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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » The Shapps Tweet ad could be as damaging as Liam Byrne’s “t

SystemSystem Posts: 12,213
edited March 2014 in General

politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » The Shapps Tweet ad could be as damaging as Liam Byrne’s “there’s no money left” handover note

We all remember the famous Liam Byrne hand-over note in May 2010 telling his successor at the Treasury that there’s no money left. That struck home because it touched a widespread view of the LAB approach to public spending.

Read the full story here


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Comments

  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 78,406
    Mike you seem to be lurching from "The budget is a game changer" to "Shapps has dropped a patronising clanger that will ensure Ed Miliband PM."

    Surely the truth is somewhere in the middle ?
  • Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    A tweet reminding people of a Tax Cut will lose the election...

    You read it here first folks.
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,950
    Good afternoon, everyone.

    Computer, now with Windows 7, had some updates when I logged off and some reconfiguration when I turned back on. Fine, except that now popups (ads and sidebar 'related searches' now appear on politicalbetting, as well as the Diplomacy site and Youtube (and, I would guess, many others). Any suggestions for stopping this damned annoyance?

    Edited extra bit: I also turned off redirecting automatically to another page, which apparently Firefox blocked for this site when I refreshed just now.
  • OGH = owen jones

    you are having a laugh surely or a troll....
  • Not a problem. Working class Tories are generally too dim to perceive when they are being patronised.
  • AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 25,514
    LOL

    barrel scraping.

  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,821
    Has anyone actually come across anyone who felt patronised, as opposed to a Guardianista or Labour hack telling them they ought to feel patronised?
  • AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340
    Most people have never heard of Grant Shapps. Many people who have seen the tweet are wondering what the fuss is about. Most of those who are frotting themselves into a frenzy about the tweet would never have voted Conservative in a million years in the first place.

    As a final point, wouldn't "we" have been seen as more inauthentic than "they" is seen as patronising?
  • state_go_awaystate_go_away Posts: 5,818
    yes Bobafett it can happen elsewhere . I live in Nottingham and that atmosphere is there on a nice day in its parks (If Wollaton Park was in London you would have an orgasm)
  • JonathanDJonathanD Posts: 2,400
    Sounds like a Firefox issue. How does the internet look through IE or Chrome?

    Good afternoon, everyone.

    Computer, now with Windows 7, had some updates when I logged off and some reconfiguration when I turned back on. Fine, except that now popups (ads and sidebar 'related searches' now appear on politicalbetting, as well as the Diplomacy site and Youtube (and, I would guess, many others). Any suggestions for stopping this damned annoyance?

    Edited extra bit: I also turned off redirecting automatically to another page, which apparently Firefox blocked for this site when I refreshed just now.

  • glwglw Posts: 9,954
    "We all remember the famous Liam Byrne hand-over note in May 2010 telling his successor at the Treasury that there’s no money left."

    I suspect that most people do not remember that note. I wish that they did.
  • BobaFettBobaFett Posts: 2,789
    Mike has spoken.
  • Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453

    Has anyone actually come across anyone who felt patronised, as opposed to a Guardianista or Labour hack telling them they ought to feel patronised?

    No
  • BobaFettBobaFett Posts: 2,789
    Scott_P said:

    A tweet reminding people of a Tax Cut will lose the election...

    You read it here first folks.

    So what's you view of it ScottP? Have an opinion of your own.
  • AnorakAnorak Posts: 6,621
    antifrank said:

    Most people have never heard of Grant Shapps. Many people who have seen the tweet are wondering what the fuss is about. Most of those who are frotting themselves into a frenzy about the tweet would never have voted Conservative in a million years in the first place.

    As a final point, wouldn't "we" have been seen as more inauthentic than "they" is seen as patronising?

    Yes. Losing the whole sentence would have resulting in a reasonable eye-catching ad though.
  • BobaFettBobaFett Posts: 2,789
    Pulpstar said:

    Mike you seem to be lurching from "The budget is a game changer" to "Shapps has dropped a patronising clanger that will ensure Ed Miliband PM."

    Surely the truth is somewhere in the middle ?

    Ha ha. Fair play. Quite possibly neither will make any difference, or they'll just cancel each other out perhaps.
  • AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340
    BobaFett said:

    Scott_P said:

    A tweet reminding people of a Tax Cut will lose the election...

    You read it here first folks.

    So what's you view of it ScottP? Have an opinion of your own.
    Your consecutive posts are unintentionally amusing.
  • state_go_awaystate_go_away Posts: 5,818
    The poster actually gets a bit better the more you look at it . Really cannot see what the fuss about it is unless Labour have nothing else to criticise the budget for
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,950
    edited March 2014
    Mr. D, just trying IE now.

    It's weird, after using Firefox for so long, but no popups.

    I prefer Firefox... would uninstalling and reinstalling it be the way to go? Never tried Chrome.

    Edited extra bit: and thanks very much for your help, incidentally.
  • MarkSeniorMarkSenior Posts: 4,699
    Shapps has always been a liability to the Conservatives with his childish campaign tactics back to when he pretended he was a Lib Dem councillor from Greater Manchester at the Eakling Southall by election and his dubious Michael Green history .
    Good news though to hear he has Cameron's full support as this means he will stay in place damaging Conservative election prospects .
  • SimonStClareSimonStClare Posts: 7,976
    The Shapps Tweet ad could be as damaging as Liam Byrne’s “there’s no money left” handover note.


    On what planet..?
  • Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453

    Mr. D, just trying IE now.

    It's weird, after using Firefox for so long, but no popups.

    I prefer Firefox... would uninstalling and reinstalling it be the way to go?

    Er, have you turned on pop-up blocking in Firefox?
  • JohnOJohnO Posts: 4,291
    Fascinating to see if YouGov tonight and Populus tomorrow give any initial hints about the impact of the budget (although polls next week will be more reliable).
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,937
    Reinforces perceptions? You think there's equivalence here? That Labour trashed the economy and took a certain glee in pointing that out, reinforcing they are a bunch of political shits who should be banned from public office for life. Versus a bit of faux outrage from the very same shits, assuming that people they purport to speak on behalf of will be outraged (without asking them - a grossly patronising act in its own right).

    Hmmm..... I'll wait until a new thread comes along. Preferably with some polling on the budget. And bingo.
  • Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453

    The Shapps Tweet ad could be as damaging as Liam Byrne’s “there’s no money left” handover note.


    On what planet..?

    Planet Toynbee, ancestral home of the Illiberal Left Elite
  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,821
    We've discussed Mr Shapps before.

    Whilst he's not exactly my cup of tea, the idea that he is some kind of campaigning buffoon really doesn't stand up when you look at his electoral record, does it?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welwyn_Hatfield_(UK_Parliament_constituency)
  • Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    Old Etonian hires foreign nanny. When will these scandals stop?

    @SkyNewsRoyal: #royal #breaking Kensington Palace confirms Prince George's new nanny is Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo #royaltour
  • JonathanDJonathanD Posts: 2,400

    Mr. D, just trying IE now.

    It's weird, after using Firefox for so long, but no popups.

    I prefer Firefox... would uninstalling and reinstalling it be the way to go? Never tried Chrome.

    Edited extra bit: and thanks very much for your help, incidentally.

    Probably just a setting that has changed in Firefox on updating. Otherwise it could be a browser toolbar that was installed with another program and this would probably show up on the other browsers.

  • Sean_FSean_F Posts: 37,534

    Has anyone actually come across anyone who felt patronised, as opposed to a Guardianista or Labour hack telling them they ought to feel patronised?

    It's one of those "rows" that's a non-issue.

  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,821
    Scott_P said:

    Old Etonian hires foreign nanny. When will these scandals stop?

    @SkyNewsRoyal: #royal #breaking Kensington Palace confirms Prince George's new nanny is Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo #royaltour

    A Hapsburg, I trust?
  • tpfkartpfkar Posts: 1,565
    Terrible mistake.

    Not just because of the impression that the Tories are above you and I, but they've seriously let Labour off the hook. Team Ed were floundering yesterday and getting criticism from all sides for their obvious floundering on the economy. But thanks to Grant the narrative has changed and Labour have an angle. Could well be career-ending for him.
  • state_go_awaystate_go_away Posts: 5,818
    The only mistake the Tories could make with that poster now is to somehow believe the faux outrage from Islington and start to say sorry for it . they should defend it and force a debate on who exactly is patronising when it comes to the main parties
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 52,121
    edited March 2014
    Dear Mr Byrne.

    I'm afraid there is no beer.

    kind regards -
    and good luck!

    Grant
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,950
    edited March 2014
    Mr. P, I checked and the box to block them on Firefox hasn't been unchecked.

    Mr. D, ah, I hope you're right. I could really do without losing my computer so soon after having regained it.

    Edited extra bit: that said, the Privacy Report appearing every time I click on a new link is frustrating. I'll have to find out how to axe that.
  • SouthamObserverSouthamObserver Posts: 39,668
    The Tories need the Labour vote to drop below 35%. They are not going to achieve that by reinforcing views that the Labour-inclined have of them.
  • woody662woody662 Posts: 255
    I find this strange. When I first heard about it I thought Oh no and all that but the more I look at it, the more it seems a lot of nonsense. no one seriously thinks any Mp's play bingo so putting we would also lead to derision. The fact that something so petty is being seized on shows the budget itself must have been pretty effective.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 52,121
    tpfkar said:

    Terrible mistake.

    Not just because of the impression that the Tories are above you and I,.

    Er, "above you and me"!
  • AnorakAnorak Posts: 6,621
    Scott_P said:

    Mr. D, just trying IE now.

    It's weird, after using Firefox for so long, but no popups.

    I prefer Firefox... would uninstalling and reinstalling it be the way to go?

    Er, have you turned on pop-up blocking in Firefox?
    I can recommend the FEBE add-on if you're going to reinstall. Stores all your add-ons and/or preferences. New install, install FEBE, retrieve FEBE back-up, job done.
  • JackWJackW Posts: 14,787
    woody662 said:

    I find this strange. When I first heard about it I thought Oh no and all that but the more I look at it, the more it seems a lot of nonsense. no one seriously thinks any Mp's play bingo so putting we would also lead to derision. The fact that something so petty is being seized on shows the budget itself must have been pretty effective.

    Woody .. Woody .. Woody .. Oi .. Oi .. Oi

    Just saying ....

  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,950
    That said, it does seem to randomly log me out of pb.com.
  • CD13CD13 Posts: 6,366

    A patronising tweet ... copied by the Sun, so that proves it?

    A bit of fluff that will irritate some left wing voters but affect nothing.


  • IanotIanot Posts: 1
    Grant Shapps is well known, Always on TV. This poster is like them and us idea. Very out of touch, which they are anyway.
  • SouthamObserverSouthamObserver Posts: 39,668
    Is anyone actually outraged? I think it is rather amusing as it reinforces so many perceptions about the Tories. Obviously, Tory types and leaners will not see this as they do not regard the Tories in the same way as anti-Tories do.
  • OblitusSumMeOblitusSumMe Posts: 9,143
    antifrank said:

    As a final point, wouldn't "we" have been seen as more inauthentic than "they" is seen as patronising?

    I'm struggling to see what form of wording would have been superior to that used.

    They could have used "you", perhaps, but that doesn't sit well with the card-playing spirits drinkers who wouldn't be seen in a bingo hall.

    It's a bit absurd from Labour too. On the one hand they complain when Osborne cuts taxes just for his mates (the 50p rate), but now that they are cutting taxes that affect more people they are complaining that the Tories are being patronising when they boast about tax cuts that don't particularly benefit ex-members of the Bullingdon Club.
  • AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340
    I don't think the latest Political Observatory column has been posted:

    http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/pollingobservatory/100264582/despite-the-budget-a-small-labour-victory-or-a-hung-parliament-are-still-on-the-cards/

    As usual, a lot of careful observation mixed with some hazy thinking that betrays the writers' own allegiances. The airy dismissal of a substantial closing of the gap between the parties in the last month is telling (and the fact that most of the closing is owing to Labour's falling support rather than Conservative rising support is also important).
  • BobaFettBobaFett Posts: 2,789

    Dear Mr Byrne.

    I'm afraid there is no beer.

    kind regards -
    and good luck!

    Grant

    Bingo!
  • BobaFettBobaFett Posts: 2,789

    Scott_P said:

    Old Etonian hires foreign nanny. When will these scandals stop?

    @SkyNewsRoyal: #royal #breaking Kensington Palace confirms Prince George's new nanny is Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo #royaltour

    A Hapsburg, I trust?
    Is this nanny "available"? :-)
  • AnorakAnorak Posts: 6,621
    Off topic. Who knew that adultery is still a crime if you're in the US military?!

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-26669965
  • The Tories need the Labour vote to drop below 35%. They are not going to achieve that by reinforcing views that the Labour-inclined have of them.

    I understand from my wife that it's caused much upset on Mumsnet - don't laugh, they're a militant bunch of rather middle class people, exactly who the Tories need to vote for them.

    This story is patronising well off people can't understand why the patronised take offence at being patronised. As we raised repeatedly yesterday the budget does literally nothing for the ppeople who can't save where the day to day budget is their concern not retirement. It's a far bigger pool of people than PB Tories with their heads stuck into the paper economy with its paper recovery want to recognise. What the budget did for them was give cash that would make a massive difference to them now to people who aren't struggling to make a difference in the future. Then the poster says cheer up here's a penny off your pint.

    Someone patronisingly said "few people will have seen this" - it's a damn sight more than saw the Byrne letter - it's the media commentators and politicians who made it bigger. This poster has the same commentators talking and went viral.

  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,950
    Trying Chrome now. So far it lacks the stupid popups of Firefox and the odd Privacy Report of IE. I might stick with this.

    Thanks, Mr. D. I am not a tech-savvy sort of person and thought a bad download effort (I wanted to regain Paint.net which I use for map-making) had infected the computer, though a full virus scan found nothing.
  • BobaFettBobaFett Posts: 2,789
    antifrank said:

    Most people have never heard of Grant Shapps. Many people who have seen the tweet are wondering what the fuss is about. Most of those who are frotting themselves into a frenzy about the tweet would never have voted Conservative in a million years in the first place.

    As a final point, wouldn't "we" have been seen as more inauthentic than "they" is seen as patronising?

    Why not just not bother? Do something else.
  • JonathanDJonathanD Posts: 2,400
    edited March 2014

    Trying Chrome now. So far it lacks the stupid popups of Firefox and the odd Privacy Report of IE. I might stick with this.

    Thanks, Mr. D. I am not a tech-savvy sort of person and thought a bad download effort (I wanted to regain Paint.net which I use for map-making) had infected the computer, though a full virus scan found nothing.


    Its frustratingly easy to download a free piece of software which has some non-virus but still annoying addons that mess up your browser. They don't do any harm and will not be detected by your virus checker but they can be irritating,
  • BobaFettBobaFett Posts: 2,789

    The Tories need the Labour vote to drop below 35%. They are not going to achieve that by reinforcing views that the Labour-inclined have of them.

    I understand from my wife that it's caused much upset on Mumsnet - don't laugh, they're a militant bunch of rather middle class people, exactly who the Tories need to vote for them.

    This story is patronising well off people can't understand why the patronised take offence at being patronised. As we raised repeatedly yesterday the budget does literally nothing for the ppeople who can't save where the day to day budget is their concern not retirement. It's a far bigger pool of people than PB Tories with their heads stuck into the paper economy with its paper recovery want to recognise. What the budget did for them was give cash that would make a massive difference to them now to people who aren't struggling to make a difference in the future. Then the poster says cheer up here's a penny off your pint.

    Someone patronisingly said "few people will have seen this" - it's a damn sight more than saw the Byrne letter - it's the media commentators and politicians who made it bigger. This poster has the same commentators talking and went viral.

    It's trivial story but what many of our rightwing friends on here don't seem to grasp (or don't want to grasp) is that it is powerful because it simply confirms stereotypes about Tories. It also has the added value of being easy to grasp and "sell", unlike an admittedly clever and wise policy on annuities, for which Ozzy deserves credit.

    If I were Ozzy I would be effing furious with Schapps for going off on one and ruining my big day.

  • SouthamObserverSouthamObserver Posts: 39,668

    The Tories need the Labour vote to drop below 35%. They are not going to achieve that by reinforcing views that the Labour-inclined have of them.

    I understand from my wife that it's caused much upset on Mumsnet - don't laugh, they're a militant bunch of rather middle class people, exactly who the Tories need to vote for them.

    This story is patronising well off people can't understand why the patronised take offence at being patronised. As we raised repeatedly yesterday the budget does literally nothing for the ppeople who can't save where the day to day budget is their concern not retirement. It's a far bigger pool of people than PB Tories with their heads stuck into the paper economy with its paper recovery want to recognise. What the budget did for them was give cash that would make a massive difference to them now to people who aren't struggling to make a difference in the future. Then the poster says cheer up here's a penny off your pint.

    Someone patronisingly said "few people will have seen this" - it's a damn sight more than saw the Byrne letter - it's the media commentators and politicians who made it bigger. This poster has the same commentators talking and went viral.

    It's case of two sets of world views not having any idea of how the other side sees things. If the Tories want the Labour-inclined to take another look at them, they really should avoid reinforcing preconceptions that the Labour-inclined have about Tories. It's not brain surgery, it's politics 101 I'd have thought - especially when there was so much other stuff that Shapps could have highlighted.
  • TheWatcherTheWatcher Posts: 5,262
    So the Left's main line of attack on the budget, is to go for a silly Tweet from Shapps?

    That says it all - Ed's pieces of paper remain blank.
  • taffystaffys Posts: 9,753
    ''What the budget did for them was give cash that would make a massive difference to them now to people who aren't struggling to make a difference in the future.''

    That is completely wrong. The pensions measures are fiscally neutral, they are only helping pensions savers in the private sector to control their own money. Indeed, the treasury calculates it will make tax payers money.

    The money that was thrown around went to prospective parents (childcare tax breaks) and the low paid (threshold increases).
  • compouter2compouter2 Posts: 2,371
    O/T...err as I was saying. First BLUE ON BLUE and now #LETTHEMEATBINGO. Compouter 2 induced articles a.o.t.s.
  • AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340

    The Tories need the Labour vote to drop below 35%. They are not going to achieve that by reinforcing views that the Labour-inclined have of them.

    I understand from my wife that it's caused much upset on Mumsnet - don't laugh, they're a militant bunch of rather middle class people, exactly who the Tories need to vote for them.

    This story is patronising well off people can't understand why the patronised take offence at being patronised. As we raised repeatedly yesterday the budget does literally nothing for the ppeople who can't save where the day to day budget is their concern not retirement. It's a far bigger pool of people than PB Tories with their heads stuck into the paper economy with its paper recovery want to recognise. What the budget did for them was give cash that would make a massive difference to them now to people who aren't struggling to make a difference in the future. Then the poster says cheer up here's a penny off your pint.

    Someone patronisingly said "few people will have seen this" - it's a damn sight more than saw the Byrne letter - it's the media commentators and politicians who made it bigger. This poster has the same commentators talking and went viral.

    It's case of two sets of world views not having any idea of how the other side sees things. If the Tories want the Labour-inclined to take another look at them, they really should avoid reinforcing preconceptions that the Labour-inclined have about Tories. It's not brain surgery, it's politics 101 I'd have thought - especially when there was so much other stuff that Shapps could have highlighted.
    Conversely, I don't think the Labour hard core on here have the least idea of how trivial focusing on this makes them look in the eyes of others.
  • BobaFettBobaFett Posts: 2,789

    So the Left's main line of attack on the budget, is to go for a silly Tweet from Shapps?

    That says it all - Ed's pieces of paper remain blank.

    Erm, the Budget is a govt announcement. Are you suggesting that the Opposition should produce an alternative Budget?
  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,821
    edited March 2014

    It's case of two sets of world views not having any idea of how the other side sees things. If the Tories want the Labour-inclined to take another look at them, they really should avoid reinforcing preconceptions that the Labour-inclined have about Tories. It's not brain surgery, it's politics 101 I'd have thought - especially when there was so much other stuff that Shapps could have highlighted.

    OK, where's the evidence? Not from the Guardian, Mumsnet, the BBC, or the Labour Party - i.e metropolitan Guardianistas whose entire worldview is that everything is by definition proof of how awful the Tories are, or, if it's not, can hopefully be twisted to make it look as though it is - but where is the evidence that a single normal person on this planet has even noticed this, let alone been patronised by it?
  • TheWatcherTheWatcher Posts: 5,262
    BobaFett said:

    So the Left's main line of attack on the budget, is to go for a silly Tweet from Shapps?

    That says it all - Ed's pieces of paper remain blank.

    Erm, the Budget is a govt announcement. Are you suggesting that the Opposition should produce an alternative Budget?
    I'd expect them to come up with a bit more than an attack on a Tweet, Bob.

  • SouthamObserverSouthamObserver Posts: 39,668
    antifrank said:

    The Tories need the Labour vote to drop below 35%. They are not going to achieve that by reinforcing views that the Labour-inclined have of them.

    I understand from my wife that it's caused much upset on Mumsnet - don't laugh, they're a militant bunch of rather middle class people, exactly who the Tories need to vote for them.

    This story is patronising well off people can't understand why the patronised take offence at being patronised. As we raised repeatedly yesterday the budget does literally nothing for the ppeople who can't save where the day to day budget is their concern not retirement. It's a far bigger pool of people than PB Tories with their heads stuck into the paper economy with its paper recovery want to recognise. What the budget did for them was give cash that would make a massive difference to them now to people who aren't struggling to make a difference in the future. Then the poster says cheer up here's a penny off your pint.

    Someone patronisingly said "few people will have seen this" - it's a damn sight more than saw the Byrne letter - it's the media commentators and politicians who made it bigger. This poster has the same commentators talking and went viral.

    It's case of two sets of world views not having any idea of how the other side sees things. If the Tories want the Labour-inclined to take another look at them, they really should avoid reinforcing preconceptions that the Labour-inclined have about Tories. It's not brain surgery, it's politics 101 I'd have thought - especially when there was so much other stuff that Shapps could have highlighted.
    Conversely, I don't think the Labour hard core on here have the least idea of how trivial focusing on this makes them look in the eyes of others.

    I am not sure anyone is focusing on it. It has been commented on. A lot of other stuff seems to have been discussed as well. I spent most of yesterday and a fair bit of today when on here praising Osborne for his savings and pensions reforms, for example.

  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 78,406
    Next week's polls will tell us if the budget has moved voters.

  • SouthamObserverSouthamObserver Posts: 39,668

    It's case of two sets of world views not having any idea of how the other side sees things. If the Tories want the Labour-inclined to take another look at them, they really should avoid reinforcing preconceptions that the Labour-inclined have about Tories. It's not brain surgery, it's politics 101 I'd have thought - especially when there was so much other stuff that Shapps could have highlighted.

    OK, where's the evidence? Not from the Guardian, Mumsnet, the BBC, or the Labour Party - i.e metropolitan Guardianistas whose entire worldview is that everything is by definition proof of how awful the Tories are, or, if it's not, can hopefully be twisted to make it look as though it is - but where is the evidence that a single normal person on this planet has even noticed this, let alone been patronised by it?

    I have no idea. I am not claiming anyone does feel patronised. I think most people find it amusing.

  • CD13CD13 Posts: 6,366
    As an old git, I'd be happy to be patronised and given any sort of tax cut. We're patronised all the time anyway.

    I think you'll find that posh Labour people patronise their voters all the too. Ed ... the "I understand your pain" type of speech is fairly common.
  • john_zimsjohn_zims Posts: 3,399
    @MarkSenior

    'Good news though to hear he has Cameron's full support as this means he will stay in place damaging Conservative election prospects '

    Surely he can't compete with Rennard?
  • taffystaffys Posts: 9,753
    Compouter 2 induced articles a.o.t.s.

    Apparently labour is going to support the tories' total benefits bill cap. Hope you;re going to be keeping us posted on the labour civil war that one's going to cause.
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,950
    Mr. D, thanks, that's reassuring to know, and I think I'll stick with Chrome for the time being.

    I don't know whether to be impressed or disturbed that, despite having downloaded it just now, Chrome 'remembers' the sites I visited on Firefox.
  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,821

    I have no idea. I am not claiming anyone does feel patronised. I think most people find it amusing.

    True, the fact that Labour have nothing whatsoever to say about a hugely significant Budget, but are busy retweeting to each other a harmless and lighthearted ad, is quite amusing.
  • RodCrosbyRodCrosby Posts: 7,737
    FPT

    "Abney Park Cemetery in the mist..."

    On a dark and blustery day one January I visited Abney Park Cemetery in search of my great-great-great grandfather's grave, one Isaac Rockingham.

    I vaguely knew that most of his nine children had predeceased him in their teens, twenties or early thirties. His daughter, my gg-grandmother had died in 1877 aged 29 of Diabetes.

    Armed with a map of the cemetery, I went in search of the grave. Unsuccessfully to begin with.... An hour or so later I realised that the stone must be there somewhere but was surrounded by trees and decades of undergrowth.

    Returning with a pair of garden-shears, I hacked away for 10 minutes until I hit something solid. Scraping away masses of vine-like material hanging from a nearby tree and stuck to the stone, the monument gradually began to reveal itself.

    It was getting dark now, starting to rain and I was worried that I was about to be locked in the cemetery for the night! I was certain I was the only living person left in the place. A whistle blew. Busily I struggled to complete my task.

    The names started to become legible. All the children were in the grave with the parents. Moving downwards towards the sodden earth, there was another inscription which I could not make out. The stone had sunk somewhat into the ground over the 130 odd years... Using the shears I dug a small channel into the earth to get to the submerged words.

    Slowly, letter by letter, I deciphered a piece of mid-Victorian poetry.

    "We knew not 'twas consumption, so gently did it steal.
    'Till suddenly the crimson tide our darling's doom revealed...."


    Needless to say I did not dawdle while heading for the gate.

  • compouter2compouter2 Posts: 2,371
    There seems to be quite a bit of PB Hodge flouncing going on over the reaction to #LetThemEatBingo. I hope Tory HQ have taken all this negative PR better. Even the Express is getting stuck in:

    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/465877/Express-readers-react-to-Grant-Shapps-Bingo-and-Beer-Twitter-ad-posted-after-the-Budget
  • compouter2compouter2 Posts: 2,371
    Express Bev says "Patronising... Ridiculous.. Most hardworking ppl aren't worrying or thinking about beer or bingo.. They are wondering how to pay rising energy costs.. Rising food costs.. Etc etc."
  • CD13CD13 Posts: 6,366
    The only problem with the tweet is that it invites comparison with the treatment given to the richer taxpayers. We get one penny off a pint. they get a 5p in the pound tax rebate - possibly thousands of pounds a year.

    Yes, I know that last year but Labour won't be talking about this year's budget.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 43,337

    It's case of two sets of world views not having any idea of how the other side sees things. If the Tories want the Labour-inclined to take another look at them, they really should avoid reinforcing preconceptions that the Labour-inclined have about Tories. It's not brain surgery, it's politics 101 I'd have thought - especially when there was so much other stuff that Shapps could have highlighted.

    OK, where's the evidence? Not from the Guardian, Mumsnet, the BBC, or the Labour Party - i.e metropolitan Guardianistas whose entire worldview is that everything is by definition proof of how awful the Tories are, or, if it's not, can hopefully be twisted to make it look as though it is - but where is the evidence that a single normal person on this planet has even noticed this, let alone been patronised by it?
    I wouldn't be too sure yet if I were you. The story (if at least in some cases along the lines of Shapps in Twitter bunfight) is certainly on the websites of such weel-kent metro leftie newspapers as the Mirror, Metro, Express, and DT. Nothing that I can see in the Scottish papers yet, but I don't suppose the Daily Record will be inclined to hold back after publishing what they did last year (not that I support their recommendation in any way) -

    http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/john-niven-whacking-grant-shapps-2277557
  • compouter2compouter2 Posts: 2,371
    Express Derek is a bit miffed also: the advert is in keeping with the Budget as a whole, which he described as "a very condescending attempt to try to appeal to vast swathes of 'what the Tories believe' constitutes the non-Tory voter, in the hope that they will jump and be thankful at the scraps the Government is throwing to the country and vote them back in when the GE [General Election] comes around in 2015.

    "It compounds the narrative that the Conservatives have little knowledge about how people live in modern Britain."
  • john_zimsjohn_zims Posts: 3,399
    @compouter2

    Have Labour got anything to say about the budget,or just thrown in the towel and reverted to blank piece of paper mode?
  • murali_smurali_s Posts: 3,067
    Though Ed M's performance was pretty poor yesterday, the Tories still face an uphill battle to win the next election - the best they can realistically hope for is more of the same - a coalition with the LDs.

    The Tories have a habbit of letting the loons out when least required - e.g. Grant Schapps yesterday, Aidan Burley at the Olympics. PS - What's happened to the bigot Burley? - haven't heard much from him recently...

    Despite what the PB Tories say on here (and we know how wrong they can be when it comes to predictions) and all things being equal (Scotland referendum), Ed Milliband is likely to be our next PM (secured through a small Labour majority).


  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 43,337
    RodCrosby said:

    FPT

    "Abney Park Cemetery in the mist..."

    On a dark and blustery day one January I visited Abney Park Cemetery in search of my great-great-great grandfather's grave, one Isaac Rockingham.

    I vaguely knew that most of his nine children had predeceased him in their teens, twenties or early thirties. His daughter, my gg-grandmother had died in 1877 aged 29 of Diabetes.

    Armed with a map of the cemetery, I went in search of the grave. Unsuccessfully to begin with.... An hour or so later I realised that the stone must be there somewhere but was surrounded by trees and decades of undergrowth.

    Returning with a pair of garden-shears, I hacked away for 10 minutes until I hit something solid. Scraping away masses of vine-like material hanging from a nearby tree and stuck to the stone, the monument gradually began to reveal itself.

    It was getting dark now, starting to rain and I was worried that I was about to be locked in the cemetery for the night! I was certain I was the only living person left in the place. A whistle blew. Busily I struggled to complete my task.

    The names started to become legible. All the children were in the grave with the parents. Moving downwards towards the sodden earth, there was another inscription which I could not make out. The stone had sunk somewhat into the ground over the 130 odd years... Using the shears I dug a small channel into the earth to get to the submerged words.

    Slowly, letter by letter, I deciphered a piece of mid-Victorian poetry.

    "We knew not 'twas consumption, so gently did it steal.
    'Till suddenly the crimson tide our darling's doom revealed...."


    Needless to say I did not dawdle while heading for the gate.

    Thank you!

  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,821

    Express Derek is a bit miffed also: the advert is in keeping with the Budget as a whole, which he described as "a very condescending attempt to try to appeal to vast swathes of 'what the Tories believe' constitutes the non-Tory voter, in the hope that they will jump and be thankful at the scraps the Government is throwing to the country and vote them back in when the GE [General Election] comes around in 2015.

    "It compounds the narrative that the Conservatives have little knowledge about how people live in modern Britain."

    Well done, Labour Party members. They got the email.

    In the annals of political trivia, I'm struggling to think of a sillier story.

  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 54,014
    edited March 2014
    I am trying really hard to get excited about this. Is this it?

    twitter.com/grantshapps/status/446363611972534272/photo/1

    Is this what people are getting excited about?

    "Cutting the bingo tax and beer duty
    helping hardworking people do more of the things they enjoy. "

    I mean, it's not exactly Shakespeare but really. What is the problem exactly?

    How is this patronising of anyone? It's a bit silly when you are talking about 1p off a £4.00 pint, I'll give you that but patronising? Just don't see it.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,460
    It's an utterly ridiculous reaction that shows how content- and policy-free Labour really are.

    Ed Miliband's speech yesterday was not a reply to the budget - I'm not sure a single announcement was reacted to. It was a simple and dreary meme: "The Tories are horrible and nasty." This 'reaction' is just an extension of that.

    And sadly, so many people on here fall for it. It says nothing about the Tories, but a lot about the shallowness of the people who buy into it.

    It's doubly laughable because, as shown on here passim, Labour is the real nasty party. From McBride to McAlpine through Mitchell.

    Labour are nasty at their core. If the rest of the apple is rotten, it's because of that core.
  • taffystaffys Posts: 9,753
    Express Bev says

    Something else to complain about, good. What will us serial curmudgeons think of to moan about next?
  • compouter2compouter2 Posts: 2,371
    I think Grant Shapps must now have just a small inkling what single mothers/immigrants/muslims/benefit claimants/unemployed/state workers get most weeks.....The Express readers outrage.

    One more for good measure:

    Express John :"Using the word 'They' instead of 'We' is clearly setting a line between 'us' and 'them' and shows clearly that the Tories believe themselves to be above the common man and that the class system is still very much in order.

    "It's condescending, patronising and downright disrespectful"
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,950
    Mr. T, a journalist asked Cameron about this as he was about to enter a meeting to discuss further EU sanctions against Russia due to the Crimean situation. That's a special approach to journalistic priorities.
  • tpfkartpfkar Posts: 1,565

    tpfkar said:

    Terrible mistake.

    Not just because of the impression that the Tories are above you and I,.

    Er, "above you and me"!
    Big like the budget really. If all you can do is moan at the grammar, the basic point must be ok :)
  • Sean_FSean_F Posts: 37,534
    murali_s said:

    Though Ed M's performance was pretty poor yesterday, the Tories still face an uphill battle to win the next election - the best they can realistically hope for is more of the same - a coalition with the LDs.

    The Tories have a habbit of letting the loons out when least required - e.g. Grant Schapps yesterday, Aidan Burley at the Olympics. PS - What's happened to the bigot Burley? - haven't heard much from him recently...

    Despite what the PB Tories say on here (and we know how wrong they can be when it comes to predictions) and all things being equal (Scotland referendum), Ed Milliband is likely to be our next PM (secured through a small Labour majority).


    I think there's a lot of wishful thinking in that post.

  • compouter2compouter2 Posts: 2,371

    Mr. T, a journalist asked Cameron about this as he was about to enter a meeting to discuss further EU sanctions against Russia due to the Crimean situation. That's a special approach to journalistic priorities.

    LOL!!!
  • Sean_FSean_F Posts: 37,534

    Express Derek is a bit miffed also: the advert is in keeping with the Budget as a whole, which he described as "a very condescending attempt to try to appeal to vast swathes of 'what the Tories believe' constitutes the non-Tory voter, in the hope that they will jump and be thankful at the scraps the Government is throwing to the country and vote them back in when the GE [General Election] comes around in 2015.

    "It compounds the narrative that the Conservatives have little knowledge about how people live in modern Britain."

    Well done, Labour Party members. They got the email.

    In the annals of political trivia, I'm struggling to think of a sillier story.

    Yes, it's a nothing,

  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,821
    Meanwhile, let us remind ourselves about what millions of ordinary people have seen about the budget:

    http://www.thepaperboy.com/uk/front-pages.cfm
  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,033

    I think Grant Shapps must now have just a small inkling what single mothers/immigrants/muslims/benefit claimants/unemployed/state workers get most weeks.....The Express readers outrage.

    One more for good measure:

    Express John :"Using the word 'They' instead of 'We' is clearly setting a line between 'us' and 'them' and shows clearly that the Tories believe themselves to be above the common man and that the class system is still very much in order.

    "It's condescending, patronising and downright disrespectful"

    If the same poster had used 'we' as opposed to 'they', the argument would be about how fake he was being.
  • CopperSulphateCopperSulphate Posts: 1,119
    The Tories could give the poor a million quid each and Twitter would be busy screaming and shouting about the colour of Cameron's tie or some other spurious crap.
  • john_zimsjohn_zims Posts: 3,399
    @DavidL

    'I mean, it's not exactly Shakespeare but really. What is the problem exactly?'

    The problem is that Labour has nothing to say about the budget,plus Ed's crap speech yesterday,hence an attempt at a diversion.
  • It's case of two sets of world views not having any idea of how the other side sees things. If the Tories want the Labour-inclined to take another look at them, they really should avoid reinforcing preconceptions that the Labour-inclined have about Tories. It's not brain surgery, it's politics 101 I'd have thought - especially when there was so much other stuff that Shapps could have highlighted.

    OK, where's the evidence? Not from the Guardian, Mumsnet, the BBC, or the Labour Party - i.e metropolitan Guardianistas whose entire worldview is that everything is by definition proof of how awful the Tories are, or, if it's not, can hopefully be twisted to make it look as though it is - but where is the evidence that a single normal person on this planet has even noticed this, let alone been patronised by it?
    *Giggle* So in patronising all of the women on Mumsnet you are demonstrating that no one is being patronised?

    Had no idea you wrote the poster....

  • MrJonesMrJones Posts: 3,523
    The Guardianista twitterati are projecting their own hatreds again but given their dominance in the telly media that might have some effect. I don't think the actual poster itself would bother the people it was directed at assuming it was directed at Lab voters. If it was directed at what Con think working class Ukip voters are about then they don't get it at all but we knew that already.
  • TGOHFTGOHF Posts: 21,633
    john_zims said:

    @DavidL

    'I mean, it's not exactly Shakespeare but really. What is the problem exactly?'

    The problem is that Labour has nothing to say about the budget,plus Ed's crap speech yesterday,hence an attempt at a diversion.

    Lefties never let an "offended" bus pass by without leaping on.

    Basically they have polls and class war keeping them warm at night. Gawd help them when the polls swing back.
  • J3ffT0ddJ3ffT0dd Posts: 1
    What is more patronising; the tweet or the fact that the BBC/Sky/libs/labs/etc expect me to be offended?
    I see more self-appointed martyrs ready to take offence on some-one else's behalf.
    It shows the dearth of talent/gumption/brains in the media and, more worryingly, our political class that this is what now counts as sharp analysis of a budget.
  • CopperSulphateCopperSulphate Posts: 1,119

    Express Derek is a bit miffed also: the advert is in keeping with the Budget as a whole, which he described as "a very condescending attempt to try to appeal to vast swathes of 'what the Tories believe' constitutes the non-Tory voter, in the hope that they will jump and be thankful at the scraps the Government is throwing to the country and vote them back in when the GE [General Election] comes around in 2015.

    "It compounds the narrative that the Conservatives have little knowledge about how people live in modern Britain."

    Well done, Labour Party members. They got the email.

    In the annals of political trivia, I'm struggling to think of a sillier story.

    I agree this should be the case, but remember when they increased the tax threshold massively and 99% of the headlines were about when the last time Cameron ate a pasty.
  • taffystaffys Posts: 9,753
    Had no idea you wrote the poster....

    Given a much higher priority on mumsnet are the childcare tax break proposals being offered by the government. There's a long article about what people can get.

  • compouter2compouter2 Posts: 2,371
    Quite funny last night on Sky Paper review. As the PR debacle was gathering pace late on, SKY did a bit about #LetTheEatBingo. The Scum reporter/editor, realising it was bad PR for their party tried to play it down by saying that it was not the biggest part of the budget and not the most eyecatching, to which the other paper reviewer said, then why did you make it number one in the points about the budget on the front page and centred your front page headline around it. Cue stoney faced Scum reporter/editor.
  • Richard_NabaviRichard_Nabavi Posts: 30,821
    edited March 2014

    *Giggle* So in patronising all of the women on Mumsnet you are demonstrating that no one is being patronised?

    Well, I wouldn't dare patronise the ferocious ladies of Mumsnet, but I think I can very confidently say that drinking beer and enjoying a night of bingo are not terribly well represented in the list of their lesiure activities. It's more a Carluccio's demographic, isn't it?
This discussion has been closed.