South Kintyre on Argyll and Bute (SNP defence)
Result of council at last election (2012): Independents 15, Scottish National Party 13, Conservatives 4, Liberal Democrats 4 (No Overall Control, Independents short by 4)
Result of ward at last election (2012) :
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The other thread will be republished tomorrow.
*Innocent face*
Strangely you don't criticise them.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-30439913
In the meantime let's watch UKIPs latest new politics involving big money, backroom fights and stitch ups and a worried leader reported to be harming his colleagues prospects so as not to outshine his...
Popcorn anyone?
20m Jim Pickard @PickardJE
It's war at the top of Ukip and we have some juicy details: by @kiranstacey and me http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e91ed752-812a-11e4-896c-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3LX4jlGP7 …
7 Retweets 3 favorites Collapse ReplyRetweetFavorite· 7 Retweets 3 favorites 22m Jim Pickard @PickardJE
exclusive: Stuart Wheeler refuses to give Ukip more cash unless they give Neil Hamilton a parliamentary candidacy http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e91ed752-812a-11e4-896c-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3LX4jlGP7 … FT
Suella Fernandes, 34, from London, failed to be selected as the prospective candidate for the rural Sussex seat of Bexhill and Battle.
Local association president John Barnes told the Financial Times: “I think the double whammy of being brown and a woman probably handicaps her still.
The Conservative Party denounced Mr Barnes’s comment as “unacceptable”, while Labour MP Seema Malhotra called on Mr Farage to take action.
Mr Barnes could not be contacted for comment.”
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/david-cameron-suella-fernandes-not-selected-as-mp-because-she-is-brown-and-a-woman-9917919.html
One senior party member close to the dispute said: “This is all to do with Nigel's ego. He thinks he may not win in Thanet South [the seat for which he has been selected], so he is determined to bring Neil down.
He cannot bear the thought Neil might be an MP but not Nigel.” A recent opinion poll by the Conservative peer Lord Ashcroft showed Ukip trailing in Thanet South by five points
On the previous thread someone suggested the Hamiltons were the likely source of this article, I agree.
Dan Hodges @DPJHodges · 14h 14 hours ago
Tories give Lab a chink of light with 1930's cuts. Ed M chooses this moment to start talking up Labour cuts. Someone explain. I can't.
Dan Hodges @DPJHodges · 11h 11 hours ago
Ed Miliband is literally saying in the same speech "Cuts are bad. I'll cut". "Spending's bad. I'll spend".
Mr Wheeler would not say whether he intended to donate more money before the election, or whether he had threatened not to if
Mr Hamilton was not accepted as a parliamentary candidate. He told the FT: “I cannot tell you what internal conversations have gone on.”
"Ukip at war over Neil Hamilton’s pursuit of seat"
Your point being?
Ben Carson is currently 100/1 on Ladbrokes for the GOP nomination in 2016, despite being ahead in a second state poll today (N.Carolina) and leveling with Hillary too.
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2014/PPP_Release_NC_121114.pdf
Carson is rising in the polls for months now and is currently near the top in the national polls.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/2016_republican_presidential_nomination-3823.html
His strength is that he can articulate even the most extreme position in a rational and calm way, also he's not an elected politician and he's black, his weakness is that he's not an elected politician and he's black.
Judge for yourselves, here's a recent TV interview of Carson on Bloomberg talking about Ferguson, the Iraq War, the Defense Secretary's resignation and Monetary Policy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-OLTJYiLKI
Also a factor for Carson's rise is Rand Paul, who has been sliding in the polls (sorry OGH) probably because he's trying too much in getting left wing votes he forgot he's in the GOP.
Lincoln is most certainly not flat as a pancake. Lincoln itself sits on the Lincoln Edge - as does my own very fair village of Ancaster. The edge runs the length of the county and is part of the same range of hills as the Cotswolds.
True the south and east of the county are pancake-ish in aspect but that is, after all the fringes of Cambridgeshire and so suffers from proximity to that backward county.
My impression, for what it's worth, is that turnout will be a respectively 25% or so but the UKIP effort will flop - I only met a single Kipper voter all day, though no doubt some of the "not Labour" people were too. I'd guess the Tories will hold it but with a reduced majority.
We'll soon know, though I can't post the result myself as I have to drive back to London later tonight - work meetings tomorrow.
Tricky. David, got anything to say?
Deficit sorted - Labour econ 101.
Stamford is a lovely town, should be annexed by Rutland in an Anschlaus...
Also, isn't Labour lucky NOT to have David Miliband as it's leader?
@TimesNewsdesk: Miliband refuses to say how he would cut deficit
http://t.co/xnAZYnIX3d
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFb6NU1giRA
@DJack_Journo: Ed's got his choppers out in tomorrow's @BrookesTimes cartoon http://t.co/LmFojEG2gl
FT front page story on UKIP donor Stuart Wheeler threatening to stop funding unless Neil Hamilton gets seat pic.twitter.com/8EWDKvndfv
How does he find these scoops?
He probably made it worse by making the deficit more of a political priority and giving the Tories, the Greens and the SNP, more ammunition to hit him with.
Ten mins to Question Time - and FT reveals Stuart Wheeler will pull all funding for UKIP unless they find Neil Hamilton a seat (Purple Len)
58s Michael Deacon ✔ @MichaelPDeacon
"A new politics"
Snowballing....
On a slightly more cheery note for the Blue team, it would appear, at least so far as YouGov is concerned, that UKIP has lost just a little support over the recent past.
Interesting set of by elections tonight. Broxtowe and Sunderland to be informative....
Much as expected then.
This PBer occasionally puts his talents as guest editor.
https://twitter.com/bbcquestiontime/status/543145469942452224/photo/1
http://www.theweek.co.uk/politics/61754/sex-leaks-and-lies-basildon-brush-off-for-natasha-and-neil#.VInc5eQGr2A.gmail
You'd think that might be the end of it, but wait. Do I hear Mike Smithson's footfall below? Does he have news of Mr Wheeler's intervention? Does a seat have to be found for Hamilton, come what may?
The plot thickens....or does it?
Time for bed.
In reply to Mike's tweet about the FT front page
@Hunter1872: @M0djadji @MSmithsonPB Sounds like you're reading from the New Labour/UAF crib sheet. LibLabCon are terrified of UKIP, and voters know it.
In the words of Peter from Putney, a couple more points for Labour in fairly short order could be something.
Not that it will happen - just bouncing around the mean.
@IanAustinMP: Brilliant. @marycreagh_mp puts Farage in place. He's the non career politician who stood for Parliament 5 times
20/1 lovely...
He’ll have a hard time being as colourful a contender as Bolter and Hamilton – but he does have a very good chance of becoming an MP on 7 May 2015 if Ukip can steer clear of further roadblocks"
I love it.