So far as I can see pretty much all the Electoral Commission has achieved in its 13 years is to preside over a monumental increase in postal voting fraud and to take a legal case against UKIP some years back that would have bankrupted us on a technicality had the Supreme Court not overturned a ruling in the nick of time.
Hi all. Have returned home from a pre assessment of removal of cataracts in my left eye; My right eye was done in January. I will have this op on June 5th.
Now to business. To say that UKIP is talking only about immigration is nonsense. The Lab/Lib/Con artist may want you to think so but it's not true. Even for the Euros we are talking about jobs and defence and trade.
For the Local elections we are discussing a lot more. For example below is the UKIP manifesto for Richmond and Twickenham in London. Have a butchers; theres a lot more than immigration mentioned there:
Those Richmond Kippers seem a bit off-messsage - surely Kippers don't go for all that green crap? 'Hydro-electric power generation at Teddington lock'?? Did they lift that from the Greens?
A protest party has to offer policies that will appeal to their local protesters.
It worked well for the LDs for many years...
Whereas Dennis Skinner and Tony Blair always ran on very similar messages.
No, he has a very, very short memory, which doesn't seem to go back as far as the sustained attack and misrepresentation over Maria Miller, let alone Peter Cruddas.
The press may deal with individuals unfairly in certain situations (though I'm not going to get into the Maria Miller debate again). But it has never been so unfair to an entire party as it has to UKIP. Seriously, give me one example from any of the three big parties' election campaigns over the last twenty years where the BBC's main coverage of it has just been about a gotcha question for their leader.
We will find out how effective this victimisation has been next week. If UKIP do top the poll, things won't be quite the same again. I expect the attacks to get more hysterical as the big day approaches, a bit like how it was for Boris in 2008.
Incidentally, I still haven't decided how I'm going to vote. xI like to think I'm more contemplative rather than fickle - here's my post FPT:
"Dan Hodges writes about Labour "with tribal loyalty and without reservation" and goes on to say in this blog that the interview has "effectively ended Nigel Farage's political career".
No it hasn't, but it might box him in, if he's not careful. IMHO, UKIP had a chance to clean up at these euros and poll 33-35%. I think they've gone too hard, heavy and fast over the last few weeks and that's turned people off. Farage has allowed himself to get provoked as well. If he wants to win big he needs to make these points whilst sounding reasonable, measured and positive - and above all 'in control'.
I *still* haven't decided who to vote for, but I have felt myself wobble over the last few days. I wonder if a few Home Counties Tories will wobble back to Conservative over the next week, despite the crass stupidity of useful idiots like D'Ancona. It'll be mitigated though by early postal votes in my opinion.
I still can see a photo-finish between UKIP, Lab and Con. UKIP @25%, Lab@23% and Con at 21.5%.".
Mr. Putney, posted the other day about perhaps writing a couple of lazy musing on spreadbetting in F1 at the halfway and three-quarters stages of the season (on my own blog, of course). Wouldn't include tips. What d'you think?
Morris - I've just seen your post about F1 spreadbetting. I'm not sure how you would write on this subject without at least trying to highlight value if not actually giving tips, which I certainly wouldn't recommend.
With a couple of firms having withrawn from Sports spreadbetting over recent years, the market is now very much centred around Sporting Index who offer F1 markets based on the entire season and on the next Grand Prix, in this case Monaco of course. Here's the link to the relevant section of their website: http://www.sportingindex.com/spread-betting/motor-racing/formula-1
Hi all. Have returned home from a pre assessment of removal of cataracts in my left eye; My right eye was done in January. I will have this op on June 5th.
Now to business. To say that UKIP is talking only about immigration is nonsense. The Lab/Lib/Con artist may want you to think so but it's not true. Even for the Euros we are talking about jobs and defence and trade.
For the Local elections we are discussing a lot more. For example below is the UKIP manifesto for Richmond and Twickenham in London. Have a butchers; theres a lot more than immigration mentioned there:
Those Richmond Kippers seem a bit off-messsage - surely Kippers don't go for all that green crap? 'Hydro-electric power generation at Teddington lock'?? Did they lift that from the Greens?
A protest party has to offer policies that will appeal to their local protesters.
It worked well for the LDs for many years...
Whereas Dennis Skinner and Tony Blair always ran on very similar messages.
To be fair, everyone knows Skinner is going to do his own thing, including everyone in his constituency. There's no sense of deceit, as there is with the LDs.
So far as I can see pretty much all the Electoral Commission has achieved in its 13 years is to preside over a monumental increase in postal voting fraud and to take a legal case against UKIP some years back that would have bankrupted us on a technicality had the Supreme Court not overturned a ruling in the nick of time.
Hi all. Have returned home from a pre assessment of removal of cataracts in my left eye; My right eye was done in January. I will have this op on June 5th.
Now to business. To say that UKIP is talking only about immigration is nonsense. The Lab/Lib/Con artist may want you to think so but it's not true. Even for the Euros we are talking about jobs and defence and trade.
For the Local elections we are discussing a lot more. For example below is the UKIP manifesto for Richmond and Twickenham in London. Have a butchers; theres a lot more than immigration mentioned there:
Those Richmond Kippers seem a bit off-messsage - surely Kippers don't go for all that green crap? 'Hydro-electric power generation at Teddington lock'?? Did they lift that from the Greens?
A protest party has to offer policies that will appeal to their local protesters.
It worked well for the LDs for many years...
Whereas Dennis Skinner and Tony Blair always ran on very similar messages.
To be fair, everyone knows Skinner is going to do his own thing, including everyone in his constituency. There's no sense of deceit, as there is with the LDs.
To be fair Dennis Skinner was an example when I could have gone with a number of Labour left-wingers. Or compared Ken Clarke to Dan Hannan etc (or gone back a bit to famous party divisions)
All the parties are umbrella organisations, claiming a greater split in the Lib Dems, or a sense of deceit is nonsense.
No, he has a very, very short memory, which doesn't seem to go back as far as the sustained attack and misrepresentation over Maria Miller, let alone Peter Cruddas.
The press may deal with individuals unfairly in certain situations (though I'm not going to get into the Maria Miller debate again). But it has never been so unfair to an entire party as it has to UKIP. Seriously, give me one example from any of the three big parties' election campaigns over the last twenty years where the BBC's main coverage of it has just been about a gotcha question for their leader.
We will find out how effective this victimisation has been next week. If UKIP do top the poll, things won't be quite the same again. I expect the attacks to get more hysterical as the big day approaches, a bit like how it was for Boris in 2008.
Incidentally, I still haven't decided how I'm going to vote. xI like to think I'm more contemplative rather than fickle - here's my post FPT:
"Dan Hodges writes about Labour "with tribal loyalty and without reservation" and goes on to say in this blog that the interview has "effectively ended Nigel Farage's political career".
No it hasn't, but it might box him in, if he's not careful. IMHO, UKIP had a chance to clean up at these euros and poll 33-35%. I think they've gone too hard, heavy and fast over the last few weeks and that's turned people off. Farage has allowed himself to get provoked as well. If he wants to win big he needs to make these points whilst sounding reasonable, measured and positive - and above all 'in control'.
I *still* haven't decided who to vote for, but I have felt myself wobble over the last few days. I wonder if a few Home Counties Tories will wobble back to Conservative over the next week, despite the crass stupidity of useful idiots like D'Ancona. It'll be mitigated though by early postal votes in my opinion.
I still can see a photo-finish between UKIP, Lab and Con. UKIP @25%, Lab@23% and Con at 21.5%.".
The other day Mr Smithson did a header reminding us that half the votes had probably already been cast by post. UKIP has had some good poll leads over the Conservatives, less so over Labour.
Re: EU elections next week. I'm still a seller on Labour at 26%. They have been absolutely nowhere in this election. All the talk is off how the coalition parties will fair against UKIP (which has become the opposition party for the purposes of the euros) and a bit on the Green insurgency.
Miliband has nothing to say, has barely tried to leaflet for it, and his content is very poor: he has nothing to offer on the EU, which is why his literature is full of unrelated platitudes on 'the cost of living'.
Over my dead body will they get 25%+. And, yes, you can quote me on that a week Sunday.
On that note, I must go and meet my wife - I should have "been there" 2 minutes ago, and am at least 10 minutes away.
One aspect of the Nigel Farage’s LBC interview today which will get less coverage than his comments about immigration and race concerns the company he keeps when he is the Brussels Parliament. This receives little scrutiny, because people in the UK are not much interested in what happens over there.
Only if you've never met any people for whom English is not their first language.
To go back to the anecdote you so swiftly discounted, the Mum speaks Swedish to their daughter as a first choice, the father speaks Portugese, they speak to each other in English and the kid replies in whatever language she feels like.
I would be surprised if Mrs Farage did NOT speak German to her kids.
I once had a candlelit dinner in Copenhagen with a 40 year old second generation Latvian emigrée. She was a woman of great elegance and beauty, born and brought up on the West Coast of America. She was then at the height of her notoriety for having an adulterous affair with the Latvian Minister of Finance. Her daytime job was to be consulted on the structure and regulation of Latvia's emergent commercial banking sector.
It was one of the oddest business dinners in my life. She first tried to pressurise me into agreeing with her proposals by suggesting that she had had an intimate relationship with my boss. Later, after much wine had passed, she confessed that her attraction to the country of her parent's birth was that one can only enjoy the intimacy of an orgasm in one's mother tongue.
So, if her account is to be believed, the true test of an interlingual marriage is which language is used, in delicto, for pillow talk.
A sensible entry point to a debate on immigration is no doubt challenging. Where UKIP IMO suffers is that they are not (yet) saying we want to do this on health, that on defence, something else on transport and the following on immigration.
They are saying IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION...
And hence the similarity between UKIP those other two parties. Who knew or knows what the BNP policy on corporation tax is? The problem UKIP faces is that they seem obsessed. Everything Farage said in that interview was fine IMO - he answered the questions but he didn't address (and O'Brien didn't press) the central theme - UKIP has become a natural home for those who see immigration as their overriding concern. Their only concern perhaps. That is the danger.
And, for the nth time, having been in principle a supporter of UKIP's right to have the immigration (and EU) debate, looking at their current campaign leaflets really shocked me. It put them big style on the wrong side of the line between debate and dog whistle ugly politics.
And for the (n+1)th time it is why I am keen that they move on and broaden their approach to other pressing political matters.
Because if they don't then the suspicion will remain that they quite like that association. You cannot produce an election leaflet and conduct a campaign which only mentions immigration and then wonder why everyone screams racist. Today you just can't.
I understand the distinctions you make between BNP/UKIP but really Sam, do you think the bulk of the electorate get the nuances?
"They are saying IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION..."
It's been the number two public concern for what - 6-8 years?
The LibLabCon support unlimited mass immigration and are colluding together to shut the debate down.
Hi all. Have returned home from a pre assessment of removal of cataracts in my left eye; My right eye was done in January. I will have this op on June 5th.
Now to business. To say that UKIP is talking only about immigration is nonsense. The Lab/Lib/Con artist may want you to think so but it's not true. Even for the Euros we are talking about jobs and defence and trade.
For the Local elections we are discussing a lot more. For example below is the UKIP manifesto for Richmond and Twickenham in London. Have a butchers; theres a lot more than immigration mentioned there:
Those Richmond Kippers seem a bit off-messsage - surely Kippers don't go for all that green crap? 'Hydro-electric power generation at Teddington lock'?? Did they lift that from the Greens?
A protest party has to offer policies that will appeal to their local protesters.
It worked well for the LDs for many years...
Whereas Dennis Skinner and Tony Blair always ran on very similar messages.
To be fair, everyone knows Skinner is going to do his own thing, including everyone in his constituency. There's no sense of deceit, as there is with the LDs.
To be fair Dennis Skinner was an example when I could have gone with a number of Labour left-wingers. Or compared Ken Clarke to Dan Hannan etc (or gone back a bit to famous party divisions)
All the parties are umbrella organisations, claiming a greater split in the Lib Dems, or a sense of deceit is nonsense.
I'd disagree. The Lib Dems have given a home to a rainbow selection of colourful individuals. This includes their politics as well as their personalities. Laws could happily be a Tory; Farron could happily run for Labour. And let's not start on Lembit or Norman Baker...
One aspect of the Nigel Farage’s LBC interview today which will get less coverage than his comments about immigration and race concerns the company he keeps when he is the Brussels Parliament. This receives little scrutiny, because people in the UK are not much interested in what happens over there.
Hmm describing an apologist for a fairly obvious sociopathic spree-killer as having a "reasonable, balanced point of view" really does seem odd to say the least.
YouGov @YouGov 2m Peter Kellner: facts from 1979 and 1997 don't justify optimism that Ed Miliband's position is stronger than it seems http://y-g.co/1lqvBUs
Hi all. Have returned home from a pre assessment of removal of cataracts in my left eye; My right eye was done in January. I will have this op on June 5th.
Now to business. To say that UKIP is talking only about immigration is nonsense. The Lab/Lib/Con artist may want you to think so but it's not true. Even for the Euros we are talking about jobs and defence and trade.
For the Local elections we are discussing a lot more. For example below is the UKIP manifesto for Richmond and Twickenham in London. Have a butchers; theres a lot more than immigration mentioned there:
Those Richmond Kippers seem a bit off-messsage - surely Kippers don't go for all that green crap? 'Hydro-electric power generation at Teddington lock'?? Did they lift that from the Greens?
A protest party has to offer policies that will appeal to their local protesters.
It worked well for the LDs for many years...
Whereas Dennis Skinner and Tony Blair always ran on very similar messages.
To be fair, everyone knows Skinner is going to do his own thing, including everyone in his constituency. There's no sense of deceit, as there is with the LDs.
To be fair Dennis Skinner was an example when I could have gone with a number of Labour left-wingers. Or compared Ken Clarke to Dan Hannan etc (or gone back a bit to famous party divisions)
All the parties are umbrella organisations, claiming a greater split in the Lib Dems, or a sense of deceit is nonsense.
I'd disagree. The Lib Dems have given a home to a rainbow selection of colourful individuals. This includes their politics as well as their personalities. Laws could happily be a Tory; Farron could happily run for Labour. And let's not start on Lembit or Norman Baker...
Hi all. Have returned home from a pre assessment of removal of cataracts in my left eye; My right eye was done in January. I will have this op on June 5th.
Now to business. To say that UKIP is talking only about immigration is nonsense. The Lab/Lib/Con artist may want you to think so but it's not true. Even for the Euros we are talking about jobs and defence and trade.
For the Local elections we are discussing a lot more. For example below is the UKIP manifesto for Richmond and Twickenham in London. Have a butchers; theres a lot more than immigration mentioned there:
Those Richmond Kippers seem a bit off-messsage - surely Kippers don't go for all that green crap? 'Hydro-electric power generation at Teddington lock'?? Did they lift that from the Greens?
A protest party has to offer policies that will appeal to their local protesters.
It worked well for the LDs for many years...
Whereas Dennis Skinner and Tony Blair always ran on very similar messages.
To be fair, everyone knows Skinner is going to do his own thing, including everyone in his constituency. There's no sense of deceit, as there is with the LDs.
To be fair Dennis Skinner was an example when I could have gone with a number of Labour left-wingers. Or compared Ken Clarke to Dan Hannan etc (or gone back a bit to famous party divisions)
All the parties are umbrella organisations, claiming a greater split in the Lib Dems, or a sense of deceit is nonsense.
I'd disagree. The Lib Dems have given a home to a rainbow selection of colorful individuals. This includes their politics as well as their personalities. Laws could happily be a Tory; Farron could happily run for Labour. And let's not start on Lembit or Norman Baker...
The Lib Dems are two parties with two traditions, the only thing that broadly united them was anti-Toryism. Hence they were going to be screwed whatever they'd done in 2010. Propping up Labour might have been less damaging losing maybe a third rather than a half their support but keeping a spent government in office wasn't going to be a goer even if the maths had worked.
Hi all. Have returned home from a pre assessment of removal of cataracts in my left eye; My right eye was done in January. I will have this op on June 5th.
Now to business. To say that UKIP is talking only about immigration is nonsense. The Lab/Lib/Con artist may want you to think so but it's not true. Even for the Euros we are talking about jobs and defence and trade.
For the Local elections we are discussing a lot more. For example below is the UKIP manifesto for Richmond and Twickenham in London. Have a butchers; theres a lot more than immigration mentioned there:
Those Richmond Kippers seem a bit off-messsage - surely Kippers don't go for all that green crap? 'Hydro-electric power generation at Teddington lock'?? Did they lift that from the Greens?
A protest party has to offer policies that will appeal to their local protesters.
It worked well for the LDs for many years...
Whereas Dennis Skinner and Tony Blair always ran on very similar messages.
To be fair, everyone knows Skinner is going to do his own thing, including everyone in his constituency. There's no sense of deceit, as there is with the LDs.
To be fair Dennis Skinner was an example when I could have gone with a number of Labour left-wingers. Or compared Ken Clarke to Dan Hannan etc (or gone back a bit to famous party divisions)
All the parties are umbrella organisations, claiming a greater split in the Lib Dems, or a sense of deceit is nonsense.
I'd disagree. The Lib Dems have given a home to a rainbow selection of colorful individuals. This includes their politics as well as their personalities. Laws could happily be a Tory; Farron could happily run for Labour. And let's not start on Lembit or Norman Baker...
Sure the parties overlap, but you could just as easily give example of Labour or Tories who could be a Lib Dem as the reverse (or point to members who went from Tory to Labour etc).
Frank Field, Quentin Davies, list can easily go on.
(And underlying all this of course is the common complaint that MPs are now too beholden to the party line).
Chuka has got enemies because he allowed himself to be portrayed as the British Obama with not a shred of evidence for his talent or any achievements. It means that he is always going to under achieve, he should have worked out at the start that it would be an albatross.
Sure. It's entirely possible that's the explanation. Who was the MP that shanghai-ed Obama into having a carpark meeting? Lammy?
It's unfortunate that colour or gender will potentially impact on a potential future PMs path to office. Those seeking a negative about this are no more guilty than those seeking a positive.
Hi all. Have returned home from a pre assessment of removal of cataracts in my left eye; My right eye was done in January. I will have this op on June 5th.
Now to business. To say that UKIP is talking only about immigration is nonsense. The Lab/Lib/Con artist may want you to think so but it's not true. Even for the Euros we are talking about jobs and defence and trade.
For the Local elections we are discussing a lot more. For example below is the UKIP manifesto for Richmond and Twickenham in London. Have a butchers; theres a lot more than immigration mentioned there:
Those Richmond Kippers seem a bit off-messsage - surely Kippers don't go for all that green crap? 'Hydro-electric power generation at Teddington lock'?? Did they lift that from the Greens?
A protest party has to offer policies that will appeal to their local protesters.
It worked well for the LDs for many years...
Whereas Dennis Skinner and Tony Blair always ran on very similar messages.
To be fair, everyone knows Skinner is going to do his own thing, including everyone in his constituency. There's no sense of deceit, as there is with the LDs.
To be fair Dennis Skinner was an example when I could have gone with a number of Labour left-wingers. Or compared Ken Clarke to Dan Hannan etc (or gone back a bit to famous party divisions)
All the parties are umbrella organisations, claiming a greater split in the Lib Dems, or a sense of deceit is nonsense.
I'd disagree. The Lib Dems have given a home to a rainbow selection of colourful individuals. This includes their politics as well as their personalities. Laws could happily be a Tory; Farron could happily run for Labour. And let's not start on Lembit or Norman Baker...
Who could Mark Oaten run for ?
Don't know his politics well enough to say. However, I am rather amazed to see he is now executive of the International Fur Trade Federation, if wiki is to be believed! Seems to run counter to the fervently-held views of the majority of Lib Dems. Even the cold ones.
A sensible entry point to a debate on immigration is no doubt challenging. Where UKIP IMO suffers is that they are not (yet) saying we want to do this on health, that on defence, something else on transport and the following on immigration.
They are saying IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION...
And hence the similarity between UKIP those other two parties. Who knew or knows what the BNP policy on corporation tax is? The problem UKIP faces is that they seem obsessed. Everything Farage said in that interview was fine IMO - he answered the questions but he didn't address (and O'Brien didn't press) the central theme - UKIP has become a natural home for those who see immigration as their overriding concern. Their only concern perhaps. That is the danger.
And, for the nth time, having been in principle a supporter of UKIP's right to have the immigration (and EU) debate, looking at their current campaign leaflets really shocked me. It put them big style on the wrong side of the line between debate and dog whistle ugly politics.
And for the (n+1)th time it is why I am keen that they move on and broaden their approach to other pressing political matters.
Because if they don't then the suspicion will remain that they quite like that association. You cannot produce an election leaflet and conduct a campaign which only mentions immigration and then wonder why everyone screams racist. Today you just can't.
I understand the distinctions you make between BNP/UKIP but really Sam, do you think the bulk of the electorate get the nuances?
"They are saying IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION..."
It's been the number two public concern for what - 6-8 years?
The LibLabCon support unlimited mass immigration and are colluding together to shut the debate down.
You are right, it is a concern to the British public (although far less of one on a personal/local basis - ie people in theory think it is an issue but don't think it is one as much where they happen to live).
And I am not saying there shouldn't be a debate. There should absolutely be a debate on immigration. And the EU.
I am saying that the UKIP campaign is ugly. It harks back to the worst days of the BNP and NF in its anti-immigrant message.
If you want to debate immigration in a "foreigners out" way then I don't think you will get the response you want. I agree with apols forgot who could have been Richard N previously who said words to the effect that the whole "EU" vs "non-EU" thing is in any case a smokescreen.
All of which is moot of course because the only way you Kippers (if you are one) are going to get any say whatsoever over EU immigration is by voting Tory in a years time but you seem determined not to do this.
A sensible entry point to a debate on immigration is no doubt challenging. Where UKIP IMO suffers is that they are not (yet) saying we want to do this on health, that on defence, something else on transport and the following on immigration.
They are saying IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION...
And hence the similarity between UKIP those other two parties. Who knew or knows what the BNP policy on corporation tax is? The problem UKIP faces is that they seem obsessed. Everything Farage said in that interview was fine IMO - he answered the questions but he didn't address (and O'Brien didn't press) the central theme - UKIP has become a natural home for those who see immigration as their overriding concern. Their only concern perhaps. That is the danger.
And, for the nth time, having been in principle a supporter of UKIP's right to have the immigration (and EU) debate, looking at their current campaign leaflets really shocked me. It put them big style on the wrong side of the line between debate and dog whistle ugly politics.
And for the (n+1)th time it is why I am keen that they move on and broaden their approach to other pressing political matters.
Because if they don't then the suspicion will remain that they quite like that association. You cannot produce an election leaflet and conduct a campaign which only mentions immigration and then wonder why everyone screams racist. Today you just can't.
I understand the distinctions you make between BNP/UKIP but really Sam, do you think the bulk of the electorate get the nuances?
"They are saying IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION..."
It's been the number two public concern for what - 6-8 years?
The LibLabCon support unlimited mass immigration and are colluding together to shut the debate down.
I agree with apols forgot who could have been Richard N previously who said words to the effect that the whole "EU" vs "non-EU" thing is in any case a smokescreen.
UKIP's objective is to leave the EU. Open-door immigration from EU member states is just a negative aspect of EU membership to highlight.
A sensible entry point to a debate on immigration is no doubt challenging. Where UKIP IMO suffers is that they are not (yet) saying we want to do this on health, that on defence, something else on transport and the following on immigration.
They are saying IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION...
And hence the similarity between UKIP those other two parties. Who knew or knows what the BNP policy on corporation tax is? The problem UKIP faces is that they seem obsessed. Everything Farage said in that interview was fine IMO - he answered the questions but he didn't address (and O'Brien didn't press) the central theme - UKIP has become a natural home for those who see immigration as their overriding concern. Their only concern perhaps. That is the danger.
And, for the nth time, having been in principle a supporter of UKIP's right to have the immigration (and EU) debate, looking at their current campaign leaflets really shocked me. It put them big style on the wrong side of the line between debate and dog whistle ugly politics.
You are right, it is a concern to the British public (although far less of one on a personal/local basis - ie people in theory think it is an issue but don't think it is one as much where they happen to live).
And I am not saying there shouldn't be a debate. There should absolutely be a debate on immigration. And the EU.
I am saying that the UKIP campaign is ugly. It harks back to the worst days of the BNP and NF in its anti-immigrant message.
If you want to debate immigration in a "foreigners out" way then I don't think you will get the response you want. I agree with apols forgot who could have been Richard N previously who said words to the effect that the whole "EU" vs "non-EU" thing is in any case a smokescreen.
All of which is moot of course because the only way you Kippers (if you are one) are going to get any say whatsoever over EU immigration is by voting Tory in a years time but you seem determined not to do this.
So the people who have had their wages depressed and seen their towns become crowded because of mass immigration of cheap labour from Eastern Europe, such as electricians, plumbers, builders and people living in Skegness and Boston are using EU immigration as a proxy for islamaphobia or anti black sentiment are they?
A sensible entry point to a debate on immigration is no doubt challenging. Where UKIP IMO suffers is that they are not (yet) saying we want to do this on health, that on defence, something else on transport and the following on immigration.
They are saying IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION...
And hence the similarity between UKIP those other two parties. Who knew or knows what the BNP policy on corporation tax is? The problem UKIP faces is that they seem obsessed. Everything Farage said in that interview was fine IMO - he answered the questions but he didn't address (and O'Brien didn't press) the central theme - UKIP has become a natural home for those who see immigration as their overriding concern. Their only concern perhaps. That is the danger.
And, for the nth time, having been in principle a supporter of UKIP's right to have the immigration (and EU) debate, looking at their current campaign leaflets really shocked me. It put them big style on the wrong side of the line between debate and dog whistle ugly politics.
And for the (n+1)th time it is why I am keen that they move on and broaden their approach to other pressing political matters.
Because if they don't then the suspicion will remain that they quite like that association. You cannot produce an election leaflet and conduct a campaign which only mentions immigration and then wonder why everyone screams racist. Today you just can't.
I understand the distinctions you make between BNP/UKIP but really Sam, do you think the bulk of the electorate get the nuances?
"They are saying IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION..."
It's been the number two public concern for what - 6-8 years?
The LibLabCon support unlimited mass immigration and are colluding together to shut the debate down.
I agree with apols forgot who could have been Richard N previously who said words to the effect that the whole "EU" vs "non-EU" thing is in any case a smokescreen.
UKIP's objective is to leave the EU. Open-door immigration from EU member states is just a negative aspect of EU membership to highlight.
Yes I get that but they are not unaware of the implicit message they send by focusing on immigration.
Although I appreciate that
"what do we want?"..."To end the working time directive."..."When do we want it..." etc
"They are saying IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION..."
It's been the number two public concern for what - 6-8 years?
The LibLabCon support unlimited mass immigration and are colluding together to shut the debate down.
You are right, it is a concern to the British public (although far less of one on a personal/local basis - ie people in theory think it is an issue but don't think it is one as much where they happen to live).
And I am not saying there shouldn't be a debate. There should absolutely be a debate on immigration. And the EU.
I am saying that the UKIP campaign is ugly. It harks back to the worst days of the BNP and NF in its anti-immigrant message.
If you want to debate immigration in a "foreigners out" way then I don't think you will get the response you want. I agree with apols forgot who could have been Richard N previously who said words to the effect that the whole "EU" vs "non-EU" thing is in any case a smokescreen.
All of which is moot of course because the only way you Kippers (if you are one) are going to get any say whatsoever over EU immigration is by voting Tory in a years time but you seem determined not to do this.
"You are right, it is a concern to the British public (although far less of one on a personal/local basis"
People move away.
"I am saying that the UKIP campaign is ugly."
Anyone saying anything against unlimited mass immigration in any way would be attacked in exactly the same way. Only the effectiveness of the attack would be different.
"If you want to debate immigration in a "foreigners out" way then I don't think you will get the response you want."
I agree with that. Even most of the people who have been most harmed by the political class' open borders policy react badly to any kind of rhetoric that blames immigrants collectively because they'll know individuals who are good guys. People opposed to unlimited mass immigration should focus **entirely** on the political class' betrayal.
You are right, it is a concern to the British public (although far less of one on a personal/local basis - ie people in theory think it is an issue but don't think it is one as much where they happen to live).
And I am not saying there shouldn't be a debate. There should absolutely be a debate on immigration. And the EU.
I am saying that the UKIP campaign is ugly. It harks back to the worst days of the BNP and NF in its anti-immigrant message.
If you want to debate immigration in a "foreigners out" way then I don't think you will get the response you want. I agree with apols forgot who could have been Richard N previously who said words to the effect that the whole "EU" vs "non-EU" thing is in any case a smokescreen.
All of which is moot of course because the only way you Kippers (if you are one) are going to get any say whatsoever over EU immigration is by voting Tory in a years time but you seem determined not to do this.
Except of course that is a smear once again from you Topping. UKIP are not debating in a "foreigners out" way. Indeed they have made it clear they do not believe anyone resident in the UK should leave. More importantly it is the Tories, Labour and Lib Dems who are behaving in a racist manner as they seem to think uncontrolled immigration from the EU is acceptable whilst immigration from the rest of the world should be controlled. The Tory policy on immigration is far more racist than anything UKIP have suggested.
"Having been repeatedly asked what the difference is between having German people living nextdoor, or Romanians, he said, "you know what the difference is"."
"Having been repeatedly asked what the difference is between having German people living nextdoor, or Romanians, he said, "you know what the difference is"."
"Having been repeatedly asked what the difference is between having GermanRomanians living nextdoor, or RomaniansRomani, he said, "you know what the difference is"."
You are right, it is a concern to the British public (although far less of one on a personal/local basis - ie people in theory think it is an issue but don't think it is one as much where they happen to live).
And I am not saying there shouldn't be a debate. There should absolutely be a debate on immigration. And the EU.
I am saying that the UKIP campaign is ugly. It harks back to the worst days of the BNP and NF in its anti-immigrant message.
If you want to debate immigration in a "foreigners out" way then I don't think you will get the response you want. I agree with apols forgot who could have been Richard N previously who said words to the effect that the whole "EU" vs "non-EU" thing is in any case a smokescreen.
All of which is moot of course because the only way you Kippers (if you are one) are going to get any say whatsoever over EU immigration is by voting Tory in a years time but you seem determined not to do this.
Except of course that is a smear once again from you Topping. UKIP are not debating in a "foreigners out" way. Indeed they have made it clear they do not believe anyone resident in the UK should leave. More importantly it is the Tories, Labour and Lib Dems who are behaving in a racist manner as they seem to think uncontrolled immigration from the EU is acceptable whilst immigration from the rest of the world should be controlled. The Tory policy on immigration is far more racist than anything UKIP have suggested.
"in a foreigners out way" doesn't equal saying "foreigners out". See the difference?
Probably not I realise.
The UK signed up to become part of a european community. They did this many years ago and it is right that there should be a debate about the nature of that relationship now.
But for the moment that relationship dictates that EU member citizens get special rights over non-EU member citizens.
"Having been repeatedly asked what the difference is between having German people living nextdoor, or Romanians, he said, "you know what the difference is"."
into explicit meaning yet?
Well if you watch the video and dont understand what he means youre not as bright as you make out
or maybe you are one of the smart arse lefties who pretends to not understand stuff in order to make a hilarious point?
@TGOHF "...MacDonald Fraser’s fascinating, unpublished account of how Flashman sprang to life.
“I had written what might be called an introductory chapter about this boozy old veteran pouring out his soul on Mafeking Night to some anonymous listener; I think, but I’m not sure, that I called the veteran Flashman, having in mind Thomas Hughes’s character. Anyway, I discarded the introduction, which wasn’t good, and it has probably been destroyed, unless it’s in a trunk somewhere,” MacDonald Fraser wrote in the unpublished account
“‘How did you get the idea?’ is a question I have been asked ad nauseam, and the answer is that I don’t know. I read Tom Brown’s Schooldays as a child, and possibly on later occasions; I found Flashman the most striking character in the book, and suspect that Hughes did, too – and probably wrote Flashman out of the story because he realised that, if he didn’t, the deplorable lout would take over the book."
“Possibly it was simply boyhood recollection that prompted it. I certainly don’t remember thinking, ‘Flashman – eureka!’ Anyway, somewhere around April ’66, when I was 41 years old, I sat down to write Flashman, working in the kitchen after I came home from work in the small hours.”
“I began where Hughes had left off, in the style of a memoir; since I knew from internal evidence in Tom Brown the date of Flashman’s expulsion from Rugby, and, since I had determined that he was the kind of rotter whose career was bound to lie in the army, various plot points suggested themselves at once – Lord Cardigan, the First Afghan War, etc. But I had no idea, when I started, of any coherent storyline: Flashman would be a cad and a coward, but I would just plunge ahead and see where my imagination took me.”
One aspect of the Nigel Farage’s LBC interview today which will get less coverage than his comments about immigration and race concerns the company he keeps when he is the Brussels Parliament. This receives little scrutiny, because people in the UK are not much interested in what happens over there.
Hmm describing an apologist for a fairly obvious sociopathic spree-killer as having a "reasonable, balanced point of view" really does seem odd to say the least.
And??
The European Parliament is full of freakshows who wouldn't last a day subject to British media scrutiny.
For example. Daniel Cohn Bendit. He is a self confessed pedophile, who has written about his erotic encounters with five year olds.
He is officially allied in the European Parliament with the SNP, Plaid Cymru, and the Greens. I have yet to hear Alex Salmond or Caroline Lucas being vigorously questioned as to why they are officially united with Strasbourg's very own Jimmy Savile.
Go through the lists of people linked with Labour and you will find serious ex-communists with very dodgy views. Etc.
Again, Farage is correct, and his detractors are wrong.
It's unbelievable that this scumbag is considered acceptable by left wing groups in Germany.
We just need to accept that there are some seriously nasty politicians across mainland Europe that would never get elected in the UK. We evidently have much widespread standards of decency when it comes to these things.
"Having been repeatedly asked what the difference is between having German people living nextdoor, or Romanians, he said, "you know what the difference is"."
into explicit meaning yet?
Depends how many people have personal experience of houses like this and how many of them housed 12-50 Germans.
"Having been repeatedly asked what the difference is between having German people living nextdoor, or Romanians, he said, "you know what the difference is"."
into explicit meaning yet?
Well if you watch the video and dont understand what he means youre not as bright as you make out
or maybe you are one of the smart arse lefties who pretends to not understand stuff in order to make a hilarious point?
I'm fumbling around on mobile internet, so I've read the article but don't want to try and get the video to load on this (rather outdated) phone.
(I wasn't sure how bright I make myself out to be, still I'm now on the joys of wifi, so will be able to enjoy the interview in full).
YouGov @YouGov 2m Peter Kellner: facts from 1979 and 1997 don't justify optimism that Ed Miliband's position is stronger than it seems http://y-g.co/1lqvBUs
While we're talking about extreme views, this is another man that wouldn't be electable in the UK. I still don't understand why left-wing outlets continue to accept him though:
"The kuffar, the disbelievers, the atheists who remain deaf and stubborn to the teachings of Islam, the rational message of the Koran; they are described in the Koran as “a people of no intelligence”, Allah describes them as not of no morality, not as people of no belief – people of “no intelligence” – because they’re incapable of the intellectual effort it requires to shake off those blind prejudices."
"Having been repeatedly asked what the difference is between having German people living nextdoor, or Romanians, he said, "you know what the difference is"."
into explicit meaning yet?
Well if you watch the video and dont understand what he means youre not as bright as you make out
or maybe you are one of the smart arse lefties who pretends to not understand stuff in order to make a hilarious point?
I'm fumbling around on mobile internet, so I've read the article but don't want to try and get the video to load on this (rather outdated) phone.
Sorry for being rude there, uncalled for really.
He was asked why he said he wouldnt want to live necxt door to Romanians..
He said that he didnt say that, but he would feel a bit uncomforable if a group of Romanian men moved in next door..
The interviewer said "whats the difference between a group of Romanian men next door and German children"
Farage said that the collapse of communism had left to a lot of people being very poor and being trafficked over here etc from poor countries
Mind you maybe there are lots of people who find it desirable to have groups of Romanian men moving in next door, and some people may think it neither here nor there. It takes all sorts
YouGov @YouGov 2m Peter Kellner: facts from 1979 and 1997 don't justify optimism that Ed Miliband's position is stronger than it seems http://y-g.co/1lqvBUs
While we're talking about extreme views, this is another man that wouldn't be electable in the UK. I still don't understand why left-wing outlets continue to accept him though:
"The kuffar, the disbelievers, the atheists who remain deaf and stubborn to the teachings of Islam, the rational message of the Koran; they are described in the Koran as “a people of no intelligence”, Allah describes them as not of no morality, not as people of no belief – people of “no intelligence” – because they’re incapable of the intellectual effort it requires to shake off those blind prejudices."
I am so not insulted or offended by that its untrue.. and it is aimed at non muslims like me.
Thats why I find it hard to understand why people get so offended by views of obvious idiots/extremists, just let it go.
"Having been repeatedly asked what the difference is between having German people living nextdoor, or Romanians, he said, "you know what the difference is"."
into explicit meaning yet?
Well if you watch the video and dont understand what he means youre not as bright as you make out
or maybe you are one of the smart arse lefties who pretends to not understand stuff in order to make a hilarious point?
I'm fumbling around on mobile internet, so I've read the article but don't want to try and get the video to load on this (rather outdated) phone.
Sorry for being rude there, uncalled for really.
All is forgiven.
Wales has a much simpler immigration policy, if you're any good at rugby then you're Welsh enough to play for the national team.
The England cricket team tried to copy that model for a while, then got too lax on the requirement to be good at cricket.
"in a foreigners out way" doesn't equal saying "foreigners out". See the difference?
Probably not I realise.
The UK signed up to become part of a european community. They did this many years ago and it is right that there should be a debate about the nature of that relationship now.
But for the moment that relationship dictates that EU member citizens get special rights over non-EU member citizens.
And I and many others believe that is wrong. Immigration into a country should be based on what one can contribute to the host country irrespective of where one comes from or what race or nationality one has (with a provision made for refugees).
We currently have a system that says that some people, by dint of being 'European', can come and go freely irrespective of their contribution to Britain. Others, including many who could make huge contributions, are not allowed in or have severe restrictions placed upon them simply because they are not from within the EU.
This is patently stupid and harms our country. It leads to the idiocy of Cameron placing restrictions on Chinese or Indian students to compensate for the fact he can do nothing about economic migrants from the EU.
It is impossible to have a reasonable, fair and productive immigration and asylum policy that is widely accepted by the majority of the population as long as a huge part of the migration is completely uncontrolled and effectively biased against non Europeans.
I would find it very hard to believe in a British /German marriage that German is not spoken at all in the household. I would also find it strange and a bit pedantic if this was the case.
Attitudes vary. My (trilingual) mother was Russian-born and indeed taught my father Russian to translator standard when his company was taken over and he had to find a new career in his 50s. But she absolutely refused to use it in everyday conversation at home, believing that there were too many kids who spoke a messy mixture of languages and seeing I was in Britain I should grow up in English, full stop. I think she was mistaken (kids can pick up dual languages), but it's a point of view that some take.
It's a tenuous point anyway, unless UKIP were to propose to make intercultural marriage illegal. There are good reasons not to vote UKIP, such as that their policies make no coherent sense, but the language spoken by Mrs Farage isn't one of them. Sometimes our politics just gets silly.
On the interview technique of constantly interrupting and asking new questions before the old one is answered etc. I think the short-term effect is it magnifies both sets of partisans and shifts the neutrals slightly towards the person being attacked.
However in the longer-term I wonder if what is more important is the dominance play i.e. the person doing the interrupting is acting dominant. That might make the person being attacked more sympathetic but that isn't necessarily what's wanted in a leader so imo any politician being interviewed like that should warn that if they're not allowed to answer the question without being interrupted then they'll walk out and if the warning isn't heeded just walk out.
That puerile Labour PEB is being shown on Channel 4 in Scotland. I thought they might have ditched it by now but clearly they are intent on coming a poor 3rd next week. Incidentally did they mention Europe or the European elections in it?
Council candidate John Lyndon Sullivan wrote online: 'I rather wonder if we shot one "poofter" (GBLT whatevers), whether the next 99 would decide on balance, that they weren't after-all? We might then conclude that it's not a matter of genetics, but rather more a matter of education.'
Council candidate John Lyndon Sullivan wrote online: 'I rather wonder if we shot one "poofter" (GBLT whatevers), whether the next 99 would decide on balance, that they weren't after-all? We might then conclude that it's not a matter of genetics, but rather more a matter of education.'
Are you going to add to your post to make clear that Sullivan is not a council candidate this year and that this was all over the news a year ago prior to him failing to get elected?
Meanwhile homophobic Tory councillor Ken Gregory is still a Tory councillor in spite of his police caution.
Council candidate John Lyndon Sullivan wrote online: 'I rather wonder if we shot one "poofter" (GBLT whatevers), whether the next 99 would decide on balance, that they weren't after-all? We might then conclude that it's not a matter of genetics, but rather more a matter of education.'
Yeah that was from Feb 2013
He was a candidate in Newent last May and came 2nd
Although James O'Brien said on LBC today he was an elected UKIP councillor
Farage asked if he wasnt just a candidate
O Brien confirmed "He is a councillor, what are you going to do with him?"
Council candidate John Lyndon Sullivan wrote online: 'I rather wonder if we shot one "poofter" (GBLT whatevers), whether the next 99 would decide on balance, that they weren't after-all? We might then conclude that it's not a matter of genetics, but rather more a matter of education.'
Are you going to add to your post to make clear that Sullivan is not a council candidate this year and that this was all over the news a year ago prior to him failing to get elected?
Meanwhile homophobic Tory councillor Ken Gregory is still a Tory councillor in spite of his police caution.
Richard
I am far more interested in the prejudice than the detail!
What you are doing is equivalent to pointing out the age of Vanessa Paradis singing "Joe le Taxi". Some details need to remain unknown.
"The Obama administration is bracing for the potential of a violent backlash against U.S. military personnel, diplomats and even allied governments when a declassified version of a Senate report on Bush-era interrogation policies is released in the next few months, according to court filings and American officials."
Council candidate John Lyndon Sullivan wrote online: 'I rather wonder if we shot one "poofter" (GBLT whatevers), whether the next 99 would decide on balance, that they weren't after-all? We might then conclude that it's not a matter of genetics, but rather more a matter of education.'
McCarthyism, "the practice of making unfair allegations or using unfair investigative techniques, especially in order to restrict dissent or political criticism."
I'm not sure about this. "Ttwo hours of free parking for all residents during Friday prayers, respect religious beliefs when making planning decisions, and oppose further betting shops in Newham" all seem like perfectly acceptable policies. On the other hand, courting a particular sect (in the "sectarian" sense) clearly can go too far... I think the line might be whether a policy is for the disproportionate exclusion of other groups, but I'm interested what others think.
Council candidate John Lyndon Sullivan wrote online: 'I rather wonder if we shot one "poofter" (GBLT whatevers), whether the next 99 would decide on balance, that they weren't after-all? We might then conclude that it's not a matter of genetics, but rather more a matter of education.'
Are you going to add to your post to make clear that Sullivan is not a council candidate this year and that this was all over the news a year ago prior to him failing to get elected?
Meanwhile homophobic Tory councillor Ken Gregory is still a Tory councillor in spite of his police caution.
Richard
I am far more interested in the prejudice than the detail!
What you are doing is equivalent to pointing out the age of Vanessa Paradis singing "Joe le Taxi". Some details need to remain unknown.
Shame. Following your last 'mistake' when you were forced to apologise after making unfair and defamatory claims against an MEP candidate I had thought you might have learned your lesson. It seems you have not and are only interested in the smear no matter what the actual facts.
Notable as well that you are only interested in the prejudice when it is displayed by former UKIP council candidates not current Tory councillors.
"These Eastern Europeans - where are they all coming from?"
Used to know a chap who was reknowned for such self-answering questions. "What's in this meat and potato pie?" sticks in the mind.
If they don't specify the meat you probably don't want to know.
"Meat and potato pie" is very much a Yorkshire delicacy. When I ventured to question which particular "meat" was involved in its preparation I was openly rebuked for having such bare-faced cheek to ask.
"These Eastern Europeans - where are they all coming from?"
Used to know a chap who was reknowned for such self-answering questions. "What's in this meat and potato pie?" sticks in the mind.
If they don't specify the meat you probably don't want to know.
"Meat and potato pie" is very much a Yorkshire delicacy. When I ventured to question which particular "meat" was involved in its preparation I was openly rebuked for having such bare-faced cheek to ask.
I would find it very hard to believe in a British /German marriage that German is not spoken at all in the household. I would also find it strange and a bit pedantic if this was the case.
Attitudes vary. My (trilingual) mother was Russian-born and indeed taught my father Russian to translator standard when his company was taken over and he had to find a new career in his 50s. But she absolutely refused to use it in everyday conversation at home, believing that there were too many kids who spoke a messy mixture of languages and seeing I was in Britain I should grow up in English, full stop. I think she was mistaken (kids can pick up dual languages), but it's a point of view that some take.
It's a tenuous point anyway, unless UKIP were to propose to make intercultural marriage illegal. There are good reasons not to vote UKIP, such as that their policies make no coherent sense, but the language spoken by Mrs Farage isn't one of them. Sometimes our politics just gets silly.
I would find it very hard to believe in a British /German marriage that German is not spoken at all in the household. I would also find it strange and a bit pedantic if this was the case.
Attitudes vary. My (trilingual) mother was Russian-born and indeed taught my father Russian to translator standard when his company was taken over and he had to find a new career in his 50s. But she absolutely refused to use it in everyday conversation at home, believing that there were too many kids who spoke a messy mixture of languages and seeing I was in Britain I should grow up in English, full stop. I think she was mistaken (kids can pick up dual languages), but it's a point of view that some take.
It's a tenuous point anyway, unless UKIP were to propose to make intercultural marriage illegal. There are good reasons not to vote UKIP, such as that their policies make no coherent sense, but the language spoken by Mrs Farage isn't one of them. Sometimes our politics just gets silly.
I'm not sure about this. "Ttwo hours of free parking for all residents during Friday prayers, respect religious beliefs when making planning decisions, and oppose further betting shops in Newham" all seem like perfectly acceptable policies. On the other hand, courting a particular sect (in the "sectarian" sense) clearly can go too far... I think the line might be whether a policy is for the disproportionate exclusion of other groups, but I'm interested what others think.
I'm uncomfortable with explicit appeals to one group of voters in this way. It looks and feels a touch divisive. I can understand why it's done and it is right that it's investigated. Having said all that I'm also uncomfortable with one party states but it wouldn't excuse inappropriate campaigning if it is determined that is what it is.
1. Does Axelrose know which Miliband he is working for?
Is this about the tweet 'he' sent to David? Sent from a spoof account with the surname 'Alexrod' (presumably a reference to the typo in the initial Labour announcement). Pretty funny though, given the real Axelrod misspelling Ed's second name on his real account.
Council candidate John Lyndon Sullivan wrote online: 'I rather wonder if we shot one "poofter" (GBLT whatevers), whether the next 99 would decide on balance, that they weren't after-all? We might then conclude that it's not a matter of genetics, but rather more a matter of education.'
Are you going to add to your post to make clear that Sullivan is not a council candidate this year and that this was all over the news a year ago prior to him failing to get elected?
Meanwhile homophobic Tory councillor Ken Gregory is still a Tory councillor in spite of his police caution.
Richard
I am far more interested in the prejudice than the detail!
What you are doing is equivalent to pointing out the age of Vanessa Paradis singing "Joe le Taxi". Some details need to remain unknown.
Shame. Following your last 'mistake' when you were forced to apologise after making unfair and defamatory claims against an MEP candidate I had thought you might have learned your lesson. It seems you have not and are only interested in the smear no matter what the actual facts.
Notable as well that you are only interested in the prejudice when it is displayed by former UKIP council candidates not current Tory councillors.
I think that goes one step beyond hypocrisy.
I am interested in the political battle, Richard.
This election is not being fought on the playing fields of Eton.
And Farage needs to adjust his tactics to his opponent's chosen terrain.
Concentrating on the EU elections and a handful of council elections where carefully chosen and vetted candidates stood a real chance of gaining control would have been a better strategy.
Winning a couple of councils would be far better in the long term for UKIP than winning hundreds of councillors. It would give them an opportunity to show responsibility in office and chamber, which is self-denied to them in the EP.
Thousands of unvetted candidates spouting off idiotic comments on social media is just exposing the party to widespread attack and ridicule.
And I am here more to enjoy the ride than reach a destination. The kippers are certainly not short on providing entertainment to the onlooker. It matters not whether persecution by the media is fair or principled. It is simply political reality.
Well done the foreign office,this morning they warned of a high threat of terrorism in Kenya and evacuated british tourist,cancelled flights.
On the radio station I was listening to this morning we had holiday makers and tour firms moaning that the government as gone over the top and then this happened this afternoon -
Comments
Incidentally, I still haven't decided how I'm going to vote. xI like to think I'm more contemplative rather than fickle - here's my post FPT:
"Dan Hodges writes about Labour "with tribal loyalty and without reservation" and goes on to say in this blog that the interview has "effectively ended Nigel Farage's political career".
No it hasn't, but it might box him in, if he's not careful. IMHO, UKIP had a chance to clean up at these euros and poll 33-35%. I think they've gone too hard, heavy and fast over the last few weeks and that's turned people off. Farage has allowed himself to get provoked as well. If he wants to win big he needs to make these points whilst sounding reasonable, measured and positive - and above all 'in control'.
I *still* haven't decided who to vote for, but I have felt myself wobble over the last few days. I wonder if a few Home Counties Tories will wobble back to Conservative over the next week, despite the crass stupidity of useful idiots like D'Ancona. It'll be mitigated though by early postal votes in my opinion.
I still can see a photo-finish between UKIP, Lab and Con. UKIP @25%, Lab@23% and Con at 21.5%.".
With a couple of firms having withrawn from Sports spreadbetting over recent years, the market is now very much centred around Sporting Index who offer F1 markets based on the entire season and on the next Grand Prix, in this case Monaco of course.
Here's the link to the relevant section of their website:
http://www.sportingindex.com/spread-betting/motor-racing/formula-1
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2629802/The-Tory-MP-Baywatch-North-West-Picture-Charlotte-Leslie-lifeguard-emerges-speaks-importance-exercise.html
Wasn't from the hall of fame on the right hand side of the Mail. Must have been no expense spared tracking her down.
They also presided over this debacle:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/election-2010/7689014/General-Election-2010-Electoral-Commission-accused-over-third-world-ballot.html
All the parties are umbrella organisations, claiming a greater split in the Lib Dems, or a sense of deceit is nonsense.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Parliament_election,_2014_(United_Kingdom)#2014
Miliband has nothing to say, has barely tried to leaflet for it, and his content is very poor: he has nothing to offer on the EU, which is why his literature is full of unrelated platitudes on 'the cost of living'.
Over my dead body will they get 25%+. And, yes, you can quote me on that a week Sunday.
On that note, I must go and meet my wife - I should have "been there" 2 minutes ago, and am at least 10 minutes away.
It was one of the oddest business dinners in my life. She first tried to pressurise me into agreeing with her proposals by suggesting that she had had an intimate relationship with my boss. Later, after much wine had passed, she confessed that her attraction to the country of her parent's birth was that one can only enjoy the intimacy of an orgasm in one's mother tongue.
So, if her account is to be believed, the true test of an interlingual marriage is which language is used, in delicto, for pillow talk.
I had never realised what a hottie Charlotte Leslie is/was.
It's been the number two public concern for what - 6-8 years?
The LibLabCon support unlimited mass immigration and are colluding together to shut the debate down.
Hmm describing an apologist for a fairly obvious sociopathic spree-killer as having a "reasonable, balanced point of view" really does seem odd to say the least.
YouGov @YouGov 2m
Peter Kellner: facts from 1979 and 1997 don't justify optimism that Ed Miliband's position is stronger than it seems http://y-g.co/1lqvBUs
Frank Field, Quentin Davies, list can easily go on.
(And underlying all this of course is the common complaint that MPs are now too beholden to the party line).
It's unfortunate that colour or gender will potentially impact on a potential future PMs path to office. Those seeking a negative about this are no more guilty than those seeking a positive.
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/may/16/nigel-farage-ukip-car-crash-radio-interview-lbc
Watch from 3 mins to 4 mins 15
Jame s O'Brien tell Farage that "it has emerged overnight" that a councillor has said something dodgy...
Farage says "he is not a councillor is he? He is a candidate?"
O'Brien says "he is an elected councillor, so what are you going to do about him?"
John Lyndon Sullivan
Stood last year in Newent and was not elected
The tweet was from Feb 2013
http://glostext.gloucestershire.gov.uk/mgElectionAreaResults.aspx?ID=175
And I am not saying there shouldn't be a debate. There should absolutely be a debate on immigration. And the EU.
I am saying that the UKIP campaign is ugly. It harks back to the worst days of the BNP and NF in its anti-immigrant message.
If you want to debate immigration in a "foreigners out" way then I don't think you will get the response you want. I agree with apols forgot who could have been Richard N previously who said words to the effect that the whole "EU" vs "non-EU" thing is in any case a smokescreen.
All of which is moot of course because the only way you Kippers (if you are one) are going to get any say whatsoever over EU immigration is by voting Tory in a years time but you seem determined not to do this.
Jesus Christ
Although I appreciate that
"what do we want?"..."To end the working time directive."..."When do we want it..." etc
isn't as catchy.
People move away.
"I am saying that the UKIP campaign is ugly."
Anyone saying anything against unlimited mass immigration in any way would be attacked in exactly the same way. Only the effectiveness of the attack would be different.
"If you want to debate immigration in a "foreigners out" way then I don't think you will get the response you want."
I agree with that. Even most of the people who have been most harmed by the political class' open borders policy react badly to any kind of rhetoric that blames immigrants collectively because they'll know individuals who are good guys. People opposed to unlimited mass immigration should focus **entirely** on the political class' betrayal.
Has anyone translated
"Having been repeatedly asked what the difference is between having German people living nextdoor, or Romanians, he said, "you know what the difference is"."
into explicit meaning yet?
If it is a Romanian next door.....you don't find a towel on your doorstep?
"Having been repeatedly asked what the difference is between having GermanRomanians living nextdoor, or RomaniansRomani, he said, "you know what the difference is"."
...
Probably not I realise.
The UK signed up to become part of a european community. They did this many years ago and it is right that there should be a debate about the nature of that relationship now.
But for the moment that relationship dictates that EU member citizens get special rights over non-EU member citizens.
or maybe you are one of the smart arse lefties who pretends to not understand stuff in order to make a hilarious point?
"...MacDonald Fraser’s fascinating, unpublished account of how Flashman sprang to life.
“I had written what might be called an introductory chapter about this boozy old veteran pouring out his soul on Mafeking Night to some anonymous listener; I think, but I’m not sure, that I called the veteran Flashman, having in mind Thomas Hughes’s character. Anyway, I discarded the introduction, which wasn’t good, and it has probably been destroyed, unless it’s in a trunk somewhere,” MacDonald Fraser wrote in the unpublished account
“‘How did you get the idea?’ is a question I have been asked ad nauseam, and the answer is that I don’t know. I read Tom Brown’s Schooldays as a child, and possibly on later occasions; I found Flashman the most striking character in the book, and suspect that Hughes did, too – and probably wrote Flashman out of the story because he realised that, if he didn’t, the deplorable lout would take over the book."
“Possibly it was simply boyhood recollection that prompted it. I certainly don’t remember thinking, ‘Flashman – eureka!’ Anyway, somewhere around April ’66, when I was 41 years old, I sat down to write Flashman, working in the kitchen after I came home from work in the small hours.”
“I began where Hughes had left off, in the style of a memoir; since I knew from internal evidence in Tom Brown the date of Flashman’s expulsion from Rugby, and, since I had determined that he was the kind of rotter whose career was bound to lie in the army, various plot points suggested themselves at once – Lord Cardigan, the First Afghan War, etc. But I had no idea, when I started, of any coherent storyline: Flashman would be a cad and a coward, but I would just plunge ahead and see where my imagination took me.”
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/harrymount/100074959/how-flashman-was-born/
The European Parliament is full of freakshows who wouldn't last a day subject to British media scrutiny.
For example. Daniel Cohn Bendit. He is a self confessed pedophile, who has written about his erotic encounters with five year olds.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Cohn-Bendit#Pedophilia_debate
He is officially allied in the European Parliament with the SNP, Plaid Cymru, and the Greens. I have yet to hear Alex Salmond or Caroline Lucas being vigorously questioned as to why they are officially united with Strasbourg's very own Jimmy Savile.
Go through the lists of people linked with Labour and you will find serious ex-communists with very dodgy views. Etc.
Again, Farage is correct, and his detractors are wrong.
It's unbelievable that this scumbag is considered acceptable by left wing groups in Germany.
We just need to accept that there are some seriously nasty politicians across mainland Europe that would never get elected in the UK. We evidently have much widespread standards of decency when it comes to these things.
http://www.wakefieldexpress.co.uk/news/local-news/update-men-from-dewsbury-and-heckmondwike-jailed-for-human-trafficking-1-6615353
The difference would be median incomes.
The people being used by the political class to wage economic warfare on the public tend to come from the poorest countries.
Obviously.
(I wasn't sure how bright I make myself out to be, still I'm now on the joys of wifi, so will be able to enjoy the interview in full).
"The kuffar, the disbelievers, the atheists who remain deaf and stubborn to the teachings of Islam, the rational message of the Koran; they are described in the Koran as “a people of no intelligence”, Allah describes them as not of no morality, not as people of no belief – people of “no intelligence” – because they’re incapable of the intellectual effort it requires to shake off those blind prejudices."
He was asked why he said he wouldnt want to live necxt door to Romanians..
He said that he didnt say that, but he would feel a bit uncomforable if a group of Romanian men moved in next door..
The interviewer said "whats the difference between a group of Romanian men next door and German children"
Farage said that the collapse of communism had left to a lot of people being very poor and being trafficked over here etc from poor countries
Mind you maybe there are lots of people who find it desirable to have groups of Romanian men moving in next door, and some people may think it neither here nor there. It takes all sorts
Thats why I find it hard to understand why people get so offended by views of obvious idiots/extremists, just let it go.
His hypocrisy does offend me though
Wales has a much simpler immigration policy, if you're any good at rugby then you're Welsh enough to play for the national team.
The England cricket team tried to copy that model for a while, then got too lax on the requirement to be good at cricket.
We currently have a system that says that some people, by dint of being 'European', can come and go freely irrespective of their contribution to Britain. Others, including many who could make huge contributions, are not allowed in or have severe restrictions placed upon them simply because they are not from within the EU.
This is patently stupid and harms our country. It leads to the idiocy of Cameron placing restrictions on Chinese or Indian students to compensate for the fact he can do nothing about economic migrants from the EU.
It is impossible to have a reasonable, fair and productive immigration and asylum policy that is widely accepted by the majority of the population as long as a huge part of the migration is completely uncontrolled and effectively biased against non Europeans.
It's a tenuous point anyway, unless UKIP were to propose to make intercultural marriage illegal. There are good reasons not to vote UKIP, such as that their policies make no coherent sense, but the language spoken by Mrs Farage isn't one of them. Sometimes our politics just gets silly. Changes compared with when? New poll, subsample?
Perhaps Caroline can up her game by releasing an English language version of "Joe le Taxi" called "Goes in Taxi".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im6GD5YLzns&list=RDim6GD5YLzns#t=201
But can Flint match the BBC TOTP, Daniel Cohn-Bendit allure of the Paradis gamine?
However in the longer-term I wonder if what is more important is the dominance play i.e. the person doing the interrupting is acting dominant. That might make the person being attacked more sympathetic but that isn't necessarily what's wanted in a leader so imo any politician being interviewed like that should warn that if they're not allowed to answer the question without being interrupted then they'll walk out and if the warning isn't heeded just walk out.
Age of consent is 15 in France.....so as long as he only get's the "hots" for her in Le Republique.....he is ok
Is Avery around? I'd like to say thanks for recommending the ferry crossing - I'm doing it this weekend.
To Swedes and Finns it will tell them as much about you as brogues or trainers do in the UK.
A sleeping bag and a bucket in one of the lifeboats?
1. Does Axelrose know which Miliband he is working for?
2. Isn't O'Brie the baddie in "1984?"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27426942
The white line attracts a slightly older more conservative crowd. The red line is meant to be more booze, disco and party all night.
I have been on both and not really noticed the difference. But then the differences between the two types are minimal in Scandinavia.
I wish you good weather. Sailing through the Stockholm archipelago on a fine early summer's night is indescribable by all except SeanT.
Council candidate John Lyndon Sullivan wrote online: 'I rather wonder if we shot one "poofter" (GBLT whatevers), whether the next 99 would decide on balance, that they weren't after-all? We might then conclude that it's not a matter of genetics, but rather more a matter of education.'
twitter.com/SimonLock_/status/467265667029540864/photo/1
Meanwhile homophobic Tory councillor Ken Gregory is still a Tory councillor in spite of his police caution.
He was a candidate in Newent last May and came 2nd
Although James O'Brien said on LBC today he was an elected UKIP councillor
Farage asked if he wasnt just a candidate
O Brien confirmed "He is a councillor, what are you going to do with him?"
The next Paxman they are saying
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-27439160
Japan will go nuke soon if they haven't already started as they'll know the US umbrella is shrinking.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRscYVvEFt8
I am far more interested in the prejudice than the detail!
What you are doing is equivalent to pointing out the age of Vanessa Paradis singing "Joe le Taxi". Some details need to remain unknown.
Interesting, - has Ed just parked his tank on UKIP turf prior to next week’s euro election?
"The Obama administration is bracing for the potential of a violent backlash against U.S. military personnel, diplomats and even allied governments when a declassified version of a Senate report on Bush-era interrogation policies is released in the next few months, according to court filings and American officials."
I wonder which allied governments.
Tory Party Investigating 'Sectarian' Muslim Election Leaflets in East London >> http://shar.es/SLTTB via @BreitbartNews
I hope O'Brien is proud of himself.
Notable as well that you are only interested in the prejudice when it is displayed by former UKIP council candidates not current Tory councillors.
I think that goes one step beyond hypocrisy.
"Meat and potato pie" is very much a Yorkshire delicacy. When I ventured to question which particular "meat" was involved in its preparation I was openly rebuked for having such bare-faced cheek to ask.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/10836522/Iraq-War-inquiry-report-to-be-published-months-before-general-election.html
Hopefully this will leave the reputations of Blair and Ali Campbell in tatters once and for all.
Named Meat Pie : £2
(without apologies to Terry Pratchett)
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/london-is-still-backing-labour-despite-tories-national-upsurge-9384056.html
Apologies for the aggressive nature of this, it's how they open their sets-
http://youtu.be/8hojDnWRKrw
This election is not being fought on the playing fields of Eton.
And Farage needs to adjust his tactics to his opponent's chosen terrain.
Concentrating on the EU elections and a handful of council elections where carefully chosen and vetted candidates stood a real chance of gaining control would have been a better strategy.
Winning a couple of councils would be far better in the long term for UKIP than winning hundreds of councillors. It would give them an opportunity to show responsibility in office and chamber, which is self-denied to them in the EP.
Thousands of unvetted candidates spouting off idiotic comments on social media is just exposing the party to widespread attack and ridicule.
And I am here more to enjoy the ride than reach a destination. The kippers are certainly not short on providing entertainment to the onlooker. It matters not whether persecution by the media is fair or principled. It is simply political reality.
On the radio station I was listening to this morning we had holiday makers and tour firms moaning that the government as gone over the top and then this happened this afternoon -
http://news.sky.com/story/1262591/kenya-blasts-as-britons-warned-to-leave