politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Nighthawks is now open

System

politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Nighthawks is now open

If you’re a lurker, why not change the Status Quo,and become a poster. Don’t worry, delurking won’t lead you to the Wild Side of Life, after your first post, you’ll want to post Again and Again.

Read the full story here

Tim_B

First?

rcs1000

FPT:

Richard_Tyndall said:

taffys said:

The city certainly does not need uncontrolled immigration.

Really? Even seen buses in central London at 5am on a week day? I have. They are often packed. Who do you think cleans and maintains all those giant office blocks on a daily basis?

I'll give you a clue, the faces on those crowded buses aren't generally white. Neither are the ones standing at the bus stops on the freezing January mornings

Makes use of and needs do not mean the same thing. The argument that an entirly unfettered and unrestrained City which gets everything it wants without question is always good for the country as a whole has clearly been disproved over the last few years. One also has to wonder how on earth the City managed to maintain its position as the financial centre if the world before all those foreign workers turned up if they are do vital to its existence.

The City is a lot more pre-eminent in European (and even global) finance now that it was when I started work at Goldman in 1996.

Back then, there were serious financial institutions based in Paris, Zurich, Frankfurt, and the like. And Goldman had a big satellite office in Frankfurt, and medium sized ones in Milan and Paris.

Now most of them have moved the bulk of their operations to London: BNP's capital markets operations are here; both CS and UBS probably employ more people in London than Zurich, Berenberg has basically moved from Hamburg to London, and the German banks all have big London operations - certainly compared to the mid 1990s.

IOS

How many Old Etonians does it take to make a mess? I don't know - but Mike is right. The next tory leader will be state educated.

Stuart_Dickson

'Johann Lamont shows Labour’s true colours – red in tooth and claw'

Just occasionally in politics, the mask slips and political parties reveal what they really are – rather than what they would like us to believe they are. Today in Edinburgh we experienced one of those moments. Johann Lamont, the Scottish Labour Leader, unveiled... something fundamentally red in tooth and claw.

Indeed, Lamont could not have taken a harder socialist approach had she grabbed a red flag and waved it from the rooftop of the Scottish Parliament building.

... The consequences of this would be staggering.

... narrow and absurd ...

Why is this important for the rest of the country? Firstly because these plans will form one of the key platforms of Labour’s 2015 manifesto, but also because Lamont insists that she and Ed Miliband are singing from the same hymn sheet on this issue. Lamont’s advisers were talking this morning about how in tune the two leaders are...

... given that the overall message from Lamont was so overtly left-wing, UK voters should also take note. This was the real Scottish Labour Party here – not the one which pretends to sympathise with the squeezed middle classes or which tones down its socialist rhetoric. Being ‘progressive’ and ‘redistributive’ is what it wants to do and, if the Scottish and UK parties are indeed following the same course, then where Scotland goes first, the UK will follow.

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2014/03/johann-lamont-shows-labours-true-colours-red-in-tooth-and-claw/

MikeK

UKIP was dominating the previous thread, and as UKIP -the party - is now getting 200± recruits a week it will soon overtake the L/dems, if it hasn't already, I will now offer my bi-monthly forecast for the 2015 GE; steady now, those at the back.

The forecast for the number of UKIP seats that will be gained.......is.......wait for it............27.
There now, that wasn't painful, was it?

DavidL

FPT

MikeK said:


UKIP has been dominating this thread, and as UKIP -the party - is now getting 200± recruits a week it will soon overtake the L/dems, if it hasn't already, I will now offer my bi-monthly forecast for the 2015 GE; steady now, those at the back.

The forecast for the number of UKIP seats that will be gained.......is.......wait for it............27.
There now, that wasn't painful, was it?

As usual you won't want a bet on that? Tell you what, you think 27 I will give you evens they get less than 7. £50?

compouter2

IOS said:

How many Old Etonians does it take to make a mess? I don't know - but Mike is right. The next tory leader will be state educated.

Pity the will never be PM ;-)

anotherDave

RE: Dorries article.
Ms Dorries has published the email exchange she had with the Telegraph journalist.

http://blog.dorries.org/id-2128-2014_3_How_they_try_to_skewer_an_MP!.aspx

DavidL

Number 1 is rather sad. Brogan really should have some idea of the incredibly small room for manouvre Osborne has in reality. This budget was written in 2010 and it really hasn't got any better.

AveryLP

rcs1000 said:

FPT:

Richard_Tyndall said:

taffys said:

The city certainly does not need uncontrolled immigration.

Really? Even seen buses in central London at 5am on a week day? I have. They are often packed. Who do you think cleans and maintains all those giant office blocks on a daily basis?

I'll give you a clue, the faces on those crowded buses aren't generally white. Neither are the ones standing at the bus stops on the freezing January mornings

Makes use of and needs do not mean the same thing. The argument that an entirly unfettered and unrestrained City which gets everything it wants without question is always good for the country as a whole has clearly been disproved over the last few years. One also has to wonder how on earth the City managed to maintain its position as the financial centre if the world before all those foreign workers turned up if they are do vital to its existence.

The City is a lot more pre-eminent in European (and even global) finance now that it was when I started work at Goldman in 1996.

Back then, there were serious financial institutions based in Paris, Zurich, Frankfurt, and the like. And Goldman had a big satellite office in Frankfurt, and medium sized ones in Milan and Paris.

Now most of them have moved the bulk of their operations to London: BNP's capital markets operations are here; both CS and UBS probably employ more people in London than Zurich, Berenberg has basically moved from Hamburg to London, and the German banks all have big London operations - certainly compared to the mid 1990s.

Quite right, Robert.

In the 1980s the fear was that the Japanese banks were taking over the world and what they didn't want would move to Frankfurt.

It took the Blessed Margaret to stand up to this threat. She alone realised that allowing Wall Street to operate unregulated in the square mile was the only way to feed unemployed miners.

Of course there was risk. Occasionally the ball rolls into zero. But the banks bounce back.

The UK's future rests far more in derivatives than dirigibles.

Whatever Mr. Brooke says.

Alanbrooke

AveryLP said:

rcs1000 said:

FPT:

Richard_Tyndall said:

taffys said:

The city certainly does not need uncontrolled immigration.

Really? Even seen buses in central London at 5am on a week day? I have. They are often packed. Who do you think cleans and maintains all those giant office blocks on a daily basis?

I'll give you a clue, the faces on those crowded buses aren't generally white. Neither are the ones standing at the bus stops on the freezing January mornings

Makes use of and needs do not mean the same thing. The argument that an entirly unfettered and unrestrained City which gets everything it wants without question is always good for the country as a whole has clearly been disproved over the last few years. One also has to wonder how on earth the City managed to maintain its position as the financial centre if the world before all those foreign workers turned up if they are do vital to its existence.

The City is a lot more pre-eminent in European (and even global) finance now that it was when I started work at Goldman in 1996.

Back then, there were serious financial institutions based in Paris, Zurich, Frankfurt, and the like. And Goldman had a big satellite office in Frankfurt, and medium sized ones in Milan and Paris.

Now most of them have moved the bulk of their operations to London: BNP's capital markets operations are here; both CS and UBS probably employ more people in London than Zurich, Berenberg has basically moved from Hamburg to London, and the German banks all have big London operations - certainly compared to the mid 1990s.

Quite right, Robert.

In the 1980s the fear was that the Japanese banks were taking over the world and what they didn't want would move to Frankfurt.

It took the Blessed Margaret to stand up to this threat. She alone realised that allowing Wall Street to operate unregulated in the square mile was the only way to feed unemployed miners.

Of course there was risk. Occasionally the ball rolls into zero. But the banks bounce back.

The UK's future rests far more in derivatives than dirigibles.

Whatever Mr. Brooke says.

chortle

Mr Pole faced with the prospect of some obvious troll bait and watching Shetland you've just lost :-)

You could always do something useful break and up a couple of banks while I'm away.

IOS

It's quite funny that all the headlines about this budget are going to talk about Osborne making a pitch to be leader. But not as funny as Osborne thinking that being from St Pauls and not Eton is his main selling point.

Posh lads destroying the Tory party. Genius.

JackW

IOS said:

How many Old Etonians does it take to make a mess? I don't know - but Mike is right. The next tory leader will be state educated.

Eton mess .... Hhmmm

I don't know .... this politics game make a right pudding of us all at times.

rcs1000

Alanbrooke said:

chortle

Mr Pole faced with the prospect of some obvious troll bait and watching Shetland you've just lost :-)

You could always do something useful break and up a couple of banks while I'm away.

To defend the City for a moment, it's worth remembering that while trading is what people think of, that is only a small part of the puzzle.

* We are the pre-eminent city for corporate finance. If an American company wants to issue bonds issued in Euros, Pounds, or even Yen - chances are the work will all be done in London.

* For mergers and acquisitions, there is no city in the world - particularly in specialised areas like biotech, or energy - where more work gets done. If a Swiss pharmaceutical company buys an American biotech company. Guess what - the work gets done in London.

* For fund management, London is one of the biggest three cities in the world.

AveryLP

IOS said:

It's quite funny that all the headlines about this budget are going to talk about Osborne making a pitch to be leader. But not as funny as Osborne thinking that being from St Pauls and not Eton is his main selling point.

Posh lads destroying the Tory party. Genius.

Faced with the choice between St. Pauls and Magdalen, and, Nottingham HS and Keble, most sane people would choose the former.

It is not Ed's fault: merely the tyranny of small differences.

Where did you go to school, IOS?

TheScreamingEagles

I don't know where he got the idea

Sun Politics
‏@Sun_Politics

.@edvaizey a @onedirection fan? Minister uses SEVEN song titles in commons answer on boyband:

http://bit.ly/1ehTtZA

pic.twitter.com/3YotYgRAsi

TheScreamingEagles

anotherDave said:

RE: Dorries article.
Ms Dorries has published the email exchange she had with the Telegraph journalist.

http://blog.dorries.org/id-2128-2014_3_How_they_try_to_skewer_an_MP!.aspx

Thanks, I've updated a link with that, and given you a hat tip.

BobaFett

Benedict Brogan needs a sound Eton-style thrashing for introducing, and continuing to use, the eye-wateringly awful Aussie import "going gangbusters" at every opportunity. Urgh.

Richard_Tyndall

rcs1000 said:

FPT:

Richard_Tyndall said:

taffys said:

The city certainly does not need uncontrolled immigration.

Really? Even seen buses in central London at 5am on a week day? I have. They are often packed. Who do you think cleans and maintains all those giant office blocks on a daily basis?

I'll give you a clue, the faces on those crowded buses aren't generally white. Neither are the ones standing at the bus stops on the freezing January mornings

Makes use of and needs do not mean the same thing. The argument that an entirly unfettered and unrestrained City which gets everything it wants without question is always good for the country as a whole has clearly been disproved over the last few years. One also has to wonder how on earth the City managed to maintain its position as the financial centre if the world before all those foreign workers turned up if they are do vital to its existence.

The City is a lot more pre-eminent in European (and even global) finance now that it was when I started work at Goldman in 1996.

Back then, there were serious financial institutions based in Paris, Zurich, Frankfurt, and the like. And Goldman had a big satellite office in Frankfurt, and medium sized ones in Milan and Paris.

Now most of them have moved the bulk of their operations to London: BNP's capital markets operations are here; both CS and UBS probably employ more people in London than Zurich, Berenberg has basically moved from Hamburg to London, and the German banks all have big London operations - certainly compared to the mid 1990s.

But I strongly suspect the ability to employ cheap immigrant labour to clean the toilets as taffys was suggesting was not the primary motive behind these companies moving to London.

JosiasJessop

Link 17:
Exactly what I think. It's the simplest explanation.

Link 20:
It'll be cr@p. But at least it won't have Benedict Cumberbatch in.

nigel4england

IOS said:

It's quite funny that all the headlines about this budget are going to talk about Osborne making a pitch to be leader. But not as funny as Osborne thinking that being from St Pauls and not Eton is his main selling point.

Posh lads destroying the Tory party. Genius.

Immigration destroying the Labour Party. Hilarious.

Richard_Tyndall

JosiasJessop said:

Link 17:
Exactly what I think. It's the simplest explanation.

Yep it seems very logical but sad as it destroys any lingering hope we might have had a that the passengers might still be alive somewhere.

IOS

Avery

Not a public school! This is a discussion about how the Tories and the press are out of touch from the public. They just really haven't got a clue.

The Tories really need to rehabilitate David Davis and then make him leader.

compouter2

JosiasJessop said:

Link 17:
Exactly what I think. It's the simplest explanation.

Link 20:
It'll be cr@p. But at least it won't have Benedict Cumberbatch in.

Link 17:Eh, I am sure Andy JS linked the original article on here last night....bad form.

TheScreamingEagles

compouter2 said:

JosiasJessop said:

Link 17:
Exactly what I think. It's the simplest explanation.

Link 20:
It'll be cr@p. But at least it won't have Benedict Cumberbatch in.

Link 17:Eh, I am sure Andy JS linked the original article on here last night....bad form.

I didn't see it, if I had, I would have acknowledged it.

Mick_Pork

compouter2 said:

JosiasJessop said:

Link 17:
Exactly what I think. It's the simplest explanation.

Link 20:
It'll be cr@p. But at least it won't have Benedict Cumberbatch in.

Link 17:Eh, I am sure Andy JS linked the original article on here last night....bad form.

If that was the pilot's explanation based on the heading change and airport proximity that certainly seemed extremely plausible and was an interesting read.

compouter2

TheScreamingEagles said:

compouter2 said:

JosiasJessop said:

Link 17:
Exactly what I think. It's the simplest explanation.

Link 20:
It'll be cr@p. But at least it won't have Benedict Cumberbatch in.

Link 17:Eh, I am sure Andy JS linked the original article on here last night....bad form.

I didn't see it, if I had, I would have acknowledged it.

Don't worry Wired ripped it as well:

https://plus.google.com/106271056358366282907/posts/GoeVjHJaGBz

AndyJS

"Tony Benn 'admired' Chairman Mao, responsible for the deaths of millions. Why is this ignored?"

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/seanthomas/100264023/tony-benn-admired-chairman-mao-responsible-for-the-deaths-of-millions-why-is-this-ignored/

TheScreamingEagles

compouter2 said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

compouter2 said:

JosiasJessop said:

Link 17:
Exactly what I think. It's the simplest explanation.

Link 20:
It'll be cr@p. But at least it won't have Benedict Cumberbatch in.

Link 17:Eh, I am sure Andy JS linked the original article on here last night....bad form.

I didn't see it, if I had, I would have acknowledged it.

Don't worry Wired ripped it as well:

https://plus.google.com/106271056358366282907/posts/GoeVjHJaGBz

Link 14 was for you and Basil.

compouter2

TheScreamingEagles said:

compouter2 said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

compouter2 said:

JosiasJessop said:

Link 17:
Exactly what I think. It's the simplest explanation.

Link 20:
It'll be cr@p. But at least it won't have Benedict Cumberbatch in.

Link 17:Eh, I am sure Andy JS linked the original article on here last night....bad form.

I didn't see it, if I had, I would have acknowledged it.

Don't worry Wired ripped it as well:

https://plus.google.com/106271056358366282907/posts/GoeVjHJaGBz

Link 14 was for you and Basil.

LOL!

AveryLP

IOS said:

Avery

Not a public school! This is a discussion about how the Tories and the press are out of touch from the public. They just really haven't got a clue.

The Tories really need to rehabilitate David Davis and then make him leader.

Don't worry about the Tories. IOS. The Eton Pop will select the party's next leader in time honoured tradition.

Nineteen up already and plenty more to come.

Unless Gove's reforms succeed. That is why he is seen in the party as a dangerous man.

Get your children into a Free School quick is my advice. At least it will give you the chance of enjoying a vicarious sense of political success.

AndyJS

"Former CIA Analyst: The Disappearance Of #MH370 Has Been More Skillfully Executed Than 9-11":

http://patdollard.com/2014/03/former-cia-analyst-the-disappearance-of-mh370-has-been-more-skillfully-executed-than-9-11/

compouter2

Christ on a Bike! You have to report grey squirrels. Basil was originally a red squirrel, however, he has turned grey and a bit loopy with all the carrying he has been doing over the last twelve months.

http://i.imgur.com/LwXST.jpg

AndyJS

"Asian military officials may be staging a mass cover-up over missing flight MH370, because they do not want to expose gaping holes within their countries' air defences, a leading aviation expert has suggested.

The Malaysian Airlines jet went missing 1.30am on Sunday, March 9. But it wasn't until the following Tuesday that the Malaysian Air Force reported they had spotted the aircraft on radar over the Strait of Malacca at 2.15am.

Now Thailand's military say they detected a plane at 1.28am, eight minutes after MH370's communications went down, heading towards the Strait but didn't share the information because they were not asked for it.

Writing on his blog, Aviation expert David Learmount said: 'Maybe these states’ air defences, like Malaysia’s, are not what they are cracked up to be.

'And maybe they wouldn’t want the rest of the world to know that.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2583553/Thai-military-says-missing-flight-MH370-followed-twisting-path-Strait-Malacca.html

JosiasJessop

Richard_Tyndall said:

JosiasJessop said:

Link 17:
Exactly what I think. It's the simplest explanation.

Yep it seems very logical but sad as it destroys any lingering hope we might have had a that the passengers might still be alive somewhere.

I gave up hope on that a couple of days after the flight went missing. There are few scenarios where they would still be alive, but I hope I am wrong.

Thanks to AndyJS for posting it originally, and TSE for his reminder. ;-)

As an aside and almost totally unrelated, and just to show that weird things do happen, I present the Cornfield Bomber. A F-106 pilot ejected when his plane got into a flat spin, but the ejection stopped the spin and the plane continued to belly-land in a field. It was so lightly damaged that it was repaired and flown again. It is now in a museum.

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

I love that story.

Sunil_Prasannan

AndyJS said:

"Tony Benn 'admired' Chairman Mao, responsible for the deaths of millions. Why is this ignored?"
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/seanthomas/100264023/tony-benn-admired-chairman-mao-responsible-for-the-deaths-of-millions-why-is-this-ignored/

Sean posted that here last night.

I posted on here, in response:

Do you admire Churchill?

Was he responsible for 3 million deaths during the Bengal famine of 1943?

Bengal bore the brunt of the gathering disaster. At least 1.5 million died as a direct result of the famine which began at the end of 1942 and last all through the following year. A similar number again are estimated to have perished through disease - cholera, malaria and smallpox - because they were so malnourished that they had no resistance. Churchill, already furious with India, refused to interfere with the shipping programme to bring relief. Only when Field Marshall Wavell was made viceroy in September 1943 did the government of India begin to get a firm grip on the problem by using troops to distribute food reserves. Wavell made himself even more unpopular with Churchill by pursuing this policy. The whole episode was probably the most shameful in the history of the British Raj. If nothing else, it completely undermined the imperialist argument that British rule protected the poor of India from the rich.

- Antony Beevor, "The Second World War", Phoenix Books (2013).

Sunil_Prasannan

"Gazprom - UEFA Champions League sponsors"

Donald_P

The Scottish Parliament petition for a referendum on the status of Shetland etc. a week after the Scottish referendum is a game-changer north of the border.

Ben Riley-Smith in the Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scottish-independence/10705477/Shetland-and-Orkney-should-get-vote-on-whether-to-leave-Scotland.html

The petition itself is here:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/GettingInvolved/Petitions/islandgroups

The options would be:
1) do you wish your island group to become an independent country?
2) do you wish your island group to stay in Scotland?
and if the Scotland result is "yes", there would be the third option:
3) do you wish your island group to leave Scotland and stay in rUK?

This and the financial uncertainty are going to outweigh the Commonwealth Games in my opinion. Momentum-wise it could be all over before the Games start.

Mick_Pork

Donald_P said:

The Scottish Parliament petition for a referendum on the status of Shetland etc. a week after the Scottish referendum is a game-changer north of the border.

Ben Riley-Smith in the Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scottish-independence/10705477/Shetland-and-Orkney-should-get-vote-on-whether-to-leave-Scotland.html

The petition itself is here:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/GettingInvolved/Petitions/islandgroups

The options would be:
1) do you wish your island group to become an independent country?
2) do you wish your island group to stay in Scotland?
and if the Scotland result is "yes", there would be the third option:
3) do you wish your island group to leave Scotland and stay in rUK?

This and the financial uncertainty are going to outweigh the Commonwealth Games in my opinion. Momentum-wise it could be all over before the Games start.

*tears of laughter etc.*

Comedy Gold.

Sunil_Prasannan

JosiasJessop said:

Richard_Tyndall said:

JosiasJessop said:

Link 17:
Exactly what I think. It's the simplest explanation.

Yep it seems very logical but sad as it destroys any lingering hope we might have had a that the passengers might still be alive somewhere.

I gave up hope on that a couple of days after the flight went missing. There are few scenarios where they would still be alive, but I hope I am wrong.

Thanks to AndyJS for posting it originally, and TSE for his reminder. ;-)

As an aside and almost totally unrelated, and just to show that weird things do happen, I present the Cornfield Bomber. A F-106 pilot ejected when his plane got into a flat spin, but the ejection stopped the spin and the plane continued to belly-land in a field. It was so lightly damaged that it was repaired and flown again. It is now in a museum.

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

I love that story.

< pedant >
Wasn't the Convair F-106 Delta Dart actually a fighter?
< /pedant >

IOS

No kids Avery.

But even if Gove somehow increased social mobility it wouldn't change the Tory party. Gone are the days of the ruthless Tory machine of the 1980's. Now its just a sort of drinking club for people from the upper classes.

But that's all good cos the upper class drinking buddies aren't very good at winning elections.

AveryLP

Is YouGob's pre-budget confirmation of a large Labour lead in yet?

I want one last laugh at compouter and Basil before George scores from the penalty spot.

JosiasJessop

Sunil_Prasannan said:

JosiasJessop said:

Richard_Tyndall said:

JosiasJessop said:

Link 17:
Exactly what I think. It's the simplest explanation.

Yep it seems very logical but sad as it destroys any lingering hope we might have had a that the passengers might still be alive somewhere.

I gave up hope on that a couple of days after the flight went missing. There are few scenarios where they would still be alive, but I hope I am wrong.

Thanks to AndyJS for posting it originally, and TSE for his reminder. ;-)

As an aside and almost totally unrelated, and just to show that weird things do happen, I present the Cornfield Bomber. A F-106 pilot ejected when his plane got into a flat spin, but the ejection stopped the spin and the plane continued to belly-land in a field. It was so lightly damaged that it was repaired and flown again. It is now in a museum.

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

I love that story.

< pedant >
Wasn't the Convair F-106 Delta Dagger actually a fighter?
< /pedant >

Yep. To be more pedantic, an interceptor.

But you'd need to be pedantic to the hundreds of article writers (and Wiki) who've been using the phrase "Cornfield Bomber" for decades. ;-)

compouter2

AveryLP said:

Is YouGob's pre-budget confirmation of a large Labour lead in yet?

I want one last laugh at compouter and Basil before George scores from the penalty spot.

Trying to cry in a lower Labour lead I see Avery.

AveryLP

IOS said:

No kids Avery.

But even if Gove somehow increased social mobility it wouldn't change the Tory party. Gone are the days of the ruthless Tory machine of the 1980's. Now its just a sort of drinking club for people from the upper classes.

But that's all good cos the upper class drinking buddies aren't very good at winning elections.

IOS

Before JackW steps in to correct you, the current cabinet bunch are not drawn from the British upper classes.

Upper middle class mostly, but this is as important a difference as that between Nottingham HS and St. Pauls and Magdalen and Keble.

Attention to detail is all, IOS. You will have no chances of winning Cornwall without it.

compouter2

Tonight Yougov - Labour 4% lead....nailed on.

compouter2

BLUE ON BLUE INCOMING:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/5515443/eric-pickles-latest-tory-to-wade-in-to-old-etonians-war.html

Danny565

YouGov/Sun poll tonight - Labour lead drops back down to four points: CON 34%, LAB 38%, LD 11%, UKIP 11%

IOS

Ha Avery the detail was we were never going to win cornwall. But as anyone will tell you when you are arguing detail you have already lost.

The public think the Tories are all Toffs and it's hollowing out their party.

AveryLP

compouter2 said:

AveryLP said:

Is YouGob's pre-budget confirmation of a large Labour lead in yet?

I want one last laugh at compouter and Basil before George scores from the penalty spot.

Trying to cry in a lower Labour lead I see Avery.

You know the pattern, 'pouter.

Stop quibbling. You only have a few days left as beast of burden. Man up and thank me for pointing this out.

Tykejohnno

Sun Politics @Sun_Politics

YouGov/Sun poll tonight - Labour lead drops back down to four points: CON 34%, LAB 38%, LD 11%, UKIP 11%

compouter2

Danny565 said:

YouGov/Sun poll tonight - Labour lead drops back down to four points: CON 34%, LAB 38%, LD 11%, UKIP 11%

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!

compouter2

compouter2 said:

Tonight Yougov - Labour 4% lead....nailed on.

Err.....as I was saying.

AveryLP

compouter2 said:

Tonight Yougov - Labour 4% lead....nailed on.

I am beginning to think Tom Newton-Dunn and Mr. Brooke's MP might be reading PB!

compouter2

AveryLP said:

compouter2 said:

Tonight Yougov - Labour 4% lead....nailed on.

I am beginning to think Tom Newton-Dunn and Mr. Brooke's MP might be reading PB!

Nah, Basil tipped me off then stormed off in a strop knowing another day another carry.

nigel4england

IOS said:

No kids Avery.

But even if Gove somehow increased social mobility it wouldn't change the Tory party. Gone are the days of the ruthless Tory machine of the 1980's. Now its just a sort of drinking club for people from the upper classes.

But that's all good cos the upper class drinking buddies aren't very good at winning elections.

IOS is that really all the left have to offer? Don't vote Tory because they went to public school?

Personally I couldn't care if the PM went to Eton or Feltham Young Offenders Institute as long as they were the best person for the job. Then again I am not contaminated with inverted snobbery.

Grandiose

"Nigel Farage reverses party’s stance on same-sex marriage legislation, saying he would not annul marriages in government" could be useful for the Tories, *if* they can find a way of using it that doesn't look like preaching.

john_zims

RED ON RED INCOMING

'http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/carwyn-jones-attacks-ann-clwyd-

compouter2

AveryLP said:

compouter2 said:

AveryLP said:

Is YouGob's pre-budget confirmation of a large Labour lead in yet?

I want one last laugh at compouter and Basil before George scores from the penalty spot.

Trying to cry in a lower Labour lead I see Avery.

You know the pattern, 'pouter.

Stop quibbling. You only have a few days left as beast of burden. Man up and thank me for pointing this out.

Yes I remember the pattern. Labours lead falls, you make a prediction of crossover, name the date, date passes, you name another date, that passes, name another date, that passes.....then you go quiet for months about polling crossovers.

Tykejohnno

Labour Press Team ‏@labourpress · 1 min
READ: The 24 tax rises under George Osborne. http://press.labour.org.uk/post/80005175414/24-tory-tax-rises-under-george-osborne … #Budget2014

Goody -So labour,tell us which one's you would cut out of the 24

George Eaton ‏@georgeeaton · 2 mins
Labour spokesman tells me that party is "not opposed" to all 24 tax rises, just reminding voters that taxes have increased

'Crying with laughter' is this party really fit for Government.

jimogroats

Cabinet Minister - There will be no EU referendum

'But in one of the most eye-catching statements of the evening, Mr Carmicheal said, to gasps of surprise among the audience:

“There is no question of there being a referendum. There is no mechanism for the Conservatives to deliver a referendum 2017. That is the hard political fact.” '


http://www.farmersguardian.com/home/latest-news/sparks-fly-at-nfus-scottish-independence-debate/63097.article

Tim_B

Yesterday I noted that Jim Irsay had been arrested for DWI and possession of controlled substances.

He has voluntarily checked into a rehab center. He's been battling his addictions for about 15 years that I know about, so how long he's had this problem I don't know..

In his defense he's been a good owner - he's made good decisons, hired good personnel.

The man needs help and I hope he gets it.

compouter2

Just seen a poll on who the public think will benefit the most from the budget on ITV News:

16% - Benefit the public overall
55% - Benefit high earners
51% - Benefit the banks

.....and there is the future Baronet of Ballintaylor and Ballylemons problem.

compouter2

john_zims said:

RED ON RED INCOMING

'http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/carwyn-jones-attacks-ann-clwyd-

Keep up John - It was linked hours ago.

compouter2

Tykejohnno said:

Labour Press Team ‏@labourpress · 1 min
READ: The 24 tax rises under George Osborne. http://press.labour.org.uk/post/80005175414/24-tory-tax-rises-under-george-osborne … #Budget2014

Goody -So labour,tell us which one's you would cut out of the 24

George Eaton ‏@georgeeaton · 2 mins
Labour spokesman tells me that party is "not opposed" to all 24 tax rises, just reminding voters that taxes have increased

'Crying with laughter' is this party really fit for Government.

Wait until that Corby result is announced, tears of joy not laughter ;-)

Tykejohnno

Tom Newton Dunn ‏@tnewtondunn · 1 min
New 12 sided £1 coin to be unveiled in the Budget tomorrow - old one scrapped; http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/5516192/new-12-sided-pound-coin.html …

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/5516192/new-12-sided-pound-coin.html

compouter2

Tykejohnno said:

Tom Newton Dunn ‏@tnewtondunn · 1 min
New 12 sided £1 coin to be unveiled in the Budget tomorrow - old one scrapped; http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/5516192/new-12-sided-pound-coin.html …

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/5516192/new-12-sided-pound-coin.html

One side for each member of the cabinet who has stabbed another one in the back in the last few days?

Tykejohnno

compouter2 said:

Tykejohnno said:

Tom Newton Dunn ‏@tnewtondunn · 1 min
New 12 sided £1 coin to be unveiled in the Budget tomorrow - old one scrapped; http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/5516192/new-12-sided-pound-coin.html …

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/5516192/new-12-sided-pound-coin.html

One side for each member of the cabinet who has stabbed another one in the back in the last few days?

Or how many times labour have used the bank bonus tax on different policies ;-)

compouter2

Tykejohnno said:

compouter2 said:

Tykejohnno said:

Tom Newton Dunn ‏@tnewtondunn · 1 min
New 12 sided £1 coin to be unveiled in the Budget tomorrow - old one scrapped; http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/5516192/new-12-sided-pound-coin.html …

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/5516192/new-12-sided-pound-coin.html

One side for each member of the cabinet who has stabbed another one in the back in the last few days?

Or how many times labour have used the bank bonus tax on different policies ;-)

Nah, it's dozens more than that.

john_zims

@compouter2

'Just seen a poll on who the public think will benefit the most from the budget on ITV News:'

At least all the millionaires on Labour's front bench will be happy.

Charles

compouter2 said:

AveryLP said:

compouter2 said:

Tonight Yougov - Labour 4% lead....nailed on.

I am beginning to think Tom Newton-Dunn and Mr. Brooke's MP might be reading PB!

Nah, Basil tipped me off then stormed off in a strop knowing another day another carry.

I'm shocked. A good leftie squirrel like Basil living off carry. I hope he's reporting it as income rather than pretending it is capital gains

compouter2

BLUE ON BLUE INCOMING:

It's a present that just keeps giving:

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/sebastian-payne/2014/03/how-much-do-voters-care-about-old-etonians-and-the-political-class/

compouter2

Charles said:

compouter2 said:

AveryLP said:

compouter2 said:

Tonight Yougov - Labour 4% lead....nailed on.

I am beginning to think Tom Newton-Dunn and Mr. Brooke's MP might be reading PB!

Nah, Basil tipped me off then stormed off in a strop knowing another day another carry.

I'm shocked. A good leftie squirrel like Basil living off carry. I hope he's reporting it as income rather than pretending it is capital gains

Pays it all off in nuts by the end of the tax year.

CarlottaVance

Tykejohnno said:

Tom Newton Dunn ‏@tnewtondunn · 1 min
New 12 sided £1 coin to be unveiled in the Budget tomorrow - old one scrapped; http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/5516192/new-12-sided-pound-coin.html …

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/5516192/new-12-sided-pound-coin.html

The FT has the best headline:


Osborne loses pound and finds threepence
George Osborne is to scrap the current £1 coin and replace it with a 12-sided version reminiscent of the old threepenny bit, in a Budget move that may appeal to the patriotism and nostalgia of a key section of the electorate.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/1c09077a-aeca-11e3-aaa6-00144feab7de.html#axzz2wITGTby0

compouter2

john_zims said:

@compouter2

'Just seen a poll on who the public think will benefit the most from the budget on ITV News:'

At least all the millionaires on Labour's front bench will be happy.

Yeah, but the public think of millionaires helping millionaires and think of the Tory Party....no?

nigel4england

compouter2 said:

BLUE ON BLUE INCOMING:

It's a present that just keeps giving:

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/sebastian-payne/2014/03/how-much-do-voters-care-about-old-etonians-and-the-political-class/

Zzzzzzzzzzzz

RodCrosby

Tykejohnno said:

Tom Newton Dunn ‏@tnewtondunn · 1 min
New 12 sided £1 coin to be unveiled in the Budget tomorrow - old one scrapped; http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/5516192/new-12-sided-pound-coin.html …

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/5516192/new-12-sided-pound-coin.html

Oh look... they've brought back the Thruppenny Bit...

It's not April 1st, tomorrow, is it?

Charles

compouter2 said:

Charles said:

compouter2 said:

AveryLP said:

compouter2 said:

Tonight Yougov - Labour 4% lead....nailed on.

I am beginning to think Tom Newton-Dunn and Mr. Brooke's MP might be reading PB!

Nah, Basil tipped me off then stormed off in a strop knowing another day another carry.

I'm shocked. A good leftie squirrel like Basil living off carry. I hope he's reporting it as income rather than pretending it is capital gains

Pays it all off in nuts by the end of the tax year.

Clever boy. Nuts, being perishable, are completely tax free ;-)

Sunil_Prasannan

compouter2 said:

Charles said:

compouter2 said:

AveryLP said:

compouter2 said:

Tonight Yougov - Labour 4% lead....nailed on.

I am beginning to think Tom Newton-Dunn and Mr. Brooke's MP might be reading PB!

Nah, Basil tipped me off then stormed off in a strop knowing another day another carry.

I'm shocked. A good leftie squirrel like Basil living off carry. I hope he's reporting it as income rather than pretending it is capital gains

Pays it all off in nuts by the end of the tax year.

Might be a "kernel" of truth in that

FrancisUrquhart

Wonder how much it is going to cost self service check-out, vending machines etc to be able to take this new £1? Didn't they claim the new "cheaper" 5p / 10p coins will cost some crazy amount to convert machines to accept.

NickPalmer

CarlottaVance said:

Tykejohnno said:

Tom Newton Dunn ‏@tnewtondunn · 1 min
New 12 sided £1 coin to be unveiled in the Budget tomorrow - old one scrapped; http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/5516192/new-12-sided-pound-coin.html …

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/5516192/new-12-sided-pound-coin.html

The FT has the best headline:


Osborne loses pound and finds threepence
George Osborne is to scrap the current £1 coin and replace it with a 12-sided version reminiscent of the old threepenny bit, in a Budget move that may appeal to the patriotism and nostalgia of a key section of the electorate.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/1c09077a-aeca-11e3-aaa6-00144feab7de.html#axzz2wITGTby0

That's silly. Presumably the Budget is supposed to have good stuff. It'll get diluted by this sort of thing, which is best kept for a slow news day.

compouter2

Sunil_Prasannan said:

compouter2 said:

Charles said:

compouter2 said:

AveryLP said:

compouter2 said:

Tonight Yougov - Labour 4% lead....nailed on.

I am beginning to think Tom Newton-Dunn and Mr. Brooke's MP might be reading PB!

Nah, Basil tipped me off then stormed off in a strop knowing another day another carry.

I'm shocked. A good leftie squirrel like Basil living off carry. I hope he's reporting it as income rather than pretending it is capital gains

Pays it all off in nuts by the end of the tax year.

Might be a "kernel" of truth in that

All above board, never works for cashew in hand.

http://www.massvacation.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Squirrel_670x400-copy.jpg

Neil

It's a refreshing change for Osborne not to have leaked every last detail of the Red Book in advance of the Budget, it might even work for him.

foxinsoxuk

Any good tips for Budget specials?

CarlottaVance

The BBC has more details on the new pound:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26632863

I think it looks great!

Edit- the FT have replaced "Osborne" with "UK" in their headline......which makes it less funny....

Grandiose

FrancisUrquhart said:

Wonder how much it is going to cost self service check-out, vending machines etc to be able to take this new £1? Didn't they claim the new "cheaper" 5p / 10p coins will cost some crazy amount to convert machines to accept.

Presumably the dual metal and twelve sides are an attempt to keep the same basic proportions. How much had to be done for the £2?

TGOHF

Su n splashing that there will be a cut in bingo tax...

edmundintokyo

CarlottaVance said:

Tykejohnno said:

Tom Newton Dunn ‏@tnewtondunn · 1 min
New 12 sided £1 coin to be unveiled in the Budget tomorrow - old one scrapped; http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/5516192/new-12-sided-pound-coin.html …

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/5516192/new-12-sided-pound-coin.html

The FT has the best headline:


Osborne loses pound and finds threepence
George Osborne is to scrap the current £1 coin and replace it with a 12-sided version reminiscent of the old threepenny bit, in a Budget move that may appeal to the patriotism and nostalgia of a key section of the electorate.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/1c09077a-aeca-11e3-aaa6-00144feab7de.html#axzz2wITGTby0

This is the design of the new 12-sided coin:
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTU5OVgxNjAw/z/YBYAAMXQkl9RdIS8/$(KGrHqN,!rMFEPcvoBNsBRdIS7yzPQ~~60_57.JPG

It's designed to appeal to swing-voting Dungeons and Dragons fans in key marginals.

IOS

Osborne must have some big news for tomorrow. The main reason why the budget went so wrong in 2012 was that all the good stuff was leaked and then on the day the press only had the bad stuff to talk about.

Neil

IOS said:

Osborne must have some big news for tomorrow.

I doubt it. There wont be enough money to do much other than raise the personal allowance. Nothing wrong with a boring budget.

AndyJS

Sunil_Prasannan said:

AndyJS said:

"Tony Benn 'admired' Chairman Mao, responsible for the deaths of millions. Why is this ignored?"
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/seanthomas/100264023/tony-benn-admired-chairman-mao-responsible-for-the-deaths-of-millions-why-is-this-ignored/

Sean posted that here last night.

I posted on here, in response:

Do you admire Churchill?

Was he responsible for 3 million deaths during the Bengal famine of 1943?

Bengal bore the brunt of the gathering disaster. At least 1.5 million died as a direct result of the famine which began at the end of 1942 and last all through the following year. A similar number again are estimated to have perished through disease - cholera, malaria and smallpox - because they were so malnourished that they had no resistance. Churchill, already furious with India, refused to interfere with the shipping programme to bring relief. Only when Field Marshall Wavell was made viceroy in September 1943 did the government of India begin to get a firm grip on the problem by using troops to distribute food reserves. Wavell made himself even more unpopular with Churchill by pursuing this policy. The whole episode was probably the most shameful in the history of the British Raj. If nothing else, it completely undermined the imperialist argument that British rule protected the poor of India from the rich.

- Antony Beevor, "The Second World War", Phoenix Books (2013).

Thanks, interesting stuff.

Smarmeron

@AndyJS

HIs views on poison gas were interesting as well

IOS

No nothing wrong with boring. But if you spin the good stuff early and deliver the bad on the day what are the press going to cover?

MrJones

The pound in your pocket will turn into a thruppeny bit - result.

RodCrosby

Smarmeron said:

@AndyJS

HIs views on poison gas were interesting as well

Churchill was a fecking disaster, from start to finish.

foxinsoxuk

Blaming Churchill for the Bengal Famine is a bit of a stretch. His actions may have exacerbated the problems, but the origin of the famine was in the loss of Burmese rice imports when Burma was occupied by the Japanese, exacerbated by the cyclone and fungal induced failure of the Bengal crop. Pre-war Bengal was extensively dependent on imported Burmese rice.

The British Imperial policy of keeping coastal boats and rice stocks remote from the Bengal coast was an anti-Japanese move, not an anti Indian one. There was a very genuine fear of a Japanese invasion of Bengal, and indeed the following year there was an attempt culminating in the epic battles of Kohima and Imphal. There were many Indian troops fighting with the INA under the command of Bose in the Japanese controlled forces, and a fear of a Bengali fifth column.

The famine arose from a perfect storm of events, of which the British Indian governments actions were one, but the famine was as much the fault of the Japanese and Bose's INA as of British policy.

AndyJS said:

Sunil_Prasannan said:

AndyJS said:

"Tony Benn 'admired' Chairman Mao, responsible for the deaths of millions. Why is this ignored?"
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/seanthomas/100264023/tony-benn-admired-chairman-mao-responsible-for-the-deaths-of-millions-why-is-this-ignored/

Sean posted that here last night.

I posted on here, in response:

Do you admire Churchill?

Was he responsible for 3 million deaths during the Bengal famine of 1943?

Bengal bore the brunt of the gathering disaster. At least 1.5 million died as a direct result of the famine which began at the end of 1942 and last all through the following year. A similar number again are estimated to have perished through disease - cholera, malaria and smallpox - because they were so malnourished that they had no resistance. Churchill, already furious with India, refused to interfere with the shipping programme to bring relief. Only when Field Marshall Wavell was made viceroy in September 1943 did the government of India begin to get a firm grip on the problem by using troops to distribute food reserves. Wavell made himself even more unpopular with Churchill by pursuing this policy. The whole episode was probably the most shameful in the history of the British Raj. If nothing else, it completely undermined the imperialist argument that British rule protected the poor of India from the rich.

- Antony Beevor, "The Second World War", Phoenix Books (2013).

Thanks, interesting stuff.

Sunil_Prasannan

foxinsoxuk said:

The famine arose from a perfect storm of events, of which the British Indian governments actions were one, but the famine was as much the fault of the Japanese and Bose's INA as of British policy.

AndyJS said:

Sunil_Prasannan said:

AndyJS said:

"Tony Benn 'admired' Chairman Mao, responsible for the deaths of millions. Why is this ignored?"
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/seanthomas/100264023/tony-benn-admired-chairman-mao-responsible-for-the-deaths-of-millions-why-is-this-ignored/

Sean posted that here last night.

I posted on here, in response:

Do you admire Churchill?

Was he responsible for 3 million deaths during the Bengal famine of 1943?

Bengal bore the brunt of the gathering disaster. At least 1.5 million died as a direct result of the famine which began at the end of 1942 and last all through the following year. A similar number again are estimated to have perished through disease - cholera, malaria and smallpox - because they were so malnourished that they had no resistance. Churchill, already furious with India, refused to interfere with the shipping programme to bring relief. Only when Field Marshall Wavell was made viceroy in September 1943 did the government of India begin to get a firm grip on the problem by using troops to distribute food reserves. Wavell made himself even more unpopular with Churchill by pursuing this policy. The whole episode was probably the most shameful in the history of the British Raj. If nothing else, it completely undermined the imperialist argument that British rule protected the poor of India from the rich.

- Antony Beevor, "The Second World War", Phoenix Books (2013).

Thanks, interesting stuff.

2.5 million Indians fought for the Allies, in Burma, the Middle East, East Africa, North Africa and Italy.

In contrast INA - never had more than 40,000 men, mostly prisoners of war who probably didn't want to become Japanese bayonet practice

foxinsoxuk

The British Indian Army was the largest volunteer army in history, and of course was a large part of the force fighting the INA in the Burmese war.

I am not suggesting that the majority of Indian people were sympathetic to Bose and the INA (though a good number probably were and Bose is still regarded as a hero in some Indian quarters). It was not unreasonable though of the British Indian government to withdraw potential boats and supplies in front of the anticipated Japanese led Invasion.

This was one of the factors in the famine, but there were many others, not least the disruption of Burmese rice exports to Bengal.

Sunil_Prasannan said:

foxinsoxuk said:

The famine arose from a perfect storm of events, of which the British Indian governments actions were one, but the famine was as much the fault of the Japanese and Bose's INA as of British policy.

AndyJS said:

Sunil_Prasannan said:

AndyJS said:

"Tony Benn 'admired' Chairman Mao, responsible for the deaths of millions. Why is this ignored?"
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/seanthomas/100264023/tony-benn-admired-chairman-mao-responsible-for-the-deaths-of-millions-why-is-this-ignored/

Sean posted that here last night.

I posted on here, in response:

Do you admire Churchill?

Was he responsible for 3 million deaths during the Bengal famine of 1943?

Bengal bore the brunt of the gathering disaster. At least 1.5 million died as a direct result of the famine which began at the end of 1942 and last all through the following year. A similar number again are estimated to have perished through disease - cholera, malaria and smallpox - because they were so malnourished that they had no resistance. Churchill, already furious with India, refused to interfere with the shipping programme to bring relief. Only when Field Marshall Wavell was made viceroy in September 1943 did the government of India begin to get a firm grip on the problem by using troops to distribute food reserves. Wavell made himself even more unpopular with Churchill by pursuing this policy. The whole episode was probably the most shameful in the history of the British Raj. If nothing else, it completely undermined the imperialist argument that British rule protected the poor of India from the rich.

- Antony Beevor, "The Second World War", Phoenix Books (2013).

Thanks, interesting stuff.

2.5 million Indians fought for the Allies, in Burma, the Middle East, East Africa, North Africa and Italy.

In contrast INA - never had more than 40,000 men, mostly prisoners of war who probably didn't want to become Japanese bayonet practice

AndyJS

A reminder of the superbly designed Series D banknotes:

£50 - Wren:
http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/Pages/denom_guide/nonflash/50-seriesd.aspx

£20 - Shakespeare:
http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/Pages/denom_guide/nonflash/20-seriesd.aspx

£10 - Nightingale:
http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/Pages/denom_guide/nonflash/10-seriesd.aspx

£5 - Wellington:
http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/Pages/denom_guide/nonflash/5-seriesd.aspx

£1 - Newton:
http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/Pages/denom_guide/nonflash/1-seriesd.aspx

Sunil_Prasannan

foxinsoxuk said:

The British Indian Army was the largest volunteer army in history, and of course was a large part of the force fighting the INA in the Burmese war.

I am not suggesting that the majority of Indian people were sympathetic to Bose and the INA (though a good number probably were and Bose is still regarded as a hero in some Indian quarters). It was not unreasonable though of the British Indian government to withdraw potential boats and supplies in front of the anticipated Japanese led Invasion.

This was one of the factors in the famine, but there were many others, not least the disruption of Burmese rice exports to Bengal.

Sunil_Prasannan said:

foxinsoxuk said:

The famine arose from a perfect storm of events, of which the British Indian governments actions were one, but the famine was as much the fault of the Japanese and Bose's INA as of British policy.

AndyJS said:

Sunil_Prasannan said:

AndyJS said:

"Tony Benn 'admired' Chairman Mao, responsible for the deaths of millions. Why is this ignored?"
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/seanthomas/100264023/tony-benn-admired-chairman-mao-responsible-for-the-deaths-of-millions-why-is-this-ignored/

Sean posted that here last night.

I posted on here, in response:

Do you admire Churchill?

Was he responsible for 3 million deaths during the Bengal famine of 1943?



- Antony Beevor, "The Second World War", Phoenix Books (2013).

Thanks, interesting stuff.

2.5 million Indians fought for the Allies, in Burma, the Middle East, East Africa, North Africa and Italy.

In contrast INA - never had more than 40,000 men, mostly prisoners of war who probably didn't want to become Japanese bayonet practice

Madras to the south was a net exporter of rice, so could have made up for shortages had the Govt. in New Delhi got their act together, which I have to point out did happen when Wavell became Viceroy.

I'm being a little hyperbolic here, but I'm sure the Indian Army could have had not 2.5 million but 25 million volunteers had Hitler's opinions and plans for India he postulated in Mein Kampf had been more widely circulated among the population!