It's an odd coincidence that France decided to make gay marriage legal at exactly the same time as the UK - almost like it was an EU directive or something.
I don't watch the telly news much so i don't know if the massive protests against it in France got on the telly over here.
Um. No. More likely the ruling parties in both countries saw that the time was right for such a move and were given courage by similar movements and changes in other countries. For all that I love to blame the EU for all manner of things I really don't think they can be given the blame/credit for this one. France and the UK just saw sense and did the right thing.
Unlike several of my fellow Tories on this site who are trying to convince themselves that the Blues are only around 3% behind, I feel they have definitely lost ground over the past couple of weeks. The last three polls show them to be 5% adrift of Labour and this average of course excludes the 7% shocker from the "Gold Standard" pollster ICM which was blithely disregarded as being an outlier - I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that it almost certainly was not. I just don't go with the argument that it's "all simply noise"(whatever that means) - would the same explanation be put forward if and very possibly when Labour's lead extends to 5 - 6% or more, I hardly think so. Dave needs to arrest this slide and quickly.
Possibly right, except that it isn't your fellow tories who are overexcited about short term polling movements.
2 weeks is a very short space of time to identify a real trend, and it's been 2 weeks in which ed has been completely out of the public eye - often associated, entirely inexplicably, with an uptick in red fortunes. Normal service will be resumed shortly.
@TOPPING What you needed was less PR and more honesty. And I think you are right, in that he has no way to remedy it now. This is my honest view, with which you are free to disagree
Thing is, I still believe that the British public would vote out in a heartbeat anyone who was "honest" with them.
Honest as in explaining to them the implications of public/private debt levels; the reality of governement "investment" plans, the capital markets and borrowing rates (talking to you, here, @Hugh; the ever-increasing competition from newly developed countries and the implications for wage levels in this country; and Britain's place in a modern globalised economy.
In 1997 the Cons were stale, unfocused, scandal-ridden and although they had delivered economic stability, the public were ready for a change.
In 2010 small children in Weymouth realised how bad Lab had been but the Cons were still too nasty.
In 2015 ain't no one winning without a healthy dose of PR. Honesty just doesn't cut it these days. Not because Cam or EdM or anyone else wouldn't like to be honest, but because they know it would be electoral suicide.
Reluctantly, there appears to be something in what you say. What politician would be strong enough to stop spinning the regular old arguments and rolling out bandaid solutions, and still manage to be re-elected for taking the actions that need taking or saying what needs saying? The fallback position is that whichever of the right or left are correct about what needs doing (or some combination of the two), it feels like both know serious actions need taking that they cannot contemplate openly.
@kle4 I think that is Cameron's weak spot, Tony B. got away with it because he started from a huge majority, and could get bye losing trust each election. Cameron does not have that luxury, and short of another "Falklands" moment, or enough people feeling much better off, he can only lose seats. (with a few "swaps" as well of course)
It's an odd coincidence that France decided to make gay marriage legal at exactly the same time as the UK - almost like it was an EU directive or something.
I don't watch the telly news much so i don't know if the massive protests against it in France got on the telly over here.
Um. No. More likely the ruling parties in both countries saw that the time was right for such a move and were given courage by similar movements and changes in other countries. For all that I love to blame the EU for all manner of things I really don't think they can be given the blame/credit for this one. France and the UK just saw sense and did the right thing.
Fair enough. Doing it independently at the same time still seems odd to me but I guess it happens.
I was looking back the other day over some articles I wrote for my professional Press around 1980. There was a reference there to someone high in the City who said, in connection with their profit-making actions during a financial crisis "it is un-British and derogative to sterling, but on balance it makes sense!"
To hell in a hand-cart seems to be, ever since, the appropriate phrase.
It's an odd coincidence that France decided to make gay marriage legal at exactly the same time as the UK - almost like it was an EU directive or something.
I don't watch the telly news much so i don't know if the massive protests against it in France got on the telly over here.
Um. No. More likely the ruling parties in both countries saw that the time was right for such a move and were given courage by similar movements and changes in other countries. For all that I love to blame the EU for all manner of things I really don't think they can be given the blame/credit for this one. France and the UK just saw sense and did the right thing.
Fair enough. Doing it independently at the same time still seems odd to me but I guess it happens.
You may be incorrect Richard, I read at the time that France and the UK were rushing it through, this may be the reason why:
@Life_ina_market_town - Governing is hard. It's about choices, and governing well is not about elevating some obsession to a 'principle' even if in the circumstances that leads you to an outcome where the disadvantages outweigh the benefits.
You are defining a 'man or woman of principle' in such a way that it would exclude Winston Churchill or Margaret Thatcher, let alone politicians such as Macmillan, Willie Whitelaw or R. A. Butler who are more directly Cameron's political ancestors. You could make the same statement regarding consistency of principles, by your narrow and incorrect definition, about any of them. That reflects the fact that they spent their careers trying to wrestle with difficult problems in an uncertain, contradictory and changing world. Cameron is doing the same, and very well.
Agreed. I am grateful for all the sense you are talking this evening.
O/T From Twitter this evening a funny hashtag is running. My favourite so far. RoadRunner @roadrunner_83 2m #AskIslamicState Are your currency plans for the caliphate more advanced than Alex Salmond's for Scotland?
@TOPPING That particular one never ends, and started before homo sapiens The Battle of Britain, it could be argued that the Poles won it. Experienced pilots, who were not allowed in combat till the till the RAF had no alternative than to let the "foreigners fly". My own view is that it was the pilot/s that started bombing the cities,
Poles were fighting and flying with the RAF from the first day of the Battle of Britain.
People who want to whip up hysteria should remember this (wiki) ''In all, 30 Polish airmen were killed during the Battle. One of them died at the hands of an angry crowd in east London. He had baled out of his fighter and landed, injured in Wapping. His incoherent rambling was mistaken for German and he was set-upon by the people who had gathered round him. They were incensed by recent Nazi raids on civilian targets, but he was a member of the RAF''
@MikeK We are all humans, we bleed when cut, and deaths and injuries are a shame on all sides. Stop arguing about who started it, and stop it, or alternatively fight on till the bitter end.
Unlike several of my fellow Tories on this site who are trying to convince themselves that the Blues are only around 3% behind, I feel they have definitely lost ground over the past couple of weeks. The last three polls show them to be 5% adrift of Labour and this average of course excludes the 7% shocker from the "Gold Standard" pollster ICM which was blithely disregarded as being an outlier - I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that it almost certainly was not. I just don't go with the argument that it's "all simply noise"(whatever that means) - would the same explanation be put forward if and very possibly when Labour's lead extends to 5 - 6% or more, I hardly think so. Dave needs to arrest this slide and quickly.
I agree. As I said the other night the problem is that Ed has not been on the telly enough. People need regular reminders of what they might be voting for.
It's an odd coincidence that France decided to make gay marriage legal at exactly the same time as the UK - almost like it was an EU directive or something.
I don't watch the telly news much so i don't know if the massive protests against it in France got on the telly over here.
Um. No. More likely the ruling parties in both countries saw that the time was right for such a move and were given courage by similar movements and changes in other countries. For all that I love to blame the EU for all manner of things I really don't think they can be given the blame/credit for this one. France and the UK just saw sense and did the right thing.
Fair enough. Doing it independently at the same time still seems odd to me but I guess it happens.
You may be incorrect Richard, I read at the time that France and the UK were rushing it through, this may be the reason why:
It certainly wasn't 'rushed through' and was a long overdue change.
Farage was wrong on this one.He decided a bandwagon was more important than his own principles and that is why he has found it so difficult to defend the UKIP position subsequently.
I look forward (perhaps in vain) to Farage becoming rather more consistent in his self proclaimed Libertarian ideals.
It's an odd coincidence that France decided to make gay marriage legal at exactly the same time as the UK - almost like it was an EU directive or something.
I don't watch the telly news much so i don't know if the massive protests against it in France got on the telly over here.
Um. No. More likely the ruling parties in both countries saw that the time was right for such a move and were given courage by similar movements and changes in other countries. For all that I love to blame the EU for all manner of things I really don't think they can be given the blame/credit for this one. France and the UK just saw sense and did the right thing.
Fair enough. Doing it independently at the same time still seems odd to me but I guess it happens.
You may be incorrect Richard, I read at the time that France and the UK were rushing it through, this may be the reason why:
Why would Tatchell's case have caused the French to take action?
Like the smoking ban, gay marriage was an idea whose time had come. It also occurred outside Europe at roughly the same time, with Argentina recognising it in 2010, and New Zealand, Urugray and Brazil in 2013, amongst others. I was surprised to read that South Africa legalised it back in 2006.
It's an odd coincidence that France decided to make gay marriage legal at exactly the same time as the UK - almost like it was an EU directive or something.
I don't watch the telly news much so i don't know if the massive protests against it in France got on the telly over here.
Um. No. More likely the ruling parties in both countries saw that the time was right for such a move and were given courage by similar movements and changes in other countries. For all that I love to blame the EU for all manner of things I really don't think they can be given the blame/credit for this one. France and the UK just saw sense and did the right thing.
Fair enough. Doing it independently at the same time still seems odd to me but I guess it happens.
You may be incorrect Richard, I read at the time that France and the UK were rushing it through, this may be the reason why:
It certainly wasn't 'rushed through' and was a long overdue change.
Farage was wrong on this one.He decided a bandwagon was more important than his own principles and that is why he has found it so difficult to defend the UKIP position subsequently.
I look forward (perhaps in vain) to Farage becoming rather more consistent in his self proclaimed Libertarian ideals.
Like stripping people of their citizenship in absentia based on intelligence...
Unlike several of my fellow Tories on this site who are trying to convince themselves that the Blues are only around 3% behind, I feel they have definitely lost ground over the past couple of weeks. The last three polls show them to be 5% adrift of Labour and this average of course excludes the 7% shocker from the "Gold Standard" pollster ICM which was blithely disregarded as being an outlier - I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that it almost certainly was not. I just don't go with the argument that it's "all simply noise"(whatever that means) - would the same explanation be put forward if and very possibly when Labour's lead extends to 5 - 6% or more, I hardly think so. Dave needs to arrest this slide and quickly.
I plotted Tory lead on my spreadsheet, I don't recall their being a drop in recent weeks, more of a plateau. When I get to my computer I can share the link!
I'm not talking about "recent weeks", but rather the very latest polls which as this thread has correctly highlighted have not, as previously, cancelled out Labour's leads at the start of the week. The last three polls, yes a small sample admittedly, give Labour an average 5% lead, then one has to explain that 7% lead in the most recent ICM poll .... taken together, there is a fair amount of evidence building up to suggest that Labour's lead has indeed increased, probably to around 5% or thereabouts. Should the next few polls show their lead having slipped back to an average of say 3%, then I will happily eat my words but I very much doubt this is about to happen. Just as I don't go with the "just noise" explanations, neither to I follow the suggestion that no one's interested in politics during the summer holiday months and that somehow meaningful polling somehow won't return until after the party conferences. Why ??? Whilst politics might not be uppermost in people's minds right now, we are talking about a polling exercise where they are being asked about their voting intention. Why should we assume that in such circumstances they would currently be more likely to favour Labour than at other times of the year? It simply isn't logical.
Unlike several of my fellow Tories on this site who are trying to convince themselves that the Blues are only around 3% behind, I feel they have definitely lost ground over the past couple of weeks. The last three polls show them to be 5% adrift of Labour and this average of course excludes the 7% shocker from the "Gold Standard" pollster ICM which was blithely disregarded as being an outlier - I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that it almost certainly was not. I just don't go with the argument that it's "all simply noise"(whatever that means) - would the same explanation be put forward if and very possibly when Labour's lead extends to 5 - 6% or more, I hardly think so. Dave needs to arrest this slide and quickly.
I plotted Tory lead on my spreadsheet, I don't recall their being a drop in recent weeks, more of a plateau. When I get to my computer I can share the link!
I'm not talking about "recent weeks", but rather the very latest polls which as this thread has correctly highlighted have not, as previously, cancelled out Labour's leads at the start of the week. The last three polls, yes a small sample admittedly, give Labour an average 5% lead, then one has to explain that 7% lead in the most recent ICM poll .... taken together, there is a fair amount of evidence building up to suggest that Labour's lead has indeed increased, probably to around 5% or thereabouts. Should the next few polls show their lead having slipped back to an average of say 3%, then I will happily eat my words but I very much doubt this is about to happen. Just as I don't go with the "just noise" explanations, neither to I follow the suggestion that no one's interested in politics in the summer holiday months and that somehow meaningful polling somehow won't return until after the party conferences. Why ??? Whilst politics might not be uppermost in people's minds right now, we are talking about a polling exercise where they are being asked to express about their voting intention. Why should we assume that in such circumstances they would currently be more likely to favour Labour than at other times of the year? It simply isn't logical.
If you believe - and robust evidence is difficult to come by to validate the thesis - that EdM being on TV tends to reduce Labour's lead, then it is possible that summer - and his absence from the news - might result in it firming up
James Gelvin, a Middle East history professor, cites at least three reasons for why the British government chose to support Zionist aspirations. Issuing the Balfour Declaration would appeal to Woodrow Wilson's two closest advisors, who were avid Zionists.
"The British did not know quite what to make of President Woodrow Wilson and his conviction (before America's entrance into the war) that the way to end hostilities was for both sides to accept "peace without victory." Two of Wilson's closest advisors, Louis Brandeis and Felix Frankfurter, were avid Zionists. How better to shore up an uncertain ally than by endorsing Zionist aims? The British adopted similar thinking when it came to the Russians, who were in the midst of their revolution. Several of the most prominent revolutionaries, including Leon Trotsky, were of Jewish descent. Why not see if they could be persuaded to keep Russia in the war by appealing to their latent Jewishness and giving them another reason to continue the fight?" ... These include not only those already mentioned but also Britain's desire to attract Jewish financial resources.
@kle4 I think that is Cameron's weak spot, Tony B. got away with it because he started from a huge majority, and could get bye losing trust each election. Cameron does not have that luxury, and short of another "Falklands" moment, or enough people feeling much better off, he can only lose seats. (with a few "swaps" as well of course)
Hmm, not sure about that. In 2001, his first election as PM, Tony Blair lost 5 seats (out of 418). In his second (2005), he lost 47 (according to Wikipedia), many as a result of his policy on Iraq.
Unlike several of my fellow Tories on this site who are trying to convince themselves that the Blues are only around 3% behind, I feel they have definitely lost ground over the past couple of weeks. The last three polls show them to be 5% adrift of Labour and this average of course excludes the 7% shocker from the "Gold Standard" pollster ICM which was blithely disregarded as being an outlier - I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that it almost certainly was not. I just don't go with the argument that it's "all simply noise"(whatever that means) - would the same explanation be put forward if and very possibly when Labour's lead extends to 5 - 6% or more, I hardly think so. Dave needs to arrest this slide and quickly.
If you believe - and robust evidence is difficult to come by to validate the thesis - that EdM being on TV tends to reduce Labour's lead, then it is possible that summer - and his absence from the news - might result in it firming up
I don't pretend to know why Labour's lead has increased, I'm merely arguing that increased it has. I'll wager £20 at even money with the first bona fide PB.com bettor to accept prior to midnight tonight that Stephen Fisher's weekly projection either next Friday 29 Aug or the following Friday 5 Sept will show Labour as winning the most seats at the next GE.
I can't be fairer than that, after all the Tories have been ahead of Labour in 21 out of his last 22 weekly projections.
Charles: " If you believe - and robust evidence is difficult to come by to validate the thesis - that EdM being on TV tends to reduce Labour's lead, then it is possible that summer - and his absence from the news - might result in it firming up"
I don't pretend to know why Labour's lead has increased, I'm merely arguing that increased it has. I'll wager £20 at even money with the first bona fide PB.com bettor to accept prior to midnight tonight opposing my view that Stephen Fisher's weekly projection either next Friday 29 Aug or the following Friday 5 Sept will show Labour as winning the most seats at the next GE.
I can't be fairer than that, after all the Tories have been ahead of Labour in 21 out of his last 22 weekly projections.
It's an odd coincidence that France decided to make gay marriage legal at exactly the same time as the UK - almost like it was an EU directive or something.
I don't watch the telly news much so i don't know if the massive protests against it in France got on the telly over here.
Um. No. More likely the ruling parties in both countries saw that the time was right for such a move and were given courage by similar movements and changes in other countries. For all that I love to blame the EU for all manner of things I really don't think they can be given the blame/credit for this one. France and the UK just saw sense and did the right thing.
Fair enough. Doing it independently at the same time still seems odd to me but I guess it happens.
You may be incorrect Richard, I read at the time that France and the UK were rushing it through, this may be the reason why:
It certainly wasn't 'rushed through' and was a long overdue change.
Farage was wrong on this one.He decided a bandwagon was more important than his own principles and that is why he has found it so difficult to defend the UKIP position subsequently.
I look forward (perhaps in vain) to Farage becoming rather more consistent in his self proclaimed Libertarian ideals.
Like stripping people of their citizenship in absentia based on intelligence...
"Citizenship" is explicitly something given by government. As such it also falls within their scope to remove it. Certainly establishment and protection of borders is something that is entirely consistent with Libertarianism of any stripe - though it is something that is more commonly expressed in the US version than the UK.
But you make the usual mistake of confusing Libertarianism and the strictly limited exercising of government power with anarchism and the disavowal of any form of authority. They are not the same thing at all.
Certain things - such as the protection of people from foreign attack - are clearly within the remit of the Government so there is absolutely no contradiction between Libertarianism and the prevention of radicals returning to the country. Yours is, not surprisingly, a straw man argument.
This will not be an easy "sell", even if it does makes sense.
Really? Labour sold it in their years in office. Of course if Miliband and Labour choose to be a bunch of lying hypocritical opportunists then you might have a point.
James Gelvin, a Middle East history professor, cites at least three reasons for why the British government chose to support Zionist aspirations. Issuing the Balfour Declaration would appeal to Woodrow Wilson's two closest advisors, who were avid Zionists.
"The British did not know quite what to make of President Woodrow Wilson and his conviction (before America's entrance into the war) that the way to end hostilities was for both sides to accept "peace without victory." Two of Wilson's closest advisors, Louis Brandeis and Felix Frankfurter, were avid Zionists. How better to shore up an uncertain ally than by endorsing Zionist aims? The British adopted similar thinking when it came to the Russians, who were in the midst of their revolution. Several of the most prominent revolutionaries, including Leon Trotsky, were of Jewish descent. Why not see if they could be persuaded to keep Russia in the war by appealing to their latent Jewishness and giving them another reason to continue the fight?" ... These include not only those already mentioned but also Britain's desire to attract Jewish financial resources.
Even Wikipedia is more informed than you.
Wikipedia is Wikipedia which I suppose is where your level is. I know for you that it represents the eternal truth but you really should try to think things through critically.
The Balfour declaration did more for Brandeis than Brandeis did for the Balfour declaration. He wanted a reason for American Jews to be patriotic (towards America) and the Declaration provided this for him. He thought of American Jews as analogous to Irish-Americans. They could be patriotic but accept a "homeland". Hence with the Declaration (because the Brits had long misunderstood the role of the Jews especially amongst and within the Young Turks) he was able to make that connection.
Of course @FalseFlag I expect this to send you scurrying off to Wikipedia again to try to find snippets, because your quote only contained snippets, and meagre ones at that, if that's not tautological, to support your initial moronic contention.
So I'll give you as long as you want, via Wiki and Google to respond.
Then again, PB is much more interesting and engaging if, instead of mouthing platitudes and second hand hearsay (again with the tautologies) you actually contributed something substantial of your own creation.
Charles: " If you believe - and robust evidence is difficult to come by to validate the thesis - that EdM being on TV tends to reduce Labour's lead, then it is possible that summer - and his absence from the news - might result in it firming up"
I don't pretend to know why Labour's lead has increased, I'm merely arguing that increased it has. I'll wager £20 at even money with the first bona fide PB.com bettor to accept prior to midnight tonight opposing my view that Stephen Fisher's weekly projection either next Friday 29 Aug or the following Friday 5 Sept will show Labour as winning the most seats at the next GE.
I can't be fairer than that, after all the Tories have been ahead of Labour in 21 out of his last 22 weekly projections.
If we look at YouGov alone, the last 7 weeks have gone:
4.4 4.4 3.0 3.2 4.2 2.6 3.75 = This week, one poll to come
So whilst this week is disappointing for Con, the Lab lead is still lower than for 3 of the last 6 weeks. All in all, there is no significant increase in the Lab lead - last week may just have been a random movement downwards.
However Lab has had its best week for ages with Populus - but that could be random.
YouGov shows effectively no movement over 4 polls - no reason to trust Populus's 2 polls to any greater degree.
@Flightpath "sell" is in inverted comas because an easy "sell" is a car that is "mint nick", and both you and the customer know it is in mint condition. A hard "sell" is when the car has some faults but you hope the punter won't notice. The "punters" in this case are the BMA and the public. "Rapid expansion" of these doctors assistants will make some ask why do we need them so quickly, and a this precise moment? And Ms Chardonay Smith will tear her tracksuit in twain if her little poppet doesn't get to seen by a "proper" doctor. Few minor faults sir, but nothing a little TLC won't cure?
Charles: " If you believe - and robust evidence is difficult to come by to validate the thesis - that EdM being on TV tends to reduce Labour's lead, then it is possible that summer - and his absence from the news - might result in it firming up"
I don't pretend to know why Labour's lead has increased, I'm merely arguing that increased it has. I'll wager £20 at even money with the first bona fide PB.com bettor to accept prior to midnight tonight opposing my view that Stephen Fisher's weekly projection either next Friday 29 Aug or the following Friday 5 Sept will show Labour as winning the most seats at the next GE.
I can't be fairer than that, after all the Tories have been ahead of Labour in 21 out of his last 22 weekly projections.
If we look at YouGov alone, the last 7 weeks have gone:
4.4 4.4 3.0 3.2 4.2 2.6 3.75 = This week, one poll to come
So whilst this week is disappointing for Con, the Lab lead is still lower than for 3 of the last 6 weeks. All in all, there is no significant increase in the Lab lead - last week may just have been a random movement downwards.
However Lab has had its best week for ages with Populus - but that could be random.
YouGov shows effectively no movement over 4 polls - no reason to trust Populus's 2 polls to any greater degree.
I got quite excited there for a minute - I thought you were going to take me on!
Charles: " If you believe - and robust evidence is difficult to come by to validate the thesis - that EdM being on TV tends to reduce Labour's lead, then it is possible that summer - and his absence from the news - might result in it firming up"
I don't pretend to know why Labour's lead has increased, I'm merely arguing that increased it has. I'll wager £20 at even money with the first bona fide PB.com bettor to accept prior to midnight tonight opposing my view that Stephen Fisher's weekly projection either next Friday 29 Aug or the following Friday 5 Sept will show Labour as winning the most seats at the next GE.
I can't be fairer than that, after all the Tories have been ahead of Labour in 21 out of his last 22 weekly projections.
If we look at YouGov alone, the last 7 weeks have gone:
4.4 4.4 3.0 3.2 4.2 2.6 3.75 = This week, one poll to come
So whilst this week is disappointing for Con, the Lab lead is still lower than for 3 of the last 6 weeks. All in all, there is no significant increase in the Lab lead - last week may just have been a random movement downwards.
However Lab has had its best week for ages with Populus - but that could be random.
YouGov shows effectively no movement over 4 polls - no reason to trust Populus's 2 polls to any greater degree.
I got quite excited there for a minute - I thought you were going to take me on!
No - I'm sure Fisher's projection will move - I'm just doing my best to look at the numbers in a straightforward manner.
It could be that the lead has genuinely risen this week but we certainly can't be sure - two Populus polls are nowhere near enough to conclude that on their own - especially given the evidence we have from YouGov.
Wise man Mike, though I say so myself. I suppose the difference between us is simply that you are being more cautious by taking a longer term view. Whereas I'm persuaded from a Tory perspective by 2 poor Populus polls, the two most recent poor YouGov polls and a shocker, albeit 10 days ago, from ICM.
It doesn't look like I'm going to get a taker for my bet - maybe that's what's meant by shy Tories?
"But it is flattering, in a way, that England should be regarded as a ‘promised land’ for this mixture of Sudanese, Eritrean and Yemenis. The question is why."
What action would you (or they) have him take that requires his urgent attention?
Without Parliamentary approval he's not going to send troops in. He's presumably not approving each and every flight from Cyprus. He's presumably being briefed on intelligence as needed.
I'd rather the PM is refreshed and rested when he is, potentially, putting our troops in a dangerous situation.
What action would you (or they) have him take that requires his urgent attention?
I'd say the Mirror would probably be happy with his resignation, a grovelling apology for his very existence and an application from him to wind up the Tory party.
"Hammond's refusal to consider allying with Assad against I.S. is proof that the UK govt. isn't serious in dealing with Jihadists" - discuss.
Labour keeping Quiet,more proof that this party cares more about not upsetting they muslim vote than getting tough on the jihadist = not fit for Government ;-) discuss
"Hammond's refusal to consider allying with Assad against I.S. is proof that the UK govt. isn't serious in dealing with Jihadists" - discuss.
Labour keeping Quiet,more proof that this party cares more about not upsetting they muslim vote than getting tough on the jihadist = not fit for Government ;-) discuss
But are your Tory Government serious about defeating I.S.? Refusal to ally with Syria would put that in doubt.
"Hammond's refusal to consider allying with Assad against I.S. is proof that the UK govt. isn't serious in dealing with Jihadists" - discuss.
Labour keeping Quiet,more proof that this party cares more about not upsetting they muslim vote than getting tough on the jihadist = not fit for Government ;-) discuss
But are your Tory Government serious about defeating I.S.? Refusal to ally with Syria would put that in doubt.
I don't think we have to ally ourselves with everyone who ISIS are fighting?
I DEMAND Cameron immediately fly to Syria and single-handedly defeat ISIS.
Keep your head the blue clouds,it's perception and it looks awful,you must know that.
Forget about how it looks for a second. Do you personally feel that Cameron's being on holidays is actually affecting the UK's approach to this situation for the worse?
"Hammond's refusal to consider allying with Assad against I.S. is proof that the UK govt. isn't serious in dealing with Jihadists" - discuss.
Labour keeping Quiet,more proof that this party cares more about not upsetting they muslim vote than getting tough on the jihadist = not fit for Government ;-) discuss
But are your Tory Government serious about defeating I.S.? Refusal to ally with Syria would put that in doubt.
My tory government,you voted tory last time matey at council elections,welcome back ;-)
Yep,that's right,lets give Assad a free hand,let him kill the innocents who want to be free of this tyrant,maybe give him back his chemical weapons ?
I DEMAND Cameron immediately fly to Syria and single-handedly defeat ISIS.
Keep your head the blue clouds,it's perception and it looks awful,you must know that.
Forget about how it looks for a second. Do you personally feel that Cameron's being on holidays is actually affecting the UK's approach to this situation for the worse?
Doesn't matter,it's perception,look at the media storm in America with Obama and his golfing holiday,he's getting crucified for it.
I DEMAND Cameron immediately fly to Syria and single-handedly defeat ISIS.
Keep your head the blue clouds,it's perception and it looks awful,you must know that.
Forget about how it looks for a second. Do you personally feel that Cameron's being on holidays is actually affecting the UK's approach to this situation for the worse?
Doesn't matter,it's perception,look at the media storm in America with Obama and his golfing holiday,he's getting crucified for it.
So, no! Excellent, he's your ideal PM, you should really vote for him.
This silly media game that's played every year about Cameron spending most of August on holiday is very tiresome.
Even if Cameron didn't have access to phone, internet, email, Skype, video-conferencing, etc... It would still be ridiculous to expect him to be chained to his desk all day every day, year in and year out.
I think the public have far more common sense than the silly papers about all this rubbish.
I DEMAND Cameron immediately fly to Syria and single-handedly defeat ISIS.
Keep your head the blue clouds,it's perception and it looks awful,you must know that.
Forget about how it looks for a second. Do you personally feel that Cameron's being on holidays is actually affecting the UK's approach to this situation for the worse?
Doesn't matter,it's perception,look at the media storm in America with Obama and his golfing holiday,he's getting crucified for it.
So, no! Excellent, he's your ideal PM, you should really vote for him.
Maybe it's because it's the first time we have gad serious prospect of war since I got into politics, and maybe because I am nearly Cameron's age so don't see him as a sensible grown up to my juvenile wally, but it reckon he just doesn't really know what to do. I wouldn't! And he'll get stick either way unless it's a spectacular success
Ferguson’s black community must not be given the same ‘justice’ as Trayvon Martin. Only the courts can judge Michael Brown’s killer – but this is the system that let George Zimmerman walk free
Guilty, before, during and after a trial has found a man innocent...what a shocking and disgraceful headline.
The law may be an ass and Americans obsession with guns needs to change, it was clear from the trial of Zimmerman that it was far from the original story of kid buys candy, man shoots him for no reason.
Really? You don't want to talk about a Miliband's parliamentary stunt over Syria?
I wonder why?
Meanwhile, when asked last week, the British public seemed pretty relaxed about the whole thing:
Cameron's return from Portugal: Should have been sooner: 31 Not necessary to return: 17 Got the balance right: 37
Curiously enough, Labour voters were most anxious he return - whodathunkit?
When asked about another leader, Labour voters also led in demanding a return - this time Obama, though fortunately the level headedness of the rest of the population left Obama on holiday:
I DEMAND Cameron immediately fly to Syria and single-handedly defeat ISIS.
Keep your head the blue clouds,it's perception and it looks awful,you must know that.
Forget about how it looks for a second. Do you personally feel that Cameron's being on holidays is actually affecting the UK's approach to this situation for the worse?
Doesn't matter,it's perception,look at the media storm in America with Obama and his golfing holiday,he's getting crucified for it.
So, no! Excellent, he's your ideal PM, you should really vote for him.
I'm sure Mr Ed will spend most of August on holiday with his family if/when he becomes PM. It's what they do...
Well, I'm not sure Gordon Brown did, but then he was totally insane.
Don't mind PM's and they holidays but we do have a mini crisis going on and it just looks awful our PM surfing while people are getting they heads chopped off by british citizens.
I'm sure Mr Ed will spend most of August on holiday with his family if/when he becomes PM. It's what they do...
Well, I'm not sure Gordon Brown did, but then he was totally insane.
Don't mind PM's and they holidays but we do have a mini crisis going on and it just looks awful our PM surfing while people are getting they heads chopped off by british citizens.
I remember Blair used to get it in the neck for regular holidays. If we exclude his choice of holiday partners, which were often very "interesting", I think he was actually very good thing he took breaks. I think it is a) normal and b) productive, especially in the internet age not like going to developed country means you are cut off from being able to make decisions. Brown just got worse and worse, never taking a break and ended up being unable really function.
HOWEVER....there are times and places for holidays. Obama one moment looking serious about a journalist being beheaded and next giving it the big nubs on the golf course, bloody awful. And Cameron the same, with his beached whale impression.
At the moment, it isn't appropriate to be buggering off on holiday for a month. Both in terms of perception, but also there is a lot of really worrying things going on that need calm and firm leadership.
I'm sure Mr Ed will spend most of August on holiday with his family if/when he becomes PM. It's what they do...
Well, I'm not sure Gordon Brown did, but then he was totally insane.
Don't mind PM's and they holidays but we do have a mini crisis going on and it just looks awful our PM surfing while people are getting they heads chopped off by british citizens.
I remember Blair used to get it in the neck for constantly going on holiday. If we exclude his choice of holiday partners, which were often very "interesting", I think he was actually very good thing he took breaks. I think it is a) normal and b) productive, especially in the internet age not like going to developed country means you are cut off from being able to make decisions. Brown just got worse and worse, never taking a break and ended up being unable really function.
HOWEVER....there are times and places for holidays. Obama one moment looking serious about a journalist being beheaded and next giving it the big nubs on the golf course, bloody awful. And Cameron the same, with his beached whale impression.
At the moment, it isn't appropriate to be buggering off on holiday for a month. Both in terms of perception, but also there is a lot of really worrying things going on that need calm and firm leadership.
A constituent asks whether Britain can't use its global banking links to track down the banks where ISIS keeps its money to put pressure on the country of the banks to freeze the accounts - an apparently naive question, but he notes reports that they've taken large reserves from Mosul and that Germany and France are said to have paid ransom money - he asks whether that's likely to have been in gold or a bank transfer? He points out that unlike most groups they appear to have no supportive governments.
I have not the least idea about this, but think it unlikely that they simply have a few account in a Saudi bank. But perhaps one of PB's well-informed flock knows whether this is worth pursuing - Yokel?
Comments
2 weeks is a very short space of time to identify a real trend, and it's been 2 weeks in which ed has been completely out of the public eye - often associated, entirely inexplicably, with an uptick in red fortunes. Normal service will be resumed shortly.
Not my cup of tea nevertheless.
I think that is Cameron's weak spot, Tony B. got away with it because he started from a huge majority, and could get bye losing trust each election. Cameron does not have that luxury, and short of another "Falklands" moment, or enough people feeling much better off, he can only lose seats. (with a few "swaps" as well of course)
To hell in a hand-cart seems to be, ever since, the appropriate phrase.
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/cameron-pushing-for-gay-marriage-over-fear-of-uk-court-ruling-nigel-farage
I am grateful for all the sense you are talking this evening.
My favourite so far.
RoadRunner @roadrunner_83 2m
#AskIslamicState Are your currency plans for the caliphate more advanced than Alex Salmond's for Scotland?
#BreakingNews Security sources: Mortar that killed boy was fired from UNRWA school http://dlvr.it/6hXbX1
Israel News @IsraelNewsNow 9m
#BreakingNews Gaza rocket hits street in Ashdod area; 1 critically wounded, 2 others lightly http://dlvr.it/6hXbVD
Israel News @IsraelNewsNow 9m
Four people injured, one mortally, by Hamas rocket to car http://dlvr.it/6hXbRR
Expand
People who want to whip up hysteria should remember this (wiki)
''In all, 30 Polish airmen were killed during the Battle. One of them died at the hands of an angry crowd in east London. He had baled out of his fighter and landed, injured in Wapping. His incoherent rambling was mistaken for German and he was set-upon by the people who had gathered round him. They were incensed by recent Nazi raids on civilian targets, but he was a member of the RAF''
We are all humans, we bleed when cut, and deaths and injuries are a shame on all sides.
Stop arguing about who started it, and stop it, or alternatively fight on till the bitter end.
I agree. As I said the other night the problem is that Ed has not been on the telly enough. People need regular reminders of what they might be voting for.
Farage was wrong on this one.He decided a bandwagon was more important than his own principles and that is why he has found it so difficult to defend the UKIP position subsequently.
I look forward (perhaps in vain) to Farage becoming rather more consistent in his self proclaimed Libertarian ideals.
Like the smoking ban, gay marriage was an idea whose time had come. It also occurred outside Europe at roughly the same time, with Argentina recognising it in 2010, and New Zealand, Urugray and Brazil in 2013, amongst others. I was surprised to read that South Africa legalised it back in 2006.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage#Legal_recognition
Once a few countries legalised it, and it was seen that the world did not end, it was bound to spread amongst civilised nations.
Make your own minds up.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/mafia-dons-is-the-camorra-in-control-of-the-granite-city-9686541.html
"Dons" on the Don?
Just as I don't go with the "just noise" explanations, neither to I follow the suggestion that no one's interested in politics during the summer holiday months and that somehow meaningful polling somehow won't return until after the party conferences. Why ??? Whilst politics might not be uppermost in people's minds right now, we are talking about a polling exercise where they are being asked about their voting intention. Why should we assume that in such circumstances they would currently be more likely to favour Labour than at other times of the year? It simply isn't logical.
Ah been don!
(I'll get my coat)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-28896625
This will not be an easy "sell", even if it does makes sense.
"The British did not know quite what to make of President Woodrow Wilson and his conviction (before America's entrance into the war) that the way to end hostilities was for both sides to accept "peace without victory." Two of Wilson's closest advisors, Louis Brandeis and Felix Frankfurter, were avid Zionists. How better to shore up an uncertain ally than by endorsing Zionist aims? The British adopted similar thinking when it came to the Russians, who were in the midst of their revolution. Several of the most prominent revolutionaries, including Leon Trotsky, were of Jewish descent. Why not see if they could be persuaded to keep Russia in the war by appealing to their latent Jewishness and giving them another reason to continue the fight?" ... These include not only those already mentioned but also Britain's desire to attract Jewish financial resources.
Even Wikipedia is more informed than you.
Will David Cameron have a better result in 2015?
The number of seats maybe, but (and I may be wrong) he was losing quite high percentages of the vote share.
I don't pretend to know why Labour's lead has increased, I'm merely arguing that increased it has. I'll wager £20 at even money with the first bona fide PB.com bettor to accept prior to midnight tonight opposing my view that Stephen Fisher's weekly projection either next Friday 29 Aug or the following Friday 5 Sept will show Labour as winning the most seats at the next GE.
I can't be fairer than that, after all the Tories have been ahead of Labour in 21 out of his last 22 weekly projections.
But you make the usual mistake of confusing Libertarianism and the strictly limited exercising of government power with anarchism and the disavowal of any form of authority. They are not the same thing at all.
Certain things - such as the protection of people from foreign attack - are clearly within the remit of the Government so there is absolutely no contradiction between Libertarianism and the prevention of radicals returning to the country. Yours is, not surprisingly, a straw man argument.
Everybody's learnin how
Come on and safari with me
Of course if Miliband and Labour choose to be a bunch of lying hypocritical opportunists then you might have a point.
The Balfour declaration did more for Brandeis than Brandeis did for the Balfour declaration. He wanted a reason for American Jews to be patriotic (towards America) and the Declaration provided this for him. He thought of American Jews as analogous to Irish-Americans. They could be patriotic but accept a "homeland". Hence with the Declaration (because the Brits had long misunderstood the role of the Jews especially amongst and within the Young Turks) he was able to make that connection.
Of course @FalseFlag I expect this to send you scurrying off to Wikipedia again to try to find snippets, because your quote only contained snippets, and meagre ones at that, if that's not tautological, to support your initial moronic contention.
So I'll give you as long as you want, via Wiki and Google to respond.
Then again, PB is much more interesting and engaging if, instead of mouthing platitudes and second hand hearsay (again with the tautologies) you actually contributed something substantial of your own creation.
You have a long way to go.
4.4
4.4
3.0
3.2
4.2
2.6
3.75 = This week, one poll to come
So whilst this week is disappointing for Con, the Lab lead is still lower than for 3 of the last 6 weeks. All in all, there is no significant increase in the Lab lead - last week may just have been a random movement downwards.
However Lab has had its best week for ages with Populus - but that could be random.
YouGov shows effectively no movement over 4 polls - no reason to trust Populus's 2 polls to any greater degree.
"sell" is in inverted comas because an easy "sell" is a car that is "mint nick", and both you and the customer know it is in mint condition.
A hard "sell" is when the car has some faults but you hope the punter won't notice.
The "punters" in this case are the BMA and the public.
"Rapid expansion" of these doctors assistants will make some ask why do we need them so quickly, and a this precise moment?
And Ms Chardonay Smith will tear her tracksuit in twain if her little poppet doesn't get to seen by a "proper" doctor.
Few minor faults sir, but nothing a little TLC won't cure?
It could be that the lead has genuinely risen this week but we certainly can't be sure - two Populus polls are nowhere near enough to conclude that on their own - especially given the evidence we have from YouGov.
Anyway, percentage wise Blair lost 2.5% in 2001. Must be a good chance Cameron can beat that.
However the main opposition only went up 1% in 2001 (and a further 0.7% in 2005). At the moment it looks like Milliband will beat those numbers.
Nothing is certain, we can only "guestemate" the odds, and hope the race goes the way we predict.
I suppose the difference between us is simply that you are being more cautious by taking a longer term view.
Whereas I'm persuaded from a Tory perspective by 2 poor Populus polls, the two most recent poor YouGov polls and a shocker, albeit 10 days ago, from ICM.
It doesn't look like I'm going to get a taker for my bet - maybe that's what's meant by shy Tories?
"But it is flattering, in a way, that England should be regarded as a ‘promised land’ for this mixture of Sudanese, Eritrean and Yemenis. The question is why."
http://www.salisburyreview.com/Theodore_Dalrymple/migrants.html
How did we let it come to this?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2730602/The-homegrown-jihadists-fighting-ISIS-How-one-four-foreigners-signed-Islamic-State-British-half-ALREADY-UK.html
Self-preservationSelf-radicalisation Society!"Sebastian Payne @SebastianEPayne
Tomorrow's Daily Mirror has not held back on the Prime Minister: pic.twitter.com/PHcZwCHmZ1
#ISIL
Headline is -
ISIS WHAT CRISIS - terror alert,but PM goes surfing.
Some pb posters wondering why labour shooting up in the polls,this may be one of the reasons,if not,it will be.
What this as to do with labour,I don't know.
http://www.politicshome.com/uk/article/103580/daily_mirror_friday_22nd_august_2014.html
What action would you (or they) have him take that requires his urgent attention?
Without Parliamentary approval he's not going to send troops in. He's presumably not approving each and every flight from Cyprus. He's presumably being briefed on intelligence as needed.
I'd rather the PM is refreshed and rested when he is, potentially, putting our troops in a dangerous situation.
All I would say is the British government didn't import those people en masse despite warnings trouble would eventually arise. Well we've got it now.
Why you have to play devils advocate I don't know. You sound like an apologist
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/11052486/Theresa-May-New-laws-to-tackle-British-jihadists.html
"William Hague was a dud as foreign secretary. He is now in danger of turning into a useless Leader of the Commons."
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/peteroborne/100283755/william-hague-has-betrayed-the-commons-by-backing-john-bercow-over-carol-mills/
Check out the list of their opponents here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_the_Levant
Notice both sides of the Syrian civil war are opponents of ISIS...
I'm curious, what exactly should he be doing?
Yep,that's right,lets give Assad a free hand,let him kill the innocents who want to be free of this tyrant,maybe give him back his chemical weapons ?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXWVpcypf0w
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/multimedia/archive/00444/135090348__444284b.jpg
Sorry, Dave!
This is a job for the military and for our intelligence services.
http://www.retronaut.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/I.jpg
Even if Cameron didn't have access to phone, internet, email, Skype, video-conferencing, etc... It would still be ridiculous to expect him to be chained to his desk all day every day, year in and year out.
I think the public have far more common sense than the silly papers about all this rubbish.
Not everyone mind *glares at Tykejohnno*
I may not sleep for a week through nightmares.
Night all, have fun.
I'm sure Mr Ed will spend most of August on holiday with his family if/when he becomes PM. It's what they do...
Well, I'm not sure Gordon Brown did, but then he was totally insane.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/22/ferguson-black-community-justice-elusive-michael-brown
Guilty, before, during and after a trial has found a man innocent...what a shocking and disgraceful headline.
The law may be an ass and Americans obsession with guns needs to change, it was clear from the trial of Zimmerman that it was far from the original story of kid buys candy, man shoots him for no reason.
I wonder why?
Meanwhile, when asked last week, the British public seemed pretty relaxed about the whole thing:
Cameron's return from Portugal:
Should have been sooner: 31
Not necessary to return: 17
Got the balance right: 37
Curiously enough, Labour voters were most anxious he return - whodathunkit?
When asked about another leader, Labour voters also led in demanding a return - this time Obama, though fortunately the level headedness of the rest of the population left Obama on holiday:
Should Obama cancel holiday:
Yes: 30
No: 52
HOWEVER....there are times and places for holidays. Obama one moment looking serious about a journalist being beheaded and next giving it the big nubs on the golf course, bloody awful. And Cameron the same, with his beached whale impression.
At the moment, it isn't appropriate to be buggering off on holiday for a month. Both in terms of perception, but also there is a lot of really worrying things going on that need calm and firm leadership.
Is there anything in the rules that says you can't issue someone with an ASBO covering the entire of the UK?
;-)
I have not the least idea about this, but think it unlikely that they simply have a few account in a Saudi bank. But perhaps one of PB's well-informed flock knows whether this is worth pursuing - Yokel?