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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » LDs now down ten seats on the Commons spread markets since the

SystemSystem Posts: 11,705
edited May 2017 in General

imagepoliticalbetting.com » Blog Archive » LDs now down ten seats on the Commons spread markets since the campaign started

GE2017 seat spreads from @SportingIndex . CON 396-401LAB 152-158LD 16-19UKIP 0.1-1GRN 1-2SNP 44-47 https://t.co/rSKroIPwt1 … … … …

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    TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 114,594
    edited May 2017
    Hurrah for Sir Vince and Tim's problems with gay sex being a sin.

    I speak as a seller of the Lib Dems, so hubris, most remember hubris.
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    dr_spyndr_spyn Posts: 11,291
    edited May 2017
    Nearly First past the posters.
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    AlistairAlistair Posts: 23,670
    I'm not losing my hilarious gag to the previous thread.

    https://twitter.com/twitonatrain/status/861648864532725761

    Editor's note: the first Holyrood election wasn't in 199AD
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    IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,454
    edited May 2017
    third like Corbyn
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    JackWJackW Posts: 14,787
    80 millionth ....

    Dianne Abbott MOE
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    ArtistArtist Posts: 1,883
    edited May 2017
    Some regional polling of South West/South East marginals would be useful here.

    How the Lib Dems fare in Labour seats like Yardley/Cambridge/Bermondsey/Burnley will be a mystery until election night. They're too varied.
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    surbitonsurbiton Posts: 13,549
    I am struggling where LDs 16 seats will come from.
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    Danny565Danny565 Posts: 8,091
    edited May 2017
    Alistair said:

    I'm not losing my hilarious gag to the previous thread.

    https://twitter.com/twitonatrain/status/861648864532725761

    Editor's note: the first Holyrood election wasn't in 199AD

    Yeah, the SNP's whole history going right back to the 1970s is filled with erratic boom-and-busts in their support. Their prospects look a bit more troubling for this GE than they might've expected, but it's way too soon to say they're on the way down in the long run.

    It was only a year before the 2015 landslide that they barely scraped 29% in the European elections, right in the middle of Indyref euphoria, getting beaten by Labour even in the "Yes" heartland Glasgow.
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    TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 114,594
    Alistair said:

    I'm not losing my hilarious gag to the previous thread.

    https://twitter.com/twitonatrain/status/861648864532725761

    Editor's note: the first Holyrood election wasn't in 199AD

    Yeah, no way the Romans would have allowed elections in 199 AD.

    No democracy for you after the pasting the Scots received at the Battle of Mons Graupius a century before from the Romans.
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    RobDRobD Posts: 58,990

    Hurrah for Sir Vince and Tim's problems with gay sex being a sin.

    I speak as a seller of the Lib Dems, so hubris, most remember hubris.

    Whoever knew gay sex would be a winner for the Tories... ;)
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    TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 40,271
    Some votes to be shared around.

    'Greens will not take part in ‘Toxic’ Moray election'

    http://tinyurl.com/kur8gce
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    BaskervilleBaskerville Posts: 391
    FPT:
    For those wondering whether Ms Abbott's gaffe last week was a one off that could happen to anyone, try this from June last year.

    Written PQ from Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she has taken to assist people in the Indonesian province of Province of Davao del Norte affected by the drought in that province.
    Answer from SoS DfiD Justine Greening: There is no province called Davao del Norte in Indonesia.
    https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-06-24/41141/
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    TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 114,594
    RobD said:

    Hurrah for Sir Vince and Tim's problems with gay sex being a sin.

    I speak as a seller of the Lib Dems, so hubris, most remember hubris.

    Whoever knew gay sex would be a winner for the Tories... ;)
    I keep on meaning to do a thread on the Tory party's strange relationship with homosexuality.

    At times we've been the most tolerant and progressive party on the issue, and other times we've acted like homophobic pillocks.

    But the ledger is an overall positive I think.
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    rural_voterrural_voter Posts: 2,038
    Artist said:

    Some regional polling of South West/South East marginals would be useful here.

    Where is Lord Ashcroft when he's needed?

    His polls were v. useful in 2015.
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    surbitonsurbiton Posts: 13,549

    Some votes to be shared around.

    'Greens will not take part in ‘Toxic’ Moray election'

    http://tinyurl.com/kur8gce

    The Green attitude has been very positive. Shame about Labour. I cannot understand why Labour has to put up a candidate in IoW. Does Corbyn really want a massacre so that moderates leave the party ?
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    spudgfshspudgfsh Posts: 1,312
    surbiton said:

    I am struggling where LDs 16 seats will come from.

    I'm of the opinion that there will be a structural change in the votes at this election which brings more seats in to range of winning but this won't be an even change. They will do much better than expected in a number of seats but not much better in most of the rest. This structural change will give them more than would be obvious from UNS.
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    I was a LD seller earlier in the campaign (well, not on spreads but on above/below as less risky).

    Those spreads do now look more realistic, albeit not great value because the risk isn't symmetrical - there is a long tail of possible but increasingly unlikely outcomes above 19 (i.e. a small but real risk of losing a lot), and a much shorter tail below 16 (i.e. only a limited amount you could possibly win). Seems to me, if you're a Lib Dem seller, the value is now simply in backing their main opponent in a number of seats.
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    surbitonsurbiton Posts: 13,549
    RobD said:

    Hurrah for Sir Vince and Tim's problems with gay sex being a sin.

    I speak as a seller of the Lib Dems, so hubris, most remember hubris.

    Whoever knew gay sex would be a winner for the Tories... ;)
    I doubt it had much of an impact.
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    Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 60,369
    Blimey - big anti Macron demonstration in Paris - not even 24 hours since his win
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    AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340
    Judging by the way in which they are careering from one avoidable pratfall to another, I suspect that senior Lib Dems have been among the sellers.
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    surbitonsurbiton Posts: 13,549

    Blimey - big anti Macron demonstration in Paris - not even 24 hours since his win

    The racists are a bit restless, are they ? Or, are these Melenchon's crew ?
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    Danny565Danny565 Posts: 8,091
    FPT:
    Pulpstar said:

    PaulM said:

    Sean_F said:

    chestnut said:

    I do wonder as to Labour's seat losses.

    Regrettably, coming from Merseyside badly taints my opinion of their seat losses. Round here, swings to the 'Tories' are low and just don't happen. I think the only seat that should be lost here is Wirral West (And the UKPR forum for that seat suggests madly enough that Margaret Greenwood might not actually lose it - with a majority of just 417 and supporting Corbyn - she should be toast). Likewise Wirral South should be very much in play but a local friend reports that Alison McGovern is well liked and has built up a personal vote, which along with the Merseyside effect should see her safe.

    Wirral South is No. 46 on the Conservative target list. Those on here talking about 'only' 50 seat losses for Labour should see her gone too, but I don't think she will be.

    I do suspect that I see a strong local 'We vote Labour because we vote Labour' effect but I also wonder if that won't translate nationally too, to save Labour from a sub 200 seat meltdown.

    I was working through the Labour seats earlier from here: http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge15/ge15index.htm

    I reached 146 that I just could not imagine falling. I had another 26 that I thought Labour were 90% certs to hold. The remainder were the ones at significant risk.

    The one caveat is how many Labour supporters will actually get to the booths and vote.

    The commitment to vote levels appear to be dreadful in the few demographics where Labour lead. That's what might trigger a deeper collapse.

    Betfair had Labour at 11/8 at between 160 and 199. It looked reasonable to me.
    Probably no group of seats has swung more heavily to Labour over the past 50 years than Merseyside.
    There was a banner with Corbyn and John McDonnell on the Kop yesterday. Doubt you'd see that many other grounds.
    The Labour party is almost a religion up in Liverpool. I'm not knocking it, but Merseyside and Inner London are two places I'm definitely not lumping on the Tories.
    Think they're more religiously anti-Tory than pro-Labour. The Scousers I worked with at the time of 2015 were as disdainful of Miliband as anyone else, but they still went out and voted Labour to "kick the bastards out". Cameron in particular got up people's noses because culturally he reminded people of the kind of smarmy Southerner who behind closed doors would talk about Northerners/Scousers as being grunts.

    I did think Theresa May might have softened Merseyside's resistance a bit, atleast with the middle-class voters on the Wirral, but there wasn't much sign of that in the Merseyside Mayor election last week.
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    TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 114,594
    To be honest the Lib Dems and Labour have done exactly what Sir Lynton and Mrs May hoped for.
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    Fysics_TeacherFysics_Teacher Posts: 6,060
    surbiton said:

    RobD said:

    Hurrah for Sir Vince and Tim's problems with gay sex being a sin.

    I speak as a seller of the Lib Dems, so hubris, most remember hubris.

    Whoever knew gay sex would be a winner for the Tories... ;)
    I doubt it had much of an impact.
    It was a distraction from the main message though, and if your USP is "we are the good guys" - after all, they do have 'liberal' in their title - it doesn't look good.
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    SquareRootSquareRoot Posts: 7,095

    FPT:
    For those wondering whether Ms Abbott's gaffe last week was a one off that could happen to anyone, try this from June last year.

    Written PQ from Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she has taken to assist people in the Indonesian province of Province of Davao del Norte affected by the drought in that province.
    Answer from SoS DfiD Justine Greening: There is no province called Davao del Norte in Indonesia.
    https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-06-24/41141/

    Priceless
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    PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 76,002

    Judging by the way in which they are careering from one avoidable pratfall to another, I suspect that senior Lib Dems have been among the sellers.

    Vince Cable let me have a sneaky peak at his Sporting Index position on Saturday at the Dog & Duck.
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    alex.alex. Posts: 4,658
    surbiton said:

    Some votes to be shared around.

    'Greens will not take part in ‘Toxic’ Moray election'

    http://tinyurl.com/kur8gce

    The Green attitude has been very positive. Shame about Labour. I cannot understand why Labour has to put up a candidate in IoW. Does Corbyn really want a massacre so that moderates leave the party ?
    Given that it is a favourite of the "progressive" opponents to the Conservatives that their governing legitimacy is undermined by the percentage of the vote that they have secured, then they have a duty to stand anywhere and everywhere to maximise their own share of the vote. As a corollary it is assumed that when parties stand down for others that their support will largely transfer to other parties. It is just as reasonable a hypothesis to think that a significant level of their support will simply choose to stay at home (this may be especially true of "tribal" Labour voters, or those who usually opt to vote for them in the most hopeless seats). And so the only result of standing down would be ironically to increase the "legitimacy" (as measured by percentage of the vote) of the presumed Conservative Government.
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    Arthur_PennyArthur_Penny Posts: 198
    edited May 2017

    FPT:
    For those wondering whether Ms Abbott's gaffe last week was a one off that could happen to anyone, try this from June last year.

    Written PQ from Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she has taken to assist people in the Indonesian province of Province of Davao del Norte affected by the drought in that province.
    Answer from SoS DfiD Justine Greening: There is no province called Davao del Norte in Indonesia.
    https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-06-24/41141/

    https://www.wfp.org/content/indonesia-impact-drought-households-four-provinces-eastern-indonesia-february-2016

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davao_del_Norte

    http://www.irinnews.org/news/2016/02/19/el-niño-hits-philippines-farmers-drought-rats

    Question deserved a better answer if all that was provided was a trite comment like that - pretty childish,
  • Options
    alex.alex. Posts: 4,658
    edited May 2017

    surbiton said:

    RobD said:

    Hurrah for Sir Vince and Tim's problems with gay sex being a sin.

    I speak as a seller of the Lib Dems, so hubris, most remember hubris.

    Whoever knew gay sex would be a winner for the Tories... ;)
    I doubt it had much of an impact.
    It was a distraction from the main message though, and if your USP is "we are the good guys" - after all, they do have 'liberal' in their title - it doesn't look good.
    What about today's news that Tim may have had a sneaking admiration for Mrs Thatcher in his youth? Hope Roger doesn't find out.
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    FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,292
    edited May 2017

    FPT:
    For those wondering whether Ms Abbott's gaffe last week was a one off that could happen to anyone, try this from June last year.

    Written PQ from Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she has taken to assist people in the Indonesian province of Province of Davao del Norte affected by the drought in that province.
    Answer from SoS DfiD Justine Greening: There is no province called Davao del Norte in Indonesia.
    https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-06-24/41141/

    Priceless
    5 weeks time she will be in charge.....according to my twitter...don't have sleepless nights.
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    surbiton said:

    I am struggling where LDs 16 seats will come from.

    Really? They have nine now. Two from SNP (Dunbartonshire East and Edinburgh West). Two from Labour (Cambridge and Bermondsey). That leaves three to get from the Tories - say Kingston and Twickenham in SW London Remainia, and either another strongly Remain seat like Bath, or a re-standing Lib Dem MP where there's possibly some buyer's remorse like Eastbourne. Other than the London seats, where there were no elections, these are seats where the LDs did reasonably well on Thursday.

    I'm not saying all of those WILL come off. But there are further perfectly credible targets beyond those named, and all I'm saying is that you don't need to start naming outlandish seats in order to get to 16.
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    Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 60,369
    surbiton said:

    Blimey - big anti Macron demonstration in Paris - not even 24 hours since his win

    The racists are a bit restless, are they ? Or, are these Melenchon's crew ?
    They are demonstrating against labour law changes - seemed quite a big demonstration though peaceful as far as I could see
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    To be honest the Lib Dems and Labour have done exactly what Sir Lynton and Mrs May hoped for.

    Never interrupt the enemy when they are making a mistake.
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    PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 76,002
    surbiton said:

    Blimey - big anti Macron demonstration in Paris - not even 24 hours since his win

    The racists are a bit restless, are they ? Or, are these Melenchon's crew ?
    Further left than Melenchon I suspect. These idiots won't have even bothered to vote in any round.
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    bobajobPBbobajobPB Posts: 1,042

    FPT:
    For those wondering whether Ms Abbott's gaffe last week was a one off that could happen to anyone, try this from June last year.

    Written PQ from Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she has taken to assist people in the Indonesian province of Province of Davao del Norte affected by the drought in that province.
    Answer from SoS DfiD Justine Greening: There is no province called Davao del Norte in Indonesia.
    https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-06-24/41141/

    There is. It's close to the island of Sans Serif.
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    TudorRoseTudorRose Posts: 1,662
    alex. said:

    surbiton said:

    RobD said:

    Hurrah for Sir Vince and Tim's problems with gay sex being a sin.

    I speak as a seller of the Lib Dems, so hubris, most remember hubris.

    Whoever knew gay sex would be a winner for the Tories... ;)
    I doubt it had much of an impact.
    It was a distraction from the main message though, and if your USP is "we are the good guys" - after all, they do have 'liberal' in their title - it doesn't look good.
    What about today's news that Tim may have had a sneaking admiration for Mrs Thatcher in his youth? Hope Roger doesn't find out.
    It explains why he's a eurosceptic really. Tim, that is, not Roger!
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    TudorRoseTudorRose Posts: 1,662
    Pulpstar said:

    surbiton said:

    Blimey - big anti Macron demonstration in Paris - not even 24 hours since his win

    The racists are a bit restless, are they ? Or, are these Melenchon's crew ?
    Further left than Melenchon I suspect. These idiots won't have even bothered to vote in any round.
    A couple of them were on the radio news at 7pm; apparently they voted Macron yesterday but today they are his opposition....
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    SimonStClareSimonStClare Posts: 7,976

    Judging by the way in which they are careering from one avoidable pratfall to another, I suspect that senior Lib Dems have been among the sellers.

    Taking it in turns to cockup is the first democratic thing the Lib Dems have ever actually done.
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    Ishmael_ZIshmael_Z Posts: 8,981

    FPT:
    For those wondering whether Ms Abbott's gaffe last week was a one off that could happen to anyone, try this from June last year.

    Written PQ from Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she has taken to assist people in the Indonesian province of Province of Davao del Norte affected by the drought in that province.
    Answer from SoS DfiD Justine Greening: There is no province called Davao del Norte in Indonesia.
    https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-06-24/41141/

    "The earliest blacks in Britain were probably black Roman centurions that came over hundreds of years before Christ."
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern/dabbott_01.shtml

    This from a graduate of Cambridge "University", ffs.
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    Scrapheap_as_wasScrapheap_as_was Posts: 10,059
    Twitter is fine until the hours that Louise Mensch is awake - then it's impossible and best avoided.

    New golden rule given ICM's demotion......
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    AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340

    surbiton said:

    I am struggling where LDs 16 seats will come from.

    Really? They have nine now. Two from SNP (Dunbartonshire East and Edinburgh West). Two from Labour (Cambridge and Bermondsey). That leaves three to get from the Tories - say Kingston and Twickenham in SW London Remainia, and either another strongly Remain seat like Bath, or a re-standing Lib Dem MP where there's possibly some buyer's remorse like Eastbourne. Other than the London seats, where there were no elections, these are seats where the LDs did reasonably well on Thursday.

    I'm not saying all of those WILL come off. But there are further perfectly credible targets beyond those named, and all I'm saying is that you don't need to start naming outlandish seats in order to get to 16.
    I can see how the Lib Dems could get to 16. I can't see how it's particularly likely, given the cumulative bets that would need to come off that aren't particularly correlated.
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    PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 76,002
    TudorRose said:

    Pulpstar said:

    surbiton said:

    Blimey - big anti Macron demonstration in Paris - not even 24 hours since his win

    The racists are a bit restless, are they ? Or, are these Melenchon's crew ?
    Further left than Melenchon I suspect. These idiots won't have even bothered to vote in any round.
    A couple of them were on the radio news at 7pm; apparently they voted Macron yesterday but today they are his opposition....
    Ah - Ye the peaceful protestors may well be, sorry I was referring to the numbnuts who smash stuff up.
    I'm guessing the peaceful protestors are Melenchonites.
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    murali_smurali_s Posts: 3,045
    edited May 2017
    PB Tories are rejoicing here. God, it's sickening. Need something to wipe that smirk off your (ugly) faces.
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    RobDRobD Posts: 58,990
    murali_s said:

    PB Tories are rejoicing here. God, it's sickening. Need something to wipe that smirk off your (ugly) faces.

    Charming ;)
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    FPT:
    For those wondering whether Ms Abbott's gaffe last week was a one off that could happen to anyone, try this from June last year.

    Written PQ from Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she has taken to assist people in the Indonesian province of Province of Davao del Norte affected by the drought in that province.
    Answer from SoS DfiD Justine Greening: There is no province called Davao del Norte in Indonesia.
    https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-06-24/41141/

    https://www.wfp.org/content/indonesia-impact-drought-households-four-provinces-eastern-indonesia-february-2016

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davao_del_Norte

    http://www.irinnews.org/news/2016/02/19/el-niño-hits-philippines-farmers-drought-rats

    Question deserved a better answer if all that was provided was a trite comment like that - pretty childish,
    I agree, Arthur. I hold no brief for Abbott - she's useless and this is yet further evidence. But I'm disappointed in Greening, of whom I would expect better. A drought is not the context in which to score a cheap point. She should just have started, "I assume the questioner intended to refer to Davao del Norte in the Philippines. We are taking the following steps..."
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    rpjsrpjs Posts: 3,787

    FPT:
    For those wondering whether Ms Abbott's gaffe last week was a one off that could happen to anyone, try this from June last year.

    Written PQ from Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she has taken to assist people in the Indonesian province of Province of Davao del Norte affected by the drought in that province.
    Answer from SoS DfiD Justine Greening: There is no province called Davao del Norte in Indonesia.
    https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-06-24/41141/

    https://www.wfp.org/content/indonesia-impact-drought-households-four-provinces-eastern-indonesia-february-2016

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davao_del_Norte

    http://www.irinnews.org/news/2016/02/19/el-niño-hits-philippines-farmers-drought-rats

    Question deserved a better answer if all that was provided was a trite comment like that - pretty childish,
    Yet there is no follow-up question that I can find where she corrects her mistake to get the information she is presumably seeking, which makes one wonder if she actually reads the answers.
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    Scrapheap_as_wasScrapheap_as_was Posts: 10,059
    I give it 7 minutes tonight before Spurs season definitely ends and the battle to hold on to players begins in earnest....

    clever of the TV debates to have so many during half term week so will miss much of that fun sadly...
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    kle4kle4 Posts: 92,048
    If this happens it will have a big impact in the seats concerned most of which were previously Lib Dem.

    It might, however it might not. Particularly depending on how egregious an offence the average person sees them as, even if they are criminal offences.
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    rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 54,068
    surbiton said:

    I am struggling where LDs 16 seats will come from.

    While I've been a vociferous seller (like most on here), you could get to 17 seats like this:

    Current 9, plus:

    From SNP
    Edinburgh West
    Dumbartonshire East
    Fife NE

    From Labour
    Cambridge
    Bristol West
    Cardiff Central

    From Conservatives
    Bath
    Kingston
    Twickenham
    OxWAb

    Less a couple of losses, say North Norfolk and Carshalton.

    Now, do I think they'll manage that? No I don't.

    But two from the SNP seems likely, and they are odds on in four SNP seats (the ones above plus Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross). Cambridge, given the locals saw a strong swing to the LDs, looks likely. Could you see 3-4 LD gains from Labour? Possibly. There are a couple of strong Remainia seats where they stand a chance or which are four way marginals and therefore the hurdle is likely to be low.

    I suspect the LDs will only gain Twickenham from the Tories on the night, but it's possible they pick up Kingston too, plus Bath and OxWAb are very Remain-y.
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    ThreeQuidderThreeQuidder Posts: 6,133
    https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2017/05/brexiteers-are-marine-le-pens-natural-opponents/

    Those Brexit-bashers who say ‘Brexit-Trump-Le-Pen’ almost as one word, as if they are the same thing, all weird, all evil, all a species of fascism, have got it utterly wrong.

    Remind anyone of anyone?
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    Danny565Danny565 Posts: 8,091
    edited May 2017
    Offtopic:- ironically, the more canvassing I do (which seems to support the opinion polls' findings), the more I'm coming back to thinking that Corbyn actually is a lesser evil than any other potential Labour leaders after all.

    As many colossal problems as Corbyn gives the party, my sense more than ever now is that Labour being "the party of Remain/Rejoin" would be even more utterly toxic in this election than Corbyn. Yet this still seems to be the big idea of the Labour "moderates", including @SouthamObserver who was yesterday saying one of Corbyn's big errors was to support Article 50 (which is very far from being what Lab defectors/waverers on the doorstep are complaining about, quite the opposite).

    In fact, the whole idea that Labour needs to "modernise", when their main electoral problem is getting slaughtered with older voters, seems a bit strange.
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    foxinsoxukfoxinsoxuk Posts: 23,548

    FPT:
    For those wondering whether Ms Abbott's gaffe last week was a one off that could happen to anyone, try this from June last year.

    Written PQ from Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she has taken to assist people in the Indonesian province of Province of Davao del Norte affected by the drought in that province.
    Answer from SoS DfiD Justine Greening: There is no province called Davao del Norte in Indonesia.
    https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2016-06-24/41141/

    https://www.wfp.org/content/indonesia-impact-drought-households-four-provinces-eastern-indonesia-february-2016

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davao_del_Norte

    http://www.irinnews.org/news/2016/02/19/el-niño-hits-philippines-farmers-drought-rats

    Question deserved a better answer if all that was provided was a trite comment like that - pretty childish,
    It would have been perfectly possible to giva a serious answer after correcting the error.

    Cheap pointscoring won out. Shame.
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    surbiton said:

    I am struggling where LDs 16 seats will come from.

    Really? They have nine now. Two from SNP (Dunbartonshire East and Edinburgh West). Two from Labour (Cambridge and Bermondsey). That leaves three to get from the Tories - say Kingston and Twickenham in SW London Remainia, and either another strongly Remain seat like Bath, or a re-standing Lib Dem MP where there's possibly some buyer's remorse like Eastbourne. Other than the London seats, where there were no elections, these are seats where the LDs did reasonably well on Thursday.

    I'm not saying all of those WILL come off. But there are further perfectly credible targets beyond those named, and all I'm saying is that you don't need to start naming outlandish seats in order to get to 16.
    I can see how the Lib Dems could get to 16. I can't see how it's particularly likely, given the cumulative bets that would need to come off that aren't particularly correlated.
    I don't quite understand your point. The bets are presumably reasonably well correlated, as they are generally in political betting. Not perfectly of course - a strong performance with Remainers in Twickenham won't necessarily translate to Eastbourne. But winning Twickenham (say) would certainly have reasonable predictive value if Eastbourne is declared later.
  • Options
    Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 60,369

    To be honest the Lib Dems and Labour have done exactly what Sir Lynton and Mrs May hoped for.

    Never interrupt the enemy when they are making a mistake.
    I find it interesting that the conservatives are letting labour make daily policy announcements while quietly getting on canvassing. I should say I am getting an e mail nearly every day from the conservatives variously signed by Theresa or today Patrick Mcloughlin each e mail highlighting their own announcements.

    I suppose when McDonnell admits he is a marxist on Marr and recommends Das Kapital and the next day Corbyn too admits to his admiration for Marx and meanwhile Cable and Olney shoot themselves in the foot, there is not much point in interupting them.

    I do think the daily e mail updates from CCHQ are a good and an effective means of communication
  • Options
    peter_from_putneypeter_from_putney Posts: 6,875
    edited May 2017
    I'm a great believer in the national "Feel Good Factor" (or lack of it) materially assisting (or harming) the incumbent governing party.
    With house prices close to record highs, having slipped by a miniscule 0.2% in Q1 2017 and share prices also very close to the FTSE 100's all time high, coupled with unemployment rates lower than they were 42 years ago, many voters will be convinced that while difficulties undoubtedly lie ahead, now is not the time to rock the boat.
    You also have to wonder whether Mrs May is an exceptionally lucky prime Minister to have all these factors currently moving so strongly in her favour, along with Jeremy Corbyn being such a hapless Labour leader and UKIP in full self-destruct mode. Should the Tories fail to deliver a handsome overall majority this time, then they will probably never do so again.
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    kle4kle4 Posts: 92,048
    murali_s said:

    PB Tories are rejoicing here. God, it's sickening. Need something to wipe that smirk off your (ugly) faces.

    Yes, opponents rejoicing at (probable) success is sickening. I don't know how anyone ever deals with their opponents winning, it's an offence against natures for partisans to get too excited.
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    AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340

    https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2017/05/brexiteers-are-marine-le-pens-natural-opponents/

    Those Brexit-bashers who say ‘Brexit-Trump-Le-Pen’ almost as one word, as if they are the same thing, all weird, all evil, all a species of fascism, have got it utterly wrong.

    Remind anyone of anyone?

    It reminds me that Brendan O'Neill is a pisspoor writer. More than eight out of ten Leavers who expressed a preference thought that Marine Le Pen was the best option for Britain. That's hard to square with the idea that Brexiteers are Marine Le Pen's natural opponents.
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    kle4kle4 Posts: 92,048
    Alistair said:

    I'm not losing my hilarious gag to the previous thread.

    https://twitter.com/twitonatrain/status/861648864532725761

    Hmm, I don't like that we're due another spike in SNP share.
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    Scrapheap_as_wasScrapheap_as_was Posts: 10,059

    I'm a great believer in the national "Feel Good Factor" (or lack of it) materially assisting (or harming) the incumbent governing party.
    With house prices close to record highs, having slipped by a miniscule 0.2% in Q1 2017 and share prices also very close to the FTSE 100's all time high, coupled with unemployment rates lower than they were 42 years ago, many voters will be convinced that while difficulties undoubtedly lie ahead, now is not the time to rock the boat.
    You also have to wonder whether Mrs May is an exceptionally lucky prime Minister to have all these factors all being so strongly in her favour, along with Jeremy Corbyn as a hapless Labour leader and UKip in full self-destruct mode. Should the Tories fail to deliver a handsome overall majority this time, then they will never do so again.

    Oil prices fell last week too - in time for the petrol pumps perhaps?
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    AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340

    surbiton said:

    I am struggling where LDs 16 seats will come from.

    Really? They have nine now. Two from SNP (Dunbartonshire East and Edinburgh West). Two from Labour (Cambridge and Bermondsey). That leaves three to get from the Tories - say Kingston and Twickenham in SW London Remainia, and either another strongly Remain seat like Bath, or a re-standing Lib Dem MP where there's possibly some buyer's remorse like Eastbourne. Other than the London seats, where there were no elections, these are seats where the LDs did reasonably well on Thursday.

    I'm not saying all of those WILL come off. But there are further perfectly credible targets beyond those named, and all I'm saying is that you don't need to start naming outlandish seats in order to get to 16.
    I can see how the Lib Dems could get to 16. I can't see how it's particularly likely, given the cumulative bets that would need to come off that aren't particularly correlated.
    I don't quite understand your point. The bets are presumably reasonably well correlated, as they are generally in political betting. Not perfectly of course - a strong performance with Remainers in Twickenham won't necessarily translate to Eastbourne. But winning Twickenham (say) would certainly have reasonable predictive value if Eastbourne is declared later.
    The Lib Dems have always positioned themselves as the local party for local people. That inevitably depends on local factors.
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    rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 54,068
    I don't think the LD seat price is likely to drop much from here. Why?

    Because the LDs will likely gain two from the SNP, one from Labour and one from the Conservatives. Sure, they might lose a couple, but your maximum win is probably six, and the most likely win is probably two or three. On the other hand, if there is a political 'earthquake', you'll end up getting crucified.

    It's simple asymmetrical risk-reward. Or, to put it another way, the LD price contains an embedded option.
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    Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 60,369
    kle4 said:

    murali_s said:

    PB Tories are rejoicing here. God, it's sickening. Need something to wipe that smirk off your (ugly) faces.

    Yes, opponents rejoicing at (probable) success is sickening. I don't know how anyone ever deals with their opponents winning, it's an offence against natures for partisans to get too excited.
    I am not rejoicing - maybe I am cautious by nature but am taking nothing for granted, mind you the Marx brothers of Corbyn and Mcdonnell this weekend together with Cable and Olney have made me smile
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    Arthur_PennyArthur_Penny Posts: 198
    edited May 2017

    I give it 7 minutes tonight before Spurs season definitely ends and the battle to hold on to players begins in earnest....

    clever of the TV debates to have so many during half term week so will miss much of that fun sadly...

    It was nearly 7 seconds - but 8 minutes have gone and Boro are holding on.

    (I think you are too hard - 2nd in the Premiership isn't that bad. Champions league football and a better style of play than Boring Arsenal.)
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    TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 40,271

    https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2017/05/brexiteers-are-marine-le-pens-natural-opponents/

    Those Brexit-bashers who say ‘Brexit-Trump-Le-Pen’ almost as one word, as if they are the same thing, all weird, all evil, all a species of fascism, have got it utterly wrong.

    Remind anyone of anyone?

    Easy mistake to make though.

    https://twitter.com/Nigel_Farage/status/859883811064209408
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    Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 49,449
    edited May 2017
    ELBOW since the campaign started:

    Con Lab LD UKIP Tory Lead
    23-Apr-17 45.50 26.10 10.40 8.60 19.40
    30-Apr-17 46.33 28.11 10.22 6.67 18.22
    07-May-17 46.88 28.50 9.75 6.75 18.38
  • Options
    Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 60,369

    I give it 7 minutes tonight before Spurs season definitely ends and the battle to hold on to players begins in earnest....

    clever of the TV debates to have so many during half term week so will miss much of that fun sadly...

    12 minutes and still 0-0
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    CookieCookie Posts: 11,505
    Danny565 said:

    Offtopic:- ironically, the more canvassing I do (which seems to support the opinion polls' findings), the more I'm coming back to thinking that Corbyn actually is a lesser evil than any other potential Labour leaders after all.

    As many colossal problems as Corbyn gives the party, my sense more than ever now is that Labour being "the party of Remain/Rejoin" would be even more utterly toxic in this election than Corbyn. Yet this still seems to be the big idea of the Labour "moderates", including @SouthamObserver who was yesterday saying one of Corbyn's big errors was to support Article 50 (which is very far from being what Lab defectors/waverers on the doorstep are complaining about, quite the opposite).

    In fact, the whole idea that Labour needs to "modernise", when their main electoral problem is getting slaughtered with older voters, seems a bit strange.

    Agreed - Corbyn's position on this - accept the referendum result but go for a nuanced leave - should be a popular one. He's managed to articulate this view in such a way that it alienates the largest possible number of people, but that is his unique gift - see also his answer to the biscuit question. But the starting point seems the right one to go for.
  • Options
    Scrapheap_as_wasScrapheap_as_was Posts: 10,059

    I give it 7 minutes tonight before Spurs season definitely ends and the battle to hold on to players begins in earnest....

    clever of the TV debates to have so many during half term week so will miss much of that fun sadly...

    It was nearly 7 seconds - bu 8 minutes have gone and Boro are holding on.
    I think they said the last time Boro scored at Chelsea was 2001.

    So that's a positive then, it's been this millenium.
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    bobajobPBbobajobPB Posts: 1,042
    This election is the most boring in living memory. And I am old enough to remember 2001. Yes, it really is that dull. Zzzzzzzzz.
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    Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 49,449
    Alistair said:

    I'm not losing my hilarious gag to the previous thread.

    https://twitter.com/twitonatrain/status/861648864532725761

    Editor's note: the first Holyrood election wasn't in 199AD

    Hadrian's Wall by-election
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    chestnutchestnut Posts: 7,341
    Danny565 said:

    In fact, the whole idea that Labour needs to "modernise", when their main electoral problem is getting slaughtered with older voters, seems a bit strange.

    An astute observation.

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    Black_RookBlack_Rook Posts: 8,905
    (Kind of) on topic:

    https://twitter.com/gsoh31/status/861604257321160704

    As for the remainder of the election campaign, I don't see the Lib Dems making any further progress beyond where they were when the election was called. Consider: they are now a minor party, largely shut out of the big conversation which is all (Scotland excepted) about May vs Corbyn. The "48%" strategy has failed: IMHO most Remain voters are pragmatists who now just want the whole nasty business out of the way, and any (especially from the 2015 Tory vote) who were truly distraught about the way the referendum went already left for the Lib Dems before the election campaign started.

    Moreover, if the Yellows are praying for intervention from the legal authorities then I fear that they're likely to be disappointed: I remain to be convinced that the CPS will dare to act - even if there is anything to act upon - this side of polling day, out of concern for being seen to be intervening in politics. Even if the CPS does act then I assume that this is unlikely to involve accusations being levelled at Mrs May herself - absent which, any action is liable to have very limited impact. If MPs were being accused of unspeakable sex crimes or tax evasion it might dent them, but as it is I simply don't see too many voters getting all wound up over a few hundred quid too much being spent on leaflets and battle buses - especially when charges may be brought before June 8th, but no-one can possibly be brought to trial within that timeframe.

    I've already made my forecast for the election and given the Lib Dems 10-15 seats, and I'm happy to stick with that - I still think that their gains are likely to exceed their losses, if not by very much. But a total of less than 10 is certainly not out of the question.
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    surbiton said:

    I am struggling where LDs 16 seats will come from.

    Really? They have nine now. Two from SNP (Dunbartonshire East and Edinburgh West). Two from Labour (Cambridge and Bermondsey). That leaves three to get from the Tories - say Kingston and Twickenham in SW London Remainia, and either another strongly Remain seat like Bath, or a re-standing Lib Dem MP where there's possibly some buyer's remorse like Eastbourne. Other than the London seats, where there were no elections, these are seats where the LDs did reasonably well on Thursday.

    I'm not saying all of those WILL come off. But there are further perfectly credible targets beyond those named, and all I'm saying is that you don't need to start naming outlandish seats in order to get to 16.
    I can see how the Lib Dems could get to 16. I can't see how it's particularly likely, given the cumulative bets that would need to come off that aren't particularly correlated.
    I don't quite understand your point. The bets are presumably reasonably well correlated, as they are generally in political betting. Not perfectly of course - a strong performance with Remainers in Twickenham won't necessarily translate to Eastbourne. But winning Twickenham (say) would certainly have reasonable predictive value if Eastbourne is declared later.
    The Lib Dems have always positioned themselves as the local party for local people. That inevitably depends on local factors.
    Are you genuinely claiming that, if I'd invented a time machine and used it to go to Bath on 9 June, and I'd come back and told you the LDs were celebrating, that it wouldn't influence your judgment on whether it was value to bet on them winning other seats?

    Likewise, if I'd had the same time machine in April 2015 and told you they'd lost Yeovil, you'd surely have bet heavily on other long-shot losses.

    I agree with you that there are local factors, and LDs play off that more than others. But I don't buy your "not particularly correlated" line.
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    bobajobPBbobajobPB Posts: 1,042

    https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2017/05/brexiteers-are-marine-le-pens-natural-opponents/

    Those Brexit-bashers who say ‘Brexit-Trump-Le-Pen’ almost as one word, as if they are the same thing, all weird, all evil, all a species of fascism, have got it utterly wrong.

    Remind anyone of anyone?

    Easy mistake to make though.

    https://twitter.com/Nigel_Farage/status/859883811064209408
    Three Quidder - self-appointed PB policeman and bodyguard of shy and retiring hard right wallflowers like Moniker and Nigel Farage.
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    ELBOW since the campaign started:


    Con Lab LD UKIP Tory Lead
    23-Apr-17 45.50 26.10 10.40 8.60 19.40
    30-Apr-17 46.33 28.11 10.22 6.67 18.22
    07-May-17 46.88 28.50 9.75 6.75 18.38
    Interesting that Labour's share of the vote has increased over the past two weeks by 2.4%, rather more than the Tories' 1.38% improvement ..... Hmm.
  • Options
    surbitonsurbiton Posts: 13,549
    edited May 2017
    Danny565 said:

    Offtopic:- ironically, the more canvassing I do (which seems to support the opinion polls' findings), the more I'm coming back to thinking that Corbyn actually is a lesser evil than any other potential Labour leaders after all.

    As many colossal problems as Corbyn gives the party, my sense more than ever now is that Labour being "the party of Remain/Rejoin" would be even more utterly toxic in this election than Corbyn. Yet this still seems to be the big idea of the Labour "moderates", including @SouthamObserver who was yesterday saying one of Corbyn's big errors was to support Article 50 (which is very far from being what Lab defectors/waverers on the doorstep are complaining about, quite the opposite).

    In fact, the whole idea that Labour needs to "modernise", when their main electoral problem is getting slaughtered with older voters, seems a bit strange.

    I think this Remain/Brexit business is slightly exaggerated. And it has been Labour's failure in not being able to talk about other things or not being able to plant in people's mind what they want to say.

    I did a calculation the other day that Labour actually led in the polls if all voters were less than 55 years old. Unfortunately, with the 55+ years old, Labour gets massacred.

    It leads me to the obvious conclusion. Just bang on about Triple Lock and the NHS. Then talk about the Triple Lock and the NHS and after that...you guessed it.

    We should not get into conversations about the EU. Except to nice Middle class people in trendy parts where they could be wasting their votes on the LD and the Greens.
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    Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 60,369

    I'm a great believer in the national "Feel Good Factor" (or lack of it) materially assisting (or harming) the incumbent governing party.
    With house prices close to record highs, having slipped by a miniscule 0.2% in Q1 2017 and share prices also very close to the FTSE 100's all time high, coupled with unemployment rates lower than they were 42 years ago, many voters will be convinced that while difficulties undoubtedly lie ahead, now is not the time to rock the boat.
    You also have to wonder whether Mrs May is an exceptionally lucky prime Minister to have all these factors currently moving so strongly in her favour, along with Jeremy Corbyn being such a hapless Labour leader and UKIP in full self-destruct mode. Should the Tories fail to deliver a handsome overall majority this time, then they will probably never do so again.

    She may well be lucky but also clever to seize the moment
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    bobajobPBbobajobPB Posts: 1,042
    Alastair

    Polling vs PB Leaver-Le Pen-Trumper anecdote
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    ProdicusProdicus Posts: 658

    To be honest the Lib Dems and Labour have done exactly what Sir Lynton and Mrs May hoped for.

    Never interrupt the enemy when they are making a mistake.
    I find it interesting that the conservatives are letting labour make daily policy announcements while quietly getting on canvassing. I should say I am getting an e mail nearly every day from the conservatives variously signed by Theresa or today Patrick Mcloughlin each e mail highlighting their own announcements.

    I suppose when McDonnell admits he is a marxist on Marr and recommends Das Kapital and the next day Corbyn too admits to his admiration for Marx and meanwhile Cable and Olney shoot themselves in the foot, there is not much point in interupting them.

    I do think the daily e mail updates from CCHQ are a good and an effective means of communication
    Is it just my imagination or does every BBC (political) news bulletin begin with the word 'Labour' in recent days? Well, on R3 morning headlines, anyway. I am of too delicate a disposition to listen to R4 before breakfast.
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    SquareRootSquareRoot Posts: 7,095
    bobajobPB said:

    This election is the most boring in living memory. And I am old enough to remember 2001. Yes, it really is that dull. Zzzzzzzzz.

    It's the funniest ever. Boring.. never.
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    Danny565Danny565 Posts: 8,091
    Cookie said:

    Danny565 said:

    Offtopic:- ironically, the more canvassing I do (which seems to support the opinion polls' findings), the more I'm coming back to thinking that Corbyn actually is a lesser evil than any other potential Labour leaders after all.

    As many colossal problems as Corbyn gives the party, my sense more than ever now is that Labour being "the party of Remain/Rejoin" would be even more utterly toxic in this election than Corbyn. Yet this still seems to be the big idea of the Labour "moderates", including @SouthamObserver who was yesterday saying one of Corbyn's big errors was to support Article 50 (which is very far from being what Lab defectors/waverers on the doorstep are complaining about, quite the opposite).

    In fact, the whole idea that Labour needs to "modernise", when their main electoral problem is getting slaughtered with older voters, seems a bit strange.

    Agreed - Corbyn's position on this - accept the referendum result but go for a nuanced leave - should be a popular one. He's managed to articulate this view in such a way that it alienates the largest possible number of people, but that is his unique gift - see also his answer to the biscuit question. But the starting point seems the right one to go for.
    Corbyn's position is the right one, but people still don't trust him to carry out the Brexit negotiations since they don't think he's even fit to run a bath. But it doesn't seem to me that the exact opposite of Corbyn - someone who people saw as very competent but whose gut instinct was to be very pro-EU, someone like Keir Starmer or Blair himself - would be any more of an electoral asset.

    I think most people, regardless of whether they voted Remain or Leave, want Britain to take a tough stance in the negotiations and not concede all manner of things too easily. One Remain voter put it to us along the lines of "if we send in a wimp to negotiate then we end up with the worst of both worlds: Out of the EU but with terms which screw Britain over".
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    bobajobPBbobajobPB Posts: 1,042
    Is this thrilling commentary on Chelsea game going to go on all night?

    13 minutes gone. Goalless.
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    isamisam Posts: 41,002
    There's commentary going on alright! Zzzzz
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    ab195ab195 Posts: 477

    https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2017/05/brexiteers-are-marine-le-pens-natural-opponents/

    Those Brexit-bashers who say ‘Brexit-Trump-Le-Pen’ almost as one word, as if they are the same thing, all weird, all evil, all a species of fascism, have got it utterly wrong.

    Remind anyone of anyone?

    It reminds me that Brendan O'Neill is a pisspoor writer. More than eight out of ten Leavers who expressed a preference thought that Marine Le Pen was the best option for Britain. That's hard to square with the idea that Brexiteers are Marine Le Pen's natural opponents.
    I think where you're going wrong is that you assume everyone has to care what other countries do within their own borders. My guess (can only be a guess for now) is that Leave voters are inclined not to care unless extreme circumstances present themselves - e.g. there's a humanitarian disaster or said country poses a threat.

    Hence when they are asked what's best for Britain in a French election we see a shrug of the shoulders, a general lack of interest, and, if pushed, a preference for the outcome most likely to shake things up. None of that implies those people would vote for the National Front here - they just don't care whether or not the French do.
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    Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 49,449
    Ishmael_Z said:

    AnneJGP said:

    I've been wondering when we would be seeing the campaigning that breaks all the rules. Do we have very long to wait, yet?
    Isn't a usual rule of campaigning to try to increase your own vote by showing how qualified you are for office?
    That was then. This is now.

    If the old rules are defunct, presumably there will be cross-party support for no further action over those pesky Tory overspending cases.
    "That was then but this is now" - ABC

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1kJyLGUKxE
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    Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 49,449
    nunu said:

    isam said:

    I'm sort of assuming now that quite a few leading Lib Dems have sold their seat count on the spreads.

    What do you make of 11/4 over 50% vote share for The Tories?

    I haven't bet on it but I think that's pretty fair. Given the Lib Dems' determination to ruin their campaign at every turn, UKIP's orderly winding-up and severe doubts over the reliability of Labour's voters, the Conservatives might well outperform polls in practice. The vote share has to go somewhere.
    imagine if they get 52%. LOL.
    Believe in BRITAIN!

    Be LEAVE! :lol
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    AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340
    ab195 said:

    https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2017/05/brexiteers-are-marine-le-pens-natural-opponents/

    Those Brexit-bashers who say ‘Brexit-Trump-Le-Pen’ almost as one word, as if they are the same thing, all weird, all evil, all a species of fascism, have got it utterly wrong.

    Remind anyone of anyone?

    It reminds me that Brendan O'Neill is a pisspoor writer. More than eight out of ten Leavers who expressed a preference thought that Marine Le Pen was the best option for Britain. That's hard to square with the idea that Brexiteers are Marine Le Pen's natural opponents.
    I think where you're going wrong is that you assume everyone has to care what other countries do within their own borders. My guess (can only be a guess for now) is that Leave voters are inclined not to care unless extreme circumstances present themselves - e.g. there's a humanitarian disaster or said country poses a threat.

    Hence when they are asked what's best for Britain in a French election we see a shrug of the shoulders, a general lack of interest, and, if pushed, a preference for the outcome most likely to shake things up. None of that implies those people would vote for the National Front here - they just don't care whether or not the French do.
    Exactly my point. Leavers for Fascism is a thing. It doesn't matter if the French put on jackboots so long as that assists Brexit.
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    Scrapheap_as_wasScrapheap_as_was Posts: 10,059
    #bollocks

    #the fight starts now
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    Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 60,369
    Prodicus said:

    To be honest the Lib Dems and Labour have done exactly what Sir Lynton and Mrs May hoped for.

    Never interrupt the enemy when they are making a mistake.
    I find it interesting that the conservatives are letting labour make daily policy announcements while quietly getting on canvassing. I should say I am getting an e mail nearly every day from the conservatives variously signed by Theresa or today Patrick Mcloughlin each e mail highlighting their own announcements.

    I suppose when McDonnell admits he is a marxist on Marr and recommends Das Kapital and the next day Corbyn too admits to his admiration for Marx and meanwhile Cable and Olney shoot themselves in the foot, there is not much point in interupting them.

    I do think the daily e mail updates from CCHQ are a good and an effective means of communication
    Is it just my imagination or does every BBC (political) news bulletin begin with the word 'Labour' in recent days? Well, on R3 morning headlines, anyway. I am of too delicate a disposition to listen to R4 before breakfast.
    I think both the BBC and Sky fall into that mindset but if you believe the polls it is not helping labour.

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    Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 60,369
    Chelsea 1 up
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    justin124justin124 Posts: 11,527
    rcs1000 said:

    surbiton said:

    I am struggling where LDs 16 seats will come from.

    While I've been a vociferous seller (like most on here), you could get to 17 seats like this:

    Current 9, plus:

    From SNP
    Edinburgh West
    Dumbartonshire East
    Fife NE

    From Labour
    Cambridge
    Bristol West
    Cardiff Central

    From Conservatives
    Bath
    Kingston
    Twickenham
    OxWAb

    Less a couple of losses, say North Norfolk and Carshalton.

    Now, do I think they'll manage that? No I don't.

    But two from the SNP seems likely, and they are odds on in four SNP seats (the ones above plus Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross). Cambridge, given the locals saw a strong swing to the LDs, looks likely. Could you see 3-4 LD gains from Labour? Possibly. There are a couple of strong Remainia seats where they stand a chance or which are four way marginals and therefore the hurdle is likely to be low.

    I suspect the LDs will only gain Twickenham from the Tories on the night, but it's possible they pick up Kingston too, plus Bath and OxWAb are very Remain-y.
    I suspect that LibDem gains from the SNP are more likely than any of those listed from Labour or the Tories. I still think Labour is well placed to hold Cambridge and will be very surprised if Bermondsey is lost. Richmond is more likely to be lost to the Tories than North Norfolk.
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    The Tories are down by approx 5-6 seats on the spreads over the past 48 hours, with Labour up by by a similar extent. The mid-spread prices currently point to a Tory majority of circa 145 seats.
  • Options
    Danny565 said:

    Offtopic:- ironically, the more canvassing I do (which seems to support the opinion polls' findings), the more I'm coming back to thinking that Corbyn actually is a lesser evil than any other potential Labour leaders after all.

    As many colossal problems as Corbyn gives the party, my sense more than ever now is that Labour being "the party of Remain/Rejoin" would be even more utterly toxic in this election than Corbyn. Yet this still seems to be the big idea of the Labour "moderates", including @SouthamObserver who was yesterday saying one of Corbyn's big errors was to support Article 50 (which is very far from being what Lab defectors/waverers on the doorstep are complaining about, quite the opposite).

    In fact, the whole idea that Labour needs to "modernise", when their main electoral problem is getting slaughtered with older voters, seems a bit strange.

    This makes three major, cumulative assumptions.

    Firstly that the referendum would have been lost with a more competent Labour leader. Secondly, that the leader would have pursued a Remain strategy. Thirdly, that a reasonably strong leader pursuing a Remain strategy would be more damaging than a plainly incapable leader of a hopelessly divided party pursuing a Leave strategy.

    I think all three assumptions are highly questionable. The referendum was close enough to be winnable with a strong Labour message and operation (not definitely, but very possibly). The alternative strategy probably would've been a soft-ish Leave with a bit of sabre-rattling on immigration. And, for all the talk of it being a Brexit election, the damning numbers are the leadership ratings as they almost always have been in recent elections.
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    foxinsoxukfoxinsoxuk Posts: 23,548
    chestnut said:

    Danny565 said:

    In fact, the whole idea that Labour needs to "modernise", when their main electoral problem is getting slaughtered with older voters, seems a bit strange.

    An astute observation.

    Get a big red bus, paint £350 million per week extra on the NHS on the side, and get on the road campaigning for the "People's Brexit not the Bosses' Brexit".
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    Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 49,449

    ELBOW since the campaign started:


    Con Lab LD UKIP Tory Lead
    23-Apr-17 45.50 26.10 10.40 8.60 19.40
    30-Apr-17 46.33 28.11 10.22 6.67 18.22
    07-May-17 46.88 28.50 9.75 6.75 18.38
    Interesting that Labour's share of the vote has increased over the past two weeks by 2.4%, rather more than the Tories' 1.38% improvement ..... Hmm.
    At this rate, we'll have crossover by Christmas :)
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    ab195ab195 Posts: 477

    ELBOW since the campaign started:


    Con Lab LD UKIP Tory Lead
    23-Apr-17 45.50 26.10 10.40 8.60 19.40
    30-Apr-17 46.33 28.11 10.22 6.67 18.22
    07-May-17 46.88 28.50 9.75 6.75 18.38
    Interesting that Labour's share of the vote has increased over the past two weeks by 2.4%, rather more than the Tories' 1.38% improvement ..... Hmm.
    "Don't knows" must be disproportionately breaking one way. Some folk must have one eye on keeping the labour movement alive. Would be fascinating if we had accurate polling from the 20s to see if there was that sort of voters' sentimentality towards the Liberals as they died. There might be something revealing about what Tory voters were thinking in 2001. Of course all that assumes all big parties are "loved" by some of the population in the same way.
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    Ave_itAve_it Posts: 2,411

    nunu said:

    isam said:

    I'm sort of assuming now that quite a few leading Lib Dems have sold their seat count on the spreads.

    What do you make of 11/4 over 50% vote share for The Tories?

    I haven't bet on it but I think that's pretty fair. Given the Lib Dems' determination to ruin their campaign at every turn, UKIP's orderly winding-up and severe doubts over the reliability of Labour's voters, the Conservatives might well outperform polls in practice. The vote share has to go somewhere.
    imagine if they get 52%. LOL.
    Believe in BRITAIN!

    Be LEAVE! :lol
    It MAY happen!

    :lol::lol::lol:
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    Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 49,449
    bobajobPB said:

    This election is the most boring in living memory. And I am old enough to remember 2001. Yes, it really is that dull. Zzzzzzzzz.

    Unlike 2001 this will NOT be a carbon copy of the previous election!
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    CookieCookie Posts: 11,505
    While we're on about this sort of thing, a note of caution about Remainers. Just as the 52% doesn't consist entirely of angry sail-off-into-the-Atlantic isolationists, the 48% dioesn't consist of entirely of starry-eyed internationlists. The 48% also consists of Eurosceptics who thought leave too great a risk; of the uninetersted voting for the status quo, of thos who thought David Cameron more convincing than Botris Johnson. This constituency aren't actually all that interested in Europe - as Mike used to like to tell us, people don't actually care that much - and aren't necessarily going to follow the Remainiest party.
    Where the referendum results are interesting is in differentiating types of constituency, and in particular in differentiating types of labour voter. To deal briefly in archetypes - and recognising that they are archetypes, and the truth far more complex - the Labour remainer: is a Guardian-reading public sector professional - the Labour leaver is a Sun-reading carpet fitter. These two constituencies have different views of the EU, of Jeremy Corbyn, and probably also of the Liberal Democrats - and the referendum results give us a good way of understanding whether each constituency is made up more of the former or the latter.
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    justin124justin124 Posts: 11,527
    edited May 2017

    I'm a great believer in the national "Feel Good Factor" (or lack of it) materially assisting (or harming) the incumbent governing party.
    With house prices close to record highs, having slipped by a miniscule 0.2% in Q1 2017 and share prices also very close to the FTSE 100's all time high, coupled with unemployment rates lower than they were 42 years ago, many voters will be convinced that while difficulties undoubtedly lie ahead, now is not the time to rock the boat.
    You also have to wonder whether Mrs May is an exceptionally lucky prime Minister to have all these factors currently moving so strongly in her favour, along with Jeremy Corbyn being such a hapless Labour leader and UKIP in full self-destruct mode. Should the Tories fail to deliver a handsome overall majority this time, then they will probably never do so again.

    Unemployment is not lower than 42 years ago when allowance is made for all the adjustments made to the figures over that time. Were the data to be presented on the same basis as circa 1980 we would still be looking at 2 million unemployed.
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