The SNP have shown that people are perfectly willing to engage in politics in the right circumstances. Our mainstream politicians have laboured under this misimpression that it's not their fault they're unpopular: it's just the public raging at globalisation etc. Well, actually, people are pretty keen on politics when they're offered a party that gives them a patriotic vision, that speaks to regular people as equals, and that doesn't just bend to the mainstream media. All three of our main parties have failed to do that, and have instead tried to appeal to a small circle in the media, and filled their operations with advertising executives and PR men. The whole collapse of British identity has happened because the entire political elite has avoided expressing a vision of that identity that appeals to the regular man on the street. As Orwell said, the left in England are people that have long disliked their own country, but what's truly embarrassing is that the Tories have bowed to that consensus. Hence the rise of UKIP.
The notion that the tories hate their own country shows what depths you have to sink to to justify your prejudice. Everything else is contorted drivel as well. I am British and my identity has not collapsed. Inevitably when all the people with chips on their shoulders run out of excuses its 'the PR men' who get it. The SNP have managed to engage with the anti English which is one way to stir patritism that Samuel Johnson would recognise.
... The Tories can't be very fond of their own country if they have left it in a state where we have to have foreign anti-submarine aircraft in Scottish coastal waters to do the basic job they should never have let lapse - defence.
A pretty absurd comment, given we are part of a massive multi nation defence treaty. We have not let defense 'lapse'. We are for instance building 2 giant aircraft carriers and helping to develope an advance jet fighter to fly off them. mega billions and funding already the replacement for Trident.
The SNP have shown that people are perfectly willing to engage in politics in the right circumstances. Our mainstream politicians have laboured under this misimpression that it's not their fault they're unpopular: it's just the public raging at globalisation etc. Well, actually, people are pretty keen on politics when they're offered a party that gives them a patriotic vision, that speaks to regular people as equals, and that doesn't just bend to the mainstream media. All three of our main parties have failed to do that, and have instead tried to appeal to a small circle in the media, and filled their operations with advertising executives and PR men. The whole collapse of British identity has happened because the entire political elite has avoided expressing a vision of that identity that appeals to the regular man on the street. As Orwell said, the left in England are people that have long disliked their own country, but what's truly embarrassing is that the Tories have bowed to that consensus. Hence the rise of UKIP.
The notion that the tories hate their own country shows what depths you have to sink to to justify your prejudice. Everything else is contorted drivel as well. I am British and my identity has not collapsed. Inevitably when all the people with chips on their shoulders run out of excuses its 'the PR men' who get it. The SNP have managed to engage with the anti English which is one way to stir patritism that Samuel Johnson would recognise.
... The Tories can't be very fond of their own country if they have left it in a state where we have to have foreign anti-submarine aircraft in Scottish coastal waters to do the basic job they should never have let lapse - defence.
A pretty absurd comment, given we are part of a massive multi nation defence treaty. We have not let defense 'lapse'. We are for instance building 2 giant aircraft carriers and helping to develope an advance jet fighter to fly off them. mega billions and funding already the replacement for Trident.
If the Tories have not replaced Nimrod - which is a hugely important element of home islands defence - then they have no right whatsoever to spend a penny more on the carrier and Trident. It's bad enough hunting mystery subs in the coastal waters without having to ask other countries to do it for you.
The SNP have shown that people are perfectly willing to engage in politics in the right circumstances. Our mainstream politicians have laboured under this misimpression that it's not their fault they're unpopular: it's just the public raging at globalisation etc. Well, actually, people are pretty keen on politics when they're offered a party that gives them a patriotic vision, that speaks to regular people as equals, and that doesn't just bend to the mainstream media. All three of our main parties have failed to do that, and have instead tried to appeal to a small circle in the media, and filled their operations with advertising executives and PR men. The whole collapse of British identity has happened because the entire political elite has avoided expressing a vision of that identity that appeals to the regular man on the street. As Orwell said, the left in England are people that have long disliked their own country, but what's truly embarrassing is that the Tories have bowed to that consensus. Hence the rise of UKIP.
The notion that the tories hate their own country shows what depths you have to sink to to justify your prejudice. Everything else is contorted drivel as well. I am British and my identity has not collapsed. Inevitably when all the people with chips on their shoulders run out of excuses its 'the PR men' who get it. The SNP have managed to engage with the anti English which is one way to stir patritism that Samuel Johnson would recognise.
... The Tories can't be very fond of their own country if they have left it in a state where we have to have foreign anti-submarine aircraft in Scottish coastal waters to do the basic job they should never have let lapse - defence.
A pretty absurd comment, given we are part of a massive multi nation defence treaty. We have not let defense 'lapse'. We are for instance building 2 giant aircraft carriers and helping to develope an advance jet fighter to fly off them. mega billions and funding already the replacement for Trident.
If the Tories have not replaced Nimrod - which is a hugely important element of home islands defence - then they have no right whatsoever to spend a penny more on the carrier and Trident. It's bad enough hunting mystery subs in the coastal waters without having to ask other countries to do it for you.
@Flightpath - just realised you may not have heard the reports.
The SNP have shown that people are perfectly willing to engage in politics in the right circumstances. Our mainstream politicians have laboured under this misimpression that it's not their fault they're unpopular: it's just the public raging at globalisation etc. Well, actually, people are pretty keen on politics when they're offered a party that gives them a patriotic vision, that speaks to regular people as equals, and that doesn't just bend to the mainstream media. All three of our main parties have failed to do that, and have instead tried to appeal to a small circle in the media, and filled their operations with advertising executives and PR men. The whole collapse of British identity has happened because the entire political elite has avoided expressing a vision of that identity that appeals to the regular man on the street. As Orwell said, the left in England are people that have long disliked their own country, but what's truly embarrassing is that the Tories have bowed to that consensus. Hence the rise of UKIP.
The notion that the tories hate their own country shows what depths you have to sink to to justify your prejudice. Everything else is contorted drivel as well. I am British and my identity has not collapsed. Inevitably when all the people with chips on their shoulders run out of excuses its 'the PR men' who get it. The SNP have managed to engage with the anti English which is one way to stir patritism that Samuel Johnson would recognise.
... The Tories can't be very fond of their own country if they have left it in a state where we have to have foreign anti-submarine aircraft in Scottish coastal waters to do the basic job they should never have let lapse - defence.
A pretty absurd comment, given we are part of a massive multi nation defence treaty. We have not let defense 'lapse'. We are for instance building 2 giant aircraft carriers and helping to develope an advance jet fighter to fly off them. mega billions and funding already the replacement for Trident.
What a waste of money.
% of GDP defence spending.
UK 2.3 Swiss 0.8 New Zealand 1.1
The Empire ended a long time ago.
How much did the Swiss spend on their Navy?
You laugh, but wasn't Austria once in charge of the EU Fisheries commission?
The SNP have shown that people are perfectly willing to engage in politics in the right circumstances. Our mainstream politicians have laboured under this misimpression that it's not their fault they're unpopular: it's just the public raging at globalisation etc. Well, actually, people are pretty keen on politics when they're offered a party that gives them a patriotic vision, that speaks to regular people as equals, and that doesn't just bend to the mainstream media. All three of our main parties have failed to do that, and have instead tried to appeal to a small circle in the media, and filled their operations with advertising executives and PR men. The whole collapse of British identity has happened because the entire political elite has avoided expressing a vision of that identity that appeals to the regular man on the street. As Orwell said, the left in England are people that have long disliked their own country, but what's truly embarrassing is that the Tories have bowed to that consensus. Hence the rise of UKIP.
The notion that the tories hate their own country shows what depths you have to sink to to justify your prejudice. Everything else is contorted drivel as well. I am British and my identity has not collapsed. Inevitably when all the people with chips on their shoulders run out of excuses its 'the PR men' who get it. The SNP have managed to engage with the anti English which is one way to stir patritism that Samuel Johnson would recognise.
... The Tories can't be very fond of their own country if they have left it in a state where we have to have foreign anti-submarine aircraft in Scottish coastal waters to do the basic job they should never have let lapse - defence.
A pretty absurd comment, given we are part of a massive multi nation defence treaty. We have not let defense 'lapse'. We are for instance building 2 giant aircraft carriers and helping to develope an advance jet fighter to fly off them. mega billions and funding already the replacement for Trident.
What a waste of money.
% of GDP defence spending.
UK 2.3 Swiss 0.8 New Zealand 1.1
The Empire ended a long time ago.
How much did the Swiss spend on their Navy?
You laugh, but wasn't Austria once in charge of the EU Fisheries commission?
The SNP have shown that people are perfectly willing to engage in politics in the right circumstances. Our mainstream politicians have laboured under this misimpression that it's not their fault they're unpopular: it's just the public raging at globalisation etc. Well, actually, people are pretty keen on politics when they're offered a party that gives them a patriotic vision, that speaks to regular people as equals, and that doesn't just bend to the mainstream media. All three of our main parties have failed to do that, and have instead tried to appeal to a small circle in the media, and filled their operations with advertising executives and PR men. The whole collapse of British identity has happened because the entire political elite has avoided expressing a vision of that identity that appeals to the regular man on the street. As Orwell said, the left in England are people that have long disliked their own country, but what's truly embarrassing is that the Tories have bowed to that consensus. Hence the rise of UKIP.
The notion that the tories hate their own country shows what depths you have to sink to to justify your prejudice. Everything else is contorted drivel as well. I am British and my identity has not collapsed. Inevitably when all the people with chips on their shoulders run out of excuses its 'the PR men' who get it. The SNP have managed to engage with the anti English which is one way to stir patritism that Samuel Johnson would recognise.
... The Tories can't be very fond of their own country if they have left it in a state where we have to have foreign anti-submarine aircraft in Scottish coastal waters to do the basic job they should never have let lapse - defence.
A pretty absurd comment, given we are part of a massive multi nation defence treaty. We have not let defense 'lapse'. We are for instance building 2 giant aircraft carriers and helping to develope an advance jet fighter to fly off them. mega billions and funding already the replacement for Trident.
What a waste of money.
% of GDP defence spending.
UK 2.3 Swiss 0.8 New Zealand 1.1
The Empire ended a long time ago.
How much did the Swiss spend on their Navy?
You laugh, but wasn't Austria once in charge of the EU Fisheries commission?
Danube? (Seriously.)
As in fishing in the river? I suppose, but it must make up an absolutely minimal fraction of all EU fishing!
Kevin Maguire @Kevin_Maguire · 13h 13 hours ago Bailed-out bankers must be laughing into their bonuses the election is an uninspiring Labour austerity v Tory austerity
A pretty absurd comment, given we are part of a massive multi nation defence treaty. We have not let defense 'lapse'. We are for instance building 2 giant aircraft carriers and helping to develope an advance jet fighter to fly off them. mega billions and funding already the replacement for Trident.
What a waste of money.
% of GDP defence spending.
UK 2.3 Swiss 0.8 New Zealand 1.1
The Empire ended a long time ago.
How much did the Swiss spend on their Navy?
You laugh, but wasn't Austria once in charge of the EU Fisheries commission?
Danube? (Seriously.)
As in fishing in the river? I suppose, but it must make up an absolutely minimal fraction of all EU fishing!
Quite. There might be some lakes but I think those are mostly in Hungary!
A pretty absurd comment, given we are part of a massive multi nation defence treaty. We have not let defense 'lapse'. We are for instance building 2 giant aircraft carriers and helping to develope an advance jet fighter to fly off them. mega billions and funding already the replacement for Trident.
What a waste of money.
% of GDP defence spending.
UK 2.3 Swiss 0.8 New Zealand 1.1
The Empire ended a long time ago.
How much did the Swiss spend on their Navy?
You laugh, but wasn't Austria once in charge of the EU Fisheries commission?
Danube? (Seriously.)
As in fishing in the river? I suppose, but it must make up an absolutely minimal fraction of all EU fishing!
Quite. There might be some lakes but I think those are mostly in Hungary!
Looking it up, it was agriculture and fishing. To be fair, they may have had a deputy from a maritime nation who took those responsibilities!
I suggested LD deposit losses and his first question was how you’d go about working out an opening price.
Think of a number. Double it. Then treble it.
Seriously, though, looking at something like Labour lost deposits in 1983, and the number of deposits the Liberals saved* the last time they polled under 10% (1970?) would probably both be good places to start. I'm sorry that I haven't a clue what those numbers would be.
* This would count places where the Liberals didn't stand a candidate as a lost deposit, which I think is probably not an awful first approximation.
The SNP have shown that people are perfectly willing to engage in politics in the right circumstances. Our mainstream politicians have laboured under this misimpression that it's not their fault they're unpopular: it's just the public raging at globalisation etc. Well, actually, people are pretty keen on politics when they're offered a party that gives them a patriotic vision, that speaks to regular people as equals, and that doesn't just bend to the mainstream media. All three of our main parties have failed to do that, and have instead tried to appeal to a small circle in the media, and filled their operations with advertising executives and PR men. The whole collapse of British identity has happened because the entire political elite has avoided expressing a vision of that identity that appeals to the regular man on the street. As Orwell said, the left in England are people that have long disliked their own country, but what's truly embarrassing is that the Tories have bowed to that consensus. Hence the rise of UKIP.
The notion that the tories hate their own country shows what depths you have to sink to to justify your prejudice. Everything else is contorted drivel as well. I am British and my identity has not collapsed. Inevitably when all the people with chips on their shoulders run out of excuses its 'the PR men' who get it. The SNP have managed to engage with the anti English which is one way to stir patritism that Samuel Johnson would recognise.
... The Tories can't be very fond of their own country if they have left it in a state where we have to have foreign anti-submarine aircraft in Scottish coastal waters to do the basic job they should never have let lapse - defence.
A pretty absurd comment, given we are part of a massive multi nation defence treaty. We have not let defense 'lapse'. We are for instance building 2 giant aircraft carriers and helping to develope an advance jet fighter to fly off them. mega billions and funding already the replacement for Trident.
What a waste of money.
% of GDP defence spending.
UK 2.3 Swiss 0.8 New Zealand 1.1
The Empire ended a long time ago.
How much did the Swiss spend on their Navy?
You laugh, but wasn't Austria once in charge of the EU Fisheries commission?
The Swiss rank 4th in gun ownership. 10% of households own guns They have a large statutory militia. Interestingly non EU Switzerland amended its weapons act to comply with the Schengen agreement.
The notion that the tories hate their own country shows what depths you have to sink to to justify your prejudice. Everything else is contorted drivel as well. I am British and my identity has not collapsed. Inevitably when all the people with chips on their shoulders run out of excuses its 'the PR men' who get it. The SNP have managed to engage with the anti English which is one way to stir patritism that Samuel Johnson would recognise.
... The Tories can't be very fond of their own country if they have left it in a state where we have to have foreign anti-submarine aircraft in Scottish coastal waters to do the basic job they should never have let lapse - defence.
A pretty absurd comment, given we are part of a massive multi nation defence treaty. We have not let defense 'lapse'. We are for instance building 2 giant aircraft carriers and helping to develope an advance jet fighter to fly off them. mega billions and funding already the replacement for Trident.
If the Tories have not replaced Nimrod - which is a hugely important element of home islands defence - then they have no right whatsoever to spend a penny more on the carrier and Trident. It's bad enough hunting mystery subs in the coastal waters without having to ask other countries to do it for you.
The MRA4 wings would not fit the MR2 fuselages. Fundamental. 21 aircraft became 9 and costs rocketed as capability drained away and time overran. £789 million over-budget (for 9 planes - total money spent £3.8 billion!) and over nine years late. Could anybody promise it would ever have worked? You know that - and none of it was the fault of the tory party who stepped into the MoD and found any number of programmes and no budget to pay for them. We are likely to buy P8 Poseidons. The carriers were impossible to cancel - legally anyway.
The notion that the tories hate their own country shows what depths you have to sink to to justify your prejudice. Everything else is contorted drivel as well. I am British and my identity has not collapsed. Inevitably when all the people with chips on their shoulders run out of excuses its 'the PR men' who get it. The SNP have managed to engage with the anti English which is one way to stir patritism that Samuel Johnson would recognise.
... The Tories can't be very fond of their own country if they have left it in a state where we have to have foreign anti-submarine aircraft in Scottish coastal waters to do the basic job they should never have let lapse - defence.
A pretty absurd comment, given we are part of a massive multi nation defence treaty. We have not let defense 'lapse'. We are for instance building 2 giant aircraft carriers and helping to develope an advance jet fighter to fly off them. mega billions and funding already the replacement for Trident.
If the Tories have not replaced Nimrod - which is a hugely important element of home islands defence - then they have no right whatsoever to spend a penny more on the carrier and Trident. It's bad enough hunting mystery subs in the coastal waters without having to ask other countries to do it for you.
The MRA4 wings would not fit the MR2 fuselages. Fundamental. 21 aircraft became 9 and costs rocketed as capability drained away and time overran. £789 million over-budget (for 9 planes - total money spent £3.8 billion!) and over nine years late. Could anybody promise it would ever have worked? You know that - and none of it was the fault of the tory party who stepped into the MoD and found any number of programmes and no budget to pay for them. We are likely to buy P8 Poseidons. The carriers were impossible to cancel - legally anyway.
It should be remembered that the MRA4 project was started under Major's administration in December 1996, and it was they who decided the format of the project (i.e. reuse of airframe rather than new-build). It was a Conservative mess, but Labour should, with hindsight at least, cancelled it once the airframe problems became obvious.
The woman at the centre of UKIP-Gate just gets better and better....
"emerged today that she was only a ‘cover supervisor’ at a comprehensive school in east London - and not a teacher. In fact Ms Bolter had not worked at any school in the borough since Spring 2013, a spokesman for Barking and Dagenham council told the Telegraph.
It also emerged today that she did not ‘defect’ from Labour – and was in fact thrown out for failing to pay her membership fees."
At this rate she will be on next years apprentice, as that lot are always found out to be a load of lying fantasists, whose CVs never stand up to any sort of proper inspection.
It is all a bit of a laugh, but if you simply walk out of a party and let your membership lapse then you will be in 'arrears'. I wonder what the rest of the UKIP candidates are like?
A pretty absurd comment, given we are part of a massive multi nation defence treaty. We have not let defense 'lapse'. We are for instance building 2 giant aircraft carriers and helping to develope an advance jet fighter to fly off them. mega billions and funding already the replacement for Trident.
If the Tories have not replaced Nimrod - which is a hugely important element of home islands defence - then they have no right whatsoever to spend a penny more on the carrier and Trident. It's bad enough hunting mystery subs in the coastal waters without having to ask other countries to do it for you.
The MRA4 wings would not fit the MR2 fuselages. Fundamental. 21 aircraft became 9 and costs rocketed as capability drained away and time overran. £789 million over-budget (for 9 planes - total money spent £3.8 billion!) and over nine years late. Could anybody promise it would ever have worked? You know that - and none of it was the fault of the tory party who stepped into the MoD and found any number of programmes and no budget to pay for them. We are likely to buy P8 Poseidons. The carriers were impossible to cancel - legally anyway.
It should be remembered that the MRA4 project was started under Major's administration in December 1996, and it was they w 4 years to ho decided the format of the project (i.e. reuse of airframe rather than new-build). It was a Conservative mess, but Labour should, with hindsight at least, cancelled it once the airframe problems became obvious.
Agree with the rest of your post.
I am sure it was started, certainly politically, with the intention of being a sound economic project. When it was realised it was not it should have been cancelled. The project was ordered in Dec 1996. The election was as you know mid1997. The MoD did start that selection process in 1992. 4 years to get the fundamentals right. It failed. The current attempts by Labour to spend an extra 50 billion but still cut spending reminds me of the same creative accounting that they used to justify their Alice in Wonderland MoD budget which led to the Nimrod cancellation. Lets be clear because of this insane budget then even under Labour the Nimrod would not have been introduced until 2012. Airforce Monthly pointed out it was not fit for service because of a host of reasons at the time of cancellation.
Kevin Maguire @Kevin_Maguire · 13h 13 hours ago Bailed-out bankers must be laughing into their bonuses the election is an uninspiring Labour austerity v Tory austerity
Kevin Maguire @Kevin_Maguire · 13h 13 hours ago Bailed-out bankers must be laughing into their bonuses the election is an uninspiring Labour austerity v Tory austerity
Comments
This is Spurs OWN twitter feed on the game.... the most 1-eyed commentary you ever get...
Tottenham Hotspur@SpursOfficial·7 mins7 minutes ago
88mins @andros_townsend's delivery sails through everyone and out for a goal kick.
they've pulled the plug at the stadium and frankly thank god.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/scottish-politics/uk-government-urged-to-come-clean-over-submarine-hunt.114408726
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/robertson-demands-answers-over-hunt-for-foreign-sub-off-west-coast-of-scotland.1418221083
Bailed-out bankers must be laughing into their bonuses the election is an uninspiring Labour austerity v Tory austerity
Seriously, though, looking at something like Labour lost deposits in 1983, and the number of deposits the Liberals saved* the last time they polled under 10% (1970?) would probably both be good places to start. I'm sorry that I haven't a clue what those numbers would be.
* This would count places where the Liberals didn't stand a candidate as a lost deposit, which I think is probably not an awful first approximation.
Interestingly non EU Switzerland amended its weapons act to comply with the Schengen agreement.
The carriers were impossible to cancel - legally anyway.
Agree with the rest of your post.
The project was ordered in Dec 1996. The election was as you know mid1997. The MoD did start that selection process in 1992. 4 years to get the fundamentals right. It failed.
The current attempts by Labour to spend an extra 50 billion but still cut spending reminds me of the same creative accounting that they used to justify their Alice in Wonderland MoD budget which led to the Nimrod cancellation. Lets be clear because of this insane budget then even under Labour the Nimrod would not have been introduced until 2012. Airforce Monthly pointed out it was not fit for service because of a host of reasons at the time of cancellation.