BBC website: Chris Leslie says Labour would write the legislation in a way that prevents employers from terminating employment when the 12-week period it's specifying comes to an end. "You can frame the legislation in a way that doesn't allow that kind of perverse circumstance to happen," he says.
This is fascinating. Effectively a ZHC contract will give the employee significantly more rights than an employee on a permanent contract (who has pretty much none for the first 12 months)
policy making "on the fly"
Another career MP with basically zero experience of business....
CV --
BA in Politics & Parliamentary Studies MA in Industrial and Labour Studies MP Labour Think Tank MP
But if you have £100k to give to Labour, he is all ears on how policy could be improved.
O/T The Telegraph site has a little quiz this morning designed to say which party most matches your views. A little amusement as it asks about how important you think a proposal is as well as whether you agree with it or do not care. Apparently I match most closely with UKIP, which is hardly a surprise.
BBC website: Chris Leslie says Labour would write the legislation in a way that prevents employers from terminating employment when the 12-week period it's specifying comes to an end. "You can frame the legislation in a way that doesn't allow that kind of perverse circumstance to happen," he says.
This is fascinating. Effectively a ZHC contract will give the employee significantly more rights than an employee on a permanent contract (who has pretty much none for the first 12 months)
policy making "on the fly"
Another career MP with basically zero experience of business....
CV --
BA in Politics & Parliamentary Studies MA in Industrial and Labour Studies MP Labour Think Tank MP
But if you have £100k to give to Labour, he is all ears on how policy could be improved.
O/T The Telegraph site has a little quiz this morning designed to say which party most matches your views. A little amusement as it asks about how important you think a proposal is as well as whether you agree with it or do not care. Apparently I match most closely with UKIP, which is hardly a surprise.
Cambridge door access upgraded to voice recognition
Signs were posted on doors throughout the University of Cambridge this morning; informing students of a new voice recognition feature, which grants access within the building with greater ease than the existing card readers.
Many of the brightest minds in the country were found testing out the new system this morning, and repeatedly shouting their names. This innovative new introduction proved particularly popular within the Physics department, the device was so well received that laughter was reportedly heard outside Dr Paul Coxon’s office.
What's interesting is that if the "go to bed with Nige, wake up with Ed" line is working in these 8 now that the campaign proper has started, the Lab/Con marginals may start looking much more favourable for the Tories as well.
On the other hand, Labour are benefitting by squeezing the Green vote. Though the effect it has on different marginals will depend on what the previous levels of Green and UKIP support were in each individual seat, of course.
According to the Aschroft marginal polling the greens are going nowhere fast but UKIP have seriously damaged Tory chances in a large number of seats. Any return to the Tories from UKIP VI will help the Tories defend a lot of marginals. Suddenly Enfield North looks saveable for the Tories as well as others.
O/T The Telegraph site has a little quiz this morning designed to say which party most matches your views. A little amusement as it asks about how important you think a proposal is as well as whether you agree with it or do not care. Apparently I match most closely with UKIP, which is hardly a surprise.
From a first look it seems that the UKIP deflation is resulting in those ex-UKIP voters to return to their previous parties, resulting in a boost for either the Tories or the LD depending on the seat. This is certainly a boost for the coalition, though Clegg still losing his seat despite the increasing Tory tactical vote, shows that ex-UKIP voters prefer to vote Labour to get rid of him.
I wonder though if ex-UKIP voters return to Labour too.
What's interesting is that if the "go to bed with Nige, wake up with Ed" line is working in these 8 now that the campaign proper has started, the Lab/Con marginals may start looking much more favourable for the Tories as well.
On the other hand, Labour are benefitting by squeezing the Green vote. Though the effect it has on different marginals will depend on what the previous levels of Green and UKIP support were in each individual seat, of course.
According to the Aschroft marginal polling the greens are going nowhere fast but UKIP have seriously damaged Tory chances in a large number of seats. Any return to the Tories from UKIP VI will help the Tories defend a lot of marginals. Suddenly Enfield North looks saveable for the Tories as well as others.
I think UKIP have crashed and will continue to crash. I imagine the press/other parties have a store of let's-embarrass-Nigel stories - I'd expect a biggie timed to spoil tomorrow night for him.. hopefully it won't prevent him from eviscerating ed "the man who put the 'ard into Edward" miliband in the debate.
BBC website: Chris Leslie says Labour would write the legislation in a way that prevents employers from terminating employment when the 12-week period it's specifying comes to an end. "You can frame the legislation in a way that doesn't allow that kind of perverse circumstance to happen," he says.
This is fascinating. Effectively a ZHC contract will give the employee significantly more rights than an employee on a permanent contract (who has pretty much none for the first 12 months)
policy making "on the fly"
Forget ZHC for the moment -- but on-the-hoof policy-making, or at least "clarification", is a consequence of Miliband's "say nothing" strategy for the past few years. Policies -- and shadow ministers -- have not been challenged.
Looking at these polls quickly the conclusion seems to be where they are up against a Tory the Lib Dems hold on where they're up against Labour they lose
Looking at these polls quickly the conclusion seems to be where they are up against a Tory the Lib Dems hold on where they're up against Labour they lose
So Camborne and Redruth, North Devon and St Austell and Newquay are just figments of our collective imaginations? Lols.
Looking at these polls quickly the conclusion seems to be where they are up against a Tory the Lib Dems hold on where they're up against Labour they lose
Roger what rot! Tories take 2 out of 5 seats and hold one. Labour takes 1 out of 2 seats.
When the Tories boast of creating 1000 jobs a day and they are full time jobs, what they mean is that people are deciding to become self employed ' cup cake ' makers etc. They avoid a trip to the job centre with the interviews associated with that and they get self employed allowances and payments. Most don't make much money but they are off the jobless list. Others are on Zero Hours contracts which by any stretch of Tory definition can't be called full time, they are also off the jobless tally.
BBC website: Chris Leslie says Labour would write the legislation in a way that prevents employers from terminating employment when the 12-week period it's specifying comes to an end. "You can frame the legislation in a way that doesn't allow that kind of perverse circumstance to happen," he says.
This is fascinating. Effectively a ZHC contract will give the employee significantly more rights than an employee on a permanent contract (who has pretty much none for the first 12 months)
policy making "on the fly"
Forget ZHC for the moment -- but on-the-hoof policy-making, or at least "clarification", is a consequence of Miliband's "say nothing" strategy for the past few years. Policies -- and shadow ministers -- have not been challenged.
That blank piece of paper is still well very empty...
Looking at these polls quickly the conclusion seems to be where they are up against a Tory the Lib Dems hold on where they're up against Labour they lose
So Camborne and Redruth, North Devon and St Austell and Newquay are just figments of our collective imaginations? Lols.
The Lib Dem incumbency effect can best be seen by looking at Camborne imo.
Looking at these polls quickly the conclusion seems to be where they are up against a Tory the Lib Dems hold on where they're up against Labour they lose
Interesting (by which I mean "batsh*t crazy") conclusion to draw given the Cambridge polling.
Looking at these polls quickly the conclusion seems to be where they are up against a Tory the Lib Dems hold on where they're up against Labour they lose
Interesting (by which I mean "batsh*t crazy") conclusion to draw given the Cambridge polling.
Yes, I forgot to mention Cambridge as well where Labour seem to be nowhere.
BBC website: Chris Leslie says Labour would write the legislation in a way that prevents employers from terminating employment when the 12-week period it's specifying comes to an end. "You can frame the legislation in a way that doesn't allow that kind of perverse circumstance to happen," he says.
This is fascinating. Effectively a ZHC contract will give the employee significantly more rights than an employee on a permanent contract (who has pretty much none for the first 12 months)
policy making "on the fly"
Forget ZHC for the moment -- but on-the-hoof policy-making, or at least "clarification", is a consequence of Miliband's "say nothing" strategy for the past few years. Policies -- and shadow ministers -- have not been challenged.
Leaving aside that I think the ZHC stuff is a very good policy, I do generally agree with this. It was a very stupid move to leave all their policy announcements til the last minute. They needed to do it well in advance so that any holes in the policies could be identified and tweaked, as well as giving shadow ministers experience of arguing their case, rather than pathetically folding the second they get a challenging line of questioning.
My Ukip possibles list included a couple on this round of Ashcroft.., North Devon was a second tier selection with Camborne and Redruth an outside chance / third tier
Seems like not much effort being made by Ukip in any of them in relation to target seats or other parties in the area
St Austell was one of the first places I ever went on holiday, about ten of us got the train there inc grandparents it was great. We got the wrong train home and almost ended up in Wales which resulted in one of my first anxiety attacks!!
Typical lefty, hating success. They've worked hard for their money - it's not easy beating the odds - and I'm sure some of their profits will trickle down to help water the local tradesmen on their zero-hour contracts.
When the Tories boast of creating 1000 jobs a day and they are full time jobs, what they mean is that people are deciding to become self employed ' cup cake ' makers etc. They avoid a trip to the job centre with the interviews associated with that and they get self employed allowances and payments. Most don't make much money but they are off the jobless list. Others are on Zero Hours contracts which by any stretch of Tory definition can't be called full time, they are also off the jobless tally.
Until last Wednesday, USDAW were still trying to convince Co-Op Funeral Care to end use of Zero Hours Contracts. Did the Co-Op get wind of Ed's big idea and decide to end his embarrassment?
Not so sure ukip continued slide is a given. Farage usually does well with airtime & he'll get some tomoz. My guess is he'll go hard at Cameron for some populist hits but that may backfire if he comes over swivel-eyed loon.
Martin Freeman is yesterday's news. All unravelling in today's media over his hypocrisy.
David Brown Gear Systems in Huddersfield, the factory where Ed Miliband delivered his zero-hours contracts speech, is telling journalists that it is not commenting on whether it uses zero hours contracts itself.
Sheffield Hallam now shaping up to be the 'Portillo Moment' of election night...
That really only works if Labour wins the overall election, which they won't. In the unlikely event that Clegg does lose, it will spark a wry smile of consolation rather than the joy that Portillo's defeat caused.
Well by Portillo Moment I mean an individual deceleration worth staying up for rather than the result being a national indication.
Given Ed Balls should be safe in his constituency I can't think of too many other potentials, Danny Alexander i guess?
Plus Clegg strikes me as the kind of bloke who might give a David Mellor style concession speech!
Off topic. US Presidential 2016. The Hillary email story just does not quit. She is being summonsed before a Congressional hearing to explain on record how she decided which emails to hand over to State; AP are suing for FOIA access to certain emails; and polls show that this scandal is hitting her numbers with independent voters in swing states.
My prognosis: media groups with continue with FOIA requests using different key words, so that there will be a steady drip of yet more incredible stories, such as today stating that, according to State Department, in her years at State, Hillary only sent 4 emails on drones.
Hillary is required to appear before the Committee by 1 May. I wonder if this will bring forward her announcement so that it is done before any fall out from the hearing, or whether it will persuade her to hold off until she can gauge the damage done. Her history of caution would indicate the latter.
Typical lefty, hating success. They've worked hard for their money - it's not easy beating the odds - and I'm sure some of their profits will trickle down to help water the local tradesmen on their zero-hour contracts.
I suspect most, if not all of their profits will be reinvested. Buy enough lottery tickets and the odds of winning come down considerably.
Typical lefty, hating success. They've worked hard for their money - it's not easy beating the odds - and I'm sure some of their profits will trickle down to help water the local tradesmen on their zero-hour contracts.
I suspect most, if not all of their profits will be reinvested. Buy enough lottery tickets and the odds of winning come down considerably.
The odds of seeing a story like this are simply not 281 Billion to one either, a shoddy understanding of probability in that story !
"The Martin Freeman ad was great. He is at least as successful as the 100, if not more so. "
I agree. It at least gives Labour supporters the confidence that their advertisers and researchers are up to the task.
Except he turns out to be another hypocrite, with a child at private school, £6500 maps on his wall, and no problems with private healthcare.
I wonder if he's on PAYE like the little people?
The power of the Freeman ad is evident when the right try so very, very hard to discredit it.
Not sure where the idea he is a hypocrite comes from. Is it Labour policy to stop people sending their children to private school, owning maps or using private healthcare?
"The Martin Freeman ad was great. He is at least as successful as the 100, if not more so. "
I agree. It at least gives Labour supporters the confidence that their advertisers and researchers are up to the task.
Except he turns out to be another hypocrite, with a child at private school, £6500 maps on his wall, and no problems with private healthcare.
I wonder if he's on PAYE like the little people?
The power of the Freeman ad is evident when the right try so very, very hard to discredit it.
Not sure where the idea he is a hypocrite comes from. Is it Labour policy to stop people sending their children to private school, owning maps or using private healthcare?
"The Martin Freeman ad was great. He is at least as successful as the 100, if not more so. "
I agree. It at least gives Labour supporters the confidence that their advertisers and researchers are up to the task.
Except he turns out to be another hypocrite, with a child at private school, £6500 maps on his wall, and no problems with private healthcare.
I wonder if he's on PAYE like the little people?
The power of the Freeman ad is evident when the right try so very, very hard to discredit it.
Not sure where the idea he is a hypocrite comes from. Is it Labour policy to stop people sending their children to private school, owning maps or using private healthcare?
This little matter with tax issue perhaps? That is pretty hypocritical to me. The having a nice house and an expensive map is here nor there.
I will be glad for a day when nobody is attacked for using private health care or sending kids to private school with their own money, but Labour have a history of screaming from the roof tops when Tories do this, as some sort of proof that Tories aren't like "normal" people.
Imagine the outcry if Cameron had sent his kids to private school.
Is there a page where someone has connected UKIP's vote share with their predicted number of seats? E.g. 10% ~ 5 seats, 15% ~ 20 seats, or whatever it is. I'm wondering at what % the graph starts going up steeper. Second derivative in other words.
"The Martin Freeman ad was great. He is at least as successful as the 100, if not more so. "
I agree. It at least gives Labour supporters the confidence that their advertisers and researchers are up to the task.
Except he turns out to be another hypocrite, with a child at private school, £6500 maps on his wall, and no problems with private healthcare.
I wonder if he's on PAYE like the little people?
The power of the Freeman ad is evident when the right try so very, very hard to discredit it.
Not sure where the idea he is a hypocrite comes from. Is it Labour policy to stop people sending their children to private school, owning maps or using private healthcare?
This little matter with tax issue perhaps? That is pretty hypocritical to me.
"The Martin Freeman ad was great. He is at least as successful as the 100, if not more so. "
I agree. It at least gives Labour supporters the confidence that their advertisers and researchers are up to the task.
Except he turns out to be another hypocrite, with a child at private school, £6500 maps on his wall, and no problems with private healthcare.
I wonder if he's on PAYE like the little people?
The power of the Freeman ad is evident when the right try so very, very hard to discredit it.
Not sure where the idea he is a hypocrite comes from. Is it Labour policy to stop people sending their children to private school, owning maps or using private healthcare?
Do Tories vote tactically? I see some seats there where they might to keep Labour out. Are the Greens eating into LD vote?
Not normally.
However, I think there are a limited number of circumstances where they might do this time.
1. In LibDem-Labour seats where there is a popular LibDem MP. I would put Southwark, Cambridge, Horney and Wood Green in these categories.
2. In certain SNP-LibDem seats. This clearly won't be true in the borders, but I think it is probable in O&S, as well as in Viscount Thurso's seat (I think he practically the only LibDem in Scotland with a meaningful personal vote). There is also a smidgen of a chance that it will happen in Gordon - Alex Salmond is enough of a bogeyman that the LibDems may get a small boost.
Nevertheless, in general, Conservative voters are much, much less likely to vote tactically. The interesting question is - come 2020 - how will Conservative tactical voters act when UKIP has a bunch of second places?
Blimey! Did the BBC sell them rights for this or did the Tories borrow them. Either way I expect someone is in trouble.
If the Tories have lifted these without permission I look forward to the condemnation of all those who lambasted labour over its recent FT ad. If the BBC did give permission, then we can put all the bias stories to bed once and for all.
Not naming candidates in constituencies is half baked especially if the candidate (Clegg, Farage or Soubry ) has a high local or national profile.
Imagine a congressional poll without naming candidates 5 weeks from an election. Certainly not.
I'd like to see polls with named candidates too. The way to do it IMO is simply to show the ballot paper (obviously works best for online polls) without making a point telling the respondent to "think about the constituency and the candidates". Then if e.g. Clegg is on the paper, they can attach whatever importance they think fit to that.
IMO all three of those will have a net negative impact - all well known but more people keen to keep/get them out than the reverse. But it'll be interesting to find out. Someone ought to try a comparative poll for the scientific interest anyway - we're all guessing about this.
"The Martin Freeman ad was great. He is at least as successful as the 100, if not more so. "
I agree. It at least gives Labour supporters the confidence that their advertisers and researchers are up to the task.
Except he turns out to be another hypocrite, with a child at private school, £6500 maps on his wall, and no problems with private healthcare.
I wonder if he's on PAYE like the little people?
The power of the Freeman ad is evident when the right try so very, very hard to discredit it.
Not sure where the idea he is a hypocrite comes from. Is it Labour policy to stop people sending their children to private school, owning maps or using private healthcare?
Yes. Wherever possible without direct banning.
Nope, you are just making that up.
It's a fair opinion based on their attitude and policies.
Not naming candidates in constituencies is half baked especially if the candidate (Clegg, Farage or Soubry ) has a high local or national profile.
Imagine a congressional poll without naming candidates 5 weeks from an election. Certainly not.
I'd like to see polls with named candidates too. The way to do it IMO is simply to show the ballot paper (obviously works best for online polls) without making a point telling the respondent to "think about the constituency and the candidates". Then if e.g. Clegg is on the paper, they can attach whatever importance they think fit to that.
IMO all three of those will have a net negative impact - all well known but more people keen to keep/get them out than the reverse. But it'll be interesting to find out. Someone ought to try a comparative poll for the scientific interest anyway - we're all guessing about this.
When the candidates are known, a simple "Enter your postcode" should work for an online pollster.
Even when the Lib Dems are apparently averaging 2% in 40 Labour seats in Scotland (down over 7/8ths) it is a little hard to match these polling results with the Lib Dem national scores.
It does occur to me that as the Lib Dem vote gets patchier it must be more vulnerable to being underrated or even possibly overrated in national polling. As there is a lot more wasteland than pasture the odds probably favour an understatement.
These polls suggest some success in circling the waggons and holding onto the votes where most needed. Are there enough waggons for their national score to turn out higher than feared or are the wastelands too great?
More importantly, are there enough mixed metaphors in this post?
"The Martin Freeman ad was great. He is at least as successful as the 100, if not more so. "
I agree. It at least gives Labour supporters the confidence that their advertisers and researchers are up to the task.
Except he turns out to be another hypocrite, with a child at private school, £6500 maps on his wall, and no problems with private healthcare.
I wonder if he's on PAYE like the little people?
Why do things listed make Freeman a hypocrite? Has he come out and demanded abolition of them?
No? So he isn't a hpocrite. Rightwing hate is so ugly.
When the leader of the party he is advertising for says that private healthcare is unnecessary then it is hypocritical.
Why?
Dancing on the head of a pin again SO? Of course it is hypocritical. Just like his £120k tax avoidance.
No, it's not hypocritical. You want it to be. But that is not the same thing. And Freeman has not had any tax issues, has he?
Getting his wife to declare bankruptcy is avoidance. Legal, and I would have done it in his place, but still he is advocating for a party that just made a massive fuss over tax avoidance. I am not.
Having private healthcare and advocating for the party of nationalisation and public services is hypocritical. He doesn't use the services like normal people, how can he know what the NHS is like? How can he advocate for the party that may increase taxes on normal people to pay for an NHS he doesn't use? Or education systems his kids won't use. It is very hypocritical and you Labourites trying to defend it know Labour has made an error in using frontman, but there is no other way of hiding Ed away.
"The Martin Freeman ad was great. He is at least as successful as the 100, if not more so. "
I agree. It at least gives Labour supporters the confidence that their advertisers and researchers are up to the task.
Except he turns out to be another hypocrite, with a child at private school, £6500 maps on his wall, and no problems with private healthcare.
I wonder if he's on PAYE like the little people?
The power of the Freeman ad is evident when the right try so very, very hard to discredit it.
Not sure where the idea he is a hypocrite comes from. Is it Labour policy to stop people sending their children to private school, owning maps or using private healthcare?
Yes. Wherever possible without direct banning.
Nope, you are just making that up.
It's a fair opinion based on their attitude and policies.
It's an opinion, I guess.
What policies does Labour espouse that lead you to think it wants to ban the ownership of maps?
If the Tories have lifted these without permission I look forward to the condemnation of all those who lambasted labour over its recent FT ad.
You are a very curious mixture of intelligence and completely missing the point, Southam! [This is meant in a friendly way, of course!]
No-one "lambasted labour over its recent FT ad". Plenty of people pointed out that it might be counter-productive for Labour to imply they had the support of people and companies, without asking their permission.
"The Martin Freeman ad was great. He is at least as successful as the 100, if not more so. "
I agree. It at least gives Labour supporters the confidence that their advertisers and researchers are up to the task.
Except he turns out to be another hypocrite, with a child at private school, £6500 maps on his wall, and no problems with private healthcare.
I wonder if he's on PAYE like the little people?
Why do things listed make Freeman a hypocrite? Has he come out and demanded abolition of them?
No? So he isn't a hpocrite. Rightwing hate is so ugly.
When the leader of the party he is advertising for says that private healthcare is unnecessary then it is hypocritical.
Why?
Dancing on the head of a pin again SO? Of course it is hypocritical. Just like his £120k tax avoidance.
No, it's not hypocritical. You want it to be. But that is not the same thing. And Freeman has not had any tax issues, has he?
Getting his wife to declare bankruptcy is avoidance. Legal, and I would have done it in his place, but still he is advocating for a party that just made a massive fuss over tax avoidance. I am not.
Having private healthcare and advocating for the party of nationalisation and public services is hypocritical. He doesn't use the services like normal people, how can he know what the NHS is like? How can he advocate for the party that may increase taxes on normal people to pay for an NHS he doesn't use? Or education systems his kids won't use. It is very hypocritical and you Labourites trying to defend it know Labour has made an error in using frontman, but there is no other way of hiding Ed away.
Ignoring the obvious libel in line 1, Labour is actually advocating tax increases on people like him.
He pretty much says so in the ad. You're projecting your jaundiced rightwing view of the human character where it isn't justified.
Is there a page where someone has connected UKIP's vote share with their predicted number of seats? E.g. 10% ~ 5 seats, 15% ~ 20 seats, or whatever it is. I'm wondering at what % the graph starts going up steeper. Second derivative in other words.
If I was a Labour supporter I would take heart from the Tories negative tactics. Anyone would think they were the underdog. Lets hope Labour have the courage not to follow them into the cesspit. The left always look better when leaving the pit bull tactics to their opponents
"The Martin Freeman ad was great. He is at least as successful as the 100, if not more so. "
I agree. It at least gives Labour supporters the confidence that their advertisers and researchers are up to the task.
Except he turns out to be another hypocrite, with a child at private school, £6500 maps on his wall, and no problems with private healthcare.
I wonder if he's on PAYE like the little people?
The power of the Freeman ad is evident when the right try so very, very hard to discredit it.
Not sure where the idea he is a hypocrite comes from. Is it Labour policy to stop people sending their children to private school, owning maps or using private healthcare?
Yes. Wherever possible without direct banning.
Nope, you are just making that up.
It's a fair opinion based on their attitude and policies.
It's an opinion, I guess.
What policies does Labour espouse that lead you to think it wants to ban the ownership of maps?
By increasing tax on the middle classes - how will they afford £6,500 maps? Only the super-rich luvvies will be allowed to purchase them.
(Can't see the point of spending £6,500 on a map myself, but maybe it's seen as an investment).
AAAH there you are Mr Palmer, unless you are clucking like a wet hen. what about this bet that you offered me and that I revised with winner donations to respective charities.
Comments
CV
--
BA in Politics & Parliamentary Studies
MA in Industrial and Labour Studies
MP
Labour Think Tank
MP
But if you have £100k to give to Labour, he is all ears on how policy could be improved.
Perhaps all responses just give you Kipper. That's one way to influence how people vote.
Put me down for a floating voter!
This is certainly a boost for the coalition, though Clegg still losing his seat despite the increasing Tory tactical vote, shows that ex-UKIP voters prefer to vote Labour to get rid of him.
I wonder though if ex-UKIP voters return to Labour too.
Did you see the pictures of the Sea Lions that have taken over a marina in the USA?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/earthpicturegalleries/11504585/Unexpected-guests-Thousands-of-sea-lions-take-over-coastal-community.html?frame=3250688
Who is doing the lecturing, pray?
@nick_clegg on Sheffield Hallam: "I'm going to win".
Case closed.
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/apr/01/british-couple-win-1m-euromillions-lottery-draw-second-time-two-years
Hardly a simple election broadcast either, it was the first of the campaign so the highest profile.
Noone will ever, ever, ever complete a bingo card in 15 balls though, of that we can be certain.
FFS Roserees, what jobs are labour offering? If we take the experience of every labour government so far the answer is 'fewer'
Hallam: 23%
Cambridge: 18%
Con-Lab swings
Hallam: 14%
Cambridge: 8%
Both those swings are way above UNS. Who says Tories don't do tactical voting? It may augur well for UKIP in and around Rotherham.
Seems like not much effort being made by Ukip in any of them in relation to target seats or other parties in the area
St Austell was one of the first places I ever went on holiday, about ten of us got the train there inc grandparents it was great. We got the wrong train home and almost ended up in Wales which resulted in one of my first anxiety attacks!!
http://www.usdaw.org.uk/About-Us/News/2015/March/Usdaw-negotiates-an-end-to-zero-hour-contracts-at
If it was such a bad thing, why did this group not act sooner?
Kay Burley ✔ @KayBurley
So I'm 70% Labour according to the #sunnation poll. I think it was the ColdPlay answer that did it... http://www.sunnation.co.uk/how-labour-are-you …
lol - I think our Kay still trying to prove she's not a tory ;-)
"The Martin Freeman ad was great. He is at least as successful as the 100, if not more so. "
I agree. It at least gives Labour supporters the confidence that their advertisers and researchers are up to the task.
You haven't tried the one about voting Tory gives you bigger breasts. You've tried everything else
I wonder if he's on PAYE like the little people?
Martin Freeman is yesterday's news. All unravelling in today's media over his hypocrisy.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2848448/I-ve-Cabinet-m-award-winning-broadcaster-m-QC-smart-little-git-David-Mellor-s-incredible-f-word-rant-taxi-driver.html
2015 Labour voters (who voted for someone in 2010): 165
2015 Lib Dem voters (who voted for someone in 2010): 185
Labour again dependent on first timers and 2010 "did not bother" voters to get across the line.
2 Don't think that'd be allowed?
The stand-out is Hallam. It's squeaky bum time for Nick I feel...
I could be wrong, but I suspect Clegg will hold on in Hallam - I think there will be (just) enough Tory tactical voters to return him to the Commons.
I wouldn't be surprised if the LibDems lost Torbay and St Ives as some UKIP voters go 'tactical'.
My prognosis: media groups with continue with FOIA requests using different key words, so that there will be a steady drip of yet more incredible stories, such as today stating that, according to State Department, in her years at State, Hillary only sent 4 emails on drones.
http://www.pottsmerc.com/government-and-politics/20150331/state-dept-found-only-4-emails-about-drones-sent-by-hillary-clinton
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/mar/31/committee-demands-clinton-appear-explain-emails/
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2015/03/31/poll_clintons_margin_narrows_in_key_swing_states_126105.html
Hillary is required to appear before the Committee by 1 May. I wonder if this will bring forward her announcement so that it is done before any fall out from the hearing, or whether it will persuade her to hold off until she can gauge the damage done. Her history of caution would indicate the latter.
Gollum: We wants it, we needs it. Must have the precious. They stole it from us. Sneaky little hobbitses. Wicked, tricksy, false!
Smeagol: No. Not master!
Gollum: Yes, precious, false! They will cheat you, hurt you, LIEBORE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5dkxwbbA-g
No? So he isn't a hpocrite. Rightwing hate is so ugly.
I will be glad for a day when nobody is attacked for using private health care or sending kids to private school with their own money, but Labour have a history of screaming from the roof tops when Tories do this, as some sort of proof that Tories aren't like "normal" people.
Imagine the outcry if Cameron had sent his kids to private school.
They should probably shut up, they just draw attention to the ad. Whatever they say, Freeman will be more popular than they are.
However, I think there are a limited number of circumstances where they might do this time.
1. In LibDem-Labour seats where there is a popular LibDem MP. I would put Southwark, Cambridge, Horney and Wood Green in these categories.
2. In certain SNP-LibDem seats. This clearly won't be true in the borders, but I think it is probable in O&S, as well as in Viscount Thurso's seat (I think he practically the only LibDem in Scotland with a meaningful personal vote). There is also a smidgen of a chance that it will happen in Gordon - Alex Salmond is enough of a bogeyman that the LibDems may get a small boost.
Nevertheless, in general, Conservative voters are much, much less likely to vote tactically. The interesting question is - come 2020 - how will Conservative tactical voters act when UKIP has a bunch of second places?
Is it easier to navigate than normal?
http://sports.ladbrokes.com/sports-central/election/
" Interesting (by which I mean "batsh*t crazy") conclusion to draw given the Cambridge polling."
Aren't the students in Cambridge who gave the Lib Dem their vote last time likely to be on their hols at the moment pinching apples?
IMO all three of those will have a net negative impact - all well known but more people keen to keep/get them out than the reverse. But it'll be interesting to find out. Someone ought to try a comparative poll for the scientific interest anyway - we're all guessing about this.
It's a fair opinion based on their attitude and policies.
It does occur to me that as the Lib Dem vote gets patchier it must be more vulnerable to being underrated or even possibly overrated in national polling. As there is a lot more wasteland than pasture the odds probably favour an understatement.
These polls suggest some success in circling the waggons and holding onto the votes where most needed. Are there enough waggons for their national score to turn out higher than feared or are the wastelands too great?
More importantly, are there enough mixed metaphors in this post?
Having private healthcare and advocating for the party of nationalisation and public services is hypocritical. He doesn't use the services like normal people, how can he know what the NHS is like? How can he advocate for the party that may increase taxes on normal people to pay for an NHS he doesn't use? Or education systems his kids won't use. It is very hypocritical and you Labourites trying to defend it know Labour has made an error in using frontman, but there is no other way of hiding Ed away.
What policies does Labour espouse that lead you to think it wants to ban the ownership of maps?
No-one "lambasted labour over its recent FT ad". Plenty of people pointed out that it might be counter-productive for Labour to imply they had the support of people and companies, without asking their permission.
He pretty much says so in the ad. You're projecting your jaundiced rightwing view of the human character where it isn't justified.
By increasing tax on the middle classes - how will they afford £6,500 maps? Only the super-rich luvvies will be allowed to purchase them.
(Can't see the point of spending £6,500 on a map myself, but maybe it's seen as an investment).