My original response was me saying the birth rate will not just be down to people not being able to afford it. You have misread it totally
If that’s what you meant fair enough, but I don’t feel like my reading was incorrect?
Perhaps the stress is clouding my judgment. I should lay down.
We’re a small sample of the population I know, but we didn’t have children because we don’t like them or the responsibility that comes with being a parent.
We were still going to festivals in our mid-40s and generally having a great life, why change what’s not broken?
Sadly illness ended a lot of our fun, but then the illness would have been a real struggle if we had dependents.
I’m a firm believer that this shouldn’t be a barrier and something that has to change post child. Assuming cost is not the issue then family or babysitters can take the reins while you get sloshed for a weekend. Obviously this wouldn’t be very often in a year anyway.
Bit of a bone of contention in my household too as the Mrs essentially thinks life must stop for us but that’s never going to fly for me. Far too deep to look back now, so we’ll just have to compromise 
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Dead man walking
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Christ, I can’t wait. The toryification would be complete once we get to the bringing down prime ministers stage.
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Its just ironic the arrogance of Labour in opposition compared against their incompetence in government.
I wonder who will get the nod after starmer leaves.
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You know what’s funny, whoever gets it. I wouldn’t give them a high chance of lasting long either 
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Farage predicted an early general election. Not impossible.
Personally I’m really looking forward to the heave against Farage when hes been PM for 7 months.
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This is such an absurd suggestion! Leaving aside the debate about about whether Starmer is replaced or not, why on earth would Labour call an early General Election?
You are an expert at those 
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If they can’t govern? If their party splits? If they break their manifesto commitments in a major way that means they can no longer credibly claim to have a mandate? If public opinion continues to rise against them? To try and get a renewed mandate for tax rises or other policies? To beat Reform before they get any more popular?
I can think of many reasons they might do it.
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Nothing absurd about it really.
Quite clear the 2024 manifesto dies as soon as Reeves breaks her tax pledge and the final nail will be if Starmer goes.
If a new leader wants to implement things to the scale the country need, they’ll need authority and a mandate, they really can’t hold out until 2029 in a practical or political sense it’ll just be useless parliament living off the broken headline pledges with no real rudder, that will guarantee electoral defeat in 2029.
Combine above with potential market turmoil under a new chancellor and they may not have a choice.
Its not even a bad shout, if you wait you’re giving reform more time to professionalise and get proper vetted candidates in additional giving the Tory time to regroup, you can catch both off guard and negate any pact. An early election may keep Labour as the biggest party in a left wing coalition before before the honeymoon period for the new leader starts to fade.
I think you’re confusing unpopular with absurd! 
Labour have a mandate. Unfortunately, breaking manifesto pledges is not a new thing in British politics and at no point has a political party in Government decided to go to the polls under these circumstances. The way Labour beat Reform at the next election in 2029, the only way, is to as a minimum neutralise the issue of immigration, and to get the UK economy going, and specifically to raise living standards. They would only call an early General Election if they are ahead in the polls.
The Labour Party have a mandate to govern and the manifesto is more than than a pledge on tax, even they break it in a couple of weeks of course. That doesn’t make it right, but going by history, this is not uncommon. Plus the Government can reasonably argue that circumstances have changed and they need to take steps to address the economy.
Also, a change a leader does not mean there has to be a General Election. We do not directly elect the PM.
I cannot think of a more egregious manifesto breach off the top of my head than the one Labour are about to commit. As @sevchenko says, if it’s coupled with a change in leadership then they’ll have to go to the country.
Their existing mandate is an illusion anyway. They only won a majority at the last election because of a split in the right wing vote. Despite the size of their majority, you hardly ever hear Labour talk about their majority because they know it doesn’t reflect how many votes they actually attracted - less than in 2019.
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There have been plenty of occasions. You only have to go back to the last Parliament in 2021 when the Conservatives broke their manifesto pledge by raising national insurance. Parties of all colours have done the same over the years.
He’s a dead man walking anyway. When May arrives Labour will lose power of Wales and will continue to be embarrassed in Scotland.
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