If UKIP are on 10% in London it seems very unlikely they're on just 13% overall as some pollsters are showing.
It's just as likely the 10% is wrong as the other pollsters. At least the dissection of who went wrong and why will fill the psephological void after May 7th.
"Party leaders in London are preparing for a second general election — because this one looks like ending in a shambles.
That, I am told, is why a stream of VIP Tories have trooped to Twickenham, including Boris Johnson, George Osborne, and Patrick McLoughlin.
The Conservatives won’t defeat crafty old Vince Cable on May 7 — but they are betting on two things: One, that he will dance into retirement if he does not get the Lib-Dem leadership.
Second, that any minority government will fall apart in a year."
Interesting that the London poll shows the Labour lead slightly larger among ABC1 voters - same pattern as in Broxtowe (according to Ashcroft) but different to elsewhere.
We're now wrapping up our postal vote GOTV operation - about 80% of those reached have now voted. AS skipped a hustings event (Notts TV) for the third time running today, citing "constituency business".
Interesting that the London poll shows the Labour lead slightly larger among ABC1 voters - same pattern as in Broxtowe (according to Ashcroft) but different to elsewhere.
We're now wrapping up our postal vote GOTV operation - about 80% of those reached have now voted. AS skipped a hustings event (Notts TV) for the third time running today, citing "constituency business".
Sounds like she's given up to me. You should probably go off and help in Ashfield.
FTP makes a second election difficult. Clegg has effectively said it is impossible and a minority govt would have no choice, but to work with the House. Or, a government of national unity may be required - if the House refuses to dissolve.
But Clegg has a bizarre interpretation of our uncoded constitution. He has said the second largest party cannot form a government because it wouldn't legitimate (even though the Crown is perfectly entitled to call for the leader of the second largest party, if the first cannot command a majority)
Yet, Tories and Labour are preparing for a second election in October.
@hugorifkind: Miliband has some balls re: Libya. He could have been against it. He wasn't. He could have mentioned it in the last three years. He didn't.
Interesting that the London poll shows the Labour lead slightly larger among ABC1 voters - same pattern as in Broxtowe (according to Ashcroft) but different to elsewhere.
We're now wrapping up our postal vote GOTV operation - about 80% of those reached have now voted. AS skipped a hustings event (Notts TV) for the third time running today, citing "constituency business".
Sounds like she's given up to me. You should probably go off and help in Ashfield.
Even better, Nick should take a well-deserved rest so that he's on top form for all those late-night parliamentary sittings where the SNP suddenly mount an ambush.
Mr. P, could equally argue that it was sensible to avoid the car-crash by changing course.
On the other hand, if he looks like a man vindictive by nature but too weak to back up his malice, that's the worst of both worlds. Depends how the media play it and the people see it.
But Clegg has a bizarre interpretation of our uncoded constitution. He has said the second largest party cannot form a government because it wouldn't legitimate (even though the Crown is perfectly entitled to call for the leader of the second largest party, if the first cannot command a majority)
If he said that exactly, I imagine he's trying to encourage a new constitutional convention to that effect, or rather adjust the current one. There's all sorts of things there were or are no rules against, but which are now not accepted as proper practice. One that is allowed but I doubt would be accepted is if Dave of Ed lost their own seats they could still be PM (and could try and get back into the Commons via a by-election if they wanted) in principle. But I think Clegg is wrong if he thinks it would be unworkable for a party not the largest to form the government. They do it in other countries, which is the sort of argument he normally accepts.
Interesting that the London poll shows the Labour lead slightly larger among ABC1 voters - same pattern as in Broxtowe (according to Ashcroft) but different to elsewhere.
We're now wrapping up our postal vote GOTV operation - about 80% of those reached have now voted. AS skipped a hustings event (Notts TV) for the third time running today, citing "constituency business".
Sounds like she's given up to me. You should probably go off and help in Ashfield.
She must have put on that canvassing just for show with Quentin Letts..
Interesting that the London poll shows the Labour lead slightly larger among ABC1 voters - same pattern as in Broxtowe (according to Ashcroft) but different to elsewhere.
We're now wrapping up our postal vote GOTV operation - about 80% of those reached have now voted. AS skipped a hustings event (Notts TV) for the third time running today, citing "constituency business".
The same Anna Soubry who was knocking on doors with Quentin Letts earlier in the week?
It doesn't sound as if the 'fiery old bird' has given up just yet.
But Clegg has a bizarre interpretation of our uncoded constitution. He has said the second largest party cannot form a government because it wouldn't legitimate (even though the Crown is perfectly entitled to call for the leader of the second largest party, if the first cannot command a majority)
FTP makes a second election difficult. Clegg has effectively said it is impossible and a minority govt would have no choice, but to work with the House. Or, a government of national unity may be required - if the House refuses to dissolve.
But Clegg has a bizarre interpretation of our uncoded constitution. He has said the second largest party cannot form a government because it wouldn't legitimate (even though the Crown is perfectly entitled to call for the leader of the second largest party, if the first cannot command a majority)
Yet, Tories and Labour are preparing for a second election in October.
Maybe Clegg is too young to remember when the 2nd. largest party on seats legitimately tried to form a govt. Heath wouldn't move far enough towards Thorpe on PR. Wilson then stepped in.
Interesting from Nick Tyrone on the future boundaries. I was not aware that the new boundaries automatically come into effect as per:
However, this only amounted to a temporary delay: the new boundaries, equalising the constituency sizes and reducing the number of MPs to 600, a move that takes a lot of the current bias towards Labour out of the system, will automatically come into effect in 2018 unless some new piece of legislation gets passed to come up with either an alternate boundary review or stick with the current set of boundaries for yet another election in 2020.
Interesting that the London poll shows the Labour lead slightly larger among ABC1 voters - same pattern as in Broxtowe (according to Ashcroft) but different to elsewhere.
We're now wrapping up our postal vote GOTV operation - about 80% of those reached have now voted. AS skipped a hustings event (Notts TV) for the third time running today, citing "constituency business".
The same Anna Soubry who was knocking on doors with Quentin Letts earlier in the week? Doesn't sound as if she's 'given up' just yet.
Interesting that the London poll shows the Labour lead slightly larger among ABC1 voters - same pattern as in Broxtowe (according to Ashcroft) but different to elsewhere.
We're now wrapping up our postal vote GOTV operation - about 80% of those reached have now voted. AS skipped a hustings event (Notts TV) for the third time running today, citing "constituency business".
The same Anna Soubry who was knocking on doors with Quentin Letts earlier in the week?
It doesn't sound as if the 'fiery old bird' has given up just yet.
But Clegg has a bizarre interpretation of our uncoded constitution. He has said the second largest party cannot form a government because it wouldn't legitimate (even though the Crown is perfectly entitled to call for the leader of the second largest party, if the first cannot command a majority)
If he said that exactly, I imagine he's trying to encourage a new constitutional convention to that effect, or rather adjust the current one. There's all sorts of things there were or are no rules against, but which are now not accepted as proper practice. One that is allowed but I doubt would be accepted is if Dave of Ed lost their own seats they could still be PM (and could try and get back into the Commons via a by-election if they wanted) in principle. But I think Clegg is wrong if he thinks it would be unworkable for a party not the largest to form the government. They do it in other countries, which is the sort of argument he normally accepts.
He's talking bullshit. Putting together any coalition which represents over half of the House is clearly a democratic coalition. If he's not careful he'll end up arguing that the SNP should be preferred as coalition partner over the LibDems as they're 'larger' in terms of MPs returned!
Interesting that the London poll shows the Labour lead slightly larger among ABC1 voters - same pattern as in Broxtowe (according to Ashcroft) but different to elsewhere.
We're now wrapping up our postal vote GOTV operation - about 80% of those reached have now voted. AS skipped a hustings event (Notts TV) for the third time running today, citing "constituency business".
The same Anna Soubry who was knocking on doors with Quentin Letts earlier in the week?
It doesn't sound as if the 'fiery old bird' has given up just yet.
Interesting that the London poll shows the Labour lead slightly larger among ABC1 voters - same pattern as in Broxtowe (according to Ashcroft) but different to elsewhere.
We're now wrapping up our postal vote GOTV operation - about 80% of those reached have now voted. AS skipped a hustings event (Notts TV) for the third time running today, citing "constituency business".
The same Anna Soubry who was knocking on doors with Quentin Letts earlier in the week?
It doesn't sound as if the 'fiery old bird' has given up just yet.
Interesting that the London poll shows the Labour lead slightly larger among ABC1 voters - same pattern as in Broxtowe (according to Ashcroft) but different to elsewhere.
We're now wrapping up our postal vote GOTV operation - about 80% of those reached have now voted. AS skipped a hustings event (Notts TV) for the third time running today, citing "constituency business".
The same Anna Soubry who was knocking on doors with Quentin Letts earlier in the week?
It doesn't sound as if the 'fiery old bird' has given up just yet.
Correction, he said the first party need "time and space" to try and form a government (i.e Miliband cannot call on Cameron to resign)
“Just for the sake of argument, if a larger party, with more votes and more seats, can’t or choses not to create a stable government, then we need a government in this country. At the end of the day, one way or another, a government needs to be formed. All I’m saying is that that first step is an essential one because anything that follows it won’t be seen as legitimate unless that first step is properly pursued.”
Another good poll for Labour. My sense is that if the campaign made a difference it's encouraged Labour voters to vote. Dave has found an uncanny ability to find issues that irritate the left.
Interesting from Nick Tyrone on the future boundaries. I was not aware that the new boundaries automatically come into effect as per:
However, this only amounted to a temporary delay: the new boundaries, equalising the constituency sizes and reducing the number of MPs to 600, a move that takes a lot of the current bias towards Labour out of the system, will automatically come into effect in 2018 unless some new piece of legislation gets passed to come up with either an alternate boundary review or stick with the current set of boundaries for yet another election in 2020.
Another good poll for Labour. My sense is that if the campaign made a difference it's encouraged Labour voters to vote. Dave has found an uncanny ability to find issues that irritate the left.
Bingo.
Nobody can get an outright majority, so the campaign has more or less moved on to maximising the core vote.
Interesting from Nick Tyrone on the future boundaries. I was not aware that the new boundaries automatically come into effect as per:
However, this only amounted to a temporary delay: the new boundaries, equalising the constituency sizes and reducing the number of MPs to 600, a move that takes a lot of the current bias towards Labour out of the system, will automatically come into effect in 2018 unless some new piece of legislation gets passed to come up with either an alternate boundary review or stick with the current set of boundaries for yet another election in 2020.
The other factor here is that since the new system ties the number of seats closely to number of registered voters, and the Scottish independence referendum produced loads of registered voters, the next review should produce loads more SNP MPs. You'd think the Tories and LibDems would want to help prevent that.
It might also be worth doing this in an all-party way rather than a partisan put-it-in-the-manifesto-then-ram-the-bastard-thing-through way, since the parties seem to bollocks up their attempts to do it in a partisan way so badly anyhow. These proposals look pretty good for Labour, especially equalising by population not voter registration, which I think was in the manifesto, but a bit vaguely. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmpolcon/600/60009.htm
Correction, he said the first party need "time and space" to try and form a government (i.e Miliband cannot call on Cameron to resign)
“Just for the sake of argument, if a larger party, with more votes and more seats, can’t or choses not to create a stable government, then we need a government in this country. At the end of the day, one way or another, a government needs to be formed. All I’m saying is that that first step is an essential one because anything that follows it won’t be seen as legitimate unless that first step is properly pursued.”
I do love music trivia - Gerry Rafferty of Stealers Wheels/Baker St encouraged fellow banjo playing colleague to become a comedian = Billy Connolly.
Who played piano on He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother, or who played mouth organ on My Boy Lollipop?
1. Elton John
2. Stevie Wonder
I'm the same with both, used to love Elton's early stuff.
Same thing with Rod Stewart, his work with the Faces and his first four albums are all brilliant, check out Mandolin Wind or Gasoline Alley, both great songs.
Ronnie Lane of the Faces was another, he wrote and sang Debris about his Dad, probably the best father/son song ever, save maybe Springsteen's Independence Day.
@hugorifkind: Miliband has some balls re: Libya. He could have been against it. He wasn't. He could have mentioned it in the last three years. He didn't.
I do love music trivia - Gerry Rafferty of Stealers Wheels/Baker St encouraged fellow banjo playing colleague to become a comedian = Billy Connolly.
Who played piano on He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother, or who played mouth organ on My Boy Lollipop?
1. Elton John
2. Stevie Wonder
I'm the same with both, used to love Elton's early stuff.
Same thing with Rod Stewart, his work with the Faces and his first four albums are all brilliant, check out Mandolin Wind or Gasoline Alley, both great songs.
Ronnie Lane of the Faces was another, he wrote and sang Debris about his Dad, probably the best father/son song ever, save maybe Springsteen's Independence Day.
"Tweeting your outrage is a much easier way of doing this than, say, working in a refugee camp. The writer James Bartholomew has recently come up with an apt label for the phenomenon: “virtue signalling”. That phrase neatly encapsulates our generation’s elevation of the moralistic (holding the correct opinions) over the moral (doing the right thing). I hope it becomes a Twitter staple, a standard riposte to those who think they prove their compassion by hating the right people."
"A YouGov poll suggests both parties will have less than 290 seats and so concessions will have to be made with smaller parties to entice them into a coalition.
The same poll sees the Lib Dems gaining 53 seats which places them in the strongest position. Nick Clegg has indicated that he would enter into coalition with either major party and act as a buffer to protect against the excesses of either side.
In terms of seats the Scottish National Party are polling at 6 but at this point neither the Tories nor Labour appear willing to enter coalition with them with Cameron suggesting that the SNP would blackmail Labour if it formed a minority government with the SNP."
Another good poll for Labour. My sense is that if the campaign made a difference it's encouraged Labour voters to vote. Dave has found an uncanny ability to find issues that irritate the left.
We're 14 days away from Miliband becoming PM, and the inevitability of it makes it no less terrifying a prospect.
It's not terrifying - that's the Tories' biggest problem in the campaign thus far, as the assumed most people would find it terrifying. At best it seems many people find the prospect a little disquieting, but not enough to change their voting intention.
Another good poll for Labour. My sense is that if the campaign made a difference it's encouraged Labour voters to vote. Dave has found an uncanny ability to find issues that irritate the left.
I agree with an earlier poster who said that they thought the campaigns had both scored some wins, but that these had cancelled out in the headline numbers.
OT Who here confessed to liking Crazy Horses by The Osmonds? I want to hide behind the sofa with embarrassment at such tunes and riffs.
Erm, not me.
Though Son of my Father by Chicory Tip was equally appalling it has given rise to thousands of good terrace chants over the years!
They came from Maidstone and at least until a few years ago popped up in the to wn from time to time trading on their one hit wonder status.
Incidentally here in Maidstone & The Weald the Lib Dem candidate Jasper Gerrard is putting up a good showing with the LDs putting a lot of resources into the seat. According to a poll he is just a few a few points behind. It is though essentially a Tory constituency with some of the outlying villages some of the bluest in the country and the fear that the LDs may change sides after the election might just see the Tories and the much criticised Helen Grant home.
Interesting from Nick Tyrone on the future boundaries. I was not aware that the new boundaries automatically come into effect as per:
However, this only amounted to a temporary delay: the new boundaries, equalising the constituency sizes and reducing the number of MPs to 600, a move that takes a lot of the current bias towards Labour out of the system, will automatically come into effect in 2018 unless some new piece of legislation gets passed to come up with either an alternate boundary review or stick with the current set of boundaries for yet another election in 2020.
Won't the SNP want to keep all their new fiefdoms though ?
Mind you electoral register increase in Scotland could be good for them...
I think the point made is that the new boundaries that would be brought in automatically in 2018 are the old boundaries that Clegg kicked in to touch after Lords Reform was abandoned - so it wouldn't take the electoral register increase in Scotland into effect.
I suspect that if Labour form the government they will quite quickly pass legislation giving the boundary commission a fresh mandate for a review of boundaries on terms that Labour believe are fair, thus finally burying the 600-seat boundaries, but whether that new set of boundaries will survive to see an election is less certain.
We are going to see some very unedifying wrangling over boundaries in the years ahead, which is something of a missed opportunity when they could be debating PR variants instead.
Anecdote alert! I spoke to someone yesterday who was under the misguided opinion that UKIP would have lots of mps in the next parliament because they are on about 15% in the polls and I had to explain. It will probably be 5 maximum probably 2 or 3. This is someone who is degree educated who does not have a clue how FPTP works. Is this common?
Anecdote alert! I spoke to someone yesterday who was under the misguided opinion that UKIP would have lots of mps in the next parliament because they are on about 15% in the polls and I had to explain. It will probably be 5 maximum probably 2 or 3. This is someone who is degree educated who does not have a clue how FPTP works. Is this common?
Indeed it is. Which is why Labour have been trying to push "Tory-UKIP coalition" as an antidote to "Labour-SNP".
Interesting from Nick Tyrone on the future boundaries. I was not aware that the new boundaries automatically come into effect as per:
However, this only amounted to a temporary delay: the new boundaries, equalising the constituency sizes and reducing the number of MPs to 600, a move that takes a lot of the current bias towards Labour out of the system, will automatically come into effect in 2018 unless some new piece of legislation gets passed to come up with either an alternate boundary review or stick with the current set of boundaries for yet another election in 2020.
Won't the SNP want to keep all their new fiefdoms though ?
Mind you electoral register increase in Scotland could be good for them...
We are going to see some very unedifying wrangling over boundaries in the years ahead, which is something of a missed opportunity when they could be debating PR variants instead.
Single Transferrable Alternative Supplementary Vote Squared is the obvious choice, surely. Easiest to understand at any rate.
IF the Nats get 45 seats and the Lib Dems stick to their guns and don't join the Tories (which anyway would be the end of their party) then I can't see a way that the Nats don't get to choose the government. The Tories would need over 305 and even Jacks ARSE isn't predicting that.
Correction, he said the first party need "time and space" to try and form a government (i.e Miliband cannot call on Cameron to resign)
“Just for the sake of argument, if a larger party, with more votes and more seats, can’t or choses not to create a stable government, then we need a government in this country. At the end of the day, one way or another, a government needs to be formed. All I’m saying is that that first step is an essential one because anything that follows it won’t be seen as legitimate unless that first step is properly pursued.”
Are those the words of Clegg ?
Allegedly. They are in this report (about half way down):
IF the Nats get 45 seats and the Lib Dems stick to their guns and don't join the Tories (which anyway would be the end of their party) then I can't see a way that the Nats don't get to choose the government. The Tories would need over 305 and even Jacks ARSE isn't predicting that.
Con + Kipper + DUP : a rainbow progressive alliance.
Interesting from Nick Tyrone on the future boundaries. I was not aware that the new boundaries automatically come into effect as per:
However, this only amounted to a temporary delay: the new boundaries, equalising the constituency sizes and reducing the number of MPs to 600, a move that takes a lot of the current bias towards Labour out of the system, will automatically come into effect in 2018 unless some new piece of legislation gets passed to come up with either an alternate boundary review or stick with the current set of boundaries for yet another election in 2020.
Won't the SNP want to keep all their new fiefdoms though ?
Mind you electoral register increase in Scotland could be good for them...
We are going to see some very unedifying wrangling over boundaries in the years ahead, which is something of a missed opportunity when they could be debating PR variants instead.
Single Transferrable Alternative Summplementary Vote Squared is the obvious choice, surely. Easiest to understand at any rate.
Wasn't there a Scottish debate recently shown "on" STV?
Anecdote alert! I spoke to someone yesterday who was under the misguided opinion that UKIP would have lots of mps in the next parliament because they are on about 15% in the polls and I had to explain. It will probably be 5 maximum probably 2 or 3. This is someone who is degree educated who does not have a clue how FPTP works. Is this common?
Last year the BJP won an overall majority in India (ie. no need to include their electoral allies) on only 31% of the vote...
IF the Nats get 45 seats and the Lib Dems stick to their guns and don't join the Tories (which anyway would be the end of their party) then I can't see a way that the Nats don't get to choose the government. The Tories would need over 305 and even Jacks ARSE isn't predicting that.
Con + Kipper + DUP : a rainbow progressive alliance.
But in this scenario Con=UKIP - only UKIP gains from Labour would count (not impossible.)
Correction, he said the first party need "time and space" to try and form a government (i.e Miliband cannot call on Cameron to resign)
“Just for the sake of argument, if a larger party, with more votes and more seats, can’t or choses not to create a stable government, then we need a government in this country. At the end of the day, one way or another, a government needs to be formed. All I’m saying is that that first step is an essential one because anything that follows it won’t be seen as legitimate unless that first step is properly pursued.”
Interesting from Nick Tyrone on the future boundaries. I was not aware that the new boundaries automatically come into effect as per:
However, this only amounted to a temporary delay: the new boundaries, equalising the constituency sizes and reducing the number of MPs to 600, a move that takes a lot of the current bias towards Labour out of the system, will automatically come into effect in 2018 unless some new piece of legislation gets passed to come up with either an alternate boundary review or stick with the current set of boundaries for yet another election in 2020.
Won't the SNP want to keep all their new fiefdoms though ?
Mind you electoral register increase in Scotland could be good for them...
I think the point made is that the new boundaries that would be brought in automatically in 2018 are the old boundaries that Clegg kicked in to touch after Lords Reform was abandoned - so it wouldn't take the electoral register increase in Scotland into effect.
I suspect that if Labour form the government they will quite quickly pass legislation giving the boundary commission a fresh mandate for a review of boundaries on terms that Labour believe are fair, thus finally burying the 600-seat boundaries, but whether that new set of boundaries will survive to see an election is less certain.
We are going to see some very unedifying wrangling over boundaries in the years ahead, which is something of a missed opportunity when they could be debating PR variants instead.
My understanding is that the Boundary Commission is (automatically) charged to start again to create 600 seats dependant on registration, and to report to the HoC in 2018 for approval. What Clegg kicked into touch was the Boundary Commission's 2013 report - but the rules instructing them on a 5 yearly basis to create new boundaries are still in place. (As I understand it)
Interesting from Nick Tyrone on the future boundaries. I was not aware that the new boundaries automatically come into effect as per:
However, this only amounted to a temporary delay: the new boundaries, equalising the constituency sizes and reducing the number of MPs to 600, a move that takes a lot of the current bias towards Labour out of the system, will automatically come into effect in 2018 unless some new piece of legislation gets passed to come up with either an alternate boundary review or stick with the current set of boundaries for yet another election in 2020.
Won't the SNP want to keep all their new fiefdoms though ?
Mind you electoral register increase in Scotland could be good for them...
We are going to see some very unedifying wrangling over boundaries in the years ahead, which is something of a missed opportunity when they could be debating PR variants instead.
Single Transferrable Alternative Summplementary Vote Squared is the obvious choice, surely. Easiest to understand at any rate.
Wasn't there a Scottish debate recently shown "on" STV?
Just think, we can tall about Indyref, Brexit, AND AV for years now.
The best father and son song was written by a man who has just been given a lifetime achievement award for folk music by the BBC. I'm sure we can all applaud this overdue recognition of a supremely talented artist.
Anecdote alert! I spoke to someone yesterday who was under the misguided opinion that UKIP would have lots of mps in the next parliament because they are on about 15% in the polls and I had to explain. It will probably be 5 maximum probably 2 or 3. This is someone who is degree educated who does not have a clue how FPTP works. Is this common?
Last year the BJP won an overall majority in India (ie. no need to include their electoral allies) on only 31% of the vote...
The quote to me was that if the SNP are going to have 50 mps going with Labour then the 50 UKIP mps will go with the Tories. I advised that good odds would be available for 50 or more Ukip mps.
"A YouGov poll suggests both parties will have less than 290 seats and so concessions will have to be made with smaller parties to entice them into a coalition.
The same poll sees the Lib Dems gaining 53 seats which places them in the strongest position. Nick Clegg has indicated that he would enter into coalition with either major party and act as a buffer to protect against the excesses of either side.
In terms of seats the Scottish National Party are polling at 6 but at this point neither the Tories nor Labour appear willing to enter coalition with them with Cameron suggesting that the SNP would blackmail Labour if it formed a minority government with the SNP."
Do you think he glanced at a prediction, noticed that the third highest number of seats was 53 and that the party colour was yellow....
The best father and son song was written by a man who has just been given a lifetime achievement award for folk music by the BBC. I'm sure we can all applaud this overdue recognition of a supremely talented artist.
Comments
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/labours-12point-lead-as-battle-for-london-hots-up-10201129.html
"Party leaders in London are preparing for a second general election — because this one looks like ending in a shambles.
That, I am told, is why a stream of VIP Tories have trooped to Twickenham, including Boris Johnson, George Osborne, and Patrick McLoughlin.
The Conservatives won’t defeat crafty old Vince Cable on May 7 — but they are betting on two things: One, that he will dance into retirement if he does not get the Lib-Dem leadership.
Second, that any minority government will fall apart in a year."
We're now wrapping up our postal vote GOTV operation - about 80% of those reached have now voted. AS skipped a hustings event (Notts TV) for the third time running today, citing "constituency business".
But Clegg has a bizarre interpretation of our uncoded constitution. He has said the second largest party cannot form a government because it wouldn't legitimate (even though the Crown is perfectly entitled to call for the leader of the second largest party, if the first cannot command a majority)
Yet, Tories and Labour are preparing for a second election in October.
Coward
Be interesting to see what the BBC does with Top Gear.
On the other hand, if he looks like a man vindictive by nature but too weak to back up his malice, that's the worst of both worlds. Depends how the media play it and the people see it.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/313768/bis-14-p77-trade-union-membership-statistical-bulletin-2013.pdf
It doesn't sound as if the 'fiery old bird' has given up just yet.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3051451/Boris-cried-Dave-s-woad-recovery-QUENTIN-LETTS-sees-Johnson-join-Cameron-campaign.html
Though Son of my Father by Chicory Tip was equally appalling it has given rise to thousands of good terrace chants over the years!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_general_election,_February_1974
However, this only amounted to a temporary delay: the new boundaries, equalising the constituency sizes and reducing the number of MPs to 600, a move that takes a lot of the current bias towards Labour out of the system, will automatically come into effect in 2018 unless some new piece of legislation gets passed to come up with either an alternate boundary review or stick with the current set of boundaries for yet another election in 2020.
http://nicktyrone.com/did-labour-just-forget-about-this-glaring-problem-for-them-when-they-wrote-their-manifesto/
I think he said *drone*. However nice Mr Palmer is - that's lobby fodder as a reputation in my book.
2. Stevie Wonder
“Just for the sake of argument, if a larger party, with more votes and more seats, can’t or choses not to create a stable government, then we need a government in this country. At the end of the day, one way or another, a government needs to be formed. All I’m saying is that that first step is an essential one because anything that follows it won’t be seen as legitimate unless that first step is properly pursued.”
BBC4 does a great line in ancient pop videos
Mind you electoral register increase in Scotland could be good for them...
Nobody can get an outright majority, so the campaign has more or less moved on to maximising the core vote.
It might also be worth doing this in an all-party way rather than a partisan put-it-in-the-manifesto-then-ram-the-bastard-thing-through way, since the parties seem to bollocks up their attempts to do it in a partisan way so badly anyhow. These proposals look pretty good for Labour, especially equalising by population not voter registration, which I think was in the manifesto, but a bit vaguely.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmpolcon/600/60009.htm
Same thing with Rod Stewart, his work with the Faces and his first four albums are all brilliant, check out Mandolin Wind or Gasoline Alley, both great songs.
Ronnie Lane of the Faces was another, he wrote and sang Debris about his Dad, probably the best father/son song ever, save maybe Springsteen's Independence Day.
We're 14 days away from Miliband becoming PM, and the inevitability of it makes it no less terrifying a prospect.
EDIT - I never knew Errol Browne got an OBE!
http://www.capx.co/why-europe-needs-to-look-to-australia-to-solve-the-migrant-crisis/
"Tweeting your outrage is a much easier way of doing this than, say, working in a refugee camp. The writer James Bartholomew has recently come up with an apt label for the phenomenon: “virtue signalling”. That phrase neatly encapsulates our generation’s elevation of the moralistic (holding the correct opinions) over the moral (doing the right thing). I hope it becomes a Twitter staple, a standard riposte to those who think they prove their compassion by hating the right people."
http://www.goldcore.com/us/gold-blog/election-chaos-in-uk-could-trigger-lehman-moment-for-pound/
"A YouGov poll suggests both parties will have less than 290 seats and so concessions will have to be made with smaller parties to entice them into a coalition.
The same poll sees the Lib Dems gaining 53 seats which places them in the strongest position. Nick Clegg has indicated that he would enter into coalition with either major party and act as a buffer to protect against the excesses of either side.
In terms of seats the Scottish National Party are polling at 6 but at this point neither the Tories nor Labour appear willing to enter coalition with them with Cameron suggesting that the SNP would blackmail Labour if it formed a minority government with the SNP."
"...probably the best father/son song ever, save maybe Springsteen's Independence Day."
I always thought "Independence Day" was about a divorce/breakup ?
wn from time to time trading on their one hit wonder status.
Incidentally here in Maidstone & The Weald the Lib Dem candidate Jasper Gerrard is putting up a good showing with the LDs putting a lot of resources into the seat. According to a poll he is just a few
a few points behind. It is though essentially a Tory constituency with some of the outlying villages some of the bluest in the country and the fear that the LDs may change sides after the election might just see the Tories and the much criticised Helen Grant home.
Now you mention it the song he wrote when he was breaking up with his first wife, One Step Up, is probably one of the best he has ever written.
Just checked, you are right, just goes to show you that I need to listen more carefully.
I suspect that if Labour form the government they will quite quickly pass legislation giving the boundary commission a fresh mandate for a review of boundaries on terms that Labour believe are fair, thus finally burying the 600-seat boundaries, but whether that new set of boundaries will survive to see an election is less certain.
We are going to see some very unedifying wrangling over boundaries in the years ahead, which is something of a missed opportunity when they could be debating PR variants instead.
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2015/apr/19/election-2015-live-sturgeon-will-not-rule-out-second-independence-referendum#block-5533b5d3e4b045f87ec9706b
And so the poll is, therefore, in some senses, both subjective and arbitrary.
"Con + Kipper + DUP : a rainbow progressive alliance".
What about 'The St Georges Revolutionary Front'