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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » The woman in this great ad wins the Senator race in Iowa to

SystemSystem Posts: 12,213
edited November 2014 in General

politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » The woman in this great ad wins the Senator race in Iowa to help the GOP take control of the Senate

The big UK political betting news will be the release by Lord Ashcroft later this morning of his latest round of single seat polling. He’s gone for seats with bigger majorities than his earlier polling as well as a look at Scotland.

Read the full story here


«13

Comments

  • First?
  • david_herdsondavid_herdson Posts: 17,834
    edited November 2014
    It's very rare for the Republicans to go for such an inexperienced and unconnected candidate. Indeed, it's (I think) unheard of in the post-convention era i.e. when decided by primaries rather than the delegates themselves. They certainly haven't picked a candidate in their forties for many decades. Even in six years' time, she'd still be younger than every GOP presidential nominee since Nixon in 1960 (and, of course, Nixon had been VP for the previous eight years at that point).

    That, however, is not to say that she won't be a candidate in 10 or 14 years time.
  • Taking a slightly longer look at leader ratings - top 3 (diff vs year ago) [among VI]

    Cameron:
    Sticks to what he believes in: 23 (+1) [50 (-)]
    Strong: 16 (+1) [40 (+4)]
    Natural Leader: 16 (+3) [41 (+9)]

    Miliband:
    In touch with concerns of ordinary people: 16 (-9)* [43 (-15)] (* would be -11 vs 1 yag + 2 weeks)
    Honest: 14 (-3) [35 (-6)]
    Sticks to what he believes in: 13 (-4) [33 (-5)]

    http://cdn.yougov.com/cumulus_uploads/document/3jhq20nxn6/YG-Archive-Pol-Sun-results-041114.pdf

    http://cdn.yougov.com/cumulus_uploads/document/1sqhc03nrf/YG-Archive-Pol-Sun-results-291013.pdf
  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,033
    i thought the Kansas fight was supposed to be close, GOP trounced the independent candidate by ten points.
  • AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 25,514
    US elections - yawn.

    What we need is another 3 year Indyref campaign.
  • Morning everyone. FWIW, I've done an analysis of the 'attack' part of the Tory 40:40 strategy, and prospects for Conservative gains direct from Labour next year if an overall majority does look on the cards, looking for value constituency bets. Not in antifrank's league, but I've given it a go.

    The standout value constituency bet for me is Birmingham Northfield at 12/1. It feels like this should be much shorter, perhaps 4/1. See link to my blog below:

    http://royaleleseaux.wordpress.com/2014/11/04/could-the-conservatives-win-an-overall-majority-in-the-2015-general-election-next-year-part-2/

    Comments welcome!
  • US elections - yawn.

    What we need is another 3 year Indyref campaign.

    Be careful what you wish for!

  • Brains trust trivia - why do the US parties have the usual colour coding for parties (red = left, blue = right) reversed?
  • AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 25,514

    US elections - yawn.

    What we need is another 3 year Indyref campaign.

    Be careful what you wish for!

    OK make it 4 :-)
  • US elections - yawn.

    What we need is another 3 year Indyref campaign.

    Be careful what you wish for!

    OK make it 4 :-)
    Why not throw in an AV referendum for good measure? And of course we've got the in-out EU referendum to look forward to.....won't the Kippers be pleased?

  • AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 25,514

    US elections - yawn.

    What we need is another 3 year Indyref campaign.

    Be careful what you wish for!

    OK make it 4 :-)
    Why not throw in an AV referendum for good measure? And of course we've got the in-out EU referendum to look forward to.....won't the Kippers be pleased?

    sounds good to me ! I've lined up some bacon sandwich eating Latvian homophobes to blog some variety into the threads.
  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,033

    US elections - yawn.

    What we need is another 3 year Indyref campaign.

    To be honest, I prefer the old method of appointing regional governors... unfortunately the locals didn't appreciate our benevolent rule ;)
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    FPT

    Just wanted to a shout out for my friend Seth who's just been elected to Congress for the MA 6th.

    Hope you all got on him when he was an upstart trying to unseat a 7 term incumbent from his own party...tasty odds when I tipped him...
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    RobD said:

    US elections - yawn.

    What we need is another 3 year Indyref campaign.

    To be honest, I prefer the old method of appointing regional governors... unfortunately the locals didn't appreciate our benevolent rule ;)
    Can't we just use Longshanks's approach: let them select their own governors (from an approved list). It's working pretty well for the Chinese, so why not us?
  • PS. Quickly looking at the US election results, it doesn't seem that much has changed demographically. Republican voters still much older, Christian and whiter than other US voters.

    They've done well to take the Senate. But I can't see them taking the Presidency anytime soon.
  • “I grew up castrating hogs; I know how to cut pork”

    Catchy – reminds me of my old science teacher who started each lesson with some explosive prank and the immortal words – “‘now that I have your attention”….!

  • Morning everyone. FWIW, I've done an analysis of the 'attack' part of the Tory 40:40 strategy, and prospects for Conservative gains direct from Labour next year if an overall majority does look on the cards, looking for value constituency bets. Not in antifrank's league, but I've given it a go.

    The standout value constituency bet for me is Birmingham Northfield at 12/1. It feels like this should be much shorter, perhaps 4/1. See link to my blog below:

    http://royaleleseaux.wordpress.com/2014/11/04/could-the-conservatives-win-an-overall-majority-in-the-2015-general-election-next-year-part-2/

    Comments welcome!

    It's Hampstead & Kilburn, not Hammersmith!

    The one way it goes Tory is if they are heading for an overall majority. But you are right - the likelihood is it will be a comfortable Labour hold as the LD vote collapses. I believe there are slight Labour concerns, though, that the Greens could eat into their vote.

  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 54,014
    I can't help feeling that the wheel is turning again towards the Republicans in the US. If they get a vaguely credible candidate I suspect that Hillary will end up missing out again.

    In the meantime Obama is reduced to a lame duck President with little control over the domestic agenda. What a disappointment he has been in office.
  • Scrapheap_as_wasScrapheap_as_was Posts: 10,069
    edited November 2014
    Can't wait for 11am..... what will Lord A's Buckingham opinion poll show, it's surely going to be a nail biter .....
  • DavidL said:

    I can't help feeling that the wheel is turning again towards the Republicans in the US. If they get a vaguely credible candidate I suspect that Hillary will end up missing out again.

    In the meantime Obama is reduced to a lame duck President with little control over the domestic agenda. What a disappointment he has been in office.

    Morning all,

    Certainly might be more of a race than previously thought in 2016, but that almost always seems to be the case whenever someone is touted as a shoe-in in the US - the country is very divided. However, Mike's demographic chart from NYT shows the GOP problems. That's why I am thinking a Jeb Bush run might make sense: his hispanic credentials may put this demo back in play.
  • On topic, this candidate is just a little bit unnervingly keen on castrating pigs for my liking. I'm surprised this played so well with the male part of the electorate.
  • Casino Royale, I very much like your piece. You've approached things from the opposite direction to me - I've been looking at what current constituency odds tell us about the chances of the parties (and then looking for anomalies) while you've been looking at a given level of performance would require, and then looking for the best constituency odds. I'm thinking about Birmingham Northfield as a result.

    I would not be looking for many Conservative gains in London - quite the reverse, this is one region where Labour will do unusually well, relatively.
  • O/T - but irresistible:

    "(1) Emerging economies will cripple European manufacturing and service industries.

    (2) The compounding effect of technology; computing power increases and its price decreases. The world added 5 exaflops (great word!) of computing capacity in 2008, 20 in 2012 and heading for 40 this year and will change just about everything.

    (3) The demographic deficit, ratio of working age population +16 to dependent population +65, is in decline."

    From Roy Lilley's wonderful daily e-mail to-day, of course. The implication of course is that either we use (2) to fix (1) and (3) or they don't get fixed. My concern is, frankly, that if the voices of the right on here are typical of anyone but themselves, they don't want them to get fixed. In truth, sooner or later, anyone motivated by greed is going to take a dim view of other folk, a view that will only get dimmer day by day.
  • MikeKMikeK Posts: 9,053
    Good morning.

    A good result for the GOP, but can they build on it for presidential elections in 2016?
  • O/T

    Was out working last night so missed the Liverpool team vs Real.

    It showed a club wanting to reach the CL for the next season is more important than how they do once actually in it - that was the message of last night.

    Feeble.

    At least Harry had a right go at it when we were there.
  • antifrank said:

    Casino Royale, I very much like your piece. You've approached things from the opposite direction to me - I've been looking at what current constituency odds tell us about the chances of the parties (and then looking for anomalies) while you've been looking at a given level of performance would require, and then looking for the best constituency odds. I'm thinking about Birmingham Northfield as a result.

    I would not be looking for many Conservative gains in London - quite the reverse, this is one region where Labour will do unusually well, relatively.

    Many thanks antifrank. You've summarised very neatly what I was doing.

    We don't always see eye-to-eye on political matters, but I'm a great admirer of your analysis and betting insight skills. Your kind words mean a lot to me!
  • Morning everyone. FWIW, I've done an analysis of the 'attack' part of the Tory 40:40 strategy, and prospects for Conservative gains direct from Labour next year if an overall majority does look on the cards, looking for value constituency bets. Not in antifrank's league, but I've given it a go.

    The standout value constituency bet for me is Birmingham Northfield at 12/1. It feels like this should be much shorter, perhaps 4/1. See link to my blog below:

    http://royaleleseaux.wordpress.com/2014/11/04/could-the-conservatives-win-an-overall-majority-in-the-2015-general-election-next-year-part-2/

    Comments welcome!

    It's Hampstead & Kilburn, not Hammersmith!

    The one way it goes Tory is if they are heading for an overall majority. But you are right - the likelihood is it will be a comfortable Labour hold as the LD vote collapses. I believe there are slight Labour concerns, though, that the Greens could eat into their vote.

    Blast. Thanks SO. That must be a typo from last night - I was getting tired. Will correct!
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 54,014
    edited November 2014

    DavidL said:

    I can't help feeling that the wheel is turning again towards the Republicans in the US. If they get a vaguely credible candidate I suspect that Hillary will end up missing out again.

    In the meantime Obama is reduced to a lame duck President with little control over the domestic agenda. What a disappointment he has been in office.

    Morning all,

    Certainly might be more of a race than previously thought in 2016, but that almost always seems to be the case whenever someone is touted as a shoe-in in the US - the country is very divided. However, Mike's demographic chart from NYT shows the GOP problems. That's why I am thinking a Jeb Bush run might make sense: his hispanic credentials may put this demo back in play.
    The republicans certainly need to extend their reach both demographically (Hispanics being the obvious target) and geographically. Their success in Colorado and West Virginia as well as their near success in Virginia suggests that they can do the latter but the former needs the right candidate.

    What the NYT noticed this time is that the republicans were playing to win with major party support for incumbents and moderate candidates being threatened by the Tea Party:

    "With the political climate and the electoral map playing to their decided advantage, Republicans were determined not to relive the elections of 2010 and 2012, when infighting between establishment Republicans and Tea Party insurgents damaged the party’s brand and elevated candidates who could not win.

    From the beginning, party officials decided to take sides when fierce primary challenges emerged. The party establishment crushed challengers to Mr. McConnell in Kentucky, and to Senators Lindsey Graham in South Carolina and Lamar Alexander in Tennessee.

    The establishment also sent reinforcements to help Senator Thad Cochran eke out a runoff victory against a Tea Party firebrand in Mississippi; cleared the Republican field for Mr. Gardner in Colorado; and backed winning primary candidates in Iowa, North Carolina, New Hampshire and Alaska."

    We may have seen the peak of Tea Party destructiveness.

  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,950
    edited November 2014
    Good morning, everyone.

    Got to say I was quite angry about the nonsense the idiot Mark Easton (BBC chap, an article of whose on an identical subject I posted here for derision a day or two prior to the TV piece) was spouting on the News at Ten last night.

    It was about English devolution. So, he went to Cornwall and asked some Cornish nationalists if they wanted a Cornish assembly. Amazingly, they did. Behold the incredible journalism!

    Then he went to a 'neutral' setting, namely a pub. He presented a few pubgoers with various options for devolution.

    These were:
    A Cornish assembly (met with disapproval because of lack of resources in Cornwall)
    A Plymouth-led Devon-Cornwall assembly (met with disapproval because Devon isn't the boss of Cornwall)
    A south-west region which looked to include Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset (met with disapproval because the West Country doesn't understand Cornish things)

    There was no English Parliament option. The exact analogy of a Scottish Parliament is an English Parliament, and the state broadcaster refuses to even mention the single most desired option. Asking Cornish nationalists if they want their own elected body is as revealing and fair as asking nymphomaniacs if they'd like a shag.

    I think I might ask Mr. Smithson if I could write a piece about the need for an English Parliament. Whilst I very much doubt it will be as widely read as the moronic wibbling of Easton it might have the advantage of being worth reading.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29850286
    Check the top comments - people want an English Parliament. The BBC doesn't want to even whisper it.

    Edited extra bit: and asking vague questions to promote a political perspective is unimpressive:
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-29880995
    "'Support' for English devolution - BBC poll"

    "However, Prof John Curtice, from Strathclyde University, said the question asked in the poll needed to be more specific.

    He said people might interpret "local area" in different ways and the result could change if people were asked about tax, education and policing separately."
  • antifrank said:

    Casino Royale, I very much like your piece. You've approached things from the opposite direction to me - I've been looking at what current constituency odds tell us about the chances of the parties (and then looking for anomalies) while you've been looking at a given level of performance would require, and then looking for the best constituency odds. I'm thinking about Birmingham Northfield as a result.

    I would not be looking for many Conservative gains in London - quite the reverse, this is one region where Labour will do unusually well, relatively.

    Many thanks antifrank. You've summarised very neatly what I was doing.

    We don't always see eye-to-eye on political matters, but I'm a great admirer of your analysis and betting insight skills. Your kind words mean a lot to me!
    Very interesting reading. I used to live in Birmingham Northfield in the good 'ole days when it was a super-marginal and every vote was worth its weight. I still have contacts so I'll be trying to get some on-the-ground info in next couple of weeks. I do gather that the Tories have been highly active recently.

    Suggest that @Casino_Royale reposts his blog link later in the day, around PMQs as they'll be more of us PBers online around then.
  • Good morning, everyone.

    Got to say I was quite angry about the nonsense the idiot Mark Easton (BBC chap, an article of whose on an identical subject I posted here for derision a day or two prior to the TV piece) was spouting on the News at Ten last night.

    It was about English devolution. So, he went to Cornwall and asked some Cornish nationalists if they wanted a Cornish assembly. Amazingly, they did. Behold the incredible journalism!

    Then he went to a 'neutral' setting, namely a pub. He presented a few pubgoers with various options for devolution.

    These were:
    A Cornish assembly (met with disapproval because of lack of resources in Cornwall)
    A Plymouth-led Devon-Cornwall assembly (met with disapproval because Devon isn't the boss of Cornwall)
    A south-west region which looked to include Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset (met with disapproval because the West Country doesn't understand Cornish things)

    There was no English Parliament option. The exact analogy of a Scottish Parliament is an English Parliament, and the state broadcaster refuses to even mention the single most desired option. Asking Cornish nationalists if they want their own elected body is as revealing and fair as asking nymphomaniacs if they'd like a shag.

    I think I might ask Mr. Smithson if I could write a piece about the need for an English Parliament. Whilst I very much doubt it will be as widely read as the moronic wibbling of Easton it might have the advantage of being worth reading.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29850286
    Check the top comments - people want an English Parliament. The BBC doesn't want to even whisper it.

    Edited extra bit: and asking vague questions to promote a political perspective is unimpressive:
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-29880995
    "'Support' for English devolution - BBC poll"

    "However, Prof John Curtice, from Strathclyde University, said the question asked in the poll needed to be more specific.

    He said people might interpret "local area" in different ways and the result could change if people were asked about tax, education and policing separately."

    Morning Mr Dancer,

    You are not quite right that the exact analogy of a Scottish Parliament is an English Parliament. The problem is that such an English assembly would represent some 85% of the population of UK. That's why people talk about regional entities like Cornish or North East as these would represent populations more on the scale of Scotland and Wales.
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 43,498

    US elections - yawn.

    What we need is another 3 year Indyref campaign.

    Alan, it will be along soon , after the Westminster boys have welched on more powers
  • Worth sticking a small stake on Mark Warner on being the Dem candidate in 2016?

    You can get 49/1 on Betfair on him (£19) and 40/1 with other bookies.
  • AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 25,514
    malcolmg said:

    US elections - yawn.

    What we need is another 3 year Indyref campaign.

    Alan, it will be along soon , after the Westminster boys have welched on more powers
    I'm looking forward to a debate with oil at $70 a barrel and a whisky industry that can no longer make decent hooch. :-)
  • US elections - yawn.

    What we need is another 3 year Indyref campaign.

    We're going to be living through a modern 100 years war, this time with indyrefs.

    Only longer.
  • Mr. Borough, that's entirely wrong. Scotland is one land, Wales is one land and England is one land.

    Nobody said Wales was too small. Nobody argued Scotland should be cut up in Lowlands, Highlands and Islands. I'm an Englishman, and England should not be dismembered for political convenience or because some right-on idiots dislike England.

    I absolutely do not care that 85% of the UK's population would be covered by an English Parliament. If a Parliament is good enough for Scotland, it's good enough for England.

    If the Scots get DevoMax (and if they don't, they'll leave sooner rather than later) then justice demands equality for England. Can we have that with shitty little regional assemblies?

    Do you think varying income tax, VAT, and so forth could work in Yorkshire and Lancashire, Somerset and Devon? It's utterly unworkable on a regional level. To have the same democratic rights as Scotland we must have an English Parliament.
  • AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 25,514

    US elections - yawn.

    What we need is another 3 year Indyref campaign.

    We're going to be living through a modern 100 years war, this time with indyrefs.

    Only longer.
    Yes but at least it wont get clogged up with rational debate and logic.

    The vicar of Bath is still ranting, nobody appears to have told him the vote was held in September.
  • Mr. Eagles, what's the best way to contact Mr. Smithson about a piece on the need for an English Parliament?
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 54,014

    Worth sticking a small stake on Mark Warner on being the Dem candidate in 2016?

    You can get 49/1 on Betfair on him (£19) and 40/1 with other bookies.

    The one that caught my eye was Scott Walker who won again in Wisconsin, a state that would struggle to hold onto the title swing in recent times. He is far enough on the right to unite the Republicans and win the nutters that vote in their primaries but has a track record of success for the main contest.

    He has some skeletons in his cupboard but the recall was a disaster for his opponents and boosted his standing nationally. I think he is a real contender.
  • Morris Dancer for First Minister of England!
  • malcolmg said:

    US elections - yawn.

    What we need is another 3 year Indyref campaign.

    Alan, it will be along soon , after the Westminster boys have welched on more powers
    I'm looking forward to a debate with oil at $70 a barrel and a whisky industry that can no longer make decent hooch. :-)
    That's only $40 out!

    Roundings!
  • US elections - yawn.

    What we need is another 3 year Indyref campaign.

    We're going to be living through a modern 100 years war, this time with indyrefs.

    Only longer.
    Yes but at least it wont get clogged up with rational debate and logic.

    The vicar of Bath is still ranting, nobody appears to have told him the vote was held in September.
    True, I'm still laughing at the Nats and their currency union and Salmond lying about EU membership.

    Will we get that level of comedy next time?
  • Mr. Eagles, what's the best way to contact Mr. Smithson about a piece on the need for an English Parliament?

    Email him at mike@politicalbetting.com
  • audreyanneaudreyanne Posts: 1,376
    Oooh another Mike Smithson-Lord Ashcroft love in. Can't wait ;)

    Good midterms by the Republicans. Back as a force, notably because they have restrained their loony Tea Party fringe. A lesson for all.
  • US elections - yawn.

    What we need is another 3 year Indyref campaign.

    We're going to be living through a modern 100 years war, this time with indyrefs.

    Only longer.
    The vicar of Bath is still ranting, nobody appears to have told him the vote was held in September.
    Comical James was hyperventilating that a party that won't be seeking votes from 92% of the electorate be represented in the national TV debates......
  • AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 25,514

    malcolmg said:

    US elections - yawn.

    What we need is another 3 year Indyref campaign.

    Alan, it will be along soon , after the Westminster boys have welched on more powers
    I'm looking forward to a debate with oil at $70 a barrel and a whisky industry that can no longer make decent hooch. :-)
    That's only $40 out!

    Roundings!
    I've beeen using Black Douglas' Eckonomics.

    Apparently movements in oil prices aren't important for a petro-economy.
  • We don't need no stinking English Parliament.

    EV4EL is the way to go.
  • malcolmg said:

    US elections - yawn.

    What we need is another 3 year Indyref campaign.

    Alan, it will be along soon , after the Westminster boys have welched on more powers
    I'm looking forward to a debate with oil at $70 a barrel and a whisky industry that can no longer make decent hooch. :-)
    That's only $40 out!

    Roundings!
    Apparently movements in oil prices aren't important for a petro-economy.
    Or it's currency.

    Whatever that is......
  • Good midterms by the Republicans. Back as a force, notably because they have restrained their loony Tea Party fringe. A lesson for all.

    The GOP is back not so much because of anything the GOP has done but because Obama is a "30%'er" lefty gimp. This is an anti-Obama anti-lefty nannying and anti big-state vote. Obama never tried at all to reach beyond his corest of core votes - and is paying the electoral price. Miliband take note.
  • TGOHFTGOHF Posts: 21,633

    US elections - yawn.

    What we need is another 3 year Indyref campaign.

    We're going to be living through a modern 100 years war, this time with indyrefs.

    Only longer.
    Yes but at least it wont get clogged up with rational debate and logic.

    The vicar of Bath is still ranting, nobody appears to have told him the vote was held in September.
    True, I'm still laughing at the Nats and their currency union and Salmond lying about EU membership.

    Will we get that level of comedy next time?
    Repeats are usually shown on BBC2.
  • AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 25,514
    edited November 2014

    US elections - yawn.

    What we need is another 3 year Indyref campaign.

    We're going to be living through a modern 100 years war, this time with indyrefs.

    Only longer.
    Yes but at least it wont get clogged up with rational debate and logic.

    The vicar of Bath is still ranting, nobody appears to have told him the vote was held in September.
    True, I'm still laughing at the Nats and their currency union and Salmond lying about EU membership.

    Will we get that level of comedy next time?
    I think that was just the first act.

    I'm still marvelling at Mr Carnyx who is normally a sensible chap, telling us that the current contest in Scotland is a contest between the SNP and the Tories. This in a week when the Tories were reported on 8%.

    He appears to have missed the 40 or so Labour Mps who are representing Scotland.

    I fully expect Nats demanding Koala bears for all 3 year olds and the reappearance of Stuart Dickson.
  • TGOHFTGOHF Posts: 21,633
    DavidL said:

    Worth sticking a small stake on Mark Warner on being the Dem candidate in 2016?

    You can get 49/1 on Betfair on him (£19) and 40/1 with other bookies.

    The one that caught my eye was Scott Walker who won again in Wisconsin, a state that would struggle to hold onto the title swing in recent times. He is far enough on the right to unite the Republicans and win the nutters that vote in their primaries but has a track record of success for the main contest.

    He has some skeletons in his cupboard but the recall was a disaster for his opponents and boosted his standing nationally. I think he is a real contender.
    He saw off public sector unions who were bankrupting the state .
  • audreyanneaudreyanne Posts: 1,376

    Good morning, everyone.

    Got to say I was quite angry about the nonsense the idiot Mark Easton (BBC chap, an article of whose on an identical subject I posted here for derision a day or two prior to the TV piece) was spouting on the News at Ten last night.

    It was about English devolution. So, he went to Cornwall and asked some Cornish nationalists if they wanted a Cornish assembly. Amazingly, they did. Behold the incredible journalism!

    He seems to think very highly of his own journalism, but is prone to these occasional bouts of tosh mainly because his own desires get the better of him. It was Easton who walked up a high street 20 years after the Stephen Lawrence murder droning on about how 'we are now a nation more at ease with ourselves.' It doesn't take a kipper to realise that's a load of cobblers. When I passed this sentiment on to him he wasn't particularly amused.
  • Oooh another Mike Smithson-Lord Ashcroft love in. Can't wait ;)

    Good midterms by the Republicans. Back as a force, notably because they have restrained their loony Tea Party fringe. A lesson for all.

    UKIP = England's Tea Party?
    https://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/michael-skey/older-anxious-and-white-why-ukip-are-english-tea-party
  • FinancierFinancier Posts: 3,916

    O/T - but irresistible:

    "(1) Emerging economies will cripple European manufacturing and service industries.

    (2) The compounding effect of technology; computing power increases and its price decreases. The world added 5 exaflops (great word!) of computing capacity in 2008, 20 in 2012 and heading for 40 this year and will change just about everything.

    (3) The demographic deficit, ratio of working age population +16 to dependent population +65, is in decline."

    From Roy Lilley's wonderful daily e-mail to-day, of course. The implication of course is that either we use (2) to fix (1) and (3) or they don't get fixed. My concern is, frankly, that if the voices of the right on here are typical of anyone but themselves, they don't want them to get fixed. In truth, sooner or later, anyone motivated by greed is going to take a dim view of other folk, a view that will only get dimmer day by day.

    Agree with 1 & 2 but believe that our politicians are not aware of will not acknowledge it.
    Of course our declining education standards will not help matters.

    Agree with 3 but you have omitted medical technology advances - on a macro scale more and better spare part surgery, but on a micro scale both disease prevention and gene and cell technology (replacement/change) which will result in more of us living longer as we are more healthy, may limit aging - but we could run out of food or destroy the natural environs that we love.

    Thus will children become a rarity or even a luxury allowed to certain privileged classes? We continue to embrace technologial advance without thinking of the social global implications. So more wars that will limit populations or extermination of the less intelligent slaves when they are no longer useful?
  • DavidL said:

    Worth sticking a small stake on Mark Warner on being the Dem candidate in 2016?

    You can get 49/1 on Betfair on him (£19) and 40/1 with other bookies.

    The one that caught my eye was Scott Walker who won again in Wisconsin, a state that would struggle to hold onto the title swing in recent times. He is far enough on the right to unite the Republicans and win the nutters that vote in their primaries but has a track record of success for the main contest.

    He has some skeletons in his cupboard but the recall was a disaster for his opponents and boosted his standing nationally. I think he is a real contender.
    I like Scott Walker.

    You can get 25/1 on him being the Republican Candidate

    http://www.oddschecker.com/politics/us-politics/us-presidential-election-2016/republican-candidate
  • Mr. Eagles, English votes for English laws is a reasonable stopgap measure whilst a Parliament is set up. As a long term solution it's inadequate.

    Thanks for the info.
  • BenMBenM Posts: 1,795
    Shellacking II. The reprise.
  • foxinsoxukfoxinsoxuk Posts: 23,548

    Mr. Borough, that's entirely wrong. Scotland is one land, Wales is one land and England is one land.

    Nobody said Wales was too small. Nobody argued Scotland should be cut up in Lowlands, Highlands and Islands. I'm an Englishman, and England should not be dismembered for political convenience or because some right-on idiots dislike England.

    I absolutely do not care that 85% of the UK's population would be covered by an English Parliament. If a Parliament is good enough for Scotland, it's good enough for England.

    If the Scots get DevoMax (and if they don't, they'll leave sooner rather than later) then justice demands equality for England. Can we have that with shitty little regional assemblies?

    Do you think varying income tax, VAT, and so forth could work in Yorkshire and Lancashire, Somerset and Devon? It's utterly unworkable on a regional level. To have the same democratic rights as Scotland we must have an English Parliament.

    Lib Dems favoured a local income tax in place of council tax until their recent conversion to property tax. In the USA it is quite common for different counties to have different sales taxes too.

    That said, I do not want regional assemblies either!
  • isamisam Posts: 41,118

    Mr. Eagles, what's the best way to contact Mr. Smithson about a piece on the need for an English Parliament?

    Email him at mike@politicalbetting.com
    When are we getting the guest piece about Reckless being a traitor etc and why he'll lose Rochester?
  • AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 25,514
    TGOHF said:

    DavidL said:

    Worth sticking a small stake on Mark Warner on being the Dem candidate in 2016?

    You can get 49/1 on Betfair on him (£19) and 40/1 with other bookies.

    The one that caught my eye was Scott Walker who won again in Wisconsin, a state that would struggle to hold onto the title swing in recent times. He is far enough on the right to unite the Republicans and win the nutters that vote in their primaries but has a track record of success for the main contest.

    He has some skeletons in his cupboard but the recall was a disaster for his opponents and boosted his standing nationally. I think he is a real contender.
    He saw off public sector unions who were bankrupting the state .
    can we borrow him ?
  • NickPalmerNickPalmer Posts: 21,564
    Interesting Casino piece - thanks! I'd think that Ashcroft will mostly find Tory holds in the stronger seats that he's looking at today, but it'll be interesting to see variations.

    As a footnote to the US election, this page rounds up the statewide issue polls:

    http://edition.cnn.com/election/2014/results/race/ballot

    Nothing wildly exciting, but mixed results on legalising pot, lots of support for higher minimum wages, a defeat for an anti-abortion measure (defining all unborn children as people - presumably it would have made abortion at any stage into murder?) and a Washington State vote for tougher gun laws.
  • IndigoIndigo Posts: 9,966
    edited November 2014

    O/T - but irresistible:

    "(1) Emerging economies will cripple European manufacturing and service industries.

    (2) The compounding effect of technology; computing power increases and its price decreases. The world added 5 exaflops (great word!) of computing capacity in 2008, 20 in 2012 and heading for 40 this year and will change just about everything.

    (3) The demographic deficit, ratio of working age population +16 to dependent population +65, is in decline."

    From Roy Lilley's wonderful daily e-mail to-day, of course. The implication of course is that either we use (2) to fix (1) and (3) or they don't get fixed. My concern is, frankly, that if the voices of the right on here are typical of anyone but themselves, they don't want them to get fixed. In truth, sooner or later, anyone motivated by greed is going to take a dim view of other folk, a view that will only get dimmer day by day.

    (2) isn't a differentiator in any way that will help (1), the emerging economies have access to it as well and on the same or better terms. They also have to pay their computer people less so they get more bangs for their technological buck. Most of the extra power is in the mobile arena, which is almost totally dominated by developing countries, because with app prices being less than a dollar on the whole, only developers from developing countries can afford (for them) an acceptable standard of living on the profits they make.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,937
    Amusing and topical Matt - unless you are the member of Parliament for Lewes...

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/matt/
  • SocratesSocrates Posts: 10,322
    Joni Ernst...

    ...believes Obama is a dictator that should be impeached: http://news.yahoo.com/joni-ernst---impeachment--of-obama-should-be-on-the-table-204439051.html
    ...would take up armed rebellion if the Feds "took away her rights": http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/22/joni-ernst-guns_n_6032164.html
    ...STILL thinks there were WMDs in Iraq: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/05/joni-ernst-iowa-senate-iraq-weapons-mass-destruction
    ...supports the Confederate view that states can nullify Federal laws: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/07/28/exclusive-gop-senate-candidate-caught-saying-states-can-nullify-laws.html
    ...believes the United Nations has a secret plot called Agenda 21 that's out to oppress Americans: http://wonkette.com/551631/iowa-senate-candidate-joni-ernst-will-castrate-uns-evil-agenda-21-plot-to-make-you-ride-a-bicycle

    It's an impressive victory for her, but not one that will win in Virginia and Ohio. What's surprising is that she so openly marketed herself as conservative in an Obama state. I've always wondered how Iowa stayed so blue over the years when it's a rural evangelical state very similar to Indiana. It looks like it's now falling into line.
  • isam said:

    Mr. Eagles, what's the best way to contact Mr. Smithson about a piece on the need for an English Parliament?

    Email him at mike@politicalbetting.com
    When are we getting the guest piece about Reckless being a traitor etc and why he'll lose Rochester?
    I'm sticking with my final assessment that backing UKIP at 6/5 was value.
  • Indigo said:

    O/T - but irresistible:

    "(1) Emerging economies will cripple European manufacturing and service industries.

    (2) The compounding effect of technology; computing power increases and its price decreases. The world added 5 exaflops (great word!) of computing capacity in 2008, 20 in 2012 and heading for 40 this year and will change just about everything.

    (3) The demographic deficit, ratio of working age population +16 to dependent population +65, is in decline."

    From Roy Lilley's wonderful daily e-mail to-day, of course. The implication of course is that either we use (2) to fix (1) and (3) or they don't get fixed. My concern is, frankly, that if the voices of the right on here are typical of anyone but themselves, they don't want them to get fixed. In truth, sooner or later, anyone motivated by greed is going to take a dim view of other folk, a view that will only get dimmer day by day.

    (2) isn't a differentiator, the emerging economies have access to it as well and on the same or better terms. They also have to pay their computer people less so they get more bangs for their technological buck. Most of the extra power is in the mobile arena, which is almost totally dominated by developing countries, because with app prices being less than a dollar on the whole, only developers from developing countries can afford (for them) an acceptable standard of living on the profits they make.
    Your point is?

  • AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 25,514
    isam said:

    Mr. Eagles, what's the best way to contact Mr. Smithson about a piece on the need for an English Parliament?

    Email him at mike@politicalbetting.com
    When are we getting the guest piece about Reckless being a traitor etc and why he'll lose Rochester?
    Let's hope it's today - November 5th is just right for gunpowder treason and plot.

    We've got the treason, we've got the plot and if we can stick a rocket up TSE's arse we'll also have the gunpowder
  • Amusing and topical Matt - unless you are the member of Parliament for Lewes...

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/matt/

    Well below his usual standard. Appeal limited to Tory loyalists. Even the Telegraph needs a wider readership than that.

  • foxinsoxukfoxinsoxuk Posts: 23,548
    Financier said:

    O/T - but irresistible:

    "(1) Emerging economies will cripple European manufacturing and service industries.

    (2) The compounding effect of technology; computing power increases and its price decreases. The world added 5 exaflops (great word!) of computing capacity in 2008, 20 in 2012 and heading for 40 this year and will change just about everything.

    (3) The demographic deficit, ratio of working age population +16 to dependent population +65, is in decline."

    From Roy Lilley's wonderful daily e-mail to-day, of course. The implication of course is that either we use (2) to fix (1) and (3) or they don't get fixed. My concern is, frankly, that if the voices of the right on here are typical of anyone but themselves, they don't want them to get fixed. In truth, sooner or later, anyone motivated by greed is going to take a dim view of other folk, a view that will only get dimmer day by day.

    Agree with 1 & 2 but believe that our politicians are not aware of will not acknowledge it.
    Of course our declining education standards will not help matters.

    Agree with 3 but you have omitted medical technology advances - on a macro scale more and better spare part surgery, but on a micro scale both disease prevention and gene and cell technology (replacement/change) which will result in more of us living longer as we are more healthy, may limit aging - but we could run out of food or destroy the natural environs that we love.

    Thus will children become a rarity or even a luxury allowed to certain privileged classes? We continue to embrace technologial advance without thinking of the social global implications. So more wars that will limit populations or extermination of the less intelligent slaves when they are no longer useful?
    While there are increasing numbers of elderly, there are fewer children and more women in work, so this attenuates the worker/dependent ratio.

    Increasingly I meet people working after conventional retirement age. There are three doctors in my dept over 65 who plan to work for several years longer. They have reasonable pensions so are mostly planning to carry on because they enjoy it.

    I have a few patients with similar plans. One 82 year old cattle dealer explained to me the other day "I would rather wear out than rust out", but he only works part time now.
  • isamisam Posts: 41,118

    isam said:

    Mr. Eagles, what's the best way to contact Mr. Smithson about a piece on the need for an English Parliament?

    Email him at mike@politicalbetting.com
    When are we getting the guest piece about Reckless being a traitor etc and why he'll lose Rochester?
    I'm sticking with my final assessment that backing UKIP at 6/5 was value.
    Haha

    Got any tips for yesterday's horse racing?
  • Amusing and topical Matt - unless you are the member of Parliament for Lewes...

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/matt/

    Of course, if they hadn't noticed they wouldn't have done the cartoon. More publicity for Baker.
  • isam said:

    isam said:

    Mr. Eagles, what's the best way to contact Mr. Smithson about a piece on the need for an English Parliament?

    Email him at mike@politicalbetting.com
    When are we getting the guest piece about Reckless being a traitor etc and why he'll lose Rochester?
    I'm sticking with my final assessment that backing UKIP at 6/5 was value.
    Haha

    Got any tips for yesterday's horse racing?
    I wrote a thread on it.
  • isam said:

    Mr. Eagles, what's the best way to contact Mr. Smithson about a piece on the need for an English Parliament?

    Email him at mike@politicalbetting.com
    When are we getting the guest piece about Reckless being a traitor etc and why he'll lose Rochester?
    Let's hope it's today - November 5th is just right for gunpowder treason and plot.

    We've got the treason, we've got the plot and if we can stick a rocket up TSE's arse we'll also have the gunpowder
    Well the original draft compared Reckless to Philby, Maclean, Burgress and Blunt
  • AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 25,514

    isam said:

    Mr. Eagles, what's the best way to contact Mr. Smithson about a piece on the need for an English Parliament?

    Email him at mike@politicalbetting.com
    When are we getting the guest piece about Reckless being a traitor etc and why he'll lose Rochester?
    Let's hope it's today - November 5th is just right for gunpowder treason and plot.

    We've got the treason, we've got the plot and if we can stick a rocket up TSE's arse we'll also have the gunpowder
    Well the original draft compared Reckless to Philby, Maclean, Burgress and Blunt
    Is that rhyming slang ?
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 119,959
    edited November 2014

    isam said:

    Mr. Eagles, what's the best way to contact Mr. Smithson about a piece on the need for an English Parliament?

    Email him at mike@politicalbetting.com
    When are we getting the guest piece about Reckless being a traitor etc and why he'll lose Rochester?
    Let's hope it's today - November 5th is just right for gunpowder treason and plot.

    We've got the treason, we've got the plot and if we can stick a rocket up TSE's arse we'll also have the gunpowder
    Well the original draft compared Reckless to Philby, Maclean, Burgress and Blunt
    Is that rhyming slang ?
    Kinda, It is only what Tory MPs said

    It allowed to me seamlessly segue into a few classical history references.

    Philby's codename was Homer.

    D'oh
  • CD13CD13 Posts: 6,366

    There's a lot of economic hot air about immigration at the moment but the arguments seem to be ... well to be totally polarised. A real 'us vs them' debate

    EU immigration first off. If you import a lot of young, relatively fit people, you'd expect GDP to grow, the total number of jobs to grow and a positive net benefit to the country as a whole.

    That assumes that the new workers take jobs that the current workers can't or won't do. In the case of unskilled jobs (which most are), that's beneficial only if the current workers refuse to do them.

    So there's two points. Where does the benefit to the country lie? If people see their services squeezed and the benefit going to other people, should they rejoice? And if the locals see their own job opportunities reduced should they be happy?

    Secondly, should the country be happy that foreign workers have a better work ethic, and that some workers would rather live on welfare? Looking back, I spent most of my school holidays from 12 to 17 working on the land, being picked up in gang vans after finishing my paper round. It is hard work, so you can see the attraction to farmer of having a young, keen workforce.

    In the case of non-EU immigration, the economics will be different. You can get a squeeze on services without any overall economic benefit. The benefit is social - the satisfaction of helping families stay together and to save genuine asylum seekers from persecution. Or in the case of the Labour party, helping to increase diversity.

    The problem we have is the BBC present one side and many of the papers the other. In line with the relatively unskilled vs the relatively affluent split. Or the old-fashioned Labour party vs the new-fashioned Labour party

  • IndigoIndigo Posts: 9,966
    edited November 2014

    Indigo said:

    O/T - but irresistible:

    "(1) Emerging economies will cripple European manufacturing and service industries.

    (2) The compounding effect of technology; computing power increases and its price decreases. The world added 5 exaflops (great word!) of computing capacity in 2008, 20 in 2012 and heading for 40 this year and will change just about everything.

    (3) The demographic deficit, ratio of working age population +16 to dependent population +65, is in decline."

    From Roy Lilley's wonderful daily e-mail to-day, of course. The implication of course is that either we use (2) to fix (1) and (3) or they don't get fixed. My concern is, frankly, that if the voices of the right on here are typical of anyone but themselves, they don't want them to get fixed. In truth, sooner or later, anyone motivated by greed is going to take a dim view of other folk, a view that will only get dimmer day by day.

    (2) isn't a differentiator, the emerging economies have access to it as well and on the same or better terms. They also have to pay their computer people less so they get more bangs for their technological buck. Most of the extra power is in the mobile arena, which is almost totally dominated by developing countries, because with app prices being less than a dollar on the whole, only developers from developing countries can afford (for them) an acceptable standard of living on the profits they make.
    Your point is?

    (1) will happen whether we like it or not, the tools are not available to do anything about it. There will inevitably be a convergence of standard of living between developed and developing countries. The third world country I am living in has seen an explosion in the size of the middle class in the last 15 or so years, mostly on the back of goods and service sold to the first world, I haven't been there but I believe the same is even more obviously the case in India.

    Similarly the first world will inevitably have to cut back on the benefits and services provided by its governments, the countries just can't afford them.
  • BenMBenM Posts: 1,795
    Interesting line from Gary Younge:
    Americans have just elected the party they like the least to run the government body they least trust. Even greater cynicism is the most likely outcome.
    http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/nov/04/republicans-win-big-election-midterms
  • AlistairAlistair Posts: 23,670

    DavidL said:

    Worth sticking a small stake on Mark Warner on being the Dem candidate in 2016?

    You can get 49/1 on Betfair on him (£19) and 40/1 with other bookies.

    The one that caught my eye was Scott Walker who won again in Wisconsin, a state that would struggle to hold onto the title swing in recent times. He is far enough on the right to unite the Republicans and win the nutters that vote in their primaries but has a track record of success for the main contest.

    He has some skeletons in his cupboard but the recall was a disaster for his opponents and boosted his standing nationally. I think he is a real contender.
    I like Scott Walker.

    You can get 25/1 on him being the Republican Candidate

    http://www.oddschecker.com/politics/us-politics/us-presidential-election-2016/republican-candidate
    Walker strikes me as someone who can do it at state level but would crumble nationally. But still, we are looking at the Republican candidate not who will actually become president 25/1 seems like good odds.
  • AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 25,514

    isam said:

    Mr. Eagles, what's the best way to contact Mr. Smithson about a piece on the need for an English Parliament?

    Email him at mike@politicalbetting.com
    When are we getting the guest piece about Reckless being a traitor etc and why he'll lose Rochester?
    Let's hope it's today - November 5th is just right for gunpowder treason and plot.

    We've got the treason, we've got the plot and if we can stick a rocket up TSE's arse we'll also have the gunpowder
    Well the original draft compared Reckless to Philby, Maclean, Burgress and Blunt
    Is that rhyming slang ?
    Kinda, It is only what Tory MPs said

    It allowed to me seamlessly segue into a few classical history references.

    Philby's codename was Homer.

    D'oh
    It's seems appropriate in a way that MI5 is stuffed full of Homer files.

    I'll get my coat....
  • Ishmael_XIshmael_X Posts: 3,664

    O/T - but irresistible:

    "(1) Emerging economies will cripple European manufacturing and service industries.

    (2) The compounding effect of technology; computing power increases and its price decreases. The world added 5 exaflops (great word!) of computing capacity in 2008, 20 in 2012 and heading for 40 this year and will change just about everything.

    (3) The demographic deficit, ratio of working age population +16 to dependent population +65, is in decline."

    From Roy Lilley's wonderful daily e-mail to-day, of course. The implication of course is that either we use (2) to fix (1) and (3) or they don't get fixed. My concern is, frankly, that if the voices of the right on here are typical of anyone but themselves, they don't want them to get fixed. In truth, sooner or later, anyone motivated by greed is going to take a dim view of other folk, a view that will only get dimmer day by day.

    Point 1. reads to me as: hundreds of millions have the chance of being saved from lives of horrendous poverty as the West gets to find out that the Third World is no longer its own personal sweatshop. As a person I think that's a good thing. As an enlightened righty I like to help them along by allocating them capital via their stock markets.

    As to 2. I think you place too much faith in the exaflop as a solution to the problem you perceive in 1 (brown and yellow people getting ideas above their station). More to the point, why not take a map of the world and colour in the bits where you think all these new exaflops are being made? Be afraid, be very afraid of the Yellow Peril.

  • isamisam Posts: 41,118

    isam said:

    isam said:

    Mr. Eagles, what's the best way to contact Mr. Smithson about a piece on the need for an English Parliament?

    Email him at mike@politicalbetting.com
    When are we getting the guest piece about Reckless being a traitor etc and why he'll lose Rochester?
    I'm sticking with my final assessment that backing UKIP at 6/5 was value.
    Haha

    Got any tips for yesterday's horse racing?
    I wrote a thread on it.
    Must have missed it... If if known id have had less on
  • isam said:

    Mr. Eagles, what's the best way to contact Mr. Smithson about a piece on the need for an English Parliament?

    Email him at mike@politicalbetting.com
    When are we getting the guest piece about Reckless being a traitor etc and why he'll lose Rochester?
    Let's hope it's today - November 5th is just right for gunpowder treason and plot.

    We've got the treason, we've got the plot and if we can stick a rocket up TSE's arse we'll also have the gunpowder
    Well the original draft compared Reckless to Philby, Maclean, Burgress and Blunt
    Hard to see why....

    Douglas Carswell MP ✔ @DouglasCarswell
    Remember, Remember, November! Guy Fawkes in #Rochester - come and join the insurgency against SW1 pic.twitter.com/kOkvN71hSC
  • isam said:

    Mr. Eagles, what's the best way to contact Mr. Smithson about a piece on the need for an English Parliament?

    Email him at mike@politicalbetting.com
    When are we getting the guest piece about Reckless being a traitor etc and why he'll lose Rochester?
    Let's hope it's today - November 5th is just right for gunpowder treason and plot.

    We've got the treason, we've got the plot and if we can stick a rocket up TSE's arse we'll also have the gunpowder
    Well the original draft compared Reckless to Philby, Maclean, Burgress and Blunt
    Is that rhyming slang ?
    Kinda, It is only what Tory MPs said

    It allowed to me seamlessly segue into a few classical history references.

    Philby's codename was Homer.

    D'oh
    It's seems appropriate in a way that MI5 is stuffed full of Homer files.

    I'll get my coat....
    In the episode of Yes Prime Minister when Sir Humphrey was suspected of being a commie spy his defence was

    "I'm a happily married man"
  • Mr. Scrapheap, insurgency? Very Mandelson.
  • isam said:

    Mr. Eagles, what's the best way to contact Mr. Smithson about a piece on the need for an English Parliament?

    Email him at mike@politicalbetting.com
    When are we getting the guest piece about Reckless being a traitor etc and why he'll lose Rochester?
    Let's hope it's today - November 5th is just right for gunpowder treason and plot.

    We've got the treason, we've got the plot and if we can stick a rocket up TSE's arse we'll also have the gunpowder
    Well the original draft compared Reckless to Philby, Maclean, Burgress and Blunt
    Hard to see why....

    Douglas Carswell MP ✔ @DouglasCarswell
    Remember, Remember, November! Guy Fawkes in #Rochester - come and join the insurgency against SW1 pic.twitter.com/kOkvN71hSC
    I nearly replied to one of Carswell's tweets the other day

    I was going to say

    "Douglas, you're turning into the epitome of Cameron's maxim about twitter"
  • Mr. Eagles, you'd be right.

    It's like a child declaring they're going to try superhard because the nasty boy next door said they couldn't beat them at football.

    People comment on Carswell's intellect but his tweets don't exactly back that up.
  • Ten weeks after the Rotherham report and still these questions remain unanswered:

    1) What action is Home Secretary Theresa May taking against the South Yorkshire Police after the widespread media reports of its collaboration with child rapists.

    2) When is Childrens Minister Edward Timpson going to place Rotherham's Childrens Services into special measures.

    3) What is Policing Minister Mike Penning doing to ensure that the police's much publicised 'day of reckoning' with its 'wave after wave of arrests' takes place.

    4) How much did the locally well connected former Communities Minister Sayeeda Warsi know about what was happening and what did she chose to do about it.

    5) Why has Prime Minister David Cameron shown no interest despite his emphasis on 'Broken Britain' whilst Leader of the Opposition.
  • Indigo said:

    Indigo said:

    O/T - but irresistible:

    "(1) Emerging economies will cripple European manufacturing and service industries.

    (2) The compounding effect of technology; computing power increases and its price decreases. The world added 5 exaflops (great word!) of computing capacity in 2008, 20 in 2012 and heading for 40 this year and will change just about everything.

    (3) The demographic deficit, ratio of working age population +16 to dependent population +65, is in decline."

    only developers from developing countries can afford (for them) an acceptable standard of living on the profits they make.

    Your point is?

    (1) will happen whether we like it or not, the tools are not available to do anything about it. There will inevitably be a convergence of standard of living between developed and developing countries. The third world country I am living in has seen an explosion in the size of the middle class in the last 15 or so years, mostly on the back of goods and service sold to the first world, I haven't been there but I believe the same is even more obviously the case in India.

    Similarly the first world will inevitably have to cut back on the benefits and services provided by its governments, the countries just can't afford them.
    And even if they could you'd find another reason why they shouldn't.
  • audreyanneaudreyanne Posts: 1,376
    edited November 2014

    Oooh another Mike Smithson-Lord Ashcroft love in. Can't wait ;)

    Good midterms by the Republicans. Back as a force, notably because they have restrained their loony Tea Party fringe. A lesson for all.

    UKIP = England's Tea Party?
    https://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/michael-skey/older-anxious-and-white-why-ukip-are-english-tea-party
    Yes.

    Good one.
    In the case of the Tea Party, ‘nationwide surveys produce a consistent picture of Tea Party supporters… Between 55 and 60 percent of supporters are men; 80–90 percent are white; and 70–75 percent are over 45 years old’ (Williamson, Skocpol & Coggin, 2011: 27). According to YouGov data, 85% of UKIP supporters are over 40 years old and 57% are men. Surprisingly, there is no official data on ethnicity, but it’s generally agreed that most of their supporters are white.


    I bet a straw poll of pb.com kippers will find they are predominantly:

    Over 40
    White
    Male

    And judging by the times at which they post, I reckon many of you-kippers on here are retired. Happy to be corrected on that one.

    The kippers I know fit this bill perfectly. And they have given rise to my view that it's a protest party. In the case of two close friends in Buckinghamshire, it's HS2 which has led to them supporting Farage. In the case of someone else, it's the number of eastern Europeans in her area (although she is switching back Conservative for "the real thing"). For some others it's Heathrow expansion. For others it's the EU. Wherever you look, it's protest: it's a party of what they are against, not what they are for. And that, my friends, does not a General Election victory make.
  • CD13CD13 Posts: 6,366
    edited November 2014

    Just realised my previous piece was far too long. I should have generalised ...

    Posh people see the benefits of immigration.
    Plebs see the disadvantages.

    Neither see the other's viewpoint.


  • Mr. Richard, could be wrong, but isn't Warsi from... Dewsbury, I think? I think she's from West, not South, Yorkshire, although that doesn't necessarily preclude her having Rotherham links I haven't heard that mentioned before.

    Entirely right that we need answers from this, and the lack of political, and media, follow-up is perplexing and unacceptable.
  • John_MJohn_M Posts: 7,503

    Oooh another Mike Smithson-Lord Ashcroft love in. Can't wait ;)

    Good midterms by the Republicans. Back as a force, notably because they have restrained their loony Tea Party fringe. A lesson for all.

    UKIP = England's Tea Party?
    https://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/michael-skey/older-anxious-and-white-why-ukip-are-english-tea-party
    Yes.

    Good one.
    In the case of the Tea Party, ‘nationwide surveys produce a consistent picture of Tea Party supporters… Between 55 and 60 percent of supporters are men; 80–90 percent are white; and 70–75 percent are over 45 years old’ (Williamson, Skocpol & Coggin, 2011: 27). According to YouGov data, 85% of UKIP supporters are over 40 years old and 57% are men. Surprisingly, there is no official data on ethnicity, but it’s generally agreed that most of their supporters are white.


    I bet a straw poll of pb.com kippers will find they are predominantly:

    Over 40
    White
    Male

    And judging by the times at which they post, I reckon many of you-kippers on here are retired. Happy to be corrected on that one.

    The kippers I know fit this bill perfectly. And they have given rise to my view that it's a protest party. In the case of two close friends in Buckinghamshire, it's HS2 which has led to them supporting Farage. In the case of someone else, it's the number of eastern Europeans in her area (although she is switching back Conservative for "the real thing"). For some others it's Heathrow expansion. For others it's the EU. Wherever you look, it's protest: it's a party of what they are against, not what they are for. And that, my friends, does not a General Election victory make.
    Less than 10% of this country are non-white. Half of that 90% odd will be male. Why does it surprise you that there are a lot of white males in any particular party. No hablo maths?
  • IndigoIndigo Posts: 9,966

    And even if they could you'd find another reason why they shouldn't.

    You carry on believing in your magic money tree, I will carry on looking at the £100bn a year we are borrowing just to stand still, we will see who is right :)

  • TGOHFTGOHF Posts: 21,633

    TGOHF said:

    DavidL said:

    Worth sticking a small stake on Mark Warner on being the Dem candidate in 2016?

    You can get 49/1 on Betfair on him (£19) and 40/1 with other bookies.

    The one that caught my eye was Scott Walker who won again in Wisconsin, a state that would struggle to hold onto the title swing in recent times. He is far enough on the right to unite the Republicans and win the nutters that vote in their primaries but has a track record of success for the main contest.

    He has some skeletons in his cupboard but the recall was a disaster for his opponents and boosted his standing nationally. I think he is a real contender.
    He saw off public sector unions who were bankrupting the state .
    can we borrow him ?
    Worth a read - looks like it had got completely out of control. He faced a recall vote and won.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Wisconsin_Act_10

    The effect on union membership was startling !

    "Effect on unions[edit]
    Public employee union membership dropped significantly after the law passed, with AFSCME reporting a drop from 62,818 in 2011 to 28,745 in February 2012. In many cases, the union members were removed by the union after they declined to have dues collected by the union.

    Since teachers' unions were no longer able to automatically deduct dues from teachers' paychecks because of the new budget repair law, unions are using a variety of methods including using a combination of meetings, emails, phone calls and home visits to get teachers signed up for dues collection. "
  • isamisam Posts: 41,118

    Oooh another Mike Smithson-Lord Ashcroft love in. Can't wait ;)

    Good midterms by the Republicans. Back as a force, notably because they have restrained their loony Tea Party fringe. A lesson for all.

    UKIP = England's Tea Party?
    https://www.opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/michael-skey/older-anxious-and-white-why-ukip-are-english-tea-party
    Yes.

    Good one.
    In the case of the Tea Party, ‘nationwide surveys produce a consistent picture of Tea Party supporters… Between 55 and 60 percent of supporters are men; 80–90 percent are white; and 70–75 percent are over 45 years old’ (Williamson, Skocpol & Coggin, 2011: 27). According to YouGov data, 85% of UKIP supporters are over 40 years old and 57% are men. Surprisingly, there is no official data on ethnicity, but it’s generally agreed that most of their supporters are white.


    I bet a straw poll of pb.com kippers will find they are predominantly:

    Over 40
    White
    Male

    And judging by the times at which they post, I reckon many of you-kippers on here are retired. Happy to be corrected on that one.

    The kippers I know fit this bill perfectly. And they have given rise to my view that it's a protest party. In the case of two close friends in Buckinghamshire, it's HS2 which has led to them supporting Farage. In the case of someone else, it's the number of eastern Europeans in her area (although she is switching back Conservative for "the real thing"). For some others it's Heathrow expansion. For others it's the EU. Wherever you look, it's protest: it's a party of what they are against, not what they are for. And that, my friends, does not a General Election victory make.
    The ostrich takes his or her head out of the sand to relay it's wishful thinking
  • volcanopetevolcanopete Posts: 2,078
    Under the radar the states go down one by one in drug policy change.Alaska's win is incredible and Florida just missed out on the 60% needed with 57.6%.The campaign is well funded and well organised.The GOTV in the Washington election was professional and one some UK political parties would die for.It is simply unstoppable.
    The US is sneezing and the winds of change are coming.

    http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/2014/results/ballot-measures#Marijuana
This discussion has been closed.