From The Agenda last night, is this the phrase that will be hung round the Labour nack?
She asked the politician: “Is that [the mansion tax] your only option? You might as well tax me on this glass of water. You can’t just point at things and tax them. You need to have a better strategy.
It was a little annoying that the presenter rescued him and changed the subject just as she was about to get into her stride
The whole point is that tax needs to be on things that are productive, dynamic and able to generate future income and wealth. Taxing static and existing assets will tend to be counter productive to the wealth of the nation.
The experience of the Lib Dems in government shows exactly why the only conceivable coalitions after the next election in a hung Parliament involve the Lib Dems (who have already suffered much of the damage that being in coalition cases). Neither UKIP nor the SNP will be inclined to take the same hit.
Got two optioned. One I am doing a further rewrite on at the moment (script writing is rewriting, as they say...); the other is sat with a heavy-duty director. But trying to get directors to commit is fraught. There are only a handful in the UK whose name will support the funding. So they tend not to commit until they are aware of what else is out there, to pick and choose from.
We really need a bigger pool of British directors to choose from, but they need to have made some films before they get the funding to, er, make some films...
My writing is not exactly high-brow though....! Both should be crowd-pleasers, which is as high as I aim.
FPT. Take Jim Murphy and his Hundred Streets tour for the No campaign during the Indy Ref, it got so much attention that it attracted the kind of Yes abuse that saw him have to briefly halt it for safety reasons.
Murphy's Hundred Streets tour got absolutely no play or press up until the egg. It was the same group of No supporters that trailed round with him holding the signs and roughly the same group of Yes supporters who trailed round after him holding their signs.
The egg ( thrown by a bloke who didn't like that a question he asked was ignored - after asking the question he popped to Tesco to buy the eggs) was PR mana from heaven for Murphy as it actually got him press attention. He'd done about 80 days of his tour with hee-haw notice .
On topic, I find it hard to believe that Labour are just 7 points ahead of the Cons in Scotland. The indyref must have woken up the remaining few unionist Tories to the threat of the SNP I guess.
As we know from The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy the answer is 42.
Given that, in spite of the massive increased turnout, and many Labour voters saying Yes, while a significant number of SNP voters said No, the answer was 45% SNP for Holyrood and 45% Yes, I suggest the SNP vote in May may well be 45%.
Certainly I am hearing that Yes voters are in vast majority intending to vote SNP emboldened, among other thoughts, by the belief that a hung parliament is coming and the SNP would be more effective representatives for them than the usual lumpen, lobby fodder labourites.
Ultimately, as I suggested a few years ago, it is very likely eventually, GEs in Scotland will become Unionist v Nationalist in many Scottish constituencies, I expect that in May 2015 only the Yes side will be properly set up that way, whereas the No side will remain much more divided. Hence, lots of SNP gains.
Indeed. Hitherto people used to vote Labour to keep the Tories out as not enough voted SNP to make a SNP vote other than risky in terms of being wasted. Now that perception may be flipping. Vote SNP, to keep the Tories out and Labour under control, is looking like a decent bet in terms of not wasting one's vote. And if the Tories still win, then a SNP majority is a good start for the obvious reaction to Brexit fro the EU.
There are not that many Tory voters to make the opposite decision about voting Labour, though they may swing some seats. In fact, I'd be surprised [edit] if they didn't get a few. And it is toxic for Labour to make a formal or even informal Labour-Tory alliance. Indyref was doubly toxic for SLAB - firstly the Labour-Tory alliance, and secondly Labour campaigning to maintain Tory domination over Scotland does not sit well with the many Labour voters who voted Yes.
The irony of all this is that it's the Unionists who are claiming that indyref is a done deal and will the Nats please shut up and stop being boring and pointing out what was promised etc etc. Yet it is the SNP who are downplaying the replay of indyref and it's the Unionist side who are attempting to redefine Scottish politics in terms of indyref while the SNP get on with running the country.
Labour can hardly complain if the result of the botched Scotland Parliament and devolution of 1990s causes them huge difficulties now. They screwed it to start with and deserve obliteration for the harm they did then.
From The Agenda last night, is this the phrase that will be hung round the Labour nack?
She asked the politician: “Is that [the mansion tax] your only option? You might as well tax me on this glass of water. You can’t just point at things and tax them. You need to have a better strategy.
It was a little annoying that the presenter rescued him and changed the subject just as she was about to get into her stride
The whole point is that tax needs to be on things that are productive, dynamic and able to generate future income and wealth. Taxing static and existing assets will tend to be counter productive to the wealth of the nation.
I agree completely, with the obvious caveat that when conditions allow tax also needs to be substantially less.
Neither MP seems to have done much for their local NHS despite being in government for four years.
I think you overstate an MPs influence on anything. They have a good bully-pulpit, they can usually get stuff in the local papers, they can get access to talk to people, but what can they actually make happen unless they happen to be ministers ?
Both have made local NHS services a big part of their campaigns. If they cannot do anything about them, then why have they put the NHS in the centre of their literature?
I do hope they are not copying big party cynicism!
Carswell is not the MP for Colchester, why do you connect him? One thing he has done is oppose 12,000 houses being built in Clacton for London overspill, so that's 20,000 plus people the local NHS don't have to deal with
Now someone needs to do the same in Havering, where it seems hospitals are closed to ensure the population rises
Carswells nearest hospital emergency dept is Colchester.
Well it's a laboured point you make as it's not in his constituency, but opposing 12,000 new homes being built is one way of helping that local A&E
There’s a small hospital unit in Clacton, but it’s adminstratively part of Colchester Trust, and anyway doesn’t have an A&E. The other aspect is that the shortage of GP’s in the Clacton area was one of the issues in the by-election. Apparently the previous MP had done little or nothing about it so people were voting UKIP.
On topic, I find it hard to believe that Labour are just 7 points ahead of the Cons in Scotland. The indyref must have woken up the remaining few unionist Tories to the threat of the SNP I guess.
The Conservatives are actually marginally down on their 2010 vote share in this poll. Labour have crashed.
The experience of the Lib Dems in government shows exactly why the only conceivable coalitions after the next election in a hung Parliament involve the Lib Dems (who have already suffered much of the damage that being in coalition cases). Neither UKIP nor the SNP will be inclined to take the same hit.
Which will make for interesting coalition negotiations given their lack of honesty in this regard to date. Are we going to see twinned bills, so either both get through or neither do "The Alternative Vote Referendum and Boundary Changes Act (2017)" ?
Excellent to see JackW's nether regions back in production. That's a big change since September, and reflects the SNP surge.
Be wary of Watford, though: I now think Richard Harrington will hold it, helped by the non-Tory opposition being split between Labour and the LibDems; Dorothy Thornhill standing for the LibDems will help in this, preventing a LibDem collapse which would have helped Labour. I don't think her intervention will be sufficient to take the LibDems over the line given the abysmal national LibDem polling.
As for the Scottish polling, the remarkable thing in my view is how close this poll is to the dramatic Ipsos-MORI one. The Labour figures are almost identical, and the SNP figures not too far apart at 46% and 52%. OK, the final result may not be quite as dramatic, but Jack's forecast of 20 SNP seats is looking well within reach.
The experience of the Lib Dems in government shows exactly why the only conceivable coalitions after the next election in a hung Parliament involve the Lib Dems (who have already suffered much of the damage that being in coalition cases). Neither UKIP nor the SNP will be inclined to take the same hit.
Which will make for interesting coalition negotiations given their lack of honesty in this regard to date. Are we going to see twinned bills, so either both get through or neither do "The Alternative Vote Referendum and Boundary Changes Act (2017)" ?
We'll probably see minority government in the likely event of a hung Parliament. The Lib Dems don't want to coalesce with the Conservatives and Labour don't want to coalesce with the Lib Dems.
The experience of the Lib Dems in government shows exactly why the only conceivable coalitions after the next election in a hung Parliament involve the Lib Dems (who have already suffered much of the damage that being in coalition cases). Neither UKIP nor the SNP will be inclined to take the same hit.
I suspect we may be heading for a minority government with confidence and supply support. Another full coalition deal will be very hard as the areas of Tory/LibDem overlap appear to have withered in 5 years. Rose Garden bromance no more. Means, of course, the 2017 EU referendum is off the cards!
On a related topic (to the SNP surge), when is William, former leader of Conservative and Unionist Party, former Foreign Sec. and soon to be retired member for Richmond in Gods own Country due to issue his report on the new DevoMax powers and set out EL4EL proposals?
The irony of all this is that it's the Unionists who are claiming that indyref is a done deal and will the Nats please shut up and stop being boring and pointing out what was promised etc etc. Yet it is the SNP who are downplaying the replay of indyref and it's the Unionist side who are attempting to redefine Scottish politics in terms of indyref while the SNP get on with running the country.
Labour can hardly complain if the result of the botched Scotland Parliament and devolution of 1990s causes them huge difficulties now. They screwed it to start with and deserve obliteration for the harm they did then.
I wouldn't be so teleological as to say 'deserve', but it is certainly true that my perception of the Parliament was that Labour set it up partly because they thought it could resolve the problem of Scottish Labour voters being lefties whereas Mr Blair et al wanted to appeal to right wing voters in England. Have their pink and blue cakes and eat them. However, how this is to be reconciled with One Nation Labour keeping uniform policies across the UK federation remains to be seen. It's interesting that some PBers are suggesting that SLAB needs to split from London Labour (as it perhaps might under Mr Findlay) - but that rather misses the point for Mr Miliband and London Labour, as they lose the MPs if SLAB is allowed to go its own way. Yet staying under unified London control with right-wing policies (as it might under Mr Murphy, certainly judging by how much our PB Tories love him) is not going to get Mr Miliband the Scottish MPs he needs.
I suspect we may be heading for a minority government with confidence and supply support. Another full coalition deal will be very hard as the areas of Tory/LibDem overlap appear to have withered in 5 years. Rose Garden bromance no more. Means, of course, the 2017 EU referendum is off the cards!
Not necessarily. Would the LibDems really want to provoke a new election on the platform of 'We want to deny you a choice'?
Some of the policies being talked about e.g. land reform belong in pre-Revolutionary Russia.
Are you talking about the policy of local communities getting first refusal on land sales where the government will provide 50% of the purchase price or something else?
What is the reality of a confidence and supply minority government? One hasn't happened in my memory. It is in effect the minority government is allowed to pass an very unadventurous budget with the backing of their confidence partner and then basically the country is in legislative deadlock for the rest of the time as the minority government can't get the votes to pursue its program. Even if the opposition parties do agree with items of government policy, its completely in their interest to play silly buggers and make it look like the government is floundering. With the idiotic Fixed Term Parliament Act it could have the making of a perfect storm - five years of lame duck government and legislative deadlock.
Neither MP seems to have done much for their local NHS despite being in government for four years.
I think you overstate an MPs influence on anything. They have a good bully-pulpit, they can usually get stuff in the local papers, they can get access to talk to people, but what can they actually make happen unless they happen to be ministers ?
Both have made local NHS services a big part of their campaigns. If they cannot do anything about them, then why have they put the NHS in the centre of their literature?
I do hope they are not copying big party cynicism!
Carswell is not the MP for Colchester, why do you connect him? One thing he has done is oppose 12,000 houses being built in Clacton for London overspill, so that's 20,000 plus people the local NHS don't have to deal with
Now someone needs to do the same in Havering, where it seems hospitals are closed to ensure the population rises
Carswells nearest hospital emergency dept is Colchester.
Well it's a laboured point you make as it's not in his constituency, but opposing 12,000 new homes being built is one way of helping that local A&E
There’s a small hospital unit in Clacton, but it’s adminstratively part of Colchester Trust, and anyway doesn’t have an A&E. The other aspect is that the shortage of GP’s in the Clacton area was one of the issues in the by-election. Apparently the previous MP had done little or nothing about it so people were voting UKIP.
Yes, I jest, but not entirely.
What do you make of the decision to close Harold Wood and St Georges completely, closing King George A&E and lumping everything onto Queens, which has been in special measures, has babies delivered in the toilets and kids with broken arms sleeping on the floors with coats as blankets?
FPT. Take Jim Murphy and his Hundred Streets tour for the No campaign during the Indy Ref, it got so much attention that it attracted the kind of Yes abuse that saw him have to briefly halt it for safety reasons.
Murphy's Hundred Streets tour got absolutely no play or press up until the egg. It was the same group of No supporters that trailed round with him holding the signs and roughly the same group of Yes supporters who trailed round after him holding their signs.
The egg ( thrown by a bloke who didn't like that a question he asked was ignored - after asking the question he popped to Tesco to buy the eggs) was PR mana from heaven for Murphy as it actually got him press attention. He'd done about 80 days of his tour with hee-haw notice .
As I recall, the tapes of the incident revealed the complete surprise and shock of the Yes campaigners!
Ms Fitalass is rather obviously forgetting the reality of violence and abuse during indyref, as her colleagues do the promises that were made during it. Clue: the media didn't like reporting them.
I suspect we may be heading for a minority government with confidence and supply support. Another full coalition deal will be very hard as the areas of Tory/LibDem overlap appear to have withered in 5 years. Rose Garden bromance no more. Means, of course, the 2017 EU referendum is off the cards!
Not necessarily. Would the LibDems really want to provoke a new election on the platform of 'We want to deny you a choice'?
Actually Richard you're right. Dave knew AV would lose. Clegg knows that an EU Brexit referendum will be lost too. He may simply call Dave's bluff and say: 'Sure! Bring it on!'. Farage is deeply worried we will get a referendum in 2017. Dave, Labour, LibDems, BBC, CBI - the whole political and media establishment will be gunning for a 'Stay in' vote.
What is the reality of a confidence and supply minority government? One hasn't happened in my memory. It is in effect the minority government is allowed to pass an very unadventurous budget with the backing of their confidence partner and then basically the country is in legislative deadlock for the rest of the time as the minority government can't get the votes to pursue its program. Even if the opposition parties do agree with items of government policy, its completely in their interest to play silly buggers and make it look like the government is floundering. With the idiotic Fixed Term Parliament Act it could have the making of a perfect storm - five years of lame duck government and legislative deadlock.
Just checking: you haven't forgotten the first SNP administration?
It did get some howling mess-ups like when Labour voted against its own budget, and when Labour and the Tories et al tore up the transport budget to impose the infamous Edinburgh Trams, mind you.
Neither MP seems to have done much for their local NHS despite being in government for four years.
I think you overstate an MPs influence on anything. They have a good bully-pulpit, they can usually get stuff in the local papers, they can get access to talk to people, but what can they actually make happen unless they happen to be ministers ?
Both have made local NHS services a big part of their campaigns. If they cannot do anything about them, then why have they put the NHS in the centre of their literature?
I do hope they are not copying big party cynicism!
Carswell is not the MP for Colchester, why do you connect him? One thing he has done is oppose 12,000 houses being built in Clacton for London overspill, so that's 20,000 plus people the local NHS don't have to deal with
Now someone needs to do the same in Havering, where it seems hospitals are closed to ensure the population rises
Carswells nearest hospital emergency dept is Colchester.
Well it's a laboured point you make as it's not in his constituency, but opposing 12,000 new homes being built is one way of helping that local A&E
There’s a small hospital unit in Clacton, but it’s adminstratively part of Colchester Trust, and anyway doesn’t have an A&E. The other aspect is that the shortage of GP’s in the Clacton area was one of the issues in the by-election. Apparently the previous MP had done little or nothing about it so people were voting UKIP.
Yes, I jest, but not entirely.
What do you make of the decision to close Harold Wood and St Georges completely, closing King George A&E and lumping everything onto Queens, which has been in special measures, has babies delivered in the toilets and kids with broken arms sleeping on the floors with coats as blankets?
Wasn’t aware, but on the face of it seems a VERY BAD IDEA. IIRC, though, St Georges has been running down for ages.
What is the reality of a confidence and supply minority government? One hasn't happened in my memory. It is in effect the minority government is allowed to pass an very unadventurous budget with the backing of their confidence partner and then basically the country is in legislative deadlock for the rest of the time as the minority government can't get the votes to pursue its program. Even if the opposition parties do agree with items of government policy, its completely in their interest to play silly buggers and make it look like the government is floundering. With the idiotic Fixed Term Parliament Act it could have the making of a perfect storm - five years of lame duck government and legislative deadlock.
It is rarely in the interests of a majority in a hung Parliament to have a general election. So a skilful government can do more in a hung Parliament than you might expect by constructing ad hoc majorities. One could imagine a Conservative Prime Minister alternately using UKIP and the Lib Dems to get through what was essentially a Conservative programme. It would be a bit harder for a Labour Prime Minister if the SNP continued to decline to vote on English-only matters, but only a bit harder.
Actually Richard you're right. Dave knew AV would lose. Clegg knows that an EU Brexit referendum will be lost too. He may simply call Dave's bluff and say: 'Sure! Bring it on!'. Farage is deeply worried we will get a referendum in 2017. Dave, Labour, LibDems, BBC, CBI - the whole political and media establishment will be gunning for a 'Stay in' vote.
Yes, I think that is exactly right. In fact the LibDems are already signalling that they wouldn't oppose a referendum, especially if they can get something in return. Maybe a second go at Lords reform, and not boshing it up this time?
This must be some strange new use of the words "helpful" and "engaging" I hadn't previously been introduced to. The LDs got the worst of both worlds because they entered a coalition with the Tories (because it was their first chance to be in government in a century), there by pissing off a broad swathe of their "anyone but the Tories" followers, they then were awkward, disingenuous and underhand in coalition, so the other half of their support that was more neutral to the Tories also peeled off because they were conspicuously pissing around and not taking government seriously, this had the added bonus of proving to any future coalition partner that they couldn't be trusted. How to make a more complete Charlie-Fox of being in coalition is hard to fathom.
The usual old nonsense of an attack line from the Conservative side. The LDs have played a constructive role in mitigating some of the more ideological aspects of elements of the Conservative side but Coalition means that - neither side gets everything they want and a hurriedly-put together package of a document constructed by exhausted paeople in the hours after the election isn't or shouldn't really the blueprint for a functioning Government..
For some of the Conservatives, Coalition seems to mean "we do what we want and you vote for it" but life isn't like that. In some ministries the Conservative-LD partnership has functioned well, in others clearly less so. Electorally the Party has taken a hit, no question, but being in Government and getting some of the things you want enacted is far more rewarding than sitting in the comfy chair of Opposition preening yourself over your high poll ratings while in fact you are completely powerless.
I don't know what's going to happen next year - many on here seem to be eagerly anticipating a Lib Dem wipeoufor their own reasons but even if a 1970 or 1979 result occurs (and there's no guarantee of that at all) the Party will continue and rebuild just as the Tories themselves did after 1997 and Labour after 1979.
It probably wouldn't do the Conservatives any harm to have another sustained period in Opposition while they work out theor policy in a number of key areasd such as Europe.
JackW: Con 310 (+3) .. Lab 264 (-13) .. LibDem 30 (-2) .. SNP 20 (+12) .. PC 2 .. NI 18 .. UKIP 3 .. Respect 1 .. Green 1 .. Ind 0 .. Speaker 1
Conservatives 16 seats short of a majority
Some very interesting changes over the past 11 weeks Jack, not least the more than doubling of the projection of SNP seats. Please remind us, are you intending to provide ARSE updates on a fortnightly basis?
As far as possible yes and then more frequently as the election nears.
What is the reality of a confidence and supply minority government? One hasn't happened in my memory. It is in effect the minority government is allowed to pass an very unadventurous budget with the backing of their confidence partner and then basically the country is in legislative deadlock for the rest of the time as the minority government can't get the votes to pursue its program. Even if the opposition parties do agree with items of government policy, its completely in their interest to play silly buggers and make it look like the government is floundering. With the idiotic Fixed Term Parliament Act it could have the making of a perfect storm - five years of lame duck government and legislative deadlock.
We had C&S in the late 70’s, with the Lib/Lab pact. Worked reasonably well for a while, until, basically, a small group of Trade Unionists, I’m sad to say, wrecked the system. And no, David Streel’s Liberals didn’t, AFAIR play silly whatsits, even though for some of the time at least they were picking up by-election wins.
The FTPA isn’t idiotic; the ability of the Government of the day to fix the date of the election, with the ability to effectively bribe enough of the electorate is much worse.
I suspect we may be heading for a minority government with confidence and supply support. Another full coalition deal will be very hard as the areas of Tory/LibDem overlap appear to have withered in 5 years. Rose Garden bromance no more. Means, of course, the 2017 EU referendum is off the cards!
Not necessarily. Would the LibDems really want to provoke a new election on the platform of 'We want to deny you a choice'?
Actually Richard you're right. Dave knew AV would lose. Clegg knows that an EU Brexit referendum will be lost too. He may simply call Dave's bluff and say: 'Sure! Bring it on!'. Farage is deeply worried we will get a referendum in 2017. Dave, Labour, LibDems, BBC, CBI - the whole political and media establishment will be gunning for a 'Stay in' vote.
These claims are convenient for the Tories but they simply don't pass the sniff test. It's pretty obvious that the half dozen or so UKIP MPs after 2015 will enthusiastically vote for a 2017 referendum, while the Europhile Labour and Lib Dems are deliberately avoiding referendum pledges because they are so desperate to avoid one. The last bit particularly doesn't wash: in what world are the political and media establishment so widely respected and followed by the British public? Their levels of respect have fallen through the floor.
SNP ........................... 20 ........................ 20 ...................... 0
I'm not [yet] playing in this market, but on the face of it a Sell of Labour looks a better bet than a Buy of the Conservatives, to take account of the possibility that the UKIP figure ends up higher than 3 at the Conservatives' (or indeed Labour's) expense.
Latest Stuart Dickson 2014 Scottish Independence PB Contribution Since September 18th :
2 months
It's safe to come out now Stuey baby..
Seriously though - this is not a Labour slump it's an SNP SURGE - ever since that fat buffoon loser Salmond quit - must have been holding them back.
LOL, the crackers are up early today
But its a double whammy - Labour ditch a female leader and the SNP install one (of sorts). Con vote solid behind Ruth. LDs with their stale pale male are nowhere.
McVoters love a munter ?
Maybe Labour will copy SNP policy as usual and will pick the invisible woman in the contest
Actually Richard you're right. Dave knew AV would lose. Clegg knows that an EU Brexit referendum will be lost too. He may simply call Dave's bluff and say: 'Sure! Bring it on!'. Farage is deeply worried we will get a referendum in 2017. Dave, Labour, LibDems, BBC, CBI - the whole political and media establishment will be gunning for a 'Stay in' vote.
Yes, I think that is exactly right. In fact the LibDems are already signalling that they wouldn't oppose a referendum, especially if they can get something in return. Maybe a second go at Lords reform, and not boshing it up this time?
So if Dave (EU-phile traitorous pig dog) is halfway cunning he shakes hands with Clegg on an EU Referendum plus Boundaries deal. This time he can forget attaching an MP reduction into the Boundaries thing - the LibDems will have taken their hit already and will be keen to damage Labour however they can.
Interesting story in the Times paper this morning.
It appears that Milliband has seized control of all candidate section processes. He along with Harman , Vaz and a member of the ShadCab will decide who gets to stand in tthe plum seats where an MP stands down. The first is Alistar Darlings seat. . This also includes which seats will be all women applicatants only something Harmsn is already an expert in having parachuted Jackeline into one.
The other interesting part of the story is that Anne Clywd who was to stand down has apparently decided not too. However, it also appears that she will have to reapply to this committee to stand as the candidate in the seat she already holds. This application is reported at risk as she has been an open critic since her husband died of Labours Welsh NHS disaster. True to form then and as normal rather than fix the problem Labour are shooting the messenger.
Perhaps our resident retired NHS expert Bigjohnowls might care to comment on the Welsh NHS as vociferously as he does about the English NHS. That's the English NHS the Welsh are all crossing the border to get to due to the abject catastrophic failures of the Labour controlled NHS in Wales. He might also have a view on shooting messengers by official selection committees.
Incidentally how has Carswell proposed to save his local NHS?
I think you overstate an MPs influence on anything. They have a good bully-pulpit, they can usually get stuff in the local papers, they can get access to talk to people, but what can they actually make happen unless they happen to be ministers ?
Both have made local NHS services a big part of their campaigns. If they cannot do anything about them, then why have they put the NHS in the centre of their literature?
I do hope they are not copying big party cynicism!
Carswell is not the MP for Colchester, why do you connect him? One thing he has done is oppose 12,000 houses being built in Clacton for London overspill, so that's 20,000 plus people the local NHS don't have to deal with
Now someone needs to do the same in Havering, where it seems hospitals are closed to ensure the population rises
Carswells nearest hospital emergency dept is Colchester.
Well it's a laboured point you make as it's not in his constituency, but opposing 12,000 new homes being built is one way of helping that local A&E
Yes, I jest, but not entirely.
What do you make of the decision to close Harold Wood and St Georges completely, closing King George A&E and lumping everything onto Queens, which has been in special measures, has babies delivered in the toilets and kids with broken arms sleeping on the floors with coats as blankets?
Wasn’t aware, but on the face of it seems a VERY BAD IDEA. IIRC, though, St Georges has been running down for ages.
It is a very bad idea!
St Georges has been running down for years , you are right.
That site, and Harold Wood are being used to build lots of housing, mainly to house those shunted out of their home in the East End by gentrification.. wouldn't want them spoiling the view.
So lots more people, and two and a half fewer hospitals, with the one left being regarded as absolute rubbish by patients and inspectors alike...
'Someone called @gosbornegenius on Twitter keeps posting a link to this article which says it wasn't the London Challenge that was responsible for good school results in the capital, but the large amount of BAME children'
This was confirmed by one of the head teachers interviewed over weekend.
I don't doubt it. The Trojan Horse schools in Birmingham were achieving an excellent standard of education for similar reasons. If you were a muslim parent in the area, who could blame you for sending your children there?
You also only need to look at school results to see that there is no single effect from 'BAME' (a ridiculous term by the way) children. Some groups - Indians, Chinese - do much better than white children, while others - Afro-Caribbean, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis - do worse.
Say you promote the airline industry. And just suppose it falls to you to find a name for an airport. The name of a suitable person. OK, got one?
Sorry. You just chose somebody who died in an air crash?
It wouldn’t be the first time. Examples of a practise that would appear to court commercial suicide, one to rank alongside apocryphal chicken outlet Sam ’n Ella’s, abound at every term. Think Sydney, named after Charles Kingsford Smith, who crashed into the Andaman Sea in 1935. Or Bucharest’s second airport Aurel Vlaicu, lost over the Carpathians in 1913. Or Reunion’s Roland Garros, who was shot down over the Ardennes in 1918. Or Lyon’s Antoine de St Exupery, who disappeared over the Mediterranean in 1944.
Latest Stuart Dickson 2014 Scottish Independence PB Contribution Since September 18th :
2 months
It's safe to come out now Stuey baby..
Seriously though - this is not a Labour slump it's an SNP SURGE - ever since that fat buffoon loser Salmond quit - must have been holding them back.
LOL, the crackers are up early today
But its a double whammy - Labour ditch a female leader and the SNP install one (of sorts). Con vote solid behind Ruth. LDs with their stale pale male are nowhere.
McVoters love a munter ?
Maybe Labour will copy SNP policy as usual and will pick the invisible woman in the contest
Actually, I wouldn't rule Ms Boyack out - she is a potential compromise candidate in a contest where both Messrs Findlay and Murphy are problematical in the context of the fundamental dilemma of SLAB as part of One [UK] Nation Labour. In fact I think she's the most interesting one given that she might actually work with the SNP.
On topic, I find it hard to believe that Labour are just 7 points ahead of the Cons in Scotland. The indyref must have woken up the remaining few unionist Tories to the threat of the SNP I guess.
You did see that Tories were still nowhere it is just the sheer drop in Labour that brings them closer, not Fitalaughs usual Tory surge call.
The bit I weep about is that the Scots are so determined to be so nationalistic and have no emotional connection for Britain, but when it comes to the actual chance to leave, they'd rather hang on to London and the South East's economy as a security blanket.
From The Agenda last night, is this the phrase that will be hung round the Labour nack?
She asked the politician: “Is that [the mansion tax] your only option? You might as well tax me on this glass of water. You can’t just point at things and tax them. You need to have a better strategy.
It was a little annoying that the presenter rescued him and changed the subject just as she was about to get into her stride
The whole point is that tax needs to be on things that are productive, dynamic and able to generate future income and wealth. Taxing static and existing assets will tend to be counter productive to the wealth of the nation.
surely the other way round?
Tax should be on assets that are high valued but which are not being productively deployed to encourage investment into value generating activities
What is the reality of a confidence and supply minority government? One hasn't happened in my memory. It is in effect the minority government is allowed to pass an very unadventurous budget with the backing of their confidence partner and then basically the country is in legislative deadlock for the rest of the time as the minority government can't get the votes to pursue its program. Even if the opposition parties do agree with items of government policy, its completely in their interest to play silly buggers and make it look like the government is floundering. With the idiotic Fixed Term Parliament Act it could have the making of a perfect storm - five years of lame duck government and legislative deadlock.
Massive porkbarrelling as DUP, SNP are bribed into supporting X,Y and Z.
Next gov will be same as this one - LD/Con coalition.
We Tories are not doing our best to help Danny out locally. We have a Morayshire farmer Edward Mountain as PPC and he is working very hard to boost the Tory vote.
I think this is a serious mistake. The Scottish Conservative and Unionist party should remember its heritage and endorse Danny as the Unionist candidate.
The bit I weep about is that the Scots are so determined to be so nationalistic and have no emotional connection for Britain, but when it comes to the actual chance to leave, they'd rather hang on to London and the South East's economy as a security blanket.
It's SHITE being Scottish! We're the lowest of the low. The scum of the fucking Earth! The most wretched, miserable, servile, pathetic trash that was ever shat into civilization. Some hate the English. I don't. They're just wankers. We, on the other hand, are COLONIZED by wankers. Can't even find a decent culture to be colonized BY. We're ruled by effete arseholes. It's a SHITE state of affairs to be in, Tommy, and ALL the fresh air in the world won't make any fucking difference!
Latest Stuart Dickson 2014 Scottish Independence PB Contribution Since September 18th :
2 months
It's safe to come out now Stuey baby..
Seriously though - this is not a Labour slump it's an SNP SURGE - ever since that fat buffoon loser Salmond quit - must have been holding them back.
LOL, the crackers are up early today
But its a double whammy - Labour ditch a female leader and the SNP install one (of sorts). Con vote solid behind Ruth. LDs with their stale pale male are nowhere.
McVoters love a munter ?
Maybe Labour will copy SNP policy as usual and will pick the invisible woman in the contest
Actually, I wouldn't rule Ms Boyack out - she is a potential compromise candidate in a contest where both Messrs Findlay and Murphy are problematical in the context of the fundamental dilemma of SLAB as part of One [UK] Nation Labour. In fact I think she's the most interesting one given that she might actually work with the SNP.
I agree , if they don't want a Tory or a donkey then she has good chance and must be better choice than any of the other two. That last point is only reason why I think she will not get selected, Labour don't often pick the sensible option.
The bit I weep about is that the Scots are so determined to be so nationalistic and have no emotional connection for Britain, but when it comes to the actual chance to leave, they'd rather hang on to London and the South East's economy as a security blanket.
It's SHITE being Scottish! We're the lowest of the low. The scum of the fucking Earth! The most wretched, miserable, servile, pathetic trash that was ever shat into civilization. Some hate the English. I don't. They're just wankers. We, on the other hand, are COLONIZED by wankers. Can't even find a decent culture to be colonized BY. We're ruled by effete arseholes. It's a SHITE state of affairs to be in, Tommy, and ALL the fresh air in the world won't make any fucking difference!
So shite they don't even realise they weren't colonized.
We Tories are not doing our best to help Danny out locally. We have a Morayshire farmer Edward Mountain as PPC and he is working very hard to boost the Tory vote.
I think this is a serious mistake. The Scottish Conservative and Unionist party should remember its heritage and endorse Danny as the Unionist candidate.
I expect that Mountain's pile of votes on 8 May will be a molehill.
The bit I weep about is that the Scots are so determined to be so nationalistic and have no emotional connection for Britain, but when it comes to the actual chance to leave, they'd rather hang on to London and the South East's economy as a security blanket.
You and me both but once the "Vow" on home rule is shown to be mince, the people who were duped into voting NO will change their minds. Bit scared but will know better next time that unionists are perfidious.
We Tories are not doing our best to help Danny out locally. We have a Morayshire farmer Edward Mountain as PPC and he is working very hard to boost the Tory vote.
I think this is a serious mistake. The Scottish Conservative and Unionist party should remember its heritage and endorse Danny as the Unionist candidate.
Interesting, I really am picking up signs that the Unionist parties might ally in Scotland (again): back to the 1950s? Here's another example from a rather different part of the spectrum:
The bit I weep about is that the Scots are so determined to be so nationalistic and have no emotional connection for Britain, but when it comes to the actual chance to leave, they'd rather hang on to London and the South East's economy as a security blanket.
It's SHITE being Scottish! We're the lowest of the low. The scum of the fucking Earth! The most wretched, miserable, servile, pathetic trash that was ever shat into civilization. Some hate the English. I don't. They're just wankers. We, on the other hand, are COLONIZED by wankers. Can't even find a decent culture to be colonized BY. We're ruled by effete arseholes. It's a SHITE state of affairs to be in, Tommy, and ALL the fresh air in the world won't make any fucking difference!
Isam, I visited St Georges admin area years ago to collect an “official" moblie phone. Bloke who supplied it had the most apparently disorganised office I’ve ever seen. Made my personal space (chaos) look like a model of tidiness and organisation.
I see some of the Conservative-inclined on here are now playing the desperate horse-trading game to see what permuation (if any) can keep their Party in power because, as we know, without power and office, what's the point of the Conservative Party ? They spent 13 years in the wilderness and it was only Labour's own financial disaster that gave them the sniff of a chance of getting back into Government.
With the increasingly-powerful SNP unlikely to help, it's back to either courting the DUP or the Lib Dems for Coalition 2 (we like you really, it's just those naughty activists not being on-message).
Perhaps we should be sensible and consider the non-Tory permutations, Labour-LD or possibly Labour-SNP or even Labour plus some Irish MPs. All look possible in one form or another on paper yet none look easy or obvious.
I strongly suspect there will be no formal "Coalitions" next time.
18.11.14 LAB 319 (320) CON 268(268) LD 31(31) UKIP 2(2) Others 30(29) (Ed is crap is PM) Last weeks BJESUS in brackets Last weeks BJESUS in brackets BJESUS (Big John Election Service Uniform Swing) BJESUS (Big John Election Service Uniform Swing) Using current polling adjusted for 170 days left to go factor and using UKPR standard swingometer
We Tories are not doing our best to help Danny out locally. We have a Morayshire farmer Edward Mountain as PPC and he is working very hard to boost the Tory vote.
I think this is a serious mistake. The Scottish Conservative and Unionist party should remember its heritage and endorse Danny as the Unionist candidate.
I expect that Mountain's pile of votes on 8 May will be a molehill.
Last election the tories got 6,278 in that constituency and the Scottish tory vote has recovered since then. It not only could but probably will make the difference.
I would just like to point out for @Monksfield, that this is purely humorous and in no way bullying an individual for having a different political view to his.
The bit I weep about is that the Scots are so determined to be so nationalistic and have no emotional connection for Britain, but when it comes to the actual chance to leave, they'd rather hang on to London and the South East's economy as a security blanket.
It's SHITE being Scottish! We're the lowest of the low. The scum of the fucking Earth! The most wretched, miserable, servile, pathetic trash that was ever shat into civilization. Some hate the English. I don't. They're just wankers. We, on the other hand, are COLONIZED by wankers. Can't even find a decent culture to be colonized BY. We're ruled by effete arseholes. It's a SHITE state of affairs to be in, Tommy, and ALL the fresh air in the world won't make any fucking difference!
Ooh yes, that was a good one. But it was written in 1996, remember: a year before the referendum for devolution. Mr Welsh, to be fair to him, has been writing rather differently of late, and not just in his novels either.
We Tories are not doing our best to help Danny out locally. We have a Morayshire farmer Edward Mountain as PPC and he is working very hard to boost the Tory vote.
I think this is a serious mistake. The Scottish Conservative and Unionist party should remember its heritage and endorse Danny as the Unionist candidate.
We Tories are not doing our best to help Danny out locally. We have a Morayshire farmer Edward Mountain as PPC and he is working very hard to boost the Tory vote.
I think this is a serious mistake. The Scottish Conservative and Unionist party should remember its heritage and endorse Danny as the Unionist candidate.
I expect that Mountain's pile of votes on 8 May will be a molehill.
Last election the tories got 6,278 in that constituency and the Scottish tory vote has recovered since then. It not only could but probably will make the difference.
If this opinion poll is to be believed, the Scottish Tory vote is exactly the same now as it was in 2010.
The experience of the Lib Dems in government shows exactly why the only conceivable coalitions after the next election in a hung Parliament involve the Lib Dems (who have already suffered much of the damage that being in coalition cases). Neither UKIP nor the SNP will be inclined to take the same hit.
I suspect we may be heading for a minority government with confidence and supply support. Another full coalition deal will be very hard as the areas of Tory/LibDem overlap appear to have withered in 5 years. Rose Garden bromance no more. Means, of course, the 2017 EU referendum is off the cards!
Cameron has always said that is a red line for a coalition.
He'd probably have to go for a minority government w/o C&S (just for the optics) unless he is able to make it a C&S&EURef arrangement
Isam, I visited St Georges admin area years ago to collect an “official" moblie phone. Bloke who supplied it had the most apparently disorganised office I’ve ever seen. Made my personal space (chaos) look like a model of tidiness and organisation.
I lived 100 yards away from it growing up, my parents still do.
If Hospitals are struggling to cope with the strain, why on earth is it being bulldozed? Even if only 1/4 of it stayed open it would help out
The experience of the Lib Dems in government shows exactly why the only conceivable coalitions after the next election in a hung Parliament involve the Lib Dems (who have already suffered much of the damage that being in coalition cases). Neither UKIP nor the SNP will be inclined to take the same hit.
I suspect we may be heading for a minority government with confidence and supply support. Another full coalition deal will be very hard as the areas of Tory/LibDem overlap appear to have withered in 5 years. Rose Garden bromance no more. Means, of course, the 2017 EU referendum is off the cards!
Cameron has always said that is a red line for a coalition.
He'd probably have to go for a minority government w/o C&S (just for the optics) unless he is able to make it a C&S&EURef arrangement
SNP ........................... 20 ........................ 20 ...................... 0
I'm not [yet] playing in this market, but on the face of it a Sell of Labour looks a better bet than a Buy of the Conservatives, to take account of the possibility that the UKIP figure ends up higher than 3 at the Conservatives' (or indeed Labour's) expense.
Like you, I'm not getting sucked in just now. Adding further to the equation, Stephen Fisher currently shows Labour winning 292 seats with the Tories on 300. Strangely he is not yet recognising any surge in the SNP vote to which he is still allocating only ~8 seats. Assuming Sporting's and JackW's like figures as above of 20 are correct for the sake of argument, and that 9 of the SNP's additional 12 seats are won from Labour, then Labour's total seat count would fall accordingly to 283 seats, 5 seats below Sporting's current mid-price.
We Tories are not doing our best to help Danny out locally. We have a Morayshire farmer Edward Mountain as PPC and he is working very hard to boost the Tory vote.
I think this is a serious mistake. The Scottish Conservative and Unionist party should remember its heritage and endorse Danny as the Unionist candidate.
I expect that Mountain's pile of votes on 8 May will be a molehill.
Last election the tories got 6,278 in that constituency and the Scottish tory vote has recovered since then. It not only could but probably will make the difference.
If this opinion poll is to be believed, the Scottish Tory vote is exactly the same now as it was in 2010.
Interesting story in the Times paper this morning.
It appears that Milliband has seized control of all candidate section processes. He along with Harman , Vaz and a member of the ShadCab will decide who gets to stand in tthe plum seats where an MP stands down. The first is Alistar Darlings seat. . This also includes which seats will be all women applicatants only something Harmsn is already an expert in having parachuted Jackeline into one.
The other interesting part of the story is that Anne Clywd who was to stand down has apparently decided not too. However, it also appears that she will have to reapply to this committee to stand as the candidate in the seat she already holds. This application is reported at risk as she has been an open critic since her husband died of Labours Welsh NHS disaster. True to form then and as normal rather than fix the problem Labour are shooting the messenger.
Perhaps our resident retired NHS expert Bigjohnowls might care to comment on the Welsh NHS as vociferously as he does about the English NHS. That's the English NHS the Welsh are all crossing the border to get to due to the abject catastrophic failures of the Labour controlled NHS in Wales. He might also have a view on shooting messengers by official selection committees.
I'm in no way an expert on internal Labour Party policy, but I thought there was a standard process whereby about 6 months before an election candidate selection automatically devolves to the centre for practical purposes?
I vaguely remember people whinging about Blair/Brown using the system to select candidates in the past?
We Tories are not doing our best to help Danny out locally. We have a Morayshire farmer Edward Mountain as PPC and he is working very hard to boost the Tory vote.
I think this is a serious mistake. The Scottish Conservative and Unionist party should remember its heritage and endorse Danny as the Unionist candidate.
We Tories are not doing our best to help Danny out locally. We have a Morayshire farmer Edward Mountain as PPC and he is working very hard to boost the Tory vote.
I think this is a serious mistake. The Scottish Conservative and Unionist party should remember its heritage and endorse Danny as the Unionist candidate.
Interesting, I really am picking up signs that the Unionist parties might ally in Scotland (again): back to the 1950s? Here's another example from a rather different part of the spectrum:
F1: bit late, but Ladbrokes has a fastest qualifying car market. Hope they keep that for next year, could be of some interest.
Well, I expect Mercedes to remain dominant, but their advantage may diminish. Hard to say whether Williams or Red Bull (or, just maybe, McLaren) will pose the biggest challenge to the Silver Arrows.
We Tories are not doing our best to help Danny out locally. We have a Morayshire farmer Edward Mountain as PPC and he is working very hard to boost the Tory vote.
I think this is a serious mistake. The Scottish Conservative and Unionist party should remember its heritage and endorse Danny as the Unionist candidate.
Isam, I visited St Georges admin area years ago to collect an “official" moblie phone. Bloke who supplied it had the most apparently disorganised office I’ve ever seen. Made my personal space (chaos) look like a model of tidiness and organisation.
I lived 100 yards away from it growing up, my parents still do.
If Hospitals are struggling to cope with the strain, why on earth is it being bulldozed? Even if only 1/4 of it stayed open it would help out
There is an argument against small hospitals. At one time I worked at Billericay. One of the reasons for closing it was that it was, effectively, a Burns & Plkastic Unit and a couple of Geriatric Wards. OK, we had on site a Burns & Plastics team and a part-time Geriatric consultant and medical team, but if expertise was wanted from, for example cardiology or nephrology, it had to be brought over from Basildon, several miles away. Much better to move the Burns & PLastics to Chelmsford where such facilities were on site. And the Care of the Elderly wards were in a poor condition.
The bit I weep about is that the Scots are so determined to be so nationalistic and have no emotional connection for Britain, but when it comes to the actual chance to leave, they'd rather hang on to London and the South East's economy as a security blanket.
It's SHITE being Scottish! We're the lowest of the low. The scum of the fucking Earth! The most wretched, miserable, servile, pathetic trash that was ever shat into civilization. Some hate the English. I don't. They're just wankers. We, on the other hand, are COLONIZED by wankers. Can't even find a decent culture to be colonized BY. We're ruled by effete arseholes. It's a SHITE state of affairs to be in, Tommy, and ALL the fresh air in the world won't make any fucking difference!
Ooh yes, that was a good one. But it was written in 1996, remember: a year before the referendum for devolution. Mr Welsh, to be fair to him, has been writing rather differently of late, and not just in his novels either.
Many Scots yearn desperately to be independent of the Sassenach wankers. But...they aren't. And worse, they can't be. At least not with developed world living standards. It's terribly sad but I see Scotland becoming a Quebeckish land of lost hope and failed ambition. They can't share the Pound. Or join the Euro. So they'd have to have the Groat. Bye bye finance services / banking. The oil is in steep decline. They spend 20% more per capita than the UK average. How shite can it be to realise, finally, that you are indeed kept in a living standard you are accustomed to by those who you resent? They can be fully independent and bankrupt or 'ruled by effete arseholes'. What a choice! This is what socialism does to a country. Adam Smith would turn in his grave.
'Someone called @gosbornegenius on Twitter keeps posting a link to this article which says it wasn't the London Challenge that was responsible for good school results in the capital, but the large amount of BAME children'
This was confirmed by one of the head teachers interviewed over weekend.
I don't doubt it. The Trojan Horse schools in Birmingham were achieving an excellent standard of education for similar reasons. If you were a muslim parent in the area, who could blame you for sending your children there?
You also only need to look at school results to see that there is no single effect from 'BAME' (a ridiculous term by the way) children. Some groups - Indians, Chinese - do much better than white children, while others - Afro-Caribbean, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis - do worse.
Suspicious test scores in the US were found to be the result of systematic cheating.
The experience of the Lib Dems in government shows exactly why the only conceivable coalitions after the next election in a hung Parliament involve the Lib Dems (who have already suffered much of the damage that being in coalition cases). Neither UKIP nor the SNP will be inclined to take the same hit.
Which will make for interesting coalition negotiations given their lack of honesty in this regard to date. Are we going to see twinned bills, so either both get through or neither do "The Alternative Vote Referendum and Boundary Changes Act (2017)" ?
We'll probably see minority government in the likely event of a hung Parliament. The Lib Dems don't want to coalesce with the Conservatives and Labour don't want to coalesce with the Lib Dems.
As a matter of grammar pedantry, what is the verb related to 'coalition'? Is it 'coalesce' or 'coalign'? Are there not also the words 'coalescence' and 'coalignment'? What is the difference between a coalescence and a coalition? Is the former the process and the latter the outcome?
F1: bit late, but Ladbrokes has a fastest qualifying car market. Hope they keep that for next year, could be of some interest.
Well, I expect Mercedes to remain dominant, but their advantage may diminish. Hard to say whether Williams or Red Bull (or, just maybe, McLaren) will pose the biggest challenge to the Silver Arrows.
It's going to be interesting to see what happens to F1 when Bernie joins the choir eternal. He's 84, and all that stress and travel can't be good for a codger of his age.
Actually Richard you're right. Dave knew AV would lose. Clegg knows that an EU Brexit referendum will be lost too. He may simply call Dave's bluff and say: 'Sure! Bring it on!'. Farage is deeply worried we will get a referendum in 2017. Dave, Labour, LibDems, BBC, CBI - the whole political and media establishment will be gunning for a 'Stay in' vote.
Yes, I think that is exactly right. In fact the LibDems are already signalling that they wouldn't oppose a referendum, especially if they can get something in return. Maybe a second go at Lords reform, and not boshing it up this time?
Yes, that's as maybe. But who would be stupid enough to trust the LibDems next time after the double-dealing episode over the non-implementation of Boundary Changes - although personally I blame Cameron for getting well and truly stitched up over this. A totally pathetic performance on his part.
F1: bit late, but Ladbrokes has a fastest qualifying car market. Hope they keep that for next year, could be of some interest.
Well, I expect Mercedes to remain dominant, but their advantage may diminish. Hard to say whether Williams or Red Bull (or, just maybe, McLaren) will pose the biggest challenge to the Silver Arrows.
It's going to be interesting to see what happens to F1 when Bernie joins the choir eternal. He's 84, and all that stress and travel can't be good for a codger of his age.
Theoretically at least he’s not in control any longer. However, a lot of people who work at F1 (not the teams) are wondering that.
Isam, I visited St Georges admin area years ago to collect an “official" moblie phone. Bloke who supplied it had the most apparently disorganised office I’ve ever seen. Made my personal space (chaos) look like a model of tidiness and organisation.
I lived 100 yards away from it growing up, my parents still do.
If Hospitals are struggling to cope with the strain, why on earth is it being bulldozed? Even if only 1/4 of it stayed open it would help out
There is an argument against small hospitals. At one time I worked at Billericay. One of the reasons for closing it was that it was, effectively, a Burns & Plkastic Unit and a couple of Geriatric Wards. OK, we had on site a Burns & Plastics team and a part-time Geriatric consultant and medical team, but if expertise was wanted from, for example cardiology or nephrology, it had to be brought over from Basildon, several miles away. Much better to move the Burns & PLastics to Chelmsford where such facilities were on site. And the Care of the Elderly wards were in a poor condition.
You obviously know better than me about this, but from a laymans perspective, I cant see how closing two and a half out of the four local hospitals while the population is growing (accentuated by the building on the grounds of the closed hospitals) is right
As I showed with the links I posted, the one remaining hospital, which cost a fortune to build, is regarded as worse than useless by patients and inspectors.
My Dad was rushed to Queens a couple of years ago w Bronchitis and was sharing a ward with a paranoid schizophrenic.. a friends wife gave birth there while other babies were being delivered assembly line stylee in the toilet! Can this be right? Wont it get worse with more people and fewer hospitals?
The bit I weep about is that the Scots are so determined to be so nationalistic and have no emotional connection for Britain, but when it comes to the actual chance to leave, they'd rather hang on to London and the South East's economy as a security blanket.
It's SHITE being Scottish! We're the lowest of the low. The scum of the fucking Earth! The most wretched, miserable, servile, pathetic trash that was ever shat into civilization. Some hate the English. I don't. They're just wankers. We, on the other hand, are COLONIZED by wankers. Can't even find a decent culture to be colonized BY. We're ruled by effete arseholes. It's a SHITE state of affairs to be in, Tommy, and ALL the fresh air in the world won't make any fucking difference!
Ooh yes, that was a good one. But it was written in 1996, remember: a year before the referendum for devolution. Mr Welsh, to be fair to him, has been writing rather differently of late, and not just in his novels either.
Many Scots yearn desperately to be independent of the Sassenach wankers. But...they aren't. And worse, they can't be. At least not with developed world living standards. It's terribly sad but I see Scotland becoming a Quebeckish land of lost hope and failed ambition. They can't share the Pound. Or join the Euro. So they'd have to have the Groat. Bye bye finance services / banking. The oil is in steep decline. They spend 20% more per capita than the UK average. How shite can it be to realise, finally, that you are indeed kept in a living standard you are accustomed to by those who you resent? They can be fully independent and bankrupt or 'ruled by effete arseholes'. What a choice! This is what socialism does to a country. Adam Smith would turn in his grave.
Until they ditch their statist approach they won't change their ways. Scrapping the Barnett formula and allowing the Scots to keep the proceeds of private sector rewards would help.
Small trivia anecdote - I met Bernie's Ops Dir a few ago - the pressure he described in passing was epic. He never stayed for the races - and would do a return trip to Australia in less than 48hrs so he'd be back home.
F1: bit late, but Ladbrokes has a fastest qualifying car market. Hope they keep that for next year, could be of some interest.
Well, I expect Mercedes to remain dominant, but their advantage may diminish. Hard to say whether Williams or Red Bull (or, just maybe, McLaren) will pose the biggest challenge to the Silver Arrows.
It's going to be interesting to see what happens to F1 when Bernie joins the choir eternal. He's 84, and all that stress and travel can't be good for a codger of his age.
The crossing the border from Wales to England thing has always happened
Since 2011-12, the number of Welsh people being treated in England has fallen every year. However, the number of English patients being treated in Wales has risen from 7,888 in 2012-13 to 8,037 in 2013-14.
Moral of the story do not believe the Daily Mail or DC
Comments
The egg ( thrown by a bloke who didn't like that a question he asked was ignored - after asking the question he popped to Tesco to buy the eggs) was PR mana from heaven for Murphy as it actually got him press attention. He'd done about 80 days of his tour with hee-haw notice .
Yes, I jest, but not entirely.
EDIT this is wrong. They are dead level.
Be wary of Watford, though: I now think Richard Harrington will hold it, helped by the non-Tory opposition being split between Labour and the LibDems; Dorothy Thornhill standing for the LibDems will help in this, preventing a LibDem collapse which would have helped Labour. I don't think her intervention will be sufficient to take the LibDems over the line given the abysmal national LibDem polling.
As for the Scottish polling, the remarkable thing in my view is how close this poll is to the dramatic Ipsos-MORI one. The Labour figures are almost identical, and the SNP figures not too far apart at 46% and 52%. OK, the final result may not be quite as dramatic, but Jack's forecast of 20 SNP seats is looking well within reach.
However there is a silly stunt to help Myleene with her tax bills. http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/myleene-klass-mocked-justgiving-page-4646673
I thought it was during November?
Ms Fitalass is rather obviously forgetting the reality of violence and abuse during indyref, as her colleagues do the promises that were made during it. Clue: the media didn't like reporting them.
It did get some howling mess-ups like when Labour voted against its own budget, and when Labour and the Tories et al tore up the transport budget to impose the infamous Edinburgh Trams, mind you.
Party .................... Sporting ................. ARSE .................. Diff'ce
Labour ..................... 288 ..................... 264 ................... +24
Conservative ............ 283 ..................... 310 ................... -27
LibDems .................... 30 ....................... 30 ....................... 0
UKIP .......................... 9.5 ......................... 3 ................... +6.5
SNP ........................... 20 ........................ 20 ...................... 0
For some of the Conservatives, Coalition seems to mean "we do what we want and you vote for it" but life isn't like that. In some ministries the Conservative-LD partnership has functioned well, in others clearly less so. Electorally the Party has taken a hit, no question, but being in Government and getting some of the things you want enacted is far more rewarding than sitting in the comfy chair of Opposition preening yourself over your high poll ratings while in fact you are completely powerless.
I don't know what's going to happen next year - many on here seem to be eagerly anticipating a Lib Dem wipeoufor their own reasons but even if a 1970 or 1979 result occurs (and there's no guarantee of that at all) the Party will continue and rebuild just as the Tories themselves did after 1997 and Labour after 1979.
It probably wouldn't do the Conservatives any harm to have another sustained period in Opposition while they work out theor policy in a number of key areasd such as Europe.
The FTPA isn’t idiotic; the ability of the Government of the day to fix the date of the election, with the ability to effectively bribe enough of the electorate is much worse.
IMHO, anyway.
It appears that Milliband has seized control of all candidate section processes. He along with Harman , Vaz and a member of the ShadCab will decide who gets to stand in tthe plum seats where an MP stands down. The first is Alistar Darlings seat. . This also includes which seats will be all women applicatants only something Harmsn is already an expert in having parachuted Jackeline into one.
The other interesting part of the story is that Anne Clywd who was to stand down has apparently decided not too. However, it also appears that she will have to reapply to this committee to stand as the candidate in the seat she already holds. This application is reported at risk as she has been an open critic since her husband died of Labours Welsh NHS disaster. True to form then and as normal rather than fix the problem Labour are shooting the messenger.
Perhaps our resident retired NHS expert Bigjohnowls might care to comment on the Welsh NHS as vociferously as he does about the English NHS. That's the English NHS the Welsh are all crossing the border to get to due to the abject catastrophic failures of the Labour controlled NHS in Wales. He might also have a view on shooting messengers by official selection committees.
St Georges has been running down for years , you are right.
That site, and Harold Wood are being used to build lots of housing, mainly to house those shunted out of their home in the East End by gentrification.. wouldn't want them spoiling the view.
So lots more people, and two and a half fewer hospitals, with the one left being regarded as absolute rubbish by patients and inspectors alike...
http://www.romfordrecorder.co.uk/news/health/queen_s_hospital_trust_put_into_special_measures_after_damning_cqc_report_1_3124079
http://www.romfordrecorder.co.uk/news/health/pictured_boy_with_broken_arm_uses_floor_for_bed_at_busy_queen_s_hospital_1_3835970
Local people protested, but Boris just ignored them. He wants Zones 1 & 2 socially cleansed for all the money to move in
http://www.romfordrecorder.co.uk/news/boris_snub_is_such_an_insult_claims_harold_wood_residents_1_778766
The last market was under/over 11.5
The new boundry is 35.5!
Tax should be on assets that are high valued but which are not being productively deployed to encourage investment into value generating activities
Next gov will be same as this one - LD/Con coalition.
In the past, when the Tories have led with YouGov, they've been behind on the unweighted numbers by a fair bit.
But on today's unweighted numbers they actually lead, and the weighting helped reduce the Tory lead.
File under one to watch.
http://wingsoverscotland.com/the-lesser-of-evils/
I visited St Georges admin area years ago to collect an “official" moblie phone. Bloke who supplied it had the most apparently disorganised office I’ve ever seen. Made my personal space (chaos) look like a model of tidiness and organisation.
With the increasingly-powerful SNP unlikely to help, it's back to either courting the DUP or the Lib Dems for Coalition 2 (we like you really, it's just those naughty activists not being on-message).
Perhaps we should be sensible and consider the non-Tory permutations, Labour-LD or possibly Labour-SNP or even Labour plus some Irish MPs. All look possible in one form or another on paper yet none look easy or obvious.
I strongly suspect there will be no formal "Coalitions" next time.
Asked yesterday - a poster on here creates it and is used on the wiki page.
Thanks
18.11.14 LAB 319 (320) CON 268(268) LD 31(31) UKIP 2(2) Others 30(29) (Ed is crap is PM)
Last weeks BJESUS in brackets Last weeks BJESUS in brackets
BJESUS (Big John Election Service Uniform Swing) BJESUS (Big John Election Service Uniform Swing)
Using current polling adjusted for 170 days left to go factor and using UKPR standard swingometer
17.6.14 LAB 330 CON 263 LD 33 UKIP 0 Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM)
24.6.14 LAB 330 CON 263 LD 33 UKIP 0 Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM)
1.7.14 LAB 329(330) CON 268 (263) LD 29(33) UKIP 0(0) Others 24(24) (Ed is crap is PM)
8.7.14 LAB 330 (329) CON 264(268) LD 32(29) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM)
15.7.14 LAB 329 (330) CON 264(264) LD 33(32) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM)
22.7.14 LAB 331 (329) CON 261(264) LD 34(33) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM)
29.7.14 LAB 332 (331) CON 260(261) LD 34(34) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM)
5.8.14 LAB 330(332) CON 262(260) LD 34(34 UKIP0(0) Others 24 (Ed is Crap is PM)
12.8.14 LAB 332 (330) CON 260(262) LD 34(34) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM)
18.8.14 LAB 331(332) CON 261(260) LD 34(34) UKIP0(0) Others 24 Ed is crap is PM
26.8.14 LAB 333(331) CON 259(261)LD(34)UKIP 0(0) Others 24 Ed is crap is PM
2.9.14 LAB331(333) CON261(259) LD24(34) Others24 (24) Ed is crap is PM
9.9.14 LAB332(331) CON260(261) LD34(34) Others24 (24) Ed is crap is PM
16.9.14 LAB 331(332) CON 262(260) LD 33(34) UKIP0(0) Others 24 Ed is crap is PM
23.9.14 LAB 334 (331) CON 260(262) LD 32(33) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM)
30.9.14 LAB 334 (334) CON 260(260) LD 32(32) UKIP 0(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM)
7.10.14 LAB 325 (334) CON 269(260) LD 31(32) UKIP 1(0) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM)
14.10.14 LAB 328 (325) CON 264(269) LD 33(31) UKIP 1(1) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM)
21.10.14 LAB 327 (328) CON 265(264) LD 33(33) UKIP 1(1) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM)
28.10.14 LAB 322 (327) CON 269(265) LD 33(33) UKIP 2(1) Others 24 (Ed is crap is PM)
4.11.14 LAB 320 (322) CON 268(269) LD 31(33) UKIP 2(2) Others 29 (Ed is crap is PM)
11.11.14 LAB 320 (320) CON 268(268) LD 31(31) UKIP 2(2) Others 29 (Ed is crap is PM)
18.11.14 LAB 319 (320) CON 268(268) LD 31(31) UKIP 2(2) Others 30(29) (Ed is crap is PM)
He'd probably have to go for a minority government w/o C&S (just for the optics) unless he is able to make it a C&S&EURef arrangement
If Hospitals are struggling to cope with the strain, why on earth is it being bulldozed? Even if only 1/4 of it stayed open it would help out
@sharpeangle: Hefty bets today,incl Cheltenham shop punter's £12,000;online £16,500 & £5000, on UKIP to win Rochester by-election at 1/33.Now 1/100. #UKIP
Scottish Democrats
Forward Scotland
Scotland First
The Northern League ?
Scottish Kingdon Independence party (SKIP) ?
I vaguely remember people whinging about Blair/Brown using the system to select candidates in the past?
So not really "seizing control"
I am not aware of a general movement although some I speak to have expressed the same view (possibly to shut me up).
Will there be a team available at Dirty Dicks on Friday?
Well, I expect Mercedes to remain dominant, but their advantage may diminish. Hard to say whether Williams or Red Bull (or, just maybe, McLaren) will pose the biggest challenge to the Silver Arrows.
And the Care of the Elderly wards were in a poor condition.
http://m.ajc.com/news/news/local/cheating-our-children-list-of-cities-that-show-hig/nQSTQ/
I suggest this would be the case here too with the unusual scores for ethnic minority dominated schools.
As I showed with the links I posted, the one remaining hospital, which cost a fortune to build, is regarded as worse than useless by patients and inspectors.
My Dad was rushed to Queens a couple of years ago w Bronchitis and was sharing a ward with a paranoid schizophrenic.. a friends wife gave birth there while other babies were being delivered assembly line stylee in the toilet! Can this be right? Wont it get worse with more people and fewer hospitals?
Mind bending.
The crossing the border from Wales to England thing has always happened
Since 2011-12, the number of Welsh people being treated in England has fallen every year. However, the number of English patients being treated in Wales has risen from 7,888 in 2012-13 to 8,037 in 2013-14.
Moral of the story do not believe the Daily Mail or DC
http://order-order.com/2014/11/18/salmonds-stone-of-destiny