Some of the signatories to the letter were also prominent for the No side in the indyref - expect to see the SNP bigging up SLAB 'hypocrisy' over their support for them then.
@PickardJE: Blair, October 1995: "Part-time employees will no longer be treated as second class citizens. There will be an end to zero-hours contracts."
TimT Well either they pay up or they drop out of insurance again. The GOP are all very good at opposing but clueless when it comes to proposing any real constructive proposals on healthcare, when Republicans do actually do some thinking on it, as Romney to his credit did, they end up producing something not a million miles from the present legislation
It's April in under one hour! There should be a "Super-ELBOW" for all polls with fieldwork end-dates during March due in the next 48 hours, assuming there are a couple of late stragglers with fieldwork ending today or yesterday.
Will CON be ahead in every poll in April?!
Probably not, but they ought to be ahead for the month as a whole!
At the mo, March is looking like a very narrow 0.1% Labour Lead. In Feb it was 1.2% Lab, and Jan 1.1%
The next 007 should be woman, honestly. I thought everyone was agreed Idris Elba should be the next Bond, as reason demands.
Night all.
Do you think Ed even watches Bond? Isn't it everything he hates? And then of course there is the business angle...the reason the next 007 will be a man, above and beyond that is the story, is the brand...Same with Top Gear. If it isn't 3 middle aged blokes titting about and BBC go for some PC eco friendly show, it won't be doing the massive business it currently does.
Miliband's leftward move must be influenced by the SNP in a vain attempt to mitigate his loses in Scotland but also to provide some common ground for confidence and supply with the SNP. The move by business may be ridiculed by the left but unless business is successful there is no money for the NHS Education and yes even benefits. This election is a straight fight between the left and the rest
TimT Well either they pay up or they drop out of insurance again. The GOP are all very good at opposing but clueless when it comes to proposing any real constructive proposals on healthcare, when Republicans do actually do some thinking on it, as Romney to his credit did, they end up producing something not a million miles from the present legislation
You are sadly out of date. There was a major GOP proposal last year, and another last month. But nothing will move now until after the election as the Dems have both the filibuster in the Senate and the veto at the WH.
I very much doubt that this letter will have any direct impact, it will look like a bunch of fat cats who support the Tories, quelle surprise.
But the anti business narrative of Labour is a throw back to the early 80s or even the 70s. Blair would never have allowed such a narrative to become so entrenched. I expect the Tory's already strong lead on the economy to improve with the media carrying such stories. Will this make a difference? It just might.
Most people are no fans of big business BUT They employ a lot of people:
If in doubt Hold tight to Nurse.
Being anti business may be "popular" on one level, we all like to see the Boss fall on his face. But we all need a job to pay the bills so our feelings will be tempered by reality.
Absolutely, if people truly believed that Labour's policies would result in job losses, it would be negative on the party.
But the question is whether the public believes these people are being sincere when they say Labour will cause job losses, or whether they think it's just about how much they line their own pockets.
The "public" are also many of the same people who will get in a car or on a train or bus and will go to work tomorrow morning to work for a large company. They will interact with paying customers and will be very aware if business slows down and will also very acutely remember the very dark days of 08/09
We may not love the big company we work for, we may not have any love of the Boss, But We need the pay cheque at the end of the month and whatever our other priorities maybe -the pay cheque-and security of it REALLY does matter.
Electing a Govt that seriously threatens that-perceived or real, would be "brave"
that' s one way to spin it.... how many of the 103 are city-boys?
Labour Press Team@labourpress·3 mins3 minutes ago No one will be surprised that some business people support the Tories. That's nothing new...
Labour Press Team@labourpress·2 mins2 minutes ago ...The recovery may have reached big firms in the City but it hasn't reached homes of working people. Labour's job is to stand up for them
This letter from the business leaders will have quite an impact, a negative one.
No it won't. Labour cannot have it both ways on this I feel; if its something everyone already knows to be true - that is, rich businessmen on the whole are more likely to support the Tories - as they will be arguing, then I cannot see it having much of an impact at all, as it is priced in.
kle4 Of course in the fifties interviewers treated senior politicians almost like demi-gods
Is that true or a joke? I cannot be sure.
There were no interviews in the '50s were there? No televisions either. 'Tell me your worshipful prime ministership, why did you embark on the failed invasion of the Suez Canal?' Anyone remember that one? Ah, come back Macdonald Hobley, Fyfe Robertson... Norman Wisdom. There is nothing for it Mr Grimsdale, I think I'm going to have to move to Kent
I very much doubt that this letter will have any direct impact, it will look like a bunch of fat cats who support the Tories, quelle surprise.
But the anti business narrative of Labour is a throw back to the early 80s or even the 70s. Blair would never have allowed such a narrative to become so entrenched. I expect the Tory's already strong lead on the economy to improve with the media carrying such stories. Will this make a difference? It just might.
Most people are no fans of big business BUT They employ a lot of people:
If in doubt Hold tight to Nurse.
Being anti business may be "popular" on one level, we all like to see the Boss fall on his face. But we all need a job to pay the bills so our feelings will be tempered by reality.
Absolutely, if people truly believed that Labour's policies would result in job losses, it would be negative on the party.
But the question is whether the public believes these people are being sincere when they say Labour will cause job losses, or whether they think it's just about how much they line their own pockets.
The "public" are also many of the same people who will get in a car or on a train or bus and will go to work tomorrow morning to work for a large company. They will interact with paying customers and will be very aware if business slows down and will also very acutely remember the very dark days of 08/09
We may not love the big company we work for, we may not have any love of the Boss, But We need the pay cheque at the end of the month and whatever our other priorities maybe -the pay cheque-and security of it REALLY does matter.
Electing a Govt that seriously threatens that-perceived or real, would be "brave"
Again, I'm not disputing this. The question is whether the public believes that Labour's policies would actually result in the consequences you describe, or if in fact it would just result in the CEO having to cut down from 4 to 3 holidays a year.
that' s one way to spin it.... how many of the 103 are city-boys?
Labour Press Team@labourpress·3 mins3 minutes ago No one will be surprised that some business people support the Tories. That's nothing new...
Labour Press Team@labourpress·2 mins2 minutes ago ...The recovery may have reached big firms in the City but it hasn't reached homes of working people. Labour's job is to stand up for them
It seems people are starting to count up a good number who were Labour supporters and not just city wide boys.
After this, banning zero hours contracts and generally abusing business seems perfectly rational.
Is that going to be enshrined in law by a Miliband government?
Don't give him and Harman any ideas...Although, he will probably want a judge led inquiry first into why Bond has been a white man for so many years. Must be racism and sexism going on.
Flightpath Of course in the fifties it was simple, so you did not have to think if you were working class you voted Labour no question, if you were middle class you voted Tory no question (with the odd intellectual voting Liberal) and the Tories and Labour won over 90% of the vote between them. Now if you are working class you could vote Labour, UKIP, BNP or SNP in Scotland, if you are middle class you can vote Tory, Labour, LD, Green or SNP and Labour and the Tories win barely 70% between them on a good day
What is he up to?? Might tomorrow's polls be more encouraging for the blues.... is that the hint? but then again he's stepping down so is it cos' he's not so bothered the blues aren't recovering...
Lord Ashcroft@LordAshcroft·now17 seconds ago I shall sleep soundly tonight....
What is he up to?? Might tomorrow's polls be more encouraging for the blues.... is that the hint? but then again he's stepping down so is it cos' he's not so bothered the blues aren't recovering...
Lord Ashcroft@LordAshcroft·now17 seconds ago I shall sleep soundly tonight....
Something is going on...Maybe he has done some cracking deals in Belize :-)
I very much doubt that this letter will have any direct impact, it will look like a bunch of fat cats who support the Tories, quelle surprise.
But the anti business narrative of Labour is a throw back to the early 80s or even the 70s. Blair would never have allowed such a narrative to become so entrenched. I expect the Tory's already strong lead on the economy to improve with the media carrying such stories. Will this make a difference? It just might.
Most people are no fans of big business BUT They employ a lot of people:
If in doubt Hold tight to Nurse.
Being anti business may be "popular" on one level, we all like to see the Boss fall on his face. But we all need a job to pay the bills so our feelings will be tempered by reality.
Absolutely, if people truly believed that Labour's policies would result in job losses, it would be negative on the party.
But the question is whether the public believes these people are being sincere when they say Labour will cause job losses, or whether they think it's just about how much they line their own pockets.
The "public" are also many of the same people who will get in a car or on a train or bus and will go to work tomorrow morning to work for a large company. They will interact with paying customers and will be very aware if business slows down and will also very acutely remember the very dark days of 08/09
We may not love the big company we work for, we may not have any love of the Boss, But We need the pay cheque at the end of the month and whatever our other priorities maybe -the pay cheque-and security of it REALLY does matter.
Electing a Govt that seriously threatens that-perceived or real, would be "brave"
Again, I'm not disputing this. The question is whether the public believes that Labour's policies would actually result in the consequences you describe, or if in fact it would just result in the CEO having to cut down from 4 to 3 holidays a year.
The CEO gets a bonus after the company makes a profit. The company makes a profit after all suppliers and staff are paid.
You say you have never run a business-well without being rude some of your comments show a lack of understanding of how business works-I loath many business leaders-BUT- i am married with 2 kids - I need a job- i am genuinely worried about Labours attitude to business and the effect this might have on my job.
OH and before we all get into a Public V Private sector spat-my wife is a nurse and earns more per hour than I do-so I have a pretty good idea of both sides of the public/private argument.
What is he up to?? Might tomorrow's polls be more encouraging for the blues.... is that the hint? but then again he's stepping down so is it cos' he's not so bothered the blues aren't recovering...
Lord Ashcroft@LordAshcroft·now17 seconds ago I shall sleep soundly tonight....
Perhaps he's just had Chateau Ashcroft double-glazed?
You say you have never run a business-well without being rude some of your comments show a lack of understanding of how business works-I loath many business leaders-BUT- i am married with 2 kids - I need a job- i am genuinely worried about Labours attitude to business and the effect this might have on my job.
The Labour argument has more than whiff of "We will join you on the picket lines at British Leyland" about it, with the same consequences.
Labour will stand up for you against big business and vested interests
or
Labour don't understand business and will destroy the recovery out of ignorance, spite and hatred of success
take your pick
True!
But many of us need "protecting" from one large company whilst we work for another.
This is a multi -tiered argument.
I don't think labour will be the worst ever Govt. for business-but it certainly wont be a good one either.
I lost my job at the end of 2011 and spent a year struggling to get another one-I may not like big business but I and millions of others need the monthly pay cheque so whilst on one level we may sympathise with with some of labour's rhetoric on another level pragmatism kicks in and we are very concerned.
What is that I here...clacking of keyboards as the Labour PR team google the hell out of every one of the names on that list for stories about how workers at their companies have been treated badly, how the corporate structure is tax efficient, etc.
After this, banning zero hours contracts and generally abusing business seems perfectly rational.
Is that going to be enshrined in law by a Miliband government?
Don't give him and Harman any ideas...Although, he will probably want a judge led inquiry first into why Bond has been a white man for so many years. Must be racism and sexism going on.
'What was that, you're telling us who should be in our film?' Shooting moves in the blink of an eye to studio space in Eastern Europe, and Post to Canada.
You say you have never run a business-well without being rude some of your comments show a lack of understanding of how business works-I loath many business leaders-BUT- i am married with 2 kids - I need a job- i am genuinely worried about Labours attitude to business and the effect this might have on my job.
The Labour argument has more than whiff of "We will join you on the picket lines at British Leyland" about it, with the same consequences.
Precisely why it doesn't resonate with as many people as Ed thinks it does.
What is he up to?? Might tomorrow's polls be more encouraging for the blues.... is that the hint? but then again he's stepping down so is it cos' he's not so bothered the blues aren't recovering...
Lord Ashcroft@LordAshcroft·now17 seconds ago I shall sleep soundly tonight....
Who cares? His polls are a joke and anyone with money riding on them needs their heads tested, and he has a bigger ego that TSE.
Solace can be drawn from their tendency to underpoll at real elections (and Tories to overpoll), the clear Labour infiltration on YG's panel that the Milibounce revealed on Sunday and the fact that their core vote seems to be the same demographics that usually stay at home.
What is that I here...clacking of keyboards as the Labour PR team google the hell out of every one of the names on that list for stories about how workers at their companies have been treated badly, how the corporate structure is tax efficient, etc.
What is that I here...clacking of keyboards as the Labour PR team google the hell out of every one of the names on that list for stories about how workers at their companies have been treated badly, how the corporate structure is tax efficient, etc.
Considering that yesterday this website was suddenly and briefly incensed by the financial activities of the wife of a Labour endorser, I think it unlikely that this comment is untrue.
@Richard_Nabavi I thought the they had a very good start in 2010 with the Jobs Tax stuff, but it soon descended into incoherence, reaching a low point with that ridiculously titled manifesto. Shame.
Have a feeling that will not be the case this time around!
Tory shill, Tidjane Thiam, lambasted by the Daily Mail for greed by trousering £11.8 million from Prudential while offering crap returns to pensioners.
Dr Ros Altmann, a leading pensions expert and a government adviser accused Prudential of ‘short-changing’ savers who took out annuities by offering poor rates.
Regarding the Miliband comments about the next Bond being a woman, despite the character being male in all the books -
Following this insane line of thought to its absurd nonsensical conclusion, if the details of the book don't matter, the next biblical movie could feature Helen Antipas, Peggy Pilot washing her hands, and Jane the Baptist.
Or from 221B Baker Street, we could have Helen Holmes and Dr Jane Watson, with Mr Hudson as their butler.
What an onanist! - and he wants to run the country!
Regarding the Miliband comments about the next Bond being a woman, despite the character being male in all the books -
Following this insane line of thought to its absurd nonsensical conclusion, if the details of the book don't matter, the next biblical movie could feature Helen Antipas, Peggy Pilot washing her hands, and Jane the Baptist.
Or from 221B Baker Street, we could have Helen Holmes and Dr Jane Watson, with Mr Hudson as their butler.
What an onanist! - and he wants to run the country!
Well, we already have Lucy Liu as Watson in Elementary ...
Regarding the Miliband comments about the next Bond being a woman, despite the character being male in all the books -
Following this insane line of thought to its absurd nonsensical conclusion, if the details of the book don't matter, the next biblical movie could feature Helen Antipas, Peggy Pilot washing her hands, and Jane the Baptist.
Or from 221B Baker Street, we could have Helen Holmes and Dr Jane Watson, with Mr Hudson as their butler.
What an onanist! - and he wants to run the country!
Well, we already have Lucy Liu as Watson in Elementary ...
Wow, I'm impressed - I never dreamed Ed had that kind of power.
Regarding the Miliband comments about the next Bond being a woman, despite the character being male in all the books -
Following this insane line of thought to its absurd nonsensical conclusion, if the details of the book don't matter, the next biblical movie could feature Helen Antipas, Peggy Pilot washing her hands, and Jane the Baptist.
Or from 221B Baker Street, we could have Helen Holmes and Dr Jane Watson, with Mr Hudson as their butler.
What an onanist! - and he wants to run the country!
Are the Bond films based on books? I thought they were individually scripted. Presumably you'd write or adapt the script knowing that you planned to have a woman be Bond.
PS This is an awesome example of how you do politics when you don't have that much substantive disgreement over policy. Get both sides riled up over hypothetical film casting.
Just when the whole BBC/Clarkson imbroglio couldn't get any worse or mishandled, it turns out that Clarkson is back on the world live tour of Top Gear, which has now been renamed "Clarkson, Hammond and May Live", with all the Top Gear branding stripped off.
Are the Bond films based on books? I thought they were individually scripted. Presumably you'd write or adapt the script knowing that you planned to have a woman be Bond.
PS This is an awesome example of how you do politics when you don't have that much substantive disgreement over policy. Get both sides riled up over hypothetical film casting.
Given the name is errr... "james" I would deduce from that, without the need to pull out my magnifying glass that it is a man....But hey what the feck do I Know?
Janine or Janice Bond just doesn't quite have the same gravitas & edge. Besides which given the number of women Bond beds she would need to be playing " for the other side" if you get the drift.
As for being a Bond boy? .. Not going there and besides which where on earth is the baddie stroking a pussy going to fit into all of this.
Regarding the Miliband comments about the next Bond being a woman, despite the character being male in all the books -
Following this insane line of thought to its absurd nonsensical conclusion, if the details of the book don't matter, the next biblical movie could feature Helen Antipas, Peggy Pilot washing her hands, and Jane the Baptist.
Or from 221B Baker Street, we could have Helen Holmes and Dr Jane Watson, with Mr Hudson as their butler.
What an onanist! - and he wants to run the country!
Are the Bond films based on books? I thought they were individually scripted. Presumably you'd write or adapt the script knowing that you planned to have a woman be Bond.
PS This is an awesome example of how you do politics when you don't have that much substantive disgreement over policy. Get both sides riled up over hypothetical film casting.
They were originally. With the success of Goldfinger and Thunderball, from 'You Only Live Twice' on-wards, they used just the title and had an original script, and the subsequent movies got further and further away from Fleming's originals to the silly invisible car in the last Brosnan movie. They ran out of book titles so used Fleming short story titles, and when that ran out they even used the Bond family motto as a title.
But the character of Bond has been kept fairly close to the original.
Just when the whole BBC/Clarkson imbroglio couldn't get any worse or mishandled, it turns out that Clarkson is back on the world live tour of Top Gear, which has now been renamed "Clarkson, Hammond and May Live", with all the Top Gear branding stripped off.
Just when the whole BBC/Clarkson imbroglio couldn't get any worse or mishandled, it turns out that Clarkson is back on the world live tour of Top Gear, which has now been renamed "Clarkson, Hammond and May Live", with all the Top Gear branding stripped off.
A finger of fudge is just enough....to get you through until you get a new presenter...
I'm already through the fudge, finished the chocolate and am on to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
By the way, try putting peanut butter on one side of a hamburger bun before you eat the burger. Yum. It's a Southern thing. Not Top Gear related at all....
Difficult times for President Obama from recent polls -
A Quinnipiac poll asked - "Who do you trust more to make decisions that are good for the country?"
Obama - 42% GOP in Congress - 47% Don't know - 11%
A Fox News poll asked - "Do you think "honest" describes President Obama, or not?"
Yes - 43% No - 54% Don't know - 3%
Is that a poll among Fox News viewers? Or a nationally representative poll conducted for Fox News? More than half way through his second term, I doubt he'll be too disappointed with 43% still viewing him as honest! What were the comparable Bush figures?
As for the Obama polls, he is a lameduck president now anyway, on the Democratic side the only polls that matter are those for Hillary
There are signs that the email scandal is starting to affect her numbers, but there is no sign of anyone planning to stop her coronation as the candidate.
The calculation was made that the info in the emails was more damaging than the destruction of them, which is probably true.
The only intangible is whether 'Clinton Fatigue' will set in, and to what extent.
Tim B Don't most presidents in their final term when they want a legacy and are not up for re-election again
As for Hillary she still leads the GOP top tier overall, the email saga has made little impact on the average voter, it will be a tight battle but I remain of the view she will narrowly win in the end, night
FU Burani is an ex general and no softie, Nigeria is a strongly Muslim nation
Nigeria is roughly 50/50 Christian/Muslim - different sources placing either the Christians or the Muslims slightly in the majority. Strongly Muslim? If so, strongly Christian too.
Generally speaking, the south/coast is Christian, the north and inland is Muslim.
Tim B Don't most presidents in their final term when they want a legacy and are not up for re-election again
The problem for Obama is that his signature policies at home - TARP, Obamacare, EPA policies to destroy coal using electric utilities, etc., not to mention he is officially the most lying president since FDR and so labelled by liberal media outlets like the NY Times and Washington Post, are all unpopular.
His foreign policy has been an unmitigated disaster.
His ideology and world view is way, way left and outside the US mainstream.
It is almost like there are two Democratic Parties - one which exists to re-elect him even though he is aloof and out of touch with the American people; the other party suffers record shellackings in both Obama mid-term elections when he is not on the ballot.
The senior Iranian press figure covering the Iran nuke agreement defected last week. He was also the campaign manager for the current Iranian president, whose name I will not attempt to spell. So he is a connected guy. His first comments after this were that he felt that the US was trying to sell the Iranian position to the other western nations negotiating.
Obama is desperate - DESPERATE - to get a deal so he has some legacy. He is also a terrible negotiator. That's not a recipe for a good deal.
As for the Obama polls, he is a lameduck president now anyway, on the Democratic side the only polls that matter are those for Hillary
Not entirely true. All Democratic candidates across the ticket will be running into Obama headwinds at the election if he and his policies remain unpopular come 2016.
TimB Consider the mess his predecessor left him and he has killed Bin Laden
His ideology is so far outside the mainstream he won more than 50% of the US vote twice, hmmm. US presidents always do badly in mid terms, Reagan did, Clinton did, Dubya did in 2006, what's new
On Iran at least he is trying to negotiate, especially when Iran are now fighting ISIS, the GOP seem to want to fight yet more wars on yet more fronts
TimT Not necessarily, McCain was actually neck and neck with Obama after the GOP convention in 2008 before Lehmans went bust despite George W's record low unpopularity
TimB Consider the mess his predecessor left him and he has killed Bin Laden
His ideology is so far outside the mainstream he won more than 50% of the US vote twice, hmmm. US presidents always do badly in mid terms, Reagan did, Clinton did, Dubya did in 2006, what's new
On Iran at least he is trying to negotiate, especially when Iran are now fighting ISIS, the GOP seem to want to fight yet more wars on yet more fronts
The GOP is busy shooting themselves in the foot in Indiana at present.
The Democratic party didn't just do badly in midterms - they suffered record defeats in both - 2010 they suffered the biggest mid-term loss in over 80 years.
Obama is an outlier - even arch liberal Dan Rather said he was uncomfortable and dismayed at the extent the mainstream media had gone to support and give him incredibly favorable and uncritical coverage. It will be a long time before we see another candidacy like his. No achievements, no experience, never staying in one place long enough, nothing achieved in the US Senate (except to rail against increasing the government debt limit) other than voting 'present' most of the time. His policies are unpopular - Obamacare only passed because he lied repeatedly to the American people - yet he is reelected. It was a unique situation. Yes he was elected twice, but he had no coat tails at all.
Regardless the usual pattern in the US is for Congress and the presidency to be controlled by different parties, Obama is no exception. Obama is not that unique either, Clinton in 1996, Nixon in 1972, IKE in 1956 all reelected with no coattails. On Iran we shall see, but Iran needs to be engaged with if the Middle East is not to spiral yet further out of control Of course the fact Buhari is the clear choice of the Nigerian people too now gives him a clear mandate to defeat Boko Haram, anyway off to sleep
TimT Nigeria is 50.4% Muslim, but regardless Buhari can't do worse than Jonathan at tackling Boko Haram
On another estimate, the latest I could find, it is 50.8% Christian and 47.9% Muslim. But one cannot trust censuses as they are highly political. The best anyone can say is that it is roughly 50/50.
"Nigeria is nearly equally divided between Christianity and Islam. The majority of Nigerian Muslims are Sunni and are concentrated in the northern area of the country, while Christians dominate in the Middle Belt and south.
"According to a 2009 Pew survey 50.4% of Nigeria's population were Muslims.[11] A later Pew study in 2011 estimated that Christians now form the majority of the nation, comprising 50.8% of the population, while Muslims comprised 47.9%."
TimT Not necessarily, McCain was actually neck and neck with Obama after the GOP convention in 2008 before Lehmans went bust despite George W's record low unpopularity
But McCain was at that stage a maverick within the GOP, and successfully presented himself as 'not Bush'. Hillary will not be able to do that, given that she served in the Obama Administration.
TimB Consider the mess his predecessor left him and he has killed Bin Laden
His ideology is so far outside the mainstream he won more than 50% of the US vote twice, hmmm. US presidents always do badly in mid terms, Reagan did, Clinton did, Dubya did in 2006, what's new
On Iran at least he is trying to negotiate, especially when Iran are now fighting ISIS, the GOP seem to want to fight yet more wars on yet more fronts
Forgot to mention the mess he inherited - and it was a big mess. But when the country wanted the economy turned around, economic growth, and new jobs created, he spent all his political capital on ramming through Obamacare, a job killer and economic damper that put millions into part-time (less than 30 hours) work.It was unpopular then, remains so now, and was passed on repeated lies.
TimT Wrong, McCain backed Bush to the hilt on Iraq, Hillary has criticised Obama's Syria policy and both McCain and Hillary had fought against the president in earlier primaries. TimB The US economy of course is now growing and unemployment is falling, as for Obamacare he was reelected after that was passed
On Nigeria the exact composition of religions is largely irrelevant, the task in hand is to defeat Boko Haram, for which he has been elected by the Nigerian electorate, so let him get on with it
TimT Wrong, McCain backed Bush to the hilt on Iraq, Hillary has criticised Obama's Syria policy and both McCain and Hillary had fought against the president in earlier primaries. The US economy of course is now growing and unemployment is falling, as for Obamacare he was reelected after that was passed
On Nigeria the exact composition of religions is largely irrelevant, the task in hand is to defeat Boko Haram, for which he has been elected by the Nigerian electorate, so let him get on with it
Unemployment falling? The headline rate is, yes. The Labor Participation Rate - the number of Americans of working age in employment - is at its lowest level in over 30 years, at 62.8% in February. More than 1 in 3 of Americans of working age is unemployed.
You are perfectly entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.
Obama is a unique case, and a unique set of circumstances. If you don't live here you didn't experience it. His approval rating was bad, he was not trusted by the voters, his policies were unpopular, yet he got reelected. That's unique
Comments
Some of the signatories to the letter were also prominent for the No side in the indyref - expect to see the SNP bigging up SLAB 'hypocrisy' over their support for them then.
At the mo, March is looking like a very narrow 0.1% Labour Lead. In Feb it was 1.2% Lab, and Jan 1.1%
But what does Ed know about any of this stuff?
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/02/05/3-republicans-revise-proposal-for-obamacare-alternative/
We may not love the big company we work for, we may not have any love of the Boss,
But
We need the pay cheque at the end of the month and whatever our other priorities maybe -the pay cheque-and security of it REALLY does matter.
Electing a Govt that seriously threatens that-perceived or real, would be "brave"
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/robert-colvile/11158607/Yes-CEOs-are-ludicrously-overpaid.-And-yes-its-getting-worse.html
Labour Press Team@labourpress·3 mins3 minutes ago
No one will be surprised that some business people support the Tories. That's nothing new...
Labour Press Team@labourpress·2 mins2 minutes ago
...The recovery may have reached big firms in the City but it hasn't reached homes of working people. Labour's job is to stand up for them
'Tell me your worshipful prime ministership, why did you embark on the failed invasion of the Suez Canal?'
Anyone remember that one?
Ah, come back Macdonald Hobley, Fyfe Robertson... Norman Wisdom. There is nothing for it Mr Grimsdale, I think I'm going to have to move to Kent
Lord Ashcroft@LordAshcroft·now17 seconds ago
I shall sleep soundly tonight....
Labour will stand up for you against big business and vested interests
or
Labour don't understand business and will destroy the recovery out of ignorance, spite and hatred of success
take your pick
The company makes a profit after all suppliers and staff are paid.
You say you have never run a business-well without being rude some of your comments show a lack of understanding of how business works-I loath many business leaders-BUT- i am married with 2 kids - I need a job- i am genuinely worried about Labours attitude to business
and the effect this might have on my job.
OH and before we all get into a Public V Private sector spat-my wife is a nurse and earns more per hour than I do-so I have a pretty good idea of both sides of the public/private argument.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aew6dJFrm0s
But many of us need "protecting" from one large company whilst we work for another.
This is a multi -tiered argument.
I don't think labour will be the worst ever Govt. for business-but it certainly wont be a good one either.
I lost my job at the end of 2011 and spent a year struggling to get another one-I may not like big business but I and millions of others need the monthly pay cheque so whilst on one level we may sympathise with with some of labour's rhetoric on another level pragmatism kicks in and we are very concerned.
Back on it tomorrow!!
37 days to CON overall majority!!!
Solace can be drawn from their tendency to underpoll at real elections (and Tories to overpoll), the clear Labour infiltration on YG's panel that the Milibounce revealed on Sunday and the fact that their core vote seems to be the same demographics that usually stay at home.
Tory win by 4-5 on May 7 still seems probable.
Wales 37
Cape Verde 38
Scotland 39
EDIT. I wonder if the timing was influenced by Labour's very public business front page 'fracas' ?
The tax preachers are frauds.
How many tax 'efficient' or 'abusive' encounters does it take for it to register?
Hills cut it to 4-6 straight after at any rate.
75% probability according to Election Forecast which has SNP on a Conservative 37 seats at any rate.
DYOR...
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/12/insurgency-buharis-call-full-sharia/
Have a feeling that will not be the case this time around!
Dr Ros Altmann, a leading pensions expert and a government adviser accused Prudential of ‘short-changing’ savers who took out annuities by offering poor rates.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3020497/Men-Pru-share-huge-49m-payout-Pensions-firm-accused-greed-details-perks-senior-executives-revealed-days-shake-up.html
@alstewitn: The polarised response to the business leader's letter to @Telegraph is stark.
Following this insane line of thought to its absurd nonsensical conclusion, if the details of the book don't matter, the next biblical movie could feature Helen Antipas, Peggy Pilot washing her hands, and Jane the Baptist.
Or from 221B Baker Street, we could have Helen Holmes and Dr Jane Watson, with Mr Hudson as their butler.
What an onanist! - and he wants to run the country!
Electionforecast
Con
14.0
Lab
36.1
LD
5.5
SNP
39.6
Maybe David M helped stateside......
PS This is an awesome example of how you do politics when you don't have that much substantive disgreement over policy. Get both sides riled up over hypothetical film casting.
I doubt it'll fool anyone.
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-32137424
PS This is an awesome example of how you do politics when you don't have that much substantive disgreement over policy. Get both sides riled up over hypothetical film casting.
Given the name is errr... "james" I would deduce from that, without the need to pull out my magnifying glass that it is a man....But hey what the feck do I Know?
Janine or Janice Bond just doesn't quite have the same gravitas & edge. Besides which given the number of women Bond beds she would need to be playing " for the other side" if you get the drift.
As for being a Bond boy? .. Not going there and besides which where on earth is the baddie stroking a pussy going to fit into all of this.
But the character of Bond has been kept fairly close to the original.
So. Adam Woodyatt.
The greatest 30 minutes of television in the history of the world
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNGK9ni4aSY
Expected leads
Maj < 30%; 9.0
30 - 40; 3.2
40+: -4.5
Actual:
+8
+0
+6
All this is with a fair weighting wind on the SNP too...
It was bad enough that the new Bond is blonde
But doesn't tempt me.
By the way, try putting peanut butter on one side of a hamburger bun before you eat the burger. Yum. It's a Southern thing. Not Top Gear related at all....
A Quinnipiac poll asked - "Who do you trust more to make decisions that are good for the country?"
Obama - 42%
GOP in Congress - 47%
Don't know - 11%
A Fox News poll asked - "Do you think "honest" describes President Obama, or not?"
Yes - 43%
No - 54%
Don't know - 3%
He doesn't care about polls or anything other than achieving his agenda.
The calculation was made that the info in the emails was more damaging than the destruction of them, which is probably true.
The only intangible is whether 'Clinton Fatigue' will set in, and to what extent.
As for Hillary she still leads the GOP top tier overall, the email saga has made little impact on the average voter, it will be a tight battle but I remain of the view she will narrowly win in the end, night
Generally speaking, the south/coast is Christian, the north and inland is Muslim.
His foreign policy has been an unmitigated disaster.
His ideology and world view is way, way left and outside the US mainstream.
It is almost like there are two Democratic Parties - one which exists to re-elect him even though he is aloof and out of touch with the American people; the other party suffers record shellackings in both Obama mid-term elections when he is not on the ballot.
The senior Iranian press figure covering the Iran nuke agreement defected last week. He was also the campaign manager for the current Iranian president, whose name I will not attempt to spell. So he is a connected guy. His first comments after this were that he felt that the US was trying to sell the Iranian position to the other western nations negotiating.
Obama is desperate - DESPERATE - to get a deal so he has some legacy. He is also a terrible negotiator. That's not a recipe for a good deal.
His ideology is so far outside the mainstream he won more than 50% of the US vote twice, hmmm. US presidents always do badly in mid terms, Reagan did, Clinton did, Dubya did in 2006, what's new
On Iran at least he is trying to negotiate, especially when Iran are now fighting ISIS, the GOP seem to want to fight yet more wars on yet more fronts
The Democratic party didn't just do badly in midterms - they suffered record defeats in both - 2010 they suffered the biggest mid-term loss in over 80 years.
Obama is an outlier - even arch liberal Dan Rather said he was uncomfortable and dismayed at the extent the mainstream media had gone to support and give him incredibly favorable and uncritical coverage. It will be a long time before we see another candidacy like his. No achievements, no experience, never staying in one place long enough, nothing achieved in the US Senate (except to rail against increasing the government debt limit) other than voting 'present' most of the time. His policies are unpopular - Obamacare only passed because he lied repeatedly to the American people - yet he is reelected. It was a unique situation. Yes he was elected twice, but he had no coat tails at all.
His case is unique.
On Iran, no deal is better than a bad deal.
Of course the fact Buhari is the clear choice of the Nigerian people too now gives him a clear mandate to defeat Boko Haram, anyway off to sleep
"Nigeria is nearly equally divided between Christianity and Islam. The majority of Nigerian Muslims are Sunni and are concentrated in the northern area of the country, while Christians dominate in the Middle Belt and south.
"According to a 2009 Pew survey 50.4% of Nigeria's population were Muslims.[11] A later Pew study in 2011 estimated that Christians now form the majority of the nation, comprising 50.8% of the population, while Muslims comprised 47.9%."
TimB The US economy of course is now growing and unemployment is falling, as for Obamacare he was reelected after that was passed
On Nigeria the exact composition of religions is largely irrelevant, the task in hand is to defeat Boko Haram, for which he has been elected by the Nigerian electorate, so let him get on with it
You are perfectly entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts.
Obama is a unique case, and a unique set of circumstances. If you don't live here you didn't experience it. His approval rating was bad, he was not trusted by the voters, his policies were unpopular, yet he got reelected. That's unique