The letter recommending Comey's firing from Rosenstein is spectacular.
Wow. You weren't kidding. Thank you @JosiasJessop for the link.
That being said:
(1) I think Comey was in an impossible situation where there was no 'good' choice;
(2) No matter what he had or had not done, and separately from the question of whether the actual decision was right, Trump's method of firing him - by a note through a third party - was utterly wrong and completely reprehensible. It should have been in a personal meeting. If that was the way he ran his businesses no wonder they kept getting into trouble.
The letter is pretty stupid in that any principled case for firing the FBI director ought also to address the issues that to do so is almost without precedent, and fire one who is in the process of conducting an investigation into the president's associates utterly beyond any political norms. That it doesn't even consider these issues, let alone provide a rationale renders its appeal to "regaining the public trust" utterly ridiculous.
Actually the letter claimed Coney was fired for unnecessarily explaining why the investigation into Clinton was dropped last summer....
And goes on to say: Compounding the error, the Director ignored another longstanding principle: we do not hold press conferences to release derogatory information about the subject of a declined criminal investigation. Derogatory information sometimes is disclosed in the course of criminal investigations and prosecutions, but we never release it gratuitously. The Director laid out his version of the facts for the news media as if it were a closing argument, but without a trial. It is a textbook example of what federal prosecutors and agents are taught not to do. ... The point stands.
No one is disputing that Comey behaved egregiously over the Clinton investigation, but that's really not what's at issue here. It's just a convenient If it were, Trump would have replaced him when he became president, rather than publicly praising him for his handling of the Clinton matter. To claim that this action might restore public faith in the FBI, and therefore justifies firing a man conducting an investigation into the administration is simply ludicrous.
Your bit in italics is something our own dear DPP might want to think about.
"Lamb slaughtered" or "Lamb chopped" are surely the putative Norfolk North go-to headlines.
Does Farron stand down if they have a nightmare election? Lamb is Fav to be next leader but he won't even be an MP. Tom Brake is 3rd Fav but I think he's gone too.
Lamb will certainly still be an MP after June 8th . Look at the vote changes in Melton Constable which the Lib Dems gained from UKIP from 4th place last week . The UKIP vote moved 2 to 1 in Lib Dems favour over the Conservatives who had won the seat in 2009
I'lll have a look thanks. Norfolk council do have a much nicer results page than all the others I've looked at recently.
If Lamb keeps his seat it's probably been an OK night for the LibDems so there's no election contest for Lamb to win.
It's a good map, particularly interesting is Norwich an the collapse of the green vote/swing to Labour. Lewis will increase his majority imo, or at very least hold firm 15% ahead.
June the eighth is going to be hilarious, it would be even better if Tim Farron got decapitated from his seat by the tories
The best thing that could happen for the re-allignment of the progressive centre left would be for the LibDems to be reduced to zero MPs.
I have been coming to a similar conclusion, the Lib Dem revival has been muted at best despite Corbyn and I really expected them to do better.
From a centre left perspective all a strong Lib-Dem performance would do would be have 2 competing homes for the anti-Tory vote after June. We would be in the same situation as the Thatcher years. The Tory dominance in those years was as much down to Labour and the Alliance splitting the anti-Tory vote as it was to the Tories own voting strength.
The country needs a dominant opposition to emerge after June based either on a moderate Labour party that has some appeal to centrist votes or some sort of realignment on the centre left.
June the eighth is going to be hilarious, it would be even better if Tim Farron got decapitated from his seat by the tories
The best thing that could happen for the re-allignment of the progressive centre left would be for the LibDems to be reduced to zero MPs.
Five parties - Lib Dem, Green, Lab, SNP, Plaid - fighting for 45% of the electorate.
The mere fact that they are having a conversation about progressive alliances is an implicit acknowledgement that some of the brands need to be ditched.
We have to stop dredging up ancient posts of public figures that show views that are or were commonly held and which might long ago have been abandoned. Ms Edwards is entitled to her past and present opinions, so long as they don't get in the way she performs her job now.
"Lamb slaughtered" or "Lamb chopped" are surely the putative Norfolk North go-to headlines.
Does Farron stand down if they have a nightmare election? Lamb is Fav to be next leader but he won't even be an MP. Tom Brake is 3rd Fav but I think he's gone too.
Lamb will certainly still be an MP after June 8th . Look at the vote changes in Melton Constable which the Lib Dems gained from UKIP from 4th place last week . The UKIP vote moved 2 to 1 in Lib Dems favour over the Conservatives who had won the seat in 2009
I'lll have a look thanks. Norfolk council do have a much nicer results page than all the others I've looked at recently.
If Lamb keeps his seat it's probably been an OK night for the LibDems so there's no election contest for Lamb to win.
Look at Holt division and the 2 North Walsham divisions which overall show UKIP support moving 60/40 in the Lib Dems favour .
Farron's anti Brexit campaign in leave voting Norfolk: sending Lamb to the slaughter
Norman Lamb is a seriously good MP, campaigned for improvements to mental health and made some progress as a minister at the DoH.
Parliament can not afford to lose such people.
Yes, even despite the potential for puns if he does go, it would be a real shame to lose him from parliament. One of the best coalition ministers.
On balance I thought Tim Farron would have been the better campaigner which was what the LDs needed after 2015, but Lamb would have been a good choice for leader in all other aspects.
"Lamb slaughtered" or "Lamb chopped" are surely the putative Norfolk North go-to headlines.
Does Farron stand down if they have a nightmare election? Lamb is Fav to be next leader but he won't even be an MP. Tom Brake is 3rd Fav but I think he's gone too.
I am thinking that LD are now a Woolworth's party in the sense that if they did not exist, you cannot see any reason for inventing them. Farron's Faggoto Haram moment was lethal not for its religious or homophobic content, repulsive though both are, but because it destroyed in one stroke any general sense anyone had of what the party is about cuddly niceness, beards and sandals, and cast iron guaranteed to take the progressive and liberal view on everything.
To be fair to Farron, isn't believing something is wrong, but tolerating it a good thing? That is quite liberal I think, that's what tolerance is.
The intolerance is from people who can't accept those who disagree with them even holding their views
I am just uneasy with people who have access to an all-powerful being which issues arbitrary and unappealable diktats about moral issues, and the "tolerance" doesn't altogether allay the uneasiness. Sort of like being told in 60s London that Ronnie and Reggie have got their eye on you, but that's fine because they have no current intention of sending the boys round.
Besides, the term 'tolerate' indicates the tolerartor feels the behaviour is intrinsically wrong and that they are, in some way, deigning to permit it unmolested. Such people, where they seek public office, should be judged on their beliefs and what that says about them as a human being.
Yes but what do you do? People believe in god. There's nothing anyone can do to change that so once they have that belief it's how it manifests itself in their actions (thoughts are another matter). If a believer detests gay people because that is his religious belief then all one can hope for is that their actions are not affected by that belief.
"Lamb slaughtered" or "Lamb chopped" are surely the putative Norfolk North go-to headlines.
Does Farron stand down if they have a nightmare election? Lamb is Fav to be next leader but he won't even be an MP. Tom Brake is 3rd Fav but I think he's gone too.
If he survives, I think the Lib Dems will crown Lamb.
If she wins , Jo Swinson will be the next Lib Dem leader .
We have to get stop dredging up ancient posts of public figures that show views that are or were commonly held and which might long ago have been abandoned. Ms Edwards is entitled to her past and present opinions, so long as they don't get in the way she performs her job now.
And if there is a question over their performance?
Farron's anti Brexit campaign in leave voting Norfolk: sending Lamb to the slaughter
Norman Lamb is a seriously good MP, campaigned for improvements to mental health and made some progress as a minister at the DoH.
Parliament can not afford to lose such people.
I know of a number of positive things he did in government (which I can't share on here) but top bod who hasn't had anywhere near the recognition for it. While Vince cable spent his days playing silly buggers this guy has changed the lives of a lot of vulnerable people.
We have to get stop dredging up ancient posts of public figures that show views that are or were commonly held and which might long ago have been abandoned. Ms Edwards is entitled to her past and present opinions, so long as they don't get in the way she performs her job now.
And if there is a question over their performance?
Then I would ask doing the questioning to come up with evidence that consists of more than a few tweets from 2010.
"Lamb slaughtered" or "Lamb chopped" are surely the putative Norfolk North go-to headlines.
Does Farron stand down if they have a nightmare election? Lamb is Fav to be next leader but he won't even be an MP. Tom Brake is 3rd Fav but I think he's gone too.
I am thinking that LD are now a Woolworth's party in the sense that if they did not exist, you cannot see any reason for inventing them. Farron's Faggoto Haram moment was lethal not for its religious or homophobic content, repulsive though both are, but because it destroyed in one stroke any general sense anyone had of what the party is about cuddly niceness, beards and sandals, and cast iron guaranteed to take the progressive and liberal view on everything.
To be fair to Farron, isn't believing something is wrong, but tolerating it a good thing? That is quite liberal I think, that's what tolerance is.
The intolerance is from people who can't accept those who disagree with them even holding their views
I am just uneasy with people who have access to an all-powerful being which issues arbitrary and unappealable diktats about moral issues, and the "tolerance" doesn't altogether allay the uneasiness. Sort of like being told in 60s London that Ronnie and Reggie have got their eye on you, but that's fine because they have no current intention of sending the boys round.
Besides, the term 'tolerate' indicates the tolerartor feels the behaviour is intrinsically wrong and that they are, in some way, deigning to permit it unmolested. Such people, where they seek public office, should be judged on their beliefs and what that says about them as a human being.
Yes but what do you do? People believe in god. There's nothing anyone can do to change that so once they have that belief it's how it manifests itself in their actions (thoughts are another matter). If a believer detests gay people because that is his religious belief then all one can hope for is that their actions are not affected by that belief.
Well, personally, I judge their quality based on it, and tend to not put myself in the position of being associated with or in the social circles of such people. I guess im saying I tolerate religion.
Physics question for the day: Is the fact that you weigh more in Scotland than you do in London evidence that Scots are denser than English?
Your point being that Scottish Indy could reduce the average weight of the population, as well as increasing our country's average temperature and reducing annual total rainfall? What's not to like?
Good points!
Do you weigh more in Scotland than you do in London? Is that a consequence of isostatic rebound?
The biggest pool of voters that Lib Dems could fish in to get switchers are Conservative remainers.
So it is strange that Lib Dems are going out of their way to alienate these votes by forming a 'Progressive Alliance' with Corbyn Labour and the only party to the left of Corbyn, the Greens.
Correct - I'm one such Con remainer and it's a strong repellant. Mind you doesn't matter anyway here in the paradise of the Bercow republic.
I'm looking forward to Bercow being ousted as Speaker after the GE
Given speakers generally go straight to the lords after retirement, bit much asking yet another election for Buckinghamshire. A shame the LDs backed down, first saying it wasn't right to not oppose, then suddenly believing the convention needed to be followed.
As he's broken so many conventions already, perhaps he can be on the receiving end of another broken convention!
My dad lives in Buckingham. I would say that even if all the main parties (including the Tories) put a candidate up against him, Bercow would still win. He's enormously popular locally and, because his role gives him speedy access to ministers etc, he has a reputation for getting things sorted in the constituency.
The opposition to the Speaker system is not the same as opposing John Bercow.
The Buckingham Lib Dems put a proposal to the House of Commons Procedure Committee to reform the system. Once elected Speaker by the HoC, the Speaker would become the MPs MP for the St Stephens constituency - and a by-election would be held in the Speaker's original constituency.
This proposal was turned down by MPs. Westminster will only be persuaded to reform the system if the main parties stand against the Speaker. That is what the local Lib Dems have resolved to do.
John Bercow has been unable to vote or speak in parliamentary debates when HS2 is slicing through the heart of the Buckingham constituency. 78,000 Buckingham electors have been disenfranchised.
PB is the best place to read about politics. Full of amateurs, yes (and some pros), but illuminating in a way other sites aren't.
It's why I like SeanT. He's willing to throw a hand-grenade on the table and (extremely articulately) shoot the shit over it. He tends to inspire emotions and polarised opinions, and no little anger, but the ensuing discussion often shines a light on areas it is otherwise to tricky to politically venture in to.
Yes, I appreciate Sean T. I've even started following him on Twitter :-)
It's one of the main reason I visit this site. Yes, Sean is the wrong side of bonkers, and at times he appears to be a hybrid of Genghis Khan and Walter Mitty. He is to discretion what Harold Shipman was to the Hippocratic Oath.
BUT - his comments are never anything less than compelling, and he is a better wordsmith than just about every other person on this site put together.
Farron's anti Brexit campaign in leave voting Norfolk: sending Lamb to the slaughter
Norman Lamb is a seriously good MP, campaigned for improvements to mental health and made some progress as a minister at the DoH.
Parliament can not afford to lose such people.
I know of a number of positive things he did in government (which I can't share on here) but top bod who hasn't had anywhere near the recognition for it. While Vince cable spent his days playing silly buggers this guy has changed the lives of a lot of vulnerable people.
We served together on Treausry and I agree he's a serious and intelligent MP. At one point we, uh, both refrained from discouraging an internet-based initiative to urge Labour voters in Norfolk North to vote LibDem and LibDems in Broxtowe to vote Labour. (I know it sounds unlikely but I never did find out who was behind it and why these particular seats.)
Physics question for the day: Is the fact that you weigh more in Scotland than you do in London evidence that Scots are denser than English?
Your point being that Scottish Indy could reduce the average weight of the population, as well as increasing our country's average temperature and reducing annual total rainfall? What's not to like?
Good points!
Do you weigh more in Scotland than you do in London? Is that a consequence of isostatic rebound?
Physics question for the day: Is the fact that you weigh more in Scotland than you do in London evidence that Scots are denser than English?
Your point being that Scottish Indy could reduce the average weight of the population, as well as increasing our country's average temperature and reducing annual total rainfall? What's not to like?
Good points!
Do you weigh more in Scotland than you do in London? Is that a consequence of isostatic rebound?
Deep fried isostatic rebound I'll wager.
Or relativity. The Earth's rotation means people nearer the equator are moving more quickly. So time is passing slower for them, as well.
edit/ opps, mistake alert. Doesn't the speed-mass relationship work the other way around! If right (and I think it is) doesn't this actually reduce the relative mass of the Scots?
June the eighth is going to be hilarious, it would be even better if Tim Farron got decapitated from his seat by the tories
The best thing that could happen for the re-allignment of the progressive centre left would be for the LibDems to be reduced to zero MPs.
Five parties - Lib Dem, Green, Lab, SNP, Plaid - fighting for 45% of the electorate.
The mere fact that they are having a conversation about progressive alliances is an implicit acknowledgement that some of the brands need to be ditched.
I could have thrown Respect into the mix as well.
I do find the constant talk of a "Progressive Alliance" interesting. The Lib Dems are an anti-Brexit, pro-free market party. Labour (or at least its leadership) is a pro-Brexit, socialist party. Plaid and the SNP are nationalists, Labour and Lib Dems are Unionists. So where's the deal?
The second round votes in places like the Tees Valley, West Midlands and West of England Mayoral elections suggest Lib Dem voters split preferences between the Tories and Labour. There is talk in Scotland of Labour, Liberal and Tory voters tactically voting for each other, to curb the SNP. So the idea that the voters are all in one 'progressive' block seems wrong to me.
I think it's wishful thinking from some moderate Labourites, left-leaning Lib Dems and Greens. There is crossover there for a new party - the Progressives? - but don't think it brings the whole of both parties, let alone their voters, together.
To add to the Norman Lamb love in, the story of him helping launch Tinchy Stryder's music career (and how they are still like family today) is a good one.
Farron's anti Brexit campaign in leave voting Norfolk: sending Lamb to the slaughter
Norman Lamb is a seriously good MP, campaigned for improvements to mental health and made some progress as a minister at the DoH.
Parliament can not afford to lose such people.
I know of a number of positive things he did in government (which I can't share on here) but top bod who hasn't had anywhere near the recognition for it. While Vince cable spent his days playing silly buggers this guy has changed the lives of a lot of vulnerable people.
For all that we like to hate politicians, there's an awful lot of good people working hard in less high profile jobs, as junior ministers, on select committees, as PPSs etc. Another LD name that springs to mind from the coalition time was Steve Webb as minister for pensions.
Physics question for the day: Is the fact that you weigh more in Scotland than you do in London evidence that Scots are denser than English?
Your point being that Scottish Indy could reduce the average weight of the population, as well as increasing our country's average temperature and reducing annual total rainfall? What's not to like?
Good points!
Do you weigh more in Scotland than you do in London? Is that a consequence of isostatic rebound?
Err.....no. It's coz the earth is not a sphere and it rotates - so gravitational field strength is a bit higher at the poles than at the equator. Go north - get heavier. Want to lose weight? Go to Worthing.
June the eighth is going to be hilarious, it would be even better if Tim Farron got decapitated from his seat by the tories
The best thing that could happen for the re-allignment of the progressive centre left would be for the LibDems to be reduced to zero MPs.
Five parties - Lib Dem, Green, Lab, SNP, Plaid - fighting for 45% of the electorate.
The mere fact that they are having a conversation about progressive alliances is an implicit acknowledgement that some of the brands need to be ditched.
I could have thrown Respect into the mix as well.
I do find the constant talk of a "Progressive Alliance" interesting. The Lib Dems are an anti-Brexit, pro-free market party. Labour (or at least its leadership) is a pro-Brexit, socialist party. Plaid and the SNP are nationalists, Labour and Lib Dems are Unionists. So where's the deal?
The second round votes in places like the Tees Valley, West Midlands and West of England Mayoral elections suggest Lib Dem voters split preferences between the Tories and Labour. There is talk in Scotland of Labour, Liberal and Tory voters tactically voting for each other, to curb the SNP. So the idea that the voters are all in one 'progressive' block seems wrong to me.
I think it's wishful thinking from some moderate Labourites, left-leaning Lib Dems and Greens. There is crossover there for a new party - the Progressives? - but don't think it brings the whole of both parties, let alone their voters, together.
The only deal is for a political system that allows a range of opinions to be expressed and properly represented, rather than the elective dictatorship that we have now. In other words, a short term one. Which, to be fair, is all that the Greens have ever suggested.
We have to get stop dredging up ancient posts of public figures that show views that are or were commonly held and which might long ago have been abandoned. Ms Edwards is entitled to her past and present opinions, so long as they don't get in the way she performs her job now.
And if there is a question over their performance?
Then I would ask doing the questioning to come up with evidence that consists of more than a few tweets from 2010.
Guido's post says that the tories believe she made misleading statements regarding Thanet. If so that relates to something more recent, and if so, her motives for doing it are reasonable to bring up, regardless of how long ago.
The biggest pool of voters that Lib Dems could fish in to get switchers are Conservative remainers.
So it is strange that Lib Dems are going out of their way to alienate these votes by forming a 'Progressive Alliance' with Corbyn Labour and the only party to the left of Corbyn, the Greens.
Correct - I'm one such Con remainer and it's a strong repellant. Mind you doesn't matter anyway here in the paradise of the Bercow republic.
I'm looking forward to Bercow being ousted as Speaker after the GE
Given speakers generally go straight to the lords after retirement, bit much asking yet another election for Buckinghamshire. A shame the LDs backed down, first saying it wasn't right to not oppose, then suddenly believing the convention needed to be followed.
As he's broken so many conventions already, perhaps he can be on the receiving end of another broken convention!
My dad lives in Buckingham. I would say that even if all the main parties (including the Tories) put a candidate up against him, Bercow would still win. He's enormously popular locally and, because his role gives him speedy access to ministers etc, he has a reputation for getting things sorted in the constituency.
Farron's anti Brexit campaign in leave voting Norfolk: sending Lamb to the slaughter
Norman Lamb is a seriously good MP, campaigned for improvements to mental health and made some progress as a minister at the DoH.
Parliament can not afford to lose such people.
I know of a number of positive things he did in government (which I can't share on here) but top bod who hasn't had anywhere near the recognition for it. While Vince cable spent his days playing silly buggers this guy has changed the lives of a lot of vulnerable people.
For all that we like to hate politicians, there's an awful lot of good people working hard in less high profile jobs, as junior ministers, on select committees, as PPSs etc. Another LD name that springs to mind from the coalition time was Steve Webb as minister for pensions.
Lamb, Webb and Alexander all did a lot for the country and sacrificed their own political careers in the process. They could have spent 2010-2015 plotting to screw the Tories (I am sure they have plenty of "dirt" they could have recorded and used), instead they just got on with the job the best they could. The reports of the coalition were that people like Alexander at the treasury was very grown up and professional throughout his time as part of the quad.
I would have little trouble voting for any of them.
Physics question for the day: Is the fact that you weigh more in Scotland than you do in London evidence that Scots are denser than English?
The ground may be denser in Scotland and thus the gravitational pull greater.
That doesn't necessarilly mean those that stand above the ground are denser.
Quad Erat Demonstrandum
On reflection I think the answer is that the bulge at the equator means that gravitational pull is stronger in Scotland.
The question is whether Mr Patrick prematurely interjected his question before working out whether the relativity effect might cancel out the circumference of the Earth effect?
"Lamb slaughtered" or "Lamb chopped" are surely the putative Norfolk North go-to headlines.
Does Farron stand down if they have a nightmare election? Lamb is Fav to be next leader but he won't even be an MP. Tom Brake is 3rd Fav but I think he's gone too.
Lamb will certainly still be an MP after June 8th . Look at the vote changes in Melton Constable which the Lib Dems gained from UKIP from 4th place last week . The UKIP vote moved 2 to 1 in Lib Dems favour over the Conservatives who had won the seat in 2009
I genuinely like Lamb, and I hope you're right.
The LDs are quite good at removing underperforming leaders (see Menzies Campbell). If the LDs end up on fewer than (say) 12 seats, then I wouldn't be surprised if the knife was wielded.
We have to get stop dredging up ancient posts of public figures that show views that are or were commonly held and which might long ago have been abandoned. Ms Edwards is entitled to her past and present opinions, so long as they don't get in the way she performs her job now.
And if there is a question over their performance?
Then I would ask doing the questioning to come up with evidence that consists of more than a few tweets from 2010.
Guido's post says that the tories believe she made misleading statements regarding Thanet. If so that relates to something more recent, and if so, her motives for doing it are reasonable to bring up, regardless of how long ago.
So now we have some seven year old tweets AND a report on Guido that unnamed Conservatives believe that she made misleading statements regarding Thanet.
We served together on Treausry and I agree he's a serious and intelligent MP. At one point we, uh, both refrained from discouraging an internet-based initiative to urge Labour voters in Norfolk North to vote LibDem and LibDems in Broxtowe to vote Labour. (I know it sounds unlikely but I never did find out who was behind it and why these particular seats.)
Physics question for the day: Is the fact that you weigh more in Scotland than you do in London evidence that Scots are denser than English?
The ground may be denser in Scotland and thus the gravitational pull greater.
That doesn't necessarilly mean those that stand above the ground are denser.
Quad Erat Demonstrandum
The ground in Scotland is not denser. It's just closer to the centre of mass. My intended wee dig at Scots being dense (trolling malc et al) seems to have been taken seriously.
The biggest pool of voters that Lib Dems could fish in to get switchers are Conservative remainers.
So it is strange that Lib Dems are going out of their way to alienate these votes by forming a 'Progressive Alliance' with Corbyn Labour and the only party to the left of Corbyn, the Greens.
Correct - I'm one such Con remainer and it's a strong repellant. Mind you doesn't matter anyway here in the paradise of the Bercow republic.
I'm looking forward to Bercow being ousted as Speaker after the GE
Given speakers generally go straight to the lords after retirement, bit much asking yet another election for Buckinghamshire. A shame the LDs backed down, first saying it wasn't right to not oppose, then suddenly believing the convention needed to be followed.
As he's broken so many conventions already, perhaps he can be on the receiving end of another broken convention!
My dad lives in Buckingham. I would say that even if all the main parties (including the Tories) put a candidate up against him, Bercow would still win. He's enormously popular locally and, because his role gives him speedy access to ministers etc, he has a reputation for getting things sorted in the constituency.
yup.
I can't see why anyone would want to oust Bercow as he is likely to stand down in the next couple of years anyway. Most speakers in modern times do about 9 years and Bercow took over in 2009.
"Lamb slaughtered" or "Lamb chopped" are surely the putative Norfolk North go-to headlines.
Does Farron stand down if they have a nightmare election? Lamb is Fav to be next leader but he won't even be an MP. Tom Brake is 3rd Fav but I think he's gone too.
Lamb will certainly still be an MP after June 8th . Look at the vote changes in Melton Constable which the Lib Dems gained from UKIP from 4th place last week . The UKIP vote moved 2 to 1 in Lib Dems favour over the Conservatives who had won the seat in 2009
I genuinely like Lamb, and I hope you're right.
The LDs are quite good at removing underperforming leaders (see Menzies Campbell). If the LDs end up on fewer than (say) 12 seats, then I wouldn't be surprised if the knife was wielded.
I think a newly created LibDem peer from Bedford might fit the bill ....
Jesus Christ, we aren't getting rid of Jezza are we....
and......
Its f##king terrible for the country. We need Labour to rid itself of this cancer before it totally destroys the party and can provide a sensible, strong and stable ;-) opposition.
Jezza staying either splits the party or they carry on and Maomentum nutters take over more and more of it.
I am really hoping the polls are wrong and it turns out it is more 40-45 for the Tories vs 25-26 for Labour.
Tynemouth evens on Betfair Sportsbook. Starting to wish I had a few quid on it at 3.5 when I was querying it last week.
At a nationwide scale, seats like this being in contention makes me wonder just how big the Conservative Majority gets will all depend on a) where Ukip don't stand and b) how much of that vote goes over to the Tories.
I've had another nibble at the 200-224 and 225-250 Con Majority brackets...
Sad. It's increasingly clear that Farron was the wrong choice. This is about his leadership, not his Brexit position.
Indeed. Farron has been found out to be a dud. At a time where the LDs should be making hay, it seems like they are struggling to get more than 10 MPs. Very disappointing.
June the eighth is going to be hilarious, it would be even better if Tim Farron got decapitated from his seat by the tories
The best thing that could happen for the re-allignment of the progressive centre left would be for the LibDems to be reduced to zero MPs.
Five parties - Lib Dem, Green, Lab, SNP, Plaid - fighting for 45% of the electorate.
The mere fact that they are having a conversation about progressive alliances is an implicit acknowledgement that some of the brands need to be ditched.
I could have thrown Respect into the mix as well.
If they're fighting for 45% of the electorate then they've utterly given up. In 1997 and 2001, those parties won 63%; and in 2005, they won 60%.
There are a large number of swing voters who could be attracted to the centre/left-of-centre parties who are not currently voting that way. Unless the so-called progressives start to recognise that they could attract them, rather than how to carve up an inadequate total, they'll keep on losing. Trying to impose solutions on the electorate is just likely to lead to further abstentions and vote leakage.
The biggest pool of voters that Lib Dems could fish in to get switchers are Conservative remainers.
So it is strange that Lib Dems are going out of their way to alienate these votes by forming a 'Progressive Alliance' with Corbyn Labour and the only party to the left of Corbyn, the Greens.
Correct - I'm one such Con remainer and it's a strong repellant. Mind you doesn't matter anyway here in the paradise of the Bercow republic.
I'm looking forward to Bercow being ousted as Speaker after the GE
Given speakers generally go straight to the lords after retirement, bit much asking yet another election for Buckinghamshire. A shame the LDs backed down, first saying it wasn't right to not oppose, then suddenly believing the convention needed to be followed.
As he's broken so many conventions already, perhaps he can be on the receiving end of another broken convention!
My dad lives in Buckingham. I would say that even if all the main parties (including the Tories) put a candidate up against him, Bercow would still win. He's enormously popular locally and, because his role gives him speedy access to ministers etc, he has a reputation for getting things sorted in the constituency.
yup.
I can't see why anyone would want to oust Bercow as he is likely to stand down in the next couple of years anyway. Most speakers in modern times do about 9 years and Bercow took over in 2009.
He has already announced he will stand down from Speaker next year. The Q is whether he goes straight to the Lords, in which case the people of Buckingham get their election a year late, or whether he returns to the benches, in which case they are disenfranchised.
The biggest pool of voters that Lib Dems could fish in to get switchers are Conservative remainers.
So it is strange that Lib Dems are going out of their way to alienate these votes by forming a 'Progressive Alliance' with Corbyn Labour and the only party to the left of Corbyn, the Greens.
Correct - I'm one such Con remainer and it's a strong repellant. Mind you doesn't matter anyway here in the paradise of the Bercow republic.
I'm looking forward to Bercow being ousted as Speaker after the GE
Given speakers generally go straight to the lords after retirement, bit much asking yet another election for Buckinghamshire. A shame the LDs backed down, first saying it wasn't right to not oppose, then suddenly believing the convention needed to be followed.
As he's broken so many conventions already, perhaps he can be on the receiving end of another broken convention!
A long list of opponents of the Speaker at general elections are shown at
Note in particular 1974 Feb and 1974 Oct when Michael Gayford stood for the Liberals against Speaker Sewyn Lloyd as did Labour. Michael Gayford is the father of Nicola Horlick, a well known Asset Manager and Lib Dem supporter.
Also in 1987 Christine Patrick (Labour) and Julian Goldie (Liberal/Alliance) were selected in the usual way to oppose Speaker Weatherill in Croydon North East
More recently SNP, Greens and UKIP have stood against the Speaker.
All the parties (or their predecessors) have stood against the Speaker apart from the Conservatives.
Of course in many years the Speaker does not stand for election so there can not be a challenge in those years.
Mr. Welford, I agree. On a more superficial note, Progressive Alliance is the left wing craptastic equivalent of the Patriotic Alliance. [Also, welcome to pb.com].
Mr. Woolie, humbug. Only the New Who rubbish cybermen who get killed by hugs and emotion. Not the proper, Old Who, let's-all-pretend-they-aren't-wearing-cricket-gloves cybermen who got killed by Ace shooting gold into their chest grills.
Mr. Welford, I agree. On a more superficial note, Progressive Alliance is the left wing craptastic equivalent of the Patriotic Alliance. [Also, welcome to pb.com].
Mr. Woolie, humbug. Only the New Who rubbish cybermen who get killed by hugs and emotion. Not the proper, Old Who, let's-all-pretend-they-aren't-wearing-cricket-gloves cybermen who got killed by Ace shooting gold into their chest grills.
I still think we are heading for polling disaster inquiry MK II....I just can't believe that a) basically half the nation will vote Tory and b) that Jezza might perform better than Brown or Miliband.
It looks to me like the Labour core vote is firming up, though I suspect not all in the right places.
This is not Patrick being deliberately partisan - but that is bad news for Labour. May gets a big majority, if not a WTF/OMG one. Labour keep Jezza. Labour need to not keep Jezza if they are to survive (and still be called 'Labour').
I still think we are heading for polling disaster inquiry MK II....I just can't believe that a) basically half the nation will vote Tory and b) that Jezza might perform better than Brown or Miliband.
The big issue really is how crap the lib dems are doing, If they can't break double figures then they're letting Jezza off the hook big time. If they could get back to 15% or high teens then that labour figure would fall back hugely.
We have to stop dredging up ancient posts of public figures that show views that are or were commonly held and which might long ago have been abandoned. Ms Edwards is entitled to her past and present opinions, so long as they don't get in the way she performs her job now.
There's a difference between a politician/hanger-on and someone who is supposed to act independently in a potentially criminal investigation.
What would you think if a judge had made derogatory comments 5 years ago about one of your clients? Would you be happy that their views might have "long ago been abandoned"?
The current state of the parties in London, according to YouGov’s study of 1,040 Londoners, is Labour on 41 per cent, down from their 43 per cent at the 2015 election, and Theresa May’s Conservatives on 36 per cent, up from 34.
I know that but the middle class that now live in the Tynemouth constiuency are on the whole still very 'culturally' Labour. I think this is an election too soon. Could be wrong.
I still think we are heading for polling disaster inquiry MK II....I just can't believe that a) basically half the nation will vote Tory and b) that Jezza might perform better than Brown or Miliband.
The big issue really is how crap the lib dems are doing, If they can't break double figures then they're letting Jezza off the hook big time. If they could get back to 15% or high teens then that labour figure would fall back hugely.
Farron, you idiot!
An issue surely is going to be turn-out. Lot of people think it is already over and May is back in No. 10 effectively, so why bother. Jezza's cultists? Who knows. Half of them are students who don't vote, or do, but will be away as just finished exams etc etc.
We have to stop dredging up ancient posts of public figures that show views that are or were commonly held and which might long ago have been abandoned. Ms Edwards is entitled to her past and present opinions, so long as they don't get in the way she performs her job now.
There's a difference between a politician/hanger-on and someone who is supposed to act independently in a potentially criminal investigation.
What would you think if a judge had made derogatory comments 5 years ago about one of your clients? Would you be happy that their views might have "long ago been abandoned"?
You'd want to know what her job was in 2010, at the very least.
Looking at Iain Dale's list it was the one in Tyne and Wear that seems likely to change. The likelihood of it going Blue is dependent Labour getting the vote out on the day...
That's irrelevant for all other Tyne and Wear seats that all seem utterly safely labour...
Comments
Please answer the following question before introducing Jeremy
When did you last post anti-Semitic, racist or homophobic views on Twitter?
a. Today
b. Yesterday
c. Last month
d. More than a year ago
One of the cast of Ben Hur (PB Next Lab leader tips) here...
https://twitter.com/standardnews/status/862234506211622912
Parliament can not afford to lose such people.
From a centre left perspective all a strong Lib-Dem performance would do would be have 2 competing homes for the anti-Tory vote after June. We would be in the same situation as the Thatcher years. The Tory dominance in those years was as much down to Labour and the Alliance splitting the anti-Tory vote as it was to the Tories own voting strength.
The country needs a dominant opposition to emerge after June based either on a moderate Labour party that has some appeal to centrist votes or some sort of realignment on the centre left.
The mere fact that they are having a conversation about progressive alliances is an implicit acknowledgement that some of the brands need to be ditched.
I could have thrown Respect into the mix as well.
ooops
On balance I thought Tim Farron would have been the better campaigner which was what the LDs needed after 2015, but Lamb would have been a good choice for leader in all other aspects.
The opposition to the Speaker system is not the same as opposing John Bercow.
The Buckingham Lib Dems put a proposal to the House of Commons Procedure Committee to reform the system. Once elected Speaker by the HoC, the Speaker would become the MPs MP for the St Stephens constituency - and a by-election would be held in the Speaker's original constituency.
This proposal was turned down by MPs. Westminster will only be persuaded to reform the system if the main parties stand against the Speaker. That is what the local Lib Dems have resolved to do.
John Bercow has been unable to vote or speak in parliamentary debates when HS2 is slicing through the heart of the Buckingham constituency. 78,000 Buckingham electors have been disenfranchised.
I imagine most of the June 9th Parliamentary Labour Party will be able to find a seat on it. Jezza will have to sit in the doorway, though.
BUT - his comments are never anything less than compelling, and he is a better wordsmith than just about every other person on this site put together.
You need to know volume as well as mass to determine density, surely?
edit/ opps, mistake alert. Doesn't the speed-mass relationship work the other way around! If right (and I think it is) doesn't this actually reduce the relative mass of the Scots?
The second round votes in places like the Tees Valley, West Midlands and West of England Mayoral elections suggest Lib Dem voters split preferences between the Tories and Labour. There is talk in Scotland of Labour, Liberal and Tory voters tactically voting for each other, to curb the SNP. So the idea that the voters are all in one 'progressive' block seems wrong to me.
I think it's wishful thinking from some moderate Labourites, left-leaning Lib Dems and Greens. There is crossover there for a new party - the Progressives? - but don't think it brings the whole of both parties, let alone their voters, together.
https://twitter.com/youngvulgarian/status/862239039285547008
That doesn't necessarilly mean those that stand above the ground are denser.
Quad Erat Demonstrandum
I would have little trouble voting for any of them.
The question is whether Mr Patrick prematurely interjected his question before working out whether the relativity effect might cancel out the circumference of the Earth effect?
The LDs are quite good at removing underperforming leaders (see Menzies Campbell). If the LDs end up on fewer than (say) 12 seats, then I wouldn't be surprised if the knife was wielded.
Well that's me convinced: clap her in irons.
Are you standing as a paper candidate anywhere ?
https://twitter.com/NCPoliticsUK/status/862237570150879234
My intended wee dig at Scots being dense (trolling malc et al) seems to have been taken seriously.
Jezza staying either splits the party or they carry on and Maomentum nutters take over more and more of it.
I am really hoping the polls are wrong and it turns out it is more 40-45 for the Tories vs 25-26 for Labour.
Tynemouth evens on Betfair Sportsbook. Starting to wish I had a few quid on it at 3.5 when I was querying it last week.
At a nationwide scale, seats like this being in contention makes me wonder just how big the Conservative Majority gets will all depend on a) where Ukip don't stand and b) how much of that vote goes over to the Tories.
I've had another nibble at the 200-224 and 225-250 Con Majority brackets...
There are a large number of swing voters who could be attracted to the centre/left-of-centre parties who are not currently voting that way. Unless the so-called progressives start to recognise that they could attract them, rather than how to carve up an inadequate total, they'll keep on losing. Trying to impose solutions on the electorate is just likely to lead to further abstentions and vote leakage.
A long list of opponents of the Speaker at general elections are shown at
http://vote-2012.proboards.com/thread/1007?page=1
Note in particular 1974 Feb and 1974 Oct when Michael Gayford stood for the Liberals against Speaker Sewyn Lloyd as did Labour. Michael Gayford is the father of Nicola Horlick, a well known Asset Manager and Lib Dem supporter.
Also in 1987 Christine Patrick (Labour) and Julian Goldie (Liberal/Alliance) were selected in the usual way to oppose Speaker Weatherill in Croydon North East
More recently SNP, Greens and UKIP have stood against the Speaker.
All the parties (or their predecessors) have stood against the Speaker apart from the Conservatives.
Of course in many years the Speaker does not stand for election so there can not be a challenge in those years.
Mr. Woolie, humbug. Only the New Who rubbish cybermen who get killed by hugs and emotion. Not the proper, Old Who, let's-all-pretend-they-aren't-wearing-cricket-gloves cybermen who got killed by Ace shooting gold into their chest grills.
SNP 42 Tory 42
https://twitter.com/MrHarryCole/status/862243928036311040
Farron, you idiot!
Con 51 Lab 31 LD 6 SNP 5 UKIP 5 Green 1
https://twitter.com/tnewtondunn/status/862244467146928128
What would you think if a judge had made derogatory comments 5 years ago about one of your clients? Would you be happy that their views might have "long ago been abandoned"?
The twitter army are going to go into meltdown.
No charges to be bought, according ot breaking news on the Victoria Derbyshire show.
This is a rehash of a year old Guido story btw. https://order-order.com/2016/06/07/key-electoral-commission-expenses-fraud-staffer-ranted-against-tories/
https://twitter.com/BBCTomSymonds/status/862245356679176192
That's irrelevant for all other Tyne and Wear seats that all seem utterly safely labour...