Really disappointed that " no more Catholics" from T2 was not nominated. Not laughed so much at a film in years.
I think I've watched it about 20 times on YouTube, and laughed each time.
lol! Never heard of it, not seen T2, just checked it on YouTube. Genius. Very funny.
It's right in that brilliant sweet spot where it is satirising proddy bigotry, but will of course be adored by proddy bigots. They'll be singing it at Rangers matches for the next 50 years.
I'm sure it'll be played on many a march this year.
What's your Arsene XI? Mine would be (signings he made): Lehman, Eboue, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Gilberto, Cazorla, Ljungberg, Hleb, Pires, Henry.
I have you read/seen Moneyball? Baseball's not my game but I could very much relate to the question of "what makes a good player?" So many people in the Oakland As were concerned with aesthetics - what does a player look like when they swing the bat? But all the Jonah Hill character cares about is "does he get on base?"
The problem is that football is a strange game. I hear people talk about passes completed in the final third. I'm sure that a useful metric, but you also need to know ask "what does that player do to help you spend time in your opponent's final third?"
Hmm I have never picked a Wenger signings XI.. I always bung TA in there!
Cesc should really be in there somewhere (if he counts as a signing?) Ditto Bellerin for Lauren
Yeah, Sol probably should be in there simply for the chutzpah of that signing! The tricky thing is that Pires, Overmars and Ljungberg all loved the left but on balance I think Bobby was brilliant there and Freddie did a very good job on the right.
What's your Arsene XI? Mine would be (signings he made): Lehman, Eboue, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Gilberto, Cazorla, Ljungberg, Hleb, Pires, Henry.
I have you read/seen Moneyball? Baseball's not my game but I could very much relate to the question of "what makes a good player?" So many people in the Oakland As were concerned with aesthetics - what does a player look like when they swing the bat? But all the Jonah Hill character cares about is "does he get on base?"
The problem is that football is a strange game. I hear people talk about passes completed in the final third. I'm sure that a useful metric, but you also need to know ask "what does that player do to help you spend time in your opponent's final third?"
Hmm I have never picked a Wenger signings XI.. I always bung TA in there!
Cesc should really be in there somewhere (if he counts as a signing?) Ditto Bellerin for Lauren
Yeah, Sol probably should be in there simply for the chutzpah of that signing! The tricky thing is that Pires, Overmars and Ljungberg all loved the left but on balance I think Bobby was brilliant there and Freddie did a very good job on the right.
Yeah I am playing Pires out of position there really... I'd prob have Wiltord over Freddie though...
Gun to my head I'd put Hleb wide right and Cesc no10
Films: I rather liked Arrival - took me a couple of days to work out how much I'd liked it.
Labour: I think there will be events in the next couple of months that will be worthy of note by historians. The end of Labour, the renewal of Labour, the something. My best guess is a split and therefore the death of Labour, but that's only based on what I would do if I was a Labour MP and was faced with this situation. Corbyn may not be gone at all, he may find some issue that catapults him from zero to hero. I will make one prediction - Dianne Abbot will trouble our screens/radios less.
The quote appears as HTML text so you can just delete bits of it EDIT: As long as you leave the tags intact. If the tags are nested you can just leave the outside pair for the last quote
Is there an idiots guide on using the forum please. In particular when the post is getting too long and I want to remove some of the previous quotes but keep the structure. In others being able to respond without getting your post is too long message.
The quote appears as HTML text so you can just delete bits of it EDIT: As long as you leave the tags intact. If the tags are nested you can just leave the outside pair for the last quote
"When William Hill first put the market up – after the independence referendum – they marked that outcome at no less than 125/1. (I apologise for not being able to namecheck the PBer who tipped the bet; I forget who it was.)"
Just catching up on today's threads - this takes me back !!
I've now been living with MND since March 2010 - I had to return to PB lurker mode 18 months ago due to my health deteriorating - I'm now doing much better and back on the campaign trail. As well as using Twitter I've now set up a Youtube Channel - my first 3 awareness videos have now been viewed in 40 Countries - including 39 US States !!
Turning to Scottish politics - the SNP appear unassailable at the moment - Scottish Labour seem intent on rendering themselves completely irrelevant and a modest Lib Dem recovery could see them heading for 4th party status. The rise of the Scottish Tories has been truly impressive - but I think this is more due to Ruth Davidson than the party - that said I'm sure Ruth is doing her damnedest to Davidsonise the rest of the party in the run up to May 2017.
As for Labour nationaly - they appear to have learnt none of the lessons from their Scottish annihilation and appear to suffering from SLABitise - sadly SLAB are still a long way from finding a cure.
What's your Arsene XI? Mine would be (signings he made): Lehman, Eboue, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Gilberto, Cazorla, Ljungberg, Hleb, Pires, Henry.
I have you read/seen Moneyball? Baseball's not my game but I could very much relate to the question of "what makes a good player?" So many people in the Oakland As were concerned with aesthetics - what does a player look like when they swing the bat? But all the Jonah Hill character cares about is "does he get on base?"
The problem is that football is a strange game. I hear people talk about passes completed in the final third. I'm sure that a useful metric, but you also need to know ask "what does that player do to help you spend time in your opponent's final third?"
Hmm I have never picked a Wenger signings XI.. I always bung TA in there!
Cesc should really be in there somewhere (if he counts as a signing?) Ditto Bellerin for Lauren
Yeah, Sol probably should be in there simply for the chutzpah of that signing! The tricky thing is that Pires, Overmars and Ljungberg all loved the left but on balance I think Bobby was brilliant there and Freddie did a very good job on the right.
Yeah I am playing Pires out of position there really... I'd prob have Wiltord over Freddie though...
Gun to my head I'd put Hleb wide right and Cesc no10
Fav Wenger era goal?
The really controversial thing to do is play Wiltord instead of Henry.
"When William Hill first put the market up – after the independence referendum – they marked that outcome at no less than 125/1. (I apologise for not being able to namecheck the PBer who tipped the bet; I forget who it was.)"
Just catching up on today's threads - this takes me back !!
I've now been living with MND since March 2010 - I had to return to PB lurker mode 18 months ago due to my health deteriorating - I'm now doing much better and back on the campaign trail. As well as using Twitter I've now set up a Youtube Channel - my first 3 awareness videos have now been viewed in 40 Countries - including 39 US States !!
Turning to Scottish politics - the SNP appear unassailable at the moment - Scottish Labour seem intent on rendering themselves completely irrelevant and a modest Lib Dem recovery could see them heading for 4th party status. The rise of the Scottish Tories has been truly impressive - but I think this is more due to Ruth Davidson than the party - that said I'm sure Ruth is doing her damnedest to Davidsonise the rest of the party in the run up to May 2017.
As for Labour nationaly - they appear to have learnt none of the lessons from their Scottish annihilation and appear to suffering from SLABitise - sadly SLAB are still a long way from finding a cure.
"When William Hill first put the market up – after the independence referendum – they marked that outcome at no less than 125/1. (I apologise for not being able to namecheck the PBer who tipped the bet; I forget who it was.)"
Just catching up on today's threads - this takes me back !!
I've now been living with MND since March 2010 - I had to return to PB lurker mode 18 months ago due to my health deteriorating - I'm now doing much better and back on the campaign trail. As well as using Twitter I've now set up a Youtube Channel - my first 3 awareness videos have now been viewed in 40 Countries - including 39 US States !!
Turning to Scottish politics - the SNP appear unassailable at the moment - Scottish Labour seem intent on rendering themselves completely irrelevant and a modest Lib Dem recovery could see them heading for 4th party status. The rise of the Scottish Tories has been truly impressive - but I think this is more due to Ruth Davidson than the party - that said I'm sure Ruth is doing her damnedest to Davidsonise the rest of the party in the run up to May 2017.
As for Labour nationaly - they appear to have learnt none of the lessons from their Scottish annihilation and appear to suffering from SLABitise - sadly SLAB are still a long way from finding a cure.
You are right about Vieira.... Although he is widely quoted as saying he only signed because rioch was getting the sack and knew wenger was his replacement.
I think Vieira was an AW signing.. same day as Remi Garde. Rioch was long gone by then, and they were bought because Wenger asked for them
This is correct, I was just looking for an excuse to pick Santi.
What's your Arsene XI? Mine would be (signings he made): Lehman, Eboue, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Monreal, Gilberto, Cazorla, Ljungberg, Hleb, Pires, Henry.
I have you read/seen Moneyball? Baseball's not my game but I could very much relate to the question of "what makes a good player?" So many people in the Oakland As were concerned with aesthetics - what does a player look like when they swing the bat? But all the Jonah Hill character cares about is "does he get on base?"
The problem is that football is a strange game. I hear people talk about passes completed in the final third. I'm sure that a useful metric, but you also need to know ask "what does that player do to help you spend time in your opponent's final third?"
Hmm I have never picked a Wenger signings XI.. I always bung TA in there!
Cesc should really be in there somewhere (if he counts as a signing?) Ditto Bellerin for Lauren
Yeah, Sol probably should be in there simply for the chutzpah of that signing! The tricky thing is that Pires, Overmars and Ljungberg all loved the left but on balance I think Bobby was brilliant there and Freddie did a very good job on the right.
Yeah I am playing Pires out of position there really... I'd prob have Wiltord over Freddie though...
Gun to my head I'd put Hleb wide right and Cesc no10
Fav Wenger era goal?
The really controversial thing to do is play Wiltord instead of Henry.
But that was before I was going to games. So possibly Bendtner's last minute winner at Hull in 2010. It got Phil Brown the sack.
Not having Henry in the XI would be more than controversial, it would be insane! It isn't a subjective thing, not having him up front would invalidate your entry
Best goal for me was in a losing cause.. Davor Suker vs Coventry 1999
I should have said pound for pound worst XI. I'm possibly being harsh on Mustafi and Xhaka but I'm not convinced by either of them, the latter has been a complete liability. Stepanovs has an unfair press. He played a few games in 2001-02 including the win at Newcastle.
And don't get me started on Oleg Luzhny. The Sun Dreamteam used to have a rule whereby the footballer with the most points got a bonus 20. Henry was four behind RVN going into the Cup final v Southampton in 2003. Had Heny been star man he'd have got the bonus 20 and I'd have won my mini league. But the muppet at the Sun gave it to bloody Luzhny. It cost me £100 which to a 16 year old was a lot of money!
Dr. Foxinsox, eurosausage politics will only go so far.
Mr. Calum, to an extent (a very large extent but they can't destroy Labour. That'd take another party). UKIP's fading and, as above, the Lib Dems have limited reach.
Incidentally, shade sleepy (keep trying to get more writing done but it's not progressing too well at the minute) and forgot to say I'm glad your health has improved after previously declining.
Welcome back, Mr. Calum (wish I'd followed your SNP tips).
Labour must be glad there's no SNP equivalent in England. Otherwise they'd be looking at total collapse.
Thanks Mr Dancer - I think the Tories are shaping up nicely as a SNP equivalent in England !!
I think the Tories could force Labour down to 150 or so seats, but I think those 150 seats would be unwinnable for them. There are seats in Merseyside, Greater London, the Welsh Valleys, Greater Manchester, Tyneside, university seats, which will never vote Conservative.
Welcome back, Mr. Calum (wish I'd followed your SNP tips).
Labour must be glad there's no SNP equivalent in England. Otherwise they'd be looking at total collapse.
Thanks Mr Dancer - I think the Tories are shaping up nicely as a SNP equivalent in England !!
I think the Tories could force Labour down to 150 or so seats, but I think those 150 seats would be unwinnable for them. There are seats in Merseyside, Greater London, the Welsh Valleys, Greater Manchester, Tyneside, university seats, which will never vote Conservative.
Though actually doing so might force the death of Labour and the renewal of a Whig style party.
No hope of ever winning is not a great incentive for a party.....
Participants tell the Guardian that they were struck by the contrast between McMaster’s worldview and that of the president, who has repeatedly used a phrase that Muslims in the US and globally feel portrays them as threats to be confronted.
A participant, paraphrasing McMaster, said: “He said he doesn’t want to call it radical Islamic terrorism because the terrorists are, quote, ‘un-Islamic’.”
McMaster, the participant said, indicated that the phrase castigates “an entire religion” and “he’s not on board”.
At the meeting, multiple sources said, McMaster discomfited White House staffers who view the terrorist threat in those religious terms and who were said to have exchanged awkward looks with each other.
At other points in the meeting, McMaster laid out a vigorous defense of the post-second world war liberal order, calling it a guarantor of peace and economic prosperity. Staffers inferred that McMaster was signaling to professional staff on the National Security Council that he subscribed to longstanding US foreign-policy goals, which Trump has attacked as yielding a chaotic world.
One source said McMaster was “very clear” that he viewed Russia “as an adversary”, a position not shared by Trump and which is at the center of a Washington firestorm – one which brought down McMaster’s predecessor, Michael Flynn.
Very interesting.
You think he is correct to say terrorism by islamic radicals is unislamic?
hmmm
What is it then, what is their motivation and how do they justify their actions?
Welcome back, Mr. Calum (wish I'd followed your SNP tips).
Labour must be glad there's no SNP equivalent in England. Otherwise they'd be looking at total collapse.
Thanks Mr Dancer - I think the Tories are shaping up nicely as a SNP equivalent in England !!
I think the Tories could force Labour down to 150 or so seats, but I think those 150 seats would be unwinnable for them. There are seats in Merseyside, Greater London, the Welsh Valleys, Greater Manchester, Tyneside, university seats, which will never vote Conservative.
TBH, not sure how safe the Valleys seats are nowadays.
Scotland have some great backs, now. Both tries were scintillating.
I wonder if it will be Scotland that stop England achieving that world record run of victories. That would have them dancing in Dundee.
Let's just say that Scotland won't be lacking motivation. Of course they rarely are against England, but this time they may have some confidence and ammunition to go with it.
England's "record run" is a bit contrived anyway - they've just been lucky enough to avoid the All Blacks for 15 months.
Dunno who will win at Twickers. England have that amazing strength in depth, but they are nonetheless missing so many great players, and aren't half the team they were last year. Scotland will have the fire.
Should be a cracker.
The All Blacks are lucky enough to avoid the All Blacks every match, and they won't have won more in a row if England manage the record, so nothing remotely contrived about it.
Those talking about labour getting some crazy low number of seats...One thing we learned from this week, There are still places that a donkey with a red rosette will still win comfortably, despite corbyn, brexit, candidate behaviour.
Welcome back, Mr. Calum (wish I'd followed your SNP tips).
Labour must be glad there's no SNP equivalent in England. Otherwise they'd be looking at total collapse.
Thanks Mr Dancer - I think the Tories are shaping up nicely as a SNP equivalent in England !!
I think the Tories could force Labour down to 150 or so seats, but I think those 150 seats would be unwinnable for them. There are seats in Merseyside, Greater London, the Welsh Valleys, Greater Manchester, Tyneside, university seats, which will never vote Conservative.
Though actually doing so might force the death of Labour and the renewal of a Whig style party.
No hope of ever winning is not a great incentive for a party.....
Those talking about labour getting some crazy low number of seats...One thing we learned from this week, There are still places that a donkey with a red rosette will still win comfortably, despite corbyn, brexit, candidate behaviour.
The cool thing for the Tories is that they now have the power to pick whether they'd rather have a UKIP or Labour MP in many seats... looks like they have picked Labour for now.
Thanks again Roger for your annual Oscar tips. The value bet from your selection appears to be Natalie Portman for best actress. Available at 8/1 with the bookies and 10.0 when I placed my bet on Betfair.
Those talking about labour getting some crazy low number of seats...One thing we learned from this week, There are still places that a donkey with a red rosette will still win comfortably, despite corbyn, brexit, candidate behaviour.
What has changed is that in seats like Stoke and Copeland, they are now susceptible to tactical voting. It's something the right hasn't tended to do, but perhaps there was a bit of that in Copeland.
However, I suspect that Labour are safe in seat like the one in Stoke because it's hard to see the Tories or Ukip being able to tempt enough of the other to come over to them to beat Labour. Perhaps if an election looked close and people really wanted to stop Labour winning, then that might focus minds.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has insisted that a trail of his address to the Scottish Labour conference in Perth was not accusing the SNP of being racists. Part of his speech - posted on Twitter - implied there was "no difference" between nationalism and racism.
The tweeted extract prompted a strong response on social media including from Nicola Sturgeon. Scotland's first minister described Mr Khan's intervention as "spectacularly ill-judged". Using her Twitter handle, she said: "It is an insult to all those Scots who support independence for reasons of inclusion & social justice - the antithesis of what he says."
Khan is arguably Labour's brightest star at the moment - certainly the Lab politician with the biggest mandate.
Is this as big a ****-up as it sounds? Firstly, that Scotlab have had to wheel out a Londoner to show that a Labour movement can be publicly presentable / actually electable, secondly in showing that the English-dominated Labour party is out of touch with the mood in Scotland?
Or is this all one of those innumerable storm in a thimble things, which almost none of the wider electorate will get to hear about, and even those who do won't care? Wonder how much coverage this is getting up there, beyond Twitter.
Welcome back, Mr. Calum (wish I'd followed your SNP tips).
Labour must be glad there's no SNP equivalent in England. Otherwise they'd be looking at total collapse.
A patriotic, pro european social democrat party would certainly get my vote. Vote Lib Dem!
The patriotic party of "the English must be defeated" Andrew Duff and his fellow travelers?
Yep. Every organisation has a few twats. Patriotism does not equal nationalism.
A British SNP equivalent would be how I described, because that is what the SNP is North of the border. I should add well led too!
Indeed I would happily see an SNP led coalition as the next government.
Ha - fair enough. To be fair, most Lib Dems seem to be largely comfortable with either Englishness, Scottishness, Welshness, Cornishness or Britishness - although their first instinct always seems to be patriotically European. Which is not invalid, just not how I feel.
Those talking about labour getting some crazy low number of seats...One thing we learned from this week, There are still places that a donkey with a red rosette will still win comfortably, despite corbyn, brexit, candidate behaviour.
That is what they said in Scotland!
An extinction event, or coming very close like the Liberals did in the fifties, is very possible. Labour was founded by trade unions in manufacturing and transport industries to serve their members interests. Those industries have largely gone, and those interests largely achieved such as universal suffrage, pay and working conditions. The only strong unions left are those of NHS, council and education, hence the focus on those interests. UKIP will disappear now that its job is done, why shouldn't the Labour party too?
Welcome back, Mr. Calum (wish I'd followed your SNP tips).
Labour must be glad there's no SNP equivalent in England. Otherwise they'd be looking at total collapse.
A patriotic, pro european social democrat party would certainly get my vote. Vote Lib Dem!
The patriotic party of "the English must be defeated" Andrew Duff and his fellow travelers?
Yep. Every organisation has a few twats. Patriotism does not equal nationalism.
A British SNP equivalent would be how I described, because that is what the SNP is North of the border. I should add well led too!
Indeed I would happily see an SNP led coalition as the next government.
Ha - fair enough. To be fair, most Lib Dems seem to be largely comfortable with either Englishness, Scottishness, Welshness, Cornishness or Britishness - although their first instinct always seems to be patriotically European. Which is not invalid, just not how I feel.
I am happy to have overlapping identities as European, British and English. They are all facets of my being (there are others: Christian, Anglophone, White etc), not walls that I hide behind.
Scotland have some great backs, now. Both tries were scintillating.
I wonder if it will be Scotland that stop England achieving that world record run of victories. That would have them dancing in Dundee.
Let's just say that Scotland won't be lacking motivation. Of course they rarely are against England, but this time they may have some confidence and ammunition to go with it.
England's "record run" is a bit contrived anyway - they've just been lucky enough to avoid the All Blacks for 15 months.
Dunno who will win at Twickers. England have that amazing strength in depth, but they are nonetheless missing so many great players, and aren't half the team they were last year. Scotland will have the fire.
Should be a cracker.
The All Blacks are lucky enough to avoid the All Blacks every match, and they won't have won more in a row if England manage the record, so nothing remotely contrived about it.
Fantastic tournament this year, though, no? Aside from Italy, all teams very evenly matched. I can't recall a year when the quality was this even; when every match not involving Italy could go either way. I actually think England are looking pretty good in world terms - not the All Blacks yet, but hints that there could be another 2003 team around the corner.
Those talking about labour getting some crazy low number of seats...One thing we learned from this week, There are still places that a donkey with a red rosette will still win comfortably, despite corbyn, brexit, candidate behaviour.
The cool thing for the Tories is that they now have the power to pick whether they'd rather have a UKIP or Labour MP in many seats... looks like they have picked Labour for now.
UKIP will have no seats in Westminster shortly, or indeed any parliament.
Of course this could be a fake news report of the fake news. Who the F knows, these days.
Not fake news IMO. I know the phrase is frowned upon on here, but it might be worth me saying why I think that is:
The article states that the lawyer for the customer accused of writing the notes denies having done so. This story seems perfectly acceptable 'news': they are reporting the reaction of someone accused of something. Unless they reporters are lying or deliberately misrepresenting that.
Likewise, the original story probably wasn't 'fake news': they have a story, and some realistic 'evidence' in the form of the receipt with the writing on it.
If either of these stories were 'fake news' then any reported crimes could be seen as such if the facts were contested before a trial.
IMV it would be 'fake news' if the story was fabricated by the media, or the facts twisted egregiously. I'm not sure the media can be accused of this wrt the original story or this report.
The news cannot be fake if they're honestly reporting what has been told them, even if that turns out to be wrong. It wasn't fake news to report on Blair's 45 minute claims, even if the claims turned out to be rubbish.
As it happens, I'd expect a handwriting analysis to indicate the truthfulness or not of this fairly easily, yet alone the other claims made in the article.
@JosiasJessop - quite a flimsy bit of evidence, and I don't recall there being any question of it's authenticity of the time. Perhaps a more cautious approach to reporting on such matters would be the correct approach.
The news cannot be fake if they're honestly reporting what has been told them, even if that turns out to be wrong. It wasn't fake news to report on Blair's 45 minute claims, even if the claims turned out to be rubbish.
Do you think that should apply to the Sun wrt to Hillsborough?
Those talking about labour getting some crazy low number of seats...One thing we learned from this week, There are still places that a donkey with a red rosette will still win comfortably, despite corbyn, brexit, candidate behaviour.
The cool thing for the Tories is that they now have the power to pick whether they'd rather have a UKIP or Labour MP in many seats... looks like they have picked Labour for now.
UKIP will have no seats in Westminster shortly, or indeed any parliament.
What will be will be. If it was a choice between UKIP MPs or Leaving the EU I would have taken the latter every time, so happy days!
Of course this could be a fake news report of the fake news. Who the F knows, these days.
Not fake news IMO. I know the phrase is frowned upon on here, but it might be worth me saying why I think that is:
The article states that the lawyer for the customer accused of writing the notes denies having done so. This story seems perfectly acceptable 'news': they are reporting the reaction of someone accused of something. Unless they reporters are lying or deliberately misrepresenting that.
Likewise, the original story probably wasn't 'fake news': they have a story, and some realistic 'evidence' in the form of the receipt with the writing on it.
If either of these stories were 'fake news' then any reported crimes could be seen as such if the facts were contested before a trial.
IMV it would be 'fake news' if the story was fabricated by the media, or the facts twisted egregiously. I'm not sure the media can be accused of this wrt the original story or this report.
The news cannot be fake if they're honestly reporting what has been told them, even if that turns out to be wrong. It wasn't fake news to report on Blair's 45 minute claims, even if the claims turned out to be rubbish.
As it happens, I'd expect a handwriting analysis to indicate the truthfulness or not of this fairly easily, yet alone the other claims made in the article.
Welcome back, Mr. Calum (wish I'd followed your SNP tips).
Labour must be glad there's no SNP equivalent in England. Otherwise they'd be looking at total collapse.
A patriotic, pro european social democrat party would certainly get my vote. Vote Lib Dem!
The patriotic party of "the English must be defeated" Andrew Duff and his fellow travelers?
Yep. Every organisation has a few twats. Patriotism does not equal nationalism.
A British SNP equivalent would be how I described, because that is what the SNP is North of the border. I should add well led too!
Indeed I would happily see an SNP led coalition as the next government.
Ha - fair enough. To be fair, most Lib Dems seem to be largely comfortable with either Englishness, Scottishness, Welshness, Cornishness or Britishness - although their first instinct always seems to be patriotically European. Which is not invalid, just not how I feel.
I am happy to have overlapping identities as European, British and English. They are all facets of my being (there are others: Christian, Anglophone, White etc), not walls that I hide behind.
'Like' button pressed. That's similar to how I, and some at least of my friends feel.
Those talking about labour getting some crazy low number of seats...One thing we learned from this week, There are still places that a donkey with a red rosette will still win comfortably, despite corbyn, brexit, candidate behaviour.
The Tories might fancy their chances in Stoke Central at the next general election if UKIP start to fade.
Once Corbyn departs all bets will be off again , and it would become entirely realistic to see Labour polling circa 35% in 2020 under Benn , Jarvis or Nandy. I am hoping that the party suffers catastrophic losses in May to the extent that the Union leaders feel forced to intervene. If Corbyn then declines to step down they should invite a further challenge to his leadership.
Those talking about labour getting some crazy low number of seats...One thing we learned from this week, There are still places that a donkey with a red rosette will still win comfortably, despite corbyn, brexit, candidate behaviour.
The Tories might fancy their chances in Stoke Central at the next general election if UKIP start to fade.
Much of the UKIP vote there would probably vote Labour as a second preference.
Those talking about labour getting some crazy low number of seats...One thing we learned from this week, There are still places that a donkey with a red rosette will still win comfortably, despite corbyn, brexit, candidate behaviour.
That is what they said in Scotland!
An extinction event, or coming very close like the Liberals did in the fifties, is very possible. Labour was founded by trade unions in manufacturing and transport industries to serve their members interests. Those industries have largely gone, and those interests largely achieved such as universal suffrage, pay and working conditions. The only strong unions left are those of NHS, council and education, hence the focus on those interests. UKIP will disappear now that its job is done, why shouldn't the Labour party too?
A return to Whigs vs Tories is on the cards.
Labour, or a Labour-type party, will survive because lots of people want a left wing party. There are hard left wingers like Corbyn, or the Green Party. Not enough to win, but maybe 10-15% of the population, and well-represented in universities, teaching, London's public sector unions, and the arts. But, there are more people who aren't hard left, but do want much higher public spending, and redistributive taxes. Add in ethnic minority groups that aren't upwardly mobile, young women who are unhappy with their status, and you're probably getting close to 40% of voters.
Welcome back, Mr. Calum (wish I'd followed your SNP tips).
Labour must be glad there's no SNP equivalent in England. Otherwise they'd be looking at total collapse.
A patriotic, pro european social democrat party would certainly get my vote. Vote Lib Dem!
The patriotic party of "the English must be defeated" Andrew Duff and his fellow travelers?
Yep. Every organisation has a few twats. Patriotism does not equal nationalism.
A British SNP equivalent would be how I described, because that is what the SNP is North of the border. I should add well led too!
Indeed I would happily see an SNP led coalition as the next government.
Ha - fair enough. To be fair, most Lib Dems seem to be largely comfortable with either Englishness, Scottishness, Welshness, Cornishness or Britishness - although their first instinct always seems to be patriotically European. Which is not invalid, just not how I feel.
I am happy to have overlapping identities as European, British and English. They are all facets of my being (there are others: Christian, Anglophone, White etc), not walls that I hide behind.
'Like' button pressed. That's similar to how I, and some at least of my friends feel.
Agree also. I can also be flexible (English, British, European). However if my side are playing an underdog and start gamesmanship and the underdog are going for it, it is possible for me to change allegiances.
In my wife's case anyone playing England gets automatic Scottish nationality given to them.
Once Corbyn departs all bets will be off again , and it would become entirely realistic to see Labour polling circa 35% in 2020 under Benn , Jarvis or Nandy. I am hoping that the party suffers catastrophic losses in May to the extent that the Union leaders feel forced to intervene. If Corbyn then declines to step down they should invite a further challenge to his leadership.
Indeed ..... proof if proof were needed that the Unions control the Labour party. Thanks for confirming that fact for us Justin.
Welcome back, Mr. Calum (wish I'd followed your SNP tips).
Labour must be glad there's no SNP equivalent in England. Otherwise they'd be looking at total collapse.
A patriotic, pro european social democrat party would certainly get my vote. Vote Lib Dem!
The patriotic party of "the English must be defeated" Andrew Duff and his fellow travelers?
Yep. Every organisation has a few twats. Patriotism does not equal nationalism.
A British SNP equivalent would be how I described, because that is what the SNP is North of the border. I should add well led too!
Indeed I would happily see an SNP led coalition as the next government.
An interesting viewpoint. The primary objective of an SNP-led coalition would be to break up the UK it is responsible for leading.
Very interesting indeed to speculate how, in practice, they would work to achieve that.
Such a coalition would have to be as a form of power sharing or Devo-max, I imagine
I am a Unionist, but that means that I want Scots (and other devolved countries) to participate in the Westminster Parliament, and that implies that there should be at least some chance of them sitting on the government benches. I would welcome it.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has insisted that a trail of his address to the Scottish Labour conference in Perth was not accusing the SNP of being racists. Part of his speech - posted on Twitter - implied there was "no difference" between nationalism and racism.
The tweeted extract prompted a strong response on social media including from Nicola Sturgeon. Scotland's first minister described Mr Khan's intervention as "spectacularly ill-judged". Using her Twitter handle, she said: "It is an insult to all those Scots who support independence for reasons of inclusion & social justice - the antithesis of what he says."
Khan is arguably Labour's brightest star at the moment - certainly the Lab politician with the biggest mandate.
Is this as big a ****-up as it sounds? Firstly, that Scotlab have had to wheel out a Londoner to show that a Labour movement can be publicly presentable / actually electable, secondly in showing that the English-dominated Labour party is out of touch with the mood in Scotland?
Or is this all one of those innumerable storm in a thimble things, which almost none of the wider electorate will get to hear about, and even those who do won't care? Wonder how much coverage this is getting up there, beyond Twitter.
Coverage enough, to the point of Khan watering down the speech that was trailed this am.
Those talking about labour getting some crazy low number of seats...One thing we learned from this week, There are still places that a donkey with a red rosette will still win comfortably, despite corbyn, brexit, candidate behaviour.
The Tories might fancy their chances in Stoke Central at the next general election if UKIP start to fade.
Much of the UKIP vote there would probably vote Labour as a second preference.
There need to be more charismatic Labour MPs like Jess Philips who have led normal working class lives, and have lived the issues, not studied them at university. Sure she sometimes is a bit brash, and steps on a few prissy toes, but she would not be an alien to the people of Stoke.
Once Corbyn departs all bets will be off again , and it would become entirely realistic to see Labour polling circa 35% in 2020 under Benn , Jarvis or Nandy. I am hoping that the party suffers catastrophic losses in May to the extent that the Union leaders feel forced to intervene. If Corbyn then declines to step down they should invite a further challenge to his leadership.
Indeed ..... proof if proof were needed that the Unions control the Labour party. Thanks for confirming that fact for us Justin.
It is hardly news that the Trade Unions have influence in the party they played a major role in creating! Did anyone seriously doubt that Ernest Bevin had a fair bit of power in the internal counsels of the party? He certainly helped to get rid of George Lansbury in the Autumn of 1935.It is hardly a secret that Jack Jones & Hugh Scanlon were big powerbrokers in the 1960s and 1970s. It has become abundantly clear that replacing the Electoral College for Leadership elections was a massive mistake and needs to be reversed!
Those talking about labour getting some crazy low number of seats...One thing we learned from this week, There are still places that a donkey with a red rosette will still win comfortably, despite corbyn, brexit, candidate behaviour.
The Tories might fancy their chances in Stoke Central at the next general election if UKIP start to fade.
Much of the UKIP vote there would probably vote Labour as a second preference.
There need to be more charismatic Labour MPs like Jess Philips who have led normal working class lives, and have lived the issues, not studied them at university. Sure she sometimes is a bit brash, and steps on a few prissy toes, but she would not be an alien to the people of Stoke.
Those talking about labour getting some crazy low number of seats...One thing we learned from this week, There are still places that a donkey with a red rosette will still win comfortably, despite corbyn, brexit, candidate behaviour.
The Tories might fancy their chances in Stoke Central at the next general election if UKIP start to fade.
Much of the UKIP vote there would probably vote Labour as a second preference.
There need to be more charismatic Labour MPs like Jess Philips who have led normal working class lives, and have lived the issues, not studied them at university. Sure she sometimes is a bit brash, and steps on a few prissy toes, but she would not be an alien to the people of Stoke.
She would be toxic to too many people. She doesn't have charisma - she has a loud voice and inadequate filters.
Those talking about labour getting some crazy low number of seats...One thing we learned from this week, There are still places that a donkey with a red rosette will still win comfortably, despite corbyn, brexit, candidate behaviour.
The Tories might fancy their chances in Stoke Central at the next general election if UKIP start to fade.
Much of the UKIP vote there would probably vote Labour as a second preference.
There need to be more charismatic Labour MPs like Jess Philips who have led normal working class lives, and have lived the issues, not studied them at university. Sure she sometimes is a bit brash, and steps on a few prissy toes, but she would not be an alien to the people of Stoke.
I don't disagree with that. However, had Stoke Central been a straight Labour v Tory contest such as was very much the norm back in the 1950s and 1960s I would have expected that the Labour majority this week would have been quite a bit bigger.
Welcome back, Mr. Calum (wish I'd followed your SNP tips).
Labour must be glad there's no SNP equivalent in England. Otherwise they'd be looking at total collapse.
A patriotic, pro european social democrat party would certainly get my vote. Vote Lib Dem!
In case the Edit function hasn't timed out yet - you typed "patriotic" by accident.
Just trying to help out.
They are patriots. EU patriots.
Nope. SNP are pro EU Scottish patriots, Lib Dems pro EU British patriots.
The SNP aren't pro-EU out of principle.
All policies are a mixture of ideals and pragmatism.
I can only wish that the SNP & Sturgeon would emulate the consistent, principled position on the EU of, say, Theresa May, or Ruth Davidson.
Aaah, I yearn for the days when I was told the SNP had inclusive, internationalist, anti-racist policies to hide the fact the were secretly really exclusionary, inward-looking, big0old racists who were getting ready to fire up the ovens.
Those talking about labour getting some crazy low number of seats...One thing we learned from this week, There are still places that a donkey with a red rosette will still win comfortably, despite corbyn, brexit, candidate behaviour.
The Tories might fancy their chances in Stoke Central at the next general election if UKIP start to fade.
Much of the UKIP vote there would probably vote Labour as a second preference.
There need to be more charismatic Labour MPs like Jess Philips who have led normal working class lives, and have lived the issues, not studied them at university. Sure she sometimes is a bit brash, and steps on a few prissy toes, but she would not be an alien to the people of Stoke.
She would be toxic to too many people. She doesn't have charisma - she has a loud voice and inadequate filters.
Yes, she is a bit common isn't she? Not suitable for the inner circle. Not unless you need to show what feminism means to working class women.
The difference between HH and her is clear, and exactly what Labour needs. Her new book is next on my reading list, and I rarely find political biographies on that.
Once Corbyn departs all bets will be off again , and it would become entirely realistic to see Labour polling circa 35% in 2020 under Benn , Jarvis or Nandy. I am hoping that the party suffers catastrophic losses in May to the extent that the Union leaders feel forced to intervene. If Corbyn then declines to step down they should invite a further challenge to his leadership.
Well ,thanks for articulating what some of us already knew.
Those talking about labour getting some crazy low number of seats...One thing we learned from this week, There are still places that a donkey with a red rosette will still win comfortably, despite corbyn, brexit, candidate behaviour.
The Tories might fancy their chances in Stoke Central at the next general election if UKIP start to fade.
Much of the UKIP vote there would probably vote Labour as a second preference.
There need to be more charismatic Labour MPs like Jess Philips who have led normal working class lives, and have lived the issues, not studied them at university. Sure she sometimes is a bit brash, and steps on a few prissy toes, but she would not be an alien to the people of Stoke.
I don't disagree with that. However, had Stoke Central been a straight Labour v Tory contest such as was very much the norm back in the 1950s and 1960s I would have expected that the Labour majority this week would have been quite a bit bigger.
Until we have French style elections that is never going to happen again! (or AV of course)
Once Corbyn departs all bets will be off again , and it would become entirely realistic to see Labour polling circa 35% in 2020 under Benn , Jarvis or Nandy. I am hoping that the party suffers catastrophic losses in May to the extent that the Union leaders feel forced to intervene. If Corbyn then declines to step down they should invite a further challenge to his leadership.
Don't believe it!
For sure, a new leader may well enjoy a honeymoon bounce for a few months.
But, unless they can start to resolve the fundamental inconsistencies within the social democratic position, and find a way of reconciling the conflicting interests of Labour's increasingly divergent putative coalition, any new leader will simply find themselves in the same impossible position before they have seen out their first year.
Welcome back, Mr. Calum (wish I'd followed your SNP tips).
Labour must be glad there's no SNP equivalent in England. Otherwise they'd be looking at total collapse.
Thanks Mr Dancer - I think the Tories are shaping up nicely as a SNP equivalent in England !!
I think the Tories could force Labour down to 150 or so seats, but I think those 150 seats would be unwinnable for them. There are seats in Merseyside, Greater London, the Welsh Valleys, Greater Manchester, Tyneside, university seats, which will never vote Conservative.
That's probably right but there's an interesting intellectual exercise to be had the other way around. That is, which nominally conservative seats forever would not be threatened in a by-election. Substantiallly less than 150 I'd suspect, which is an interesting view on the Labour vote.
Once Corbyn departs all bets will be off again , and it would become entirely realistic to see Labour polling circa 35% in 2020 under Benn , Jarvis or Nandy. I am hoping that the party suffers catastrophic losses in May to the extent that the Union leaders feel forced to intervene. If Corbyn then declines to step down they should invite a further challenge to his leadership.
Well ,thanks for articulating what some of us already knew.
Unions give Labour party their marching orders.
This is healthy, how?
There is a difference between exerting influence and giving the party 'its marching orders'. For most of Labour's history they exerted a moderating influence on any extreme elements. Moreover, the fact of such influence did not stop the public electing Labour Governments in 1945 and the 1960s/70s.
Those talking about labour getting some crazy low number of seats...One thing we learned from this week, There are still places that a donkey with a red rosette will still win comfortably, despite corbyn, brexit, candidate behaviour.
That is what they said in Scotland!
An extinction event, or coming very close like the Liberals did in the fifties, is very possible. Labour was founded by trade unions in manufacturing and transport industries to serve their members interests. Those industries have largely gone, and those interests largely achieved such as universal suffrage, pay and working conditions. The only strong unions left are those of NHS, council and education, hence the focus on those interests. UKIP will disappear now that its job is done, why shouldn't the Labour party too?
A return to Whigs vs Tories is on the cards.
Labour, or a Labour-type party, will survive because lots of people want a left wing party. There are hard left wingers like Corbyn, or the Green Party. Not enough to win, but maybe 10-15% of the population, and well-represented in universities, teaching, London's public sector unions, and the arts. But, there are more people who aren't hard left, but do want much higher public spending, and redistributive taxes. Add in ethnic minority groups that aren't upwardly mobile, young women who are unhappy with their status, and you're probably getting close to 40% of voters.
The election winning coalition for Labour is most of those, plus centrist/floating voters who want more investment in public services and are prepared to back Labour to deliver it. However, they would only do so if they felt economically secure enough to risk paying a bit more, and were confident Labour could be trusted with their money in Government.
On top of that, Labour's starting point is far lower because you have the severe erosion of its traditional WWC base in both England/Wales and Scotland due to their total tin-ear when it comes to the sort of identity politics they don't like - nationhood - rather than that which they do - gender, sexual, or racial diversity - which they persist in making clear to voters that they are very much more animated by.
Both are big problems for them compared to the 1990s.
Once Corbyn departs all bets will be off again , and it would become entirely realistic to see Labour polling circa 35% in 2020 under Benn , Jarvis or Nandy. I am hoping that the party suffers catastrophic losses in May to the extent that the Union leaders feel forced to intervene. If Corbyn then declines to step down they should invite a further challenge to his leadership.
Well ,thanks for articulating what some of us already knew.
Unions give Labour party their marching orders.
This is healthy, how?
There is a difference between exerting influence and giving the party 'its marching orders'. For most of Labour's history they exerted a moderating influence on any extreme elements. Moreover, the fact of such influence did not stop the public electing Labour Governments in 1945 and the 1960s/70s.
I think that the biggest difference is that so few people are members of Unions now. 50 years ago they represented half the workforce, now it is just 10%. Choosing the leader is much more valid in the first circumstance.
Indeed reversing the decline of private sector unions would do tbem a world of good.
What the workers of SportsDirect or the agricultural workers of Lincs need is a good Union to fight their corner.
IF Labour manage to change Leader.. that won't be the end of it, the party tearing itself apart with political infighting (as it would) would be a sight to see..
@JosiasJessop - quite a flimsy bit of evidence, and I don't recall there being any question of it's authenticity of the time. Perhaps a more cautious approach to reporting on such matters would be the correct approach.
What sort of evidence do you expect in a story about someone allegedly writing something nasty on a receipt?
Impeccable witnesses, such as a nun, a doctor and a judge who witnessed him write it? CSI-style infinizoom CCTV that shows him writing it? The perpetrator covering his face in a black cloak and saying: "Mwahahaha! I did it!"
It was a story about some writing on a receipt. That was provided.
It seems we all want reporters to be cautious on stories we don't like, yet are perfectly happy to accuse them of covering up on other occasions. Oh, and then there's the demand for information whenever anything happens.
The waitress might have lied. How is a reporter to ascertain that in what was, originally, a page-filer story?
Welcome back, Mr. Calum (wish I'd followed your SNP tips).
Labour must be glad there's no SNP equivalent in England. Otherwise they'd be looking at total collapse.
A patriotic, pro european social democrat party would certainly get my vote. Vote Lib Dem!
In case the Edit function hasn't timed out yet - you typed "patriotic" by accident.
Just trying to help out.
They are patriots. EU patriots.
Nope. SNP are pro EU Scottish patriots, Lib Dems pro EU British patriots.
The idea of selling your soul to the undemocratic EU is patriotic is beyond scorn
I think that both Paddy Ashdown and Margaret Thatcher could reasonably be described as patriots :-)
Maggie who was more Eurosceptic than any of the current lot of jellyfish. She saw what the EU meant for this nation towards the end of her reign and the traitors in the party deposed her for it. Now they have almost all been eliminated within the party structure. Only Ken and Anna Soubry left, hopefully they get eliminated soon as well. I'd rather have Labour MPs than those two traitors.
At this point in time one can either be in favour of the EU and a traitor or be in favour of leave and a patriot. I know where I stand, quisling Lib Dems and useful idiots like Soubry on the other hand, well we know they all want our country to beg the EU for forgiveness for turning away from their nightmarish vision of this country as part of a greater German empire.
Welcome back, Mr. Calum (wish I'd followed your SNP tips).
Labour must be glad there's no SNP equivalent in England. Otherwise they'd be looking at total collapse.
A patriotic, pro european social democrat party would certainly get my vote. Vote Lib Dem!
In case the Edit function hasn't timed out yet - you typed "patriotic" by accident.
Just trying to help out.
They are patriots. EU patriots.
Nope. SNP are pro EU Scottish patriots, Lib Dems pro EU British patriots.
The idea of selling your soul to the undemocratic EU is patriotic is beyond scorn
I think that both Paddy Ashdown and Margaret Thatcher could reasonably be described as patriots :-)
Maggie who was more Eurosceptic than any of the current lot of jellyfish. She saw what the EU meant for this nation towards the end of her reign and the traitors in the party deposed her for it. Now they have almost all been eliminated within the party structure. Only Ken and Anna Soubry left, hopefully they get eliminated soon as well. I'd rather have Labour MPs than those two traitors.
At this point in time one can either be in favour of the EU and a traitor or be in favour of leave and a patriot. I know where I stand, quisling Lib Dems and useful idiots like Soubry on the other hand, well we know they all want our country to beg the EU for forgiveness for turning away from their nightmarish vision of this country as part of a greater German empire.
A post that says far more about you than about any of the subjects referred to therein.
Welcome back, Mr. Calum (wish I'd followed your SNP tips).
Labour must be glad there's no SNP equivalent in England. Otherwise they'd be looking at total collapse.
Thanks Mr Dancer - I think the Tories are shaping up nicely as a SNP equivalent in England !!
I think the Tories could force Labour down to 150 or so seats, but I think those 150 seats would be unwinnable for them. There are seats in Merseyside, Greater London, the Welsh Valleys, Greater Manchester, Tyneside, university seats, which will never vote Conservative.
That's probably right but there's an interesting intellectual exercise to be had the other way around. That is, which nominally conservative seats forever would not be threatened in a by-election. Substantiallly less than 150 I'd suspect, which is an interesting view on the Labour vote.
The Tories never dipped below 165 seats (although they might nominally have been down to 163 or 164 in the 1997-2001 parliament at some point) and held them all exclusively in England.
This is in an era where there was no UKIP, the Tories were really the only right-wing party in town (unless you count the flash in the pan of the Referendum Party) and the Left beat the Right by about 65:35. But, of course, there were strong political reasons for that.
If the Tories were ever to suffer a similar style wipe-out today, the Shires would still be good for them, but I'd expect it'd be much more likely they'd be cleaned out of London, the NW marginals, the more liberal commuter belts to the Liberal Democrats, but hold onto places in Kent, Essex, and the Midlands that Labour took in the 1990s.
Once Corbyn departs all bets will be off again , and it would become entirely realistic to see Labour polling circa 35% in 2020 under Benn , Jarvis or Nandy. I am hoping that the party suffers catastrophic losses in May to the extent that the Union leaders feel forced to intervene. If Corbyn then declines to step down they should invite a further challenge to his leadership.
Well ,thanks for articulating what some of us already knew.
Unions give Labour party their marching orders.
This is healthy, how?
There is a difference between exerting influence and giving the party 'its marching orders'. For most of Labour's history they exerted a moderating influence on any extreme elements. Moreover, the fact of such influence did not stop the public electing Labour Governments in 1945 and the 1960s/70s.
I think that the biggest difference is that so few people are members of Unions now. 50 years ago they represented half the workforce, now it is just 10%. Choosing the leader is much more valid in the first circumstance.
Indeed reversing the decline of private sector unions would do tbem a world of good.
What the workers of SportsDirect or the agricultural workers of Lincs need is a good Union to fight their corner.
I would not suggest that the Unions would 'choose' the leader as such - but that is not to say that they should be denied influence at all.The Unions themselves have very different views and do not act as a single collective voice. Removal of the Electoral College has seriously destabilised the party and Corbyn is the result of that - albeit much aided by the ineptitude of Acting Leader Harriet Harman in July 2015.
Welcome back, Mr. Calum (wish I'd followed your SNP tips).
Labour must be glad there's no SNP equivalent in England. Otherwise they'd be looking at total collapse.
A patriotic, pro european social democrat party would certainly get my vote. Vote Lib Dem!
In case the Edit function hasn't timed out yet - you typed "patriotic" by accident.
Just trying to help out.
They are patriots. EU patriots.
Nope. SNP are pro EU Scottish patriots, Lib Dems pro EU British patriots.
The idea of selling your soul to the undemocratic EU is patriotic is beyond scorn
I think that both Paddy Ashdown and Margaret Thatcher could reasonably be described as patriots :-)
Maggie who was more Eurosceptic than any of the current lot of jellyfish. She saw what the EU meant for this nation towards the end of her reign and the traitors in the party deposed her for it. Now they have almost all been eliminated within the party structure. Only Ken and Anna Soubry left, hopefully they get eliminated soon as well. I'd rather have Labour MPs than those two traitors.
At this point in time one can either be in favour of the EU and a traitor or be in favour of leave and a patriot. I know where I stand, quisling Lib Dems and useful idiots like Soubry on the other hand, well we know they all want our country to beg the EU for forgiveness for turning away from their nightmarish vision of this country as part of a greater German empire.
A post that says far more about you than about any of the subjects referred to therein.
Not particularly, a post that has probably made you feel guilty for supporting the traitors that want to sell out our nation to the EU, a foreign power. A post that makes you realise the side you have chosen wish ill on our nation. A side which puts you in the same category as those who want nothing more than to see us be subservient to Juncker and Merkel.
Turn back the Tory tide? So he is admitting that there is a tide of Tory support, when tides are famously the things you cannot turn back, thus unintentionally suggesting that he knows the Tories are rising and Labour can do nothing but wait for it to recede?
Comments
Yeah I am playing Pires out of position there really... I'd prob have Wiltord over Freddie though...
Gun to my head I'd put Hleb wide right and Cesc no10
Fav Wenger era goal?
Labour: I think there will be events in the next couple of months that will be worthy of note by historians. The end of Labour, the renewal of Labour, the something. My best guess is a split and therefore the death of Labour, but that's only based on what I would do if I was a Labour MP and was faced with this situation. Corbyn may not be gone at all, he may find some issue that catapults him from zero to hero. I will make one prediction - Dianne Abbot will trouble our screens/radios less.
Test The quote appears as HTML text so you can just delete bits of it EDIT: As long as you leave the tags intact. If the tags are nested you can just leave the outside pair for the last quote And you can do that more than once
And try the more than once suggestion
I've now been living with MND since March 2010 - I had to return to PB lurker mode 18 months ago due to my health deteriorating - I'm now doing much better and back on the campaign trail. As well as using Twitter I've now set up a Youtube Channel - my first 3 awareness videos have now been viewed in 40 Countries - including 39 US States !!
Twitter - https://twitter.com/CalumMND
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK5lAAFobCEkj6RjfzJ4Mhw
Turning to Scottish politics - the SNP appear unassailable at the moment - Scottish Labour seem intent on rendering themselves completely irrelevant and a modest Lib Dem recovery could see them heading for 4th party status. The rise of the Scottish Tories has been truly impressive - but I think this is more due to Ruth Davidson than the party - that said I'm sure Ruth is doing her damnedest to Davidsonise the rest of the party in the run up to May 2017.
As for Labour nationaly - they appear to have learnt none of the lessons from their Scottish annihilation and appear to suffering from SLABitise - sadly SLAB are still a long way from finding a cure.
Favourtie goal? Ljungberg at Anfield in 2001: http://tinyurl.com/zd9onyv
But that was before I was going to games. So possibly Bendtner's last minute winner at Hull in 2010. It got Phil Brown the sack.
Labour must be glad there's no SNP equivalent in England. Otherwise they'd be looking at total collapse.
Hoyte was a youth team player?
Wright
Luzhny Stepanovs Squillaci Silvestre
Reyes Kallstrom Denilson Pennant
Jeffers Diawara
It isn't a subjective thing, not having him up front would invalidate your entry
Best goal for me was in a losing cause.. Davor Suker vs Coventry 1999
https://tinyurl.com/z23l5u8
And don't get me started on Oleg Luzhny. The Sun Dreamteam used to have a rule whereby the footballer with the most points got a bonus 20. Henry was four behind RVN going into the Cup final v Southampton in 2003. Had Heny been star man he'd have got the bonus 20 and I'd have won my mini league. But the muppet at the Sun gave it to bloody Luzhny. It cost me £100 which to a 16 year old was a lot of money!
Mr. Calum, to an extent (a very large extent but they can't destroy Labour. That'd take another party). UKIP's fading and, as above, the Lib Dems have limited reach.
Incidentally, shade sleepy (keep trying to get more writing done but it's not progressing too well at the minute) and forgot to say I'm glad your health has improved after previously declining.
No hope of ever winning is not a great incentive for a party.....
Just trying to help out.
hmmm
What is it then, what is their motivation and how do they justify their actions?
A British SNP equivalent would be how I described, because that is what the SNP is North of the border. I should add well led too!
Indeed I would happily see an SNP led coalition as the next government.
I'm on!
However, I suspect that Labour are safe in seat like the one in Stoke because it's hard to see the Tories or Ukip being able to tempt enough of the other to come over to them to beat Labour. Perhaps if an election looked close and people really wanted to stop Labour winning, then that might focus minds.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-39089604
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has insisted that a trail of his address to the Scottish Labour conference in Perth was not accusing the SNP of being racists. Part of his speech - posted on Twitter - implied there was "no difference" between nationalism and racism.
The tweeted extract prompted a strong response on social media including from Nicola Sturgeon. Scotland's first minister described Mr Khan's intervention as "spectacularly ill-judged". Using her Twitter handle, she said: "It is an insult to all those Scots who support independence for reasons of inclusion & social justice - the antithesis of what he says."
Khan is arguably Labour's brightest star at the moment - certainly the Lab politician with the biggest mandate.
Is this as big a ****-up as it sounds? Firstly, that Scotlab have had to wheel out a Londoner to show that a Labour movement can be publicly presentable / actually electable, secondly in showing that the English-dominated Labour party is out of touch with the mood in Scotland?
Or is this all one of those innumerable storm in a thimble things, which almost none of the wider electorate will get to hear about, and even those who do won't care? Wonder how much coverage this is getting up there, beyond Twitter.
An extinction event, or coming very close like the Liberals did in the fifties, is very possible. Labour was founded by trade unions in manufacturing and transport industries to serve their members interests. Those industries have largely gone, and those interests largely achieved such as universal suffrage, pay and working conditions. The only strong unions left are those of NHS, council and education, hence the focus on those interests. UKIP will disappear now that its job is done, why shouldn't the Labour party too?
A return to Whigs vs Tories is on the cards.
The article states that the lawyer for the customer accused of writing the notes denies having done so. This story seems perfectly acceptable 'news': they are reporting the reaction of someone accused of something. Unless they reporters are lying or deliberately misrepresenting that.
Likewise, the original story probably wasn't 'fake news': they have a story, and some realistic 'evidence' in the form of the receipt with the writing on it.
If either of these stories were 'fake news' then any reported crimes could be seen as such if the facts were contested before a trial.
IMV it would be 'fake news' if the story was fabricated by the media, or the facts twisted egregiously. I'm not sure the media can be accused of this wrt the original story or this report.
The news cannot be fake if they're honestly reporting what has been told them, even if that turns out to be wrong. It wasn't fake news to report on Blair's 45 minute claims, even if the claims turned out to be rubbish.
As it happens, I'd expect a handwriting analysis to indicate the truthfulness or not of this fairly easily, yet alone the other claims made in the article.
I am hoping that the party suffers catastrophic losses in May to the extent that the Union leaders feel forced to intervene. If Corbyn then declines to step down they should invite a further challenge to his leadership.
Very interesting indeed to speculate how, in practice, they would work to achieve that.
In my wife's case anyone playing England gets automatic Scottish nationality given to them.
I am a Unionist, but that means that I want Scots (and other devolved countries) to participate in the Westminster Parliament, and that implies that there should be at least some chance of them sitting on the government benches. I would welcome it.
The difference between HH and her is clear, and exactly what Labour needs. Her new book is next on my reading list, and I rarely find political biographies on that.
http://www.spectator.co.uk/2017/02/harriet-harman-and-jess-phillips-poles-apart-in-the-sisterhood/
https://twitter.com/hendopolis/status/835592967440195584
Unions give Labour party their marching orders.
This is healthy, how?
For sure, a new leader may well enjoy a honeymoon bounce for a few months.
But, unless they can start to resolve the fundamental inconsistencies within the social democratic position, and find a way of reconciling the conflicting interests of Labour's increasingly divergent putative coalition, any new leader will simply find themselves in the same impossible position before they have seen out their first year.
Ah, I see the problem.
On top of that, Labour's starting point is far lower because you have the severe erosion of its traditional WWC base in both England/Wales and Scotland due to their total tin-ear when it comes to the sort of identity politics they don't like - nationhood - rather than that which they do - gender, sexual, or racial diversity - which they persist in making clear to voters that they are very much more animated by.
Both are big problems for them compared to the 1990s.
Indeed reversing the decline of private sector unions would do tbem a world of good.
What the workers of SportsDirect or the agricultural workers of Lincs need is a good Union to fight their corner.
Yeah. We all really believed that.
☺️
Impeccable witnesses, such as a nun, a doctor and a judge who witnessed him write it? CSI-style infinizoom CCTV that shows him writing it? The perpetrator covering his face in a black cloak and saying: "Mwahahaha! I did it!"
It was a story about some writing on a receipt. That was provided.
It seems we all want reporters to be cautious on stories we don't like, yet are perfectly happy to accuse them of covering up on other occasions. Oh, and then there's the demand for information whenever anything happens.
The waitress might have lied. How is a reporter to ascertain that in what was, originally, a page-filer story?
At this point in time one can either be in favour of the EU and a traitor or be in favour of leave and a patriot. I know where I stand, quisling Lib Dems and useful idiots like Soubry on the other hand, well we know they all want our country to beg the EU for forgiveness for turning away from their nightmarish vision of this country as part of a greater German empire.
This is in an era where there was no UKIP, the Tories were really the only right-wing party in town (unless you count the flash in the pan of the Referendum Party) and the Left beat the Right by about 65:35. But, of course, there were strong political reasons for that.
If the Tories were ever to suffer a similar style wipe-out today, the Shires would still be good for them, but I'd expect it'd be much more likely they'd be cleaned out of London, the NW marginals, the more liberal commuter belts to the Liberal Democrats, but hold onto places in Kent, Essex, and the Midlands that Labour took in the 1990s.
I'd struggle to see them beneath 180-190 seats.
https://twitter.com/jeremycorbyn/status/835591792909303808
Bollocks.