@joncraig: Staff in Parliament told by sec sources police were tipped off about man arrested in Whitehall by his family, which probably saved his life.
Excuse my ignorance, but why would a bag full of knives be that much more dangerous than one knife?
Maybe he was taking them to a gang who were going to use them simultaneously?
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
Can someone change her battery as the robotic language is begining to grate a bit .
No :-)
The whole point of May's campaign is to be serious, solid, managerial and dull. Most people don't want further political excitement at present, and certainly not of the variety that Jeremy Corbyn and friends are offering.
Nevertheless leaving the airwaves and column inches empty to fill with whatever the opposition parties are doing and proposing is a novel, and somewhat risky, strategy for a governing party to sustain through six weeks more of campaigning?
Foot was an eminent politician with a strong track record. He wasn't the problem. It was the Party, which had been heavily infiltrated by Marxists and Communists. He was the wrong leader for that time, because he either wouldn't or couldn't stand up to them and clean out the stables. Had he led a more typical social democratic Labour Party largely free of what were highly alien elements, he would have been fine.
Foot was also fairly smart, albeit in an impractical, academic manner. Oxford PPE and all that.
Corbyn clearly .... isn't.
Foot was a true public servant and a man worthy to be PM even if I personally would not have voted for him. Corbyn is certainly neither of those things.
"In January 2017 Corbyn declared himself in favour of a maximum wage (miraculously “somewhat higher” than the £138,000 he himself earns). His shadow chancellor John McDonnell wants to raise taxes on those earning above £70,000 (miraculously just above his personal salary…). "
"Brigitte has refused to reveal when the unlikely pair first became intimate, proclaiming it 'our secret'."
"'Nobody will ever know at what moment our story became a love story. That belongs to us. That is our secret,' she said."
The age of consent in France when one party has authority over the other - for instance, if they are their schoolteacher - is 18.
Good afternoon all. Just popping in to say hello and thank you to all for your very kind words to me. Much appreciated.
I am slowly recuperating. The garden is getting a lot of TLC and I am listening to much music. Really, what else does one need?
Just to be a tad waspish, Madame Macron would be well advised to wear dresses with sleeves.
good to see you back. Thinks she looks pretty good for her age doesn't she? Must be mid 60s.
Not sure what the exact age gap is but I understand it is less than that between Mr & Mrs Trump, though for some reason the latter seems to attract less comment.
It's the age at which things began, not merely that younger man older woman would provoke more comment anyway. But it's a known story which if anyone in France cared it'd have had an impact already.
Yes, my impression is that the French worry much less than us about the sex lives of their politicans, but are much sterner in respect of financial improprieties.
Err did Fillon not come a pretty respectable 3rd just recently when under criminal investigation for paying his wife a lot of taxpayers money for nothing. And Mitterand. And Chirac? Having a conviction for financial impropriety seems a badge of honour in France.
I think Fillon would have made the run-off without the financial scandal (and it wasn't much of one.)
Btw, Le Pen has her own financial inquiry brewing. Let's see how that goes for her.
Foot was an eminent politician with a strong track record. He wasn't the problem. It was the Party, which had been heavily infiltrated by Marxists and Communists. He was the wrong leader for that time, because he either wouldn't or couldn't stand up to them and clean out the stables. Had he led a more typical social democratic Labour Party largely free of what were highly alien elements, he would have been fine.
Foot was also fairly smart, albeit in an impractical, academic manner. Oxford PPE and all that.
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
Foot was an eminent politician with a strong track record. He wasn't the problem. It was the Party, which had been heavily infiltrated by Marxists and Communists. He was the wrong leader for that time, because he either wouldn't or couldn't stand up to them and clean out the stables. Had he led a more typical social democratic Labour Party largely free of what were highly alien elements, he would have been fine.
Foot was also fairly smart, albeit in an impractical, academic manner. Oxford PPE and all that.
Corbyn clearly .... isn't.
Corbyn is a grammar school lad.
Probably the best argument to close down every grammar school in the country.
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
True, but the difference is the one Krishnan alludes to
"Long term economic plan" is something we have and hope to continue
"We need strong and stable leadership" implies we don't have it right now, which is awkward
The real split is between the political and the economic. The rest of Europe had had a shitty century, constantly at war with itself. It didn't trust nation states not to do so again. So the EU emerged to supercede nation states and limit their power (to cause mischief). The UK was not in that place. We had had an entirely honourable two world wars, a centuries-long history of rock solid stability in our political system, common law, FPTP elections for seats, etc. We just didn't need the higher level control. We still don't. We are just not ever going to fit in a federal EU.
On my recent sojourn, I had a discussion with some very conservative Americans about Brexit. They were very much taken with Dan Hannan and his arguments about Sovereignty, and tried to make the case that there are some things that are better handled at local levels rather than at an overarching level.
And even if you accept that, what they failed to do was follow that to the logical conclusion that all the States should therefore secede...
Yes, but the USA is a country with a demos, common language (mostly), they all watch the same TV etc. etc. etc.
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
Can someone change her battery as the robotic language is begining to grate a bit .
No :-)
The whole point of May's campaign is to be serious, solid, managerial and dull. Most people don't want further political excitement at present, and certainly not of the variety that Jeremy Corbyn and friends are offering.
Does a Strong and Stable Leader trust our Foreign policy to a clown?
Foot was an eminent politician with a strong track record. He wasn't the problem. It was the Party, which had been heavily infiltrated by Marxists and Communists. He was the wrong leader for that time, because he either wouldn't or couldn't stand up to them and clean out the stables. Had he led a more typical social democratic Labour Party largely free of what were highly alien elements, he would have been fine.
Foot was also fairly smart, albeit in an impractical, academic manner. Oxford PPE and all that.
Corbyn clearly .... isn't.
Foot was a true public servant and a man worthy to be PM even if I personally would not have voted for him. Corbyn is certainly neither of those things.
It may surprise you to know, Richard, that I was a Labour Party member in those far off days and campaigned for Foot. However, sweet young and innocent as I was then, even I was sufficiently savvy to think that if there had been the slightest chance of his shambles of a Party getting in, I wouldn't have voted for it. Since it was clear a long way out that Labour were going down heavily, the dilemma didn't arise.
I reckon a lot of Labour's core vote will turn out on June 8th, safe in the knowledge that there isn't a snowball in hell's chance of Corbyn becoming PM.
Foot was an eminent politician with a strong track record. He wasn't the problem. It was the Party, which had been heavily infiltrated by Marxists and Communists. He was the wrong leader for that time, because he either wouldn't or couldn't stand up to them and clean out the stables. Had he led a more typical social democratic Labour Party largely free of what were highly alien elements, he would have been fine.
Foot was also fairly smart, albeit in an impractical, academic manner. Oxford PPE and all that.
Corbyn clearly .... isn't.
Corbyn is a grammar school lad.
Probably the best argument to close down every grammar school in the country.
Certainly a strong one for reform of grammar admissions policies.
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
She's scared of losing to Jeremy Corbyn FFS.
She's frit.
Probably doesn't want to give Farron the limelight. Given Corbyn's decision, it appears to have worked.
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
She's scared of losing to Jeremy Corbyn FFS.
She's frit.
Couldn't be arsed is probably more accurate.
If she thought there was an advantage to doing it, she'd do it. Therefore she sees no advantage to it, therefore she must think she would be harmed, in however limited a fashion, by doing it.
After the debacle of 1970, the Feb 1974 election saw the party's vote share increase two and a half times to 19.3%. That was one of the few elections when BOTH Conservative and labour vote shares fell.
2017 isn't as yet February 1974. To even double the vote share from 2015 will be a huge achievement in 24 months. Realistically, 12-15% looks a solid step forward but that won't be strongly reflected in seats and 15 seats at best looks valid but progress to bring more into range.
The Conservatives will have nowhere to hide after the GE and will have to maintain a huge tent of a coalition through the Brexit process and beyond. Inevitably things will happen, things won't happen and mistakes will be made and the potential pool of disillusioned Conservatives on whom the LDs can draw from say mid 2018 onwards will be considerable.
When, not if, the May Government hits its midterm, the poll numbers could look very bad for the Conservatives for a while especially if Brexit doesn't look like delivering all things to all people.
We'll see - in the short term, it won't be easy being a non-Conservative and six weeks or so today the triumphalism will be unbearable but as night follows day that will change and it will be the Conservatives who will have to be on the defensive as they have to stand on the record and the promises and the expectations.
One day too Labour will get its act together and there will come an election where it will be the Conservatives who will be on the edge of disaster much as they were this time 20 years ago.
Whilst February 1974 saw the strongest Liberal performance since World War 2 , the big jump in vote share also owed a great deal to the fact that they contested 200 additional seats compared with 1970.
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
She's scared of losing to Jeremy Corbyn FFS.
She's frit.
Probably doesn't want to give Farron the limelight. Given Corbyn's decision, it appears to have worked.
The Scots debate on the 24th May with Sturgeon v Davidson v Dugdale v Rennie should be more than interesting. 3 against 1 for the Union. Unfortunately as I am flying back from Canada that evening I will miss it
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
She's scared of losing to Jeremy Corbyn FFS.
She's frit.
Couldn't be arsed is probably more accurate.
If she thought there was an advantage to doing it, she'd do it. Therefore she sees no advantage to it, therefore she must think she would be harmed, in however limited a fashion, by doing it.
Simple answer is why present your opponents the opportunity when there is no need.
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
She's scared of losing to Jeremy Corbyn FFS.
She's frit.
Debates are not her natural environment. When you have a 20-point lead, why risk it on something you don't need to do?
It's not so much 'losing' in outright terms that she and CCHQ are likely to be concerned about; it's not doing well enough to maintain the momentum that the Conservatives currently have.
Debates work well for people who have simple sloganistic solutions to every problem; they are less ideal for people who work with detail.
It seems that around 10k homes are built each month - around 20% of those being in the public sector.
So over 5 years the total built would be 600k, and that'd be just 120k in the public sector. It seems unlikely to me that even a genius such as Corbyn can multiply the public sector build eightfold. So probably Corbyn is saying that he'll build 400k and thus the total is 1m - nonetheless that's more than tripling the council build rate. I don't really believe that it's possible. There's a big lead time on land, builders, and materials. It will triple the costs too.
It seems that around 10k homes are built each month - around 20% of those being in the public sector.
So over 5 years the total built would be 600k, and that'd be just 120k in the public sector. It seems unlikely to me that even a genius such as Corbyn can multiply the public sector build eightfold. So probably Corbyn is saying that he'll build 400k and thus the total is 1m - nonetheless that's more than tripling the council build rate. I don't really believe that it's possible. There's a big lead time on land, builders, and materials. It will triple the costs too.
Is this just a nonsense number? Any thoughts?
Yes, even attempting the target involves the election of a Labour government. The lead time on that is around a decade at the earliest.
Foot was an eminent politician with a strong track record. He wasn't the problem. It was the Party, which had been heavily infiltrated by Marxists and Communists. He was the wrong leader for that time, because he either wouldn't or couldn't stand up to them and clean out the stables. Had he led a more typical social democratic Labour Party largely free of what were highly alien elements, he would have been fine.
Foot was also fairly smart, albeit in an impractical, academic manner. Oxford PPE and all that.
Corbyn clearly .... isn't.
What sunk Labour back in 1983 was that they started out thinking they might win - given that multi-term government was relatively unusual back then - and when Labour's poll rating started sinking and the Alliance rating started to rise, leading Labour figures started to break ranks, damaging them further.
This time Labour does have the twin compensations that no objective observer (nor Labour campaigner, deep down) thinks they have any chance whatsoever of winning, and Labour divisions are old news and already priced in.
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
She's scared of losing to Jeremy Corbyn FFS.
She's frit.
She's sensible, more like. She has an enormous advantage and probably very little more to gain from entering such a debate.
Corbyn, on the other hand, is so poorly regarded that if he does anything other than lose absolutely catastrophically then that risks being seen as something close to a victory. If the PM can only murder the Labour Party live on national television, rather than murder it, set fire to the corpse, drop the burning body down a thousand-foot mine shaft and back fill it with quick-setting concrete, then this will be viewed by many as an embarrassing setback. Just like when there was a mini-panic a few days ago when someone unveiled a poll that showed the Conservatives "only" eleven points in the lead.
It seems that around 10k homes are built each month - around 20% of those being in the public sector.
So over 5 years the total built would be 600k, and that'd be just 120k in the public sector. It seems unlikely to me that even a genius such as Corbyn can multiply the public sector build eightfold. So probably Corbyn is saying that he'll build 400k and thus the total is 1m - nonetheless that's more than tripling the council build rate. I don't really believe that it's possible. There's a big lead time on land, builders, and materials. It will triple the costs too.
Is this just a nonsense number? Any thoughts?
Nonsense, but if you are going to lie, lie big. – Blair promised 3 million, then bulldozed 200K.
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
She's scared of losing to Jeremy Corbyn FFS.
She's frit.
She's sensible, more like. She has an enormous advantage and probably very little more to gain from entering such a debate.
Corbyn, on the other hand, is so poorly regarded that if he does anything other than lose absolutely catastrophically then that risks being seen as something close to a victory. If the PM can only murder the Labour Party live on national television, rather than murder it, set fire to the corpse, drop the burning body down a thousand-foot mine shaft and back fill it with quick-setting concrete, then this will be viewed by many as an embarrassing setback. Just like when there was a mini-panic a few days ago when someone unveiled a poll that showed the Conservatives "only" eleven points in the lead.
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
She's scared of losing to Jeremy Corbyn FFS.
She's frit.
Debates are not her natural environment. When you have a 20-point lead, why risk it on something you don't need to do?
It's not so much 'losing' in outright terms that she and CCHQ are likely to be concerned about; it's not doing well enough to maintain the momentum that the Conservatives currently have.
Debates work well for people who have simple sloganistic solutions to every problem; they are less ideal for people who work with detail.
Surely someone who is/wants to be PM should have the ability to debate issues, whatever the channel or forum. Mrs May is not exactly a charismatic or inspirational leader. She is wooden and let's be honest pretty piss poor.
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
She's scared of losing to Jeremy Corbyn FFS.
She's frit.
Couldn't be arsed is probably more accurate.
If she thought there was an advantage to doing it, she'd do it. Therefore she sees no advantage to it, therefore she must think she would be harmed, in however limited a fashion, by doing it.
Simple answer is why present your opponents the opportunity when there is no need.
Well exactly - but it is not some point of principle. She'd do it if she thought there was a need.
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
She's scared of losing to Jeremy Corbyn FFS.
She's frit.
Debates are not her natural environment. When you have a 20-point lead, why risk it on something you don't need to do?
It's not so much 'losing' in outright terms that she and CCHQ are likely to be concerned about; it's not doing well enough to maintain the momentum that the Conservatives currently have.
Debates work well for people who have simple sloganistic solutions to every problem; they are less ideal for people who work with detail.
Surely someone who is/wants to be PM should have the ability to debate issues, whatever the channel or forum. Mrs May is not exactly a charismatic or inspirational leader. She is wooden and let's be honest pretty piss poor.
It seems that around 10k homes are built each month - around 20% of those being in the public sector.
So over 5 years the total built would be 600k, and that'd be just 120k in the public sector. It seems unlikely to me that even a genius such as Corbyn can multiply the public sector build eightfold. So probably Corbyn is saying that he'll build 400k and thus the total is 1m - nonetheless that's more than tripling the council build rate. I don't really believe that it's possible. There's a big lead time on land, builders, and materials. It will triple the costs too.
Is this just a nonsense number? Any thoughts?
Yes, even attempting the target involves the election of a Labour government. The lead time on that is around a decade at the earliest.
I think it's a good possibly.
The chance of it being enacted are precisely zero though.
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
She's scared of losing to Jeremy Corbyn FFS.
She's frit.
Couldn't be arsed is probably more accurate.
If she thought there was an advantage to doing it, she'd do it. Therefore she sees no advantage to it, therefore she must think she would be harmed, in however limited a fashion, by doing it.
Will she face anyone apart from the faithfull ? Major did well getting involved with public in 92 he gained a lot of respect taking on the hecklers in the crowd .Corbyn should do similar.
Good tactics - will wind up UKIP supporters behind May
Talking tough and acting tough are two completely different things. Think we need to be careful not to antogonise.
So roll over - tough talking needs tough talking back.
Why bother? We are pretty much going to have to roll over anyway. All it does it gives an illusion (yes that word again) that we have significant bargaining chips in any negotiation.
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
She's scared of losing to Jeremy Corbyn FFS.
She's frit.
Debates are not her natural environment. When you have a 20-point lead, why risk it on something you don't need to do?
It's not so much 'losing' in outright terms that she and CCHQ are likely to be concerned about; it's not doing well enough to maintain the momentum that the Conservatives currently have.
Debates work well for people who have simple sloganistic solutions to every problem; they are less ideal for people who work with detail.
Surely someone who is/wants to be PM should have the ability to debate issues, whatever the channel or forum. Mrs May is not exactly a charismatic or inspirational leader. She is wooden and let's be honest pretty piss poor.
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
She's scared of losing to Jeremy Corbyn FFS.
She's frit.
Couldn't be arsed is probably more accurate.
If she thought there was an advantage to doing it, she'd do it. Therefore she sees no advantage to it, therefore she must think she would be harmed, in however limited a fashion, by doing it.
Will she face anyone apart from the faithfull ? Major did well getting involved with public in 92 he gained a lot of respect taking on the hecklers in the crowd .Corbyn should do similar.
Corbyn has only ever faced the faithful and even has to hold a stump speech in a field with his momentum supporters, and even then he talks with his back to the camera
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
Can someone change her battery as the robotic language is begining to grate a bit .
No :-)
The whole point of May's campaign is to be serious, solid, managerial and dull. Most people don't want further political excitement at present, and certainly not of the variety that Jeremy Corbyn and friends are offering.
Nevertheless leaving the airwaves and column inches empty to fill with whatever the opposition parties are doing and proposing is a novel, and somewhat risky, strategy for a governing party to sustain through six weeks more of campaigning?
I would be very much surprised if they intend to keep on this way right until June 8th. Besides anything else, the manifesto is launched not long after we've got the local elections out of the way.
My assumption is that the Government is quite happy to give Labour enough rope to hang itself right now. The botched attempt at a relaunch over Brexit and the gargantuan unfunded spending commitments, amongst other things, make the Opposition look bad now, and provide the Government with more ammunition to be used later in the campaign.
They're keeping their powder dry, safe in the knowledge that they have plenty of it, and that if they give Corbyn and friends both barrels now then they run the risk of (a) their message losing its power, because people grow bored of it, and (b) perhaps, even, the prospect of the hopelessly outclassed Corbyn receiving some degree of sympathy from the public.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if many of the attack lines - e.g. the Labour leadership's apparent indulgence of Irish Republican paramilitarism, Palestinian Islamist terror groups and anti-Semitic behaviour - are being soft-pedalled or kept entirely in reserve until the final ten days of the campaign.
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
She's scared of losing to Jeremy Corbyn FFS.
She's frit.
It is a risk/reward calculation. It is not merely analogous to, it is the same thing as, placing a bet. Do you want to back tories most seats at 1/10000000? No? Is that because you are frit that the tories will not win most seats? No. Corbyn might humiliate May, at a cost to her which could mean fewer seats. May humiliates Corbyn is priced in, and gains her what? (Other than promotion in your personal political landscape from frit wee timorous feartie to Guardian of the Galaxy)?
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
She's scared of losing to Jeremy Corbyn FFS.
She's frit.
Debates are not her natural environment. When you have a 20-point lead, why risk it on something you don't need to do?
It's not so much 'losing' in outright terms that she and CCHQ are likely to be concerned about; it's not doing well enough to maintain the momentum that the Conservatives currently have.
Debates work well for people who have simple sloganistic solutions to every problem; they are less ideal for people who work with detail.
Surely someone who is/wants to be PM should have the ability to debate issues, whatever the channel or forum. Mrs May is not exactly a charismatic or inspirational leader. She is wooden and let's be honest pretty piss poor.
Good tactics - will wind up UKIP supporters behind May
Talking tough and acting tough are two completely different things. Think we need to be careful not to antogonise.
So roll over - tough talking needs tough talking back.
Why bother? We are pretty much going to have to roll over anyway. All it does it gives an illusion (yes that word again) that we have significant bargaining chips in any negotiation.
We will not roll over with 100 billion EU imports and World class security services. Why do you want to talk your Country down
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
She's scared of losing to Jeremy Corbyn FFS.
She's frit.
Couldn't be arsed is probably more accurate.
If she thought there was an advantage to doing it, she'd do it. Therefore she sees no advantage to it, therefore she must think she would be harmed, in however limited a fashion, by doing it.
Will she face anyone apart from the faithfull ? Major did well getting involved with public in 92 he gained a lot of respect taking on the hecklers in the crowd .Corbyn should do similar.
A party leader would also benefit from being seen to deal effectively with hecklers at public meetings. Harold Wilson was brilliant at that in the 1964 and 1966 campaigns.
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
She's scared of losing to Jeremy Corbyn FFS.
She's frit.
Couldn't be arsed is probably more accurate.
If she thought there was an advantage to doing it, she'd do it. Therefore she sees no advantage to it, therefore she must think she would be harmed, in however limited a fashion, by doing it.
Which could just be that she sees net zero value in doing it and positive value in doing some other campaigning instead. Prep time for these things is immense, and they wipe everything else out of the news for at least two days ("debate today", "who won the debate yesterday").
@joncraig: Staff in Parliament told by sec sources police were tipped off about man arrested in Whitehall by his family, which probably saved his life.
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
She's scared of losing to Jeremy Corbyn FFS.
She's frit.
Couldn't be arsed is probably more accurate.
If she thought there was an advantage to doing it, she'd do it. Therefore she sees no advantage to it, therefore she must think she would be harmed, in however limited a fashion, by doing it.
Will she face anyone apart from the faithfull ? Major did well getting involved with public in 92 he gained a lot of respect taking on the hecklers in the crowd .Corbyn should do similar.
Corbyn has only ever faced the faithful and even has to hold a stump speech in a field with his momentum supporters, and even then he talks with his back to the camera
Yes I know that is why I suggest he gets out into the public arena , so there is a contrast with the wooden may.In 1987 I attended an open event in York where all candidates attended. The conservative won the seat .However my father and I both agreed the best speaker was Vince Cable he came third but went onto greater things.
A party leader would also benefit from being seen to deal effectively with hecklers at public meetings. Harold Wilson was brilliant at that in the 1964 and 1966 campaigns.
Yes:
Wilson: "blah blah, 13 years of Tory misrule*, blah blah"
Heckler: "Rubbish!"
Wilson: "blah blah blah, 13 years of Tory misrule, blah blah ... pragmatic.. reasonable..."
Heckler: "Rubbish!: Rubbish!"
Wilson (turning to heckler) : "Sir, I'm am coming to your particular interest in a moment"
* The idea of repeating the same mantra over and over again isn't new!
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
She's scared of losing to Jeremy Corbyn FFS.
She's frit.
It is a risk/reward calculation. It is not merely analogous to, it is the same thing as, placing a bet. Do you want to back tories most seats at 1/10000000? No? Is that because you are frit that the tories will not win most seats? No. Corbyn might humiliate May, at a cost to her which could mean fewer seats. May humiliates Corbyn is priced in, and gains her what? (Other than promotion in your personal political landscape from frit wee timorous feartie to Guardian of the Galaxy)?
Corbyn has seriously misplayed the debate card (Hasn't he misplayed them all...)
"I won't debate unless May does." To which May just says ok, no debates.
It's madness, as the challenger you get yourself onto debates come high or hell water even if Tessy isn't there. At least Ed Miliband did them, and (sort of) forced Cameron into a couple.
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
She's scared of losing to Jeremy Corbyn FFS.
She's frit.
She's sensible, more like. She has an enormous advantage and probably very little more to gain from entering such a debate.
Corbyn, on the other hand, is so poorly regarded that if he does anything other than lose absolutely catastrophically then that risks being seen as something close to a victory. If the PM can only murder the Labour Party live on national television, rather than murder it, set fire to the corpse, drop the burning body down a thousand-foot mine shaft and back fill it with quick-setting concrete, then this will be viewed by many as an embarrassing setback. Just like when there was a mini-panic a few days ago when someone unveiled a poll that showed the Conservatives "only" eleven points in the lead.
So...frit, then
No, sensible.
She could have a two-hour long televised debate with Jeremy Corbyn and assorted other soft and hard leftists, but then again she could also have a two-hour long televised debate with a greenhouse full of tomato plants.
The latter would be about as enlightening as the former, and just as much a waste of time. Besides my previous argument, televised debates are also at least as much a test of presentation and pre-rehearsal as of policy. I'm not sure I'm interested in counting how often Theresa May, Jeremy Corbyn, Nicola Sturgeon and the various minor personages repeat the same two or three soundbites over and over and over and over again.
However, the leaders might still end up doing individual shows, taking questions from an audience...?
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
She's scared of losing to Jeremy Corbyn FFS.
She's frit.
Couldn't be arsed is probably more accurate.
If she thought there was an advantage to doing it, she'd do it. Therefore she sees no advantage to it, therefore she must think she would be harmed, in however limited a fashion, by doing it.
Will she face anyone apart from the faithfull ? Major did well getting involved with public in 92 he gained a lot of respect taking on the hecklers in the crowd .Corbyn should do similar.
A party leader would also benefit from being seen to deal effectively with hecklers at public meetings. Harold Wilson was brilliant at that in the 1964 and 1966 campaigns.
He was i watched a documentary from the sixties .It was great to see Wilson and Callaghan taking on the hecklers.More interesting than today when they only speak to their own supporters and when they visit a factory no one is allowed or dare to ask searching questions.
@joncraig: Staff in Parliament told by sec sources police were tipped off about man arrested in Whitehall by his family, which probably saved his life.
Good for them
From the pictures, he pinched his mother’s best kitchen knives. No wonder she grassed.
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
She's scared of losing to Jeremy Corbyn FFS.
She's frit.
Debates are not her natural environment. When you have a 20-point lead, why risk it on something you don't need to do?
It's not so much 'losing' in outright terms that she and CCHQ are likely to be concerned about; it's not doing well enough to maintain the momentum that the Conservatives currently have.
Debates work well for people who have simple sloganistic solutions to every problem; they are less ideal for people who work with detail.
Surely someone who is/wants to be PM should have the ability to debate issues, whatever the channel or forum. Mrs May is not exactly a charismatic or inspirational leader. She is wooden and let's be honest pretty piss poor.
A party leader would also benefit from being seen to deal effectively with hecklers at public meetings. Harold Wilson was brilliant at that in the 1964 and 1966 campaigns.
Yes:
Wilson: "blah blah, 13 years of Tory misrule*, blah blah"
Heckler: "Rubbish!"
Wilson: "blah blah blah, 13 years of Tory misrule, blah blah ... pragmatic.. reasonable..."
Heckler: "Rubbish!: Rubbish!"
Wilson (turning to heckler) : "Sir, I'm am coming to your particular interest in a moment"
* The idea of repeating the same mantra over and over again isn't new!
Wilson was much more effective than Alec Douglas-Home who got shouted down a few times and accused Labour of hiring hecklers to disrupt his meetings. Heath was ok in 1966. I really don't understand why politicians have run away from such encounters. They were both authentic and entertaining - far better than the phoney contrived garbage that politicians of all parties serve up to us today.
@rosschawkins: Radio Derby to PM: Do you know what a mugwump is?
PM: What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership
She speaks like a robot.
"Long term economic plan", anyone? Parroting those lines enough does have an effect.
Indeed- anyone thinking parroting a prepared line over and over will irritate to the point of having an effect more than making sure the line is ingrained in peoples' minds is kidding themselves. And I say that as not a fan of May.
When will they give May the Ed Miliband treatment?
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
You can see why she's chickening out of the debates.
She's scared of losing to Jeremy Corbyn FFS.
She's frit.
It is a risk/reward calculation. It is not merely analogous to, it is the same thing as, placing a bet. Do you want to back tories most seats at 1/10000000? No? Is that because you are frit that the tories will not win most seats? No. Corbyn might humiliate May, at a cost to her which could mean fewer seats. May humiliates Corbyn is priced in, and gains her what? (Other than promotion in your personal political landscape from frit wee timorous feartie to Guardian of the Galaxy)?
Corbyn has seriously misplayed the debate card (Hasn't he misplayed them all...)
"I won't debate unless May does." To which May just says ok, no debates.
It's madness, as the challenger you get yourself onto debates come high or hell water even if Tessy isn't there. At least Ed Miliband did them, and (sort of) forced Cameron into a couple.
A tough call probably. On the upside he is denying airtime to the smaller parties - SNP,Plaid, Greens , UKIP and LibDems.
Hmmm, decidedly dodgy, she gets worse and worse , why is she always posing on the back of assorted animals. Is she unable to get a human to join in a photo with her. Low rent for sure.
PS: Also means my dinner is ruined after viewing that.
Comments
Maybe he was taking them to a gang who were going to use them simultaneously?
https://reaction.life/electing-corbyn-catastrophe-basis-economic-policies-alone/
(System has hacked the last part off a couple of my comments today. Grr.)
Btw, Le Pen has her own financial inquiry brewing. Let's see how that goes for her.
http://www.france24.com/en/20170427-france-marine-le-pen-eu-parliament-fraud
http://www.libdemvoice.org/lib-dems-wont-stand-against-speaker-54073.html
To have even stronger and even more stable government silly...
"These strikes are wrong. Both parties need to drop the rhetoric and get around the negotiating table"
"Long term economic plan" is something we have and hope to continue
"We need strong and stable leadership" implies we don't have it right now, which is awkward
Do we need to talk?
She's scared of losing to Jeremy Corbyn FFS.
She's frit.
I reckon a lot of Labour's core vote will turn out on June 8th, safe in the knowledge that there isn't a snowball in hell's chance of Corbyn becoming PM.
Over 50.5 5/6...
*excited*
Under 50.5... 8/15
It's not so much 'losing' in outright terms that she and CCHQ are likely to be concerned about; it's not doing well enough to maintain the momentum that the Conservatives currently have.
Debates work well for people who have simple sloganistic solutions to every problem; they are less ideal for people who work with detail.
It seems that around 10k homes are built each month - around 20% of those being in the public sector.
So over 5 years the total built would be 600k, and that'd be just 120k in the public sector. It seems unlikely to me that even a genius such as Corbyn can multiply the public sector build eightfold. So probably Corbyn is saying that he'll build 400k and thus the total is 1m - nonetheless that's more than tripling the council build rate. I don't really believe that it's possible. There's a big lead time on land, builders, and materials. It will triple the costs too.
Is this just a nonsense number? Any thoughts?
Lib Dems to win 18 or more seats...
1/7!!!
This time Labour does have the twin compensations that no objective observer (nor Labour campaigner, deep down) thinks they have any chance whatsoever of winning, and Labour divisions are old news and already priced in.
(ie I would love to be able to back it)
Corbyn, on the other hand, is so poorly regarded that if he does anything other than lose absolutely catastrophically then that risks being seen as something close to a victory. If the PM can only murder the Labour Party live on national television, rather than murder it, set fire to the corpse, drop the burning body down a thousand-foot mine shaft and back fill it with quick-setting concrete, then this will be viewed by many as an embarrassing setback. Just like when there was a mini-panic a few days ago when someone unveiled a poll that showed the Conservatives "only" eleven points in the lead.
Again.
https://twitter.com/dannyctkemp/status/857642808647319552
The chance of it being enacted are precisely zero though.
My assumption is that the Government is quite happy to give Labour enough rope to hang itself right now. The botched attempt at a relaunch over Brexit and the gargantuan unfunded spending commitments, amongst other things, make the Opposition look bad now, and provide the Government with more ammunition to be used later in the campaign.
They're keeping their powder dry, safe in the knowledge that they have plenty of it, and that if they give Corbyn and friends both barrels now then they run the risk of (a) their message losing its power, because people grow bored of it, and (b) perhaps, even, the prospect of the hopelessly outclassed Corbyn receiving some degree of sympathy from the public.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if many of the attack lines - e.g. the Labour leadership's apparent indulgence of Irish Republican paramilitarism, Palestinian Islamist terror groups and anti-Semitic behaviour - are being soft-pedalled or kept entirely in reserve until the final ten days of the campaign.
Wilson: "blah blah, 13 years of Tory misrule*, blah blah"
Heckler: "Rubbish!"
Wilson: "blah blah blah, 13 years of Tory misrule, blah blah ... pragmatic.. reasonable..."
Heckler: "Rubbish!: Rubbish!"
Wilson (turning to heckler) : "Sir, I'm am coming to your particular interest in a moment"
* The idea of repeating the same mantra over and over again isn't new!
"I won't debate unless May does." To which May just says ok, no debates.
It's madness, as the challenger you get yourself onto debates come high or hell water even if Tessy isn't there. At least Ed Miliband did them, and (sort of) forced Cameron into a couple.
She could have a two-hour long televised debate with Jeremy Corbyn and assorted other soft and hard leftists, but then again she could also have a two-hour long televised debate with a greenhouse full of tomato plants.
The latter would be about as enlightening as the former, and just as much a waste of time. Besides my previous argument, televised debates are also at least as much a test of presentation and pre-rehearsal as of policy. I'm not sure I'm interested in counting how often Theresa May, Jeremy Corbyn, Nicola Sturgeon and the various minor personages repeat the same two or three soundbites over and over and over and over again.
However, the leaders might still end up doing individual shows, taking questions from an audience...?
UNSWINGBACK
CON: 45% (-3)
LAB: 29% (+4)
LDEM: 10% (-2)
UKIP: 7% (+2)
TMICIPM
PS: Also means my dinner is ruined after viewing that.
How many seats do Labour need to get for you to be Red on your Spread bet?