I will stick with Cable at 50-1 and Swinson at 3-1.On the You Gov poll on gender and age,it was old men wot swung it for the Tories.Longer term,these Express readers are going to be extinct as will the awful paper.
The point is that Farron didn't have a record of voting for gay rights. He actually voted against banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, for heaven's sake!
Would someone who had voted against banning racial discrimination (1) have the gall to portrayal himself as a crusader for ethnic minorities or (2) have that portrayal uncritically accepted?
(3) Have the temerity to put himself forward as a leader of a liberal party. What was he/they thinking? If he has had to deal with he conflict between his faith and liberal politics - then I can only presume that the answer to the question is yes, Farron does think gay sex is a sin.
So the guy has a personal view, he isn't persecuting anyone, he isn't being incendiary, he isnt advocating violence or discrimination.
He has to resign in essence because of it.
So much for liberal democracy.
I prefer to believe that he resigned to avoid hypocrisy. As someone who may not believe in gay relationships he could hardly run a party that supported such relationships.
He will hammer away at every single thing from now on, mainly because he has momentum but also because he is awful at actually opposing the government. A very good campaigner, but awful at the day to day work of opposition hence he wants an election right now before he gets dragged into press releases and shadow cabinet work.
Speaking as someone who relatively recently (March) joined the Liberal Democrats despite Tim Farron, rather than because of him, my reaction to his resignation is bordering on delight. I hope the next leader has enough about them to take on the hapless May and the ridiculous Corbyn.
He will hammer away at every single thing from now on, mainly because he has momentum but also because he is awful at actually opposing the government. A very good campaigner, but awful at the day to day work of opposition hence he wants an election right now before he gets dragged into press releases and shadow cabinet work.
Sure, but this is extremely easy for the government to rebut, there was £10m spent on the building very recently.
So the guy has a personal view, he isn't persecuting anyone, he isn't being incendiary, he isnt advocating violence or discrimination.
He has to resign in essence because of it.
So much for liberal democracy.
I prefer to believe that he resigned to avoid hypocrisy. As someone who may not believe in gay relationships he could hardly run a party that supported such relationships.
I think he did the right thing
It wasn't just that the party supported such relationships. It was that Farron himself claimed - falsely - to be a crusader for gay rights.
He's not a Christian martyr - he's just a run-of-the-mill hypocritical politician who got rumbled.
The tories need a macron looking leader for the next GE and TSE could be on to something with Johnny Mercer but can he think on his feet is another matter ;-)
Oh he can.
He'll also get the women's vote back that Theresa frittered away.
His constituency is distinctly downmarket, which is good.
The Conservatives will need a change of image at the next election and he does fit the bill.
The tories need a macron looking leader for the next GE and TSE could be on to something with Johnny Mercer but can he think on his feet is another matter ;-)
Oh he can.
He'll also get the women's vote back that Theresa frittered away.
His constituency is distinctly downmarket, which is good.
The Conservatives will need a change of image at the next election and he does fit the bill.
He needs an opportunity in government now.
Kwasi Kwarteng please. I hope he gets an opportunity, even at the lower rungs.
He will hammer away at every single thing from now on, mainly because he has momentum but also because he is awful at actually opposing the government. A very good campaigner, but awful at the day to day work of opposition hence he wants an election right now before he gets dragged into press releases and shadow cabinet work.
Sure, but this is extremely easy for the government to rebut, there was £10m spent on the building very recently.
And if it would have taken £15m to do a proper job...
On Cable's age: as noted by Alastair Meeks in the post earlier today, we have to assume that this Parliament will run the distance. At the very least, there's a highly significant probability that it will.
Which means Cable will be 79 when the election happens. Assuming he stands in the election, he's signing up to be an MP (at least) until age 84.
I don't want to be ageist, but there comes a time when it doesn't look feasible.
He will hammer away at every single thing from now on, mainly because he has momentum but also because he is awful at actually opposing the government. A very good campaigner, but awful at the day to day work of opposition hence he wants an election right now before he gets dragged into press releases and shadow cabinet work.
Sure, but this is extremely easy for the government to rebut, there was £10m spent on the building very recently.
He's preaching to the faithful, he wants to keep his large core vote in place for the soon to occur election. If the government do sort themselves out with the DUP then he is back in his office, trying to fill out his cabinet whilst half heartedly stopping his hardcore supporters from abusing anyone that disagrees with him. So back to three months ago.
And, assuming it's 5 years until the election, said kid will be 8 years old at the time - not really a baby. If the Blairs can have a baby while he's PM, the Swinsons can deal with a small child while she's leader.
He will hammer away at every single thing from now on, mainly because he has momentum but also because he is awful at actually opposing the government. A very good campaigner, but awful at the day to day work of opposition hence he wants an election right now before he gets dragged into press releases and shadow cabinet work.
Sure, but this is extremely easy for the government to rebut, there was £10m spent on the building very recently.
And if it would have taken £15m to do a proper job...
How would anyone know? Who knows what the spending priorities were. We do know that the building management and council had been ignoring the concerns of residents for a long time.
The tories need a macron looking leader for the next GE and TSE could be on to something with Johnny Mercer but can he think on his feet is another matter ;-)
Oh he can.
He'll also get the women's vote back that Theresa frittered away.
His constituency is distinctly downmarket, which is good.
The Conservatives will need a change of image at the next election and he does fit the bill.
On Cable's age: as noted by Alastair Meeks in the post earlier today, we have to assume that this Parliament will run the distance. At the very least, there's a highly significant probability that it will.
Which means Cable will be 79 when the election happens. Assuming he stands in the election, he's signing up to be an MP (at least) until age 84.
I don't want to be ageist, but there comes a time when it doesn't look feasible.
Gladstone, who in some respects Cable resembles, was Liberal leader and PM until 84
I think the answer, depending on how you define biggest party, is probably the UUP. But whoever it is, it's either a regional, single-issue or startup party.
Let's hear it for all-women shortlists!
Errm Michelle O' Neill is the current leader of the Shinners !
Only at Stormont. She's the Shinner equivalent of Kezia Dugdale.
Either way, I'm looking for a party that has never had an elected/permanent female leader and Wiki gave me a different counter-example for SF.
On Cable's age: as noted by Alastair Meeks in the post earlier today, we have to assume that this Parliament will run the distance. At the very least, there's a highly significant probability that it will.
Which means Cable will be 79 when the election happens. Assuming he stands in the election, he's signing up to be an MP (at least) until age 84.
I don't want to be ageist, but there comes a time when it doesn't look feasible.
Gladstone, who in some respects Cable resembles, was Liberal leader and PM until 84
Is that because he roams the streets at night trying to reform fallen women?
Very impressive statement by Farron. I feel very sorry for him being so torn. I'm a churchgoer who is becoming more liberal as time goes on. I do that because my faith is very much based on love God and love thy neighbour. All else is flim flam.
I quite agree with that - I think the problem for Farron is that he was/is genuinely torn between evangelising for his Christian beliefs, and as *leader* of the Liberal party evangelising for certain political tenets of that party which don't sit entirely comfortably with his particular Christian beliefs.
Were he just an MP, then that almost certainly would be a conundrum he could happily live with. As leader of the party, it's just not tenable.
About a decade ago, as a major investor in Shell, I got invited to visit the big gas to liquids plant (Pearl) in Qatar. On the bus from Doho to the plant, I chatted to the guy next to me. He worked at Shell, and he ran Shell's petrol station business in the UK, reporting. How big is that? Oh, sales of $12bn, pretax profits of $400m. As we departed the bus, we swapped cards. His said "Manager, Shell Retail".
Does your hobnobbing know no bounds? Didn't you meet with Rex Tillerson previously?
He's a bigger networker than I am...
(But in my little world I get to see cool stuff. Someone just showed me around the Frankenfish facility...)
Anyone who maintains our voting system and counting of the votes should take note of the following .
NE FIFE a number of postal votes exceeding the majority went missing . Plymouth Sutton/Devonport The official result is out by 6,000 odd votes as one ward's results was not included in the official count Plymouth Moor View Several thousand postal votes were not sent out when they should have been . Many arrived too late to be used and 77 for overseas voters were not sent as it was too late . Newcastle Under Lyme . Several hundred late registered voters were not allowed to vote as some polling stations had not been issued with a fully updated voting register .
NE Fife sounds outrageous considering how close it was. My guess is postals are more likely to be Lib Dem rather than SNP too.
Newcastle Under Lyme the majority was only 30 but most of those not allowed to vote were probably Labour voters
These electoral services cock ups are probably just another indicator of the stress Local Government is under.
So the guy has a personal view, he isn't persecuting anyone, he isn't being incendiary, he isnt advocating violence or discrimination.
He has to resign in essence because of it.
So much for liberal democracy.
I prefer to believe that he resigned to avoid hypocrisy. As someone who may not believe in gay relationships he could hardly run a party that supported such relationships.
I think he did the right thing
Quite right. No place for religious zealotry in the Labour and Liberal parties. The Tories and UKIP should own that.
The media criticised Nick Clegg for being an atheist and Tim Farron for being a Christian. I wonder why?
Hadn't seen either. Farron was criticised for having non-LibDem positions on abortion on homosexuality, and being evasive about it - if he'd said at the start "Because of my religious beliefs I don't support etc., but the party does and I'm a democrat", he might have been OK, in much the same way as Corbyn did over Trident.
As for Clegg, I don't remember anything about his (lack of) religious views at all. Cameron was charmingly agnostic ("My belief comes and goes like radio reception in the Thames Valley", and everyone thought that pleasantluy mainstream.
It did come up last time - Clegg said he was atheist, but his wife Miriam is a Spanish Catholic and their children are being raised as Catholics. I think it came up in the context of a discussion on catholic schools, which Clegg was complementary about.
Comments
I respect him more for making this decision but have no sympathy for him
I think he did the right thing
His attempt at playing the victim card today of all days looks very ill-judged.
He's not a Christian martyr - he's just a run-of-the-mill hypocritical politician who got rumbled.
The Conservatives will need a change of image at the next election and he does fit the bill.
He needs an opportunity in government now.
As somebody just said in a different context.
Current price 441p
You want to revisit your statement?
Which means Cable will be 79 when the election happens. Assuming he stands in the election, he's signing up to be an MP (at least) until age 84.
I don't want to be ageist, but there comes a time when it doesn't look feasible.
So back to three months ago.
Orban 43
Everyone else on 8 or below
Life and politics goes on.
If the Blairs can have a baby while he's PM, the Swinsons can deal with a small child while she's leader.
Well, he's not quite as beautiful as Marilyn Monroe, but guess Trump will have to settle for it.
https://grenfellactiongroup.wordpress.com/2016/11/20/kctmo-playing-with-fire/
NEW THREAD
Were he just an MP, then that almost certainly would be a conundrum he could happily live with. As leader of the party, it's just not tenable.
(But in my little world I get to see cool stuff. Someone just showed me around the Frankenfish facility...)
(But an IPO is about price discovery not maximising the price)