One or two people on here salivating at the prospect of the extinction of the Labour Party it would appear so nothing unusual in that.
I wouldn't take the S&NH result or even a YouGov poll as symptomatic of anything new and dramatic. Labour is still able to win and win big in some of its heartlands and I'd need to see some evidence of a big loss in the 2018 London local elections to convince me we were in anything like a different phase.
How many skilled manufacturing jobs, with British car manufacturers small and large, is he happy to see go in order to implement his policy?
To be fair, I don't think he is calling for the abolition of cars, just that they shouldn't use petrol or diesel, so much of the car industry will be unaffected (and many of those jobs will be lost to automation anyway) I don't thrill anyone would disagree getting rid of petrol vehciales is a laudable aim in principle, but 10 years seems very ambitious.
We may need to do so if we want to export to the EU:
An exaggeration, no doubt, but electrics are getting more and more common.
As will gas-powered power stations need to become in order to generate all the additional electricity required, unless of course it is intended to revert to coal-powered power stations .... come back Scargill, all is forgiven.
Just a thought, but the local elections up for next May are mostly in areas that last voted in 2013 - when Labour were a few points ahead in the polls. If the current situation persists between now and then, could we be looking at something like a 10% swing Lab>Con?
How would Jeremy be able to explain that, and how dozens of MPs feel as they start to realise their own seats are under threat if they stick with Corbyn?
Even then, the membership are an enormous block to a change of leader.
Very much so. Which is why after the locals the party need to get behind someone like Starmer. If the membership persists in re-electing Corbyn against a strong candidate (not 'Owen Who?') and in the face of an electoral bloodbath, then the PLP know they have to split to save their own seats in 2020.
But this is the PLP we are talking about, who have shown they don't have a spine between them when it comes to these things.
That's a tad unfair. The resignations, VoNC and challenge were all evidence of spine. Not entirely their fault they couldn't make it work (although the shenanigans around the nominations didn't help).
Possibly a tad unfair, but how many of those who resigned and voted against Corbyn are now back working as shadows under him?
One or two people on here salivating at the prospect of the extinction of the Labour Party it would appear so nothing unusual in that.
I wouldn't take the S&NH result or even a YouGov poll as symptomatic of anything new and dramatic. Labour is still able to win and win big in some of its heartlands and I'd need to see some evidence of a big loss in the 2018 London local elections to convince me we were in anything like a different phase.
How many skilled manufacturing jobs, with British car manufacturers small and large, is he happy to see go in order to implement his policy?
Electric cars are probably inevitable. In 20 years time, there won't be petrol cars.
You might as well get in on the ground floor with new technologies.
I don't disagree with the way technology is moving, but the way forward is to invests in the new technologies, not to ban something in which Britain has carved out something of a profitable niche.
I don't know what Corbyn-ites are trying to prove with the "safe Tory seat" line, and whether they are being naive or dishonest.
In all seats, there is a sizable market for a credible alternative Goverrnment. Some have a smaller market than others, and in places it's not enough to win. Sleaford may well be one such place. But Sleaford has Remainers, it has council estates, it has people below the median wage, and it had Miliband voters. You might get squeezed if the Lib Dems start in second (as in Richmond) which is more understandable.
But the message of Sleaford (and Witney, where Labour also started second) is that Corbyn's Labour cannot - at all - attract the credible alternative government market. And if it can't in Sleaford, there is no reason to expect it to do so in the marginals, where that market is larger but not fundamentally different.
Spot on.
I cannot see Labour retaking Nuneaton or Loughborough, to name a couple of former marginals near me, while pursuing policies that the Corbynites desire.
Bosworth is one of the 25 LD target seats though, with 22.3% at 2015 a reasonable starting point. Some Lab to LD switching here is very possible.
Hinckley & Bosworth .. 60 per cent Leave.
I do sometimes wonder what qualifies as a " ..LD target seat."
Even in the good times, the LDs had no seats in the Eurosceptic East Midlands (save Leicester S after a by-election).
22.3% LD at the last election, one of the smallest swings against the LDs in the country in 2015, a good council presence, a useless incumbent Tory in Tredinnick. It is uphill but doable.
When was the last time the LibDems (or the predecessor Liberals) won a seat in a General Election in the East Midlands?
My guess is it is before the War.
I think that you are probably right. 1931 perhaps?
There are quite a few LD councillors though, particularly in Hinckley, Oadby and Wigston. The Leics council elections in May will perhaps give some indication, but there is leafletting already going on in Bosworth targetting the seat.
The Tories would be well-advised to soft-pedal that election, should it come.
I don't agree with this. Tories shouldn't make the mistake of trying to see UKIP as some sort of disguised-Tory party, and certainly shouldn't be hoping they overtake Labour. Nuttall will be aiming to take Labour voters by shifting to a very authoritarian social position and leftwards on economics. This is a shift in populist movements we are seeing everywhere - the FN being the classic example, but even in former neoliberal parties like the PVV, Wilders has taken a more protectionist and leftwing turn.
Not clear to me why a pro-market, pro-free trade party like the Tories would want anything to do with that.
It destroys Labour and positions the Tories as the swing centre party who can then ally with either LDs or UKIP as conditions require.
One or two people on here salivating at the prospect of the extinction of the Labour Party it would appear so nothing unusual in that.
I wouldn't take the S&NH result or even a YouGov poll as symptomatic of anything new and dramatic. Labour is still able to win and win big in some of its heartlands and I'd need to see some evidence of a big loss in the 2018 London local elections to convince me we were in anything like a different phase.
How many skilled manufacturing jobs, with British car manufacturers small and large, is he happy to see go in order to implement his policy?
To be fair, I don't think he is calling for the abolition of cars, just that they shouldn't use petrol or diesel, so much of the car industry will be unaffected (and many of those jobs will be lost to automation anyway) I don't thrill anyone would disagree getting rid of petrol vehciales is a laudable aim in principle, but 10 years seems very ambitious.
We need to wean ourselves off oil as much as possible, so I can't get wound up about this one. Of course I doubt Corbyn really gives a toss about whether the Sunderland workers will have jobs making electric cars, probably expects everyone to cycle or take the train (if they can find a seat of course).
A national swing of 2% from Lab to Con, as shown by the by-election discussed in the header, would give a gain of 18 seats by Tories on new boundaries according to ElectoralCalculus.
The Tories would be well-advised to soft-pedal that election, should it come.
I don't agree with this. Tories shouldn't make the mistake of trying to see UKIP as some sort of disguised-Tory party, and certainly shouldn't be hoping they overtake Labour. Nuttall will be aiming to take Labour voters by shifting to a very authoritarian social position and leftwards on economics. This is a shift in populist movements we are seeing everywhere - the FN being the classic example, but even in former neoliberal parties like the PVV, Wilders has taken a more protectionist and leftwing turn.
Not clear to me why a pro-market, pro-free trade party like the Tories would want anything to do with that.
It destroys Labour and positions the Tories as the swing centre party who can then ally with either LDs or UKIP as conditions require.
Let me get this right: The Labour Party soft pedalling in Richmond and Sleaford and Hykeham is evidence that they are not a credible national party, but the Tories soft pedalling in Leigh shows that they are the natural party of government?
I don't know what Corbyn-ites are trying to prove with the "safe Tory seat" line, and whether they are being naive or dishonest.
In all seats, there is a sizable market for a credible alternative Goverrnment. Some have a smaller market than others, and in places it's not enough to win. Sleaford may well be one such place. But Sleaford has Remainers, it has council estates, it has people below the median wage, and it had Miliband voters. You might get squeezed if the Lib Dems start in second (as in Richmond) which is more understandable.
But the message of Sleaford (and Witney, where Labour also started second) is that Corbyn's Labour cannot - at all - attract the credible alternative government market. And if it can't in Sleaford, there is no reason to expect it to do so in the marginals, where that market is larger but not fundamentally different.
Spot on.
I cannot see Labour retaking Nuneaton or Loughborough, to name a couple of former marginals near me, while pursuing policies that the Corbynites desire.
Bosworth is one of the 25 LD target seats though, with 22.3% at 2015 a reasonable starting point. Some Lab to LD switching here is very possible.
Hinckley & Bosworth .. 60 per cent Leave.
I do sometimes wonder what qualifies as a " ..LD target seat."
Even in the good times, the LDs had no seats in the Eurosceptic East Midlands (save Leicester S after a by-election).
22.3% LD at the last election, one of the smallest swings against the LDs in the country in 2015, a good council presence, a useless incumbent Tory in Tredinnick. It is uphill but doable.
When was the last time the LibDems (or the predecessor Liberals) won a seat in a General Election in the East Midlands?
My guess is it is before the War.
I think that you are probably right. 1931 perhaps?
There are quite a few LD councillors though, particularly in Hinckley, Oadby and Wigston. The Leics council elections in May will perhaps give some indication, but there is leafletting already going on in Bosworth targetting the seat.
It seems the National Liberals held Holland with Boston as late as 1964.
The National Liberals eventually joined the Tories, so it is perhaps not fair to consider tham as a precursor party to the LibDems.
I don't know what Corbyn-ites are trying to prove with the "safe Tory seat" line, and whether they are being naive or dishonest.
In all seats, there is a sizable market for a credible alternative Goverrnment. Some have a smaller market than others, and in places it's not enough to win. Sleaford may well be one such place. But Sleaford has Remainers, it has council estates, it has people below the median wage, and it had Miliband voters. You might get squeezed if the Lib Dems start in second (as in Richmond) which is more understandable.
But the message of Sleaford (and Witney, where Labour also started second) is that Corbyn's Labour cannot - at all - attract the credible alternative government market. And if it can't in Sleaford, there is no reason to expect it to do so in the marginals, where that market is larger but not fundamentally different.
Spot on.
I cannot see Labour retaking Nuneaton or Loughborough, to name a couple of former marginals near me, while pursuing policies that the Corbynites desire.
Bosworth is one of the 25 LD target seats though, with 22.3% at 2015 a reasonable starting point. Some Lab to LD switching here is very possible.
Hinckley & Bosworth .. 60 per cent Leave.
I do sometimes wonder what qualifies as a " ..LD target seat."
Even in the good times, the LDs had no seats in the Eurosceptic East Midlands (save Leicester S after a by-election).
22.3% LD at the last election, one of the smallest swings against the LDs in the country in 2015, a good council presence, a useless incumbent Tory in Tredinnick. It is uphill but doable.
When was the last time the LibDems (or the predecessor Liberals) won a seat in a General Election in the East Midlands?
I remain convinced that Corbyn will voluntarily stand down about a year before the next GE and a leader with similar views but electorally far more attractive will replace him.
There is a level of complacency about the Tories right now, they seem to believe they can get away with anything because they will still beat Corbyn in 2020 whatever they do. That is probably correct but the strategy is totally reliant on Corbyn still being there.
May's support is currently about a mile wide and an inch deep. A couple of years from now we will be knee-deep in Brexit related problems - even the most enthusiastic Leavers know the short term is going to be messy and unpleasant and the electorate, by and large, don't take the long-term view.
The Tories have, for better or worse, now owned Brexit and are moving away from the liberal modernising image of Cameron and Osborne. A new more appealing Labour face exploiting those problems could do very well. 3 and a half years is a long time in politics and we have a highly volatile and fickle electorate.
It's possible, they are being complacent, but who that face would be is had to see that far out.
I agree it is hard to look that far ahead except that on the Brexit front if indeed there are sunlit uplands ahead of us I doubt we will have reached them in 3 years time. The next GE is likely (though not certainly) to be fought against a backdrop of peak concern over Brexit.
One or two people on here salivating at the prospect of the extinction of the Labour Party it would appear so nothing unusual in that.
I wouldn't take the S&NH result or even a YouGov poll as symptomatic of anything new and dramatic. Labour is still able to win and win big in some of its heartlands and I'd need to see some evidence of a big loss in the 2018 London local elections to convince me we were in anything like a different phase.
How many skilled manufacturing jobs, with British car manufacturers small and large, is he happy to see go in order to implement his policy?
To be fair he is not suggesting we build fewer cars, just that we have a different system to drive them. Obviously there would be disruption but not necessarily a big drop in the number of jobs.
Although I have no truck with the AGW catastrophists, this seems like a sensible policy to me. Hydrocarbons are a finite resource and one that is vital to many aspects of our lives. Burning them to move us around seems a really dumb way to use them up. I suppose the only question would be one of timescale.
Genuine question. Has anyone built an electric 30 tonner yet? It seems to me that a large amount of traffic on the road is freight and we really need a viable point to point (hence not rail) freight transport system if we are planning on getting rid of internal combustion engines.
I've spent the past week travelling the country dispensing fine wines to ease the passing of 2016 for my leftist chums, after the appalling year they have had.
They not only seem to have given up on Labour, they have completely given up on politics.
Labour doesn't need a new leader; it needs a new membership. And then it needs a new Tony Blair, able to construct a coalition of voters as only he could in recent decades. But can anyone here imagine that happening any time soon? And the longer that takes, the more Labour towns like Doncaster and Stoke and Coventry are moving further away from comfortable holds and into marginals territory.
When I nodded off, Prime Minister Cameron's Remain were winning the EU referendum according to the phone polls, Nigel Farage was wrecking leaves chances by mentioning immigration, Hilary Clinton was nailed on to be POTUS and Spurs were just about to finally finish above the Arsenal...
Genuine question. Has anyone built an electric 30 tonner yet? It seems to me that a large amount of traffic on the road is freight and we really need a viable point to point (hence not rail) freight transport system if we are planning on getting rid of internal combustion engines.
Don't know. But if it is a few years away then I doubt it will be driven by a human.
One or two people on here salivating at the prospect of the extinction of the Labour Party it would appear so nothing unusual in that.
I wouldn't take the S&NH result or even a YouGov poll as symptomatic of anything new and dramatic. Labour is still able to win and win big in some of its heartlands and I'd need to see some evidence of a big loss in the 2018 London local elections to convince me we were in anything like a different phase.
How many skilled manufacturing jobs, with British car manufacturers small and large, is he happy to see go in order to implement his policy?
To be fair he is not suggesting we build fewer cars, just that we have a different system to drive them. Obviously there would be disruption but not necessarily a big drop in the number of jobs.
Although I have no truck with the AGW catastrophists, this seems like a sensible policy to me. Hydrocarbons are a finite resource and one that is vital to many aspects of our lives. Burning them to move us around seems a really dumb way to use them up. I suppose the only question would be one of timescale.
The article says "low" emission vehicles, but it's not clear what level that is set as. If we're talking about 90% of cars cut out, it;s too much of a shock. But I think there is a level which the industry can sustain.
When I nodded off, Prime Minister Cameron's Remain were winning the EU referendum according to the phone polls, Nigel Farage was wrecking leaves chances by mentioning immigration, Hilary Clinton was nailed on to be POTUS and Spurs were just about to finally finish above the Arsenal...
One or two people on here salivating at the prospect of the extinction of the Labour Party it would appear so nothing unusual in that.
I wouldn't take the S&NH result or even a YouGov poll as symptomatic of anything new and dramatic. Labour is still able to win and win big in some of its heartlands and I'd need to see some evidence of a big loss in the 2018 London local elections to convince me we were in anything like a different phase.
When I nodded off, Prime Minister Cameron's Remain were winning the EU referendum according to the phone polls, Nigel Farage was wrecking leaves chances by mentioning immigration, Hilary Clinton was nailed on to be POTUS and Spurs were just about to finally finish above the Arsenal...
A national swing of 2% from Lab to Con, as shown by the by-election discussed in the header, would give a gain of 18 seats by Tories on new boundaries according to ElectoralCalculus.
When I nodded off, Prime Minister Cameron's Remain were winning the EU referendum according to the phone polls, Nigel Farage was wrecking leaves chances by mentioning immigration, Hilary Clinton was nailed on to be POTUS and Spurs were just about to finally finish above the Arsenal...
I don't know what Corbyn-ites are trying to prove with the "safe Tory seat" line, and whether they are being naive or dishonest.
In all seats, there is a sizable market for a credible alternative Goverrnment. Some have a smaller market than others, and in places it's not enough to win. Sleaford may well be one such place. But Sleaford has Remainers, it has council estates, it has people below the median wage, and it had Miliband voters. You might get squeezed if the Lib Dems start in second (as in Richmond) which is more understandable.
But the message of Sleaford (and Witney, where Labour also started second) is that Corbyn's Labour cannot - at all - attract the credible alternative government market. And if it can't in Sleaford, there is no reason to expect it to do so in the marginals, where that market is larger but not fundamentally different.
Spot on.
I cannot see Labour retaking Nuneaton or Loughborough, to name a couple of former marginals near me, while pursuing policies that the Corbynites desire.
Bosworth is one of the 25 LD target seats though, with 22.3% at 2015 a reasonable starting point. Some Lab to LD switching here is very possible.
Hinckley & Bosworth .. 60 per cent Leave.
I do sometimes wonder what qualifies as a " ..LD target seat."
Even in the good times, the LDs had no seats in the Eurosceptic East Midlands (save Leicester S after a by-election).
22.3% LD at the last election, one of the smallest swings against the LDs in the country in 2015, a good council presence, a useless incumbent Tory in Tredinnick. It is uphill but doable.
When was the last time the LibDems (or the predecessor Liberals) won a seat in a General Election in the East Midlands?
No it isn't. East Midlands has always traditionally been 5 counties - Lincs, Notts, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Derbyshire. It goes all the way back to Anglo Saxon times and the 5 Boroughs.
Genuine question. Has anyone built an electric 30 tonner yet? It seems to me that a large amount of traffic on the road is freight and we really need a viable point to point (hence not rail) freight transport system if we are planning on getting rid of internal combustion engines.
I remain convinced that Corbyn will voluntarily stand down about a year before the next GE and a leader with similar views but electorally far more attractive will replace him.
There is a level of complacency about the Tories right now, they seem to believe they can get away with anything because they will still beat Corbyn in 2020 whatever they do. That is probably correct but the strategy is totally reliant on Corbyn still being there.
May's support is currently about a mile wide and an inch deep. A couple of years from now we will be knee-deep in Brexit related problems - even the most enthusiastic Leavers know the short term is going to be messy and unpleasant and the electorate, by and large, don't take the long-term view.
The Tories have, for better or worse, now owned Brexit and are moving away from the liberal modernising image of Cameron and Osborne. A new more appealing Labour face exploiting those problems could do very well. 3 and a half years is a long time in politics and we have a highly volatile and fickle electorate.
It's possible, they are being complacent, but who that face would be is had to see that far out.
I can't see McD and Seamus letting Corbyn stand down unless they have it totally sewn up as to who will replace him and that that person is McD. Possibly they would allow Clive Lewis, but I'm not convinced.
A more likely scenario is that the men in boiler suits come along in 2018/19 and say the game is up and give McD no choice. Moamentum will have imploded by then and it is just possible that a "normal" labour leadership election will take place.
The Tories would be well-advised to soft-pedal that election, should it come.
I don't agree with this. Tories shouldn't make the mistake of trying to see UKIP as some sort of disguised-Tory party, and certainly shouldn't be hoping they overtake Labour. Nuttall will be aiming to take Labour voters by shifting to a very authoritarian social position and leftwards on economics. This is a shift in populist movements we are seeing everywhere - the FN being the classic example, but even in former neoliberal parties like the PVV, Wilders has taken a more protectionist and leftwing turn.
Not clear to me why a pro-market, pro-free trade party like the Tories would want anything to do with that.
Tactically it makes the next election easier to win, in theory, and strategically, would they rather the main opposition was Corbynite or Wildersesque?
One or two people on here salivating at the prospect of the extinction of the Labour Party it would appear so nothing unusual in that.
I wouldn't take the S&NH result or even a YouGov poll as symptomatic of anything new and dramatic. Labour is still able to win and win big in some of its heartlands and I'd need to see some evidence of a big loss in the 2018 London local elections to convince me we were in anything like a different phase.
How many skilled manufacturing jobs, with British car manufacturers small and large, is he happy to see go in order to implement his policy?
To be fair he is not suggesting we build fewer cars, just that we have a different system to drive them. Obviously there would be disruption but not necessarily a big drop in the number of jobs.
Although I have no truck with the AGW catastrophists, this seems like a sensible policy to me. Hydrocarbons are a finite resource and one that is vital to many aspects of our lives. Burning them to move us around seems a really dumb way to use them up. I suppose the only question would be one of timescale.
We would have to build lots of power stations or huge energy storage systems and BIG solar energy plants. AND upgrade the National Grid..
Recharging electric cars needs high currents and quick charging.. usually all at once. The current electricity system could not cope.
His £50 Billion would not cover that - on its own...
Then of course, there are the charging stations to build...
One or two people on here salivating at the prospect of the extinction of the Labour Party it would appear so nothing unusual in that.
I wouldn't take the S&NH result or even a YouGov poll as symptomatic of anything new and dramatic. Labour is still able to win and win big in some of its heartlands and I'd need to see some evidence of a big loss in the 2018 London local elections to convince me we were in anything like a different phase.
How many skilled manufacturing jobs, with British car manufacturers small and large, is he happy to see go in order to implement his policy?
To be fair he is not suggesting we build fewer cars, just that we have a different system to drive them. Obviously there would be disruption but not necessarily a big drop in the number of jobs.
Although I have no truck with the AGW catastrophists, this seems like a sensible policy to me. Hydrocarbons are a finite resource and one that is vital to many aspects of our lives. Burning them to move us around seems a really dumb way to use them up. I suppose the only question would be one of timescale.
At the moment the cheapest electric car with more than 250 miles range is @rcs1000's £60k Tesla Model S, although the same manufacturer's forthcoming (in 2018) Model 3 should be close to cutting that price in half. All Corbyn's silly proposal would do is make motoring more expensive for the working classes and the JAMs that Mrs May is trying to attract to the Tories.
If Corbyn wants to see more electric cars, then work with those developing hybrid and battery technology - in the UK that's Williams, McLaren, Mercedes Motorsport and a number of other small and innovative companies and universities. Maybe encourage Tesla to set up in Cambridge and work with the scientists there on the technology.
Banning petrol cars might appeal in Islanington, but not in the rest of the country. Oh, and is it £40bn a year in revenues from fuel duty and road tax?
The Tories would be well-advised to soft-pedal that election, should it come.
I don't agree with this. Tories shouldn't make the mistake of trying to see UKIP as some sort of disguised-Tory party, and certainly shouldn't be hoping they overtake Labour. Nuttall will be aiming to take Labour voters by shifting to a very authoritarian social position and leftwards on economics. This is a shift in populist movements we are seeing everywhere - the FN being the classic example, but even in former neoliberal parties like the PVV, Wilders has taken a more protectionist and leftwing turn.
Not clear to me why a pro-market, pro-free trade party like the Tories would want anything to do with that.
Tactically it makes the next election easier to win, in theory, and strategically, would they rather the main opposition was Corbynite or Wildersesque?
The Tories should be going for every vote they can get. If it is NOM next time, there is considerable moral authority in being the largest party, especially if Jeremy is trying to cobble together a rainbow coalition to get into Downing Street.
That said, what could possibly be in it for the LibDems and the SNP to chain themselves to the inevitable clusterfvck of a Corbyn administration?
No it isn't. East Midlands has always traditionally been 5 counties - Lincs, Notts, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Derbyshire. It goes all the way back to Anglo Saxon times and the 5 Boroughs.
The East Midlands as an actual geographically defined region is an EU thing though, as part of the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics.
Genuine question. Has anyone built an electric 30 tonner yet? It seems to me that a large amount of traffic on the road is freight and we really need a viable point to point (hence not rail) freight transport system if we are planning on getting rid of internal combustion engines.
Genuine question. Has anyone built an electric 30 tonner yet? It seems to me that a large amount of traffic on the road is freight and we really need a viable point to point (hence not rail) freight transport system if we are planning on getting rid of internal combustion engines.
It will happen, but the battery technology isn't there yet - being better suited to lighter vehicles right now.
Where the progress is coming in heavy vehicles in in self-driving and collaborative communications between trucks, that allows them to drive a foot or two apart and saves massive amounts of fuel. Combined with self-driving this might allow a single or a pair of drivers to run a convoy of a dozen trucks non-stop cross-country (in the US) in a few days - at something like half the current marginal cost.
After his comfortable reelection by party members, Labour are stuck with Corbyn, the only question at the next general election is if they get a higher or lower voteshare than Michael Foot got in 1983, at the moment it is looking like the latter. They are also being squeezed from the centre by the LDs and the populist right by UKIP.
As for the Tories May is doing fine for now as she commits to implementing Brexit and due to the hapless nature of Labour, the only voteshare she has lost has been of Remain voting Tories to the LDs as it has looked like hard Brexit in some form, especially after her Tory conference speech. However if you actually read what the government has been saying it actually looks more like grey, softish Brexit i.e. free movement restricted by a job offer, some budget contributions to the EU continuing for single market access etc. After Article 50 is invoked and the exact nature of Brexit becomes clearer then UKIP will likely be more of a threat to the Tories too if the most hardcore Leave voting Tories do not get the full hard Brexit they are looking for
When I nodded off, Prime Minister Cameron's Remain were winning the EU referendum according to the phone polls, Nigel Farage was wrecking leaves chances by mentioning immigration, Hilary Clinton was nailed on to be POTUS and Spurs were just about to finally finish above the Arsenal...
Did I miss much?
Leicester are having a crap year in the football and might get relegated.
I remain convinced that Corbyn will voluntarily stand down about a year before the next GE and a leader with similar views but electorally far more attractive will replace him.
There is a level of complacency about the Tories right now, they seem to believe they can get away with anything because they will still beat Corbyn in 2020 whatever they do. That is probably correct but the strategy is totally reliant on Corbyn still being there.
May's support is currently about a mile wide and an inch deep. A couple of years from now we will be knee-deep in Brexit related problems - even the most enthusiastic Leavers know the short term is going to be messy and unpleasant and the electorate, by and large, don't take the long-term view.
The Tories have, for better or worse, now owned Brexit and are moving away from the liberal modernising image of Cameron and Osborne. A new more appealing Labour face exploiting those problems could do very well. 3 and a half years is a long time in politics and we have a highly volatile and fickle electorate.
It's possible, they are being complacent, but who that face would be is had to see that far out.
I can't see McD and Seamus letting Corbyn stand down unless they have it totally sewn up as to who will replace him and that that person is McD. Possibly they would allow Clive Lewis, but I'm not convinced.
A more likely scenario is that the men in boiler suits come along in 2018/19 and say the game is up and give McD no choice. Moamentum will have imploded by then and it is just possible that a "normal" labour leadership election will take place.
After Lewis backed Trident he is a non-starter before 2020
I've lived in Merseyside for 25 years but it's still a bit strange.
Derbyshire ain't that far from you. I think Derbyshire's most northerly point isn't that far from Manchester.
I say that as someone who has spent far too much off my life stuck in traffic in Tintwistle
Ignoring the modern monstrosity, Cheshire, Lancashire and Derbyshire virtually make a triangle about 10 miles east of Manchester and about 10 mines north of where I grew up - only a thin sliver of Cheshire separates the latter two.
Genuine question. Has anyone built an electric 30 tonner yet? It seems to me that a large amount of traffic on the road is freight and we really need a viable point to point (hence not rail) freight transport system if we are planning on getting rid of internal combustion engines.
No it isn't. East Midlands has always traditionally been 5 counties - Lincs, Notts, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Derbyshire. It goes all the way back to Anglo Saxon times and the 5 Boroughs.
The East Midlands as an actual geographically defined region is an EU thing though, as part of the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics.
The Corbynites I have spoken to appear to have a genuine belief that Jezza is the right leader to lead us into government.
I thought that they would secretly acknowledge that he is a dud, but that isn't what they think.
That is our problem.
Therefore the only way to get a change of leader is with Corbyn's consent - his choice of candidate on the ballot to offer a left policy position but delivered by a PM in waiting.
I know many on here think we'd still get walloped under that scenario, but I think that would give us a fighting chance of leading the next government.
I'm afraid a Corbyn by any other name would smell the same. A man without a policy position on the most important issue of the last 40 years.
The big change over the past year is that what was originally seen as a Corbyn problem is now understood to be more fundamental. Indeed Corbyn is a symptom rather than a cause. The problems identified in the header and discussion would still be there under Owen Smith or whoever; indeed arguably there would then be the additional problem of losing Corbyn's apparent appeal to younger radicals.
Good point. The real surprise to me (albeit as a Tory) is that there has been no split as yet by 50+ MPs, either in establishing a new centre left party or, heaven forbid, in joining with Tim's Two Taxi LibDems. These same MPs appear to prefer the prospect of death by a thousand cuts instead.
@PaulBrandITV: Asked Corbyn why he won't condemn in strongest terms killing in Aleppo by Russia - but Shami Chak passed my question to Emily Thornberry
@tamcohen: I asked Jeremy Corbyn a question on Syria and Russia. Emily Thornberry answers. She claims labour has taken 'the strongest possible stand'
@Sandpit I've traded out for draw (For about a pound profit btw)
Cricviz has the match Ind 75%, Eng 4%, Draw 20% fyi
I just found Cricviz app (thanks for the tip!), very interesting to compare them to Betfair odds. How accurate have CV been, good enough to suggest that the value is on India's BF price of 1.38?
The big change over the past year is that what was originally seen as a Corbyn problem is now understood to be more fundamental. Indeed Corbyn is a symptom rather than a cause. The problems identified in the header and discussion would still be there under Owen Smith or whoever; indeed arguably there would then be the additional problem of losing Corbyn's apparent appeal to younger radicals.
Good point. The real surprise to me (albeit as a Tory) is that there has been no split as yet by 50+ MPs, either in establishing a new centre left party or, heaven forbid, in joining with Tim's Two Taxi LibDems. These same MPs appear to prefer the prospect of death by a thousand cuts instead.
The Labour brand is very strong.
You could do a reverse, effectively take every MP other than the far left, then get the Labour name.
If Corbyn is still there in a couple of years' time, we've got a whole General Election campaign of this to look forward to! Are you okay with that, Lab MP in a Midlands marginal?
The big change over the past year is that what was originally seen as a Corbyn problem is now understood to be more fundamental. Indeed Corbyn is a symptom rather than a cause. The problems identified in the header and discussion would still be there under Owen Smith or whoever; indeed arguably there would then be the additional problem of losing Corbyn's apparent appeal to younger radicals.
Good point. The real surprise to me (albeit as a Tory) is that there has been no split as yet by 50+ MPs, either in establishing a new centre left party or, heaven forbid, in joining with Tim's Two Taxi LibDems. These same MPs appear to prefer the prospect of death by a thousand cuts instead.
The Labour brand is very strong.
You could do a reverse, effectively take every MP other than the far left, then get the Labour name.
I believe that idea was floated. Other than being far far too bold, especially for people who could barely manage to challenge Corbyn, my understanding was getting the name would be a legal tussle.
When I nodded off, Prime Minister Cameron's Remain were winning the EU referendum according to the phone polls, Nigel Farage was wrecking leaves chances by mentioning immigration, Hilary Clinton was nailed on to be POTUS and Spurs were just about to finally finish above the Arsenal...
Did I miss much?
For Leicester City the season has not worked out very well, though I do have £25 on relegation at 15/1 to compensate!
When I nodded off, Prime Minister Cameron's Remain were winning the EU referendum according to the phone polls, Nigel Farage was wrecking leaves chances by mentioning immigration, Hilary Clinton was nailed on to be POTUS and Spurs were just about to finally finish above the Arsenal...
Did I miss much?
Leicester are having a crap year in the football and might get relegated.
Leicester could win the European Cup and get relegated in the same year.
If Corbyn is still there in a couple of years' time, we've got a whole General Election campaign of this to look forward to! Are you okay with that, Lab MP in a Midlands marginal?
I am sure someone will pop up to say people don't care about Sinn Fein, and they are in government in northern ireland now. Personally I think there is a difference between Sinn Fein's stance and Corbyn's, given the respective positions they held at the time.
@PaulBrandITV: Asked Corbyn why he won't condemn in strongest terms killing in Aleppo by Russia - but Shami Chak passed my question to Emily Thornberry
@tamcohen: I asked Jeremy Corbyn a question on Syria and Russia. Emily Thornberry answers. She claims labour has taken 'the strongest possible stand'
Yes, an entire GE campaign like this...
Remind us what Theresa May said when she condemned the American bombing of the Syrians.
Of course, that's the trouble. Seamus Milne is unable to anticipate the bleeding obvious and prepare answers and retorts.
When I nodded off, Prime Minister Cameron's Remain were winning the EU referendum according to the phone polls, Nigel Farage was wrecking leaves chances by mentioning immigration, Hilary Clinton was nailed on to be POTUS and Spurs were just about to finally finish above the Arsenal...
@Sandpit I've traded out for draw (For about a pound profit btw)
Cricviz has the match Ind 75%, Eng 4%, Draw 20% fyi
I just found Cricviz app (thanks for the tip!), very interesting to compare them to Betfair odds. How accurate have CV been, good enough to suggest that the value is on India's BF price of 1.38?
There are some serious issues with Cricviz model*. Just be careful.
* At least there was when I took a look at how the probabilities were shifting during the summer.
If Corbyn is still there in a couple of years' time, we've got a whole General Election campaign of this to look forward to! Are you okay with that, Lab MP in a Midlands marginal?
I am sure someone will pop up to say people don't care about Sinn Fein, and they are in government in northern ireland now.
As a specific case, that might possibly be true.
But the stance Corbyn (and, even more so, McDonnell) took at the time lends weight to the idea that their instincts are that the UK is always in the wrong.
Great article as ever David, but I'm afraid the answer to your question is that the question is wrong.
Labour's problems are twofold. They have a leader who due to his dodgy past is completely unelectable and they have a policy spread that only a small minority wish to vote for. That begs two questions - (1) would it be possible to win with the same policies under a different leader and (2) are they likely to change the leader? The answer to both these questions is unfortunately no. Because Labour members are not sleepwalking to disaster. A majority of them have made a conscious choice that they will stick two fingers up at the electorate and vote for people who represent their personal views even though to the majority of the population and a large chunk of Labour's own membership - cf Roger, SO, Rochdale Pioneers - hanging out with murderers and Holocaust Deniers and being implicated in the coverup of child sexual abuse should be automatic disqualifications from politics.
There are members of the Labour left, e.g. Jon Trickett, who don't quite carry Corbyn's baggage in this regard. In theory at least, Labour's fortunes might improve under one of them. But this is still a group more concerned about the future of Israel and Palestine than it is about jobs and services in Blackburn. They simply have no message for these people - but that's OK as these people are xenophobic bigots and Labour don't want to be associated with them anyway. Better to be ideologically pure than have lots of seats in parliament.
In part this is due to the nature of the leadership. It is staggering to reflect that Labour have only had two working-class leaders in the last 36 years, and haven't had an English working class leader since 1980 (and he sat for a Welsh seat). In that time the Tories have had at least three, four if you count May (personally I wouldn't but some do). Only Howard was not born in England, and he sat for an English seat in Kent.
Because they believe they are the good guys, who care about the poor and want an end to injustice, they have persuaded themselves (1) that the evil they do en route is a necessary evil and (2) it's not really evil anyway because they're the ones doing it and they are decent people. They are therefore persuaded that the overwhelming majority who do not agree with them are therefore evil themselves and their opinion can be safely ignored. (Continued)
The only working class leaders who have led either Labour or the Tories in the last 36 years were Kinnock, father a miner and Major, father a trapeze artist. Callaghan, father a chief petty officer, Thatcher, father a shop owner, Hague, father ran a soft drinks factory and Howard, father a small businessman, were all lower middle-class not working class. May's father was a vicar, so lower middle-class by income, upper middle-class by social status and education
If Corbyn is still there in a couple of years' time, we've got a whole General Election campaign of this to look forward to! Are you okay with that, Lab MP in a Midlands marginal?
I am sure someone will pop up to say people don't care about Sinn Fein, and they are in government in northern ireland now.
As a specific case, that might possibly be true.
But the stance Corbyn (and, even more so, McDonnell) took at the time lends weight to the idea that their instincts are that the UK is always in the wrong.
That's kind of why I included the second sentence.
((Dan Hodges))) @DPJHodges 1m1 minute ago Labour's new historic mission is to put the Monster Raving Looney party out of business, isn't it. That's the only rational explanation.
The big change over the past year is that what was originally seen as a Corbyn problem is now understood to be more fundamental. Indeed Corbyn is a symptom rather than a cause. The problems identified in the header and discussion would still be there under Owen Smith or whoever; indeed arguably there would then be the additional problem of losing Corbyn's apparent appeal to younger radicals.
Good point. The real surprise to me (albeit as a Tory) is that there has been no split as yet by 50+ MPs, either in establishing a new centre left party or, heaven forbid, in joining with Tim's Two Taxi LibDems. These same MPs appear to prefer the prospect of death by a thousand cuts instead.
The Labour brand is very strong.
You could do a reverse, effectively take every MP other than the far left, then get the Labour name.
I believe that idea was floated. Other than being far far too bold, especially for people who could barely manage to challenge Corbyn, my understanding was getting the name would be a legal tussle.
Really, to get the name, it has to be fait accompli.
Too bold, probably. But they may just crack if Corbyn loses 2020 badly and doesn't resign.
If Corbyn is still there in a couple of years' time, we've got a whole General Election campaign of this to look forward to! Are you okay with that, Lab MP in a Midlands marginal?
I am sure someone will pop up to say people don't care about Sinn Fein, and they are in government in northern ireland now. Personally I think there is a difference between Sinn Fein's stance and Corbyn's, given the respective positions they held at the time.
You and I both know that Corbyn won't be able to keep his sympathy (as well as that of his deputy) for various 'freedom fighters' over the decades, away from the campaign spotlight.
Guido already has a long list of dodgy people that the Labour leadership are still hanging out with, there will be plenty more over the next couple of years too.
Anyone who thought CCHQ went for Miliband personally hasn't seen anything yet. They will aim to crucify JC in the eyes of the 95% who aren't true believers.
If Corbyn is still there in a couple of years' time, we've got a whole General Election campaign of this to look forward to! Are you okay with that, Lab MP in a Midlands marginal?
I am sure someone will pop up to say people don't care about Sinn Fein, and they are in government in northern ireland now. Personally I think there is a difference between Sinn Fein's stance and Corbyn's, given the respective positions they held at the time.
You and I both know that Corbyn won't be able to keep his sympathy (as well as that of his deputy) for various 'freedom fighters' over the decades, away from the campaign spotlight.
Guido already has a long list of dodgy people that the Labour leadership are still hanging out with, there will be plenty more over the next couple of years too.
Anyone who thought CCHQ went for Miliband personally hasn't seen anything yet. They will aim to crucify JC in the eyes of the 95% who aren't true believers.
And this time, you aren't going to get the Beeb defending the Labour leader over smeary stuff about fathers in the Daily Mail.
@Sandpit I've traded out for draw (For about a pound profit btw)
Cricviz has the match Ind 75%, Eng 4%, Draw 20% fyi
I just found Cricviz app (thanks for the tip!), very interesting to compare them to Betfair odds. How accurate have CV been, good enough to suggest that the value is on India's BF price of 1.38?
There are some serious issues with Cricviz model*. Just be careful.
* At least there was when I took a look at how the probabilities were shifting during the summer.
Thanks for the heads-up on that, will do some more digging before I put next month's mortgage payment on India at 1/3 then!
Great last hour from the hosts today, England failing to finish them off again and full advantage taken.
No it isn't. East Midlands has always traditionally been 5 counties - Lincs, Notts, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Derbyshire. It goes all the way back to Anglo Saxon times and the 5 Boroughs.
The East Midlands as an actual geographically defined region is an EU thing though, as part of the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics.
What ever they call it, the 5 Boroughs of Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Stamford and Lincoln have existed sine Danelaw. The only change from the East Midlands as we understand it is the inclusion of Northampton which was another Danelaw Borough
@Sandpit I've traded out for draw (For about a pound profit btw)
Cricviz has the match Ind 75%, Eng 4%, Draw 20% fyi
I just found Cricviz app (thanks for the tip!), very interesting to compare them to Betfair odds. How accurate have CV been, good enough to suggest that the value is on India's BF price of 1.38?
There are some serious issues with Cricviz model*. Just be careful.
* At least there was when I took a look at how the probabilities were shifting during the summer.
Thanks for the heads-up on that, will do some more digging before I put next month's mortgage payment on India at 1/3 then!
They might have tweaked it....I honestly haven't looked since. But they had issues with massive swings in probabilities when certain wickets fell, which I believe was due to being too optimistic and over-adjusting post-wicket.
Forget for a moment they are Corbyn's. They actually sound like Blair's:
"Under one potential plan being discussed, landlords would be offered very low interest loans to undertake work to upgrade their properties to a much higher standard of energy efficiency.
However, the financial help would be on a tapered basis, decreasing until a cut-off date, three years from the start of the policy for example. After that point landlords would face a penalty for letting properties that did not meet the energy efficiency standard."
Post Brexit as the icy wind of economic failure bites
and education budgets are slashed
and the UK slips to the bottom of the worlds literacy tables
.....UKIP should thrive.
The Welsh Labour Party have managed all that without Brexit.
Education has been devolved to Wales since 1999, it has been continuously run by Labour.
Wales has performed worst of the 4 home nations in education.
Well lets keep our fingers crossed that exchanging our place at the top table of the largest trading block in the world for the camel herders of the Arabian Desert proves to be a shrewd move.
@Sandpit I've traded out for draw (For about a pound profit btw)
Cricviz has the match Ind 75%, Eng 4%, Draw 20% fyi
I just found Cricviz app (thanks for the tip!), very interesting to compare them to Betfair odds. How accurate have CV been, good enough to suggest that the value is on India's BF price of 1.38?
There are some serious issues with Cricviz model*. Just be careful.
* At least there was when I took a look at how the probabilities were shifting during the summer.
Thanks for the heads-up on that, will do some more digging before I put next month's mortgage payment on India at 1/3 then!
Great last hour from the hosts today, England failing to finish them off again and full advantage taken.
Summary of this series. Exposes what I have said for ages, not enough high quality variation in the bowling department.
Question for sports punters...cough cough iSam...I know there are publicly available datasets for cricket which show ball by ball scoring, but not the pitch map for those deliveries.
I presume Hawkeye isn't making that stuff publicly available in the way the STATs has for NBA or MLB? The Times used to show this at one point for in play, but never seen anybody scraping this.
No obvious reason why the Tory lead should have increased by 5% in just a week. Why would the Tories add thee points post Richmond with Labour losing two? It is rather counterintuitive in that Labour was rather irrelevant in that contest , and makes me wonder whether one of the last two YouGov polls is an outlier.
Post Brexit as the icy wind of economic failure bites
and education budgets are slashed
and the UK slips to the bottom of the worlds literacy tables
.....UKIP should thrive.
The Welsh Labour Party have managed all that without Brexit.
Education has been devolved to Wales since 1999, it has been continuously run by Labour.
Wales has performed worst of the 4 home nations in education.
Well lets keep our fingers crossed that exchanging our place at the top table of the largest trading block in the world for the camel herders of the Arabian Desert proves to be a shrewd move.
With Labour in charge of Wales, the country will be lucky to obtain such an exalted position as being treated as an equal by camel herders.
The big change over the past year is that what was originally seen as a Corbyn problem is now understood to be more fundamental. Indeed Corbyn is a symptom rather than a cause. The problems identified in the header and discussion would still be there under Owen Smith or whoever; indeed arguably there would then be the additional problem of losing Corbyn's apparent appeal to younger radicals.
Good point. The real surprise to me (albeit as a Tory) is that there has been no split as yet by 50+ MPs, either in establishing a new centre left party or, heaven forbid, in joining with Tim's Two Taxi LibDems. These same MPs appear to prefer the prospect of death by a thousand cuts instead.
The Labour brand is very strong.
but every day it is being tarnished just a bit more.
Wait til the election when people pay attention - they are going to be monstered over the leaderships positions and friendships and quite rightly so.
No obvious reason why the Tory lead should have increased by 5% in just a week. Why would the Tories add thee points post Richmond with Labour losing two? It is rather counterintuitive in that Labour was rather irrelevant in that contest , and makes me wonder whether one of the last two YouGov polls is an outlier.
Cut the noise, keep the signal. The Tories are in the low forties, Labour mid twenties. You can tweak that around the margins, but the big picture doesn't change.
TL:DR - there are more votes (and more genuinely struggling people) in Middle England than in Leafy London. The PM is listening and the voters can see it.
The big change over the past year is that what was originally seen as a Corbyn problem is now understood to be more fundamental. Indeed Corbyn is a symptom rather than a cause. The problems identified in the header and discussion would still be there under Owen Smith or whoever; indeed arguably there would then be the additional problem of losing Corbyn's apparent appeal to younger radicals.
Good point. The real surprise to me (albeit as a Tory) is that there has been no split as yet by 50+ MPs, either in establishing a new centre left party or, heaven forbid, in joining with Tim's Two Taxi LibDems. These same MPs appear to prefer the prospect of death by a thousand cuts instead.
The Labour brand is very strong.
You could do a reverse, effectively take every MP other than the far left, then get the Labour name.
I believe that idea was floated. Other than being far far too bold, especially for people who could barely manage to challenge Corbyn, my understanding was getting the name would be a legal tussle.
I would sell popcorn for 50 p a time for a small cup if there was a proper legal tussle over the name. Best way to destroy the brand, and you'd just end up with things like People's Labour Party and the Labour People's Party and Party. Labour. People.
The big change over the past year is that what was originally seen as a Corbyn problem is now understood to be more fundamental. Indeed Corbyn is a symptom rather than a cause. The problems identified in the header and discussion would still be there under Owen Smith or whoever; indeed arguably there would then be the additional problem of losing Corbyn's apparent appeal to younger radicals.
Good point. The real surprise to me (albeit as a Tory) is that there has been no split as yet by 50+ MPs, either in establishing a new centre left party or, heaven forbid, in joining with Tim's Two Taxi LibDems. These same MPs appear to prefer the prospect of death by a thousand cuts instead.
The Labour brand is very strong.
but every day it is being tarnished just a bit more.
Wait til the election when people pay attention - they are going to be monstered over the leaderships positions and friendships and quite rightly so.
I still think the brand itself will remain strong - but then again, BannedinParis_1930 probably said that about the Liberals.
Comments
This is a great policy, although probably not popular.
Cricviz has the match Ind 75%, Eng 4%, Draw 20% fyi
There are quite a few LD councillors though, particularly in Hinckley, Oadby and Wigston. The Leics council elections in May will perhaps give some indication, but there is leafletting already going on in Bosworth targetting the seat.
The National Liberals eventually joined the Tories, so it is perhaps not fair to consider tham as a precursor party to the LibDems.
Although I have no truck with the AGW catastrophists, this seems like a sensible policy to me. Hydrocarbons are a finite resource and one that is vital to many aspects of our lives. Burning them to move us around seems a really dumb way to use them up. I suppose the only question would be one of timescale.
Bosworth and Holland (Boston) had Liberal Nationals in 1935 election.
They not only seem to have given up on Labour, they have completely given up on politics.
Labour doesn't need a new leader; it needs a new membership. And then it needs a new Tony Blair, able to construct a coalition of voters as only he could in recent decades. But can anyone here imagine that happening any time soon? And the longer that takes, the more Labour towns like Doncaster and Stoke and Coventry are moving further away from comfortable holds and into marginals territory.
When I nodded off, Prime Minister Cameron's Remain were winning the EU referendum according to the phone polls, Nigel Farage was wrecking leaves chances by mentioning immigration, Hilary Clinton was nailed on to be POTUS and Spurs were just about to finally finish above the Arsenal...
Did I miss much?
Sir Herbert Butcher?
He came to our Grammar School and converted quite a few to Labour. Not a Liberal in any sense - an old-fashioned Tory.
Yeah, but that's the West Midlands.
Oh.
"Geography not your strong suit ."
Sorry, but civilisation ends at Newark.
I've lived in Merseyside for 25 years but it's still a bit strange.
A 100km range though doesn't seem sufficient?
A more likely scenario is that the men in boiler suits come along in 2018/19 and say the game is up and give McD no choice. Moamentum will have imploded by then and it is just possible that a "normal" labour leadership election will take place.
Recharging electric cars needs high currents and quick charging.. usually all at once. The current electricity system could not cope.
His £50 Billion would not cover that - on its own...
Then of course, there are the charging stations to build...
If Corbyn wants to see more electric cars, then work with those developing hybrid and battery technology - in the UK that's Williams, McLaren, Mercedes Motorsport and a number of other small and innovative companies and universities. Maybe encourage Tesla to set up in Cambridge and work with the scientists there on the technology.
Banning petrol cars might appeal in Islanington, but not in the rest of the country. Oh, and is it £40bn a year in revenues from fuel duty and road tax?
I say that as someone who has spent far too much off my life stuck in traffic in Tintwistle
That said, what could possibly be in it for the LibDems and the SNP to chain themselves to the inevitable clusterfvck of a Corbyn administration?
Seems like a decent idea by Corbyn although probably a phased ban rather than a straight out 10 year deadline would be better.
If Clive Lewis took over from Corbyn in 2018 or 2019, I'd expect a hung parliament next time, now that the Tories have taken their eye of the ball.
Where the progress is coming in heavy vehicles in in self-driving and collaborative communications between trucks, that allows them to drive a foot or two apart and saves massive amounts of fuel. Combined with self-driving this might allow a single or a pair of drivers to run a convoy of a dozen trucks non-stop cross-country (in the US) in a few days - at something like half the current marginal cost.
Otherwise, not much.
As for the Tories May is doing fine for now as she commits to implementing Brexit and due to the hapless nature of Labour, the only voteshare she has lost has been of Remain voting Tories to the LDs as it has looked like hard Brexit in some form, especially after her Tory conference speech. However if you actually read what the government has been saying it actually looks more like grey, softish Brexit i.e. free movement restricted by a job offer, some budget contributions to the EU continuing for single market access etc. After Article 50 is invoked and the exact nature of Brexit becomes clearer then UKIP will likely be more of a threat to the Tories too if the most hardcore Leave voting Tories do not get the full hard Brexit they are looking for
Post Brexit as the icy wind of economic failure bites
and education budgets are slashed
and the UK slips to the bottom of the worlds literacy tables
.....UKIP should thrive.
https://twitter.com/Jamin2g/status/807542996203962368
Education has been devolved to Wales since 1999, it has been continuously run by Labour.
Wales has performed worst of the 4 home nations in education.
@paulwaugh: Corbyn to Thornberry (caught on mic): "When did we condemn the bombings?"
Then returns to stage to say she raised Aleppo in Foreign Off Qs
https://twitter.com/momentumtrumpt1/status/807542889978953729
Any suggestions at that sort of odds on where I should my fivers (mine and the free one) - something this weekend?
@tamcohen: I asked Jeremy Corbyn a question on Syria and Russia. Emily Thornberry answers. She claims labour has taken 'the strongest possible stand'
Yes, an entire GE campaign like this...
welcome back.
Of course, that's the trouble. Seamus Milne is unable to anticipate the bleeding obvious and prepare answers and retorts.
* At least there was when I took a look at how the probabilities were shifting during the summer.
But the stance Corbyn (and, even more so, McDonnell) took at the time lends weight to the idea that their instincts are that the UK is always in the wrong.
Labour's new historic mission is to put the Monster Raving Looney party out of business, isn't it. That's the only rational explanation.
Too bold, probably. But they may just crack if Corbyn loses 2020 badly and doesn't resign.
I'm on...
So the Progressive Alliance is going really well.
Guido already has a long list of dodgy people that the Labour leadership are still hanging out with, there will be plenty more over the next couple of years too.
Anyone who thought CCHQ went for Miliband personally hasn't seen anything yet. They will aim to crucify JC in the eyes of the 95% who aren't true believers.
Great last hour from the hosts today, England failing to finish them off again and full advantage taken.
@DPJHodges: I'm going to round off a year of futile predictions with a final one. I genuinely can't see Corbyn lasting another 12 months.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/petrol-car-ban-jeremy-corbyn-labour-proposal-air-pollution-climate-change-measure-uk-a7466301.html
Forget for a moment they are Corbyn's. They actually sound like Blair's:
"Under one potential plan being discussed, landlords would be offered very low interest loans to undertake work to upgrade their properties to a much higher standard of energy efficiency.
However, the financial help would be on a tapered basis, decreasing until a cut-off date, three years from the start of the policy for example. After that point landlords would face a penalty for letting properties that did not meet the energy efficiency standard."
I presume Hawkeye isn't making that stuff publicly available in the way the STATs has for NBA or MLB? The Times used to show this at one point for in play, but never seen anybody scraping this.
Wait til the election when people pay attention - they are going to be monstered over the leaderships positions and friendships and quite rightly so.
https://capx.co/why-sleaford-matters-more-than-richmond/
TL:DR - there are more votes (and more genuinely struggling people) in Middle England than in Leafy London. The PM is listening and the voters can see it.
Wonderful.