Why the Tories have lost the Election.
Posted by: Tarquin Maynard - Portly on 29 March 2010
1. "Look at him, he's RUBBISH" is not good enough a critique. "Trust us, we'll be OK" is not exactly a powerful or convincing message.
2. Not raising NICs sounds good, until you recall that they do not have any coherant strategy to raise the monies elsewhere. "Further efficiency savings"? That means not giving the lowest paid 2/3rds of Civil Servants a payrise - which not only penalises the (already low paid) lower grades, it by implication feathers the nest of the higher earners.
3. "We'll re-negotiate cotracts": and get sued for Breach of Contract if the result reduces the profit margins of the counterparty.
4. Increase Inheritance Tax thresholds so that c.1000 can benefit is just looking after the old boy network. Most people here, I strongly suspect, have their house as their Nil Rate Band (£325k. )
5. Cameron sounds like an overexcited school boy, and is rapidly losing credibility. His constant habit of calling for the most obvious solution to any problem and either calling Labour "copycats" or "indecisive" is beneath even the 4t Form Debating Society, let alone a man who wants to lead the UK.
6. Nobody seriously believed that Cameron welcomed the recent announcement of the domicility of his most important donor. He did it to avoid the embarrasment of an FoI disclosure. Lord Paul has been an acknowledged non Dom for many years. Its always been known.
7. The state of the economy, and the Government debt, has been caused by greedy banks, not Gordon Brown. The supposed alternative implicit in the Tory polemic is that they'd have let the UK banking system collapse. This would have been economic disaster on a cliched but unprecedented scale.
The Tories are not good enough.
Posted on: 08 May 2010 by SC
According to the Beeb, the One Eyed Man has had an angry phone call with Clegg.....Unbelievable ! He's having a huff & puff and throwing the toys around....I guess he doesn't like being out of control.....
I can imagine the fist thumping now...!
Posted on: 08 May 2010 by Lontano
quote:
Originally posted by SC:
I guess he doesn't like being out of control.....
Was he ever in control?
Posted on: 08 May 2010 by mongo
quote:
Originally posted by Lontano:
quote:
Originally posted by SC:
I guess he doesn't like being out of control.....
Was he ever in control?
Not even of himself.
Oh sorry, sorry England.
Posted on: 08 May 2010 by droodzilla
quote:
Originally posted by SC:
According to the Beeb, the One Eyed Man has had an angry phone call with Clegg.....Unbelievable ! He's having a huff & puff and throwing the toys around....I guess he doesn't like being out of control.....
I can imagine the fist thumping now...!
I saw that. The Beeb described a secondhand report of a subjective impression of a conversation. Zero hard facts, maximum speculation on the part of the reporter. News reporting at its absolute worst, in my view.
For the record, I see Brown as a liability to the Labour Party now, but don't believe he's the monster, or incompetent buffoon some people say he is.
Posted on: 08 May 2010 by SC
Monster ? Buffoon ? Noooo, of course not...!
How could anyone resist the GB 'death grin'...?!
Posted on: 08 May 2010 by droodzilla
Well SC, I've always said Brown should stop trying to smile, and sack his public relations people, who are clearly telling him to "lighten up". He's clearly a grumpy Scottish git, but he should be trying to turn that to his advantage - "I may be miserable, but at least I'm not a slick ex-advertising exec", and all that. Anyway, it's all academic, as it's clearly too late to salvage his leadership, and the Millibands are waiting in the wings.
The latest news report on the Clegg/Brown phone call says that both parties deny it was an angry exchange - yet still the dimwit reporter alludes to previous supposedly less than amicable Clegg/Brown encounters, as if to cast doubt on that. Pathetic "let's make a story out of nothing" bullsh*t.
Posted on: 08 May 2010 by Blueknowz
A pack of cards was used to decide the winner in one ward at the local council elections at Great Yarmouth in Norfolk.
The Yarmouth North votes were counted four times with Conservative Bob Peck, who was defending his seat, and Labour's Charlie Marsden both on 1,034.
When a pack of cards was produced by acting returning officer Richard Packham, the Conservative candidate drew a three and his opponent a seven.
An extra vote was given to Labour who have now taken the seat
Posted on: 08 May 2010 by droodzilla
quote:
Originally posted by Blueknowz:
A pack of cards was used to decide the winner in one ward at the local council elections at Great Yarmouth in Norfolk.
The Yarmouth North votes were counted four times with Conservative Bob Peck, who was defending his seat, and Labour's Charlie Marsden both on 1,034.
When a pack of cards was produced by acting returning officer Richard Packham, the Conservative candidate drew a three and his opponent a seven.
An extra vote was given to Labour who have now taken the seat
Funny you should say that Blueknowz. I was on the count for the first time this year, and had to read up on procedure (both statutory and non-statutory). The law does indeed say that drawing of lots should take place where the number of votes cast for two or more candidates is equal. How this is done is for the Returning Officer to decide.
Posted on: 08 May 2010 by Nick Riley
Blueknowz,
'Drawing of Lots'. Toss of a coin/Drawing of straws etc etc. (Method determined by agreement of returning officer/candidates) This is exactly the way it is done in the UK if the candidates involved have the same amount of votes after three (I think) recounts.
Nothing actually fishy going on there.
Nick.
Posted on: 08 May 2010 by MilesSmiles
quote:
Originally posted by Blueknowz:
A pack of cards was used to decide the winner in one ward at the local council elections at Great Yarmouth in Norfolk.
The Yarmouth North votes were counted four times with Conservative Bob Peck, who was defending his seat, and Labour's Charlie Marsden both on 1,034.
When a pack of cards was produced by acting returning officer Richard Packham, the Conservative candidate drew a three and his opponent a seven.
An extra vote was given to Labour who have now taken the seat
I read it this morning and was quite puzzled by the whole story, I guess folks are just too civilized these days - a nice duel would have been much more entertaining.
Posted on: 10 May 2010 by OscillateWildly
quote:
Originally posted by David Scott?:
quote:
Regarding the level; what does GBP one million buy in the metropolis? What if you have lived there for a decade, let alone two or three?
Am I the only one who thinks this is really funny? Sorry OW.
It's okay David, I find the property market, the worship of it, and the resultant prices, laughable.
Cheers,
OW
Posted on: 10 May 2010 by SC
So, finally , he goes.....!! (I'm sure they are going to find his fingernails embedded into the No.10 door frame!)
Looks like Clegg dangling the carrot in front of the labour party has done the trick....If only they had seen the same sense a couple of years ago, they may well have stayed in government with a majority.....
Although, as has been pointed out, should we end up with a Labour/LibDem/Others coalition and Labour now elect themselves a new leader, we yet again end up with a prime-minister that no one in the country has voted for.......
And I thought Thailand's democracy was a laugh...!
Posted on: 10 May 2010 by Lontano
I prefer this smile
Thank christ that buffoon has at last gone.
Posted on: 10 May 2010 by OscillateWildly
Great; Lib/Lab/Uncle Tom Cobbley
Posted on: 10 May 2010 by Bruce Woodhouse
So Brown indicates he'll go, removing a significant obstacle to the otherwise potentially smoother alliance of Lib Dem and Lab. Interesting.
Somewhere I just know that Mandelson is scheming, and the Tories might be beginning to panic...
Bruce.
Posted on: 10 May 2010 by nap-ster
quote:
Somewhere I just know that Mandelson is scheming, and the Tories might be beginning to panic...
If he isn't filling out another mortgage application.
Posted on: 10 May 2010 by living in lancs yearning for yorks
I won't believe Brown is going until I see him actually gone. He has more or less said he plans to have left by September. Will there be a "crisis" before then requiring him to stay on "in the national interest"?
Posted on: 10 May 2010 by MilesSmiles
quote:
Originally posted by Bruce Woodhouse:
So Brown indicates he'll go, removing a significant obstacle to the otherwise potentially smoother alliance of Lib Dem and Lab. Interesting.
Somewhere I just know that Mandelson is scheming, and the Tories might be beginning to panic...
Bruce.
Somehow I don't think a coalition of 'losers' would serve the Libs very well in the mid to long run. I think Nick will be smarter than that and go for an alliance with the conservatives. I might be wrong.
Posted on: 10 May 2010 by Lontano
Anyone see Adam Boulton and Alaistair Campbell live on Sky today. Take a look at video at end of this article. 4 mins 25 secs onwards.
CampbellvBoultonPosted on: 10 May 2010 by JamieWednesday
quote:
we yet again end up with a prime-minister that no one in the country has voted for....... Roll Eyes
And the Lib Dems are negotiating with Campbell, Adonis and Mandy, none of whom have even been elected to parliament and govern, let alone P.M...! So much for democracy and encouraging people to go out and vote. I can only imagine most of the electorate is thinking 'Why bother?' Popular revolution NOW!
Posted on: 10 May 2010 by warwick
Campbell vs Bolton - Yaboo politics at it's finest.
And they aren't even MP's, merely commentators.
Malcolm Tucker in the 'Thick of it' would have been proud of his twin brother Alastair.
Posted on: 10 May 2010 by gone
Love him or hate him. Mandelson is brilliant. What a move. Panic in the Tory camp.
Posted on: 10 May 2010 by nap-ster
quote:
Originally posted by Nero:
Love him or hate him. Mandelson is brilliant. What a move. Panic in the Tory camp.
Politics equivalent of Drogba.
Posted on: 10 May 2010 by djh1697
The Cameronites would have won, if they had promised a referendum on EU membership as suggested by Lord Pearson, UKIP made sure they didn't win. Foolish move Mr Cameron!
Posted on: 10 May 2010 by JamieWednesday
No. of votes from election:
Voting So: Under PR, should the BNP get 3 x as many seats as the DUP? 7 or 8 seats compared to the SNP? Or does PR only serve the Lib Dems and stops at 3rd place? Should the BNP get about 12 seats for 2% of the vote? If it goes to referendum and it was put like this to the voters, would we vote for PR? I don't think so...
