I do love it when Labour supporters think that with around six months to go, a lead of one per cent is awesome.
You must be worried that the tories are not in at least a lead regularly and with ed miliband as leader,at least a 5 point lead ;-)
Will the tory-light kippers return ? it must be a worry ;-)
Everything is going as foretold.
Occasional Tory leads this year including with the Gold Standard.
Dave and the Tories to widen their lead on leadership and the economy.
Remember no party has ever won an election trailing on both the economy and leadership.
Remember, the electorate ALWAYS rejects divided Parties.
The Tories are currently divided into at least 3.
What do they do to parties in a coma. Scottish heart on life support - Welsh party has NHS trench foot and the MPs are positioning themselves for when Ed is dead next May. The Micawber strategy didn't work.
I do love it when Labour supporters think that with around six months to go, a lead of one per cent is awesome.
You must be worried that the tories are not in at least a lead regularly and with ed miliband as leader,at least a 5 point lead ;-)
Will the tory-light kippers return ? it must be a worry ;-)
Everything is going as foretold.
Occasional Tory leads this year including with the Gold Standard.
Dave and the Tories to widen their lead on leadership and the economy.
Remember no party has ever won an election trailing on both the economy and leadership.
Remember, the electorate ALWAYS rejects divided Parties.
The Tories are currently divided into at least 3.
What do they do to parties in a coma. Scottish heart on life support - Welsh party has NHS trench foot and the MPs are positioning themselves for when Ed is dead next May. The Micawber strategy didn't work.
And after all that , labour are still in the lead.
Incredible story. But inevitable. A general and serious resentment of Muslims is now palpable, yet unspoken, like a huge underground river. You can dowse it, but not officially detect it.
I sometimes wonder at the future of Muslims in Europe. They will have to sacrifice aspects of their faith to integrate, or they will be gradually expelled. Yet theirs is a faith that will not admit to error or any kind of reform, it seems.
Grisly.
I would hazard that a majority of people in the UK when they voice displeasure about immigration don't mean EU immigration at all, but immigration from Muslim countries. But it's perceived that it's 'less racist' to complain about Poles etc because of their skin colour. The media have fallen for it too - probably because it makes for an easier life - by reporting on the east of England's concerns about EU migrants.
FMG, rape gangs, the burqa, Tower Hamlets - that's what people are really thinking about when they air anti-immigration views.
Incredible story. But inevitable. A general and serious resentment of Muslims is now palpable, yet unspoken, like a huge underground river. You can dowse it, but not officially detect it.
I sometimes wonder at the future of Muslims in Europe. They will have to sacrifice aspects of their faith to integrate, or they will be gradually expelled. Yet theirs is a faith that will not admit to error or any kind of reform, it seems.
Grisly.
Given who I have been known to talk about now and then on these matters I am sure you wont be surprised that I think this was kind of inevitable, but even I never thought I would see the day when people openly asked for a cab driver to be of a certain colour when they ring up
We are literally back to where we were 50 years ago in terms of race relations
Result for you and your sort then!
How far back do you and your sort want to take it?
Who wants to be proved right about such a serious matter? Having had multiculturalism forced upon us it would obviously have been better for all if it had worked, but for whatever reason it hasn't and it is time you and your ilk admitted it.
Incredible story. But inevitable. A general and serious resentment of Muslims is now palpable, yet unspoken, like a huge underground river. You can dowse it, but not officially detect it.
I sometimes wonder at the future of Muslims in Europe. They will have to sacrifice aspects of their faith to integrate, or they will be gradually expelled. Yet theirs is a faith that will not admit to error or any kind of reform, it seems.
Grisly.
Given who I have been known to talk about now and then on these matters I am sure you wont be surprised that I think this was kind of inevitable, but even I never thought I would see the day when people openly asked for a cab driver to be of a certain colour when they ring up
We are literally back to where we were 50 years ago in terms of race relations
Result for you and your sort then!
How far back do you and your sort want to take it?
"The EU ‘outers’ must win hearts and minds in 2017: A Europe without Britain looks possible now, but the out campaign will need strong leadership, not Little Englanders at the helm"
Excellent article from my perspective. On principle I would prefer Britain out of Europe, but I could not stand to campaign alongside so many people with whom I majoritively and vociferously disagree.
Fabricant is a fool. The last thing the Out campaign needs are these self destructive publicity hunting hand-wringers validating Europhile dog whistle propaganda against Eurosceptics. You'd have thought by wrecking their own brand by banging on about and validating Labour smear tactics the Tories would have learned to keep their gobs shut but clearly Fabricant is incapable of learning from such mistakes, It really is the most basic of political error.
Incredible story. But inevitable. A general and serious resentment of Muslims is now palpable, yet unspoken, like a huge underground river. You can dowse it, but not officially detect it.
I sometimes wonder at the future of Muslims in Europe. They will have to sacrifice aspects of their faith to integrate, or they will be gradually expelled. Yet theirs is a faith that will not admit to error or any kind of reform, it seems.
Grisly.
I would hazard that a majority of people in the UK when they voice displeasure about immigration don't mean EU immigration at all, but immigration from Muslim countries. But it's perceived that it's 'less racist' to complain about Poles etc because of their skin colour. The media have fallen for it too - probably because it makes for an easier life - by reporting on the east of England's concerns about EU migrants.
FMG, rape gangs, the burqa, Tower Hamlets - that's what people are really thinking about when they air anti-immigration views.
Just my opinion.
Go to Barking... it doesn't have to be one or the other!
Well multi - racism surely, rather than multiculturalism.
If you could ask for traditional British or Polish Catholic or Pakistani Muslim then you might have a point.
Don't want to get in a horrible slanging match but aren't these people saying they don't want Pakistani Muslim men?
Indirectly yes.
I like how the cab company's owner's response is just casual racism against white people.
“The Asian drivers are harder working, they do what they are asked and they don’t complain about it. They have a much better work ethic"
Transpose that a tad, and see this:
“The white drivers are harder working, they do what they are asked and they don’t complain about it. They have a much better work ethic"
or
"The black drivers don't work as hard, they don't do what they're told and they complain all the time, they are simply lazy"
Yet the casual anti-white racism is applauded in a Guardian article, by the readers below the line, in a column which supposedly exposes racism against Asians falsely based on some racist Asian gang rapists of white girls.
We are entering a world of race-obsessed lunacy, constructed by the Left. Their own peculiar madness is now devouring them.
Incredible story. But inevitable. A general and serious resentment of Muslims is now palpable, yet unspoken, like a huge underground river. You can dowse it, but not officially detect it.
I sometimes wonder at the future of Muslims in Europe. They will have to sacrifice aspects of their faith to integrate, or they will be gradually expelled. Yet theirs is a faith that will not admit to error or any kind of reform, it seems.
Grisly.
I would hazard that a majority of people in the UK when they voice displeasure about immigration don't mean EU immigration at all, but immigration from Muslim countries. But it's perceived that it's 'less racist' to complain about Poles etc because of their skin colour. The media have fallen for it too - probably because it makes for an easier life - by reporting on the east of England's concerns about EU migrants.
FMG, rape gangs, the burqa, Tower Hamlets - that's what people are really thinking about when they air anti-immigration views.
Just my opinion.
Go to Barking... it doesn't have to be one or the other!
Anecdote alert: the London Review of Books did a piece on UKIP and reported that one of the party's supporters had voiced his concern that "one in three" Londoners was now Muslim. The LRB corrected him: it's "one in eight". When I communicated that statistic to my apparently liberal, NHS-working friend who is a migrant herself, she turned to me and said "that's too many". The LRB and the Left in general are out of touch if they think one-in-eight instead of one-in-three makes a huge difference in many people's eyes.
Am back after a sad week - had to have our 12 year old white persian male put down last Wednesday night which was heartbreaking to say the least.
Anyway, on a more positive note, I've noted down the 21st November do at Dirty Dicks and hopefully will be able to make it this time, after a long absence. Great timing to arrange then in the immediate aftermath of Rochester.
I look forward to some individual constituency polling in the central belt. My gut feeling is that it will either be a case of a complete sea change with the SNP taking over from Labour in urban Scotland, or Labour will hang on with wafer thin majorities everywhere. Obviously my heart very much hopes for the former, but we'll have to keep alert to the polling as always. Also some individual seat betting from Shadsy and others will help here. I think there will be a lot of attractive betting propositions in Scotland come next May.
Incredible story. But inevitable. A general and serious resentment of Muslims is now palpable, yet unspoken, like a huge underground river. You can dowse it, but not officially detect it.
I sometimes wonder at the future of Muslims in Europe. They will have to sacrifice aspects of their faith to integrate, or they will be gradually expelled. Yet theirs is a faith that will not admit to error or any kind of reform, it seems.
Grisly.
I would hazard that a majority of people in the UK when they voice displeasure about immigration don't mean EU immigration at all, but immigration from Muslim countries. But it's perceived that it's 'less racist' to complain about Poles etc because of their skin colour. The media have fallen for it too - probably because it makes for an easier life - by reporting on the east of England's concerns about EU migrants.
FMG, rape gangs, the burqa, Tower Hamlets - that's what people are really thinking about when they air anti-immigration views.
Just my opinion.
Go to Barking... it doesn't have to be one or the other!
Anecdote alert: the London Review of Books did a piece on UKIP and reported that one of the party's supporters had voiced his concern that "one in three" Londoners was now Muslim. The LRB corrected him: it's "one in eight". When I communicated that statistic to my apparently liberal, NHS-working friend who is a migrant herself, she turned to me and said "that's too many". The LRB and the Left in general are out of touch if they think one-in-eight instead of one-in-three makes a huge difference in many people's eyes.
It's only if you explain why one in eight is a problem that you can even begin to consider the difference between one in eight in one in three.
Incredible story. But inevitable. A general and serious resentment of Muslims is now palpable, yet unspoken, like a huge underground river. You can dowse it, but not officially detect it.
I sometimes wonder at the future of Muslims in Europe. They will have to sacrifice aspects of their faith to integrate, or they will be gradually expelled. Yet theirs is a faith that will not admit to error or any kind of reform, it seems.
Grisly.
I would hazard that a majority of people in the UK when they voice displeasure about immigration don't mean EU immigration at all, but immigration from Muslim countries. But it's perceived that it's 'less racist' to complain about Poles etc because of their skin colour. The media have fallen for it too - probably because it makes for an easier life - by reporting on the east of England's concerns about EU migrants.
FMG, rape gangs, the burqa, Tower Hamlets - that's what people are really thinking about when they air anti-immigration views.
Just my opinion.
i think its different in different areas. If you go to Lincolnshire it is most definitely anti European immigration given how much of the agricultural labour is monopolised by European workers and in your own county I would suggest its more about Europeans than anything else. Just take the example of 'Thanet Earth' (mentioned in the article below) and how that will be influencing voters in Thanet
Which would only strengthen calls for an English Parliament and a full severing of the Union.
London, increasingly out of touch with the rest of England, which is an issue as it's London that controls the rest of England. London a City State enclave?
Incredible story. But inevitable. A general and serious resentment of Muslims is now palpable, yet unspoken, like a huge underground river. You can dowse it, but not officially detect it.
I sometimes wonder at the future of Muslims in Europe. They will have to sacrifice aspects of their faith to integrate, or they will be gradually expelled. Yet theirs is a faith that will not admit to error or any kind of reform, it seems.
Grisly.
I would hazard that a majority of people in the UK when they voice displeasure about immigration don't mean EU immigration at all, but immigration from Muslim countries. But it's perceived that it's 'less racist' to complain about Poles etc because of their skin colour. The media have fallen for it too - probably because it makes for an easier life - by reporting on the east of England's concerns about EU migrants.
FMG, rape gangs, the burqa, Tower Hamlets - that's what people are really thinking about when they air anti-immigration views.
Just my opinion.
Go to Barking... it doesn't have to be one or the other!
Anecdote alert: the London Review of Books did a piece on UKIP and reported that one of the party's supporters had voiced his concern that "one in three" Londoners was now Muslim. The LRB corrected him: it's "one in eight". When I communicated that statistic to my apparently liberal, NHS-working friend who is a migrant herself, she turned to me and said "that's too many". The LRB and the Left in general are out of touch if they think one-in-eight instead of one-in-three makes a huge difference in many people's eyes.
I can only think that one in three figure is births.. no way is it population.. it was 2 in 13 according to the last census
Great comments from Another Richard earlier on the lamentable failure of 'rebalancing the economy', to quote Mr Osborne. Just another £11bn + borrowed last month, no need to worry there! And 3 of the past 4 quarters with the current account in deficit over 5% of GDP. Even in the Lawson boom of the late 1980's our net current account position was better. That gives you some idea of just how precarious our economic situation is. It would be wrong to lay all the blame at the government's door - adverse demographic changes are playing their part. However, you can fiddle the growth figures with an understated inflation deflator (which is what the government is effectively doing), but you can't fiddle balance of payments and government borrowing figures over the long term. The latter two stats suggest very strongly that the real strength of the so called recovery is much weaker than the government would have us believe. And for goodness sake, we're over 5 years into a recovery. At this stage of the economic cycle, with it due to turn down from early October next year, we should be running an ample surplus, ready to combat the sovereign debt crisis lying dead ahead. Some chance of that happening. And Mr Osborne had the temerity to promise back in 2010 that the PNBR would be zero by 2015. I said at the time that was pie in the sky, to much derision from the PB Tories.
AnotherDave This question asked about the EU as it is, the subsequent question was about a reformed EU for which there was a much clearer majority in favour of staying in all UK regions, without reform the 1% EU lead is almost certainly due to Scotland (the only other UK region in favour of staying in on present terms is London)
Absolutely. And its incredible that people haven't made the connection between Labour and Tory / Coalition governments largely delivering the same end result of failure thanks to 75% of legislation being determined from Brussels. At least Mr Barroso had the honesty to point out that a renegotiation of free movement of people is impossible under the Treaty of Rome. Unless we leave the EU, we also cannot renegotiate our 20% renewable commitment by 2020 under the 2008 Climate Change Act - which ranks on a par with the 1972 European Communities Bill as the worst ever modern legislation to make it onto the statute book at Westminster. And the Tories if they were sharper, would point out the damage the 2008 Climate Change Act has done to electricity prices and the everyday cost of living for 'hard working' families. Who introduced that piece of legislation. It wouldn't be the Energy and Climate Change secretary at the time would it?! And to think they're so hamstrung that they can't attack the leader of the opposition on his own terms because of their unwillingness to consider EU exit - its staggering their political naivety!
As for EU exit, I'm not worried about the result of the next election with regard to whether it happens or not. It'll be the downturn in economic confidence and the economy starting in October 2015, that will cause the Euro, and by extension, the whole EU project to collapse in 2016/17, regardless of whoever has the dubious honour of being the British PM presiding over the coming sovereign debt crisis of the UK at that time, let alone being fully exposed to the breakup of the Euro area.
AnotherDave This question asked about the EU as it is, the subsequent question was about a reformed EU for which there was a much clearer majority in favour of staying in all UK regions, without reform the 1% EU lead is almost certainly due to Scotland (the only other UK region in favour of staying in on present terms is London)
I think questions about "reform" tend to always come out higher than is realistically achievable. Partially because it gets a boost as the middle moderate option, and partially because the vagueness of it allows a wide range of people to imagine their preferred situation.
Incredible story. But inevitable. A general and serious resentment of Muslims is now palpable, yet unspoken, like a huge underground river. You can dowse it, but not officially detect it.
I sometimes wonder at the future of Muslims in Europe. They will have to sacrifice aspects of their faith to integrate, or they will be gradually expelled. Yet theirs is a faith that will not admit to error or any kind of reform, it seems.
Grisly.
I would hazard that a majority of people in the UK when they voice displeasure about immigration don't mean EU immigration at all, but immigration from Muslim countries. But it's perceived that it's 'less racist' to complain about Poles etc because of their skin colour. The media have fallen for it too - probably because it makes for an easier life - by reporting on the east of England's concerns about EU migrants.
FMG, rape gangs, the burqa, Tower Hamlets - that's what people are really thinking about when they air anti-immigration views.
Just my opinion.
Go to Barking... it doesn't have to be one or the other!
Anecdote alert: the London Review of Books did a piece on UKIP and reported that one of the party's supporters had voiced his concern that "one in three" Londoners was now Muslim. The LRB corrected him: it's "one in eight". When I communicated that statistic to my apparently liberal, NHS-working friend who is a migrant herself, she turned to me and said "that's too many". The LRB and the Left in general are out of touch if they think one-in-eight instead of one-in-three makes a huge difference in many people's eyes.
I can only think that one in three figure is births.. no way is it population.. it was 2 in 13 according to the last census
If kippers want to believe its 1 in 2 they will. They believe what suits them; lifes easier that way. They believe that Robert Iwaszkiewicz is a nice chap and that lack of transparancy in their office expenses is acceptable and not incompatible with the stated beliefs of their new MP. they believe they are breaking the mold and not taking us all for a ride. About 40% ofMuslims in England and wales live in London and the great majority live north of the river, so impressions are formed according to where you are. I imagine most Jews live in London as well. As with many things london is not typical
Corporeal Indeed, but a reformed EU had a 31% lead for the In side, an unreformed EU a 1% lead, so even if that fell Yes would still to stay in would most probably win. It could be the devomax of the EU poll
Incredible story. But inevitable. A general and serious resentment of Muslims is now palpable, yet unspoken, like a huge underground river. You can dowse it, but not officially detect it.
I sometimes wonder at the future of Muslims in Europe. They will have to sacrifice aspects of their faith to integrate, or they will be gradually expelled. Yet theirs is a faith that will not admit to error or any kind of reform, it seems.
Grisly.
I would hazard that a majority of people in the UK when they voice displeasure about immigration don't mean EU immigration at all, but immigration from Muslim countries. But it's perceived that it's 'less racist' to complain about Poles etc because of their skin colour. The media have fallen for it too - probably because it makes for an easier life - by reporting on the east of England's concerns about EU migrants.
FMG, rape gangs, the burqa, Tower Hamlets - that's what people are really thinking about when they air anti-immigration views.
Just my opinion.
Go to Barking... it doesn't have to be one or the other!
Anecdote alert: the London Review of Books did a piece on UKIP and reported that one of the party's supporters had voiced his concern that "one in three" Londoners was now Muslim. The LRB corrected him: it's "one in eight". When I communicated that statistic to my apparently liberal, NHS-working friend who is a migrant herself, she turned to me and said "that's too many". The LRB and the Left in general are out of touch if they think one-in-eight instead of one-in-three makes a huge difference in many people's eyes.
I can only think that one in three figure is births.. no way is it population.. it was 2 in 13 according to the last census
Seems like it's the result of the 2011 census, which had 12.4% muslim (which is one in eight, or near as damnit).
Corporeal Indeed, but a reformed EU had a 31% lead for the In side, an unreformed EU a 1% lead, so even if that fell Yes would still to stay in would most probably win. It could be the devomax of the EU poll
For some reason YouGov seems to produce more pro-EU results on in/out polls.
Incredible story. But inevitable. A general and serious resentment of Muslims is now palpable, yet unspoken, like a huge underground river. You can dowse it, but not officially detect it.
I sometimes wonder at the future of Muslims in Europe. They will have to sacrifice aspects of their faith to integrate, or they will be gradually expelled. Yet theirs is a faith that will not admit to error or any kind of reform, it seems.
Grisly.
Just my opinion.
Go to Barking... it doesn't have to be one or the other!
Anecdote alert: the London Review of Books did a piece on UKIP and reported that one of the party's supporters had voiced his concern that "one in three" Londoners was now Muslim. The LRB corrected him: it's "one in eight". When I communicated that statistic to my apparently liberal, NHS-working friend who is a migrant herself, she turned to me and said "that's too many". The LRB and the Left in general are out of touch if they think one-in-eight instead of one-in-three makes a huge difference in many people's eyes.
I can only think that one in three figure is births.. no way is it population.. it was 2 in 13 according to the last census
If kippers want to believe its 1 in 2 they will. They believe what suits them; lifes easier that way. They believe that Robert Iwaszkiewicz is a nice chap and that lack of transparancy in their office expenses is acceptable and not incompatible with the stated beliefs of their new MP. they believe they are breaking the mold and not taking us all for a ride. About 40% ofMuslims in England and wales live in London and the great majority live north of the river, so impressions are formed according to where you are. I imagine most Jews live in London as well. As with many things london is not typical
It was 1 in 3 not 1in 2
But, once I have skipped the anti UKIP boiler plate smear, I vaguely agree with you... although you do realise we are talking about London not the UK don't you?
Absolutely. And its incredible that people haven't made the connection between Labour and Tory / Coalition governments largely delivering the same end result of failure thanks to 75% of legislation being determined from Brussels. At least Mr Barroso had the honesty to point out that a renegotiation of free movement of people is impossible under the Treaty of Rome. Unless we leave the EU, we also cannot renegotiate our 20% renewable commitment by 2020 under the 2008 Climate Change Act - which ranks on a par with the 1972 European Communities Bill as the worst ever modern legislation to make it onto the statute book at Westminster. And the Tories if they were sharper, would point out the damage the 2008 Climate Change Act has done to electricity prices and the everyday cost of living for 'hard working' families. Who introduced that piece of legislation. It wouldn't be the Energy and Climate Change secretary at the time would it?! And to think they're so hamstrung that they can't attack the leader of the opposition on his own terms because of their unwillingness to consider EU exit - its staggering their political naivety!
As for EU exit, I'm not worried about the result of the next election with regard to whether it happens or not. It'll be the downturn in economic confidence and the economy starting in October 2015, that will cause the Euro, and by extension, the whole EU project to collapse in 2016/17, regardless of whoever has the dubious honour of being the British PM presiding over the coming sovereign debt crisis of the UK at that time, let alone being fully exposed to the breakup of the Euro area.
I'd expect the France to leave the EU before the UK does.
Re: connection. Our political parties (UKIP aside) pretend they're making government policy. One interesting development from the rise of UKIP might be a 2015 general election campaign where the reach of the EU is made plain.
Which would only strengthen calls for an English Parliament and a full severing of the Union.
London, increasingly out of touch with the rest of England, which is an issue as it's London that controls the rest of England. London a City State enclave?
It already largely is anyway. And the main worry in the City continues to be the financial transaction tax. Any imposition would at a stroke set business racing over the Atlantic to conduct business in New York, and east to Singapore and Dubai who both have their eyes on a share of the world financial crown. Capital invests on net return, not gross as a lot of our short sighted politicians and bureaucrats seem to think.
As for the Euro area, the EU bureaucracy continues to think they can have a successful single currency area without a consolidated single market in Euro debt. Such an arrangement has never worked in history, and they were totally ignorant of historical lessons to try it again. I suspect that when the collapse begins in earnest in 2016, they'll consolidate existing Euro area government debt to try to alleviate some of the pressure leaning on Germany to accept that as the price of keeping the ship afloat, whilst keeping new debt issued individually by the member countries in order to try to retain fiscal discipline as a whole. The markets will soon see throught that one though were it to occur. And I wouldn't like to be Frau Merkel explaining away that to the German people either!
Its really tragic what's happening in Germany - half their municipalities basically bust, Russian sanctions having a dreadful impact on their economy which were a dreadful idea, their taxpayers basically on hock to the rest of the Euro area in order to keep it afloat....and its incredible that the German people haven't woken up yet to what is happening in their name. Beware when the average German wakes up to reality after October next year, I don't think its going to be a pretty sight to say the least, and it'll be yet another dagger in the heart or nail in the coffin if you will, of the utterly failed EU project.
Which would only strengthen calls for an English Parliament and a full severing of the Union.
London, increasingly out of touch with the rest of England, which is an issue as it's London that controls the rest of England. London a City State enclave?
it's like Amsterdam v the rest of the Netherlands, an entirely different culture.
Corporeal Indeed, but a reformed EU had a 31% lead for the In side, an unreformed EU a 1% lead, so even if that fell Yes would still to stay in would most probably win. It could be the devomax of the EU poll
More importantly and relevantly, the EU is not going to stay still as we dither.
The ongoing and horrible stagnation in the eurozone, seemingly without end, means either the inner EU unites and Federalises properly - allowing transfers of money between countries and true EU democracy, an elected EU prez, EU wide borrowing etc - or the euro breaks up, liberating the periphery. Both options are seriously painful, but less painful than the status quo. My guess is that the eurozone will go for option 1, eventually
This means the UK will be facing a very different EU beast in 5 or 10 years. We will be asked whether we wish to join a Federal superstate, or relegate ourselves to perpetual outsider status - either entirely outside, or with some special "associate member" thingy.
We won't join the Federal EU, of course. This means that the UK will soon have EEA-like status whatever we do; that is to say, the UK won't leave the EU, the EU will slowly exclude the UK.
The collapse in 2016/7 will bring the whole edifice tumbling down before your dates in 5 or 10 years Sean.
As for Mr Iwaszkiewicz - its such a ridiculous system that cobbles together dubious alliances in all groupings with the 7 countries rule. Not that your average voter remotely understands it all. What an unholy mess. Anyway, it'll be good to see Mr Farage sticking it to the Eurocracy from the front bench again, when they thought they'd seen him off after the Latvian MEP defected from the grouping. Greater fool them!
Incredible story. But inevitable. A general and serious resentment of Muslims is now palpable, yet unspoken, like a huge underground river. You can dowse it, but not officially detect it.
I sometimes wonder at the future of Muslims in Europe. They will have to sacrifice aspects of their faith to integrate, or they will be gradually expelled. Yet theirs is a faith that will not admit to error or any kind of reform, it seems.
Grisly.
Just my opinion.
Go to Barking... it doesn't have to be one or the other!
It's only if you explain why one in eight is a problem that you can even begin to consider the difference between one in eight in one in three.
A one-in-three Muslim population means the end of British culture as we know it (ditto France &c). No civilization will peacefully sign its own death warrant this way.
This means one of three things:
1. Muslim immigration ends, birthrates drop, and Muslims here decide to integrate 2. We see racial conflict leading to the forced integration or expulsion of Muslims, following the election of hard or far right governments 3. Radical reform of European Islam meaning Muslim attitudes cleave closer to western norms
Right now 3, the best option, looks least likely.
Which leaves us (and several other EU nations) with a desperate choice between 1 and 2, or a mixture of both.
2 looks more probable to me - cf the FN, UKIP, etc.
Option 4 "The end of British culture as we know it" is a big runner as well.
I realise I bang on about this a lot, but to me the death warrant has been signed... (or a nation has been busily engaged in heaping up its own funeral pyre"
The 7/7 bombings, the murder of Lee Rigby, The British jihadists beheading Brits for ISIS, & Rotherham rapes aren't condemned on here other than by people that are thought of as a bit "you know" as lefties are allowed to get away with saying
I seriously think people in 100 years will look back at this period of British history and wonder how on earth people didn't see the wood for the trees.. Educated people genuinely believe that mass immigration is a good thing because it made music and food better
Another Dave Indeed, certainly if the EU stays as it is it could go either way, but as I pointed out the fact Scotland voted to stay in the UK also means that Scottish votes could keep the UK in the EU
Good night all - I look forward to the next Rochester constituency polling. Presumably Ashcroft & Co are waiting for the Tory open primary contest to finish before committing resources to it. 30 nights to go - I can't wait to see how it all unfolds.
'Signs of a YPG and Free Syrian Army counter attack in Kobane. Progress unkown. The context, however, could be way more interesting. There are background rumours of a deal being struck between Iraqi Kurdish leader Barzani and Turkish big shot Erdogan regarding assistance to the Syrian Kurds.'
This is already underway with more to come, keep watching.
Interesting debate on the new EFDD member from Poland who has been signed up.
Has anyone scrutinised the members of the Tories ECR group - they expanded rapidly in June to secure an extra 6million euro of EU parliament funding apparently and include:
two MEPs with recent criminal convictions for racism from Denmark and Finland what seem to be two very homophobic parties from Poland and Latvia a party whose sole role is to represent Poles in Lithuania A party that favours giving babies and toddlers the vote from Germany the internal Macedonian revolutionary party from Bulgaria who want to annex Macedonia and oppose civil rights for non Bulgarians living in the country particularly Turks. a Dutch party which openly regards women as inferior and banned them from being members until recently - they also favour very strict adherence to the Bible and The Independent Greeks who want Germany to pay war reparations and want a nationalist front to protect Greece from neo liberal politicians (heaven knows why they want to link up with Cameron and Osborne?)
Mr Iwaszkiewicz seems quite moderate compared to some of those!
Go to Barking... it doesn't have to be one or the other!
It's only if you explain why one in eight is a problem that you can even begin to consider the difference between one in eight in one in three.
A one-in-three Muslim population means the end of British culture as we know it (ditto France &c). No civilization will peacefully sign its own death warrant this way.
This means one of three things:
1. Muslim immigration ends, birthrates drop, and Muslims here decide to integrate 2. We see racial conflict leading to the forced integration or expulsion of Muslims, following the election of hard or far right governments 3. Radical reform of European Islam meaning Muslim attitudes cleave closer to western norms
Right now 3, the best option, looks least likely.
Which leaves us (and several other EU nations) with a desperate choice between 1 and 2, or a mixture of both.
2 looks more probable to me - cf the FN, UKIP, etc.
Option 4 "The end of British culture as we know it" is a big runner as well.
I realise I bang on about this a lot, but to me the death warrant has been signed... (or a nation has been busily engaged in heaping up its own funeral pyre"
The 7/7 bombings, the murder of Lee Rigby, The British jihadists beheading Brits for ISIS, & Rotherham rapes aren't condemned on here other than by people that are thought of as a bit "you know" as lefties are allowed to get away with saying
I seriously think people in 100 years will look back at this period of British history and wonder how on earth people didn't see the wood for the trees.. Educated people genuinely believe that mass immigration is a good thing because it made music and food better
Interesting debate on the new EFDD member from Poland who has been signed up.
Has anyone scrutinised the members of the Tories ECR group - they expanded rapidly in June to secure an extra 6million euro of EU parliament funding apparently and include:
two MEPs with recent criminal convictions for racism from Denmark and Finland what seem to be two very homophobic parties from Poland and Latvia a party whose sole role is to represent Poles in Lithuania A party that favours giving babies and toddlers the vote from Germany the internal Macedonian revolutionary party from Bulgaria who want to annex Macedonia and oppose civil rights for non Bulgarians living in the country particularly Turks. a Dutch party which openly regards women as inferior and banned them from being members until recently - they also favour very strict adherence to the Bible and The Independent Greeks who want Germany to pay war reparations and want a nationalist front to protect Greece from neo liberal politicians (heaven knows why they want to link up with Cameron and Osborne?)
Mr Iwaszkiewicz seems quite moderate compared to some of those!
Yeah, I was thinking similar. Short memories some people - tories were heavily criticized for this at the time when they left the big (Christian democrat?) centre right grouping). but UKIP is the bogeyman now...
Option 4 "The end of British culture as we know it" is a big runner as well.
I realise I bang on about this a lot, but to me the death warrant has been signed... (or a nation has been busily engaged in heaping up its own funeral pyre"
The 7/7 bombings, the murder of Lee Rigby, The British jihadists beheading Brits for ISIS, & Rotherham rapes aren't condemned on here other than by people that are thought of as a bit "you know" as lefties are allowed to get away with saying
I seriously think people in 100 years will look back at this period of British history and wonder how on earth people didn't see the wood for the trees.. Educated people genuinely believe that mass immigration is a good thing because it made music and food better
Yeah, I was thinking similar. Short memories some people - tories were heavily criticized for this at the time when they left the big (Christian democrat?) centre right grouping). but UKIP is the bogeyman now...
Yes - you cannot beat double standards, faux outrage and hypocrisy!
Oddly the Congress of the New Right from which this new UKIP ally comes from actually won seats in Brussels because of huge support amongst voters aged 18-24.
It calls for enacting a new liberal-minded constitution, a reduction of the size of the Polish Parliament and regional autonomy. The party's main priorities are lowering taxes (including the abolition of income tax) and reducing the national debt, by cutting down social programs and allowing the economy to flourish. It also is in favoru of decriminalising all drugs.
Now the official leader may be a loony extremist - but the supposed party platform seems a lot more moderate than some of those Tory allies.
Maybe we all need to educate ourselves more about the myriad delights of central and eastern european politics!
Comments
I say this as a worried punter ;-)
FMG, rape gangs, the burqa, Tower Hamlets - that's what people are really thinking about when they air anti-immigration views.
Just my opinion.
It's a disaster
You fix any problems you don't advertise them!
Anecdote alert: the London Review of Books did a piece on UKIP and reported that one of the party's supporters had voiced his concern that "one in three" Londoners was now Muslim. The LRB corrected him: it's "one in eight". When I communicated that statistic to my apparently liberal, NHS-working friend who is a migrant herself, she turned to me and said "that's too many". The LRB and the Left in general are out of touch if they think one-in-eight instead of one-in-three makes a huge difference in many people's eyes.
Anyway, on a more positive note, I've noted down the 21st November do at Dirty Dicks and hopefully will be able to make it this time, after a long absence. Great timing to arrange then in the immediate aftermath of Rochester.
http://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/u021h6mva9/YG-Archive-Pol-Sun-results-201014.pdf
17th August - 10 polls = 3.01%
24th August - 8 polls = 3.64
31st August - 7 polls = 3.83
7th September - 8 polls = 3.32
14th September - 11 polls = 4.64
21st September - 10 polls = 3.55
28th September - 10 polls = 4.35
5th October - 9 polls = 2.89
12th October - 11 polls = 2.56
19th October - 12 polls = 2.44
week so far - 3 polls = 1.86
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-29696467
I look forward to some individual constituency polling in the central belt. My gut feeling is that it will either be a case of a complete sea change with the SNP taking over from Labour in urban Scotland, or Labour will hang on with wafer thin majorities everywhere. Obviously my heart very much hopes for the former, but we'll have to keep alert to the polling as always. Also some individual seat betting from Shadsy and others will help here. I think there will be a lot of attractive betting propositions in Scotland come next May.
http://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/u021h6mva9/YG-Archive-Pol-Sun-results-201014.pdf
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/ukip/10357308/Nigel-Farage-planning-to-take-on-pro-Europe-Tory-MP.html
twitter.com/NatCen/status/523034556786814976
http://www.natcen.ac.uk/blog/has-the-eu-lost-the-public-for-good
London, increasingly out of touch with the rest of England, which is an issue as it's London that controls the rest of England. London a City State enclave?
As for EU exit, I'm not worried about the result of the next election with regard to whether it happens or not. It'll be the downturn in economic confidence and the economy starting in October 2015, that will cause the Euro, and by extension, the whole EU project to collapse in 2016/17, regardless of whoever has the dubious honour of being the British PM presiding over the coming sovereign debt crisis of the UK at that time, let alone being fully exposed to the breakup of the Euro area.
About 40% ofMuslims in England and wales live in London and the great majority live north of the river, so impressions are formed according to where you are. I imagine most Jews live in London as well. As with many things london is not typical
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proposed_referendum_on_United_Kingdom_membership_of_the_European_Union#2014_2
Either side can win an in/out referendum.
If Mr Clegg's debate performances are anything to go by, the 'in' side don't have very strong material to work with.
But, once I have skipped the anti UKIP boiler plate smear, I vaguely agree with you... although you do realise we are talking about London not the UK don't you?
Re: connection. Our political parties (UKIP aside) pretend they're making government policy. One interesting development from the rise of UKIP might be a 2015 general election campaign where the reach of the EU is made plain.
As for the Euro area, the EU bureaucracy continues to think they can have a successful single currency area without a consolidated single market in Euro debt. Such an arrangement has never worked in history, and they were totally ignorant of historical lessons to try it again. I suspect that when the collapse begins in earnest in 2016, they'll consolidate existing Euro area government debt to try to alleviate some of the pressure leaning on Germany to accept that as the price of keeping the ship afloat, whilst keeping new debt issued individually by the member countries in order to try to retain fiscal discipline as a whole. The markets will soon see throught that one though were it to occur. And I wouldn't like to be Frau Merkel explaining away that to the German people either!
Its really tragic what's happening in Germany - half their municipalities basically bust, Russian sanctions having a dreadful impact on their economy which were a dreadful idea, their taxpayers basically on hock to the rest of the Euro area in order to keep it afloat....and its incredible that the German people haven't woken up yet to what is happening in their name. Beware when the average German wakes up to reality after October next year, I don't think its going to be a pretty sight to say the least, and it'll be yet another dagger in the heart or nail in the coffin if you will, of the utterly failed EU project.
As for Mr Iwaszkiewicz - its such a ridiculous system that cobbles together dubious alliances in all groupings with the 7 countries rule. Not that your average voter remotely understands it all. What an unholy mess. Anyway, it'll be good to see Mr Farage sticking it to the Eurocracy from the front bench again, when they thought they'd seen him off after the Latvian MEP defected from the grouping. Greater fool them!
I realise I bang on about this a lot, but to me the death warrant has been signed... (or a nation has been busily engaged in heaping up its own funeral pyre"
The 7/7 bombings, the murder of Lee Rigby, The British jihadists beheading Brits for ISIS, & Rotherham rapes aren't condemned on here other than by people that are thought of as a bit "you know" as lefties are allowed to get away with saying
I seriously think people in 100 years will look back at this period of British history and wonder how on earth people didn't see the wood for the trees.. Educated people genuinely believe that mass immigration is a good thing because it made music and food better
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_wXLfhmJGo
http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/daniel-hannan/2014/10/cameron-could-win-in-2015-if-he-were-serious-about-europe-but-he-isnt/
If only it was as easy as that.
Hannan's sounding increasingly neurotic, a man in denial about the fact he's in the wrong party and bereft of his good mates Carswell and Reckless.
'Signs of a YPG and Free Syrian Army counter attack in Kobane. Progress unkown. The context, however, could be way more interesting. There are background rumours of a deal being struck between Iraqi Kurdish leader Barzani and Turkish big shot Erdogan regarding assistance to the Syrian Kurds.'
This is already underway with more to come, keep watching.
Has anyone scrutinised the members of the Tories ECR group - they expanded rapidly in June to secure an extra 6million euro of EU parliament funding apparently and include:
two MEPs with recent criminal convictions for racism from Denmark and Finland
what seem to be two very homophobic parties from Poland and Latvia
a party whose sole role is to represent Poles in Lithuania
A party that favours giving babies and toddlers the vote from Germany
the internal Macedonian revolutionary party from Bulgaria who want to annex Macedonia and oppose civil rights for non Bulgarians living in the country particularly Turks.
a Dutch party which openly regards women as inferior and banned them from being members until recently - they also favour very strict adherence to the Bible and
The Independent Greeks who want Germany to pay war reparations and want a nationalist front to protect Greece from neo liberal politicians (heaven knows why they want to link up with Cameron and Osborne?)
Mr Iwaszkiewicz seems quite moderate compared to some of those!
But if that is what it takes to form a group and get funding in Brussels - who are we to criticise the Tories?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Conservatives_and_Reformists
It constantly mutates and evolves with every major event from decimalization to the death of Diana.
It's never going to stand still.
end of Culture doesn't mean end of civilization though. You just have to keep being civilized
God forbid you let the British people have their voice, ay Michael?
Yeah, I was thinking similar. Short memories some people - tories were heavily criticized for this at the time when they left the big (Christian democrat?) centre right grouping). but UKIP is the bogeyman now...
Yes - you cannot beat double standards, faux outrage and hypocrisy!
Oddly the Congress of the New Right from which this new UKIP ally comes from actually won seats in Brussels because of huge support amongst voters aged 18-24.
It calls for enacting a new liberal-minded constitution, a reduction of the size of the Polish Parliament and regional autonomy. The party's main priorities are lowering taxes (including the abolition of income tax) and reducing the national debt, by cutting down social programs and allowing the economy to flourish. It also is in favoru of decriminalising all drugs.
Now the official leader may be a loony extremist - but the supposed party platform seems a lot more moderate than some of those Tory allies.
Maybe we all need to educate ourselves more about the myriad delights of central and eastern european politics!
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/father-isis-hostage-john-cantlie-4479249