it is frightening prospect that we are being led by the nose by the current bunch of absolute losers. These clowns will only do what is good for them , our futures are of little concern , it will be self interest all the way. They should at least come clean.
I thought you liked the SNP?
I like independence, SNP are currently the only Scottish political party in Scotland so I have no option but to "like" them.
Scottish Green Party?
A bit too eccentric for me and too many crazy ideas even if some good ones. However it would indeed be only other choice even if too small to be effective.
The EU will try to act like bullies because (1) they want the best deal they can get, (2) they think there's a possibility it might persuade the frit ones in the UK back down on leaving, and (3) because they want to dissuade any others from leaving.
How do think we should respond to this bullying? And do you think your thoughts are in tune with the British public?
They hold all the cards, it is UK that is peering in the window wishing it was inside. pay up and you can get in , seems very reasonable to me, pity Toris cannot bring themselves to tell the peasants the truth. Will be trouble ahead when the dopes realise the Tories have scammed them for another 5 years and then sold them down the river. Much weeping in petite Bretagne then I think.
We wish we were inside so much that we've just chosen to leave. Explain that one again please?
And how do you reconcile that with your wishing to end the union with England?
First one , big jessie huff and now reality looms and it is a case of "WTF have I done".
Second one is simple, we are in an unequal union and getting shafted , we should get out , how could anyone expect to get fairness when it is 88% to 12% , why would the 88% do things to suit the 12%, so we get the policies for teh 88% which don't suit us and have to suck it up.
And the choice being offered is to be 12% vs 88% in the UK or 1% vs 99% in the EU. What option is there for those who want a properly independent Scotland?
So you think Germany , France , Italy etc are not independent countries.
Germany yes, France and Italy no. Scotland would be one tiny voice in 28 even more impotent than Blair's government which had the power of being the second largest economy in the EU. Scotland will be told to jump and Nicola would have to say "how high, master?". I support Scottish independence, but what's the point of replacing Westminster with Brussels? Bring it all home to Edinburgh.
Tiny voice would be better than no voice for me. Once independent we can decide whether or not we want to be in EU. At present we cannot even choose to be in or out we are told what we are doing whether we like it or not , that is the key difference.
You know, this discussion could be amusing if it wasn’t so boring! Just occasionally there’s some well crafted invective from one or other of the protagonists, but otherwise it seems to be 'tu quoque’.
Bit like the election in fact. oddly perhaps, the Scottish play comes to mind: 'Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.'
OKC, it is indeed boring , what do you expect when Tories SNP are in government , they cannot avoid crowing and denigrating the opposition. Not an edifying sight for sure, what else can you do but poke sticks at their stupid thin hides.
Is it just me or my browser, but didn't you use to be able to embed an actual tweet in a post, rather than just display a http link? This was automatic I thought.
I've noticed that today as well - I suspect something in Vanilla has changed.
Oh Dear , intelligent part ruled out quickly and literate fast behind it. We now see a slavering sad Little Englander, spouting cliches. LOL do you realise it is hard workers like me that pay your JSA so you can lie in your bed and think up juvenile rubbish like that.
I have to say, you manage to post comments on another posters intelligence whilst coming out with that lot blimey. And with all the extra spaces too. And it's hard workers like me that put food into those little boxes in supermarkets so you can pick it up at a food bank and scoff it on park bench.
Spouting cliches? I wouldn't be surprised at you wearing full tweed at your keyboard, drinking Irn-Bru and cursing Newton for having written about the mechanics of gravity because some good honest Scot would have got there first if he hadn't been held back. You are an archetypal nationalist, overtly positive about where you come from for no other reason than you come from there.
Am I a patriot of the UK? Yes. Am I a nationalist? No, never have been. I prefer Polish food and scenery, Welsh cider and rugby, and NZ cities.
Dear dear, one does not eat off a park bench. Enjoy your little life it sounds wonderful.
Voters have become increasingly disillusioned with Nicola Sturgeon’s record on key domestic issues — including her high-profile efforts to improve Scottish education — according to a new poll.
In findings which could have a significant impact on her party’s performance in June’s general election, the YouGov poll found that the first minister has so far failed to persuade voters that her government is solving the country’s problems on health, the economy and education.
F1: P3 underway. Will the Prancing Horse be faster than a Silver Arrow?
Will Force India or Williams top the midfield?
Will McLaren break down?
Mercedes seem to be getting on top of their tyre problem - but Ferrari going quicker. I have now laid most of my Ferrari weekend bets at a profit (possibly prematurely).
I disagree with Alastair's proposition that the Conservative surge is not taking place in Glasgow.
A rising tide lifts all boats ! Even those moored on the Clyde. It may not do much for Tory MP numbers. I do not know what's happening in Cathcart. But they lost that in 1979.
The Tories will certainly be helped by the surge, no doubt. But this idea that the surge will happen in exactly where they would like it to be is fanciful.
Oh Dear , intelligent part ruled out quickly and literate fast behind it. We now see a slavering sad Little Englander, spouting cliches. LOL do you realise it is hard workers like me that pay your JSA so you can lie in your bed and think up juvenile rubbish like that.
I have to say, you manage to post comments on another posters intelligence whilst coming out with that lot blimey. And with all the extra spaces too. And it's hard workers like me that put food into those little boxes in supermarkets so you can pick it up at a food bank and scoff it on park bench.
Spouting cliches? I wouldn't be surprised at you wearing full tweed at your keyboard, drinking Irn-Bru and cursing Newton for having written about the mechanics of gravity because some good honest Scot would have got there first if he hadn't been held back. You are an archetypal nationalist, overtly positive about where you come from for no other reason than you come from there.
Am I a patriot of the UK? Yes. Am I a nationalist? No, never have been. I prefer Polish food and scenery, Welsh cider and rugby, and NZ cities.
Dear dear, one does not eat off a park bench. Enjoy your little life it sounds wonderful.
Good, I am glad to hear it. My life is...average, no better and no worse than most. Then I come on here infrequently and see the high earners chatting away and that puts me in my place a bit, which I have no problem with.
moingrel whines and slavers shouting like a fishwife.
I enjoy Malcolm's insults.
Sean, carlotta has no sense of humour , she is just a Tory CCHQ cypher with no experience of real life. She is the type who would be saying "let the poor eat cake", as she stuffed another lobster down her thrapple.
moingrel whines and slavers shouting like a fishwife.
I enjoy Malcolm's insults.
PB wouldn't be the same without them. I don't think you can be a proper PBer without having been insulted by Malc at least once.
I have not been insulted by Malc, or I didn't feel it was. Then again he is in a minority here. PB Tories are what , 90%, here ? And, some of them true fascists to boot [ no pun intended ] !
The most 'British' place is in Oldham - where 43% were born outside the UK.
The least 'British' place is in Dundee - where only 4% were born outside the UK, but it is strongly SNP with "education and economic indicators significantly below average"</blockquote
Is it just me or my browser, but didn't you use to be able to embed an actual tweet in a post, rather than just display a http link? This was automatic I thought.
I've noticed that today as well - I suspect something in Vanilla has changed.
Voters have become increasingly disillusioned with Nicola Sturgeon’s record on key domestic issues — including her high-profile efforts to improve Scottish education — according to a new poll.
In findings which could have a significant impact on her party’s performance in June’s general election, the YouGov poll found that the first minister has so far failed to persuade voters that her government is solving the country’s problems on health, the economy and education.
moingrel whines and slavers shouting like a fishwife.
I enjoy Malcolm's insults.
Sean, carlotta has no sense of humour , she is just a Tory CCHQ cypher with no experience of real life. She is the type who would be saying "let the poor eat cake", as she stuffed another lobster down her thrapple.
Malcolm, I fear you have yet to learn the difference between people laughing with you and people laughing at you......
I disagree with Alastair's proposition that the Conservative surge is not taking place in Glasgow.
A rising tide lifts all boats ! Even those moored on the Clyde. It may not do much for Tory MP numbers. I do not know what's happening in Cathcart. But they lost that in 1979.
The Tories will certainly be helped by the surge, no doubt. But this idea that the surge will happen in exactly where they would like it to be is fanciful.
Well, if there was PR........
Polls suggesting they have reached double digits or something else unbelievable like that.
Want an outside chance of a Tory gain in Scotland? I give you Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock. Odds available aren't great but it's an interesting one if Labour's vote collapses. Or be brave and try Argyll and bute
This doesn't quite match the Brexiteer rhetoric this morning
European Union leaders sense that Theresa May will surrender to their divorce demands rather than walk away in a “no deal” scenario leading to a disorderly Brexit.
EU officials and diplomats have received private assurances and noted that the prime minister has dropped a pledge, made in January, that “no deal is better than a bad deal for Britain”.
It is exactly what the Brexiteers have said all along. The EU are fools and unless they relent in early negotiations we will be lead out by TM with the backing of the Nation. We will not be disrespected by anyone
I get that you are an uber-loyal Tory, you loyally voted Remain when that's what Cameron wanted and you loyally back Brexit now it's what Mrs May wants.
No problem with that but please stop deluding yourself by saying things like "TM with the backing of the Nation" Yes she will win the election handsomely but 50% of the country will not have voted for and and the country is split right down the middle on Brexit and moving more against if anything.
I know many Tories think the country and the Tory party are synonymous but they really aren't
moingrel whines and slavers shouting like a fishwife.
I enjoy Malcolm's insults.
Sean, carlotta has no sense of humour , she is just a Tory CCHQ cypher with no experience of real life. She is the type who would be saying "let the poor eat cake", as she stuffed another lobster down her thrapple.
But you have to admire her work ethic. Previously, she and Fitalass did different shifts. Now they are on sometimes together in the middle of the night making sure they dominate the drift of the posts. Working overtime in a tax heaven [ haven ? ].
Surprising. The effect of banning oil burning? Sandbagging?
Tyres. This is clearly a very tough track to get the balance exactly right this year, and the difference between getting it right and not is of far more significance than the relatively minor difference between the two powerplants. Sandbagging is not a thing - Mercedes are genuinely struggling to get the optimum performance out of their car.
Interesting for the championship - Ferrari clearly have a better chassis, but there are real questions about their engine reliability. They are using their third turbo here, and although they say they'll be able to re-use the other two, that is not a good sign.
It's still my expectation that the Liberal Democrats will have a very good set of local elections. At that point, expect the full force of the Conservative machine and their allies in the press to turn its fire on Farron and his party. We've had an early stress test of the Liberal Democrats' strength under fire. It doesn't bode well for what's to come.
(((Dan Hodges)))Verified account @DPJHodges 1m1 minute ago Jeremy Corbyn currently talking about 1983 and sanctions on South Africa. And how he got arrested
LOL, next you will be telling the shouty bulldog is a great speaker. You Tories cannot suffer that SNP speak with gravitas and presence whilst your moingrel whines and slavers shouting like a fishwife.
What is betting on May meeting a real member of the public in Scotland today , 1000 - 1.
Will she even remember what Scotland's called?
According to the SNP? Nicola Sturgeon.
So few posts, so many repetitions of the barely informed, 'hilarious' tropes of the PB Yoonerati. I guess for fans of echo chambers, you just can't have too many echoes.
....that's it? Some ad hom with "Yoon" thrown in, you are shit at this banter lark.
I'm very fair minded, folk get precisely the response they deserve.
"I am rubber, you are glue" would have been a more substantial retort there. Jesus Christ, either grow a thicker skin or just plain come into the real world where polticians are not scared cows. I don't see you decrying Malc's semi-literate bawlings each day, yet suddenly someone makes one mocking comment and you get the vapours.
You seem a little distraught. Grow a thicker skin, or something.
What's a scared cow btw?
Haha, so you go off on one about my comment and I have to grow a thick skin? Blimey, I can see where Saint Nic gets her U turn lessons from and it's surprisingly not Philip Hammond.
A scared cow is a daft misspelling of sacred heh.
Ah. I thought 'scared cow' might be a new term for pols that avoid tv debates, unscripted questions from the public, talking to people who, gasp, may not vote for them and wander aimlessy round empty factories in towns the names of which they can't remember.
I disagree with Alastair's proposition that the Conservative surge is not taking place in Glasgow.
A rising tide lifts all boats ! Even those moored on the Clyde. It may not do much for Tory MP numbers. I do not know what's happening in Cathcart. But they lost that in 1979.
The Tories will certainly be helped by the surge, no doubt. But this idea that the surge will happen in exactly where they would like it to be is fanciful.
Well, if there was PR........
Polls suggesting they have reached double digits or something else unbelievable like that.
Double digits in terms of MPs ? Haven't PB Tory bettors gobbled up all the bets on offer ?
This doesn't quite match the Brexiteer rhetoric this morning
European Union leaders sense that Theresa May will surrender to their divorce demands rather than walk away in a “no deal” scenario leading to a disorderly Brexit.
EU officials and diplomats have received private assurances and noted that the prime minister has dropped a pledge, made in January, that “no deal is better than a bad deal for Britain”.
It is exactly what the Brexiteers have said all along. The EU are fools and unless they relent in early negotiations we will be lead out by TM with the backing of the Nation. We will not be disrespected by anyone
I get that you are an uber-loyal Tory, you loyally voted Remain when that's what Cameron wanted and you loyally back Brexit now it's what Mrs May wants.
No problem with that but please stop deluding yourself by saying things like "TM with the backing of the Nation" Yes she will win the election handsomely but 50% of the country will not have voted for and and the country is split right down the middle on Brexit and moving more against if anything.
I know many Tories think the country and the Tory party are synonymous but they really aren't
moingrel whines and slavers shouting like a fishwife.
I enjoy Malcolm's insults.
PB wouldn't be the same without them. I don't think you can be a proper PBer without having been insulted by Malc at least once.
I have not been insulted by Malc, or I didn't feel it was. Then again he is in a minority here. PB Tories are what , 90%, here ? And, some of them true fascists to boot [ no pun intended ] !
Indeed Surbiton, but I only chastise those who are rude to me or post incredibly crass and insensitive Tory dogma or complete bollox. By the way you missed a "jack" from your unintended pun
"PS – there won’t be any long-winded negotiations. You’re an idiot if you think so. We will be out in far less than 2 years, certainly before the next EU elections. May will make a couple of attempts at negotiating, announce it’s pointless due to EU intransigence and we will simply walk away."
I agree that is a very likely outcome, and also why May wants such a big majority before it becomes obvious.
Not so much likely as damn near certain. If they're going to start blaming us for their own complete inability to negotiate sensible leases, still more charge us for that failure, then it's clear they don't want to actually talk about anything at all.
If May walks away from negotiations, we'll still be in the EU until 2019 and will be watching the clock waiting to go over the cliff edge.
At some point she (or a new Prime Minister) will have to go back to the table.
That will be difficult if the EU itself refuses to negotiate, which is what I am expecting. There's just too big a gap between what the government here can put forward and what they would be willing to even discuss.
May's political bubble would burst very quickly if she walked away with 18 months still on the clock and nothing agreed. All indications are that the government does not have the capacity to prepare for such an outcome.
Yes, very possibly true. But you're missing my point. I don't think she will have the option of walking away because I think from early indications the EU are getting ready to storm out first. Which as I have set out above is a position reckless to the point of insanity, so we probably shouldn't be surprised that Verhfostadt and Juncker are enthusiastically preparing for it.
Fundamentally this sums up why we are having this election.
Verhfostadt/Juncker are playing brinkmanship because they believe that May can't survive a diamond hard Brexit: they are upping the ante.
But if May has a big enough majority then she can face them down - basically say "bring it on" and hope that they blink (which I believe they will). Macron would understand this as he is an excellent but not reckless negotiator.
Vote Tory to ensure we get the best possible terms...
The EU will try to act like bullies because (1) they want the best deal they can get, (2) they think there's a possibility it might persuade the frit ones in the UK back down on leaving, and (3) because they want to dissuade any others from leaving.
How do think we should respond to this bullying? And do you think your thoughts are in tune with the British public?
1 and 3 certainly. They are not interested in 2. "Bully" is an emotive term. This is business. The EU are apparently playing a strong hand well. We're definitely playing a weak hand badly. The EU will want a deal. No deal is a failure for them as well being very bad for us.
All this was entirely predictable back at the time of the referendum. I had several discussions about it.
There is a fantasy world inhabited by wealthy, right-wing Brexiteers in which plucky Brits applaud cod-Churchillian speeches from them and stomach losing their jobs, paying more tax and seeing public services cut even further in order to show the EUSSR we will not be brow-beaten by anyone. We'll see if that turns out to be the case.
moingrel whines and slavers shouting like a fishwife.
I enjoy Malcolm's insults.
Sean, carlotta has no sense of humour , she is just a Tory CCHQ cypher with no experience of real life. She is the type who would be saying "let the poor eat cake", as she stuffed another lobster down her thrapple.
I'm not sure that's entirely accurate. I think she genuinely admires Theresa May, however strange that might seem to you. As for sense of humour....... No, I've got nothing.
This doesn't quite match the Brexiteer rhetoric this morning
European Union leaders sense that Theresa May will surrender to their divorce demands rather than walk away in a “no deal” scenario leading to a disorderly Brexit.
EU officials and diplomats have received private assurances and noted that the prime minister has dropped a pledge, made in January, that “no deal is better than a bad deal for Britain”.
It is exactly what the Brexiteers have said all along. The EU are fools and unless they relent in early negotiations we will be lead out by TM with the backing of the Nation. We will not be disrespected by anyone
I get that you are an uber-loyal Tory, you loyally voted Remain when that's what Cameron wanted and you loyally back Brexit now it's what Mrs May wants.
No problem with that but please stop deluding yourself by saying things like "TM with the backing of the Nation" Yes she will win the election handsomely but 50% of the country will not have voted for and and the country is split right down the middle on Brexit and moving more against if anything.
I know many Tories think the country and the Tory party are synonymous but they really aren't
In the context of this mornings report that TM will capitulate to the EU demands this Country will swing behind TM in big numbers. It is to be hoped that the EU will be more friendly otherwise the EU and the UK will be on a collision course - the suggestion that the UK will capitulate was the language that causes the anger
moingrel whines and slavers shouting like a fishwife.
I enjoy Malcolm's insults.
Sean, carlotta has no sense of humour , she is just a Tory CCHQ cypher with no experience of real life. She is the type who would be saying "let the poor eat cake", as she stuffed another lobster down her thrapple.
But you have to admire her work ethic. Previously, she and Fitalass did different shifts. Now they are on sometimes together in the middle of the night making sure they dominate the drift of the posts. Working overtime in a tax heaven [ haven ? ].
Hard to believe the hours she puts in , Fitalaff just does nights , but Carlotta emulates her hero Maggie by only taking a few hours sleep. Margaret Rutherford would be proud of her.
LOL, next you will be telling the shouty bulldog is a great speaker. You Tories cannot suffer that SNP speak with gravitas and presence whilst your moingrel whines and slavers shouting like a fishwife.
What is betting on May meeting a real member of the public in Scotland today , 1000 - 1.
Will she even remember what Scotland's called?
According to the SNP? Nicola Sturgeon.
So few posts, so many repetitions of the barely informed, 'hilarious' tropes of the PB Yoonerati. I guess for fans of echo chambers, you just can't have too many echoes.
....that's it? Some ad hom with "Yoon" thrown in, you are shit at this banter lark.
I'm very fair minded, folk get precisely the response they deserve.
"I am rubber, you are glue" would have been a more substantial retort there. Jesus Christ, either grow a thicker skin or just plain come into the real world where polticians are not scared cows. I don't see you decrying Malc's semi-literate bawlings each day, yet suddenly someone makes one mocking comment and you get the vapours.
You seem a little distraught. Grow a thicker skin, or something.
What's a scared cow btw?
Haha, so you go off on one about my comment and I have to grow a thick skin? Blimey, I can see where Saint Nic gets her U turn lessons from and it's surprisingly not Philip Hammond.
A scared cow is a daft misspelling of sacred heh.
Ah. I thought 'scared cow' might be a new term for pols that avoid tv debates, unscripted questions from the public, talking to people who, gasp, may not vote for them and wander aimlessy round empty factories in towns the names of which they can't remember.
May has gone full Nixon in '72 yes, which is odd for someone that has been at the coal face with the membership for so long. You would think that she would be used to voters out in the field.
LOL, next you will be telling the shouty bulldog is a great speaker. You Tories cannot suffer that SNP speak with gravitas and presence whilst your moingrel whines and slavers shouting like a fishwife.
What is betting on May meeting a real member of the public in Scotland today , 1000 - 1.
Will she even remember what Scotland's called?
According to the SNP? Nicola Sturgeon.
So few posts, so many repetitions of the barely informed, 'hilarious' tropes of the PB Yoonerati. I guess for fans of echo chambers, you just can't have too many echoes.
....that's it? Some ad hom with "Yoon" thrown in, you are shit at this banter lark.
I'm very fair minded, folk get precisely the response they deserve.
"I am rubber, you are glue" would have been a more substantial retort there. Jesus Christ, either grow a thicker skin or just plain come into the real world where polticians are not scared cows. I don't see you decrying Malc's semi-literate bawlings each day, yet suddenly someone makes one mocking comment and you get the vapours.
You seem a little distraught. Grow a thicker skin, or something.
What's a scared cow btw?
Haha, so you go off on one about my comment and I have to grow a thick skin? Blimey, I can see where Saint Nic gets her U turn lessons from and it's surprisingly not Philip Hammond.
A scared cow is a daft misspelling of sacred heh.
Ah. I thought 'scared cow' might be a new term for pols that avoid tv debates, unscripted questions from the public, talking to people who, gasp, may not vote for them and wander aimlessy round empty factories in towns the names of which they can't remember.
May has gone full Nixon in '72 yes, which is odd for someone that has been at the coal face with the membership for so long. You would think that she would be used to voters out in the field.
Why risk anything when she is so far ahead? She might think that her people skills may hinder the Conservatives chances rather than help them
Want an outside chance of a Tory gain in Scotland? I give you Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock. Odds available aren't great but it's an interesting one if Labour's vote collapses. Or be brave and try Argyll and bute
Soth Ayr maybe but hard to see the other areas being Tory given what they did to them. I doubt you would find a Tory in Cumnock unless it was the village idiot.
@ShippersUnbound: In Bethnal Green: Anyone would think Corbyn was shoring up his base for the 3rd leadership contest rather than trying to win seats...
"PS – there won’t be any long-winded negotiations. You’re an idiot if you think so. We will be out in far less than 2 years, certainly before the next EU elections. May will make a couple of attempts at negotiating, announce it’s pointless due to EU intransigence and we will simply walk away."
I agree that is a very likely outcome, and also why May wants such a big majority before it becomes obvious.
Not so much likely as damn near certain. If they're going to start blaming us for their own complete inability to negotiate sensible leases, still more charge us for that failure, then it's clear they don't want to actually talk about anything at all.
If May walks away from negotiations, we'll still be in the EU until 2019 and will be watching the clock waiting to go over the cliff edge.
At some point she (or a new Prime Minister) will have to go back to the table.
That will be difficult if the EU itself refuses to negotiate, which is what I am expecting. There's just too big a gap between what the government here can put forward and what they would be willing to even discuss.
May's political bubble would burst very quickly if she walked away with 18 months still on the clock and nothing agreed. All indications are that the government does not have the capacity to prepare for such an outcome.
Yes, very possibly true. But you're missing my point. I don't think she will have the option of walking away because I think from early indications the EU are getting ready to storm out first. Which as I have set out above is a position reckless to the point of insanity, so we probably shouldn't be surprised that Verhfostadt and Juncker are enthusiastically preparing for it.
Fundamentally this sums up why we are having this election.
Verhfostadt/Juncker are playing brinkmanship because they believe that May can't survive a diamond hard Brexit: they are upping the ante.
But if May has a big enough majority then she can face them down - basically say "bring it on" and hope that they blink (which I believe they will). Macron would understand this as he is an excellent but not reckless negotiator.
Vote Tory to ensure we get the best possible terms...
Until the French, UK and German elections are safely out of the way, none of the posturing has much meaning.
Tiny voice would be better than no voice for me. Once independent we can decide whether or not we want to be in EU. At present we cannot even choose to be in or out we are told what we are doing whether we like it or not , that is the key difference.
What choice is there? Scotland becomes independent and the SNP immediately apply for EU membership and then you essentially become an outpost of Brussels. Scotland is 12% of the UK and has 12% of legislative power in the UK. In the EU at best Scotland gets 1/28 commissioners (a poor portfolio, not something like internal markets or financial markets) and 8 MEPs out of 680. Scotland's voice in the EU. Will be about as powerful as Latvia and Scotland will have one ally (Ireland) who are not really to be relied on because they are in the Eurozone and have other priorities.
There is no real independence for Scotland which is why so many former Yes voters are shifting to the No camp. Better to be 12% than 1%. There is no 100% option on offer, sorry Malc.
it is frightening prospect that we are being led by the nose by the current bunch of absolute losers. These clowns will only do what is good for them , our futures are of little concern , it will be self interest all the way. They should at least come clean.
I thought you liked the SNP?
I like independence, SNP are currently the only Scottish political party in Scotland so I have no option but to "like" them.
Malc, didn't you once write you were actually a Tory ? Let me clarify, once Scotland is independent and people return to vote in their own ideological space, your likely vote will be Tory. Am I recalling incorrectly?
moingrel whines and slavers shouting like a fishwife.
I enjoy Malcolm's insults.
Sean, carlotta has no sense of humour , she is just a Tory CCHQ cypher with no experience of real life. She is the type who would be saying "let the poor eat cake", as she stuffed another lobster down her thrapple.
I'm not sure that's entirely accurate. I think she genuinely admires Theresa May, however strange that might seem to you. As for sense of humour....... No, I've got nothing.
Nigel, If the tories put up an old spot with lipstick on she would admire it.
I disagree with Alastair's proposition that the Conservative surge is not taking place in Glasgow.
A rising tide lifts all boats ! Even those moored on the Clyde. It may not do much for Tory MP numbers. I do not know what's happening in Cathcart. But they lost that in 1979.
The Tories will certainly be helped by the surge, no doubt. But this idea that the surge will happen in exactly where they would like it to be is fanciful.
Well, if there was PR........
There's certainly a Unionist vote in Glasgow, one which the Kippertories have courted assiduously all the way to the outer reaches of loony Loyalism. Whether it'll amount to an electoral hill of beans is another matter. The locals next week should be a pretty good indicator.
Want an outside chance of a Tory gain in Scotland? I give you Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock. Odds available aren't great but it's an interesting one if Labour's vote collapses. Or be brave and try Argyll and bute
Soth Ayr maybe but hard to see the other areas being Tory given what they did to them. I doubt you would find a Tory in Cumnock unless it was the village idiot.
Agreed a very tough ask but they have always scored into the 20s here even in 97 etc. If the labour vote collapses there's a small chance. Odds available are 11/2 though which is not value for me. It's a 7 or 8-1 shot. Definitely worth seeing if they can break into the 30s here.
This doesn't quite match the Brexiteer rhetoric this morning
European Union leaders sense that Theresa May will surrender to their divorce demands rather than walk away in a “no deal” scenario leading to a disorderly Brexit.
EU officials and diplomats have received private assurances and noted that the prime minister has dropped a pledge, made in January, that “no deal is better than a bad deal for Britain”.
It is exactly what the Brexiteers have said all along. The EU are fools and unless they relent in early negotiations we will be lead out by TM with the backing of the Nation. We will not be disrespected by anyone
I get that you are an uber-loyal Tory, you loyally voted Remain when that's what Cameron wanted and you loyally back Brexit now it's what Mrs May wants.
No problem with that but please stop deluding yourself by saying things like "TM with the backing of the Nation" Yes she will win the election handsomely but 50% of the country will not have voted for and and the country is split right down the middle on Brexit and moving more against if anything.
I know many Tories think the country and the Tory party are synonymous but they really aren't
Theresa May is the Mother of the Nation.
Sean you missed out an important word starting with F that should have come after "mother"
Tiny voice would be better than no voice for me. Once independent we can decide whether or not we want to be in EU. At present we cannot even choose to be in or out we are told what we are doing whether we like it or not , that is the key difference.
What choice is there? Scotland becomes independent and the SNP immediately apply for EU membership and then you essentially become an outpost of Brussels. Scotland is 12% of the UK and has 12% of legislative power in the UK. In the EU at best Scotland gets 1/28 commissioners (a poor portfolio, not something like internal markets or financial markets) and 8 MEPs out of 680. Scotland's voice in the EU. Will be about as powerful as Latvia and Scotland will have one ally (Ireland) who are not really to be relied on because they are in the Eurozone and have other priorities.
There is no real independence for Scotland which is why so many former Yes voters are shifting to the No camp. Better to be 12% than 1%. There is no 100% option on offer, sorry Malc.
Maybe, Malc wants that like the people of Estonia, Latvia,......Finland, Denmark, Ireland.....shall I go on ?
Scots have no historical enmity with any country other than England.
Remember, Scots will happily lose the World Cup if only they could beat England.
"PS – there won’t be any long-winded negotiations. You’re an idiot if you think so. We will be out in far less than 2 years, certainly before the next EU elections. May will make a couple of attempts at negotiating, announce it’s pointless due to EU intransigence and we will simply walk away."
I agree that is a very likely outcome, and also why May wants such a big majority before it becomes obvious.
Not so much likely as damn near certain. If they're going to start blaming us for their own complete inability to negotiate sensible leases, still more charge us for that failure, then it's clear they don't want to actually talk about anything at all.
If May walks away from negotiations, we'll still be in the EU until 2019 and will be watching the clock waiting to go over the cliff edge.
At some point she (or a new Prime Minister) will have to go back to the table.
That will be difficult if the EU itself refuses to negotiate, which is what I am expecting. There's just too big a gap between what the government here can put forward and what they would be willing to even discuss.
May's political bubble would burst very quickly if she walked away with 18 months still on the clock and nothing agreed. All indications are that the government does not have the capacity to prepare for such an outcome.
Yes, very possibly true. But you're missing my point. I don't think she will have the option of walking away because I think from early indications the EU are getting ready to storm out first. Which as I have set out above is a position reckless to the point of insanity, so we probably shouldn't be surprised that Verhfostadt and Juncker are enthusiastically preparing for it.
Fundamentally this sums up why we are having this election.
Verhfostadt/Juncker are playing brinkmanship because they believe that May can't survive a diamond hard Brexit: they are upping the ante.
But if May has a big enough majority then she can face them down - basically say "bring it on" and hope that they blink (which I believe they will). Macron would understand this as he is an excellent but not reckless negotiator.
Vote Tory to ensure we get the best possible terms...
Yes she can keep her and her chums at the trough for 5 years while the peasants starve and regret their stupidity.
This doesn't quite match the Brexiteer rhetoric this morning
European Union leaders sense that Theresa May will surrender to their divorce demands rather than walk away in a “no deal” scenario leading to a disorderly Brexit.
EU officials and diplomats have received private assurances and noted that the prime minister has dropped a pledge, made in January, that “no deal is better than a bad deal for Britain”.
It is exactly what the Brexiteers have said all along. The EU are fools and unless they relent in early negotiations we will be lead out by TM with the backing of the Nation. We will not be disrespected by anyone
I get that you are an uber-loyal Tory, you loyally voted Remain when that's what Cameron wanted and you loyally back Brexit now it's what Mrs May wants.
No problem with that but please stop deluding yourself by saying things like "TM with the backing of the Nation" Yes she will win the election handsomely but 50% of the country will not have voted for and and the country is split right down the middle on Brexit and moving more against if anything.
I know many Tories think the country and the Tory party are synonymous but they really aren't
Theresa May is the Mother of the Nation.
Sean you missed out an important word starting with F that should have come after "mother"
Phone off. Feet up. PB on iPad on lap. Sky News on the box. (We're a Dimblebore/Vine-free zone.) Sound mostly off except when Thrasher is on.
Oh, I forgot the large glass to hand. (Gin, since you ask.) And, new this year, the large hopper on the roof decanting popcorn through a custom-built chute. You know, like a pet feeding station, only bigger.
Occasional breaks for other politically-incorrect foodstuffs, and personal comfort.
Glen O'Hara: If big #Labour message really is 'young people, register to vote', then starting to get pretty frightened for them. Not worried: frightened.
Why risk anything when she is so far ahead? She might think that her people skills may hinder the Conservatives chances rather than help them
Seems pretty sensible really
Sterile though, very sterile. Unless she starts to work her way into events with actual voters of course, then it may at least be something sensible.
It seems that at a time of uncertainty, & when the alternative is wacky, sterile is a winner. You can tell its the right thing to do because all her critics want her to do something else.
Tiny voice would be better than no voice for me. Once independent we can decide whether or not we want to be in EU. At present we cannot even choose to be in or out we are told what we are doing whether we like it or not , that is the key difference.
What choice is there? Scotland becomes independent and the SNP immediately apply for EU membership and then you essentially become an outpost of Brussels. Scotland is 12% of the UK and has 12% of legislative power in the UK. In the EU at best Scotland gets 1/28 commissioners (a poor portfolio, not something like internal markets or financial markets) and 8 MEPs out of 680. Scotland's voice in the EU. Will be about as powerful as Latvia and Scotland will have one ally (Ireland) who are not really to be relied on because they are in the Eurozone and have other priorities.
There is no real independence for Scotland which is why so many former Yes voters are shifting to the No camp. Better to be 12% than 1%. There is no 100% option on offer, sorry Malc.
Maybe, Malc wants that like the people of Estonia, Latvia,......Finland, Denmark, Ireland.....shall I go on ?
Scots have no historical enmity with any country other than England.
Remember, Scots will happily lose the World Cup if only they could beat England.
Maybe, but a third of Yes voters went for Leave. A large proportion of SNP voters went for Leave. There are too many Scottish people who want proper independence and Yes will never get over the line without them.
Why risk anything when she is so far ahead? She might think that her people skills may hinder the Conservatives chances rather than help them
Seems pretty sensible really
Sterile though, very sterile. Unless she starts to work her way into events with actual voters of course, then it may at least be something sensible.
It seems that at a time of uncertainty, & when the alternative is wacky, sterile is a winner. You can tell its the right thing to do because all her critics want her to do something else.
May benefits from being the least worst option amongst the major party leaders currently, so yes cutting herself off could work (and is). But....is it good for us as a democracy really?
it is frightening prospect that we are being led by the nose by the current bunch of absolute losers. These clowns will only do what is good for them , our futures are of little concern , it will be self interest all the way. They should at least come clean.
I thought you liked the SNP?
I like independence, SNP are currently the only Scottish political party in Scotland so I have no option but to "like" them.
Malc, didn't you once write you were actually a Tory ? Let me clarify, once Scotland is independent and people return to vote in their own ideological space, your likely vote will be Tory. Am I recalling incorrectly?
I would say I am right leaning but would say a Tory with a heart , so centre right. If there was a real Scottish Tory party I may vote that way , unfortunately the ones that are running the party are a bunch of London sockpuppets only there to grease their own palms. Some really objectionable nasty oicks in their ranks. I also detest their sectarian leanings.
moingrel whines and slavers shouting like a fishwife.
I enjoy Malcolm's insults.
Sean, carlotta has no sense of humour , she is just a Tory CCHQ cypher with no experience of real life. She is the type who would be saying "let the poor eat cake", as she stuffed another lobster down her thrapple.
But you have to admire her work ethic. Previously, she and Fitalass did different shifts. Now they are on sometimes together in the middle of the night making sure they dominate the drift of the posts. Working overtime in a tax heaven [ haven ? ].
Hard to believe the hours she puts in , Fitalaff just does nights , but Carlotta emulates her hero Maggie by only taking a few hours sleep. Margaret Rutherford would be proud of her.
Yup. Really admirable. A Tory junkie now on steroids.
moingrel whines and slavers shouting like a fishwife.
I enjoy Malcolm's insults.
Sean, carlotta has no sense of humour , she is just a Tory CCHQ cypher with no experience of real life. She is the type who would be saying "let the poor eat cake", as she stuffed another lobster down her thrapple.
But you have to admire her work ethic. Previously, she and Fitalass did different shifts. Now they are on sometimes together in the middle of the night making sure they dominate the drift of the posts. Working overtime in a tax heaven [ haven ? ].
Hard to believe the hours she puts in , Fitalaff just does nights , but Carlotta emulates her hero Maggie by only taking a few hours sleep. Margaret Rutherford would be proud of her.
Yup. Really admirable. A Tory junkie now on steroids. I have to say she is not a Plato, who was bitter and twisted.
Tiny voice would be better than no voice for me. Once independent we can decide whether or not we want to be in EU. At present we cannot even choose to be in or out we are told what we are doing whether we like it or not , that is the key difference.
What choice is there? Scotland becomes independent and the SNP immediately apply for EU membership and then you essentially become an outpost of Brussels. Scotland is 12% of the UK and has 12% of legislative power in the UK. In the EU at best Scotland gets 1/28 commissioners (a poor portfolio, not something like internal markets or financial markets) and 8 MEPs out of 680. Scotland's voice in the EU. Will be about as powerful as Latvia and Scotland will have one ally (Ireland) who are not really to be relied on because they are in the Eurozone and have other priorities.
There is no real independence for Scotland which is why so many former Yes voters are shifting to the No camp. Better to be 12% than 1%. There is no 100% option on offer, sorry Malc.
Maybe, Malc wants that like the people of Estonia, Latvia,......Finland, Denmark, Ireland.....shall I go on ?
Scots have no historical enmity with any country other than England.
Remember, Scots will happily lose the World Cup if only they could beat England.
Interesting piece from Anti-Frank. The revival of the Tories and the decline of Labour, in complete reverse to what was happening 20 years ago in Scotland, tells us that in politics nothing lasts forever!
In other news beers and "nibbles" are on standby for another mega-polling Saturday evening.
Yes, very possibly true. But you're missing my point. I don't think she will have the option of walking away because I think from early indications the EU are getting ready to storm out first. Which as I have set out above is a position reckless to the point of insanity, so we probably shouldn't be surprised that Verhfostadt and Juncker are enthusiastically preparing for it.
Actually they are letting the clock run out. I don't know if that changes your point.
Verhfostadt and Juncker aren't the important ones here. They are Tusk and Merkel. The rest do what they are told. These genuinely appear to be concerned by a lack of realism on the UK side. It's not just posturing.
Jeremy Corbyn is seen by voters as “scary”, “silly”, “a joke”, “a wet blanket” – and the biggest obstacle to them backing Labour in the general election, a new HuffPost UK-Edelman focus group has found. Men and women from ‘ordinary working families’ in the key seat of Slough were scathing about everything from the scruffy state of the Labour leader’s garden to his failure to sing the national anthem. Several liked Labour’s policies on the NHS and pay caps, but most ridiculed its plan for extra bank holidays and said that the presence of Corbyn was the main deterrent to backing the party.
In one striking remark, a lifelong Labour voter said he would switch to the Tories with the sole intention of removing Corbyn as party leader.
By contrast, while many of them thought the Tory party was for “the upper classes”, they are prepared to vote for Theresa May because she is a formidable woman leader who can deliver “a strong Brexit”.
Why risk anything when she is so far ahead? She might think that her people skills may hinder the Conservatives chances rather than help them
Seems pretty sensible really
Sterile though, very sterile. Unless she starts to work her way into events with actual voters of course, then it may at least be something sensible.
It seems that at a time of uncertainty, & when the alternative is wacky, sterile is a winner. You can tell its the right thing to do because all her critics want her to do something else.
May benefits from being the least worst option amongst the major party leaders currently, so yes cutting herself off could work (and is). But....is it good for us as a democracy really?
For the country as a democracy I shouldn't think it matters whether she goes out and meets the public to curry favour or not really. Not many people meet the PM and I reckon they still feel part of the democratic process. To me Mrs May seems a little socially awkward, so I can understand her not wanting to accentuate that part of her personality.
Why risk anything when she is so far ahead? She might think that her people skills may hinder the Conservatives chances rather than help them
Seems pretty sensible really
Sterile though, very sterile. Unless she starts to work her way into events with actual voters of course, then it may at least be something sensible.
It seems that at a time of uncertainty, & when the alternative is wacky, sterile is a winner. You can tell its the right thing to do because all her critics want her to do something else.
It's a very effective way to fight a campaign against a dismal opponent. But May might be better off thinking about the longer term. She could be using this election to build a genuine rapport with voters, instead of avoiding them. At some stage the proper Brexit negotiations will begin and hard choices will be unavoidable. Banking goodwill for that moment might have been a wise strategy given that she is fighting an election that it is literally impossible for her to lose.
Want an outside chance of a Tory gain in Scotland? I give you Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock. Odds available aren't great but it's an interesting one if Labour's vote collapses. Or be brave and try Argyll and bute
Soth Ayr maybe but hard to see the other areas being Tory given what they did to them. I doubt you would find a Tory in Cumnock unless it was the village idiot.
It's a long shot to be sure. The old Ayr consituncey was a Tory bastion until the early 90s under George Younger and whilst the town will certainly vote tory, there will not be enough support in the former mining villages of the hinterlands. Some of the former prodestant labour support will have transferred to the Tories, but not enough.
moingrel whines and slavers shouting like a fishwife.
I enjoy Malcolm's insults.
Sean, carlotta has no sense of humour , she is just a Tory CCHQ cypher with no experience of real life. She is the type who would be saying "let the poor eat cake", as she stuffed another lobster down her thrapple.
But you have to admire her work ethic. Previously, she and Fitalass did different shifts. Now they are on sometimes together in the middle of the night making sure they dominate the drift of the posts. Working overtime in a tax heaven [ haven ? ].
Hard to believe the hours she puts in , Fitalaff just does nights , but Carlotta emulates her hero Maggie by only taking a few hours sleep. Margaret Rutherford would be proud of her.
Yup. Really admirable. A Tory junkie now on steroids.
Worst thing is Scottish Tories are like those that give up smoking or find religion late in life, they have to try so hard to prove how good a Tory they are to their "lifelong Tory" pals down south. So they are twice as nasty to the poor etc and much more right wing and sneering etc.
Interesting piece from Anti-Frank. The revival of the Tories and the decline of Labour, in complete reverse to what was happening 20 years ago in Scotland, tells us that in politics nothing lasts forever!
In other news beers and "nibbles" are on standby for another mega-polling Saturday evening.
Why risk anything when she is so far ahead? She might think that her people skills may hinder the Conservatives chances rather than help them
Seems pretty sensible really
Sterile though, very sterile. Unless she starts to work her way into events with actual voters of course, then it may at least be something sensible.
It seems that at a time of uncertainty, & when the alternative is wacky, sterile is a winner. You can tell its the right thing to do because all her critics want her to do something else.
It's a very effective way to fight a campaign against a dismal opponent. But May might be better off thinking about the longer term. She could be using this election to build a genuine rapport with voters, instead of avoiding them. At some stage the proper Brexit negotiations will begin and hard choices will be unavoidable. Banking goodwill for that moment might have been a wise strategy given that she is fighting an election that it is literally impossible for her to lose.
I kind of said this to HaroldO, but it seems to me that she isn't particularly suited to impromptu banter with the public, and meeting them may lose her goodwill rather than bank it. I don't really see how meeting the public in a forced environment really matters one way or the other really, unless you are particularly good at it, or are a small player like UKIP relying on a big personality (Farage) to gain traction.
moingrel whines and slavers shouting like a fishwife.
I enjoy Malcolm's insults.
Sean, carlotta has no sense of humour , she is just a Tory CCHQ cypher with no experience of real life. She is the type who would be saying "let the poor eat cake", as she stuffed another lobster down her thrapple.
But you have to admire her work ethic. Previously, she and Fitalass did different shifts. Now they are on sometimes together in the middle of the night making sure they dominate the drift of the posts. Working overtime in a tax heaven [ haven ? ].
Hard to believe the hours she puts in , Fitalaff just does nights , but Carlotta emulates her hero Maggie by only taking a few hours sleep. Margaret Rutherford would be proud of her.
Yup. Really admirable. A Tory junkie now on steroids.
Worst thing is Scottish Tories are like those that give up smoking or find religion late in life, they have to try so hard to prove how good a Tory they are to their "lifelong Tory" pals down south. So they are twice as nasty to the poor etc and much more right wing and sneering etc.
Twice as nasty to the poor? Do they eat twice as many babies in Scotland too? I should try and make it up to Edinburgh one day, sounds like I'm missing out.
This doesn't quite match the Brexiteer rhetoric this morning
European Union leaders sense that Theresa May will surrender to their divorce demands rather than walk away in a “no deal” scenario leading to a disorderly Brexit.
EU officials and diplomats have received private assurances and noted that the prime minister has dropped a pledge, made in January, that “no deal is better than a bad deal for Britain”.
It is exactly what the Brexiteers have said all along. The EU are fools and unless they relent in early negotiations we will be lead out by TM with the backing of the Nation. We will not be disrespected by anyone
I get that you are an uber-loyal Tory, you loyally voted Remain when that's what Cameron wanted and you loyally back Brexit now it's what Mrs May wants.
No problem with that but please stop deluding yourself by saying things like "TM with the backing of the Nation" Yes she will win the election handsomely but 50% of the country will not have voted for and and the country is split right down the middle on Brexit and moving more against if anything.
I know many Tories think the country and the Tory party are synonymous but they really aren't
Theresa May is the Mother of the Nation.
Sean you missed out an important word starting with F that should have come after "mother"
Morning Malc.
You just made me laugh our loud, which is never a bad thing on a Saturday morning.
Want an outside chance of a Tory gain in Scotland? I give you Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock. Odds available aren't great but it's an interesting one if Labour's vote collapses. Or be brave and try Argyll and bute
Soth Ayr maybe but hard to see the other areas being Tory given what they did to them. I doubt you would find a Tory in Cumnock unless it was the village idiot.
It's a long shot to be sure. The old Ayr consituncey was a Tory bastion until the early 90s under George Younger and whilst the town will certainly vote tory, there will not be enough support in the former mining villages of the hinterlands. Some of the former prodestant labour support will have transferred to the Tories, but not enough.
2022 maybe.
Yes , apart from Alloway the area has gone to the dogs. South Ayrshire which is Tory run has teh worst roads you will find anywhere. As you say the rest has been wrecked by Tory policies and will take a long long time to ever forget it.
This doesn't quite match the Brexiteer rhetoric this morning
European Union leaders sense that Theresa May will surrender to their divorce demands rather than walk away in a “no deal” scenario leading to a disorderly Brexit.
EU officials and diplomats have received private assurances and noted that the prime minister has dropped a pledge, made in January, that “no deal is better than a bad deal for Britain”.
It is exactly what the Brexiteers have said all along. The EU are fools and unless they relent in early negotiations we will be lead out by TM with the backing of the Nation. We will not be disrespected by anyone
I get that you are an uber-loyal Tory, you loyally voted Remain when that's what Cameron wanted and you loyally back Brexit now it's what Mrs May wants.
No problem with that but please stop deluding yourself by saying things like "TM with the backing of the Nation" Yes she will win the election handsomely but 50% of the country will not have voted for and and the country is split right down the middle on Brexit and moving more against if anything.
I know many Tories think the country and the Tory party are synonymous but they really aren't
Theresa May is the Mother of the Nation.
Sean you missed out an important word starting with F that should have come after "mother"
The EU will try to act like bullies because (1) they want the best deal they can get, (2) they think there's a possibility it might persuade the frit ones in the UK back down on leaving, and (3) because they want to dissuade any others from leaving.
How do think we should respond to this bullying? And do you think your thoughts are in tune with the British public?
They hold all the cards, it is UK that is peering in the window wishing it was inside. pay up and you can get in , seems very reasonable to me, pity Toris cannot bring themselves to tell the peasants the truth. Will be trouble ahead when the dopes realise the Tories have scammed them for another 5 years and then sold them down the river. Much weeping in petite Bretagne then I think.
We wish we were inside so much that we've just chosen to leave. Explain that one again please?
And how do you reconcile that with your wishing to end the union with England?
First one , big jessie huff and now reality looms and it is a case of "WTF have I done".
Second one is simple, we are in an unequal union and getting shafted , we should get out , how could anyone expect to get fairness when it is 88% to 12% , why would the 88% do things to suit the 12%, so we get the policies for teh 88% which don't suit us and have to suck it up.
And the choice being offered is to be 12% vs 88% in the UK or 1% vs 99% in the EU. What option is there for those who want a properly independent Scotland?
So you think Germany , France , Italy etc are not independent countries.
Germany yes, France and Italy no. Scotland would be one tiny voice in 28 even more impotent than Blair's government which had the power of being the second largest economy in the EU. Scotland will be told to jump and Nicola would have to say "how high, master?". I support Scottish independence, but what's the point of replacing Westminster with Brussels? Bring it all home to Edinburgh.
Tom Gordon @HTScotPol 8m8 minutes ago Scot Labour says its candidate list for June reflects "the diversity of 21st century Scotland". It includes the deputy leader's daughter
Twice as nasty to the poor? Do they eat twice as many babies in Scotland too? I should try and make it up to Edinburgh one day, sounds like I'm missing out.
moingrel whines and slavers shouting like a fishwife.
I enjoy Malcolm's insults.
Sean, carlotta has no sense of humour , she is just a Tory CCHQ cypher with no experience of real life. She is the type who would be saying "let the poor eat cake", as she stuffed another lobster down her thrapple.
But you have to admire her work ethic. Previously, she and Fitalass did different shifts. Now they are on sometimes together in the middle of the night making sure they dominate the drift of the posts. Working overtime in a tax heaven [ haven ? ].
Why risk anything when she is so far ahead? She might think that her people skills may hinder the Conservatives chances rather than help them
Seems pretty sensible really
Sterile though, very sterile. Unless she starts to work her way into events with actual voters of course, then it may at least be something sensible.
It seems that at a time of uncertainty, & when the alternative is wacky, sterile is a winner. You can tell its the right thing to do because all her critics want her to do something else.
It's a very effective way to fight a campaign against a dismal opponent. But May might be better off thinking about the longer term. She could be using this election to build a genuine rapport with voters, instead of avoiding them. At some stage the proper Brexit negotiations will begin and hard choices will be unavoidable. Banking goodwill for that moment might have been a wise strategy given that she is fighting an election that it is literally impossible for her to lose.
I kind of said this to HaroldO, but it seems to me that she isn't particularly suited to impromptu banter with the public, and meeting them may lose her goodwill rather than bank it. I don't really see how meeting the public in a forced environment really matters one way or the other really, unless you are particularly good at it, or are a small player like UKIP relying on a big personality (Farage) to gain traction.
I have never seen her speak to the public, it is always staged events with stooges. Says it all.
This doesn't quite match the Brexiteer rhetoric this morning
European Union leaders sense that Theresa May will surrender to their divorce demands rather than walk away in a “no deal” scenario leading to a disorderly Brexit.
EU officials and diplomats have received private assurances and noted that the prime minister has dropped a pledge, made in January, that “no deal is better than a bad deal for Britain”.
It is exactly what the Brexiteers have said all along. The EU are fools and unless they relent in early negotiations we will be lead out by TM with the backing of the Nation. We will not be disrespected by anyone
I get that you are an uber-loyal Tory, you loyally voted Remain when that's what Cameron wanted and you loyally back Brexit now it's what Mrs May wants.
No problem with that but please stop deluding yourself by saying things like "TM with the backing of the Nation" Yes she will win the election handsomely but 50% of the country will not have voted for and and the country is split right down the middle on Brexit and moving more against if anything.
I know many Tories think the country and the Tory party are synonymous but they really aren't
Theresa May is the Mother of the Nation.
Sean you missed out an important word starting with F that should have come after "mother"
Figure?
Not even close , starts with Fu and ends with er, so fairly easy to guess.
Comments
I look forward to him telling all about the bar he used to run there for many years where everyone knew your name.
In findings which could have a significant impact on her party’s performance in June’s general election, the YouGov poll found that the first minister has so far failed to persuade voters that her government is solving the country’s problems on health, the economy and education.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/scotland/voters-lose-faith-in-snp-record-on-domestic-issues-poll-shows-0mf2x6rrf
I have now laid most of my Ferrari weekend bets at a profit (possibly prematurely).
A rising tide lifts all boats ! Even those moored on the Clyde. It may not do much for Tory MP numbers. I do not know what's happening in Cathcart. But they lost that in 1979.
The Tories will certainly be helped by the surge, no doubt. But this idea that the surge will happen in exactly where they would like it to be is fanciful.
Well, if there was PR........
Surprising. The effect of banning oil burning? Sandbagging?
My life is...average, no better and no worse than most. Then I come on here infrequently and see the high earners chatting away and that puts me in my place a bit, which I have no problem with.
https://twitter.com/SamCoatesTimes/status/858232297425956864
Or be brave and try Argyll and bute
No problem with that but please stop deluding yourself by saying things like "TM with the backing of the Nation" Yes she will win the election handsomely but 50% of the country will not have voted for and and the country is split right down the middle on Brexit and moving more against if anything.
I know many Tories think the country and the Tory party are synonymous but they really aren't
Sandbagging is not a thing - Mercedes are genuinely struggling to get the optimum performance out of their car.
Interesting for the championship - Ferrari clearly have a better chassis, but there are real questions about their engine reliability. They are using their third turbo here, and although they say they'll be able to re-use the other two, that is not a good sign.
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/june2017/2017/04/lib-dems-troubled-start-doesnt-bode-well-them
Jeremy Corbyn currently talking about 1983 and sanctions on South Africa. And how he got arrested
Ah.
I thought 'scared cow' might be a new term for pols that avoid tv debates, unscripted questions from the public, talking to people who, gasp, may not vote for them and wander aimlessy round empty factories in towns the names of which they can't remember.
Verhfostadt/Juncker are playing brinkmanship because they believe that May can't survive a diamond hard Brexit: they are upping the ante.
But if May has a big enough majority then she can face them down - basically say "bring it on" and hope that they blink (which I believe they will). Macron would understand this as he is an excellent but not reckless negotiator.
Vote Tory to ensure we get the best possible terms...
As for sense of humour....... No, I've got nothing.
Why's Jezza giving a speech in a seat with a 24,000 Labour majority? Parking his tanks on his own lawn
Labour HQ continuing to keep Jezza away from the front line.
France: Presidential election (run-off), Odoxa poll:
Macron (EM-*): 59% (-4)
Fillon (LR-EPP): 41% (+4)
Seems pretty sensible really
If TMay can't survive a hard Brexit, the size of her majority is irrelevant, and they know it
There is no real independence for Scotland which is why so many former Yes voters are shifting to the No camp. Better to be 12% than 1%. There is no 100% option on offer, sorry Malc.
Scots have no historical enmity with any country other than England.
Remember, Scots will happily lose the World Cup if only they could beat England.
@DPJHodges: In that speech Corbyn effectively said "if you backed Labour in the past, you were wrong".
Phone off.
Feet up.
PB on iPad on lap.
Sky News on the box. (We're a Dimblebore/Vine-free zone.) Sound mostly off except when Thrasher is on.
Oh, I forgot the large glass to hand. (Gin, since you ask.) And, new this year, the large hopper on the roof decanting popcorn through a custom-built chute. You know, like a pet feeding station, only bigger.
Occasional breaks for other politically-incorrect foodstuffs, and personal comfort.
Works for me.
If big #Labour message really is 'young people, register to vote', then starting to get pretty frightened for them. Not worried: frightened.
I do think Palmer will be thrown overboard at the end of the season, if they can get someone closer to Hulkenberg's pace.
@tompeck: @DPJHodges "If you're young, as so many are nowadays." He genuinely said that.
But....is it good for us as a democracy really?
Interesting piece from Anti-Frank. The revival of the Tories and the decline of Labour, in complete reverse to what was happening 20 years ago in Scotland, tells us that in politics nothing lasts forever!
In other news beers and "nibbles" are on standby for another mega-polling Saturday evening.
C.U. Later!
Verhfostadt and Juncker aren't the important ones here. They are Tusk and Merkel. The rest do what they are told. These genuinely appear to be concerned by a lack of realism on the UK side. It's not just posturing.
In one striking remark, a lifelong Labour voter said he would switch to the Tories with the sole intention of removing Corbyn as party leader.
By contrast, while many of them thought the Tory party was for “the upper classes”, they are prepared to vote for Theresa May because she is a formidable woman leader who can deliver “a strong Brexit”.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/jeremy-corbyn-turning-off-labour-voters-in-slough-huffpost-uk-edelman-focus-group-finds_uk_5904443ce4b05c39767fcab0
2022 maybe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Daa8ZnxC-0Y
You just made me laugh our loud, which is never a bad thing on a Saturday morning.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/28/yanis-varoufakis-brexit-advice-theresa-may-avoid-negotiating/
Utter, utter bastards.
Compulsory reading for all pols and diplomats dealing with the EU from now. Even with the sore-loser filter in, you see Varoufakis' point.
Scot Labour says its candidate list for June reflects "the diversity of 21st century Scotland".
It includes the deputy leader's daughter
Asking for a friend