. We will invest 100 billion pounds into our education system. We will increase funding for higher education. Lastly, we will build hundreds of new schools across Britain, including here in Wales. We will take these steps, because the children of Britain are the future of Britain. We must take every opportunity to invest in them, to ensure that our country has a bright future.

25 August

Interview with BBC News, topics discussed are the second EU referendum and the NHS proposal

26 August

Unveil tax proposal in Norwich

We have put forth a very ambitious and costly program. However, our party has decided a plan to pay for it. If elected, we will raise taxes on Britons making over 150,000 pounds a year, to 70% from the current rate of 45%. This tax increase will bring in new revenue, which will allow us to enact this ambitious agenda, and will allow us to create a better Britain.

27 August

Speech in Nottingham about the House of Lords

Regarding our position on the House of Lords, our party supports some reform. However, we have to be careful in the way that we implement it. Any reform cannot be too radical or too quick. Our party would support gradual reform. But the House of Lords, cannot remain the way, that it currently is.

28 August

Brief Speech in Edinburgh following milkshake incident

Today, a man threw a milkshake at me. Now, fortunately, I am okay, but this can happen to anyone, and quite frankly, throwing milkshakes at anyone, for any reason is wrong, and our party formally condemns the action of throwing milkshakes. We must take this moment, to stand up against small acts of violence like this, because small acts can become much bigger acts, over time.