Did anyone see the cat video at PMQs? Not often you can say that,
When Cheryl Gillan rose to ask her question, there on the top right were Tim Loughton (Con, East Worthing and Shoreham) and Keith Simpson (Con, Broadlands) doing magnificent leopard-claw impersonations with added feline commentary to general hilarity among their neighbours (including the ladies).
After PMQ's a plethora of Ed is crap threads might seem appropriate but it's just not sport is it ?
That performance was very poor - what was he thinking of? Going on Crosby that no one knows about as an advisor and had his ears boxed re Unite directly buying his own job. Lobbying isn't an area Labour should be playing in. It's a shark infested sandbox as today proved a la PWC tax advice too.
@JackW Ed Miliband wasn't very good (though his Benson & Hedge funds line was quite neat), but if I were a Labour supporter I'd be more worried about how woeful the planted questions for backbenchers were. The idea that was someone's planned strategy and that they hadn't seen just how David Cameron was going to deal with it is really quite terrifying.
Both those motorways are frequently clogged up and working to capacity.
Heathrow has diabolical transport links.
Like JJ's opinion on nuclear power (we need something that works now, not an untested technology) mine is the same for airports, we need what works now. Heathrow works, it is an incredibly efficient operation, the way they have managed to squeeze out every last drop of capacity is truly amazing. There are no guarantees that expanding Gatwick or Stansted would yield the same results in capacity increases like Heathrow would surely manage.
25 minutes from London to Heathrow in the morning by car. the Express to Paddington is fearsomely expensive but quick and reliable as well.
Plumbing Heathrow directly into the rail network would probably be helpful, but the road connections really aren't too bad.
There's also the Piccadilly line to consider, no other London airport is served on the underground network. Only London City is on the transport network but that is the DLR which doesn't have the same capacity.
I'm perfectly willing to admit I may be wrong, which is why I'm waiting for the Davies report into all the options. But building one or two extra runways at Heathrow just feels like trying to fit a quart into a pint pot, and one that will cause more misery for local residents. Instinctively a new airport on a green-field site or island seems so much better in terms of operation and for future expansion.
How much would the Heathrow site be worth for brownfield development? Some farmland in Derbyshire/Staffordshire area just sold for around a million pounds an acre. I'd imagine the Heathrow site would be much more than this, and is around 3,000 acres in size.
Travelling by road from here in Cambridge, Heathrow can be a bit of a nightmare to get to at certain times of the day. It was not so bad to reach from Southampton - it is the northwestern stretch of the M25 that's the killer.
@PickardJE EdMiliband to call for an independent inquiry into Lynton Crosby and potential conflicts of interest. (Not a judge-led one on this occasion)
I thought the most telling thing today was that Ed hasn't gone hard of the economy at PMQs since February. He has ceded the territory and can only hope something turns up.
And if Labour didn't give off enough panic signals - here's confirmation. This is most entertaining. I hope Labour keeps this up as its vvv imp to voters.
Paul Waugh @paulwaugh Labour sources say in light of PM refusal to answer Crosby Qs, It's writing to Cab Sec to ask for inquiry into whether PM breaches Min Code
After PMQ's a plethora of Ed is crap threads might seem appropriate but it's just not sport is it ?
That performance was very poor - what was he thinking of? Going on Crosby that no one knows about as an advisor and had his ears boxed re Unite directly buying his own job. Lobbying isn't an area Labour should be playing in. It's a shark infested sandbox as today proved a la PWC tax advice too.
Why did he go for Crosby?
So that the BBC can have "Miliband attacks PM over Crosby" as the headline link on its PMQ's story.
Mr Parris says as much in his column today - Oppo accuse HMG of something, they deny it - it becomes he said she said and the media turn it to their own ends even if its all cobblers.
After PMQ's a plethora of Ed is crap threads might seem appropriate but it's just not sport is it ?
That performance was very poor - what was he thinking of? Going on Crosby that no one knows about as an advisor and had his ears boxed re Unite directly buying his own job. Lobbying isn't an area Labour should be playing in. It's a shark infested sandbox as today proved a la PWC tax advice too.
Why did he go for Crosby?
So that the BBC can have "Miliband attacks PM over Crosby" as the headline link on its PMQ's story.
Twas a shocker from the Labour benches, one of the poorest I've seen in a long time, made worse because almost by stealth Labour placed themselves on the back foot on two of their strongest issues - NHS and lobbying. Added to that Cameron was calmer, well briefed, steely eyed and relaxed a tad as the win became clear. Much more impressive.
Just to add to Labour woes this is the last PMQ's until September and will linger in the memory. If there is a silver lining for Labour it is that the recess will allow time for them to regroup .... but regroup to do what ??
LAB lead jumps from 4% to 11% with Ipsos-MORI the other major phone poll that we get each month CON 29 -2 LAB 40 +5 LD 10 nc UKIP 12 nc
Yeah but
But after a month of headlines about the trade unions, Mr Miliband’s net satisfaction rating has dropped below Mr Cameron’s for the first time since March 2012. Only 30 per cent of voters are satisfied with Mr Miliband’s performance, compared with 38 per cent for the Prime Minister.
stop wimping TSE.
Labour are still ahead. But they aren't far enough ahead. It's an HP still. Tories will benefit over coming months from the royal baby, good weather but primarily the economy. If they put more money in people's pockets over the next 2 years the numbers will turn.
Labour have nowt to say.
I've always liked that Nick Clegg sensible sort of chap just like that nice Vince Cable ;-)
The best was Kate Green, who knew what was going to happen, did it anyway, and grimaced through the inevitable response.
@oflynnexpress: Lab is in retreat on welfare, immigration, tax & spend, union links + leader looking his weakest ever. Doesn't look like winning prospectus.
Despite the increased support for Labour, satisfaction with the Prime Minister has increased and is now higher than satisfaction with Ed Miliband. Mr Cameron’s net satisfaction is now better than Mr Miliband’s for the first time since March 2012.
- David Cameron’s net satisfaction rating of -16 (% satisfied minus % dissatisfied) is an improvement of 8 points since last month, and his highest this year. 38% are satisfied with the Prime Minister, 54% are dissatisfied. Satisfaction with David Cameron among Conservative supporters has also improved with 78% satisfied and 17% dissatisfied.
- 30% are satisfied with Mr Miliband’s performance as Labour leader compared with 56% who are dissatisfied. His net rating of -26 has fallen by five points from last month and is his lowest since January 2012. Mr Miliband has a net satisfaction rating of -1 among Labour supporters, with 43% satisfied and 44% dissatisfied.
- Nick Clegg’s ratings are unchanged from last month with 27% satisfied and 61% dissatisfied, giving him a net rating of -34.
- Nigel Farage remains the leader with the highest satisfaction ratings though his net rating has fallen by eight points in the last month. 34% of Britons say they are satisfied with the UKIP leader and 35% are dissatisfied while 31% say they don’t know”. Among UKIP supporters 91% are satisfied and just 5% are dissatisfied. This is the highest approval rating any leader has among their own supporters.
- Three in ten (30%) Britons are satisfied with the way the government is running the country while 62% are dissatisfied.
And if Labour didn't give off enough panic signals - here's confirmation. This is most entertaining. I hope Labour keeps this up as its vvv imp to voters.
Paul Waugh @paulwaugh Labour sources say in light of PM refusal to answer Crosby Qs, It's writing to Cab Sec to ask for inquiry into whether PM breaches Min Code
They're truly terrified of Crosby.
A full scale investigation of lobbying on all sides would be interesting.
The best was Kate Green, who knew what was going to happen, did it anyway, and grimaced through the inevitable response.
@oflynnexpress: Lab is in retreat on welfare, immigration, tax & spend, union links + leader looking his weakest ever. Doesn't look like winning prospectus.
Absolutely Scott_P
And this is mid-term. As the economy improves is it likely that Labour will rebound ? Unlikely in my view. To my mind the question becomes how bad will it become for Labour.
Does Ed enjoy the leadership skills to limit the damage - Is he William Hague of 2001 or Michael Foot from 1983 ?
Comments
I made the number of Bercow intervention 6 - well above the 3 required for my bet
'MT @Tony_McNulty: v bad session for Lab'
Yes,Ed crushed 6-1.
Of course not - "As Labour demonstrated so often during the Blair years the claim that the NHS is not safe in CON hands resonates. "
Alastair Campbell's approach was hardly nuanced, was it?
When Cheryl Gillan rose to ask her question, there on the top right were Tim Loughton (Con, East Worthing and Shoreham) and Keith Simpson (Con, Broadlands) doing magnificent leopard-claw impersonations with added feline commentary to general hilarity among their neighbours (including the ladies).
Oh, and Dave thumped Ed overall.
Still, 2 years, plenty of time for swing ... oh ...
You can tell how well Ed was doing by the number of supportive posts from the usual suspects here.
Oh, wait...
Still, Ed had more women round him in shot than Cameron. That's a win, right?
How much would the Heathrow site be worth for brownfield development? Some farmland in Derbyshire/Staffordshire area just sold for around a million pounds an acre. I'd imagine the Heathrow site would be much more than this, and is around 3,000 acres in size.
Travelling by road from here in Cambridge, Heathrow can be a bit of a nightmare to get to at certain times of the day. It was not so bad to reach from Southampton - it is the northwestern stretch of the M25 that's the killer.
EdMiliband to call for an independent inquiry into Lynton Crosby and potential conflicts of interest. (Not a judge-led one on this occasion)
Paul Waugh @paulwaugh
Labour sources say in light of PM refusal to answer Crosby Qs, It's writing to Cab Sec to ask for inquiry into whether PM breaches Min Code
CON 29 -2
LAB 40 +5
LD 10 nc
UKIP 12 nc
So that the BBC can have "Miliband attacks PM over Crosby" as the headline link on its PMQ's story.
Tories Launch End of Term American Style Attack Ad on Ed: http://bit.ly/15Mvlte
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23344423
I'm not sure that the comments quoted in the last three paragraphs of that article are entirely helpful to the defence case.
Twas a shocker from the Labour benches, one of the poorest I've seen in a long time, made worse because almost by stealth Labour placed themselves on the back foot on two of their strongest issues - NHS and lobbying. Added to that Cameron was calmer, well briefed, steely eyed and relaxed a tad as the win became clear. Much more impressive.
Just to add to Labour woes this is the last PMQ's until September and will linger in the memory. If there is a silver lining for Labour it is that the recess will allow time for them to regroup .... but regroup to do what ??
Tick tock ... tick tock
Labour are still ahead. But they aren't far enough ahead. It's an HP still. Tories will benefit over coming months from the royal baby, good weather but primarily the economy. If they put more money in people's pockets over the next 2 years the numbers will turn.
Labour have nowt to say.
I've always liked that Nick Clegg sensible sort of chap just like that nice Vince Cable ;-)
@oflynnexpress: Lab is in retreat on welfare, immigration, tax & spend, union links + leader looking his weakest ever. Doesn't look like winning prospectus.
Despite the increased support for Labour, satisfaction with the Prime Minister has increased and is now higher than satisfaction with Ed Miliband. Mr Cameron’s net satisfaction is now better than Mr Miliband’s for the first time since March 2012.
- David Cameron’s net satisfaction rating of -16 (% satisfied minus % dissatisfied) is an improvement of 8 points since last month, and his highest this year. 38% are satisfied with the Prime Minister, 54% are dissatisfied. Satisfaction with David Cameron among Conservative supporters has also improved with 78% satisfied and 17% dissatisfied.
- 30% are satisfied with Mr Miliband’s performance as Labour leader compared with 56% who are dissatisfied. His net rating of -26 has fallen by five points from last month and is his lowest since January 2012. Mr Miliband has a net satisfaction rating of -1 among Labour supporters, with 43% satisfied and 44% dissatisfied.
- Nick Clegg’s ratings are unchanged from last month with 27% satisfied and 61% dissatisfied, giving him a net rating of -34.
- Nigel Farage remains the leader with the highest satisfaction ratings though his net rating has fallen by eight points in the last month. 34% of Britons say they are satisfied with the UKIP leader and 35% are dissatisfied while 31% say they don’t know”. Among UKIP supporters 91% are satisfied and just 5% are dissatisfied. This is the highest approval rating any leader has among their own supporters.
- Three in ten (30%) Britons are satisfied with the way the government is running the country while 62% are dissatisfied.
A full scale investigation of lobbying on all sides would be interesting.
Has rEd really thought this one through?
And this is mid-term. As the economy improves is it likely that Labour will rebound ? Unlikely in my view. To my mind the question becomes how bad will it become for Labour.
Does Ed enjoy the leadership skills to limit the damage - Is he William Hague of 2001 or Michael Foot from 1983 ?
The clock it is a ticking ....
*snip* One for the archives.
What's that stench? *sniff* It's the stench of blatant hypocrisy isn't it?
HAHAHHAHAHAH indeed. ;^ )