“..The coalition is still strong and radical, he says, ‘but because of what I see as the problems facing Britain — and what I want to do next as Prime Minister — I feel very passionately that I want single party government’. It’s strange, I say, he doesn’t come across as a man held captive by the perfidious Liberal Democrats.
Comments
Is Dave a TINO? Tory in name only?
Where have I heard that line before?
::Innocent Face::
Open question.
I got the chance to listen to PMQs for the first time in a while, and dull isn't the word I'd use. I'd go for 'catastrophic' - for Labour, in that IMO they didn't lay a glove on the PM specifically or the Government in general.
There is a risk in Cameron still, after more than 3 years of being in power, going for the 'We're clearing up the mess that lot left' line, but I think it's effective because he can say, with credibility, the previous government left such a mess that it can't be cleared up quickly.
Even the 'cost of living crisis' line can, I think, be rebutted by Cameron saying it takes a long time and difficult decisions to clear up the mess left by Labour. I like how he didn't try to duck questions about the living costs and disposable incomes, but instead basically said 'Bring it on if you really want to talk about the economy'. A stance that's backed up by the polls showing the Govt is still more trusted to run the economy than Labour are...
So probably a vote winner in the next Parliament.
FPT
'People forget just what a dump much of London turned into under the Tories, who had also wrecked local govt in the city.
They vandalised the capital and it's schools.'
What a stupid comment,even by your standards.
Have you actually ever lived in London or anywhere other than the Sociailist Republic of Scouseland?
The complication is that if they announce them too soon the LibDems will say, "No, we support free self-cleaning mobility ponies for pensioners as well, we won't stop you". That means the Tories won't be able to tell people what's in the little black book until we get quite close to the election.
Were you living, as I was, in London when Red Ken was at the GLC? The idea that the GLC (and the bizarre duplication with the responsibilities of local councils) was some kind of model of good governance is one of your funniest suggestions ever.
When someone retires they are hoping their accumulated wealth plus the state benefits they have paid towards during their working lives are then honoured for as long as they live.
You hit pensioners now, you are altering the contract of the 40-50 years before when they were the working population.
That seems wrong to me - yes there are wealthy pensioners for sure and if they are that wealthy, they too pay income tax and indeed the Govt's equalising of the personal allowance for those under 65 soon catching up with those 65+ (the mis-represented Granny Tax) is very fair from that angle too.
Education in Inner London in the 80s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COt65HZCJaA
http://comresupdates.eu.com/DCJ-21MAH-B9DPBHYPEE/cr.aspx
BREAKING NEWS:Archbishop Desmond Tutu's house burgled while he attended Nelson Mandela memorial on Tuesday, reports say.
I would expect the major areas of difference between the two at the next election to be
(a) the balance between tax increases and spending cuts needed to continue to reduce the deficit and above all the underlying structural deficit. The tories will argue that there is still too much waste in government spending. The Lib Dems that the vulnerable are getting hurt by the cuts. Both are right of course.
(b) Europe, although the differences might be less than might have been thought with both committed to some form of re-negotiation and some sort of a referendum with at least the leadership of both committed to a yes vote. Cameron may hedge his bets depending on the outcome of the negotiations but I doubt it.
(c) Green taxes. The tories will be opposed to any new green taxes that increase the cost of energy to the public or business. The Lib Dems are likely to be more equivocal.
(d) Tax rates although again the differences are likely to be fairly marginal rather than anything fundemental.
(e) possibly the West Lothian Question and implementation of the McKay report.
(f) ehhh... (edit) I should have mentioned boundary reform and a reduction in the number of MPs. Anyone think of anything else substantial?
Unless we are going to get a whole lot of surprises that may be a very small little black book.
'Labour ran London education, in the guise of the GLC and ILEA, for most of the Thatcher Years'
True,but that won't stop Tim trying to re-write history.
Anyone that lived in London when Livingstone was running the GLC experienced the circus at first hand.
Could these be the same 16 policies Clegg claimed to have thwarted at party conference earlier this year? - Assuming the ‘perfidious Liberal Democrat’ was being honest - or something entirely new!
"Then I had a brainwave. “The reason you never get invited to Ed’s parties is because you write nasty things about him”, I said to myself, perceptively. So the solution’s simple. Write something nice. I wouldn’t necessarily have to mean it. I could write some glowing tribute this week, then go back to eviscerating him the next. A bit like Polly Toynbee did with Gordon Brown.
So I sat down and started to type. “It’s time for people, myself included, to hold up our hands and say 'I was wrong about Ed Miliband." But then I looked down at the screen. The words “Sorry. But Ed Miliband still doesn’t get it” were staring back at me.
I hastily hit delete, and started again. “This year Ed Miliband has finally shown he has what it takes to be Prime Minister”. And it happened again. “This was the year Ed Miliband’s chances of becoming Prime Minister crumbled to dust”.
I turned autocorrect on and off, fiddled with spellcheck, and tried a third time. “Like it nor not, Ed Miliband appears to be moving closer towards his date with political destiny”. I closed my eyes and opened them. And there it was: “Ed Miliband? Are you having a laugh?”
Conservatives. Failing to win a majority since 1992.
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden was runner-up.
"Ooh Cam can't go there on Flowers" --- until he does...
"Oooh Boris - the bodies are buried " --- until he becomes mayor - twice.
Couldnt he be both?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kV93cc4tik
[note, edited by rcs1000 to give correct link]
The HUGE thing that made the difference was the Big Bang and the overall direction of the Thatcher government. It was the explosion of financial services and the avalanche of money from this that set London on its path to glory. (Plus buy your council house)
At the same time at the local government level there was the Ken/GLC/Militant/lefty bullshit squalor. 'Today Brent East, tomorrow Soweto'. (FFS!)
I lived in London then and the disconnect between the two mindsets was amazing.
I came across both Ted Knight and Linda Bellos at separate times well after their association with Lambeth Council (which I dont remember firsthand) ended. It was difficult to believe either of them had ever been in a position of real power!
They put it down to better teaching, teachers, assessment and competition.
Did you write in and ask for a correction?
2 Provides support for Clegg's claims to have prevented the Tories from being "extreme"
3 Use of "black" in that context will upset the PC brigade and many BAME voters and further undermines Cameron's already shaky claims to be a moderniser
4 Is a gift to the other parties - they can now indulge in endless speculation about what is in the little black book - abolish the NHS, bring back grammar schools, tax cuts for the rich, eat babies for breakfast etc etc
5 As OGH points out, the Lib Dems need to encourage tactical anti-Tory voting as much as they can - this will help them in that task
::Innocent Face::
This number was widely misunderstood as its decimal point was often misplaced.
Don't worry, I've signed you out, so nobody will be able to read your emails
It would have taken a failure major accident to release enough radiation to affect a detector on the roof of the GLC. Perhaps Red Ken's chums visiting from behind the Iron Curtain were triggering the sensors with irradiated clothing?
http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2013/12/now-ed-miliband-is-on-teamnigella-too/
@tnewtondunn: Appears @RachelReevesMP 'mis-spoke'. Source close to @edballsmp: “The BSP is not and cannot be included in any welfare cap in the shortterm"
@Mr_Eugenides: “…with Ed Balls next to him like a South African deaf interpreter, making up hand signals as he went along” http://t.co/rIjQbILpCj
Wonder if she now votes Conservative.
I think I've met Linda Bellos at a LGBT event
Edit: Although with JohnO's charm, anything is possible
Now Ed Miliband is on #TeamNigella too!
http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2013/12/now-ed-miliband-is-on-teamnigella-too/