Anyone following the insanity that's come from that tweet by Emily Thornberry?
Politics at Westminster | BREAKING: UKIP
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) and Imran (@Annihilate Now!) are here to discuss three 1-1 draws.
The first got us knocked out of the FA Cup, the next puts us in a good position in our Round of 16 Europa League game, and the latest was an actual decent performance against Arsenal at Old Trafford.
All hopes for the season now rest on the Europa League - does Amorim have the squad to win it?
Yeah, saw that earlier- sounds like Miliband's had a serious word with her.
How Labour has managed to make the story this evening about themselves is ridiculous. She's resigned from the Shadow Cabinet now. Complete and utter incompetence all round.
Also, Boris Johnson managed to say "I pay the lion’s share of my tax". Good for you Boris.
I just don't see how a politician (anybody?) can be so forking clueless about social media. It's way beyond incompetence, it's monumental stupidity.
What an absurd situation. This is the guy whose house it is:
He looks almost exactly how I imagined he would
The divisions within the party right now are worthy of many face-palms. The media reaction to it has been just as bizarre, I read somewhere earlier (might've been on the guardian ffs) that it may turn out to be "Labour's 47% moment". Sense has just disappeared entirely.
Resign! Resign!
ffs Labour sort yourselves out.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30139799
You know when people like John Redwood say we can't afford an English Parliament separate to Westminster I wonder whether they are just taking the piss, the repair bill is likely to be 10 times as much as the Scottish built their new parliament building for.
You know when people like John Redwood say we can't afford an English Parliament separate to Westminster I wonder whether they are just taking the piss, the repair bill is likely to be 10 times as much as the Scottish built their new parliament building for.
Never. I am a man of the people.
What do UKIP actually stand for other than taking Britain out of the EU? I don't like single-policy parties, because once they've achieved those aims, what plans do they have for actually, y'know, running the country?
That said, I fully expect the UK to have left the European Union by 2020. There will be a referendum on the topic after the next election, and it'll pass with an overwhelming majority.
That said, I fully expect the UK to have left the European Union by 2020. There will be a referendum on the topic after the next election, and it'll pass with an overwhelming majority.
I have to say that despite being a lifelong labour supporter, campaigner and member, this Labour rabble just looks unelectable right now. I mean how the actual feck did they manage to score an own goal when they weren't even playing?
I really worry that Ed Milliband pipping his brother could turn out to be one of the most damaging moments in the modern history of the Labour party. Bananas aside, David was a fine politician and, tellingly, the one the Tories didn't want.
If the Tories scrape through this election they'll be in charge during the final recovery of the economy, which makes success in the next election a major problem for Labour. I would guess if they win this one, they'll win the next as well. Which will mean yet another 3+ term Government from the Tories.
Frankly Labour's best hope is that UKIP and the threat of leaving Europe divides the Tory party, but I mean really, that's clutching at straws. Thats like your best hope of winning a match being that fans invade the pitch and you get it awarded to you by default.
I really worry that Ed Milliband pipping his brother could turn out to be one of the most damaging moments in the modern history of the Labour party. Bananas aside, David was a fine politician and, tellingly, the one the Tories didn't want.
If the Tories scrape through this election they'll be in charge during the final recovery of the economy, which makes success in the next election a major problem for Labour. I would guess if they win this one, they'll win the next as well. Which will mean yet another 3+ term Government from the Tories.
Frankly Labour's best hope is that UKIP and the threat of leaving Europe divides the Tory party, but I mean really, that's clutching at straws. Thats like your best hope of winning a match being that fans invade the pitch and you get it awarded to you by default.
They don't need to know how to run the country. Their ideal outcome at the next election is that the Tories win, but that the numbers fall in such a way that they get to cast the deciding vote on bills as they see fit. No formal coalition, just a commitment to support when needed. That way they can hold the Tories hostage, but know that when they do vote with them, Labour and Lib Dems can't stop them. Tail wags dog.
Of course to do that they need to get some seats from Labour and the Lib Dems (or hope that the Tories do, but that they get other seats from the Tories at the same time). So its not a given, but then you look at Middleton and realise its not as unlikely as you might hope.
This seems to be the majority opinion that people have, but it's unlikely to be the case. Latest poll from Ipsos Mori has a) 56% in support of staying in the EU against 36% wanting out, and b) This gap being at its highest level for 23 years. Not to mention that there's no way a business-backed politician like Cameron would get away with supporting an exit, despite what the backbench of his party screams about in the DM.
David would have won the upcoming election but largely because he is another Blair-lite (see Cameron and Clegg). Then we'd have a Labour government implementing Tory policy all over again.
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Labour are so frustrating. It will still be either a Labour or Green vote from me though. While I am very much against UKIP they have done well to capitilise on the failings of the other parties, even if they don't have solutions themselves.
I'm just worried that we will have a Tory-Ukip coalition. What a sad sight that would be..
I'm just worried that we will have a Tory-Ukip coalition. What a sad sight that would be..
One thing that clearly differentiates the left from the right in the UK is that the left would rather stay in opposition than compromise their political purity, while the right happily defer to pragmatism to stay in power.
The result - the Tories rule the country, while Labour give them a brief holiday every now and then.
Tony Blair and New Labour doesn't exactly fit into that theory, does it?
Peter's point was that Blair was merely implementing Tory policies. Many in the left believe the same. That Blair is responsible for almost half of the time Labour has been in Government since the second WW merely illustrates my point. A true left Labour party finds itself unelectable.
If they can't persuade most of the electorate who would benefit from a left-wing government to vote at all then that's what will increasingly happen.
Increasingly? Was it ever different?
Yes the turn out at general elections dropped below 60% in 2001, needs to go back to the 80% level of the early 50s.
Does that only affect the left?
More so for sure, as the missing electorate are the young, who are overwhelmingly left skewing. The old and right wing have never stopped voting. Consistently about 75% and up.
If the same percentage of 18-30s had voted in 2010, and assuming the majority would not have voted Tory, they could've scuppered a Coalition. So, basically, feck off Brand.
Is that certain? Young people may vote less, but then not every constituency has the same age profile so an increased turnout amongst the young may simply increase majorities in already won seats.
Anyway Labour's record at winning elections was worse before the late 1990s, not better, when voter turnout was high. This would suggest that the correlation is at best unclear.
The lowest areas of turnout tend to be in safe labour seats, which is one of the reasons they can win a majority with only 35% of the vote compared to the tories' 40%.
Likewise the Conservatives failed to win an election while they tried to put clear blue water between them and Labour (Hague, IDS and Howard). You need to occupy (or be perceived to be occupying) the centre to win a majority.
Blair???
See the previous post.
Here's a class/age/gender breakdown of voting in 2010.
https://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/2613/How-Britain-Voted-in
Labour's best demographics were women aged 25-34 (only 54% turnout) and DE women (56% turnout) and non-whites (51%).
The Tories' best demographic is AB men with a 76% turn out.
ABs make up about 25%, Cs 50% and DEs 25% of voters. So with 46M voters, there are roughly 6M AB men and DE women of whom about 4M AB men voted v 3.4M DE women.
https://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/2613/How-Britain-Voted-in
Labour's best demographics were women aged 25-34 (only 54% turnout) and DE women (56% turnout) and non-whites (51%).
The Tories' best demographic is AB men with a 76% turn out.
ABs make up about 25%, Cs 50% and DEs 25% of voters. So with 46M voters, there are roughly 6M AB men and DE women of whom about 4M AB men voted v 3.4M DE women.
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Gordon Brown has confirmed that he's stepping down as MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath. As one of his constituents I'm sorry to hear that - did very well here. Also, despite the negative press, he's a top bloke. Met him a few times due to my work and he always had a moment to chat when the cameras weren't pointing at him.
Which I could say the same about Darling. Fecker hogged both of the arm rests on a flight once.
Which I could say the same about Darling. Fecker hogged both of the arm rests on a flight once.
Brown's got a very good history as a politician but I find his timing a bit bizarre from a Scottish perspective when he was talking about how important increased Scottish powers were and how he'd hold Westminster to account etc if they weren't delivered. Not to mention that he was banging on about how we'd effectively be getting home rule when what's on the table is nothing of the sort.
Yeah, I agree. Reeks of him getting out before the whole thing implodes.
Aye, he's a man who has undoubtedly done a lot in politics and he probably got a harder time than he deserved as PM due to the whole global recession, but his latest actions reek of him jumping ship into being a lord when the shit is about to hit the fan for him. Especially since with the SNP surge his seat could potentially be under a bit of threat, even if you'd have still fancied him to retain it.
Much of the same can apply for Darling as well.