en-US UK politics, current affairs and news comment and debate about UK politics Fri, 24 Apr 2026 04:31:18 +0000 Fri, 24 Apr 2026 04:31:18 +0000 urban75 forums https://www.urban75.net/forums/forums/uk-politics-current-affairs-and-news.34/ Peter Mandelson's time is up Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:43:13 +0000 https://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/peter-mandelsons-time-is-up.386899/ 386899 invalid@example.com (Pickman's model) Pickman's model ... as he advises the foul keir starmer to kowtow to donald trump Respect Trump’s mandate, handle disputes ‘directly and privately’, says Peter Mandelson]]> 1002 Keir Starmer's time is up Fri, 24 Apr 2026 00:13:05 +0000 https://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/keir-starmers-time-is-up.370214/ 370214 invalid@example.com (agricola) agricola I voted for Starmer. I don't think he has covered himself in glory over the past few seconds and was virtually absent on the Coronavirus debate. This has possibly cost a lot of anti-Coronavirus votes. His time is up. He should go. Give the party time to elect a leader and sort themselves out before the next election.]]> 19743 The Trial of Lucy Letby Thu, 23 Apr 2026 23:39:00 +0000 https://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/the-trial-of-lucy-letby.380325/ 380325 invalid@example.com (Magnus McGinty) Magnus McGinty Surprised to see nothing on this. Or search didn't bring anything up. Both possible outcomes are pretty significant: either mass blame of hospital failings on an individual that has ruined her life or another serial killer in the healthcare system. I'm hoping it's the former than latter.]]> 1484 Shabana Mahmood's time is up Thu, 23 Apr 2026 22:57:18 +0000 https://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/shabana-mahmoods-time-is-up.387692/ 387692 invalid@example.com (bluescreen) bluescreen Seriously.
We'd all like sex-offenders to be less offensive - but maybe not like this?
Or maybe I'm just a lily-livered librul.

www.theguardian.com

Shabana Mahmood considers chemical castration for serious sex offenders

Justice secretary expected to back radical sentencing reforms, including use of libido-suppressing drugs in England and Wales
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

]]> 391 Local Council Elections 2026 Thu, 23 Apr 2026 22:43:27 +0000 https://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/local-council-elections-2026.389705/ 389705 invalid@example.com (BusLanes) BusLanes This year 106 English Local Authorities will go to the polls in May, this will include, as of today, 30 that the government had planned to delay (usually with the LA's agreement). The delays being due to planned structural changes.

This year's are a fair bit bigger than 2025's historic locals which saw the rise of Reform in a few county councils, destroying incumbent Labour and Conservative administrations alike. They are also include a lot of metropolitan councils in the...

Read more]]> 176 The Reform UK Party and Nigel Farage - news and discussion Thu, 23 Apr 2026 22:28:38 +0000 https://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/the-reform-uk-party-and-nigel-farage-news-and-discussion.380065/ 380065 invalid@example.com (bimble) bimble did a search, couldn't find a thread, i'm sure there is one but search is weird.
Screenshot 2022-11-24 at 17.45.38.png

So Nige, having tried selling patriotic gin and phoning your mum for money, has now announced very loudly that the Reform Party intends to stand a candidate in every parish in the land at the next GE, to stop the immigrants and save brexit from those who are plotting against her.


Will there be make britain great again hats? probably.
But will people actually vote for them in significant...

Read more]]> 8788 The far-right's "Raise the colours" campaign Thu, 23 Apr 2026 22:11:33 +0000 https://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/the-far-rights-raise-the-colours-campaign.388604/ 388604 invalid@example.com (furluxor) furluxor There's a group in my town litter picking and hanging flags everywhere as a "patriotic" initiative. Fash or nutters? I have been told there multiple of these around the country but I can't find any info. They also have GoFundMe pages and are raising money.]]> 4391 Green Party/Zack Polanski, Worse Than Hitler Thu, 23 Apr 2026 21:36:34 +0000 https://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/green-party-zack-polanski-worse-than-hitler.390123/ 390123 invalid@example.com (ska invita) ska invita There's some great anti Green propaganda about.... More extreme than what Corbyn got
A fun scrap book thread

Let's start here

1000075665.jpg]]> 97 Is the High Street doomed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 21:32:15 +0000 https://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/is-the-high-street-doomed.358751/ 358751 invalid@example.com (hash tag) hash tag HMV's, Waterstones, Oddbins, second hand bookshops, House of Fraser, Sainsburys & Asda, Debenhams, Maplins, Homebase and now I see M&S are scaling back....M&S to close 100 stores by 2022

Can the high street be saved, is it beyond redemption? Should they be given up and turned over to housing, if not, what?]]> 2143 Veganism going out of fashion Thu, 23 Apr 2026 20:00:41 +0000 https://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/veganism-going-out-of-fashion.383934/ 383934 invalid@example.com (hash tag) hash tag Not just veganbut vegetarian restaurantsalso, has the tide turned? My personal experience is Vanilla Black did not reopen after COVID, Vegan Express in Tooting has long since closed, more recently Whole Food Cafe in Streatham has closed. I really thought these places would be thriving now, but apparently not. Now there is this
www.theguardian.com

‘We block 10 people a day’: culture war trolls add to UK vegan restaurants’ struggles

Online abuse is latest challenge for plant-based eateries along with high costs and changing appetites
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
]]> 243 Russell Brand: rape and sexual abuse allegations, grifting and general dodginess - discussion Thu, 23 Apr 2026 17:51:15 +0000 https://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/russell-brand-rape-and-sexual-abuse-allegations-grifting-and-general-dodginess-discussion.330170/ 330170 invalid@example.com (mod) mod Love him or hate him Mr Brand is absolutely spot on with his views on drug prohibition.

This is really worth a watch.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04v2zrg]]> 3304 Question Time tonight Thu, 23 Apr 2026 16:55:33 +0000 https://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/question-time-tonight.321439/ 321439 invalid@example.com (treelover) treelover Anyone see it?, from Barking, bit fiery, not at first with such a right wing panel, but then a homeless guy was getting very angry and pretty unpleasant about immigration and "how as an indigenous local he is being unfairly treated", we didn't get to hear his final words and he walked out and was shouted down by the liberal audience, which considering the BNP have had numerous council seats in the area didn't seem completely representative. What was surprising was that Rachel Reeves, usually...

Read more]]> 4571 Local Newspaper Headlines! Thu, 23 Apr 2026 16:10:52 +0000 https://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/local-newspaper-headlines.101546/ 101546 invalid@example.com (Onslow) Onslow Sometimes news days in local areas can be slow. With the nationals getting the big news stories, war, celebrities, political scandels, its up the little guys to mop up the rest of the days, ahem, "news".

More often than not along the lines of "MAN LOSES HAT".

Whats the big news in your town today?

Mine, quite frankly, is rather amusing.

" FIREMAN FACES DRYER STUNT QUIZ"

"AN Oswaldtwistle firefighter is to be questioned about a stunt which involved an on-duty fireman being...

Read more]]> 8681 Annals of the Green Party Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:41:18 +0000 https://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/annals-of-the-green-party.384993/ 384993 invalid@example.com (Brainaddict) Brainaddict All the threads on them seem to be ancient so I thought I'd start a new one to record their trajectory after an impressive increase to 4 MPs. Bristol is also looking increasingly like a Green stronghold of the future - they came second in every constituency in Bristol they didn't win. Two of those, Bristol East and Bristol South, will almost certainly be target seats for the next general election.

Yes, they've done a few crap things in councils (but then, which party hasn't?), and they are...

Read more]]> 577 Welsh Senedd Election May 2026 Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:06:36 +0000 https://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/welsh-senedd-election-may-2026.389800/ 389800 invalid@example.com (jannerboyuk) jannerboyuk Thought i’d start a thread on the Welsh Senedd (Parliament) election in May 2026.

Polls are very up and down but it looks extremely likely that Plaid Cymru will be the biggest party with Reform as the official opposition.

There are now 96 seats up for grabs on a party list system with 6 seats allocated proportionally in each constituency. The word on the street is that a party will need 13% of the vote to win a seat in a constituency.

Personally i think that the Labour vote will be a...

Read more]]> 91 Council by-election results Thu, 23 Apr 2026 08:17:56 +0000 https://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/council-by-election-results.376617/ 376617 invalid@example.com (brogdale) brogdale A thread in which we can post and discuss Council by-election results.
AFAICS, pogofish permitting, we've not had a thread dedicated to the generality of local by-election results and they've tended to be discussed in the Political polling thread.
So here goes!

Most local/ward by-elections are held on Thursdays and results tend to emerge on Thursday nights/Friday mornings and are most easily accessed on the usual twitter/SM output from places like @BritainElects etc. Some of the...

Read more]]> 1068 Freeman-on-the-land idiocies Thu, 23 Apr 2026 01:38:36 +0000 https://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/freeman-on-the-land-idiocies.257015/ 257015 invalid@example.com (xes) xes This dude has beaten the court system, and now doesn't pay council tax. How they got Andy Peters to do the commentry is beyond me :D

he got a layman to represent him in court, it was thrown out within 15 minutes. Play them at their own game of loopholes and wankery. It fucking works. :D (this is what I've been waiting for, for a looong time)



There is NO LAW to say that you have to pay council tax, btw. :D]]> 2213 Police strip search 15-year old in school Wed, 22 Apr 2026 23:37:52 +0000 https://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/police-strip-search-15-year-old-in-school.377769/ 377769 invalid@example.com (BristolEcho) BristolEcho Tried to find a thread for this but it didn't fit.

Awful story of 15 year old black girl being strip searched by officers for cannabis in school. She was also on her period. No doubts it was racist too.

www.theguardian.com

Racism cited as factor in police strip search of girl, 15, at London school

Black child’s ordeal, which involved exposure of intimate body parts, took place without parental consent, review finds
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

The School can do one too. The search would have been awful for anything, but for Cannabis to be the primary motivation...... Words fail me.]]> 295 Time to conquer the City Of London? Wed, 22 Apr 2026 21:28:02 +0000 https://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/time-to-conquer-the-city-of-london.390125/ 390125 invalid@example.com (ska invita) ska invita The City of London could be brought into London proper, and be subject to the same laws.

My understanding is that an act of parliament would be enough to make it happen
Surely a popular policy across the country, especially amongst London haters!

What would the financial benefit if any to UK PLC be though?
I've never really understood the nature of the City as a loophole]]> 26 Morgan McSweeney's time is up. Wed, 22 Apr 2026 20:25:21 +0000 https://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/morgan-mcsweeneys-time-is-up.387702/ 387702 invalid@example.com (frogwoman) frogwoman
I wonder who's been leaking these]]> 131