Give that dog a seat – he's cleaner than most commuters
Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments.
Noel complained about two guys letting their dog occupy a Tube seat as it was unhygienic and taking up space (Metro Talk, Fri).
I'm sure in this civilised country nobody would want to deprive a dog of a seat. And animals unhygienic? What about passengers in dirty work uniforms and hi-vis? Surely they could pack their dirty clothing in a holdall. Betty, London
My dog always has a window seat on the train. Human passengers have even moved so he can have a seat and transport staff often greet him.
In any case, dogs are often far more hygienic than people. They also don't leave rubbish behind, fare dodge or cause disruption, delaying trains! Enough said. Natty J, Findon Valley
Clark (MetroTalk, Fri) says cats kill 55million birds and 220million small mammals in the UK every year.Those statistics come from a 2003 survey conducted by the Mammal Society and have been challenged by more than one association since.I was wondering whether Clark had considered that many birds are killed by flying into wind turbines, windows and other structures. Then there's intensified farming, pesticides, reduction in their natural insect food, pollution and reduction in natural green space.Many birds die before they can breed, which has a very negative outcome on the bird population in UK!Each year, many wild birds migrate. On route a high number are caught and eaten, so people are killing them, too.
To blame cats alone is the easy way out and doesn't consider the environmental issues that are really playing havoc with the health and death of the bird population (and our own health).
And as to cats messing in gardens, the pigeons and magpies keep leaving big dollops of poo on my washing and garden path. It carries diseases and means I have to use lots of water to clean it off. But that's all a part of nature – I love all animals! Dawn Cole, Faversham
Your lead story concerning the prime minister's criticisms of Nigel Farage (Metro, Fri) contrasted his comments with the support shown for Reform UK in opinion polls and stated that Sir Keir's approval ratings had slipped.
But a YouGov poll on May 27 showed Mr Farage as the people's least popular choice for PM, behind Sir Keir, Sir Ed Davey and even Kemi Badenoch. In a straight contest between Sir Keir and Mr Farage, 44 per cent preferred Sir Keir and just 29 per cent opted for Mr Farage. This was an improvement of eight points for Sir Keir since February.
Mr Farage referred to the PM as 'resorting to dirty tricks' in his criticism. If Mr Farage considers he went outside the bounds of fair criticism, let him sue. If he loses, he can always blame a 'rogue judge' like his hero, Donald Trump. Paul Johnson, Ilford
Fred is pleased with his renationalised South Western Railway service (MetroTalk, Fri). Give it a couple of years and the problems will be back.
Privately or government operated, the railway will never run perfectly, whether because of driver shortages, infrastructure problems or whatever else… Robert James, St Albans
Fred wants them to drop the livery etc for South Western Railway and replace it with Great British Railways.At present, GBR is just something that is planned. The legal entity that started operating the SWR network on May 25 is South Western Railway Ltd, which replaced First MTR South Western Trains Ltd. The operator will continue to trade under its current name until the government has got the legislation to create GBR through parliament.
What happened on May 25 was a bit like re-arranging the deckchairs on the Titanic – the only changes were the owner and the managing director. It will take a while for anything to really change. This is because ownership wasn't the problem with the railways, it was the structure and how it operated. Ian Hardy, Hounslow
Can I add mine to the occasional doctors jokes you've been running? I went private and paid £100 for a urine test. They're taking the pee. Hassan, Bromley
I went to hospital and saw a man holding a sign saying 'and emergency'.
I asked where he'd got it and he said, 'I found it by accident…' Gerry, Deptford
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The Guardian
22 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Don't think Nigel Farage will kill off the Tories? Just look at Reform UK's surge in Scotland
If you were doubting that Nigel Farage had a serious chance of heading a hard-right British government in 2029, the people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse just poured a bucket of particularly icy water over your head. Though Labour won the Scottish parliamentary byelection, defying predictions it would be beaten into third place, Reform UK chalked up more than a quarter of the vote – trailing the victors by an unsubstantial 1,500 voters. This tells a devastating story. Nigel Farage's outfit seriously outperformed the level of support indicated by Scottish polling: the last four surveys had Reform on between 12% and 19%, yet it secured 26% of the vote after standing here for the first time. This suggests it is mobilising previous non-voters whom pollsters are not picking up. The latest UK-wide YouGov poll, which asked people how they would vote if there were a general election tomorrow, put Reform in first place, eight points ahead of Labour. Imagine if that polling in fact underestimates their reach. There is, however, an important caveat. The multimillionaire businessman Zia Yusuf did an impressive job as Reform's chair in professionalising its operations: his resignation speaks to a perennial threat of internal chaos. Like Ukip, Reform may be hobbled by its excessive dependence on its frontman. The SNP, meanwhile, has ruled Holyrood for nearly two decades in an age in which most incumbents are clobbered. The party has lost its best asset, Nicola Sturgeon. Even so, it did not expect to lose 17 points in this byelection. Its activists are divided on whether this loss is down to the party soft-pedalling on the independence cause, or failing to address voters' bread-and-butter concerns. It seems almost certain that it suffered the opposite phenomenon to Reform: its demotivated supporters stayed at home. The byelection offered up yet more striking evidence that the Tories are being replaced as the standard bearers of the right, as they bagged a paltry 6% of the vote. This is the end stage of a process kickstarted by David Cameron in 2010: try to placate the right of his own party by throwing them endless red meat, making them fatter and hungrier. It's the same phenomenon that is unfolding across the west: the old centre-right is dying, and being replaced by a radical right that is increasingly contemptuous of democratic norms. Given Reform's racist claim that the Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, would 'prioritise the Pakistani community', its defeat is hardly reassuring, as it still finds popular support among hardcore Scottish unionists. As the pre-eminent psephologist John Curtice notes, Labour was in fact down on its already weak 2021 performance in this seat, triumphing only because of the fragmentation of the electorate. The result shows Labour is not on course to retake the seat of Scottish power, he concludes. The big message, he says, is that if Farageism is making inroads even in Scotland, its strength has been underestimated. What next? Starmer's foot soldiers have a strategy. Having achieved unparalleled unpopularity by attacking state provision for disabled people and elderly people, they are opting for a 'squeeze' message. They believe Farage replacing the Tories is beneficial, because he has a lower ceiling of support than the traditional party of the right. Our electoral system will force voters to make a binary choice between a Labour government they strongly dislike, and a Farage premiership most fear. The choice is between two bad options – and they're hoping that voters will pick the least worse. Cast your mind back to the decision of Hillary Clinton's team to intentionally promote Donald Trump as the Republican standard-bearer for much the same reason. That didn't go well. Labour must surely understand how Farage's capacity to enthuse non-voters raises the ceiling to an unpredictable height. Starmer's team clearly looks to Canada, where an incumbent liberal government was on course for electoral meltdown, until progressives abandoned the leftwing New Democrats to prevent the hard-right Conservatives triumphing. Yet there are key differences. One is the small factor of the US president openly planning to annex their country. Another is that although Justin Trudeau's administration may have been deeply disappointing from a progressive perspective, it did not ceaselessly alienate its natural supporters, as Labour has done, including by adopting rhetoric on immigration associated with the far right. Labour won about two-thirds of the seats in the general election with only one-third of the overall vote share. Surely it recognises that Reform could do the same. This ability is only entrenched by our first past the post electoral system, which even the former Conservative minister Tobias Ellwood has described as 'dated and unrepresentative'. Faced with a choice between lesser evils, the strategy for progressives ought to be clear: cement a pact between the Green party and other leftwing candidates, focus on 50 or so seats, and throw every resource at them. In a resulting hung parliament, they could force an end to this antiquated electoral system. But the central belt of Scotland just underlined an important lesson. The west is in crisis: the rise of the radical right is both a symptom and an accelerant, and nowhere is immune. Owen Jones is a Guardian columnist
The Herald Scotland
30 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Sarwar says surprise by-election win could help Labour back to power at Holyrood
With the votes showing a swing of more than 7% from the SNP to Labour, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Friday the result showed people have 'voted for change'. The by-election had been held following the death earlier this year of Scottish Government minister Christina McKelvie. When the votes were counted, Mr Russell polled 8,559, SNP candidate Katy Loudon took 7,957 votes, while Reform's Ross Lambie secured 7,088. And although Mr Russell was elected with fewer votes than Labour secured in the seat in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, the SNP's support fell from just over 46% of all ballots then to 29.35% in the by-election. Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice insisting they were 'delighted' with coming third – despite speculation prior to the count that they could come in second or may even pull off a surprise victory. Labour's win came after Scotland's First Minister John Swinney – who made numerous campaign visits to the area – had declared the contest to be a 'two-horse race' between the SNP and Nigel Farage's Reform. Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice (centre) insisted the party was 'delighted' after coming in third (Jane Barlow/PA) But speaking at a media event in Hamilton on Friday morning, Mr Sarwar accused the SNP leader of running a 'disgraceful' campaign. Mr Sarwar also insisted the by-election could 'help lead the way' to him becoming Scotland's next first minister in the May 2026 Holyrood elections. The Scottish Labour leader said he believed the victory to be 'even more significant' than the party's win in the nearby Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election in October 2023 – which he said had been key in helping to secure Labour's general election win in July last year. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar (centre) is hoping to become Scotland's next first minister (Robert Perry/PA) Mr Sarwar declared: 'I think in some ways this by-election result is even more significant than the Rutherglen by-election result two years ago. 'It is right to say, I believe, the result in Rutherglen helped lead the way in helping to elect a UK Labour Government and I also believe the by-election result here will help lead the way to elect a Scottish Labour government next year.' Looking ahead to that election, Mr Sarwar told the PA news agency: 'I want us to gain scores of seats across the country so we can remove this SNP government from office.' Anas Sarwar and new MSP Davy Russell celebrated the party's win in Hamilton with supporters on Friday (Robert Perry/PA) He went on to accuse Mr Swinney of running a 'disgraceful campaign' in the by-election, saying that despite the SNP having been in power for 18 years, 'the best he had to offer was 'vote SNP to stop Farage''. And while Reform UK came in third in the by-election, Mr Sarwar said Mr Farage's party could not win the Scottish Parliament elections. He insisted: 'Nigel Farage is not standing to be first minister. 'It is a straight choice – it is either going to be John Swinney, or it's going to be me.' The Scottish Labour leader continued: 'The choice is stark next year. Our Parliament is not about protests, our election is not about protest, it is about choosing a government here in Scotland. 'The choice is stark – a third decade of the SNP with John Swinney as first minister or a new direction for Scotland with me as first minister.' However, Mr Tice told BBC Radio 4's that the result in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse was 'truly remarkable'. He said: 'We've come from nowhere to being in a three-way marginal, and we're within 750 votes of winning that by-election and just a few hundred votes of defeating the SNP, so it's an incredible result.' Mr Swinney, meanwhile, said the SNP was 'clearly disappointed' with the result. The party leader said Labour had 'won by an absolute landslide' in Rutherglen and Hamilton West – noting the SNP 'came much closer' this time round. But he added: 'The people of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse have made clear that we still have work to do. 'Over the next few days, we will take time to consider the result fully.'
The Guardian
34 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Next Scottish elections will be between SNP and Labour, says Anas Sarwar
Next year's Scottish parliament elections will be a straight choice between the SNP and Scottish Labour, a jubilant Anas Sarwar has said following his party's surprise victory in Thursday's key Holyrood byelection. Scottish Labour's popular local candidate Davy Russell defied predictions to beat the incumbent SNP and fight off Reform UK's 'racist' campaigning in the central Scotland seat of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse. Sarwar told a victory rally in Hamilton town centre on Friday morning that they had proved everyone wrong following speculation that Reform UK might push Scottish Labour into third place, as the rightwing populist party gained ground in Scotland for the first time. 'The reality is we proved the pollsters, the pundits, the political commentators and the bookies all wrong, and they are not understanding what is happening on the ground,' Sarwar said. 'On the ground, people believe the SNP are done. The balloon has burst, people think they are a busted flush and they want them out.' The byelection result proved to people across Scotland that only Scottish Labour could beat the SNP in 2026, he added, as he praised the results of 'the most significant and best ground operation in any constituency in the history of the Scottish Labour party'. Sarwar said: 'Reform can make the noise. The Tories aren't even at the races. It's a straight choice between the SNP and Scottish Labour.' While continuing to condemn Reform's 'dirty campaign' – which involved increasingly personal attacks on him by Nigel Farage that were condemned cross-party as racist – Sarwar also attacked 'the spin, nonsense, and misinformation from the SNP'. Their attempts to present the contest as a two-horse race between SNP and Reform had risked pushing voters towards the rightwing populists, he said. Although Reform came in third place, the party gained 26% of the vote share – a significant success for a party that still has minimal, though expanding, infrastructure north of the border and no dedicated Scottish leader. This mirrored levels of support it has enjoyed in recent central belt council byelections. Many of its votes appear to have come from a collapse in Conservative support, down from 18% in 2021 to 6% yesterday, but the SNP also lost almost 17% of its vote share while Labour was down 2%. Sarwar suggested that three blocks of voters had moved to Reform – former Conservatives, those making a protest vote against both Westminster and Holyrood incumbents, and some who believed 'the frankly ludicrous campaign that this was a straight choice between Reform and the SNP'. At the rally, the Scottish Labour deputy leader, Dame Jackie Baillie, said the contest was a vindication of the party's strategy, demonstrating that 'talking to people and doing to work on the doorstep is absolutely vital to how we win'. Other Labour figures pointed out that the party had made a conscious decision to focus on the ground campaign, which is largely invisible to the national media but secured victory in the end. That ground campaign also paid off in terms of countering the dissatisfaction with the decision-making of Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves that voters were making loudly clear on the doorstep. Labour politicians who were helping the canvas described local people as having 'a lot to get off their chests' and the need for lengthy engagement on the thinking behind unpopular Westminster decisions, which appears to have won over many voters.
