If austerity is popular, why has there been such a huge public backlash against the Tories in the past 12 months whenever they've tried introducing significant spending cuts (tax credits, disability benefits, etc.)?
because cutting the deficit is popular in the abstract whereas when people are presented with actual cuts they recoil.
Personally, I believe the public have been persuaded we need to cut the deficit when economically we don't. But I accept that the politics of that position are awful.
Surely you're not serious when you say we don't need to cut the deficit?
Afraid so. I'm a member of the William Keegan school of economics. The deficit is easily affordable and indeed, given extremely low interest rates the government should be undertaking more capital spending and investment in infrastructure while it has the chance.
A minority pursuit no doubt.
And when interest rates rocket up? And we have a 10% deficit and 160% debt to GDP ratio with sky high interest rates and rampant inflation? What then?
The additional investment and increase in demand should have reduced the deficit despite the increased levels of government spending.
Of course, no one knows the precise point at which deficit will be a problem with markets.
See Sir Nicholas Macpherson's view, which is that as it is unclear how you predict when the markets will take fright at deficit level, then the Treasury should err on side of caution:
I remember that Ceausescu speech... Then they started laughing....And then you knew it was over.
Makes me feel old reading this. That speech happened on my 19th birthday.
I was 21 at the time. Good days. B'stards getting their cumuppence!
Indeed, watching the Eastern bloc collapse in on itself was an awesome to see happening.
It really has been a remarkeable transformation of Eastern Europe since then. Communist dictatorships with dire human rights records and moribond economies. Now democratic, growing economies that Britons go on stag weekends to.
The opening of the EU to these countries has transformed them. Still much to do, so a job we need to stick with.
Greetings from Washington DC. Just had lunch at the Capitol Hill Club, the place in town where t Republicans congregate. A few snippets to report: 1. The feeling is that Trump has a real chance of winning in November, thanks to HC's unpopularity and his amazingly teflon qualities. 2. A real spanner in the works, though, could be the emergence of stories about mob links. You can't do big builds in New York without having to deal with the mafia, apparently. 3. If he does win he is going to have trouble bringing in A list Republicans to serve in his administration. He's just too unpredictable. 4. He may not actually be a Republican! 5. The Senate looks like it may flip to the Democrats in November, before flipping back to the GOP in 2018.
Make of this what you will. No huge surprises, but 2 and 4 may explain a lot about why Trump is so worrisome for the GOP establishment.
If Trump wins in November, I have my doubts about the GOP doing better in the Senate races in 2018 than they did in 2012. Pretty much guaranteed a big GOP win then if it's Hillary in the White House though.
Trump's not a republican? I'm shocked, I tell you, shocked.
If austerity is popular, why has there been such a huge public backlash against the Tories in the past 12 months whenever they've tried introducing significant spending cuts (tax credits, disability benefits, etc.)?
because cutting the deficit is popular in the abstract whereas when people are presented with actual cuts they recoil.
Personally, I believe the public have been persuaded we need to cut the deficit when economically we don't. But I accept that the politics of that position are awful.
Surely you're not serious when you say we don't need to cut the deficit?
Afraid so. I'm a member of the William Keegan school of economics. The deficit is easily affordable and indeed, given extremely low interest rates the government should be undertaking more capital spending and investment in infrastructure while it has the chance.
A minority pursuit no doubt.
And when interest rates rocket up? And we have a 10% deficit and 160% debt to GDP ratio with sky high interest rates and rampant inflation? What then?
The additional investment and increase in demand should have reduced the deficit despite the increased levels of government spending.
Of course, no one knows the precise point at which deficit will be a problem with markets.
See Sir Nicholas Macpherson's view, which is that as it is unclear how you predict when the markets will take fright at deficit level, then the Treasury should err on side of caution:
"Well, look at these 10 ultra marginals seats where the Tory majority is less than the Green vote... Without those ten seats David Cameron wouldn’t have an overall majority"
People try this reasoning for the Tories and UKIP sometimes. It doesn't work: Green voters aren't only concerned about the environment, and some of the voters who are will be heavily anti-Labour, especially in 2015 with the LibDems exaporating. Neither strong Green positions nor the elimination of the Green candidate would have allowed you to move all, or even most, of those votes into the Labour column, and it certainly isn't going to happen from talking more about VAT on energy saving materials or whatever.
It really has been a remarkeable transformation of Eastern Europe since then. Communist dictatorships with dire human rights records and moribond economies. Now democratic, growing economies that Britons go on stag weekends to.
The opening of the EU to these countries has transformed them. Still much to do, so a job we need to stick with.
Did David Cameron come into politics for no other reason than to lock us in to the EU?
Think about it. What else has he achieved? What else will he be remembered for?
This referendum is the only thing he'll be remembered for in the end... The Prime Minister who sold his country down the river and destroyed his Party?
I like the thing they do with that photo of an old lady turning her back on the Brexit article, still clutching the flowers she had intended to give to Michael Gove.
It's incredible that Labour lost either of the last two elections.
Twitter loves them, Gordon is witty, Labour didn't do anything wrong and... Oh, I think I forgot to take my medication.
Planning...it's all about planning.
McGordo cried Wolf and abused that nice Mrs Duffy.
They then went one step further. I m still trying to get my head round the Prezzer around the tablet of stone in the car park because someone forgot to calculate the weight and the load distribution factor of the stage they were originally going to place it on.
As they said..... it was all going so well until Ed fell off the stage yet Labours tablet of stone never actually made it to the stage.
Did they ever locate that tablet of stone by the way?
I remember that Ceausescu speech... Then they started laughing....And then you knew it was over.
Makes me feel old reading this. That speech happened on my 19th birthday.
I was 11 when that happened, you old git
Yes, and nature hadn't forced me to follow OGH on the hair style front then either. Things is different these days.
Today I officially felt old today, I had to explain who MacGyver was to one of my staff today. They had never heard of MacGyver before, They are 18, it dawned on me they were born after Labour's victory in 1997.
Portugal is our oldest ally for those who don't know their history. Never had a war against Portugal and been allies one way and another since 1378.
Nope.
The Iberian Union (1580–1640), a 60-year dynastic union between Portugal and Spain, interrupted the alliance. Portuguese foreign policy became tied to Spanish hostility to England. As a result, Portugal and England were on opposite sides of the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) and the Dutch–Portuguese War. The alliance was reconfirmed after the Portuguese Restoration War and the English Restoration.
Paul Waugh No10 spokesman confirms official UK policy *is* to support Turkey membership of EU. "I'm not trying to change govt policy" on that, he says
It's not that the UK doesn't have a veto. It's that the UK is loving it, loving it, loving it.
However, personally, I think the UK Government is lying. It is in favour of Turkey joining in principle, but not in practice.
I'd completely agree with that. For once, it's Britain playing the good European, safe in the knowledge that Greece, Cyprus, France and - presumably after today's vote - Austria won't let it happen this decade or next; long after Cameron has departed front-line politics.
I remember that Ceausescu speech... Then they started laughing....And then you knew it was over.
Makes me feel old reading this. That speech happened on my 19th birthday.
I was 11 when that happened, you old git
Yes, and nature hadn't forced me to follow OGH on the hair style front then either. Things is different these days.
Today I officially felt old today, I had to explain who MacGyver was to one of my staff today. They had never heard of MacGyver before, They are 18, it dawned on me they were born after Labour's victory in 1997.
And they're like 'yeah, yeah' That sort of thing only gets worse.
Portugal is our oldest ally for those who don't know their history. Never had a war against Portugal and been allies one way and another since 1378.
Nope.
The Iberian Union (1580–1640), a 60-year dynastic union between Portugal and Spain, interrupted the alliance. Portuguese foreign policy became tied to Spanish hostility to England. As a result, Portugal and England were on opposite sides of the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) and the Dutch–Portuguese War. The alliance was reconfirmed after the Portuguese Restoration War and the English Restoration.
Portugal is our oldest ally for those who don't know their history. Never had a war against Portugal and been allies one way and another since 1378.
Nope.
The Iberian Union (1580–1640), a 60-year dynastic union between Portugal and Spain, interrupted the alliance. Portuguese foreign policy became tied to Spanish hostility to England. As a result, Portugal and England were on opposite sides of the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) and the Dutch–Portuguese War. The alliance was reconfirmed after the Portuguese Restoration War and the English Restoration.
I remember that Ceausescu speech... Then they started laughing....And then you knew it was over.
Makes me feel old reading this. That speech happened on my 19th birthday.
I was 11 when that happened, you old git
Yes, and nature hadn't forced me to follow OGH on the hair style front then either. Things is different these days.
Today I officially felt old today, I had to explain who MacGyver was to one of my staff today. They had never heard of MacGyver before, They are 18, it dawned on me they were born after Labour's victory in 1997.
And they're like 'yeah, yeah' That sort of thing only gets worse.
I went for a medical before Christmas. The nurse asked my date of birth and noted that I'd just had my birthday, had I done anything nice? Well actually, I said, I'd been due to see New Order but hadn't been able to go.
"Who are New Order?"
"You will have heard their biggest track Blue Monday, even if you don't recognise the name of the track, it's played eveywhere. It was the biggest selling 12" ever."
Portugal is our oldest ally for those who don't know their history. Never had a war against Portugal and been allies one way and another since 1378.
Nope.
The Iberian Union (1580–1640), a 60-year dynastic union between Portugal and Spain, interrupted the alliance. Portuguese foreign policy became tied to Spanish hostility to England. As a result, Portugal and England were on opposite sides of the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) and the Dutch–Portuguese War. The alliance was reconfirmed after the Portuguese Restoration War and the English Restoration.
Telegraph reporting big change in Tory support for remain with 57% now in the remain camp
Show us the 10/10 on the 2015 Tory vote - not all the fake Lib Dem Tories.
You're getting angry.
You don't like the Tories picking up support?
Given the way the Posh Boys have threatened everyone it's hardly surprising that rich Tories are voting to protect their savings.... These two Posh Boys have told us that, in effect, the world will end on 24th June if we vote OUT.
Their day of reckoning is coming though, of that you can have no doubt...
I remember that Ceausescu speech... Then they started laughing....And then you knew it was over.
Makes me feel old reading this. That speech happened on my 19th birthday.
I was 11 when that happened, you old git
Yes, and nature hadn't forced me to follow OGH on the hair style front then either. Things is different these days.
Today I officially felt old today, I had to explain who MacGyver was to one of my staff today. They had never heard of MacGyver before, They are 18, it dawned on me they were born after Labour's victory in 1997.
And they're like 'yeah, yeah' That sort of thing only gets worse.
I went for a medical before Christmas. The nurse asked my date of birth and noted that I'd just had my birthday, had I done anything nice? Well actually, I said, I'd been due to see New Order but hadn't been able to go.
"Who are New Order?"
"You will have heard their biggest track Blue Monday, even if you don't recognise the name of the track, it's played eveywhere. It was the biggest selling 12" ever."
"What's a 12"?"
At that point I quit when I was behind.
If you had shown the nurse your 12" that would have been the hallmarks of a Bizarre Love Triangle?
I remember that Ceausescu speech... Then they started laughing....And then you knew it was over.
Makes me feel old reading this. That speech happened on my 19th birthday.
I was 11 when that happened, you old git
Yes, and nature hadn't forced me to follow OGH on the hair style front then either. Things is different these days.
Today I officially felt old today, I had to explain who MacGyver was to one of my staff today. They had never heard of MacGyver before, They are 18, it dawned on me they were born after Labour's victory in 1997.
And they're like 'yeah, yeah' That sort of thing only gets worse.
I went for a medical before Christmas. The nurse asked my date of birth and noted that I'd just had my birthday, had I done anything nice? Well actually, I said, I'd been due to see New Order but hadn't been able to go.
"Who are New Order?"
"You will have heard their biggest track Blue Monday, even if you don't recognise the name of the track, it's played eveywhere. It was the biggest selling 12" ever."
"What's a 12"?"
At that point I quit when I was behind.
New Order are headlining at Latitude Festival in July, so still time to catch them. I saw them at Glastonbury in 1987. Latitude is pretty chilled, lots of Guardian readers.
Portugal is our oldest ally for those who don't know their history. Never had a war against Portugal and been allies one way and another since 1378.
Nope.
The Iberian Union (1580–1640), a 60-year dynastic union between Portugal and Spain, interrupted the alliance. Portuguese foreign policy became tied to Spanish hostility to England. As a result, Portugal and England were on opposite sides of the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) and the Dutch–Portuguese War. The alliance was reconfirmed after the Portuguese Restoration War and the English Restoration.
It's my belief that austerity is what is driving the popularity of Leave.
That's interesting.
If there is a vote to Leave, there might need to be an entirely new dictionary entry for hoist by one's own petard.
From canvassing experience, the Leave's spend the £350 million on the NHS line is going done well.
Baffling.
Really?
Work has been mad, but the only politics that has reached my ears these past days is the 350m line. Saw the Vote Leave ad on C4 tonight - first thought was that it would swing decent numbers of Labour voters. Combine it with the Turkey et all remarks and it makes huge campaign sense.
Shore up the core vote and reach out to left wing discontent at the same time.
Telegraph reporting big change in Tory support for remain with 57% now in the remain camp
Show us the 10/10 on the 2015 Tory vote - not all the fake Lib Dem Tories.
You're getting angry.
You don't like the Tories picking up support?
Given the way the Posh Boys have threatened everyone it's hardly surprising that rich Tories are voting to protect their savings.... These two Posh Boys have told us that, in effect, the world will end on 24th June is we vote OUT.
Their day of reckoning is coming though, of that you can have no doubt...
You're underestimating the voters, you sound like a Labour supporter after the last election.
'Tories only won because of fear'
Nope, we won, because we judged to be better than the alternative.
Tory voters seem to be prepared to follow their leadership. You have to wonder what British politics would look like if mainstream Tories had spent the last 25 years actually standing up for what they believed in instead of pretending to agree with the populist right.
In an analysis of the data, Sir Lynton Crosby, who masterminded the Conservative Party’s general election victory last year, warns that the Leave campaign is “dwindling” and has “failed to quell ongoing concerns about the financial and economic consequences of a Brexit”.
Tory voters seem to be prepared to follow their leadership. You have to wonder what British politics would look like if mainstream Tories had spent the last 25 years actually standing up for what they believed in instead of pretending to agree with the populist right.
Hugo Rifkind has a good article in The Times about what he calls "banter", by which he means politicians espousing views they don't really believe.
He predicts this referendum should see it's end
That will be tackling the banter. It’s got to go, even if that means some Tories go with it. If nothing else, it simply won’t work any more. No longer will ministers be able to score easy points by pandering to an insidious, tolerated ideal of a Britain that goes it alone. No longer will they be able to keep the party’s right away from Ukip by intimating, albeit with coy and smirking deniability, that they’re all on the same side. They aren’t. They never were, and finally they’ll have to be honest about it. The banter boat has sailed.
Economic arguments not working for LEAVE because nobody is articulating them. REMAIN articulate why quitting the union would be risky, but LEAVE don't have anyone saying why exiting would make people better off, they just say you can't believe anyone, which hardly encourages people to believe LEAVE. YES did a better job in that regard. So they campaign on a Ukip immigration line and increasingly seem to look more like a Ukip than a Conservative campaign. Perhaps with a similar type of result.
Tory voters seem to be prepared to follow their leadership. You have to wonder what British politics would look like if mainstream Tories had spent the last 25 years actually standing up for what they believed in instead of pretending to agree with the populist right.
In an analysis of the data, Sir Lynton Crosby, who masterminded the Conservative Party’s general election victory last year, warns that the Leave campaign is “dwindling” and has “failed to quell ongoing concerns about the financial and economic consequences of a Brexit”.
How were LEAVE ever going to "quell" concerns over financial and economic consequences of Brexit given the way The Posh Boys have lined up the entire British establishment and all international bodies to threaten their own citizens?
BTW, how did this creep Crosby end up with a Knighthood? I think I missed that...
Portugal is our oldest ally for those who don't know their history. Never had a war against Portugal and been allies one way and another since 1378.
Nope.
The Iberian Union (1580–1640), a 60-year dynastic union between Portugal and Spain, interrupted the alliance. Portuguese foreign policy became tied to Spanish hostility to England. As a result, Portugal and England were on opposite sides of the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) and the Dutch–Portuguese War. The alliance was reconfirmed after the Portuguese Restoration War and the English Restoration.
I remember that Ceausescu speech... Then they started laughing....And then you knew it was over.
Makes me feel old reading this. That speech happened on my 19th birthday.
I was 11 when that happened, you old git
Yes, and nature hadn't forced me to follow OGH on the hair style front then either. Things is different these days.
Today I officially felt old today, I had to explain who MacGyver was to one of my staff today. They had never heard of MacGyver before, They are 18, it dawned on me they were born after Labour's victory in 1997.
And they're like 'yeah, yeah' That sort of thing only gets worse.
I went for a medical before Christmas. The nurse asked my date of birth and noted that I'd just had my birthday, had I done anything nice? Well actually, I said, I'd been due to see New Order but hadn't been able to go.
"Who are New Order?"
"You will have heard their biggest track Blue Monday, even if you don't recognise the name of the track, it's played eveywhere. It was the biggest selling 12" ever."
"What's a 12"?"
At that point I quit when I was behind.
New Order are headlining at Latitude Festival in July, so still time to catch them. I saw them at Glastonbury in 1987. Latitude is pretty chilled, lots of Guardian readers.
.
Would it be suitable to take my 8 and 6 year old children?
In an analysis of the data, Sir Lynton Crosby, who masterminded the Conservative Party’s general election victory last year, warns that the Leave campaign is “dwindling” and has “failed to quell ongoing concerns about the financial and economic consequences of a Brexit”.
How were LEAVE ever going to "quell" concerns over financial and economic consequences of Brexit given the way The Posh Boys have lined up the entire British establishment and all international bodies to threaten their own citizens?
BTW, how did this creep Crosby end up with a Knighthood? I think I missed that...
Leave could have gone down the EEA route, but they chose not to.
Labour's election chief got a peerage, the Tory election chief just got a K.
I remember that Ceausescu speech... Then they started laughing....And then you knew it was over.
Makes me feel old reading this. That speech happened on my 19th birthday.
I was 11 when that happened, you old git
Yes, and nature hadn't forced me to follow OGH on the hair style front then either. Things is different these days.
Today I officially felt old today, I had to explain who MacGyver was to one of my staff today. They had never heard of MacGyver before, They are 18, it dawned on me they were born after Labour's victory in 1997.
And they're like 'yeah, yeah' That sort of thing only gets worse.
I went for a medical before Christmas. The nurse asked my date of birth and noted that I'd just had my birthday, had I done anything nice? Well actually, I said, I'd been due to see New Order but hadn't been able to go.
"Who are New Order?"
"You will have heard their biggest track Blue Monday, even if you don't recognise the name of the track, it's played eveywhere. It was the biggest selling 12" ever."
"What's a 12"?"
At that point I quit when I was behind.
New Order are headlining at Latitude Festival in July, so still time to catch them. I saw them at Glastonbury in 1987. Latitude is pretty chilled, lots of Guardian readers.
.
Would it be suitable to take my 8 and 6 year old children?
The National are playing, and they are AWESOME
Mrs Eek took our twins there 7 years ago (aged 7) by herself. Nothing to worry about as there is plenty of child friendly activities and the family camping is families only...
Comments
'Hahahahaha bet you're glad you ratted to UKIP aren't you, you TPD'
Of course, no one knows the precise point at which deficit will be a problem with markets.
See Sir Nicholas Macpherson's view, which is that as it is unclear how you predict when the markets will take fright at deficit level, then the Treasury should err on side of caution:
https://quarterly.blog.gov.uk/2015/03/19/mr-osbornes-economic-experiment-austerity-1945-51-and-2010-reviewed-by-sir-nicholas-macpherson/
Or, as Keegan would probably put, good old treasury orthodoxy.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3464958/We-ll-thrive-EU-says-bank-chief-Lloyds-boss-gives-vote-confidence-Brexit-s-Portugal.html
Portugal is our oldest ally for those who don't know their history. Never had a war against Portugal and been allies one way and another since 1378.
Glad you're joining in, Mike ;-)
Remain 55 (nc)
Leave 42 (+2)
https://twitter.com/hendopolis/status/734848274092412928
If there is a vote to Leave, there might need to be an entirely new dictionary entry for hoist by one's own petard.
The opening of the EU to these countries has transformed them. Still much to do, so a job we need to stick with.
On the day, Cruddas has another go at explaining why Labour are losing votes amongst traditional supporters.
As for celebrating Paul Mason's economics, has that fool been to Cuba or Venezula recently?
However, personally, I think the UK Government is lying. It is in favour of Turkey joining in principle, but not in practice.
People try this reasoning for the Tories and UKIP sometimes. It doesn't work: Green voters aren't only concerned about the environment, and some of the voters who are will be heavily anti-Labour, especially in 2015 with the LibDems exaporating. Neither strong Green positions nor the elimination of the Green candidate would have allowed you to move all, or even most, of those votes into the Labour column, and it certainly isn't going to happen from talking more about VAT on energy saving materials or whatever.
And they're German!
https://twitter.com/jonteinspain/status/734667933994110976
Things is different these days.
Think about it. What else has he achieved? What else will he be remembered for?
This referendum is the only thing he'll be remembered for in the end... The Prime Minister who sold his country down the river and destroyed his Party?
Along with the prat whose idea it was.....
That just doesn't compute.
For that alone he deserves a medal, statue and probably a public holiday
Marshall Jefferson, Sterling Void and Guru Josh were far more my cup of tea back then.
The Iberian Union (1580–1640), a 60-year dynastic union between Portugal and Spain, interrupted the alliance. Portuguese foreign policy became tied to Spanish hostility to England. As a result, Portugal and England were on opposite sides of the Anglo-Spanish War (1585–1604) and the Dutch–Portuguese War. The alliance was reconfirmed after the Portuguese Restoration War and the English Restoration.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Portuguese_Alliance
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/04/30/matt-cartoons-may-2016/
Let's see the 10/10.
narrated by Sam West
Episode 1:
"2010 - Helped Into Power"
That sort of thing only gets worse.
You don't like the Tories picking up support?
https://twitter.com/NCPoliticsEU/status/734852258605715456
If I were Remain I would be worried about that especially so as they don't know where to direct their GOTV campaign even if they had one.
"Who are New Order?"
"You will have heard their biggest track Blue Monday, even if you don't recognise the name of the track, it's played eveywhere. It was the biggest selling 12" ever."
"What's a 12"?"
At that point I quit when I was behind.
If Tory support means that they are actually de facto Lib Dems (or New Labour), I welcome it in the same way that Labour welcomed becoming Tories.
Their day of reckoning is coming though, of that you can have no doubt...
I'll get my coat
.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/23/eu-referendum-poll-pensioners-tory-voters-and-men-are-deserting/
N=800
We did ask if they wouldn't mind terribly if we invaded the Azores, they said no, by all means. Fill your boots. Don't forget to tidy up afterwards.
Work has been mad, but the only politics that has reached my ears these past days is the 350m line. Saw the Vote Leave ad on C4 tonight - first thought was that it would swing decent numbers of Labour voters. Combine it with the Turkey et all remarks and it makes huge campaign sense.
Shore up the core vote and reach out to left wing discontent at the same time.
https://twitter.com/hendopolis/status/734855318933475328
'Tories only won because of fear'
Nope, we won, because we judged to be better than the alternative.
The overall number is a swing to Leave.
In an analysis of the data, Sir Lynton Crosby, who masterminded the Conservative Party’s general election victory last year, warns that the Leave campaign is “dwindling” and has “failed to quell ongoing concerns about the financial and economic consequences of a Brexit”.
He predicts this referendum should see it's end
That will be tackling the banter. It’s got to go, even if that means some Tories go with it. If nothing else, it simply won’t work any more. No longer will ministers be able to score easy points by pandering to an insidious, tolerated ideal of a Britain that goes it alone. No longer will they be able to keep the party’s right away from Ukip by intimating, albeit with coy and smirking deniability, that they’re all on the same side. They aren’t. They never were, and finally they’ll have to be honest about it. The banter boat has sailed.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/comment/from-now-on-theres-no-room-for-tory-banter-lsctj5j76
So they campaign on a Ukip immigration line and increasingly seem to look more like a Ukip than a Conservative campaign. Perhaps with a similar type of result.
https://twitter.com/hendopolis/status/734857909687996417
And, truth be told, that's true of a lot of European countries.
BTW, how did this creep Crosby end up with a Knighthood? I think I missed that...
The National are playing, and they are AWESOME
How do you motivate them?
Labour's election chief got a peerage, the Tory election chief just got a K.
With our current leadership and its hapless approach to public policy, winning won't be a likelihood next time.