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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Will Farage accept Clegg’s challenge?

SystemSystem Posts: 12,214
edited February 2014 in General

politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Will Farage accept Clegg’s challenge?

This morning Nick Clegg has challenged Nigel Farage to a live debate on Britain’s membership of the European Union before May’s elections.

Read the full story here


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Comments

  • AnorakAnorak Posts: 6,621
    First panda.
  • AnorakAnorak Posts: 6,621
    edited February 2014
    Farage has no choice. He'll debate.

    If he doesn't it'll be chicken jokes at least until the other side of the Euro elections. It may be than our Nige is playing a canny game of winding the media up to maximise coverage of the [eventual] debate.
  • I would have thought that any debate would be good exposure for Farage. What's the downside for him?

    If Cameron doesn't take part he doesn't get to argue his case.
  • Astute move by Clegg - he's got little to lose - and if Farage does duck it Cameron has the perfect card to play in 2015....
  • JackWJackW Posts: 14,787
    Unconfirmed reports suggest Ivor Codpiece, Ukip Councillor for Somerset Levels West, has said that George Michael cruising in the Bristol Channel is responsible for the earthquake reported there this lunchtime by the British Geographical Survey :

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-26277432
  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,033

    Astute move by Clegg - he's got little to lose - and if Farage does duck it Cameron has the perfect card to play in 2015....

    Clegg and Cameron working together?
  • "I agree with Nick Nigel!"

    :)
  • Ishmael_XIshmael_X Posts: 3,664
    And (not to derail the thread) if Farage accepts, will any other political figure seek to make capital by drawing attention to any other challenge to a debate?
  • What's he doing? Of course he should debate. He should challenge the other leaders to one-on-one debates as well.
  • I would have thought that any debate would be good exposure for Farage. What's the downside for him?

    If Cameron doesn't take part he doesn't get to argue his case.

    I'm sure Cameron can delegate someone appropriate (ask Eck) - but since Clegg has framed this as an "in/out" debate it may suit Messers Cameron and Miliband to steer well clear....

  • @Ishmael @Anorak (FPT)

    Indeed so. Anyone who thinks an interest rate rise is a good look for the government could probably do with reprogramming.
  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,821
    edited February 2014
    we all remember the last time Nick Clegg took part in some debates with other party leaders, he’s very good at them.

    Hmm, not so sure that his style would work a second time.

    However, from the LibDems' point of view a debate would be a good idea. I can't see Farage wanting to debate with Clegg, though: he's trying to play in the big boys' league now, not be relegated to a 'minor parties' slot. So he'll refuse as Paul O'Flynn indicates, unless Ed and Dave play along, which won't happen. Win/Win for Farage and Clegg: both can and will claim that Ed and Dave are chicken, although frankly I doubt if many voters will notice either way.
  • JackW said:

    Unconfirmed reports suggest Ivor Codpiece, Ukip Councillor for Somerset Levels West, has said that George Michael cruising in the Bristol Channel is responsible for the earthquake reported there this lunchtime by the British Geographical Survey :

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-26277432

    I'd heard it was WingsOverScotland when they found out that Survation had changed their methodology.....

  • IcarusIcarus Posts: 994
    At last someone speaking up for the EU. Its not perfect but we should be working with our neighbours not fighting them. Parish matters should be decided at parish level, national at national levels and things that affect all the continent matters at the EU.
  • TGOHFTGOHF Posts: 21,633
    Big moment for Nige - does he man up or hide behind only asking Ed and Dave ?

  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 43,337
    JackW said:

    Unconfirmed reports suggest Ivor Codpiece, Ukip Councillor for Somerset Levels West, has said that George Michael cruising in the Bristol Channel is responsible for the earthquake reported there this lunchtime by the British Geographical Survey :

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-26277432

    In all seriousness just as well it was only a wee bittie quake as a tsunami is the last thing they need there. Remember the discussion some months back about whether the early C17 inundation in the lowlands in that area was down to a storm surge or a tsunami caused by an earthquake (or underwater landslip).

  • This response doesn't seem like a no - obviously if Farage can get Lab and Con looking like they ducked it that's good for him, and getting a dig in at the LibDems about a referendum won't do any harm.
    http://www.ukip.org/newsroom/news/1177-ukip-responds-to-nick-clegg-s-invitation-to-a-televised-debate

  • JackWJackW Posts: 14,787

    "I agree with Nick Nigel!"

    :)

    I'm not surprised the "Sunil on Sunday" has stopped publication.

  • Good afternoon, everyone.

    F1: Red Bull and Toro Rosso both got decent laps in, alas. So, looks like the Renault has stopped exploding all the time.
  • This response doesn't seem like a no - obviously if Farage can get Lab and Con looking like they ducked it that's good for him, and getting a dig in at the LibDems about a referendum won't do any harm.
    http://www.ukip.org/newsroom/news/1177-ukip-responds-to-nick-clegg-s-invitation-to-a-televised-debate

    That was the first reply, this is the latest and more official response

    http://www.ukip.org/newsroom/news/1178-ukip-director-of-communications-patrick-o-flynn-says-televised-leaders-debate-a-very-interesting-idea
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 43,337

    JackW said:

    Unconfirmed reports suggest Ivor Codpiece, Ukip Councillor for Somerset Levels West, has said that George Michael cruising in the Bristol Channel is responsible for the earthquake reported there this lunchtime by the British Geographical Survey :

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-26277432

    I'd heard it was WingsOverScotland when they found out that Survation had changed their methodology.....

    Not Scottish politics, but methodology: as I understand it, the pollster changes methodology to give a (presumably) more accurate answer than before. So we all have a better idea thereupon. Or am I missing something?

  • Sean_FSean_F Posts: 37,534
    I can't really see any downside for Farage in this suggestion. He should accept.
  • This may set up a precedent for UKIP's inclusion in the TV debates. If there's a 4 man debate now, then not having Farage later (even if entirely justified) could be very difficult politically.

    Hard to say who that would harm the most. Lib Dems might be least harmed (Labour loses WWC sorts and the Conservatives the right wing of their party/BOOers. Not sure many sandal enthusiasts vote UKIP).
  • anotherDaveanotherDave Posts: 6,746
    edited February 2014

    we all remember the last time Nick Clegg took part in some debates with other party leaders, he’s very good at them.
    I can't see Farage wanting to debate with Clegg, though: he's trying to play in the big boys' league now, not be relegated to a 'minor parties' slot. So he'll refuse as Paul O'Flynn indicates, unless Ed and Dave play along, which won't happen. Win/Win for Farage and Clegg: both can and will claim that Ed and Dave are chicken, although frankly I doubt if many voters will notice either way.

    Nonsense.

    Mr Farage debates this issue frequently. He'll be fully on top of the facts. Mr Clegg however never gets beyond his 'three million jobs' soundbite.

    UKIP want to have a build-up to Mr Farage's LBC programme tomorrow. Fine. But I don't think there's any doubt that the debate _will_ happen.


  • Carnyx said:

    JackW said:

    Unconfirmed reports suggest Ivor Codpiece, Ukip Councillor for Somerset Levels West, has said that George Michael cruising in the Bristol Channel is responsible for the earthquake reported there this lunchtime by the British Geographical Survey :

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-26277432

    I'd heard it was WingsOverScotland when they found out that Survation had changed their methodology.....

    Not Scottish politics, but methodology: as I understand it, the pollster changes methodology to give a (presumably) more accurate answer than before. So we all have a better idea thereupon. Or am I missing something?

    Quite so, the new method is probably more reliable. But some got a tad over-excited when they compared it directly with the old poll....

  • This may set up a precedent for UKIP's inclusion in the TV debates. If there's a 4 man debate now, then not having Farage later (even if entirely justified) could be very difficult politically.

    Hard to say who that would harm the most. Lib Dems might be least harmed (Labour loses WWC sorts and the Conservatives the right wing of their party/BOOers. Not sure many sandal enthusiasts vote UKIP).

    From this morning's YouGov, of the 2010 Lib Dems expressing a VI, 8% of them are planning to vote UKIP.
  • JohnLoonyJohnLoony Posts: 1,790
    (FPT)

    FWIW, the three most common colours in the national flags of the countries of the world are red, white and blue (in that order). Or at least they were when I counted them several years ago. So let's have no more of this nonsense of changing the Union Flag, either in terms of colours or design.
  • Mick_PorkMick_Pork Posts: 6,530
    edited February 2014
    FPT:

    You mean the currency non-issue? In case you haven't noticed we are already in a currency union with Jersey, Guernsey etc and it seems to work perfectly well despite the fact that they aren't even in the EU, never mind the UK.

    PanelBase found strong support for a currency union and, while there may have been a blip in the midst of Osborne's ill-judged intervention last week, I suspect that very few people would be bothered if Scotland used Sterling post independence.

    We need to find some new tunes – and some positivity, instead of these endless technocratic arguments. It's not as if a country has never left the UK – Ireland did so perfectly successfully. The trick is to make the case, the vision, for the union.

    Here's the big secret, but don't tell the tories whatever you do! :D

    It wasn't just Osborne and his amusingly out of touch tory image, wonderful as that was.
    It's the fact that the EU and currency are way, way down the list of priorities for scottish voters. 7th and 8th with a tiny 3% and 2% rating them most important.

    Basing the entire No campaign on that was always incredibly stupid.
    All the more so since they couldn't even get the rollout of their currency policy right.

    What they should have done (since they mistakenly think currency really is the magic bullet) was to coordinate across all three parties and have a staged rollout so keeping it in the public eye for weeks not a few days.

    Week 1. Find the best possible face for it which would have been labour and one of their spokesman. Balls is still not very popular mind (assuming they didn't want Darling, Brown or Murphy to do it) but Balls it would likely have been.

    Week 2. Wee Danny. Toxic but it's a close run thing with Osborne and the lib dems, and they can't get someone the scottish public likes like Charles Kennedy, so wee Danny it is.

    Week 3. The hardest of all. Given Cammie seems to be less toxic than Osborne maybe even he would have been better but it wouldn't be by much and he should be joined by any remaining scottish tory presence like Ruth Davidson.

    There you have it. Three weeks of wall to wall blasting of the same message easing the scottish public into it before unleashing the tories.

    Too late now.

    :)

    Oh and here's the other vital bit. That's three weeks out of the seven months remaining. So even if it was a magic bullet (it's not) and even if it had some effect to help No (no sign of that so far, quite the opposite) how on earth do they keep that up from now until September 18? They don't and the scottish public soon gets very tired of the incessant negativity.
  • NeilNeil Posts: 7,983
    Sean_F said:

    I can't really see any downside for Farage in this suggestion. He should accept.

    Have to agree.
  • SocratesSocrates Posts: 10,322
    Farage should absolutely accept. The pro-EU side has been benefitting too much from arguments that fall apart under scrutiny, but the centre-left media doesn't challenge properly. It would be a great chance for him to do this.

    However, he must bear in mind that Clegg is a very good debater who will get into the nuts and bolts, and will also know the EU very well, being a former eurocrat. Farage must thus study hard to make sure he accounts himself properly.
  • @anotherDave - If your 'nonsense' refers to the first sentence, it's a quote from TSE's article (that's why it's in italics - geddit?), which I was disagreeing with.
  • Mr. Eagles, 8% is peanuts compared to the Lib Dems loss to Labour. If UKIP can undermine the blues and reds it's tactically sensible for the Lib Dems. Strategically... it might not be.
  • HurstLlamaHurstLlama Posts: 9,098
    FPT:

    Mr. Anorak said,

    "I think you're right. Plus, someone whacks 1% on my savings rate and I'm pleased, but it's no game-changer. Someone whacks 1% on my mortgage and all of a sudden it's rice pudding three times a week and no summer holiday. That's a game- (and vote-) changer."

    You wouldn't consider the idea, Mr. Anorak, that your mortgage rate rising by 1% meant that you could no longer afford proper food meant that you and borrowed too much in the first place? Or perhaps there is a trade off between buying your own home and being able to afford holidays and it may not always be possible to do both.

    As a member of the baby-boomer generation it does make me laugh that people think that it was always easy for us, that there weren't times when mortgage rates went up that we did not have to pull our horns in and sometimes severely.
  • anotherDaveanotherDave Posts: 6,746
    SeanT said:

    I would have thought that any debate would be good exposure for Farage. What's the downside for him?

    If Cameron doesn't take part he doesn't get to argue his case.

    By debating only with Clegg, it makes UKIP look like a fringe, single issue party, not the party that is third in national polling, and possibly going to WIN the euros (whereas Clegg's party is going to come 4th).

    It might weaken Farage's demand to be treated as an equal national leader, and therefore to be included in the GE debates.

    However Farage is good on TV and needs the exposure.

    On balance (it's close) Farage should probably refuse, unless the other leaders agree (they won't) and risk the chicken gags.

    But it is a clever move by Clegg; as the National Loser he cannot make things any worse.
    Both UKIP and the LDs want to present the EU Parliament elections as a referendum on EU membership. A big debate works for that, so I don't see Mr Farage refusing.

  • taffystaffys Posts: 9,753
    here you have it. Three weeks of wall to wall blasting of the same message easing the scottish public into it before unleashing the tories.

    I'm sure you're right mick, but there' no way the tories would have countenanced that strategy.

    It would look like they were bounced into denying a currency union by labour and the libs.
  • FinancierFinancier Posts: 3,916
    OT

    Massive u-turn by the Environment Agency (trying to save Chris Smith's job?)

    "River dredging on the Somerset Levels will begin next month "as soon as it is safe and practical to do so", the Environment Agency has said.

    The work will take place on five miles (8km) of river channel where the Tone and Parrett meet at Burrowbridge.

    Dredging equipment will also be deployed on a 200m section of the River Parrett north of Coates Farm.

    The agency said these are "key stretches" of waterway specifically identified by local people.

    It claimed the proposal provides the greatest chance of reducing future flooding and is the "full dredge" requested by residents."

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-26270501

  • VerulamiusVerulamius Posts: 1,549
    The question of the day? Is a red panda a panda or some other species?
  • It seems a bit foolish to deny that the Osborne intervention has done anything other than boost the Yes side in the referendum. But that is not the same as thinking it was the wrong thing to do. If the Scots vote for independence it is much better that they do so with their eyes wide open. What has been blown out of the water over this last week is the notion that becoming an independent country will be a small step with no downsides. All sides should welcome this development.
  • SocratesSocrates Posts: 10,322
    Icarus said:

    At last someone speaking up for the EU. Its not perfect but we should be working with our neighbours not fighting them. Parish matters should be decided at parish level, national at national levels and things that affect all the continent matters at the EU.

    This ("working with our neighbours not fighting them") is the classic type of argument that will get blown apart in an debate. Europhiles throw out these platitudes and they get given credibility as serious argument by the Europhile media. All it needs is a "So political union is required to prevent fighting? Is Norway fighting Sweden then? Is Canada fighting the US?" and the maker of the platitude ends up looking ridiculous.

    As for the "appropriate level" argument, it's a fine idea, but completely out of touch with the reality. Half the EU budget is spent on agricultural subsidies to make sure farmers have high incomes - why is that needed to be done at a continent level? Regional support, which in its very name is subnational, is the second category. This is why an EU debate is so desperately needed: it will bring the EU's floaty ideas into contact with the practical reality.
  • anotherDaveanotherDave Posts: 6,746

    @anotherDave - If your 'nonsense' refers to the first sentence, it's a quote from TSE's article (that's why it's in italics - geddit?), which I was disagreeing with.

    Fair point!

  • Mick_PorkMick_Pork Posts: 6,530
    The lib dems certainly aren't all as pro-EU as Clegg pretends.

    So this is likely far more to do with boosting the kipper vote in lib dem tory marginal areas at the expense of tory votes. We know for a fact that tory kipper waverers can move about while the lib dem vote has flatlined since late 2010 and shows no sign whatsoever of budging now.
  • JackWJackW Posts: 14,787
    Carnyx said:

    JackW said:

    Unconfirmed reports suggest Ivor Codpiece, Ukip Councillor for Somerset Levels West, has said that George Michael cruising in the Bristol Channel is responsible for the earthquake reported there this lunchtime by the British Geographical Survey :

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-26277432

    In all seriousness just as well it was only a wee bittie quake as a tsunami is the last thing they need there. Remember the discussion some months back about whether the early C17 inundation in the lowlands in that area was down to a storm surge or a tsunami caused by an earthquake (or underwater landslip).

    I recall catching odds and sods of a programme some time back that IIRC suggested a tsunami in the Bristol Channel around 1610 that may have been caused by either a huge landslip and or earthquake in the Atlantic around Madeira.

    I think there was a church close to the Somerset coast that had a high water mark half way up the church porch.

    Of course it might have been all James VI/I fault as he was known to bat for the other side .... only of course after he left for England .... there being in 17th century Scotland, just like Sochi according to their mayor, no gayers in town !!

  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,821
    edited February 2014
    Socrates said:

    The pro-EU side has been benefitting too much from arguments that fall apart under scrutiny, but the centre-left media doesn't challenge properly. It would be a great chance for him to do this.

    I wouldn't be so sure. UKIP have certainly been putting forward things which fall apart under scrutiny, for example their continued (and presumably deliberately misleading) suggestion that we could have full control over immigration yet have a relationship with the EU like Norway's or Switzerland's. I don't think a detailed scutiny would be at all to their benefit, they rely primarily on an emotional case, not a rational one based on a cool assessment of pros and cons.

    (Before you explode, note I'm NOT saying that there isn't a rational case for leaving the EU; what I'm saying is that they are not making it, in fact not even trying to make it, which is why they rely so much on personal attacks on Cameron and on immigration as the key vote-puller. More's the pity; it would be good to have a proper debate.)
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 60,216
    edited February 2014
    Mick_Pork said:

    FPT:

    You mean the currency non-issue? In case you haven't noticed we are already in a currency union with Jersey, Guernsey etc and it seems to work perfectly well despite the fact that they aren't even in the EU, never mind the UK.

    PanelBase found strong support for a currency union and, while there may have been a blip in the midst of Osborne's ill-judged intervention last week, I suspect that very few people would be bothered if Scotland used Sterling post independence.

    We need to find some new tunes – and some positivity, instead of these endless technocratic arguments. It's not as if a country has never left the UK – Ireland did so perfectly successfully. The trick is to make the case, the vision, for the union.

    That's three weeks out of the seven months remaining.
    More than enough time for Eck to come up with a Plan B:

    The Scottish Government has refused to publish a “plan B” for an independent Scotland’s currency, in case a “currency union” is not agreed to by the rest of the UK. Do you believe the Scottish Government should draw up alternative options to a “currency union” ahead of the referendum on September 18, 2014?

    2011 Holyrood Vote (Y/N)
    SNP: 60/26

    Referendum Vote:
    Yes: 59/28
    No: 71/18

  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 43,337
    edited February 2014

    The question of the day? Is a red panda a panda or some other species?

    Red Panda = Ailurus fulgens, in the marten etc family

    Giant Panda = Ailuropoda melanoleuca, in the bear etc family

    so yes different species (if your default panda is the Giant Panda). Can't imagine them cross breeding.

    And also genera and families (though this is rather more the opinion of mammalogists rather than the animals themselves)!

  • TGOHFTGOHF Posts: 21,633
    edited February 2014
    Dave, Nick and Ed can dodge debates as they are Westminster types - Nige is a man of the people - different from them - or he was until he dodged a debate...
  • SocratesSocrates Posts: 10,322

    their continued (and presumably deliberately misleading) suggestion that we could have full control over immigration yet have a relationship with the EU like Norway's or Switzerland's

    I don't think I've heard them say they would want Norway or Switzerland's status. They just use those countries as examples of a better deal than what we have now. In fact, I've heard Farage say that our weight as a major economy means we could certainly negotiate a better deal than they did (one which presumably includes limits to migration).

  • JohnLoony said:

    (FPT)

    FWIW, the three most common colours in the national flags of the countries of the world are red, white and blue (in that order). Or at least they were when I counted them several years ago. So let's have no more of this nonsense of changing the Union Flag, either in terms of colours or design.

    The blue in the Union flag is a different shade to that on the Saltire in any case.
  • TheWatcherTheWatcher Posts: 5,262
    Financier said:

    OT

    Massive u-turn by the Environment Agency (trying to save Chris Smith's job?)

    "River dredging on the Somerset Levels will begin next month "as soon as it is safe and practical to do so", the Environment Agency has said.

    The work will take place on five miles (8km) of river channel where the Tone and Parrett meet at Burrowbridge.

    Dredging equipment will also be deployed on a 200m section of the River Parrett north of Coates Farm.

    The agency said these are "key stretches" of waterway specifically identified by local people.

    It claimed the proposal provides the greatest chance of reducing future flooding and is the "full dredge" requested by residents."

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-26270501

    'The scheme will involve the dredging of the channel and methods would include excavation from the bank.'

    Selling the dredging machines looks a bit short sighted now. Another success for the EA,
  • Ishmael_XIshmael_X Posts: 3,664
    Mick_Pork said:

    FPT:


    Here's the big secret, but don't tell the tories whatever you do! :D

    It wasn't just Osborne and his amusingly out of touch tory image, wonderful as that was.
    It's the fact that the EU and currency are way, way down the list of priorities for scottish voters. 7th and 8th with a tiny 3% and 2% rating them most important.

    Basing the entire No campaign on that was always incredibly stupid.
    All the more so since they couldn't even get the rollout of their currency policy right.

    What they should have done (since they mistakenly think currency really is the magic bullet) was to coordinate across all three parties and have a staged rollout so keeping it in the public eye for weeks not a few days.

    Week 1. Find the best possible face for it which would have been labour and one of their spokesman. Balls is still not very popular mind (assuming they didn't want Darling, Brown or Murphy to do it) but Balls it would likely have been.

    Week 2. Wee Danny. Toxic but it's a close run thing with Osborne and the lib dems, and they can't get someone the scottish public likes like Charles Kennedy, so wee Danny it is.

    Week 3. The hardest of all. Given Cammie seems to be less toxic than Osborne maybe even he would have been better but it wouldn't be by much and he should be joined by any remaining scottish tory presence like Ruth Davidson.

    There you have it. Three weeks of wall to wall blasting of the same message easing the scottish public into it before unleashing the tories.

    Too late now.

    :)

    Oh and here's the other vital bit. That's three weeks out of the seven months remaining. So even if it was a magic bullet (it's not) and even if it had some effect to help No (no sign of that so far, quite the opposite) how on earth do they keep that up from now until September 18? They don't and the scottish public soon gets very tired of the incessant negativity.

    1. Osborne is CotE.
    2. Things sometimes have to be said because they are important and true, no matter how palatable the message and the messenger may be to the Cumbernauld massive.
    3. Perhaps the tories mind a bit less than they pretend to? Just a thought.
  • Mick_PorkMick_Pork Posts: 6,530

    Mick_Pork said:

    FPT:

    You mean the currency non-issue? In case you haven't noticed we are already in a currency union with Jersey, Guernsey etc and it seems to work perfectly well despite the fact that they aren't even in the EU, never mind the UK.

    PanelBase found strong support for a currency union and, while there may have been a blip in the midst of Osborne's ill-judged intervention last week, I suspect that very few people would be bothered if Scotland used Sterling post independence.

    We need to find some new tunes – and some positivity, instead of these endless technocratic arguments. It's not as if a country has never left the UK – Ireland did so perfectly successfully. The trick is to make the case, the vision, for the union.

    That's three weeks out of the seven months remaining.
    More than enough time for
    For you and the other out of touch tories to shriek pointlessly about it while not understanding why it isn't working. Yes, I know. Scottish labour were almost as deluded and stubborn in 2011. I'm used to that kind of complacency by now thanks. Keep at it. :)

  • smithersjones2013smithersjones2013 Posts: 740
    edited February 2014
    There are two reasons for a debate.

    1) To discuss the up and coming European elections and the initiatives that may come out of it. In which case Farage as Chair of the EFD should debate matters with the UK representative of the other leading EU groups (PES, EPP, ECR, EFLD) etc However, in such circumstances there would be no requirement for a domestic politician such as Clegg.

    2) The only other occasion when such debate would be suitable was if there was to be a referendum on our membership of the EU. Bizarrely it is Clegg and the Liberal Democrats who have proved to be an obstruction to such a plebiscite.

    Consequently, such a debate with Clegg involved seems utterly pointless. Just another worthless circus sideshow from a loser desperate for the oxygen of publicity. If I was Farage I'd repeat there is no point having a debate with Clegg without a referendum to fight and then call to debate the leader of the Libdems in Brussels (along with Labour and The Troies and The Greens).

    Basically the reason why Clegg should not be involved in a debate about the Euros is the same as why Salmond should not be included in the Westminster leaders debate.

    That said if the only way to stop the usual suspects from wetting their panties for the next three months is to agree with this piece of purile premature ejaculation then so be it. Although it really is a waste of time.
  • SocratesSocrates Posts: 10,322
    Mick_Pork said:

    The lib dems certainly aren't all as pro-EU as Clegg pretends.

    So this is likely far more to do with boosting the kipper vote in lib dem tory marginal areas at the expense of tory votes. We know for a fact that tory kipper waverers can move about while the lib dem vote has flatlined since late 2010 and shows no sign whatsoever of budging now.

    Right, it's the Tories that really stand to lose out here. It will be a more difficult line for Cameron to argue if he's in the debate, and he just looks like a coward if he's afraid to present his case. The best thing for him to do is to attend and try to look like the balance between two extremes.
  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,821
    edited February 2014
    Socrates said:

    I don't think I've heard them say they would want Norway or Switzerland's status. They just use those countries as examples of a better deal than what we have now. In fact, I've heard Farage say that our weight as a major economy means we could certainly negotiate a better deal than they did (one which presumably includes limits to migration).

    Well, exactly: if the idea is to have full control over immigration (and I think it must be, because UKIP go on and on about this), any mention of Norway or Switzerland as a model is inherently dishonest. The honest thing to say would be explicitly to deny that they want EEA membership, but that they would seek a completely different relationship with the EU, one unlike Norway's or Switzerland's. That then leads to the question of what exactly that relationship would be, and that in turn comes back to exactly the same point which you (with some justification) make about Cameron's strategy: that it all involves negotiation with our EU friends, and neither Cameron nor Farage can make guarantees about what the outcome of those negotiations would be. But what we do know is that the EEA option, which Farage has in the past cited as a model, can easily be painted as the worst of all three worlds, and that it wouldn't satisfy UKIP's supporters.
  • JackWJackW Posts: 14,787

    JohnLoony said:

    (FPT)

    FWIW, the three most common colours in the national flags of the countries of the world are red, white and blue (in that order). Or at least they were when I counted them several years ago. So let's have no more of this nonsense of changing the Union Flag, either in terms of colours or design.

    The blue in the Union flag is a different shade to that on the Saltire in any case.
    I blame English gays .... they were never happy with that shade of blue or indeed the same hue of the curtains and cushions in the Palace of Westminster.

  • Ishmael_XIshmael_X Posts: 3,664
    JohnLoony said:

    (FPT)

    FWIW, the three most common colours in the national flags of the countries of the world are red, white and blue (in that order). Or at least they were when I counted them several years ago. So let's have no more of this nonsense of changing the Union Flag, either in terms of colours or design.

    Interestingly ish, that is because those are the only colours you can reliably get from natural dyes. So only parvenu countries have anything else.

  • JohnLoonyJohnLoony Posts: 1,790

    JohnLoony said:

    (FPT)

    FWIW, the three most common colours in the national flags of the countries of the world are red, white and blue (in that order). Or at least they were when I counted them several years ago. So let's have no more of this nonsense of changing the Union Flag, either in terms of colours or design.

    The blue in the Union flag is a different shade to that on the Saltire in any case.
    Oh is it? That comletely changes everything then. Obviously we need to have a completely new flag with a completely different set of colours.
  • SeanT said:

    I would have thought that any debate would be good exposure for Farage. What's the downside for him?

    If Cameron doesn't take part he doesn't get to argue his case.

    By debating only with Clegg, it makes UKIP look like a fringe, single issue party
    Isn't that what Ukip are? Their entire raison d'etre is to leave the EU. Everything else is a distant second, and their supporters seem to like it that way.
  • Mick_PorkMick_Pork Posts: 6,530
    Ishmael_X said:


    1. Osborne is CotE.
    2. Things sometimes have to be said because they are important and true, no matter how palatable the message and the messenger may be to the Cumbernauld massive.
    3. Perhaps the tories mind a bit less than they pretend to? Just a thought.

    1. Tory CotE which could change in 2015 and most definitely not in charge of the better together campaign or a spokesman for scottish labour.
    2. Assertion are not facts. This is a Yes/No campaign so trust is hardly inconsequential.
    3. Not the first time I've heard that but it would be far more accurate to say some tories may not mind. There's also more than enough out of touch tories who seem utterly clueless as to how toxic they are elsewhere never mind in scotland.
  • anotherDaveanotherDave Posts: 6,746

    Socrates said:

    The pro-EU side has been benefitting too much from arguments that fall apart under scrutiny, but the centre-left media doesn't challenge properly. It would be a great chance for him to do this.

    I wouldn't be so sure. UKIP have certainly been putting forward things which fall apart under scrutiny, for example their continued (and presumably deliberately misleading) suggestion that we could have full control over immigration yet have a relationship with the EU like Norway's or Switzerland's. I don't think a detailed scutiny would be at all to their benefit, they rely primarily on an emotional case, not a rational one based on a cool assessment of pros and cons.

    (Before you explode, note I'm NOT saying that there isn't a rational case for leaving the EU; what I'm saying is that they are not making it, in fact not even trying to make it, which is why they rely so much on personal attacks on Cameron and on immigration as the key vote-puller. More's the pity; it would be good to have a proper debate.)
    UKIP/Tim Congdon put forward the economic case for the UK leaving the EU.

    http://www.ukip-southbucks.com/costoftheEU_2013.pdf
  • Of course there is an irony in the Libdems wanting to debate an issue 'that nobody cares about'........
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 43,337
    JackW said:

    Carnyx said:

    JackW said:

    Unconfirmed reports suggest Ivor Codpiece, Ukip Councillor for Somerset Levels West, has said that George Michael cruising in the Bristol Channel is responsible for the earthquake reported there this lunchtime by the British Geographical Survey :

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-26277432

    In all seriousness just as well it was only a wee bittie quake as a tsunami is the last thing they need there. Remember the discussion some months back about whether the early C17 inundation in the lowlands in that area was down to a storm surge or a tsunami caused by an earthquake (or underwater landslip).

    I recall catching odds and sods of a programme some time back that IIRC suggested a tsunami in the Bristol Channel around 1610 that may have been caused by either a huge landslip and or earthquake in the Atlantic around Madeira.

    I think there was a church close to the Somerset coast that had a high water mark half way up the church porch.

    Of course it might have been all James VI/I fault as he was known to bat for the other side .... only of course after he left for England .... there being in 17th century Scotland, just like Sochi according to their mayor, no gayers in town !!

    This thread does take one into new directions, doesn't it? Sorry to refer to Scots again (!) but Jamie the Saxt had his favourites before as well as after the glorious union of the Crowns, Esme Stuart, created Duke of Lennox, for one. But Oxford Dictionary of National Biography is sceptical how much of this was any more than hugs and kisses, so to speak.

  • Mick_Pork said:

    Mick_Pork said:

    FPT:

    You mean the currency non-issue? In case you haven't noticed we are already in a currency union with Jersey, Guernsey etc and it seems to work perfectly well despite the fact that they aren't even in the EU, never mind the UK.

    PanelBase found strong support for a currency union and, while there may have been a blip in the midst of Osborne's ill-judged intervention last week, I suspect that very few people would be bothered if Scotland used Sterling post independence.

    We need to find some new tunes – and some positivity, instead of these endless technocratic arguments. It's not as if a country has never left the UK – Ireland did so perfectly successfully. The trick is to make the case, the vision, for the union.

    That's three weeks out of the seven months remaining.
    More than enough time for
    For you and the other out of touch tories to shriek pointlessly about it
    Curious defining 60% of SNP voters and 59% of Yes supporters as "shrieking out of touch Tories", but I understand your disappointment that your premature Eckgasm was a lot smaller than you thought.....

  • taffystaffys Posts: 9,753
    1. Osborne is CotE.

    I can;t see how a tory chancellor could allow his labour shadow to front run him for three weeks on a matter as serious as this.

  • SocratesSocrates Posts: 10,322

    Socrates said:

    I don't think I've heard them say they would want Norway or Switzerland's status. They just use those countries as examples of a better deal than what we have now. In fact, I've heard Farage say that our weight as a major economy means we could certainly negotiate a better deal than they did (one which presumably includes limits to migration).

    Well, exactly: if the idea is to have full control over immigration (and I think it must be, because UKIP go on and on about this), any mention of Norway or Switzerland as a model is inherently dishonest. The honest thing to say would be explicitly to deny that they want EEA membership, but that they would seek a completely different relationship with the EU, one unlike Norway's or Switzerland's. That then leads to the question of what exactly that relationship would be, and that in turn comes back to exactly the same point which you (with some justification) make about Cameron's strategy: that it all involves negotiation with our EU friends, and neither Cameron nor Farage can make guarantees about what the outcome of those negotiations would be. But what we do know is that the EEA option, which Farage has in the past cited as a model, can easily be painted as the worst of all three worlds, and that it wouldn't satisfy UKIP's supporters.
    But they're not arguing for Norway or Switzerland as a model. They're just using it to show how bad our current situation is. The reality is that a bilateral trade deal > EEA membership > EU membership. The idea that EEA membership is worse than EU membership is again something that doesn't hold up to scrutiny: they pay a fraction of the money, have to abide by less regulations, and aren't forced to be an ECHR member to take part. The "downside" of not having influence is meaningless as France and Germany always take the decisions jointly before any EU summit anyway.
  • Mick_PorkMick_Pork Posts: 6,530
    taffys said:

    1. Osborne is CotE.

    I can;t see how a tory chancellor could allow his labour shadow to front run him for three weeks on a matter as serious as this.

    Of course he could and it could easily have been little Ed or Cammie if it's that important. He's the PM/shadow leader after all, not Osborne or Balls.

    Nothing strange about three different unionist parties considering the response of the other two and then deciding to do the same with their reasons why.
  • SocratesSocrates Posts: 10,322
    How would an EU debate affect quotas for media coverage, out of interest? Anyone know?
  • taffystaffys Posts: 9,753
    edited February 2014
    ''There's also more than enough out of touch tories who seem utterly clueless as to how toxic they are elsewhere never mind in scotland. ''

    Surely Mick the key group here isn;t English tory voters, its English swing and labour voters.

    Labour have calculated that leaving a currency union open would go down very badly with their own voters, or there is no way they would have trooped in behind Osborne. No way at all.

    Labour's default position is opposition to the tories, even on matters they don;t intend to change in 2015.
  • JackWJackW Posts: 14,787
    JohnLoony said:

    JohnLoony said:

    (FPT)

    FWIW, the three most common colours in the national flags of the countries of the world are red, white and blue (in that order). Or at least they were when I counted them several years ago. So let's have no more of this nonsense of changing the Union Flag, either in terms of colours or design.

    The blue in the Union flag is a different shade to that on the Saltire in any case.
    Oh is it? That comletely changes everything then. Obviously we need to have a completely new flag with a completely different set of colours.
    Not so fast Stan ....

    When the Union Flag was adopted several shades of blue appeared. This was because of the different natural dyes used. Maritime flags tended to be darker blue so as to last longer.

    About 10 years ago the Scottish government, after advice from the Lord Lyon, formalised the saltire blue at pantone 300 which is a slightly lighter shade than the pantone 280 used on the Union Flag.

  • SocratesSocrates Posts: 10,322
    SeanT said:

    SeanT said:

    I would have thought that any debate would be good exposure for Farage. What's the downside for him?

    If Cameron doesn't take part he doesn't get to argue his case.

    By debating only with Clegg, it makes UKIP look like a fringe, single issue party
    Isn't that what Ukip are? Their entire raison d'etre is to leave the EU. Everything else is a distant second, and their supporters seem to like it that way.
    Daft remark. UKIP were a single issue party, but they have now firmly colonised large areas of the vacated ideological right (crime, immigration, multiculture, etc) which the Cameroon Tories unwisely abandoned, or left exposed.

    Polls show that many new Kipper voters don't even rate the EU as a primary issue.
    It's a difficult thing though, placing the EU alongside other issues. Stuff like education, health, immigration etc are clear policy areas. The EU is a level of government. Where do Scots place "the Scottish Assembly" as an issue? Presumably nowhere, because it's not an issue as such. The fact that the EU ranks so highly as an "issue" despite it not actually being an issue as such shows its salience.
  • Mick_PorkMick_Pork Posts: 6,530
    edited February 2014

    Curious defining 60% of SNP voters and 59% of Yes supporters as

    Split on an issue the scottish public simply doesn't rate as a top priority or even close to it.

    I understand entirely your need to continue your week long Osbornegasm since you have little else to contribute, but I'm afraid you just had polling the clearly shows all your hero has done is narrow the polls. All the shrieking in world can't change that. Not that you should stop now of course. By all means continue. :)

  • NeilNeil Posts: 7,983
    JackW said:


    About 10 years ago the Scottish government, after advice from the Lord Lyon, formalised the saltire blue at pantone 300 which is a slightly lighter shade than the pantone 280 used on the Union Flag.

    Pantone 300 - for a flag so healthy it shines.
  • UKIP/Tim Congdon put forward the economic case for the UK leaving the EU.

    http://www.ukip-southbucks.com/costoftheEU_2013.pdf

    Well, if I were advising UKIP I'd suggest they airbrushed that report out of existence. At a cursory glance I can immediately drive a coach and horses through it: for example, Tim Congdon seems to think that Norway and Switzerland don't have any employment laws comparable to the Social Chapter (!). He's also added together all regulatory costs and attributed those to the EU, presumably on the assumption that we'd have absolutely zero regulation if we weren't in the EU (but still be able to trade in the single market... hmmm...).

    As I said, scrutiny works both ways.
  • SocratesSocrates Posts: 10,322
    JackW said:

    JohnLoony said:

    JohnLoony said:

    (FPT)

    FWIW, the three most common colours in the national flags of the countries of the world are red, white and blue (in that order). Or at least they were when I counted them several years ago. So let's have no more of this nonsense of changing the Union Flag, either in terms of colours or design.

    The blue in the Union flag is a different shade to that on the Saltire in any case.
    Oh is it? That comletely changes everything then. Obviously we need to have a completely new flag with a completely different set of colours.
    Not so fast Stan ....

    When the Union Flag was adopted several shades of blue appeared. This was because of the different natural dyes used. Maritime flags tended to be darker blue so as to last longer.

    About 10 years ago the Scottish government, after advice from the Lord Lyon, formalised the saltire blue at pantone 300 which is a slightly lighter shade than the pantone 280 used on the Union Flag.

    If the Saltire has a different colour blue to the Union flag's blue, then they can't claim any ownership over the latter. We should thus be able to keep the flag should they leave.
  • SocratesSocrates Posts: 10,322

    UKIP/Tim Congdon put forward the economic case for the UK leaving the EU.

    http://www.ukip-southbucks.com/costoftheEU_2013.pdf

    Well, if I were advising UKIP I'd suggest they airbrushed that report out of existence. At a cursory glance I can immediately drive a coach and horses through it: for example, Tim Congdon seems to think that Norway and Switzerland don't have any employment laws comparable to the Social Chapter (!). He's also added together all regulatory costs and attributed those to the EU, presumably on the assumption that we'd have absolutely zero regulation if we weren't in the EU (but still be able to trade in the single market... hmmm...).

    As I said, scrutiny works both ways.
    On the other hand, it doesn't quantify the bonus we'd get from extra trade with North America or any of the other countries we could sign FTAs with if we left...
  • JackW said:

    JohnLoony said:

    (FPT)

    FWIW, the three most common colours in the national flags of the countries of the world are red, white and blue (in that order). Or at least they were when I counted them several years ago. So let's have no more of this nonsense of changing the Union Flag, either in terms of colours or design.

    The blue in the Union flag is a different shade to that on the Saltire in any case.
    I blame English gays .... they were never happy with that shade of blue or indeed the same hue of the curtains and cushions in the Palace of Westminster.

    No, it was a Committee of the Scottish Parliament in consultation with The Lord Lyon King of Arms that opted for Pantone 300, lighter than the Pantone 280 on the Union flag....

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Scotland
  • AveryLPAveryLP Posts: 7,815

    It seems a bit foolish to deny that the Osborne intervention has done anything other than boost the Yes side in the referendum. But that is not the same as thinking it was the wrong thing to do. If the Scots vote for independence it is much better that they do so with their eyes wide open. What has been blown out of the water over this last week is the notion that becoming an independent country will be a small step with no downsides. All sides should welcome this development.

    By Gove, SO, you can be so sensible when not fighting your class war against the Tories.

  • JackWJackW Posts: 14,787
    Carnyx said:

    JackW said:

    Carnyx said:

    JackW said:

    Unconfirmed reports suggest Ivor Codpiece, Ukip Councillor for Somerset Levels West, has said that George Michael cruising in the Bristol Channel is responsible for the earthquake reported there this lunchtime by the British Geographical Survey :

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-26277432

    In all seriousness just as well it was only a wee bittie quake as a tsunami is the last thing they need there. Remember the discussion some months back about whether the early C17 inundation in the lowlands in that area was down to a storm surge or a tsunami caused by an earthquake (or underwater landslip).

    I recall catching odds and sods of a programme some time back that IIRC suggested a tsunami in the Bristol Channel around 1610 that may have been caused by either a huge landslip and or earthquake in the Atlantic around Madeira.

    I think there was a church close to the Somerset coast that had a high water mark half way up the church porch.

    Of course it might have been all James VI/I fault as he was known to bat for the other side .... only of course after he left for England .... there being in 17th century Scotland, just like Sochi according to their mayor, no gayers in town !!

    This thread does take one into new directions, doesn't it? Sorry to refer to Scots again (!) but Jamie the Saxt had his favourites before as well as after the glorious union of the Crowns, Esme Stuart, created Duke of Lennox, for one. But Oxford Dictionary of National Biography is sceptical how much of this was any more than hugs and kisses, so to speak.

    How very dare you Madam, suggest 17th century Scottish notables were anything other than ancestors of Mel Gibson's bravehearts

    Mind you that blue lipstick on his cheeks made me worry !!

  • Danny565Danny565 Posts: 8,091
    edited February 2014
    "we all remember the last time Nick Clegg took part in some debates with other party leaders, he’s very good at them."

    Is he? The rapturous reception he got in the first debate was in my view inevitable for practically any Lib Dem leader; anyone with even an iota of political nous could've got a lot of mileage out of an attack line like "we need to do something different" at a time when the Establishment politicians were reviled.

    In my opinion, if Charles Kennedy had got the luxury of debates then he would've done even better in them than Clegg.
  • LennonLennon Posts: 1,782
    Socrates said:

    How would an EU debate affect quotas for media coverage, out of interest? Anyone know?

    I don't know - but I imagine that is part of the background to Farage's insistence that Cameron and Miliband are invited (not necessarily come, but be invited). My understanding from previous conversations here about the GE leaders debate is that if you decline an invitation then you don't get other media coverage in its place, but if you are not invited then you should do.
  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,821
    edited February 2014
    Socrates said:

    The idea that EEA membership is worse than EU membership is again something that doesn't hold up to scrutiny: they pay a fraction of the money, have to abide by less regulations, and aren't forced to be an ECHR member to take part. The "downside" of not having influence is meaningless as France and Germany always take the decisions jointly before any EU summit anyway.

    No, it does hold up to scrutiny. I agree it's a matter of opinion, but the trick which UKIP play (it's the same one as the SNP play) is to cherry-pick the bits they like from the pros and cons. So in answer to the objection about access to the Single Market, they cite Switzerland and Norway. Fair enough, but on the issue of immigration they say that outside the EU we'd have total freedom to control immigration. In other words, like Alex Salmond, they want to have their cake and eat it. At the moment they can get away with it because no-one is seriously looking at what existence outside the EU would really be like. Again, I'm not saying it would necessarily not be a better option, but I am saying there are both pros and cons, and you can't cherry-pick them.
  • Mick_PorkMick_Pork Posts: 6,530
    edited February 2014
    Socrates said:

    Mick_Pork said:

    The lib dems certainly aren't all as pro-EU as Clegg pretends.

    So this is likely far more to do with boosting the kipper vote in lib dem tory marginal areas at the expense of tory votes. We know for a fact that tory kipper waverers can move about while the lib dem vote has flatlined since late 2010 and shows no sign whatsoever of budging now.

    Right, it's the Tories that really stand to lose out here. It will be a more difficult line for Cameron to argue if he's in the debate, and he just looks like a coward if he's afraid to present his case. The best thing for him to do is to attend and try to look like the balance between two extremes.
    Then Farage had better work out a way to get this far more coverage than an LBC head to head ever could. Promise LBC some kind of token debate if he must but then get Clegg on board for a far bigger TV one later and then put the pressure on Cammie and little Ed for that.

    I could very easily see the likes of C4 being interested and it would have a very strong curiosity factor. But if all that Farage comes away with is an hour or so of radio then that won't make much of a splash at all.
  • Mick_Pork said:

    Curious defining 60% of SNP voters and 59% of Yes supporters as

    Split on an issue the scottish public simply doesn't rate as a top priority or even close to it.

    And when was that poll taken? Since you regard early December as "last week", maybe "a fortnight ago"?
  • JackWJackW Posts: 14,787

    JackW said:

    JohnLoony said:

    (FPT)

    FWIW, the three most common colours in the national flags of the countries of the world are red, white and blue (in that order). Or at least they were when I counted them several years ago. So let's have no more of this nonsense of changing the Union Flag, either in terms of colours or design.

    The blue in the Union flag is a different shade to that on the Saltire in any case.
    I blame English gays .... they were never happy with that shade of blue or indeed the same hue of the curtains and cushions in the Palace of Westminster.

    No, it was a Committee of the Scottish Parliament in consultation with The Lord Lyon King of Arms that opted for Pantone 300, lighter than the Pantone 280 on the Union flag....

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Scotland
    Indeed so. Thank you.

  • Socrates said:

    JackW said:

    JohnLoony said:

    JohnLoony said:

    (FPT)

    FWIW, the three most common colours in the national flags of the countries of the world are red, white and blue (in that order). Or at least they were when I counted them several years ago. So let's have no more of this nonsense of changing the Union Flag, either in terms of colours or design.

    The blue in the Union flag is a different shade to that on the Saltire in any case.
    Oh is it? That comletely changes everything then. Obviously we need to have a completely new flag with a completely different set of colours.
    Not so fast Stan ....

    When the Union Flag was adopted several shades of blue appeared. This was because of the different natural dyes used. Maritime flags tended to be darker blue so as to last longer.

    About 10 years ago the Scottish government, after advice from the Lord Lyon, formalised the saltire blue at pantone 300 which is a slightly lighter shade than the pantone 280 used on the Union Flag.

    If the Saltire has a different colour blue to the Union flag's blue, then they can't claim any ownership over the latter. We should thus be able to keep the flag should they leave.
    As you may have guessed from the name the blue in the Union Jack represents the European Union.
  • JackWJackW Posts: 14,787
    Neil said:

    JackW said:


    About 10 years ago the Scottish government, after advice from the Lord Lyon, formalised the saltire blue at pantone 300 which is a slightly lighter shade than the pantone 280 used on the Union Flag.

    Pantone 300 - for a flag so healthy it shines.
    That comment is Head and Shoulders above all others ....

  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 52,121
    edited February 2014
    JohnLoony said:

    JohnLoony said:

    (FPT)

    FWIW, the three most common colours in the national flags of the countries of the world are red, white and blue (in that order). Or at least they were when I counted them several years ago. So let's have no more of this nonsense of changing the Union Flag, either in terms of colours or design.

    The blue in the Union flag is a different shade to that on the Saltire in any case.
    Oh is it? That comletely changes everything then. Obviously we need to have a completely new flag with a completely different set of colours.
    Saltire = Pantone 300
    Union = Pantone 280

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Scotland

    EDIT - oops, others beat me to it!
  • SocratesSocrates Posts: 10,322

    Socrates said:

    JackW said:

    JohnLoony said:

    JohnLoony said:

    (FPT)

    FWIW, the three most common colours in the national flags of the countries of the world are red, white and blue (in that order). Or at least they were when I counted them several years ago. So let's have no more of this nonsense of changing the Union Flag, either in terms of colours or design.

    The blue in the Union flag is a different shade to that on the Saltire in any case.
    Oh is it? That comletely changes everything then. Obviously we need to have a completely new flag with a completely different set of colours.
    Not so fast Stan ....

    When the Union Flag was adopted several shades of blue appeared. This was because of the different natural dyes used. Maritime flags tended to be darker blue so as to last longer.

    About 10 years ago the Scottish government, after advice from the Lord Lyon, formalised the saltire blue at pantone 300 which is a slightly lighter shade than the pantone 280 used on the Union Flag.

    If the Saltire has a different colour blue to the Union flag's blue, then they can't claim any ownership over the latter. We should thus be able to keep the flag should they leave.
    As you may have guessed from the name the blue in the Union Jack represents the European Union.
    You've got confused, because it's the other way round. The EU flag uses a navy background as a homage to the background of the Union flag, in thanks to the British for being the only nation to stand firm against National Socialism for the entire war, and allowing the democratic regimes across the rest of the continent that exist today.
  • AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 25,514

    Mick_Pork said:

    Curious defining 60% of SNP voters and 59% of Yes supporters as

    Split on an issue the scottish public simply doesn't rate as a top priority or even close to it.

    And when was that poll taken? Since you regard early December as "last week", maybe "a fortnight ago"?
    Go easy, Mick's going through the 5 stages of currency loss. We've had denial, we've just had anger, now we're moving in to bargaining ( we won't pay the debt ) to be followed by depression and acceptance.
  • anotherDaveanotherDave Posts: 6,746

    Socrates said:

    The idea that EEA membership is worse than EU membership is again something that doesn't hold up to scrutiny: they pay a fraction of the money, have to abide by less regulations, and aren't forced to be an ECHR member to take part. The "downside" of not having influence is meaningless as France and Germany always take the decisions jointly before any EU summit anyway.

    At the moment they can get away with it because no-one is seriously looking at what existence outside the EU would really be like.
    The IEA Brexit Prize is attempting that:

    "competitors are invited to compose a Blueprint for Britain outside the EU, covering the process of withdrawal from the EU and the post-exit repositioning of the UK in the global trading and governance systems"

    http://www.iea.org.uk/brexit
  • Mick_PorkMick_Pork Posts: 6,530
    Matt Chorley ‏@MattChorley 6m

    Cameron will not take part in #NickvNigel. No.10 says PM is 'running the country' + invite is from Clegg to Farage http://dailym.ai/1ctPxE5
    We'll take that as a No then.

    Fop chicken? Surely not. ;)
  • SocratesSocrates Posts: 10,322
    Mick_Pork said:

    Socrates said:

    Mick_Pork said:

    The lib dems certainly aren't all as pro-EU as Clegg pretends.

    So this is likely far more to do with boosting the kipper vote in lib dem tory marginal areas at the expense of tory votes. We know for a fact that tory kipper waverers can move about while the lib dem vote has flatlined since late 2010 and shows no sign whatsoever of budging now.

    Right, it's the Tories that really stand to lose out here. It will be a more difficult line for Cameron to argue if he's in the debate, and he just looks like a coward if he's afraid to present his case. The best thing for him to do is to attend and try to look like the balance between two extremes.
    Then Farage had better work out a way to get this far more coverage than an LBC head to head ever could. Promise LBC some kind of token debate if he must but then get Clegg on board for a far bigger TV one later and then put the pressure on Cammie and little Ed for that.

    I could very easily see the likes of C4 being interested and it would have a very strong curiosity factor. But if all that Farage comes away with is an hour or so of radio then that won't make much of a splash at all.
    Fair point. Farage could say he'll do it, but only if it's on a platform big enough to be worth his time.
  • JackWJackW Posts: 14,787

    Socrates said:

    JackW said:

    JohnLoony said:

    JohnLoony said:

    (FPT)

    FWIW, the three most common colours in the national flags of the countries of the world are red, white and blue (in that order). Or at least they were when I counted them several years ago. So let's have no more of this nonsense of changing the Union Flag, either in terms of colours or design.

    The blue in the Union flag is a different shade to that on the Saltire in any case.
    Oh is it? That comletely changes everything then. Obviously we need to have a completely new flag with a completely different set of colours.
    Not so fast Stan ....

    When the Union Flag was adopted several shades of blue appeared. This was because of the different natural dyes used. Maritime flags tended to be darker blue so as to last longer.

    About 10 years ago the Scottish government, after advice from the Lord Lyon, formalised the saltire blue at pantone 300 which is a slightly lighter shade than the pantone 280 used on the Union Flag.

    If the Saltire has a different colour blue to the Union flag's blue, then they can't claim any ownership over the latter. We should thus be able to keep the flag should they leave.
    As you may have guessed from the name the blue in the Union Jack represents the European Union.
    I rather suspect Nigel Farage would spontaneously combust if it were suggested the Scottish blue was replaced by the EU blue on the Union flag !!

    Chortles indecently ....

  • The IEA Brexit Prize is attempting that:

    "competitors are invited to compose a Blueprint for Britain outside the EU, covering the process of withdrawal from the EU and the post-exit repositioning of the UK in the global trading and governance systems"

    http://www.iea.org.uk/brexit

    Yes, it will be very interesting to see what they come up with. It has been a massive gap in the debate for twenty years that the BOOers have failed to put together a serious blueprint.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 52,121
    edited February 2014

    Socrates said:

    JackW said:

    JohnLoony said:

    JohnLoony said:

    (FPT)

    FWIW, the three most common colours in the national flags of the countries of the world are red, white and blue (in that order). Or at least they were when I counted them several years ago. So let's have no more of this nonsense of changing the Union Flag, either in terms of colours or design.

    The blue in the Union flag is a different shade to that on the Saltire in any case.
    Oh is it? That comletely changes everything then. Obviously we need to have a completely new flag with a completely different set of colours.
    Not so fast Stan ....

    When the Union Flag was adopted several shades of blue appeared. This was because of the different natural dyes used. Maritime flags tended to be darker blue so as to last longer.

    About 10 years ago the Scottish government, after advice from the Lord Lyon, formalised the saltire blue at pantone 300 which is a slightly lighter shade than the pantone 280 used on the Union Flag.

    If the Saltire has a different colour blue to the Union flag's blue, then they can't claim any ownership over the latter. We should thus be able to keep the flag should they leave.
    As you may have guessed from the name the blue in the Union Jack represents the European Union.
    Surely the EU copied us wrt. the shade they chose!
  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,033
    Mick_Pork said:

    Matt Chorley ‏@MattChorley 6m

    Cameron will not take part in #NickvNigel. No.10 says PM is 'running the country' + invite is from Clegg to Farage http://dailym.ai/1ctPxE5
    We'll take that as a No then.

    Fop chicken? Surely not. ;)

    Seriously Mick, he's only got so many hours in the day in which he can chillax. Ease off on the bugger.

  • NeilNeil Posts: 7,983
    JackW said:

    Neil said:

    JackW said:


    About 10 years ago the Scottish government, after advice from the Lord Lyon, formalised the saltire blue at pantone 300 which is a slightly lighter shade than the pantone 280 used on the Union Flag.

    Pantone 300 - for a flag so healthy it shines.
    That comment is Head and Shoulders above all others ....

    You're worth it, JackW.
  • Socrates said:

    JackW said:

    JohnLoony said:

    JohnLoony said:

    (FPT)

    FWIW, the three most common colours in the national flags of the countries of the world are red, white and blue (in that order). Or at least they were when I counted them several years ago. So let's have no more of this nonsense of changing the Union Flag, either in terms of colours or design.

    The blue in the Union flag is a different shade to that on the Saltire in any case.
    Oh is it? That comletely changes everything then. Obviously we need to have a completely new flag with a completely different set of colours.
    Not so fast Stan ....

    When the Union Flag was adopted several shades of blue appeared. This was because of the different natural dyes used. Maritime flags tended to be darker blue so as to last longer.

    About 10 years ago the Scottish government, after advice from the Lord Lyon, formalised the saltire blue at pantone 300 which is a slightly lighter shade than the pantone 280 used on the Union Flag.

    If the Saltire has a different colour blue to the Union flag's blue, then they can't claim any ownership over the latter. We should thus be able to keep the flag should they leave.
    As you may have guessed from the name the blue in the Union Jack represents the European Union.
    Not quite. The Blue of the EU flag is "Reflex Blue" adjacent to the Union Flag's shade - but quite a distance from the Scottish Saltire....

  • SocratesSocrates Posts: 10,322
    Mick_Pork said:

    Matt Chorley ‏@MattChorley 6m

    Cameron will not take part in #NickvNigel. No.10 says PM is 'running the country' + invite is from Clegg to Farage http://dailym.ai/1ctPxE5
    We'll take that as a No then.

    Fop chicken? Surely not. ;)

    Just like the TV debates last time then, when he tried to back away from them and then was pressured into it.

    If Cameron sticks to this line, Miliband should join, get a big TV channel to do it and make Cameron look particularly pathetic if he's the only one not there. The "I'm PM and too important line" won't be an easy one to stick to when the DPM, who needs to be involved in all major decisions, is doing it. It'll also hold himself up to ransom, if he says he can't spare an hour or two for a debate, every time he tries to get a photoshoot in front of some fields or some children's nursery.
  • Beverley_CBeverley_C Posts: 6,256
    Has anyone mentioned pensions yet in the Scottish Debate?

    Has anyone remembered that the State Pension paid out next week is entirely funded by this week's NI contributions? There is no pot of gold to split.

    There are a lot less earners for each pensioner in Scotland so will pensioners take a cut or will earners be taxed more?
This discussion has been closed.