I hold both of them in total contempt for continuing to hold that their respective Parties are ‘Broad Churches’ when it is blindingly obvious to anyone with a modicum of intelligence that the Tories are controlled by the extreme right and Labour by Momentum, the extreme left.
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And every moderate or sensible politician being hounded out or just coming to the conclusion that they have no fight left.
Unfortunately we are facing a situation where the scoundrels will succeed because reasonable men (and women) are standing aside.
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I have just posted on the Tory website what I have said above, but the Labour Party had a very tortous 'phone message system before I could speak to anyone.
As I am not a member of the Labour Party, I could not leave a message on their website.
Do not stand by.
I think that Tom Watson’s resignation will bring heart searching from those Labour MP’s who have been looking to him to bind together the centre of the Labour Party. Watch this space!
We vote in Stroud and due to the new Voting pact we will vote Green.
When in France use your fork with your bread to wipe your plate!
Purely from the point of view of a tactical vote surely it would be better to vote Labour - the Labour majority was less than 1000 votes so it is not a safe bet that the Tories won’t get in. Even if the Greens get all the old LibDem votes they are still only looking at 5.4% of the vote compared with 46.9% for the Tories and 47% for Lab - that’s a pretty big hill to climb.
I have to say I would have thought that it would have been the Greens voting Lib Dem.
I do not trust the Labour Party, it is led by Marxists and I will never vote Tory again.
At present Wikipedia suggests that a Green Party candidate is standing but lists no LibDem candidate - assuming that the two parties are going to co-operate in Stroud this suggests it might be the Greens who are going to stand.
Not sure how much sense that would make given that, historically, the LibDems have had more support than the Greens but one thing which is certain in UK politics at present is that logic has no part to play.
Sounds totally like my position.
However, locally I might as well burn my ballot paper than vote LibDem - pretty much the same in Stroud. Actually I don’t want a Labour government, I ertainly don’t want a Labour Brexit - the Brexit might be a bit softer but they aren’t going to go as far as anything which would require full participation in the SM including FoM - if I’m to loose that I’m not interested.
So it is a dangerous game voting Labour because locally the LibDems have no chance - do you say “well, it could happen” and vote LibDem anyway, not sure but I would understand anyone who did. Do you vote Labour just to try to ensure the Tories don’t get back in and on the basis that Corbyn is promising a referendum (for now at least).
I’m personally hoping for a Labour led minority government so that Labour need the support of the LibDems and SNP to govern, I just can’t see the LibDems (or even LD+SNP) being the largest party.
My family and friends don’t bother with a fork, nor do l - perhaps it’s a regional or cultural trait as my lot are all farmers or the children of farmers here in the Sud-Ouest.
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@Jane_Williamson re table étiquette:. “When in France use your fork with your bread to wipe your plate!”
Thanks, Jane. These tips make all the difference to making the meal go down well. Is it customary to put one’s spoon in the coffee cup when finished? I’ve noticed my elderly neighbour does this, and if ever forget, he does it for me. He eats with great gusto but the way he serves the simplest of foods is a ritual of elegance to behold, aliken to a priest serving mass!
Especially as he has lived alone for over twelve years.
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We always use fingers with the bread when wiping the plate too ( the peasant way) 
and not forgetting the soup bowl where here in the sud-ouest we “faire chabrot” - swill some red wine around the remnants and gulp it down…lovely 
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My local lot use their fingers more than their cutlery… 
On the other hand, it took me a while to not flinch when I saw someone eating off of their knife… 
In my area the Tories(Amber Rudd) had a 350 majority last time so I really have to vote Labour. I think they would probably scrape it anyway.
How do you use the fork? Can’t quite work out where the fork goes? We just tear off a bit of bread and mop the plate…exactly as my family did in the UK! Although I have now adjusted to not using a bread-plate an making do with the table.
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Just like us Jane:blush:
Eating off one’s knife isn’t generally considered a civilised thing to do, I don’t actually know anyone who does it. There are quite a lot of variations in what is considered polite in France just as there are in other countries.
Mmm… some of our locals must be throwbacks to medieval times…
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Now I think about it, it seems a bit infra dig to interest oneself in how others feed their nosh into their cake-holes.
not at all… it is all part of life’s rich pattern… 
Our neighbour’s daughter-in-law is the only person I have seen, who can get shellfish of whatever variety “out of its overcoat etc” without getting messy from the sauce etc…
Watching her dexterity with a knife and fork, as she shells giant prawns etc… is absolutely amazing.
I try to emulate her, but always end up needing to use my fingers to pull things apart… then the sauce gets everywhere… ooops.
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As long as they keep their mouth closed when eating it, then who cares how it gets there? Our dog is expert at catching things that fly off the table, and hoovers around after dinner (particularly when grandchildren are in residence) so messy stoking of food isn’t a problem to me.
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