My former MP, he's a good man well liked locally. I think the local LDs selected the next PPC straight after the last election, and they announced quickly she would definitely be standing, TBH I don't think he would have had a great chance. There is a large UKIP vote to squeeze for the Tory candidate and a lot of new houses going up around Thornbury and Chipping Sodbury. I will vote for Claire Young and think she would certainly be better than our current MP Luke Hall although I would note we have already had 3 leaflets from Tories and 1 from LDs and it is a LD target seat.
To answer the original question - he was a brilliant and innovative pensions minister who both knew the detail and had the political skills to drive through radical reform from his position within the junior coalition partner. I am quite sure his radical shake up of both the state and private pensions worlds will stand the test of time - and he is a VERY rare example of a politician who made the financial environment simpler rather than more complicated.
But to jump from there to suggesting he is a 'missed leader' is misunderstanding the type of politician he was - he was made for the job he had, not for being party leader.
I quite agree but he could have been an excellent CofE. I'm not keen on Tim Farron, I preferred Nick Clegg, too europhile for my taste in supporting a party with democrat in their name, but I think he has been unfairly judged regarding the coalition, considering the way a coalition works elsewhere e.g. Germany.
Many of the LibDem junior ministers would have made excellent senior ones, and many of them achieved a great deal, often behind the scenes and up against a sometimes reluctant senior coalition partner. We do not however select our senior politicians on merit (alone).
Mike Smithson @MSmithsonPB 2m2 minutes ago More PaddyPower shop in London has taken a bet of £330 at 500/1 that UKIP will win most seats
Where is MikeL these days?
What is betting shops' policy in these instances? Do they just take the bet, or is there any code of honour that states they warn the punter that it's a losing bet?
I imagine they take the money and try to keep a straight face.
The cashier is unlikely to have much of a clue about that bet.
All they'll be thinking is it's a big bet at long odds which has to go through head office and written down very carefully.
On topic, is this Labour uniting around Corbyn more, like the Republicans did for Trump?
Or more like Custer's last stand?
[Interesting fact: one of the Native American chiefs at Little Bighorn was actually called Lame White Man, which is surely one of the earliest recorded instances of sledging]
Didn't realise we had a genuine bona fide UK party leader amongst our ranks !
No technically leader - just the candidate which is based in London and thus can get to the studio...
Excellent performance on Daily Politics.
How refreshing to have a clear policy and polite discusion of the issues - whilst being able to put down the Plaid leader on her challenge about crowd sourcing.
Good luck - had a look at some of your policies which seem to be more well prepared than the Labour Party.
Follow More Lab's Jon Ashworth: postponement of NHS stats till after polling day "a cover-up" - writing "to insist this data is released as planned"
It's almost there was a thing called 'purdah' and the release of politically sensitive statistics are suspended. But labour know that. They are relying on people like you who don't.
Mike Smithson @MSmithsonPB 2m2 minutes ago More PaddyPower shop in London has taken a bet of £330 at 500/1 that UKIP will win most seats
Where is MikeL these days?
Wow, that has to be the lay of the election. UKIP could get 100% in every seat they're in and it still wouldn't win.
I'll go a million to one for anyone who fancies a top up.
This was actually a very good bet had it been placed in say October 2015 though.
Without going all statto, it would be possible - theoretically - to end up with a result like
UKIP 200 Con 190 Lab 150 SNP 55 LD 36 Grn 1 NI 18
It'd probably take Theresa May, Liam Fox and Boris to decide it'd be a good idea to scrap A50 and join the Euro, but while I'd never lay a 1000000/1 shot anyway (don't have the resources to lay against anything other than pence, and what'd be the point of that?), it's still worth thinking about with a punter's hat on.
Which is a long-winded way of saying that if I thought I could collect if it came in, I'd take that.
Comments
All they'll be thinking is it's a big bet at long odds which has to go through head office and written down very carefully.
The politics trader at head office, however...
[Interesting fact: one of the Native American chiefs at Little Bighorn was actually called Lame White Man, which is surely one of the earliest recorded instances of sledging]
NEW THREAD
new thread
UKIP 200
Con 190
Lab 150
SNP 55
LD 36
Grn 1
NI 18
It'd probably take Theresa May, Liam Fox and Boris to decide it'd be a good idea to scrap A50 and join the Euro, but while I'd never lay a 1000000/1 shot anyway (don't have the resources to lay against anything other than pence, and what'd be the point of that?), it's still worth thinking about with a punter's hat on.
Which is a long-winded way of saying that if I thought I could collect if it came in, I'd take that.
Spanish InquisitionLabour Party Manifesto!