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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » The drip feed of the marginals polling could lead to more o

SystemSystem Posts: 12,215
edited December 2013 in General

imagepoliticalbetting.com » Blog Archive » The drip feed of the marginals polling could lead to more of the CON intake of 2010 deciding to call it a day

We’ll have to wait until the early hours of May 8th 2015 before we can start to say for sure whether the Ashcroft marginals polling or the Alan Bown funded Survation polls are in anyway accurate but they could have a more immediate impact – on the decisions of many in the Conservative “class of 2010“ on whether to continue in politics.

Read the full story here


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Comments

  • BenMBenM Posts: 1,795
    A Party which attracts classless acts like Mensch will always get found out in the end.
  • JonathanDJonathanD Posts: 2,400
    BenM said:

    A Party which attracts classless acts like Mensch will always get found out in the end.

    How many Labour MPs got sent to jail for fiddling their expenses?
  • Froth o'clock.

    How many Labour MP's are already quitting, or considering Mayor ambitions etc. Are they disheartened too?
  • don't know if this happens to others but if i got to "politicalbetting.com" it goes to 2 thread headers ago, not the current one?
  • AveryLPAveryLP Posts: 7,815
    edited December 2013
    FPT @Pulpstar
    Pulpstar said:

    AveryLP said:

    BenM said:

    The 2010 Lib Demmers who drifted to Labour since the nasty Party reappeared aren't coming back. No matter how much of a fake recovery the chancellor buys with more personal debt.

    Morning Ben.

    ...I

    Do those figures include or exclude mortgages ?
    They exclude mortgages, Pulpstar.

    Main reasons for separating the two is that mortgages are secured (and therefore are a different type of risk to the lending institution) and, more importantly, that the funds disbursed are (mostly) used for investment rather than consumption expenditure.

    Anyway here goes. Note that these figures include lending to Housing Associations as well as Households:
    ===================
    Bank of England
    Lending secured on
    Dwellings
    -------------------
    £ mn
    -------------------
    2012 Q1 33,781
    Q2 34,488
    Q3 37,315
    Q4 37,367

    2013 Q1 33,790
    Q2 41,912
    Q2 49,306
    Oct 17,620
    ===================
    There has been an material increase in mortgage lending, though much of this is offset by existing borrowers paying down mortgage balances. It would not be valid on the basis of these figures to claim that that the recovery is based on an increase in consumer expenditure: they demonstrate an increase in household investment and, only to the extent that new borrowing exceeds paydowns, an increase in household borrowing.


  • dr_spyndr_spyn Posts: 11,300
    Bright A listers...imposed political hacks. Conned by Con Man Dave into standing without understanding how or why their careers might stall. Some may have given up because Cameron cannot offer enough posts to his own party, it is a coalition government.

    How many have stepped down in total? OGH refers to 2. Are there others on the way out?
  • AveryLPAveryLP Posts: 7,815

    don't know if this happens to others but if i got to "politicalbetting.com" it goes to 2 thread headers ago, not the current one?

    It may be OGH's "two for the price of one", old-stock clearance, pre-Xmas sales offer.
  • TGOHFTGOHF Posts: 21,633
    Are people smoking crack ? Have people not been through a GE campaign before ? Ukip will peak next May as they get a few MEPs (who achieve nothing) then will get squeezed like a teenagers pimple.

  • JonathanDJonathanD Posts: 2,400
    dr_spyn said:

    Bright A listers...imposed political hacks. Conned by Con Man Dave into standing without understanding how or why their careers might stall. Some may have given up because Cameron cannot offer enough posts to his own party, it is a coalition government.

    How many have stepped down in total? OGH refers to 2. Are there others on the way out?


    Priti Patel and Conor Burns were on the A list, it was hardly just luvvie central

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-List_(Conservative)
  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,040

    don't know if this happens to others but if i got to "politicalbetting.com" it goes to 2 thread headers ago, not the current one?

    yeah, if i go to "politicalbetting.com" the new posts are gone, if I go to "www1.politicalbetting.com" it is the same. "www.politicalbetting.com" seems to work okay, so I often just delete the 1 and it works.
  • RandomRandom Posts: 107
    JonathanD said:

    dr_spyn said:

    Bright A listers...imposed political hacks. Conned by Con Man Dave into standing without understanding how or why their careers might stall. Some may have given up because Cameron cannot offer enough posts to his own party, it is a coalition government.

    How many have stepped down in total? OGH refers to 2. Are there others on the way out?


    Priti Patel and Conor Burns were on the A list, it was hardly just luvvie central

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-List_(Conservative)
    No, but there was a fair amount of that all the same. What we are seeing here is sadly inevitable - if you make it too easy for some people, you have no right to complain if some of them turn out to be the sort who run away when it gets hard. And frankly anybody who quits because they don't get get o be a minister within three years of entering parliament shouldn't have been there in the first place - and nor should the people who encourage them to believe such ambitions are realistic.
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 54,025
    What sort of professional or successful person would want to be an MP? The wages are not great, the job security for many is lousy and the public hassle factor would be unbearable.

    The optimistic answer is people who think they really can make a difference and have something to contribute. And then they meet the reality of being a back bencher, lobby fodder to be counted and not heard. They find that, however ambitious they are, they are surrounded by many who are equally ambitious and have been at it longer paying their dues and waiting their turn.

    I actually think it would be good if some of these new MPs were made ministers in areas that they actually knew something about. Buggins turn is one of the many reasons that our political class seem ever more remote and unconnected to the rest of us focussed on party advancement rather than anything for us. But that is the way the system works and with very few exceptions that is the way it will continue to work. PMs, of any stripe, simply cannot afford to hack off too many of their party by appointing queue jumpers.

    If some of these A listers had to be elected to find this out they are not as smart as they think they are.
  • stodgestodge Posts: 13,989
    DavidL said:

    What sort of professional or successful person would want to be an MP? The wages are not great, the job security for many is lousy and the public hassle factor would be unbearable.

    The optimistic answer is people who think they really can make a difference and have something to contribute. And then they meet the reality of being a back bencher, lobby fodder to be counted and not heard. They find that, however ambitious they are, they are surrounded by many who are equally ambitious and have been at it longer paying their dues and waiting their turn.

    If some of these A listers had to be elected to find this out they are not as smart as they think they are.

    Morning all :)

    That's an interesting and valid observation and may explain why people like Boris Johnson and Sir Robin Wales are perhaps more content running their small fiefdoms than being backbenchers at Westminster.

    Why would someone like David Hodge give up running the £1 billion a year business that is Surrey County Council to be a backbench MP for Farnham or somewhere similar where his "power" would be limited.

    I think this is why business people often eschew politics - in business they can command and cajole in politics they have to persuade and argue and that's a very different discipline.

  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,471
    DavidL said:

    What sort of professional or successful person would want to be an MP? The wages are not great, the job security for many is lousy and the public hassle factor would be unbearable.

    The optimistic answer is people who think they really can make a difference and have something to contribute. And then they meet the reality of being a back bencher, lobby fodder to be counted and not heard. They find that, however ambitious they are, they are surrounded by many who are equally ambitious and have been at it longer paying their dues and waiting their turn.

    I actually think it would be good if some of these new MPs were made ministers in areas that they actually knew something about. Buggins turn is one of the many reasons that our political class seem ever more remote and unconnected to the rest of us focussed on party advancement rather than anything for us. But that is the way the system works and with very few exceptions that is the way it will continue to work. PMs, of any stripe, simply cannot afford to hack off too many of their party by appointing queue jumpers.

    If some of these A listers had to be elected to find this out they are not as smart as they think they are.

    Lord Adonis did a good job as SoS for Transport, an area he is very interested in. He was not in position for long, but started some of the processes that will come into fruition in the next few years. In particular, CP5 on the railways.

    On the other hand, Prescott was very interested in it as well and he really buggered things up.
  • MikeKMikeK Posts: 9,053
    edited December 2013
    TGOHF said:

    Are people smoking crack ? Have people not been through a GE campaign before ? Ukip will peak next May as they get a few MEPs (who achieve nothing) then will get squeezed like a teenagers pimple.

    Times are not what they were even a year ago, TGOHF. (To Go Off Head Frequently) . You and your lot are the pimples and warts that will be squeezed and plucked.
  • anothernickanothernick Posts: 3,591
    TGOHF said:

    Are people smoking crack ? Have people not been through a GE campaign before ? Ukip will peak next May as they get a few MEPs (who achieve nothing) then will get squeezed like a teenagers pimple.

    All conventional wisdom would suggest you are right. UKIP will be just another flash in the pan like the Greens in the late 80s, the SDP, the Referendum Party etc.

    But I'm not sure - I certainly come across people who appear to be strong UKIP supporters when canvassing. It's very rare to find people who strongly identify with the Greens (or even the Lib Dems). And it's surprising that UKIP has maintained its poll rating well above 10% despite the negative publicity that surrounded their conference and the lack of any important elections to keep them in the media. And the Lib Dems have joined the government and so can no longer go for the "up yours" NOTA vote.

    All of this suggests to me that UKIP may well poll 10%+ at the general election.
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 54,025
    stodge said:

    DavidL said:

    What sort of professional or successful person would want to be an MP? The wages are not great, the job security for many is lousy and the public hassle factor would be unbearable.

    The optimistic answer is people who think they really can make a difference and have something to contribute. And then they meet the reality of being a back bencher, lobby fodder to be counted and not heard. They find that, however ambitious they are, they are surrounded by many who are equally ambitious and have been at it longer paying their dues and waiting their turn.

    If some of these A listers had to be elected to find this out they are not as smart as they think they are.

    Morning all :)

    That's an interesting and valid observation and may explain why people like Boris Johnson and Sir Robin Wales are perhaps more content running their small fiefdoms than being backbenchers at Westminster.

    Why would someone like David Hodge give up running the £1 billion a year business that is Surrey County Council to be a backbench MP for Farnham or somewhere similar where his "power" would be limited.

    I think this is why business people often eschew politics - in business they can command and cajole in politics they have to persuade and argue and that's a very different discipline.

    I always loved this quotation from the Duke after his first cabinet meeting:

    ""An extraordinary affair. I gave them their orders and they wanted to stay and discuss them."

  • QuincelQuincel Posts: 4,042
    edited December 2013
    TGOHF said:

    Are people smoking crack ? Have people not been through a GE campaign before ? Ukip will peak next May as they get a few MEPs (who achieve nothing) then will get squeezed like a teenagers pimple.

    UKIP may well get squeezed, but it is looking increasingly likely they will hold on to a large enough rump of support to royally screw the Tories in some marginals. The fact is that YouGov have two political polls in their archive from Dec 2008 which show UKIP on 1% and 2% respectively. Their current level of support is so far beyond their previous level that it is putting a large shadow over the next election.

    EDIT: Remember, while the referendum party didn't have much impact in 1997 the SDP did shaft Labour in 1983. UKIP don't have to win or hold much support for more than one election to be very significant in betting on the next one.
  • AveryLPAveryLP Posts: 7,815
    AveryLP said:

    FPT @Pulpstar

    Pulpstar said:

    AveryLP said:

    BenM said:

    The 2010 Lib Demmers who drifted to Labour since the nasty Party reappeared aren't coming back. No matter how much of a fake recovery the chancellor buys with more personal debt.

    Morning Ben.

    ...I

    Do those figures include or exclude mortgages ?
    ...

    It would not be valid on the basis of these figures to claim that that the recovery is based on an increase in consumer expenditure: they demonstrate an increase in household investment and, only to the extent that new borrowing exceeds paydowns, an increase in household borrowing.


    Pulpstar

    Just to complete my input to mortgage and consumer credit stats, here are the net mortgage lending stats over the same periods in the previously posted tables.
    ===========================================
    Bank of England
    Lending secured on Dwellings
    -------------------------------------------
    £ mn
    -------------------------------------------
    New Repay- Net
    Loans ments Inc(Dec)
    -------------------------------------------
    2012 Q1 33,781 34,458 -677
    Q2 34,488 34,083 405
    Q3 37,315 33,305 4010
    Q4 37,367 34,697 2670

    2013 Q1 33,790 37,485 -3695
    Q2 41,912 39,804 2108
    Q2 49,306 42,925 6381
    Oct 17,620 14,555 3065

    2012 Total 142,951 136,543 6,408
    2013 To date 142,628 134,769 7,859
    ===========================================
    These demonstrate that increases in mortgage lending have been almost completely covered by repayments. Given that mortgages outstanding are around £1.2 trillion, a £6.4 or £7.5 million increase in net lending is only around half a per cent a year.

    Even tim and Ben would find it difficult to see such an increase as a bubble.
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 54,025

    DavidL said:

    What sort of professional or successful person would want to be an MP? The wages are not great, the job security for many is lousy and the public hassle factor would be unbearable.

    The optimistic answer is people who think they really can make a difference and have something to contribute. And then they meet the reality of being a back bencher, lobby fodder to be counted and not heard. They find that, however ambitious they are, they are surrounded by many who are equally ambitious and have been at it longer paying their dues and waiting their turn.

    I actually think it would be good if some of these new MPs were made ministers in areas that they actually knew something about. Buggins turn is one of the many reasons that our political class seem ever more remote and unconnected to the rest of us focussed on party advancement rather than anything for us. But that is the way the system works and with very few exceptions that is the way it will continue to work. PMs, of any stripe, simply cannot afford to hack off too many of their party by appointing queue jumpers.

    If some of these A listers had to be elected to find this out they are not as smart as they think they are.

    Lord Adonis did a good job as SoS for Transport, an area he is very interested in. He was not in position for long, but started some of the processes that will come into fruition in the next few years. In particular, CP5 on the railways.

    On the other hand, Prescott was very interested in it as well and he really buggered things up.
    Adonis was the exception that Blair got away with and tried to use to make things happen. I think he did excellent work in education as well and I always find him really interesting to listen to when he is interviewed, even when I don't agree.

    Stephen Webb is an obvious example in the current government of a minister who actually knows about the area he is dealing with. We could do with more like him.

    (You do realise Tim is going to tell us a completely new story about someone who was allegedly appointed to the Treasury because Dave thought she was an accountant now?)
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 78,411
    edited December 2013
    Anyone with a Stan James account might want to take the 11/4 for Messi to win Ballon d'or.

    Twitter rumours, don't put your house etc etc.
  • isamisam Posts: 41,118
    edited December 2013
    People pleading with their God for UKIP to fade away, relying on... Lord knows what

    LDs not trusted after broken pledges, and will have also lost votes from Labs who feel their natural bedfellows have done the dirty on them by getting into bed w the Tories

    Tories feel their party has sold out by compromising w the LDs, letting the dog wag the tail. also Cameron is closer to Miliband or Blair than any Previous Tory leader.

    labour are still blamed for the economy, and the public don't rate Miliband. many WWC are (ex) Labour voters not so keen on Guardianista mass immigration parties.

    So where would people who want out of the EU, new grammar schools to be allowed, lower taxes, restrictions on immigration, criminals locked up instead of put on tags, scrapping of green taxes etc etc go?

    4/6 LD to bt UKIP on vote share 2015 available in £100 to those who want to back up their views with cash
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 78,411
    Are you on Messi for the Ballon d'Or Sam ?
  • TGOHFTGOHF Posts: 21,633
    Quincel said:

    TGOHF said:

    Are people smoking crack ? Have people not been through a GE campaign before ? Ukip will peak next May as they get a few MEPs (who achieve nothing) then will get squeezed like a teenagers pimple.

    UKIP may well get squeezed, but it is looking increasingly likely they will hold on to a large enough rump of support to royally screw the Tories in some marginals. The fact is that YouGov have two political polls in their archive from Dec 2008 which show UKIP on 1% and 2% respectively. Their current level of support is so far beyond their previous level that it is putting a large shadow over the next election.

    EDIT: Remember, while the referendum party didn't have much impact in 1997 the SDP did shaft Labour in 1983. UKIP don't have to win or hold much support for more than one election to be very significant in betting on the next one.
    2015 vs 1983

    > Labour were not in power in 1983
    > Ukip is not led by ex cabinet ministers like the SDP in 1983
    > Ed is no Fatcha
    > The Cons were going to win anyway in 1983

    There is one similarity - the country is coming out of a slump into an economic boom - outpacing most other similar countries. The voters will give all that up for a nose spiting protest vote ?

    6-7 % max for Ukip.

  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 78,411
    Stan James now 11/10 in line with the rest.
  • QuincelQuincel Posts: 4,042
    edited December 2013
    TGOHF said:

    Quincel said:

    TGOHF said:

    Are people smoking crack ? Have people not been through a GE campaign before ? Ukip will peak next May as they get a few MEPs (who achieve nothing) then will get squeezed like a teenagers pimple.

    UKIP may well get squeezed, but it is looking increasingly likely they will hold on to a large enough rump of support to royally screw the Tories in some marginals. The fact is that YouGov have two political polls in their archive from Dec 2008 which show UKIP on 1% and 2% respectively. Their current level of support is so far beyond their previous level that it is putting a large shadow over the next election.

    EDIT: Remember, while the referendum party didn't have much impact in 1997 the SDP did shaft Labour in 1983. UKIP don't have to win or hold much support for more than one election to be very significant in betting on the next one.
    2015 vs 1983

    > Labour were not in power in 1983
    > Ukip is not led by ex cabinet ministers like the SDP in 1983
    > Ed is no Fatcha
    > The Cons were going to win anyway in 1983

    There is one similarity - the country is coming out of a slump into an economic boom - outpacing most other similar countries. The voters will give all that up for a nose spiting protest vote ?

    6-7 % max for Ukip.

    7% would probably be enough to hand Labour at least most seats. Plus while Ed is no Fatcha you can't deny that Farage is one charismatic politician. At least for a while he's struck a real chord with a group of people.

    EDIT: Plus there's been a general fragmentation of the UK political scene since then. Every election the two-party vote decreases.
  • isamisam Posts: 41,118
    Pulpstar said:

    Are you on Messi for the Ballon d'Or Sam ?

    No good spot though... Do you reckon it was a typo?!
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 78,411
    isam said:

    Pulpstar said:

    Are you on Messi for the Ballon d'Or Sam ?

    No good spot though... Do you reckon it was a typo?!
    Not sure - Gone off Scores and Scorers... What could the typo be ?
  • Xenophobic, nasty nationalism in Scottish politics:

    'Tory attacks SNP MSP over French accent'

    http://tinyurl.com/nsjwazz



  • TGOHFTGOHF Posts: 21,633
    Quincel said:

    TGOHF said:

    Quincel said:

    TGOHF said:

    Are people smoking crack ? Have people not been through a GE campaign before ? Ukip will peak next May as they get a few MEPs (who achieve nothing) then will get squeezed like a teenagers pimple.

    UKIP may well get squeezed, but it is looking increasingly likely they will hold on to a large enough rump of support to royally screw the Tories in some marginals. The fact is that YouGov have two political polls in their archive from Dec 2008 which show UKIP on 1% and 2% respectively. Their current level of support is so far beyond their previous level that it is putting a large shadow over the next election.

    EDIT: Remember, while the referendum party didn't have much impact in 1997 the SDP did shaft Labour in 1983. UKIP don't have to win or hold much support for more than one election to be very significant in betting on the next one.
    2015 vs 1983

    > Labour were not in power in 1983
    > Ukip is not led by ex cabinet ministers like the SDP in 1983
    > Ed is no Fatcha
    > The Cons were going to win anyway in 1983

    There is one similarity - the country is coming out of a slump into an economic boom - outpacing most other similar countries. The voters will give all that up for a nose spiting protest vote ?

    6-7 % max for Ukip.

    7% would probably be enough to hand Labour at least most seats. Plus while Ed is no Fatcha you can't deny that Farage is one charismatic politician. At least for a while he's struck a real chord with a group of people.

    EDIT: Plus there's been a general fragmentation of the UK political scene since then. Every election the two-party vote decreases.
    Tony Blair is the only politician to win offering the moon on a stick - and he needed 18 years of Con rule to get there.

    As for Farage - I'd suggest he will come unstuck long before May 2015.


  • isamisam Posts: 41,118
    Pulpstar said:

    isam said:

    Pulpstar said:

    Are you on Messi for the Ballon d'Or Sam ?

    No good spot though... Do you reckon it was a typo?!
    Not sure - Gone off Scores and Scorers... What could the typo be ?

    Oh ye of little faith!

    3 months in, 7% ROI inc a horrific run

    The whole book is running at 13%

    Still, no worries, best of luck

    Typo could be that the 4 should've been a 10? Could equally have been bad odds making though I guess





  • Xenophobic, nasty nationalism in Scottish politics:

    'Tory attacks SNP MSP over French accent'

    http://tinyurl.com/nsjwazz



    That's disgusting.

    He should have called him a Frog or a fromage alimentaires singes capitulards.

    Maurice Chevalier accent is so boring.
  • AveryLPAveryLP Posts: 7,815

    Xenophobic, nasty nationalism in Scottish politics:

    'Tory attacks SNP MSP over French accent'

    http://tinyurl.com/nsjwazz

    Not in the least bit xenophobic, McDivvie.

    A "Maurice Chevalier accent" would be silly in any language, including French.

    Even the BBC would be reluctant to reprise the most famous example:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRnbtRPC6v4
  • On topic.

    Who'd want to be an MP.

    The salary is lower paid compared to other industries and professions.

    You live your life under constant scrutiny and things you did before you became an MP get over analysed.

    Plus the job entails being a glorified social worker when dealing with constituents.
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 78,411
    Was going off Oddschecker. Stan James always leave their best prices hanging out there like Sheets in the wind ! I was worried you meant that Agencianews had got Messi confused with Ronaldo or something ;)

    Am on 47.5 at 3.17/1 - Just hope the rumour is right.
  • QuincelQuincel Posts: 4,042

    On topic.

    Who'd want to be an MP.

    The salary is lower paid compared to other industries and professions.

    You live your life under constant scrutiny and things you did before you became an MP get over analysed.

    Plus the job entails being a glorified social worker when dealing with constituents.

    Get to change the world a little bit, and if you can survive 2 or 3 elections you've probably got a 1/100 chance of being PM. Plus you become pretty attractive to industry if you are ever a minister or anything, so it boosts your earnings later in your career.
  • The anarchist group Class War, which will be standing in the 2015 general election

    http://ianbone.wordpress.com/2013/12/03/class-war-election-statement-of-intent

    claims that its candidates appear on the PB website

    http://ianbone.wordpress.com/2013/12/02/class-war-candidates-now-listed-on-political-betting-forum/

    Is this actually true? It's about time Britain had a 'seriously joking' political party, such as the Pirates in Sweden, the Radicals in Italy, and Zhirinovsky's Liberal Democrats in Russia.
  • Xenophobic, nasty nationalism in Scottish politics:

    'Tory attacks SNP MSP over French accent'

    http://tinyurl.com/nsjwazz



    That's disgusting.

    He should have called him a Frog or a fromage alimentaires singes capitulards.

    Maurice Chevalier accent is so boring.
    I think the Scottish Tories are probably a wee bit behind in the 'what's happening in the world of Gallic slagging' stakes.

  • This shows the problem with the a-list. If they'd gone through the normal process people who didn't want it badly enough would have given up. The remaining people would have the initiative to roll the dice by writing a letter to the 1922 Committee and screwing the leader who got them the job.
  • AveryLPAveryLP Posts: 7,815

    The anarchist group Class War, which will be standing in the 2015 general election

    http://ianbone.wordpress.com/2013/12/03/class-war-election-statement-of-intent

    claims that its candidates appear on the PB website

    http://ianbone.wordpress.com/2013/12/02/class-war-candidates-now-listed-on-political-betting-forum/

    Is this actually true? It's about time Britain had a 'seriously joking' political party, such as the Pirates in Sweden, the Radicals in Italy, and Zhirinovsky's Liberal Democrats in Russia.

    We already have Farage's UKIP.

    Is there room in the market for more?

  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,471
    isam said:

    People pleading with their God for UKIP to fade away, relying on... Lord knows what

    LDs not trusted after broken pledges, and will have also lost votes from Labs who feel their natural bedfellows have done the dirty on them by getting into bed w the Tories

    Tories feel their party has sold out by compromising w the LDs, letting the dog wag the tail. also Cameron is closer to Miliband or Blair than any Previous Tory leader.

    labour are still blamed for the economy, and the public don't rate Miliband. many WWC are (ex) Labour voters not so keen on Guardianista mass immigration parties.

    So where would people who want out of the EU, new grammar schools to be allowed, lower taxes, restrictions on immigration, criminals locked up instead of put on tags, scrapping of green taxes etc etc go?

    4/6 LD to bt UKIP on vote share 2015 available in £100 to those who want to back up their views with cash

    And UKIP has Godfrey Bloom (he is still a member, I think), is in chaos in Scotland, and is a one-man band media-wise.

    I don't really care about grammar schools. They are a means to an end, not the end in itself. What I want is better educational attainment for our children. Grammar schools may be part of the solution, but it will just be a part.

    Supporters of grammar schools have to say what they will do for the many who fail to get in. To be fair, some have good answers to this.
  • RobCRobC Posts: 398
    Mike is right. The Tories are facing potential disaster in 2015 not because they will be performing particularly badly or Labour well but because of the vote splitting between Tory and UKIP. Take Thanet South - for all the nonsense about Farage, polla are actually pointing this to be a Labour gain and in a seat that had been consistently Tory until the Blair landslide.
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 78,411
    edited December 2013
    isam said:

    Pulpstar said:

    isam said:

    Pulpstar said:

    Are you on Messi for the Ballon d'Or Sam ?

    No good spot though... Do you reckon it was a typo?!
    Not sure - Gone off Scores and Scorers... What could the typo be ?

    Oh ye of little faith!

    3 months in, 7% ROI inc a horrific run

    The whole book is running at 13%

    Still, no worries, best of luck

    Typo could be that the 4 should've been a 10? Could equally have been bad odds making though I guess





    Lol - I meant I had used the Tweet from Scores and Scorers 'gone off' as in 'used their info' to put down my cash regarding Messi. Apols for muchos misunderstanding. Just sticking to @Raceclear - following just the one tipster mate ;)
  • Popcorn:

    John Rentoul ‏@JohnRentoul 2m

    Sky News reporting PC Toby Rowland is to sue Andrew Mitchell for libel. #gategate
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    Quincel said:


    EDIT: Remember, while the referendum party didn't have much impact in 1997 the SDP did shaft Labour in 1983. UKIP don't have to win or hold much support for more than one election to be very significant in betting on the next one.

    I don't think Mellor or Portillo would agree with you on the Ref. Party having little impact.

    Has anyone looked in the past at the impact it had on seats won by non-Tories? Could be an interesting parallel, although I'd argue UKIP has a broader appeal to those who feel excluded whereas (from memory) the RP was more right wing/anti-EU fanatics.
  • Xenophobic, nasty nationalism in Scottish politics:

    'Tory attacks SNP MSP over French accent'

    http://tinyurl.com/nsjwazz



    That's disgusting.

    He should have called him a Frog or a fromage alimentaires singes capitulards.

    Maurice Chevalier accent is so boring.
    I think the Scottish Tories are probably a wee bit behind in the 'what's happening in the world of Gallic slagging' stakes.

    I've always found singing Ou est le papier? to a Frenchman particularly during La Marseillaise really annoys the nation of collaborators.
  • AveryLP said:

    Xenophobic, nasty nationalism in Scottish politics:

    'Tory attacks SNP MSP over French accent'

    http://tinyurl.com/nsjwazz

    Not in the least bit xenophobic, McDivvie.

    A "Maurice Chevalier accent" would be silly in any language, including French.

    Even the BBC would be reluctant to reprise the most famous example:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRnbtRPC6v4
    I'm sure even as we speak similar observations are being made about a 'David Cameron' accent after his recent foray into Mandarin.

    "Britain is no longer any kind of 'big country,' but merely a country of old Europe suitable for tourism and overseas study, with a few decent football teams." And foppish unintelligibility.
  • Xenophobic, nasty nationalism in Scottish politics:

    'Tory attacks SNP MSP over French accent'

    http://tinyurl.com/nsjwazz



    Just when you thought the Scottish Tories had run out of twits another one pops up.
  • isamisam Posts: 41,118

    isam said:

    People pleading with their God for UKIP to fade away, relying on... Lord knows what

    LDs not trusted after broken pledges, and will have also lost votes from Labs who feel their natural bedfellows have done the dirty on them by getting into bed w the Tories

    Tories feel their party has sold out by compromising w the LDs, letting the dog wag the tail. also Cameron is closer to Miliband or Blair than any Previous Tory leader.

    labour are still blamed for the economy, and the public don't rate Miliband. many WWC are (ex) Labour voters not so keen on Guardianista mass immigration parties.

    So where would people who want out of the EU, new grammar schools to be allowed, lower taxes, restrictions on immigration, criminals locked up instead of put on tags, scrapping of green taxes etc etc go?

    4/6 LD to bt UKIP on vote share 2015 available in £100 to those who want to back up their views with cash

    And UKIP has Godfrey Bloom (he is still a member, I think), is in chaos in Scotland, and is a one-man band media-wise.

    I don't really care about grammar schools. They are a means to an end, not the end in itself. What I want is better educational attainment for our children. Grammar schools may be part of the solution, but it will just be a part.

    Supporters of grammar schools have to say what they will do for the many who fail to get in. To be fair, some have good answers to this.
    Is Bloom that much of a deterrent for the kind of person that might vote Ukip? He says what many people, rightly or wrongly, are thinking... Having him associated, but with no real influence may not be all bad in my opinion.

    Re Scotland, they're not going to achieve much there I agree. But they never were, and I think that's in the price.

    One man band I think less so than ever... Diane James, Paul Nuttall and even Michael Heaver are getting more media exposure now than any other kippers used to.

    The man in the street has only heard of Boris, Cameron, Osborne, Blair, Brown, Miliband, Clegg and Farage. UKIP are no more of a one man band than the Libs.





  • NickPalmerNickPalmer Posts: 21,568
    edited December 2013
    stodge said:

    DavidL said:

    What sort of professional or successful person would want to be an MP? The wages are not great, the job security for many is lousy and the public hassle factor would be unbearable.

    The optimistic answer is people who think they really can make a difference and have something to contribute. And then they meet the reality of being a back bencher, lobby fodder to be counted and not heard. They find that, however ambitious they are, they are surrounded by many who are equally ambitious and have been at it longer paying their dues and waiting their turn.

    If some of these A listers had to be elected to find this out they are not as smart as they think they are.

    Morning all :)

    That's an interesting and valid observation and may explain why people like Boris Johnson and Sir Robin Wales are perhaps more content running their small fiefdoms than being backbenchers at Westminster.

    Why would someone like David Hodge give up running the £1 billion a year business that is Surrey County Council to be a backbench MP for Farnham or somewhere similar where his "power" would be limited.

    I think this is why business people often eschew politics - in business they can command and cajole in politics they have to persuade and argue and that's a very different discipline.

    I think that's right. I remember the deputy editor of the Economist quitting after one term because "there isn't enough to do". Ostensibly that makes no sense, but what he will have meant is "I don't get to decide anything". The answer to which is "What made you think that being a backbench MP gave you the right to decide anything on your own?"

    This is possibly more of an issue for people who don't buy into the idea of being a small part of a collective movement (and businesspeople who do are probably rare). I've always been perfectly clear that I was unlikely to become PM or close to it and that I'd be personally better off pursuing my private career, but I was and am glad to help the cause by trying to win one of the 326 seats needed for a majority and then having some influence over decision-making (being able to talk about policy to any Cabinet Minister at any time is an underrated benefit).

    That seems to me obviously more interesting and satisfying than being an IT service manager, however well-paid and stress-free that was.

  • QuincelQuincel Posts: 4,042
    AveryLP said:

    The anarchist group Class War, which will be standing in the 2015 general election

    http://ianbone.wordpress.com/2013/12/03/class-war-election-statement-of-intent

    claims that its candidates appear on the PB website

    http://ianbone.wordpress.com/2013/12/02/class-war-candidates-now-listed-on-political-betting-forum/

    Is this actually true? It's about time Britain had a 'seriously joking' political party, such as the Pirates in Sweden, the Radicals in Italy, and Zhirinovsky's Liberal Democrats in Russia.

    We already have Farage's UKIP.

    Is there room in the market for more?

    Probably not, and Class War will lose any deposits they scrape together. But in fairness I doubt they are pursuing the same bit of the market as UKIP.
    Charles said:

    Quincel said:


    EDIT: Remember, while the referendum party didn't have much impact in 1997 the SDP did shaft Labour in 1983. UKIP don't have to win or hold much support for more than one election to be very significant in betting on the next one.

    I don't think Mellor or Portillo would agree with you on the Ref. Party having little impact.

    Has anyone looked in the past at the impact it had on seats won by non-Tories? Could be an interesting parallel, although I'd argue UKIP has a broader appeal to those who feel excluded whereas (from memory) the RP was more right wing/anti-EU fanatics.
    Wikipedia says:

    "According to analysis by John Curtice and Michael Steed, "only a handful of the Conservatives' losses of seats can be blamed on the intervention of the Referendum Party". Their best estimate was that only four seats would have been Conservative without the Referendum Party standing. Supporters of the party contend the effect was greater: one estimate claims between 25 and 30 seats."

    In any case, that was on 3% of the vote (similar to UKIP in 2010, when Anthony Wells estimates they cost the Tories only 1 or 2 seats). If UKIP get 6-7% or double figures it will be vastly more damaging.

    http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/blog/archives/4444
  • I wonder how people feel about this:
    http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/04/david-cameron-gambling-fixed-odds-betting-terminals?commentpage=1

    Can't help but agree with Watson on this (urgh, I feel dirty saying that). But add it to the long list of 'things labour didn't have an issue with when they were in power'.
  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,040

    Xenophobic, nasty nationalism in Scottish politics:

    'Tory attacks SNP MSP over French accent'

    http://tinyurl.com/nsjwazz



    Just when you thought the Scottish Tories had run out of twits another one pops up.
    Hang on, I thought there were no Tories in Scotland :o

  • isamisam Posts: 41,118
    Pulpstar said:

    isam said:

    Pulpstar said:

    isam said:

    Pulpstar said:

    Are you on Messi for the Ballon d'Or Sam ?

    No good spot though... Do you reckon it was a typo?!
    Not sure - Gone off Scores and Scorers... What could the typo be ?

    Oh ye of little faith!

    3 months in, 7% ROI inc a horrific run

    The whole book is running at 13%

    Still, no worries, best of luck

    Typo could be that the 4 should've been a 10? Could equally have been bad odds making though I guess





    Lol - I meant I had used the Tweet from Scores and Scorers 'gone off' as in 'used their info' to put down my cash regarding Messi. Apols for muchos misunderstanding. Just sticking to @Raceclear - following just the one tipster mate ;)
    Haha I get it!

    I work out a list of bets but I don't write the tweets or pick what bets to put up, the bloke who does didn't tell me this one!

    Raceclear is our sister tipster, hopefully we can be as successful
  • Popcorn:

    John Rentoul ‏@JohnRentoul 2m

    Sky News reporting PC Toby Rowland is to sue Andrew Mitchell for libel. #gategate

    Popcorn, cola, chocolates. This is a feast for us idle gawkers.
  • CD13CD13 Posts: 6,366

    If I had to guess, I'd give Ukip 10% at the next GE.

    The SDP surge was different. Thatcher was very divisive but Labour shot themselves in the foot (literally, as they say nowadays) by electing Michael Foot.

    I was much younger then and a Labour voter and I couldn't understand them bringing in this doddery old bloke - the sort who sits next to you on the bus, and you realise he's talking to himself and there's food stains all down his duffle coat.

    No wonder the press had a field day, and the SDP looked like the voice of sanity. And temporarily, there was a big chasm labelled NOTA for them to fill. The chasm has been created this time by general distrust of politicians.
  • richardDoddrichardDodd Posts: 5,472
    What happens to the money taken in fines from the Banks in the Libor case..who gets it?
  • Quincel said:

    On topic.

    Who'd want to be an MP.

    The salary is lower paid compared to other industries and professions.

    You live your life under constant scrutiny and things you did before you became an MP get over analysed.

    Plus the job entails being a glorified social worker when dealing with constituents.

    Get to change the world a little bit, and if you can survive 2 or 3 elections you've probably got a 1/100 chance of being PM. Plus you become pretty attractive to industry if you are ever a minister or anything, so it boosts your earnings later in your career.
    Enoch Powell was right, all political careers end in failure.

    People tried to suggest I'd make a good MP.

    I'd sooner trap one of my appendages in a door.
  • richardDoddrichardDodd Posts: 5,472
    That is exactly what Mitchell wants, he gets the man in court..The Police Fed are not overly smart are they
  • The anarchist group Class War, which will be standing in the 2015 general election

    They're going to find GOTV challenging.
  • RobD said:

    Xenophobic, nasty nationalism in Scottish politics:

    'Tory attacks SNP MSP over French accent'

    http://tinyurl.com/nsjwazz



    Just when you thought the Scottish Tories had run out of twits another one pops up.
    Hang on, I thought there were no Tories in Scotland :o

    There are plenty of Tories in Scotland. It's just that not many of them ever reach elected office (1 MP and 15 MSPs).

    In fact, it might even be the case that the Tories are the 2nd largest party after the SNP in terms of membership, although neither slab nor scon publish reliable membership numbers.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,471
    isam said:

    isam said:

    People pleading with their God for UKIP to fade away, relying on... Lord knows what

    LDs not trusted after broken pledges, and will have also lost votes from Labs who feel their natural bedfellows have done the dirty on them by getting into bed w the Tories

    Tories feel their party has sold out by compromising w the LDs, letting the dog wag the tail. also Cameron is closer to Miliband or Blair than any Previous Tory leader.

    labour are still blamed for the economy, and the public don't rate Miliband. many WWC are (ex) Labour voters not so keen on Guardianista mass immigration parties.

    So where would people who want out of the EU, new grammar schools to be allowed, lower taxes, restrictions on immigration, criminals locked up instead of put on tags, scrapping of green taxes etc etc go?

    4/6 LD to bt UKIP on vote share 2015 available in £100 to those who want to back up their views with cash

    And UKIP has Godfrey Bloom (he is still a member, I think), is in chaos in Scotland, and is a one-man band media-wise.

    I don't really care about grammar schools. They are a means to an end, not the end in itself. What I want is better educational attainment for our children. Grammar schools may be part of the solution, but it will just be a part.

    Supporters of grammar schools have to say what they will do for the many who fail to get in. To be fair, some have good answers to this.
    Is Bloom that much of a deterrent for the kind of person that might vote Ukip? He says what many people, rightly or wrongly, are thinking... Having him associated, but with no real influence may not be all bad in my opinion.

    Re Scotland, they're not going to achieve much there I agree. But they never were, and I think that's in the price.

    One man band I think less so than ever... Diane James, Paul Nuttall and even Michael Heaver are getting more media exposure now than any other kippers used to.

    The man in the street has only heard of Boris, Cameron, Osborne, Blair, Brown, Miliband, Clegg and Farage. UKIP are no more of a one man band than the Libs.

    Anecdotally, I have talked to a couple of people, including one family member, who were considering voting UKIP, but were put off by Bloom. One woman spent most of a dinner party ranting about him, a few weeks after the conference. UKIP should be hoping that Bloom's memory will dissipate - they really should have chucked him out as a member as well, put him well into the wilderness. Better if they'd done it much earlier.

    It is easy to forget that any successful party has to be a broad church. Whilst you are right that many people think like him, I'm not sure that appealing to dinosaurs is a particularly successful strategy. At best, you need to appeal to your core and as many other people as possible, without actively repelling everyone else. You want to be a jam guy (ahem, SeanT) with many different flavours rather than Marmite.

    As for the media exposure: I disagree. you mention James and Nuttall, but I'm a bit of a politics geek and I could not identify them in a line-up. It would be interesting to see any recent polling on this.
  • JackWJackW Posts: 14,787
    I take it that todays PMQ's is the Cleggasm v Harperson ??
  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,040


    In fact, it might even be the case that the Tories are the 2nd largest party after the SNP in terms of membership, although neither slab nor scon publish reliable membership numbers.

    Yesterday you were predicting a TRIPLING of Scottish seats, now you proclaim that the Tories might be the 2nd largest party in Scotland.

    The mantle of the Scottish Tory surger is yours, my friend

    LOL!
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 119,963
    edited December 2013
    I'm thinking of setting up a party called Class War, wanting to crush the proles.

    This country would become truly Great, if the vote was restricted to higher income tax rate payers and those that own property . Possibly testicles as well.
  • QuincelQuincel Posts: 4,042

    That is exactly what Mitchell wants, he gets the man in court..The Police Fed are not overly smart are they

    If memory serves then if the alleged libeler claims the defense of 'It's true' then they can question the party suing about pretty much anything so long as it is somewhat related to the claim made. Wasn't that how McDonalds got into so much trouble with the McLibel pair being able to question their executives about all their union policy?
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 54,025

    I'm thinking of setting up a party called Class War, wanting to crush the proles.

    This country would become truly Great, if the vote was restricted to higher income tax rate payers and property. Possibly testicles as well.

    You want 2 votes?

  • Very courageous move by MP John Woodcock

    I am depressed and I have decided to get help

    ...... I am just going to come right out and say that I am clinically depressed. I went to see a doctor this week who prescribed me medication to relieve my black moods.

    http://www.johnwoodcock.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=451:i-am-depressed-and-i-have-decided-to-get-help&catid=40:latest-news&Itemid=176
  • DavidL said:

    I'm thinking of setting up a party called Class War, wanting to crush the proles.

    This country would become truly Great, if the vote was restricted to higher income tax rate payers and property. Possibly testicles as well.

    You want 2 votes?

    That should have read

    This country would become truly Great, if the vote was restricted to higher income tax rate payers and those that own property . Possibly testicles as well.
  • AveryLP said:

    We already have Farage's UKIP.
    Is there room in the market for more?

    Farage has a way to go before he catches Zhirinovsky, who calls for Russia to annex Finland, the Baltic states, and Poland, and whose party won a plurality in the 1993 GE.

    The Pirates in Sweden appeal to the under-30s. Their presentation goes: music, down with copyright, er, be cool, music, crowdfunding, don't be a suit. They've got a sizeable market share.

    Class War's main manifesto policy in Britain will be a mansion tax: 50% per year on all properties worth more than £2m. The poor darlings surely don't understand the pricing of negative income-bearing assets, and they definitely don't understand trusts, or even how trusts avoid stamp duty. But...

    Is it actually true that their candidates are listed on PB and are going to be available in the bookies in the near future, or is this just Ian Bone's self-promotion?

    5% to Class War could give viewers something to talk about, even if the day won't come when the visual display shows 325 seats occupied by men in ski-masks. Most people aren't interested in the Liberal Democrats and UKIP etc.

  • AveryLPAveryLP Posts: 7,815
    edited December 2013

    AveryLP said:

    Xenophobic, nasty nationalism in Scottish politics:

    'Tory attacks SNP MSP over French accent'

    http://tinyurl.com/nsjwazz

    Not in the least bit xenophobic, McDivvie.

    A "Maurice Chevalier accent" would be silly in any language, including French.

    Even the BBC would be reluctant to reprise the most famous example:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRnbtRPC6v4
    I'm sure even as we speak similar observations are being made about a 'David Cameron' accent after his recent foray into Mandarin.

    "Britain is no longer any kind of 'big country,' but merely a country of old Europe suitable for tourism and overseas study, with a few decent football teams." And foppish unintelligibility.
    Cameron was doing no more than any self-respecting Englishman would do if called upon to speak native to Johnny Foreigner.

    Speak slowly with long pauses between words and enunciate in pure English RP.

    Sir Winston set the example followed nobly by Ted Heath and the Blessed Margaret.

    Sir Winston: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHBCMjyHxwQ

    It is a sign of how Britain's standing in the world has fallen when we hear Blair or Cleggie atempt to parle Français.

    Dave's rendition of Mandarin warmly reminds me of my own annual rendtiion of Auld Lang Syne. The way it should be done.
  • QuincelQuincel Posts: 4,042

    5% to Class War could give viewers something to talk about, even if the day won't come when the visual display shows 325 seats occupied by men in ski-masks. Most people aren't interested in the Liberal Democrats and UKIP etc

    5% would indeed give us a lot to talk about, but there is no reason to believe Class War will do any better than the myriad of other parties with no money, no media coverage, no Councillors and therefore no chance.
  • isamisam Posts: 41,118

    isam said:

    isam said:

    People pleading with their God for UKIP to fade away, relying on... Lord knows what

    LDs not trusted after broken pledges, and will have also lost votes from Labs who feel their natural bedfellows have done the dirty on them by getting into bed w the Tories



    4/6 LD to bt UKIP on vote share 2015 available in £100 to those who want to back up their views with cash

    And UKIP has Godfrey Bloom (he is still a member, I think), is in chaos in Scotland, and is a one-man band media-wise.

    I don't really care about grammar schools. They are a means to an end, not the end in itself. What I want is better educational attainment for our children. Grammar schools may be part of the solution, but it will just be a part.

    Supporters of grammar schools have to say what they will do for the many who fail to get in. To be fair, some have good answers to this.
    Is Bloom that much of a deterrent for the kind of person that might vote Ukip? He says what many people, rightly or wrongly, are thinking... Having him associated, but with no real influence may not be all bad in my opinion.

    Re Scotland, they're not going to achieve much there I agree. But they never were, and I think that's in the price.

    One man band I think less so than ever... Diane James, Paul Nuttall and even Michael Heaver are getting more media exposure now than any other kippers used to.

    The man in the street has only heard of Boris, Cameron, Osborne, Blair, Brown, Miliband, Clegg and Farage. UKIP are no more of a one man band than the Libs.

    Anecdotally, I have talked to a couple of people, including one family member, who were considering voting UKIP, but were put off by Bloom. One woman spent most of a dinner party ranting about him, a few weeks after the conference. UKIP should be hoping that Bloom's memory will dissipate - they really should have chucked him out as a member as well, put him well into the wilderness. Better if they'd done it much earlier.

    It is easy to forget that any successful party has to be a broad church. Whilst you are right that many people think like him, I'm not sure that appealing to dinosaurs is a particularly successful strategy. At best, you need to appeal to your core and as many other people as possible, without actively repelling everyone else. You want to be a jam guy (ahem, SeanT) with many different flavours rather than Marmite.

    As for the media exposure: I disagree. you mention James and Nuttall, but I'm a bit of a politics geek and I could not identify them in a line-up. It would be interesting to see any recent polling on this.
    Anecdotally I have spoken to people who have been encouraged to vote Ukip by seeing Bloom, hence my saying it! But I guess somewhere in the middle of our experiences is the truth.

    If Bloom is now considered the extreme wing of Ukip then I think they have done well compared to what people might have thought five years ago.

    We shall see. UKIP have beaten expectations in all polls and elections (bar one in Scotland) in the last year or so. PB attitude is similar to a spread bettor who sells Australa runs at 300 at the start, sells again at 350 when they're 60-0, sells again at 400 when they're 130-1, and carries on until the Aussies are 600-7 dec

    And till probably won't admit they were wrong

    The bet is for all that want to take it. Better odds on lib Dems beating ukip than you would get anywhere else in the world, 4/6.

    My money is where my mouth us roll up roll up
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 43,471
    isam said:

    isam said:

    isam said:

    People pleading with their God for UKIP to fade away, relying on... Lord knows what

    LDs not trusted after broken pledges, and will have also lost votes from Labs who feel their natural bedfellows have done the dirty on them by getting into bed w the Tories



    4/6 LD to bt UKIP on vote share 2015 available in £100 to those who want to back up their views with cash

    And UKIP has Godfrey Bloom (he is still a member, I think), is in chaos in Scotland, and is a one-man band media-wise.

    I don't really care about grammar schools. They are a means to an end, not the end in itself. What I want is better educational attainment for our children. Grammar schools may be part of the solution, but it will just be a part.

    Supporters of grammar schools have to say what they will do for the many who fail to get in. To be fair, some have good answers to this.
    Is Bloom that much of a deterrent for the kind of person that might vote Ukip? He says what many people, rightly or wrongly, are thinking... Having him associated, but with no real influence may not be all bad in my opinion.

    Re Scotland, they're not going to achieve much there I agree. But they never were, and I think that's in the price.

    One man band I think less so than ever... Diane James, Paul Nuttall and even Michael Heaver are getting more media exposure now than any other kippers used to.

    The man in the street has only heard of Boris, Cameron, Osborne, Blair, Brown, Miliband, Clegg and Farage. UKIP are no more of a one man band than the Libs.

    Anecdotally, I have talked to a couple of people, including one family member, who were considering voting UKIP, but were put off by Bloom. One woman spent most of a dinner party ranting about him, a few weeks after the conference. UKIP should be hoping that Bloom's memory will dissipate - they really should have chucked him out as a member as well, put him well into the wilderness. Better if they'd done it much earlier.

    It is easy to forget that any successful party has to be a broad church. Whilst you are right that many people think like him, I'm not sure that appealing to dinosaurs is a particularly successful strategy. At best, you need to appeal to your core and as many other people as possible, without actively repelling everyone else. You want to be a jam guy (ahem, SeanT) with many different flavours rather than Marmite.

    As for the media exposure: I disagree. you mention James and Nuttall, but I'm a bit of a politics geek and I could not identify them in a line-up. It would be interesting to see any recent polling on this.
    Anecdotally I have spoken to people who have been encouraged to vote Ukip by seeing Bloom, hence my saying it! But I guess somewhere in the middle of our experiences is the truth.

    If Bloom is now considered the extreme wing of Ukip then I think they have done well compared to what people might have thought five years ago.

    We shall see. UKIP have beaten expectations in all polls and elections (bar one in Scotland) in the last year or so. PB attitude is similar to a spread bettor who sells Australa runs at 300 at the start, sells again at 350 when they're 60-0, sells again at 400 when they're 130-1, and carries on until the Aussies are 600-7 dec

    And till probably won't admit they were wrong

    The bet is for all that want to take it. Better odds on lib Dems beating ukip than you would get anywhere else in the world, 4/6.

    My money is where my mouth us roll up roll up
    I find it hard to believe that Bloom's words attracted people to UKIP. Indeed, I find it slightly worrying. But that's just from my perspective.

    I won't take that bet, thanks.
  • RobD said:


    In fact, it might even be the case that the Tories are the 2nd largest party after the SNP in terms of membership, although neither slab nor scon publish reliable membership numbers.

    Yesterday you were predicting a TRIPLING of Scottish seats, now you proclaim that the Tories might be the 2nd largest party in Scotland.

    The mantle of the Scottish Tory surger is yours, my friend

    LOL!
    Watching the poor wee souls getting their hopes up always makes their inevitable electoral erection failure even more tragically amusing.

    Works every time.
  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,040



    Watching the poor wee souls getting their hopes up always makes their inevitable electoral erection failure even more tragically amusing.

    Works every time.

    You are a very naughty boy.

  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 54,025
    We already have the tories for those who think their money is important, Labour for those who think other peoples' money is important and the Lib Dems for those who can't make up their mind.

    Any more parties than this is really a form of confusion marketing where you are being offered deals that turn out to be too good to be true.
  • NextNext Posts: 826
    isam said:

    We shall see. UKIP have beaten expectations in all polls and elections (bar one in Scotland) in the last year or so. PB attitude is similar to a spread bettor who sells Australa runs at 300 at the start, sells again at 350 when they're 60-0, sells again at 400 when they're 130-1, and carries on until the Aussies are 600-7 dec

    And still probably won't admit they were wrong

    You may well be right.

    But the end result will be to help Labour get into power and deliver even more anti-UKIP policies.

    So I'm not sure why you are so pleased.
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 78,411
    One thing I noticed when I was in Tunisia is that the colours of FC Barcelona were alot more visible than any other club. From what I can work out they are very popular in other arab regions and also in 'poor' places in the world. The rumour that Ribery and Ronaldo have split the Euro vote whilst Messi has alot of the rest of the world makes sense from this perspective.
  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,040
    SeanT said:

    FFS you were all here, all the time? You left me there on the old thread, on my own, talking to myself. I felt like.... tim.

    The site is, btw, almost unusable at the moment - clicking on pb takes me back two threads etc etc. Some glitch at Smithson Towers?

    make sure your URL is www.politicalbetting.com when on the main page, and you should see the latest posts.
  • isamisam Posts: 41,118

    isam said:

    isam said:

    isam said:

    People pleading with their God for UKIP to fade away, relying on... Lord knows what





    4/6 LD to bt UKIP on vote share 2015 available in £100 to those who want to back up their views with cash


    Supporters of grammar schools have to say what they will do for the many who fail to get in. To be fair, some have good answers to this.
    Is Bloom that much of a deterrent for the kind of person that might vote Ukip? He says what many people, rightly or wrongly, are thinking... Having him associated, but with no real influence may not be all bad in my opinion.

    Re Scotland, they're not going to achieve much there I agree. But they never were, and I think that's in the price.

    One man band I think less so than ever... Diane James, Paul Nuttall and even Michael Heaver are getting more media exposure now than any other kippers used to.

    The man in the street has only heard of Boris, Cameron, Osborne, Blair, Brown, Miliband, Clegg and Farage. UKIP are no more of a one man band than the Libs.

    Anecdotally, I have talked to a couple of people, including one family member, who were considering voting UKIP, but were put off by Bloom. One woman spent most of a dinner party ranting about him, a few weeks after the conference. UKIP should be hoping that Bloom's memory will dissipate - they really should have chucked him out as a member as well, put him well into the wilderness. Better if they'd done it much earlier.

    It is easy to forget that any successful party has to be a broad church. Whilst you are right that many people think like him, I'm not sure that appealing to dinosaurs is a particularly successful strategy. At best, you need to appeal to your core and as many other people as possible, without actively repelling everyone else. You want to be a jam guy (ahem, SeanT) with many different flavours rather than Marmite.

    As for the media exposure: I disagree. you mention James and Nuttall, but I'm a bit of a politics geek and I could not identify them in a line-up. It would be interesting to see any recent polling on this.
    Anecdotally I have spoken to people who have been encouraged to vote Ukip by seeing Bloom, hence my saying it! But I guess somewhere in the middle of our experiences is the truth.

    If Bloom is now considered the extreme wing of Ukip then I think they have done well compared to what people might have thought five years ago.

    We shall see. UKIP have beaten expectations in all polls and elections (bar one in Scotland) in the last year or so. PB attitude is similar to a spread bettor who sells Australa runs at 300 at the start, sells again at 350 when they're 60-0, sells again at 400 when they're 130-1, and carries on until the Aussies are 600-7 dec

    And till probably won't admit they were wrong

    The bet is for all that want to take it. Better odds on lib Dems beating ukip than you would get anywhere else in the world, 4/6.

    My money is where my mouth us roll up roll up
    I find it hard to believe that Bloom's words attracted people to UKIP. Indeed, I find it slightly worrying. But that's just from my perspective.

    I won't take that bet, thanks.

    Believe it, it's true.

    Everyone's different.

    No problem re the bet, only three people seem to really believe Ukip will fade away
  • NextNext Posts: 826
    SeanT said:

    The site is, btw, almost unusable at the moment - clicking on pb takes me back two threads etc etc. Some glitch at Smithson Towers?

    You can always see comments on Vanilla Forums it there are problems...

    1. Click on any poster's icon/name.

    2. Click on "Discussions" in the black bar across the top.

    3. Click on the discussion you want to see.

    4. Read/make comments.

  • CD13 said:

    I was much younger then and a Labour voter and I couldn't understand them bringing in this doddery old bloke - the sort who sits next to you on the bus, and you realise he's talking to himself and there's food stains all down his duffle coat.

    That's so insulting. The 1983 Labour manifesto advocated nationalising the banks, intervention to protect industry, unilateral nuclear disarmament, and leaving the EEC. I take it you agreed with at least most of those, if you were a Labour voter. You don't make it clear whether it was yourself who had a problem with the party leader being a 69-year-old man who walked with a walking stick (his mind hadn't gone at all; he had far more depth than Cameron, Clegg or Miliband will ever have) and who wore a sensible coat, or others whose votes Labour needed but who were already shallow-minded Saatchi fodder reluctant to vote for a party whose leader was so old and who had such an unfashionable level of care for seriousness and substance.

  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,040
    Next said:

    SeanT said:

    The site is, btw, almost unusable at the moment - clicking on pb takes me back two threads etc etc. Some glitch at Smithson Towers?

    You can always see comments on Vanilla Forums it there are problems...

    1. Click on any poster's icon/name.

    2. Click on "Discussions" in the black bar across the top.

    3. Click on the discussion you want to see.

    4. Read/make comments.

    Trouble is then you can't sort by newest at top!
  • RobD said:


    In fact, it might even be the case that the Tories are the 2nd largest party after the SNP in terms of membership, although neither slab nor scon publish reliable membership numbers.

    Yesterday you were predicting a TRIPLING of Scottish seats, now you proclaim that the Tories might be the 2nd largest party in Scotland.

    The mantle of the Scottish Tory surger is yours, my friend

    LOL!
    Watching the poor wee souls getting their hopes up always makes their inevitable electoral erection failure even more tragically amusing.

    Works every time.
    Worth keeping that quote for sept next year...
  • QuincelQuincel Posts: 4,042
    isam said:

    isam said:

    isam said:

    isam said:

    People pleading with their God for UKIP to fade away, relying on... Lord knows what





    4/6 LD to bt UKIP on vote share 2015 available in £100 to those who want to back up their views with cash


    Supporters of grammar schools have to say what they will do for the many who fail to get in. To be fair, some have good answers to this.
    Is Bloom that much of a deterrent for the kind of person that might vote Ukip? He says what many people, rightly or wrongly, are thinking... Having him associated, but with no real influence may not be all bad in my opinion.

    Re Scotland, they're not going to achieve much there I agree. But they never were, and I think that's in the price.

    One man band I think less so than ever... Diane James, Paul Nuttall and even Michael Heaver are getting more media exposure now than any other kippers used to.

    The man in the street has only heard of Boris, Cameron, Osborne, Blair, Brown, Miliband, Clegg and Farage. UKIP are no more of a one man band than the Libs.

    Anecdotally, I have talked to a couple of people, including one family member, who were considering voting UKIP, but were put off by Bloom. One woman spent most of a dinner party ranting about him, a few weeks after the conference. UKIP should be hoping that Bloom's memory will dissipate - they really should have chucked him out as a member as well, put him well into the wilderness. Better if they'd done it much earlier.

    It is easy to forget that any successful party has to be a broad church. Whilst you are right that many people think like him, I'm not sure that appealing to dinosaurs is a particularly successful strategy. At best, you need to appeal to your core and as many other people as possible, without actively repelling everyone else. You want to be a jam guy (ahem, SeanT) with many different flavours rather than Marmite.

    As for the media exposure: I disagree. you mention James and Nuttall, but I'm a bit of a politics geek and I could not identify them in a line-up. It would be interesting to see any recent polling on this.
    Anecdotally I have spoken to people who have been encouraged to vote Ukip by seeing Bloom, hence my saying it! But I guess somewhere in the middle of our experiences is the truth.

    If Bloom is now considered the extreme wing of Ukip then I think they have done well compared to what people might have thought five years ago.

    We shall see. UKIP have beaten expectations in all polls and elections (bar one in Scotland) in the last year or so. PB attitude is similar to a spread bettor who sells Australa runs at 300 at the start, sells again at 350 when they're 60-0, sells again at 400 when they're 130-1, and carries on until the Aussies are 600-7 dec

    And till probably won't admit they were wrong

    The bet is for all that want to take it. Better odds on lib Dems beating ukip than you would get anywhere else in the world, 4/6.

    My money is where my mouth us roll up roll up
    I find it hard to believe that Bloom's words attracted people to UKIP. Indeed, I find it slightly worrying. But that's just from my perspective.

    I won't take that bet, thanks.

    Believe it, it's true.

    Everyone's different.

    No problem re the bet, only three people seem to really believe Ukip will fade away
    I'm tempted, but the issue isn't that I don't think UKIP will fade but more that I think them and the LDs might be quite close. I'd definitely take evens, if you were willing.
  • NextNext Posts: 826
    RobD said:

    Next said:

    SeanT said:

    The site is, btw, almost unusable at the moment - clicking on pb takes me back two threads etc etc. Some glitch at Smithson Towers?

    You can always see comments on Vanilla Forums it there are problems...

    1. Click on any poster's icon/name.

    2. Click on "Discussions" in the black bar across the top.

    3. Click on the discussion you want to see.

    4. Read/make comments.

    Trouble is then you can't sort by newest at top!
    You say that like it is a bad thing.
  • anothernickanothernick Posts: 3,591
    Next said:

    isam said:

    We shall see. UKIP have beaten expectations in all polls and elections (bar one in Scotland) in the last year or so. PB attitude is similar to a spread bettor who sells Australa runs at 300 at the start, sells again at 350 when they're 60-0, sells again at 400 when they're 130-1, and carries on until the Aussies are 600-7 dec

    And still probably won't admit they were wrong

    You may well be right.

    But the end result will be to help Labour get into power and deliver even more anti-UKIP policies.

    So I'm not sure why you are so pleased.
    FWIW I think not a few UKIP supporters and probably some in the Tories as well are reconciled - even looking forward - to a Tory defeat because they think it will lead a coming together of the two parties and the Tories returning to their true values as expressed in the 1980s. They believe that a Miliband government will inevitably be a disaster and pave the way for the re-election of a "real" Tory government.

  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,040
    Next said:


    You say that like it is a bad thing.

    I used to be like you! ;-)
  • isamisam Posts: 41,118
    Next said:

    isam said:

    We shall see. UKIP have beaten expectations in all polls and elections (bar one in Scotland) in the last year or so. PB attitude is similar to a spread bettor who sells Australa runs at 300 at the start, sells again at 350 when they're 60-0, sells again at 400 when they're 130-1, and carries on until the Aussies are 600-7 dec

    And still probably won't admit they were wrong

    You may well be right.

    But the end result will be to help Labour get into power and deliver even more anti-UKIP policies.

    So I'm not sure why you are so pleased.
    Who is pleased?

    For one I have never voted Conservative so don't care if they are not in government.

    Secondly, I don't see much difference between Conservatives and Labour anyway, so wouldn't bother me which one is in charge.

    Thirdly, if it takes a Labour win to make Conservatives wake up to the fact that the only way for things to change is to vote Ukip, so be it

    What could be more anti ukip than foreign aid commitments, mass immigration, A pro EU leader, the importance given to gay marriage, the reluctance to reinstate grammar schools, and a 45% top rate of tax?

  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,040
    a rowdy chamber today
  • isamisam Posts: 41,118
    Quincel said:

    isam said:

    isam said:

    isam said:

    isam said:

    People pleading with their God for UKIP to fade away, relying on... Lord knows what





    4/6 LD to bt UKIP on vote share 2015 available in £100 to those who want to back up their views with cash


    Supporters of grammar schools have to say what they will do for the many who fail to get in. To be fair, some have good answers to this.
    Is Bloom that much of a deterrent for the kind of person that might vote Ukip? He says what many people, rightly or wrongly, are thinking... Having him associated, but with no real influence may not be all bad in my opinion.

    Re Scotland, they're not going to achieve much there I agree. But they never were, and I think that's in the price.

    One man band I think less so than ever... Diane James, Paul Nuttall and even Michael Heaver are getting more media exposure now than any other kippers used to.

    The man in the street has only heard of Boris, Cameron, Osborne, Blair, Brown, Miliband, Clegg and Farage. UKIP are no more of a one man band than the Libs.


    It is easy to forget that any successful party has to be a broad church. Whilst you are right that many people think like him, I'm not sure that appealing to dinosaurs is a particularly successful strategy. At best, you need to appeal to your core and as many other people as possible, without actively repelling everyone else. You want to be a jam guy (ahem, SeanT) with many different flavours rather than Marmite.

    As for the media exposure: I disagree. you mention James and Nuttall, but I'm a bit of a politics geek and I could not identify them in a line-up. It would be interesting to see any recent polling on this.
    Anecdotally I have spoken to people who have been encouraged to vote Ukip by seeing Bloom, hence my saying it! But I guess somewhere in the middle of our experiences is the truth.

    If Bloom is now considered the extreme wing of Ukip then I think they have done well compared to what people might have thought five years ago.

    We shall see. UKIP have beaten expectations in all polls and elections (bar one in Scotland) in the last year or so. PB attitude is similar to a spread bettor who sells Australa runs at 300 at the start, sells again at 350 when they're 60-0, sells again at 400 when they're 130-1, and carries on until the Aussies are 600-7 dec

    And till probably won't admit they were wrong

    The bet is for all that want to take it. Better odds on lib Dems beating ukip than you would get anywhere else in the world, 4/6.

    My money is where my mouth us roll up roll up
    I find it hard to believe that Bloom's words attracted people to UKIP. Indeed, I find it slightly worrying. But that's just from my perspective.

    I won't take that bet, thanks.

    Believe it, it's true.

    Everyone's different.

    No problem re the bet, only three people seem to really believe Ukip will fade away
    I'm tempted, but the issue isn't that I don't think UKIP will fade but more that I think them and the LDs might be quite close. I'd definitely take evens, if you were willing.
    No EVS on that bet, but if you want EVS on UKIP polling 5% or under and I get EVS 10% or above with the middle being no bet I will have that with you?
  • QuincelQuincel Posts: 4,042
    isam said:

    Quincel said:

    isam said:

    isam said:

    isam said:

    isam said:

    People pleading with their God for UKIP to fade away, relying on... Lord knows what





    4/6 LD to bt UKIP on vote share 2015 available in £100 to those who want to back up their views with cash


    Supporters of grammar schools have to say what they will do for the many who fail to get in. To be fair, some have good answers to this.
    Is Bloom that much of a deterrent for the kind of person that might vote Ukip? He says what many people, rightly or wrongly, are thinking... Having him associated, but with no real influence may not be all bad in my opinion.

    Re Scotland, they're not going to achieve much there I agree. But they never were, and I think that's in the price.

    One man band I think less so than ever... Diane James, Paul Nuttall and even Michael Heaver are getting more media exposure now than any other kippers used to.

    The man in the street has only heard of Boris, Cameron, Osborne, Blair, Brown, Miliband, Clegg and Farage. UKIP are no more of a one man band than the Libs.


    It is easy to forget that any successful party has to be a broad church. Whilst you are right that many people think like him, I'm not sure that appealing to dinosaurs is a particularly successful strategy. At best, you need to appeal to your core and as many other people as possible, without actively repelling everyone else. You want to be a jam guy (ahem, SeanT) with many different flavours rather than Marmite.

    As for the media exposure: I disagree. you mention James and Nuttall, but I'm a bit of a politics geek and I could not identify them in a line-up. It would be interesting to see any recent polling on this.
    Anecdotally I have spoken to people who have been encouraged to vote Ukip by seeing Bloom, hence my saying it! But I guess somewhere in the middle of our experiences is the truth.

    If Bloom is now considered the extreme wing of Ukip then I think they have done well compared to what people might have thought five years ago.

    We shall see. UKIP have beaten expectations in all polls and elections (bar one in Scotland) in the last year or so. PB attitude is similar to a spread bettor who sells Australa runs at 300 at the start, sells again at 350 when they're 60-0, sells again at 400 when they're 130-1, and carries on until the Aussies are 600-7 dec

    And till probably won't admit they were wrong

    The bet is for all that want to take it. Better odds on lib Dems beating ukip than you would get anywhere else in the world, 4/6.

    My money is where my mouth us roll up roll up
    I find it hard to believe that Bloom's words attracted people to UKIP. Indeed, I find it slightly worrying. But that's just from my perspective.

    I won't take that bet, thanks.

    Believe it, it's true.

    Everyone's different.

    No problem re the bet, only three people seem to really believe Ukip will fade away
    I'm tempted, but the issue isn't that I don't think UKIP will fade but more that I think them and the LDs might be quite close. I'd definitely take evens, if you were willing.
    No EVS on that bet, but if you want EVS on UKIP polling 5% or under and I get EVS 10% or above with the middle being no bet I will have that with you?
    Sorry, I think that UKIP may well poll 10-11% but still come 4th. I'll think about 4/6 though, for sure.
  • Has someone slipped me some LSD or is John Bercow's tie a bit trippy?
  • JackWJackW Posts: 14,787
    Cleggy having fun ....
  • Clegg doing a better performance on Labour's energy policy con than Dave has ever done.
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 54,025
    Does Harriet really think that it is government policy (as opposed to, say, the international price of gas) that is putting prices up?
  • SeanT said:

    Quite right too. Tory morons. If they want to help the Better Together campaign then get a better Scottish Sec.

    What's happened to Charles Kennedy? He is still popular up north. Why don't they use him? OK he might now be terminally alcoholic but so is most of Scotland.
    You're assuming some Tories want Scotland to remain in the Union....
This discussion has been closed.