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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Will the Tories stop talking about Europe after May?
Ed Miliband’s non-promise of a referendum this week may have been designed to do several things. It could have been a reassurance that a future Labour government wouldn’t repeal this administration’s European Union Act 2011, though it would modify it and that modification could be significant. It could be a half-hearted effort to join the In-Out debate. It could have been an effort to confirm his pro-…
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First with a wee bit of Insomnia.0
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"The question is whether the Conservatives will be able to flick the ‘off’ switch after May. "
They're reported to have scheduled a vote on transferring power over Justice and Home Affairs to Brussels for July 22nd, so no.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/benedictbrogan/100260182/the-next-tory-plot-to-embarrass-david-cameron-on-europe-is-already-taking-shape/0 -
Astute. And an interesting post-script. Something I am unclear about re Labour's plans, though, is by what means an "automagic" referendum would occur. Could a government simply state that a treaty does not involve a substantial transfer of power, so that the referendum clause does not apply? Would a post-Miliband administration be bound by such an Act? Presumably not, since parliaments traditionally can't bind their successors, though may be a costly a loss of political capital in the event of a repeal.
In many ways it would be a more rational way of holding a referendum than after a vague-to-woolly "renegotiation". And as David points out, an easier referendum to lose...0 -
The devious Lefties are getting everywhere. I have discovered shocking photographic evidence which reveals that the Revolutionary New Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist) (which, incidentally, denounces even the CPGB(ML) as "Trotskyite" and "microscopic Chernenkite-Wałęsaist maggots")
http://rncpgbml.wordpress.com/2010/08/13/founding-conference-of-the-revolutionary-new-communist-party-of-great-britain-marxist-leninist/
has infiltrated the board of directors of the Historic Districts Council in New York
http://www.hdc.org/board.htm0 -
Joining the insomnia brigade as well. Wise article, but I think we all know there's only one answer to the question 'Will the Tories stop obsessing over Europe?'
The right wing are convinced it's the path to election victory, and Ed has smartly poured fuel on that fire this week. David Cameron has long lost control over his party here; I still think his referendum pledge was made out of weakness and he should have faced the critics down, as he's still unable to say what 'renegotiation' is about so the party unity will collapse into infighting when he's forced to reveal his hand.
With the uptick in LD figures this week and a tough defence of my council seat in May, the Tories are very welcome to keep going on about Europe as long as they like.0 -
I'd rather have Angela Merkel running the country than Nick & Dave. Or Ed.0
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Start of the first qualifying session of F1 2014.
Woohoo!0 -
Have you considered the possibility that "the right wing" think it's the right thing to do, rather than electoral posturing?tpfkar said:Joining the insomnia brigade as well. Wise article, but I think we all know there's only one answer to the question 'Will the Tories stop obsessing over Europe?'
The right wing are convinced it's the path to election victory, and Ed has smartly poured fuel on that fire this week. David Cameron has long lost control over his party here; I still think his referendum pledge was made out of weakness and he should have faced the critics down, as he's still unable to say what 'renegotiation' is about so the party unity will collapse into infighting when he's forced to reveal his hand.
With the uptick in LD figures this week and a tough defence of my council seat in May, the Tories are very welcome to keep going on about Europe as long as they like.0 -
David Herdson - "Trying to bully the electorate into something they don’t want by threatening to take away something else may well backfire spectacularly. It’s precisely why the Yes campaign in Scotland are so keen for No to lay out an alternative, to change the vote into one between two options, rather than for or against one (and why No will refuse)."
It is not that No "refuses" to say what a No vote means. It is that they cannot agree with each other on which alternative to put. That is hardly surprising when you look at the members of the No camp:
Labour
The Tories
Lib Dems
UKIP
BNP
George Galloway
The Orange Order
Scottish Defence League
GMB
... and within those groups (eg. SLab) there is a vast variety of views, from abolition of the Scottish Parliament at one end to extreme Devo Max at the other end of the spectrum.
It is thus totally impossible for them to say what a No vote would mean. Gordon Brown, Wee Dougie Alexander and the Lib Dems all wisely talk up Devo Max or Federalism ("wise" because it is the Devo Maxxers in the middle who are going to determine the outcome of the referendum, so both sides are trying to woo them.) But they are hindered by the large bampot wing who just cannot hide their glee at the prospect of smashing a sledgehammer into Scotland and her rebuilt civic institutions.
The interesting groups who will be as important in this referendum as they were in the long campaign to re-establish the Scottish Parliament are the churches and the trade union movement. We have yet to see much from religious groups, but it is becoming clear which way the wind is blowing within the trade union movement:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/scottish-independence-no-case-disappoints-stuc-1-33141140 -
Lord Myners - ex Labour minister - on the co-op:
"He said the company's most senior managers were left to waste billions of pounds on disastrous corporate transactions because the directors drawn from the Co-op movement were not qualified to keep them in check. "Few of them have any serious business experience and many are drawing material financial benefits from their positions."
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/mar/14/extent-co-op-shambles-laid-bare-by-lord-myners
Ironically little comment so far from Miliband, Balls, etc.0 -
@David and OGH passim
May be I'm not paying attention, but I haven't really seen any Tories "banging on about Europe" recently. I saw the PPB last night which was pretty ghood until a couple of smooth-faced wqallies with no idea of how to run a business came on at the end. I've seen some chat about Ukraine and plenty about the budget and economic case. There was a little about immigration previously but that has gone away.
Europe...nah, not so much.
I think it's one of those things like "welfare scroungers" (and for all you quote grabbers, I have this in quote marks, I am not using it in a perjorative sense, and nor am I a representative of the Tory Party). The Tories are regularly accused by their opponents of "demonising welfare recipients" and "banging on about Europe" but don't *actually* do it. It's just a straight partisan attack*
* Of course, I don't have David's exaulted position in the party, so it may be that the view is different from the dizzy heights of constituency chairman0 -
On March12, Brogan, in the Telegraph, said, "The Guardian explains that he has given in to pressure from Ed Balls, Andy Burnham and Jon Cruddas, who had been arguing for a referendum pledge. Others in the top ranks won't be so pleased, arguing that Labour's pro-EU credentials were hard won after the outism of the 70s and 80s. The FT reports that the idea behind the pledge is to promote EU reform without threatening to leave. "We want reform but you don't achieve that by holding a gun to your own head in front of your European partners," one Labour source tells the paper......
The more Lord Mandelson told Today that this was a sign of leadership and strength, the more it sounded like he was saying the opposite. I can't share his view that it's a game-changer for Ed, unless it tilts people away from him inside the party. Lord Mandelson is right that in the City and elsewhere the prospect of a referendum is beginning to look like an irresponsible threat that undermines Britain's ability to attract inward investment. He's certainly right that in Mr Cameron's case his referendum pledge hasn't silenced his rebels or shut down the Ukip threat. The point though surely is that those criticisms can now be applied with bells on to Mr Miliband, who can now be accused of taking risks, pandering to threats, trying to appease Ukip and yet doing it in a way that is half-hearted and weak."
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/benedictbrogan/100263341
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Some interesting quotes from Ed herefelix said:Lord Myners - ex Labour minister - on the co-op:
"He said the company's most senior managers were left to waste billions of pounds on disastrous corporate transactions because the directors drawn from the Co-op movement were not qualified to keep them in check. "Few of them have any serious business experience and many are drawing material financial benefits from their positions."
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/mar/14/extent-co-op-shambles-laid-bare-by-lord-myners
Ironically little comment so far from Miliband, Balls, etc.
http://www.party.coop/2012/07/09/ed-miliband-mp-sets-out-his-banking-reform-plans-at-the-co-operative-bank-hq/
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Lol, the looooong march through the institutions, eh? On a marginally more serious note, I once discovered that the voluntary head of a local conservation campaign whom all parties had worked with for a year was a BNP member (a dissident BNPer leaked the membership list). He'd never said anything racist to my knowledge. Should I continue to work with him, or draw attention to it in public and try to get him to step down, or just quietly stop contact?JohnLoony said:The devious Lefties are getting everywhere. I have discovered shocking photographic evidence which reveals that the Revolutionary New Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist) (which, incidentally, denounces even the CPGB(ML) as "Trotskyite" and "microscopic Chernenkite-Wałęsaist maggots")
http://rncpgbml.wordpress.com/2010/08/13/founding-conference-of-the-revolutionary-new-communist-party-of-great-britain-marxist-leninist/
has infiltrated the board of directors of the Historic Districts Council in New York
http://www.hdc.org/board.htm
After some thought I decided that it wasn't fair to pick on him in another context for his private views, and it was good that he'd taken up a non-racist interest. So I continued to work with him. Nobody else noticed, so far as I know, and he carried on peacefully trying to preserve buildings with my and other parties' help. Felt odd, but on balance right - otherwise you end up in the Berufsverbot position of trying to stop leftists from being postmen or train drivers.
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Presumably unless repealed the Act would remain on the statute books and would continue to bind Ministers, they are as much subject to the law as you or I. If they stated that no transfer had taken place when in fact it had, I imagine this could be challenged in the courts. To avoid this they would have to repeal or amend the Act, or maybe pass a new one which stated that a referendum would not occur in this particular instance.MyBurningEars said:Astute. And an interesting post-script. Something I am unclear about re Labour's plans, though, is by what means an "automagic" referendum would occur. Could a government simply state that a treaty does not involve a substantial transfer of power, so that the referendum clause does not apply? Would a post-Miliband administration be bound by such an Act? Presumably not, since parliaments traditionally can't bind their successors, though may be a costly a loss of political capital in the event of a repeal.
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I think you did the right thing. To punish people for their beliefs rather than actions is the beginning of thought crime.
Though it may be useful knowledge if he were to campaign against a mosque being built, but not against other developments.
I enjoyed Johns link to the splitters. It takes me back to my early days reading The Spartacist and Class War. are they still going?NickPalmer said:
Lol, the looooong march through the institutions, eh? On a marginally more serious note, I once discovered that the voluntary head of a local conservation campaign whom all parties had worked with for a year was a BNP member (a dissident BNPer leaked the membership list). He'd never said anything racist to my knowledge. Should I continue to work with him, or draw attention to it in public and try to get him to step down, or just quietly stop contact?JohnLoony said:The devious Lefties are getting everywhere. I have discovered shocking photographic evidence which reveals that the Revolutionary New Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist) (which, incidentally, denounces even the CPGB(ML) as "Trotskyite" and "microscopic Chernenkite-Wałęsaist maggots")
http://rncpgbml.wordpress.com/2010/08/13/founding-conference-of-the-revolutionary-new-communist-party-of-great-britain-marxist-leninist/
has infiltrated the board of directors of the Historic Districts Council in New York
http://www.hdc.org/board.htm
After some thought I decided that it wasn't fair to pick on him in another context for his private views, and it was good that he'd taken up a non-racist interest. So I continued to work with him. Nobody else noticed, so far as I know, and he carried on peacefully trying to preserve buildings with my and other parties' help. Felt odd, but on balance right - otherwise you end up in the Berufsverbot position of trying to stop leftists from being postmen or train drivers.0 -
I'm one Tory who is a) bored b) pro when it comes to talking about Europe - I however don't own any hush puppies.
I've started backing blue and laying red again just to annoy everyone re the odd Betfair prices... all wishful spending but hey, it's that or let Ed Balls take it off me if he gets in.0 -
"Few of them have any serious business experience and many are drawing material financial benefits from their positions."
Ironically little comment so far from Miliband, Balls, etc.
Sorry - are you referring to the co-op or the Labour leadership there as both obviously apply?0 -
It does seem as if Class War is still active: http://www.classwarparty.org.uk
I see that they haven't forgiven Tony Benn for supporting the capitalist class...
And the Spartacists remain loyal to the 4th International: http://www.icl-fi.org
:foxinsoxuk said:I think you did the right thing. To punish people for their beliefs rather than actions is the beginning of thought crime.
Though it may be useful knowledge if he were to campaign against a mosque being built, but not against other developments.
I enjoyed Johns link to the splitters. It takes me back to my early days reading The Spartacist and Class War. are they still going?NickPalmer said:
Lol, the looooong march through the institutions, eh? On a marginally more serious note, I once discovered that the voluntary head of a local conservation campaign whom all parties had worked with for a year was a BNP member (a dissident BNPer leaked the membership list). He'd never said anything racist to my knowledge. Should I continue to work with him, or draw attention to it in public and try to get him to step down, or just quietly stop contact?JohnLoony said:The devious Lefties are getting everywhere. I have discovered shocking photographic evidence which reveals that the Revolutionary New Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist) (which, incidentally, denounces even the CPGB(ML) as "Trotskyite" and "microscopic Chernenkite-Wałęsaist maggots")
http://rncpgbml.wordpress.com/2010/08/13/founding-conference-of-the-revolutionary-new-communist-party-of-great-britain-marxist-leninist/
has infiltrated the board of directors of the Historic Districts Council in New York
http://www.hdc.org/board.htm
After some thought I decided that it wasn't fair to pick on him in another context for his private views, and it was good that he'd taken up a non-racist interest. So I continued to work with him. Nobody else noticed, so far as I know, and he carried on peacefully trying to preserve buildings with my and other parties' help. Felt odd, but on balance right - otherwise you end up in the Berufsverbot position of trying to stop leftists from being postmen or train drivers.0 -
Well, in fairness you should also explain how the Co-op managed without business experience for all those years... you know as well as I do that there are plenty of examples of for-profit organisations getting it horribly wrong too. (Oh, I forgot, that's always the Unions' fault. Silly me. Capitalists all practice the imitatio Christi.)Scrapheap_as_was said:"Few of them have any serious business experience and many are drawing material financial benefits from their positions."
Ironically little comment so far from Miliband, Balls, etc.
Sorry - are you referring to the co-op or the Labour leadership there as both obviously apply?
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Good morning all and on thread, from June onwards, many Tory MPs will focus on their survival next year, especially if we remain close to or see crossover in the polls. Sadly there are a small number of rabid eurosceptics who weigh their majorities and can continue to fixate on Europe because they just need to turn up around 2-3am on the Friday morning after polling and smile politely as they make their 4/5 yearly acceptance speech on re-election.
What frankly will be more important will be if the euro hype built up by the media around UKIP bursts because of lack of interest post Euros or indeed because Nigel Farage simply fails to deliver.0 -
In fairness I expect Miliband to condemn the Coop as he does the other banks - you are the hypocrite here.Innocent_Abroad said:
Well, in fairness you should also explain how the Co-op managed without business experience for all those years... you know as well as I do that there are plenty of examples of for-profit organisations getting it horribly wrong too. (Oh, I forgot, that's always the Unions' fault. Silly me. Capitalists all practice the imitatio Christi.)Scrapheap_as_was said:"Few of them have any serious business experience and many are drawing material financial benefits from their positions."
Ironically little comment so far from Miliband, Balls, etc.
Sorry - are you referring to the co-op or the Labour leadership there as both obviously apply?0 -
Why am I the hypocrite because Ed Miliband does or does not do something?felix said:
In fairness I expect Miliband to condemn the Coop as he does the other banks - you are the hypocrite here.Innocent_Abroad said:
Well, in fairness you should also explain how the Co-op managed without business experience for all those years... you know as well as I do that there are plenty of examples of for-profit organisations getting it horribly wrong too. (Oh, I forgot, that's always the Unions' fault. Silly me. Capitalists all practice the imitatio Christi.)Scrapheap_as_was said:"Few of them have any serious business experience and many are drawing material financial benefits from their positions."
Ironically little comment so far from Miliband, Balls, etc.
Sorry - are you referring to the co-op or the Labour leadership there as both obviously apply?
More than one of us might get personal. but that's not what this forum is for.
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How can Milibland condemn the Coop when the Coop gives the Labour Party a huge overdraft on easy terms, pays for dozens of Labour MPs and subsidises Ed Balls lifestyle?
I too was YouGov'd about the Coop and made the point it should stop funding the Labour Party until it has got its accounts back in order.0 -
Correct , Stuart, the following from Alan Bisset is exactly what will happen in the event of a NO vote and more and more people realise that, hence the move to YESStuart_Dickson said:David Herdson - "Trying to bully the electorate into something they don’t want by threatening to take away something else may well backfire spectacularly. It’s precisely why the Yes campaign in Scotland are so keen for No to lay out an alternative, to change the vote into one between two options, rather than for or against one (and why No will refuse)."
The interesting groups who will be as important in this referendum as they were in the long campaign to re-establish the Scottish Parliament are the churches and the trade union movement. We have yet to see much from religious groups, but it is becoming clear which way the wind is blowing within the trade union movement:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/top-stories/scottish-independence-no-case-disappoints-stuc-1-3314114
they have well and truly kicked off first point and their puppets are reporting according to plan
Labour/Westminster are working together and have their campaign to cheat the Scottish people (again) all worked out. In 8 easy steps they will -
1. Before the vote they will start talking about enhanced devolution – even though devo max isn’t on the ballot paper. The MSM will report this ‘talk’ as a genuine offer.
If it’s a No vote they will then –
2. ‘Allow’ Scotland more taxation powers.
3. Scrap the Barnett – formula leaving Scotland with a 4-7 billion black hole in it’s finances.
3. Ask why Scottish ministers are allowed to vote on English matters, because they already gave us our enhanced devo, then redress that.
4. Scotland is now less powerful at Westminster, has less money to spend but will have been ‘given’ more powers to increase taxation.
5. In 2016 to fill that 4-7 billion pound black hole in Scotland’s finances the Scottish govt will have to either, raise taxes or cut public services, making them extremely unpopular.
6. They’ve now lost the referendum, had to increase taxes or cut services, proving to the media they’re the same as Westminster. They become untenable as a vote.
7. So, Labour sets Scotland up to fail, and then occupy the ruins.
And…..
8. The Tories have written Scotland off because they now have no power and get the bonus of ejecting Scottish MPs from Westminster.
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Difference is we could not bail out anything , Germany can and not even notice it. Blind faith in Nick & Dave touchingTGOHF said:
We would shut down all nuclear power just in case there was a tsunami ?Pong said:I'd rather have Angela Merkel running the country than Nick & Dave. Or Ed.
And spend billions bailing out the PIIGS ?
Nein danke...0 -
The Co-op governance structure only changed about 15 years ago to move to "democratic" control and away from leadership by non-executives appointed by the industrial societies. Over the last 5 years or so there has been a gathering momementum of bad decisions being made, an inability to control and question the executive, and an emphasis on highly risky M&A transactions where the Board didn't really understand what they were getting into. At the same time the core businesses were woefully undermanaged.Innocent_Abroad said:
Well, in fairness you should also explain how the Co-op managed without business experience for all those years... you know as well as I do that there are plenty of examples of for-profit organisations getting it horribly wrong too. (Oh, I forgot, that's always the Unions' fault. Silly me. Capitalists all practice the imitatio Christi.)Scrapheap_as_was said:"Few of them have any serious business experience and many are drawing material financial benefits from their positions."
Ironically little comment so far from Miliband, Balls, etc.
Sorry - are you referring to the co-op or the Labour leadership there as both obviously apply?
NB: these views are based on actually having read Myners interim report and knowing some of the players0 -
I don't know any of the players, but I skimmed the report yesterday when it was released. It is truly excoriating. Things need to change, and fast.Charles said:
The Co-op governance structure only changed about 15 years ago to move to "democratic" control and away from leadership by non-executives appointed by the industrial societies. Over the last 5 years or so there has been a gathering momementum of bad decisions being made, an inability to control and question the executive, and an emphasis on highly risky M&A transactions where the Board didn't really understand what they were getting into. At the same time the core businesses were woefully undermanaged.Innocent_Abroad said:
Well, in fairness you should also explain how the Co-op managed without business experience for all those years... you know as well as I do that there are plenty of examples of for-profit organisations getting it horribly wrong too. (Oh, I forgot, that's always the Unions' fault. Silly me. Capitalists all practice the imitatio Christi.)Scrapheap_as_was said:"Few of them have any serious business experience and many are drawing material financial benefits from their positions."
Ironically little comment so far from Miliband, Balls, etc.
Sorry - are you referring to the co-op or the Labour leadership there as both obviously apply?
NB: these views are based on actually having read Myners interim report and knowing some of the players
Anyway, enough from me. The sea calls, and I cannot resist ...0 -
As someone sad enough to watch the Flowers appearance before the TSC, his claimed achievement of having got the first woman appointed to the board tells you everything about the mindset....0
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Innocent_Abroad said:
Why am I the hypocrite because Ed Miliband does or does not do something?felix said:
In fairness I expect Miliband to condemn the Coop as he does the other banks - you are the hypocrite here.Innocent_Abroad said:
Well, in fairness you should also explain how the Co-op managed without business experience for all those years... you know as well as I do that there are plenty of examples of for-profit organisations getting it horribly wrong too. (Oh, I forgot, that's always the Unions' fault. Silly me. Capitalists all practice the imitatio Christi.)Scrapheap_as_was said:"Few of them have any serious business experience and many are drawing material financial benefits from their positions."
Ironically little comment so far from Miliband, Balls, etc.
Sorry - are you referring to the co-op or the Labour leadership there as both obviously apply?
More than one of us might get personal. but that's not what this forum is for.
Do you agree that Miliband should condemn the Coop for its actions as he's condemned other banks?0 -
And…..
8. The Tories have written Scotland off because they now have no power and get the bonus of ejecting Scottish MPs from Westminster.
Malcolm why do you persist in writing such shite about the Tory party. Get it clear in your head. In 2010 for every 6 people who voted SNP 5 voted Tory. That was 412,000 Scots Tory voters. Hundreds of Scots Tories will be debating important issues today at the Scottish Tory conference in Edinburgh.
If YES doesn't win in September it will be because Eck and the YESNP failed not because the pro union parties cheated the Scots.
The Scots voters are capable of making up their own minds. If they want independence they will vote for it. If they don't, they wont. I would prefer not to live in a country which is not a member of the EU, NATO, has to establish its own currency but that is me. If my fellow Scots want that, I wont bad mouth them for doing so and will do my best to make an independent Scotland a success. I wont carp in the background because my arguments failed!0 -
Just to note, I no longer occupy the exalted heights of a constituency chairman. I stood down about a year ago as I was in the process of moving house (and, more relevantly in that context, constituency). I am now just a humble party member in the Wakefield and District Federation. People do keep asking me to take on office but so far I've managed to avoid it.Charles said:@David and OGH passim
May be I'm not paying attention, but I haven't really seen any Tories "banging on about Europe" recently. I saw the PPB last night which was pretty ghood until a couple of smooth-faced wqallies with no idea of how to run a business came on at the end. I've seen some chat about Ukraine and plenty about the budget and economic case. There was a little about immigration previously but that has gone away.
Europe...nah, not so much.
I think it's one of those things like "welfare scroungers" (and for all you quote grabbers, I have this in quote marks, I am not using it in a perjorative sense, and nor am I a representative of the Tory Party). The Tories are regularly accused by their opponents of "demonising welfare recipients" and "banging on about Europe" but don't *actually* do it. It's just a straight partisan attack*
* Of course, I don't have David's exaulted position in the party, so it may be that the view is different from the dizzy heights of constituency chairman0 -
felix said:
If you mean, do I think that senior bankers at the Co-op Bank should pay themselves bonuses, then no, I don't, given the Bank's performance. On the other hand, it does seem to be industry standard behaviour. (I don't bank with them.)Innocent_Abroad said:
Why am I the hypocrite because Ed Miliband does or does not do something?felix said:
In fairness I expect Miliband to condemn the Coop as he does the other banks - you are the hypocrite here.Innocent_Abroad said:
Well, in fairness you should also explain how the Co-op managed without business experience for all those years... you know as well as I do that there are plenty of examples of for-profit organisations getting it horribly wrong too. (Oh, I forgot, that's always the Unions' fault. Silly me. Capitalists all practice the imitatio Christi.)Scrapheap_as_was said:"Few of them have any serious business experience and many are drawing material financial benefits from their positions."
Ironically little comment so far from Miliband, Balls, etc.
Sorry - are you referring to the co-op or the Labour leadership there as both obviously apply?
More than one of us might get personal. but that's not what this forum is for.
Do you agree that Miliband should condemn the Coop for its actions as he's condemned other banks?
I repeat my question, nevertheless: why am I the hypocrite because Ed Miliband does or does not do something?0 -
Malcolm why do you persist in writing such shite about the Tory party. Get it clear in your head. In 2010 for every 6 people who voted SNP 5 voted Tory. That was 412,000 Scots Tory voters. Hundreds of Scots Tories will be debating important issues today at the Scottish Tory conference in Edinburgh.Easterross said:
And…..
8. The Tories have written Scotland off because they now have no power and get the bonus of ejecting Scottish MPs from Westminster.
If YES doesn't win in September it will be because Eck and the YESNP failed not because the pro union parties cheated the Scots.
The Scots voters are capable of making up their own minds. If they want independence they will vote for it. If they don't, they wont. I would prefer not to live in a country which is not a member of the EU, NATO, has to establish its own currency but that is me. If my fellow Scots want that, I wont bad mouth them for doing so and will do my best to make an independent Scotland a success. I wont carp in the background because my arguments failed!
Easterross, I persist due to listening to the Tory party in Scotland and the shite they spout about how we are stupid and need London to make all our decisions for us. You had your chance to clean the stables out last year but chose to put a numpty puppet in charge of the same old duffers who could not run a bath. Until the Tories in Scotland grow a backbone and stop putting London puppets in charge of the regional party then you will continue to have no MP's and rely on list to get a handful of Holyrood MSP's. It will be a continual contest between Tories and Lib Dems to not be last in every election.
With regard to edinburgh they will just be blethering , they have no power and no influence to do anything and will do exactly as London tell tell them what to do , mixed with a few pats on the head and platitudes.
There is NO Scottish Tory party, it is just a puppet regional department of London.
ps. nothing personal re your good self and I can understand your frustration, much better to help get independence and then you can work for a real conservative party.0 -
Malcolm why do you persist in writing such shite about the Tory party. Get it clear in your head. In 2010 for every 6 people who voted SNP 5 voted Tory. That was 412,000 Scots Tory voters. Hundreds of Scots Tories will be debating important issues today at the Scottish Tory conference in Edinburgh.Easterross said:
And…..
8. The Tories have written Scotland off because they now have no power and get the bonus of ejecting Scottish MPs from Westminster.
If YES doesn't win in September it will be because Eck and the YESNP failed not because the pro union parties cheated the Scots.
The Scots voters are capable of making up their own minds. If they want independence they will vote for it. If they don't, they wont. I would prefer not to live in a country which is not a member of the EU, NATO, has to establish its own currency but that is me. If my fellow Scots want that, I wont bad mouth them for doing so and will do my best to make an independent Scotland a success. I wont carp in the background because my arguments failed!
[edit: my bit begins here]
As I pointed out yesterday (you may have missed it) you're using the distorted FPTP voting figures for the UK General Eelection where Scots vote disproportionately and tactically for Labour and LD to keep the Tories out of the UK Parliament. A better comparison is the Scottish Parliament where the Tories are a minority party fighting over 3rd/4th place with the LDs - though, as I have also said in the past, still with a rather stronger representation than the distorting effect of Westminster voting patterns implies (otter rather than panda territory, in reality). What is so interesting about the Survation and pother recent polls is the increase in UK GE voting intention for the SNP - still early days and still ;bobbing up and down but at times around the 5 percentage points over Labour to win a majority under FPTP. I would be very worried if I were Scottish Labour.
0 -
Indeed. All businesses (and for that matter, other organisations), can take bad decisions. They're less likely to do so if there are effective checks and balances on the decision-making process. The Co-Op's structure is particularly weak in preventing either executive empire-building or special-interest capture and to an extent, encourages both as a quid-pro-quo between the two camps.Charles said:
The Co-op governance structure only changed about 15 years ago to move to "democratic" control and away from leadership by non-executives appointed by the industrial societies. Over the last 5 years or so there has been a gathering momementum of bad decisions being made, an inability to control and question the executive, and an emphasis on highly risky M&A transactions where the Board didn't really understand what they were getting into. At the same time the core businesses were woefully undermanaged.Innocent_Abroad said:
Well, in fairness you should also explain how the Co-op managed without business experience for all those years... you know as well as I do that there are plenty of examples of for-profit organisations getting it horribly wrong too. (Oh, I forgot, that's always the Unions' fault. Silly me. Capitalists all practice the imitatio Christi.)Scrapheap_as_was said:"Few of them have any serious business experience and many are drawing material financial benefits from their positions."
Ironically little comment so far from Miliband, Balls, etc.
Sorry - are you referring to the co-op or the Labour leadership there as both obviously apply?
NB: these views are based on actually having read Myners interim report and knowing some of the players0 -
[edit: my bit begins here]Carnyx said:
Malcolm why do you persist in writing such shite about the Tory party. Get it clear in your head. In 2010 for every 6 people who voted SNP 5 voted Tory. That was 412,000 Scots Tory voters. Hundreds of Scots Tories will be debating important issues today at the Scottish Tory conference in Edinburgh.Easterross said:
And…..
8. The Tories have written Scotland off because they now have no power and get the bonus of ejecting Scottish MPs from Westminster.
If YES doesn't win in September it will be because Eck and the YESNP failed not because the pro union parties cheated the Scots.
The Scots voters are capable of making up their own minds. If they want independence they will vote for it. If they don't, they wont. I would prefer not to live in a country which is not a member of the EU, NATO, has to establish its own currency but that is me. If my fellow Scots want that, I wont bad mouth them for doing so and will do my best to make an independent Scotland a success. I wont carp in the background because my arguments failed!
As I pointed out yesterday (you may have missed it) you're using the distorted FPTP voting figures for the UK General Eelection where Scots vote disproportionately and tactically for Labour and LD to keep the Tories out of the UK Parliament. A better comparison is the Scottish Parliament where the Tories are a minority party fighting over 3rd/4th place with the LDs - though, as I have also said in the past, still with a rather stronger representation than the distorting effect of Westminster voting patterns implies (otter rather than panda territory, in reality). What is so interesting about the Survation and pother recent polls is the increase in UK GE voting intention for the SNP - still early days and still ;bobbing up and down but at times around the 5 percentage points over Labour to win a majority under FPTP. I would be very worried if I were Scottish Labour.
Carnyx, I agree , the natives are restless and change is in the air. Labour are heading for trouble. In recent survation poll Labour voters trusted Cameron more than Lamont , how bad can that be in Scotland.0 -
Carnyx, I agree , the natives are restless and change is in the air. Labour are heading for trouble. In recent survation poll Labour voters trusted Cameron more than Lamont , how bad can that be in Scotland.malcolmg said:
[edit: my bit begins here]Carnyx said:
Malcolm why do you persist in writing such shite about the Tory party. Get it clear in your head. In 2010 for every 6 people who voted SNP 5 voted Tory. That was 412,000 Scots Tory voters. Hundreds of Scots Tories will be debating important issues today at the Scottish Tory conference in Edinburgh.Easterross said:
And…..
8. The Tories have written Scotland off because they now have no power and get the bonus of ejecting Scottish MPs from Westminster.
If YES doesn't win in September it will be because Eck and the YESNP failed not because the pro union parties cheated the Scots.
The Scots voters are capable of making up their own minds. If they want independence they will vote for it. If they don't, they wont. I would prefer not to live in a country which is not a member of the EU, NATO, has to establish its own currency but that is me. If my fellow Scots want that, I wont bad mouth them for doing so and will do my best to make an independent Scotland a success. I wont carp in the background because my arguments failed!
As I pointed out yesterday (you may have missed it) you're using the distorted FPTP voting figures for the UK General Eelection where Scots vote disproportionately and tactically for Labour and LD to keep the Tories out of the UK Parliament. A better comparison is the Scottish Parliament where the Tories are a minority party fighting over 3rd/4th place with the LDs - though, as I have also said in the past, still with a rather stronger representation than the distorting effect of Westminster voting patterns implies (otter rather than panda territory, in reality). What is so interesting about the Survation and pother recent polls is the increase in UK GE voting intention for the SNP - still early days and still ;bobbing up and down but at times around the 5 percentage points over Labour to win a majority under FPTP. I would be very worried if I were Scottish Labour.
To be fair given how relatively many people don't know who she is IIRC from a survey last year, the figures are probably not that different in reality (unless they corrected for that) - but it is still pretty startling.
0 -
malcolmg said:
Difference is we could not bail out anything , Germany can and not even notice it. Blind faith in Nick & Dave touchingTGOHF said:
We would shut down all nuclear power just in case there was a tsunami ?Pong said:I'd rather have Angela Merkel running the country than Nick & Dave. Or Ed.
And spend billions bailing out the PIIGS ?
Nein danke...
Och wee Malky - one doesn't rise to your obvious bait. I have noticed a shift from talk of the Sindy ref to talk of the post No win "reckoning" and how the SNP will benefit - speaks volumes.
0 -
The sad truth is that some tories will just never stop talking about Europe because they have no sense of proportion or of the mood of the electorate. This is a serious political drawback for the tories but it is containable as long as the contagion does not infect the more senior members of the cabinet.
Cameron has been fairly disciplined in this respect but has been dragged in from time to time. He will need to be even more disciplined after May. The tories just might gain one or two percent banging on about Europe. They will lose 5-10 and any chance of a victory.0 -
Still ever hopeful of a UKIP bust, decline or disappearance, @Easterross?Easterross said:Good morning all and on thread, from June onwards, many Tory MPs will focus on their survival next year, especially if we remain close to or see crossover in the polls. Sadly there are a small number of rabid eurosceptics who weigh their majorities and can continue to fixate on Europe because they just need to turn up around 2-3am on the Friday morning after polling and smile politely as they make their 4/5 yearly acceptance speech on re-election.
What frankly will be more important will be if the euro hype built up by the media around UKIP bursts because of lack of interest post Euros or indeed because Nigel Farage simply fails to deliver.
If Nigel Farage, resigned the leadership or, god forbid, died tomorrow, UKIP would still go on. It's time has come, as, up to as many as 25% of the electorate, now see through the Lab/Lib/Con, con on the British people. As time goes on more and more people will see through the merry-go-round that modern politics has become. UKIP will have it's up's and down's but the die is cast.0 -
[edit: my bit begins here]Carnyx said:
Malcolm why do you persist in writing such shite about the Tory party. Get it clear in your head. In 2010 for every 6 people who voted SNP 5 voted Tory. That was 412,000 Scots Tory voters. Hundreds of Scots Tories will be debating important issues today at the Scottish Tory conference in Edinburgh.Easterross said:
And…..
8. The Tories have written Scotland off because they now have no power and get the bonus of ejecting Scottish MPs from Westminster.
If YES doesn't win in September it will be because Eck and the YESNP failed not because the pro union parties cheated the Scots.
The Scots voters are capable of making up their own minds. If they want independence they will vote for it. If they don't, they wont. I would prefer not to live in a country which is not a member of the EU, NATO, has to establish its own currency but that is me. If my fellow Scots want that, I wont bad mouth them for doing so and will do my best to make an independent Scotland a success. I wont carp in the background because my arguments failed!
As I pointed out yesterday (you may have missed it) you're using the distorted FPTP voting figures for the UK General Eelection where Scots vote disproportionately and tactically for Labour and LD to keep the Tories out of the UK Parliament. A better comparison is the Scottish Parliament where the Tories are a minority party fighting over 3rd/4th place with the LDs - though, as I have also said in the past, still with a rather stronger representation than the distorting effect of Westminster voting patterns implies (otter rather than panda territory, in reality). What is so interesting about the Survation and pother recent polls is the increase in UK GE voting intention for the SNP - still early days and still ;bobbing up and down but at times around the 5 percentage points over Labour to win a majority under FPTP. I would be very worried if I were Scottish Labour.
Go back to 2009 and look at the Scottish Westminster VI polls From April 2008 to May 2009 there were 11 polls with SNP VI between 27 and 43% average was 32% . Not a good predictor for the 2010 actual results were they ?
0 -
This is my one day of the year when I support Scotland, the day when they play Wales. Though they were much improved against France, and Wales were pretty poor at Twickenham, I'm not exactly brimming with confidence but couldn't resist a small wager at 10.5/1 on Betfair.0
-
Hundreds?Easterross said:
Hundreds of Scots Tories will be debating important issues today at the Scottish Tory conference in Edinburgh.
Tom Gordon @ScottishPol 30 mins
Auditorium at Scottish Tory conf has shrunk overnight. Hi tech screens. Obviously expecting a small crowd today
Tom Gordon @ScottishPol 7 mins
Chair tells conf Philip Hammond delayed from airport so wee break, but Tory staff being ordered to find more people to fill seats
Tom Gordon @ScottishPol 6 mins
"We need more people in, we need more people in" - Scottish Tory conf organiser overheard talking to staff before Philip Hammond comes on
Andrew Redmond Barr @AndrewRBarr 14 hrs
It's been said already, but worth repeating: a Yes lecture by Tariq Ali drew larger crowds today than P.M.'s speech in Edinburgh. #IndyRef0 -
Totally off Thread but want to tap into the vast PB experience.
A few years ago, I met at a conference some of the top staff at UCLA, had some very interesting conversations and exchanged cards etc.
Last night had a phone call from UCLA and a confirmatory email asking me to be a visiting Prof (sic) for a year - or more if I can - on the subject of International Relations with especially reference to Trade, JVs, etc.
The terms offered are huge and include own residence with private garden pool etc - also would I be 'warden' of a small women's hall, full of women students indulged by over-rich parents.
The challenge is almost irresistible but I know nothing about UCLA - know Harvard and MIT quite well.
Also know little of LA, was a guest at Hollywood for a few weeks some years ago but that is an unreal picture.
Does any PBer have experience of UCLA?0 -
There will be no benefit to Scotland of a NO vote , it will be a disaster. Scotland's only hope of a decent future is a YES vote. I care not a jot about the SNP it is the YES vote that is my interest. After that we will hopefully have more than a couple of Scottish political parties and will see new equivalents of the shells of former Labour , Tory and Lib Dumb parties.TGOHF said:malcolmg said:
Difference is we could not bail out anything , Germany can and not even notice it. Blind faith in Nick & Dave touchingTGOHF said:
We would shut down all nuclear power just in case there was a tsunami ?Pong said:I'd rather have Angela Merkel running the country than Nick & Dave. Or Ed.
And spend billions bailing out the PIIGS ?
Nein danke...
Och wee Malky - one doesn't rise to your obvious bait. I have noticed a shift from talk of the Sindy ref to talk of the post No win "reckoning" and how the SNP will benefit - speaks volumes.
Then we will have a choice other than just SNP as at present0 -
He was on GMS, great interview on how YES will be great for Scotland and England, force them to get off their arses and challenge LondonTheuniondivvie said:
Hundreds?Easterross said:
Hundreds of Scots Tories will be debating important issues today at the Scottish Tory conference in Edinburgh.
Tom Gordon @ScottishPol 30 mins
Auditorium at Scottish Tory conf has shrunk overnight. Hi tech screens. Obviously expecting a small crowd today
Tom Gordon @ScottishPol 7 mins
Chair tells conf Philip Hammond delayed from airport so wee break, but Tory staff being ordered to find more people to fill seats
Tom Gordon @ScottishPol 6 mins
"We need more people in, we need more people in" - Scottish Tory conf organiser overheard talking to staff before Philip Hammond comes on
Andrew Redmond Barr @AndrewRBarr 14 hrs
It's been said already, but worth repeating: a Yes lecture by Tariq Ali drew larger crowds today than P.M.'s speech in Edinburgh. #IndyRef
ps will be even bigger challenge for BBC to hide the tumbleweed today0 -
How much did they ask you to to deposit in a foreign bank account. Obviously a new Nigerian scam for delusionists.Financier said:Totally off Thread but want to tap into the vast PB experience.
A few years ago, I met at a conference some of the top staff at UCLA, had some very interesting conversations and exchanged cards etc.
Last night had a phone call from UCLA and a confirmatory email asking me to be a visiting Prof (sic) for a year - or more if I can - on the subject of International Relations with especially reference to Trade, JVs, etc.
The terms offered are huge and include own residence with private garden pool etc - also would I be 'warden' of a small women's hall, full of women students indulged by over-rich parents.
The challenge is almost irresistible but I know nothing about UCLA - know Harvard and MIT quite well.
Also know little of LA, was a guest at Hollywood for a few weeks some years ago but that is an unreal picture.
Does any PBer have experience of UCLA?0 -
Macolm, it is a pity you are so small-minded - must be something to do with being a Scot Nat.malcolmg said:
How much did they ask you to to deposit in a foreign bank account. Obviously a new Nigerian scam for delusionists.Financier said:Totally off Thread but want to tap into the vast PB experience.
A few years ago, I met at a conference some of the top staff at UCLA, had some very interesting conversations and exchanged cards etc.
Last night had a phone call from UCLA and a confirmatory email asking me to be a visiting Prof (sic) for a year - or more if I can - on the subject of International Relations with especially reference to Trade, JVs, etc.
The terms offered are huge and include own residence with private garden pool etc - also would I be 'warden' of a small women's hall, full of women students indulged by over-rich parents.
The challenge is almost irresistible but I know nothing about UCLA - know Harvard and MIT quite well.
Also know little of LA, was a guest at Hollywood for a few weeks some years ago but that is an unreal picture.
Does any PBer have experience of UCLA?
Of course I made the relevant phone calls to check up.0 -
Of course the Conservatives won't shut up about the EU. If David Cameron is very lucky, they might dial it down for a few months before the election, but it's improbable. He might consider a straitjacket and a gag for some of the more obsessive MPs though.0
-
People only seem "obsessed" with the EU if they talk about it in the abstract. What they need to do is connect specific parts of the EU with the bread and butter impact it has. Unlimited immigration means increased competition for low skilled Brits. The Common Agricultural Policy means higher food costs. The structural policy means taking taxpayer funds to subsidise corrupt states like Italy and Bulgaria when it could be spent on schools and hospitals. The requirement to be part of the ECHR means letting prisoners out on the streets to commit more crimes early. The trade barriers stop small businesses from having free trade with the USA, Canada and elsewhere. Etc.0
-
You take yourself so seriously that you fail to see humour in anything. Climb off that high horse now and again and stop admiring yourself in the mirror , smell the roses.Financier said:
Macolm, it is a pity you are so small-minded - must be something to do with being a Scot Nat.malcolmg said:
How much did they ask you to to deposit in a foreign bank account. Obviously a new Nigerian scam for delusionists.Financier said:Totally off Thread but want to tap into the vast PB experience.
A few years ago, I met at a conference some of the top staff at UCLA, had some very interesting conversations and exchanged cards etc.
Last night had a phone call from UCLA and a confirmatory email asking me to be a visiting Prof (sic) for a year - or more if I can - on the subject of International Relations with especially reference to Trade, JVs, etc.
The terms offered are huge and include own residence with private garden pool etc - also would I be 'warden' of a small women's hall, full of women students indulged by over-rich parents.
The challenge is almost irresistible but I know nothing about UCLA - know Harvard and MIT quite well.
Also know little of LA, was a guest at Hollywood for a few weeks some years ago but that is an unreal picture.
Does any PBer have experience of UCLA?
Of course I made the relevant phone calls to check up.0 -
And was it a genuine offer? If so, sounds to be an almost life-changing opportunity.Financier said:
Macolm, it is a pity you are so small-minded - must be something to do with being a Scot Nat.malcolmg said:
How much did they ask you to to deposit in a foreign bank account. Obviously a new Nigerian scam for delusionists.Financier said:Totally off Thread but want to tap into the vast PB experience.
A few years ago, I met at a conference some of the top staff at UCLA, had some very interesting conversations and exchanged cards etc.
Last night had a phone call from UCLA and a confirmatory email asking me to be a visiting Prof (sic) for a year - or more if I can - on the subject of International Relations with especially reference to Trade, JVs, etc.
The terms offered are huge and include own residence with private garden pool etc - also would I be 'warden' of a small women's hall, full of women students indulged by over-rich parents.
The challenge is almost irresistible but I know nothing about UCLA - know Harvard and MIT quite well.
Also know little of LA, was a guest at Hollywood for a few weeks some years ago but that is an unreal picture.
Does any PBer have experience of UCLA?
Of course I made the relevant phone calls to check up.
0 -
In Australia, state elections in Labor-held Tasmania and South Australia have taken place and results are coming through this morning. Tasmania has gone to the Coalition after a long period of ALP rule, but South Australia is too close to call and the ALP could hold on against predictions in a hung parliament.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/
0 -
A great article about the apologists for Russia in the West:
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/03/pathetic-lives-of-putins-american-dupes.html0 -
Yes, totally genuine, but I have turned down previous offers from other universities. Not sure if I want to tie up that time with one institution.OldKingCole said:
And was it a genuine offer? If so, sounds to be an almost life-changing opportunity.Financier said:
Macolm, it is a pity you are so small-minded - must be something to do with being a Scot Nat.malcolmg said:
How much did they ask you to to deposit in a foreign bank account. Obviously a new Nigerian scam for delusionists.Financier said:Totally off Thread but want to tap into the vast PB experience.
A few years ago, I met at a conference some of the top staff at UCLA, had some very interesting conversations and exchanged cards etc.
Last night had a phone call from UCLA and a confirmatory email asking me to be a visiting Prof (sic) for a year - or more if I can - on the subject of International Relations with especially reference to Trade, JVs, etc.
The terms offered are huge and include own residence with private garden pool etc - also would I be 'warden' of a small women's hall, full of women students indulged by over-rich parents.
The challenge is almost irresistible but I know nothing about UCLA - know Harvard and MIT quite well.
Also know little of LA, was a guest at Hollywood for a few weeks some years ago but that is an unreal picture.
Does any PBer have experience of UCLA?
Of course I made the relevant phone calls to check up.0 -
LOLFinancier said:
Yes, totally genuine, but I have turned down previous offers from other universities. Not sure if I want to tie up that time with one institution.OldKingCole said:
And was it a genuine offer? If so, sounds to be an almost life-changing opportunity.Financier said:
Macolm, it is a pity you are so small-minded - must be something to do with being a Scot Nat.malcolmg said:
How much did they ask you to to deposit in a foreign bank account. Obviously a new Nigerian scam for delusionists.Financier said:Totally off Thread but want to tap into the vast PB experience.
A few years ago, I met at a conference some of the top staff at UCLA, had some very interesting conversations and exchanged cards etc.
Last night had a phone call from UCLA and a confirmatory email asking me to be a visiting Prof (sic) for a year - or more if I can - on the subject of International Relations with especially reference to Trade, JVs, etc.
The terms offered are huge and include own residence with private garden pool etc - also would I be 'warden' of a small women's hall, full of women students indulged by over-rich parents.
The challenge is almost irresistible but I know nothing about UCLA - know Harvard and MIT quite well.
Also know little of LA, was a guest at Hollywood for a few weeks some years ago but that is an unreal picture.
Does any PBer have experience of UCLA?
Of course I made the relevant phone calls to check up.0 -
Much of this is simply because of the devo a bit more option suddenly being on the table, and this question inherently involves the differing implementations by the various parties likely to lead in the Scottish Pmt - and as this is currently the SNP, and probably also the SNP after the next Scottish election (and we don't have a clue what Labour in Scotland want to do), there's not much option.TGOHF said:malcolmg said:
Difference is we could not bail out anything , Germany can and not even notice it. Blind faith in Nick & Dave touchingTGOHF said:
We would shut down all nuclear power just in case there was a tsunami ?Pong said:I'd rather have Angela Merkel running the country than Nick & Dave. Or Ed.
And spend billions bailing out the PIIGS ?
Nein danke...
Och wee Malky - one doesn't rise to your obvious bait. I have noticed a shift from talk of the Sindy ref to talk of the post No win "reckoning" and how the SNP will benefit - speaks volumes.
In all honesty, I think it's also partly that we've exhausted the "Will it be Yes?", and "What happens between Yes and Indy Day?" and are moving on to other permutations of the events tree.
But I'll tell you something that really did surprise me this morning, and also balances your perception. Ruth Lamont, leader of the Scottish Tories, actually said up front that she'd hope to lead the Scottish Tories in an independent Scotland. And that is at the time of the current Tory conference!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-26577851
0 -
"10.40 According to the BBC's Myanmar correspondent Jonah Fisher, Malaysia is briefing journalists that officials there think the plane is most likely on the China/Kyrgyzstan border - not attributed.
11.37 If the area border areas of China and Central Asia are indeed where MH370 has gone - as is the most likely scenario according reported briefings by unnamed Malaysian officials - attention will naturally turn to western China’s Muslim Uighur ethnic minority.
Uighurs were allegedly responsible for an attack in the south-western city of Kunming on March 1 that left 29 people dead and injured about 140 others."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/malaysia/10687223/Malaysia-Airlines-MH370-plane-crash-live.html0 -
I've had a bunch of conversations with the folks at UCLA Medical/Ronald Reagan Memorial Hospital in the context of helping them globalise their Operation Mend programme (which is absolutely fantastic).Financier said:Totally off Thread but want to tap into the vast PB experience.
A few years ago, I met at a conference some of the top staff at UCLA, had some very interesting conversations and exchanged cards etc.
Last night had a phone call from UCLA and a confirmatory email asking me to be a visiting Prof (sic) for a year - or more if I can - on the subject of International Relations with especially reference to Trade, JVs, etc.
The terms offered are huge and include own residence with private garden pool etc - also would I be 'warden' of a small women's hall, full of women students indulged by over-rich parents.
The challenge is almost irresistible but I know nothing about UCLA - know Harvard and MIT quite well.
Also know little of LA, was a guest at Hollywood for a few weeks some years ago but that is an unreal picture.
Does any PBer have experience of UCLA?
They are very serious people & it's a fast up and coming school - probably #3 on the West coast after Stanford and Berkeley & has a very good MBA programme as well.
If you do take it, let me know & we'll see if we can drag you down to Laguna one day for lunch0 -
Carnyx, you have one point very wrong, there is NOTHING extra on the table, some weasely words , if , maybe , could be , etc. Nothing whatsoever is on the table and all these vague murmurings will vanish like snow off a dyke if we are stupid enough to trust the likes of Cameron and vote NO.Carnyx said:
Much of this is simply because of the devo a bit more option suddenly being on the table, and this question inherently involves the differing implementations by the various parties likely to lead in the Scottish Pmt - and as this is currently the SNP, and probably also the SNP after the next Scottish election (and we don't have a clue what Labour in Scotland want to do), there's not much option.TGOHF said:malcolmg said:
Difference is we could not bail out anything , Germany can and not even notice it. Blind faith in Nick & Dave touchingTGOHF said:
We would shut down all nuclear power just in case there was a tsunami ?Pong said:I'd rather have Angela Merkel running the country than Nick & Dave. Or Ed.
And spend billions bailing out the PIIGS ?
Nein danke...
Och wee Malky - one doesn't rise to your obvious bait. I have noticed a shift from talk of the Sindy ref to talk of the post No win "reckoning" and how the SNP will benefit - speaks volumes.
In all honesty, I think it's also partly that we've exhausted the "Will it be Yes?", and "What happens between Yes and Indy Day?" and are moving on to other permutations of the events tree.
But I'll tell you something that really did surprise me this morning, and also balances your perception. Ruth Lamont, leader of the Scottish Tories, actually said up front that she'd hope to lead the Scottish Tories in an independent Scotland. And that is at the time of the current Tory conference!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-26577851
Only thing that ensures more power is YES.0 -
Don't set the table, cutlery will be rusted before you need itCharles said:
I've had a bunch of conversations with the folks at UCLA Medical/Ronald Reagan Memorial Hospital in the context of helping them globalise their Operation Mend programme (which is absolutely fantastic).Financier said:Totally off Thread but want to tap into the vast PB experience.
A few years ago, I met at a conference some of the top staff at UCLA, had some very interesting conversations and exchanged cards etc.
Last night had a phone call from UCLA and a confirmatory email asking me to be a visiting Prof (sic) for a year - or more if I can - on the subject of International Relations with especially reference to Trade, JVs, etc.
The terms offered are huge and include own residence with private garden pool etc - also would I be 'warden' of a small women's hall, full of women students indulged by over-rich parents.
The challenge is almost irresistible but I know nothing about UCLA - know Harvard and MIT quite well.
Also know little of LA, was a guest at Hollywood for a few weeks some years ago but that is an unreal picture.
Does any PBer have experience of UCLA?
They are very serious people & it's a fast up and coming school - probably #3 on the West coast after Stanford and Berkeley & has a very good MBA programme as well.
If you do take it, let me know & we'll see if we can drag you down to Laguna one day for lunch0 -
Can I tap in too?
I've been offered a cup of tea by my wife - this could lead to me needing to wash up the cup, drinking it and purchasing a biscuit to go with it but not necessarily in that order.
The question - rich tea or choccy biccie?0 -
choccy for sure, I just got the tea but no offer of biscuitScrapheap_as_was said:Can I tap in too?
I've been offered a cup of tea by my wife - this could lead to me needing to wash up the cup, drinking it and purchasing a biscuit to go with it but not necessarily in that order.
The question - rich tea or choccy biccie?0 -
AndyAndyJS said:"10.40 According to the BBC's Myanmar correspondent Jonah Fisher, Malaysia is briefing journalists that officials there think the plane is most likely on the China/Kyrgyzstan border - not attributed.
11.37 If the area border areas of China and Central Asia are indeed where MH370 has gone - as is the most likely scenario according reported briefings by unnamed Malaysian officials - attention will naturally turn to western China’s Muslim Uighur ethnic minority.
Uighurs were allegedly responsible for an attack in the south-western city of Kunming on March 1 that left 29 people dead and injured about 140 others."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/malaysia/10687223/Malaysia-Airlines-MH370-plane-crash-live.html
It is reported that there was an Uighur on board the flight who is "of interest" to investigators.
See: http://bit.ly/1iDN76D
Just one of many speculative theories.
0 -
Thanks Avery.
I see PPRuNE's main page on this has now reached 6 million views. They've started an alternative thread for chat and speculation:
http://www.pprune.org/spectators-balcony-spotters-corner/536056-mh370-chat-speculation.html
This is the main thread:
http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/535538-malaysian-airlines-mh370-contact-lost-201.html0 -
It is a dreadful article full of needless abuse, Socrates.Socrates said:A great article about the apologists for Russia in the West:
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/03/pathetic-lives-of-putins-american-dupes.html
It is predicated on the assumption that:
Vladimir Putin’s Russia follows no model except Russian nationalism. To the extent it employs a non-nationalist philosophy, its main idea is that gays have weakened Europe.
Yawn!
0 -
Well fancy that - in the spirit of all things USA - turns out I had an OREO...malcolmg said:
choccy for sure, I just got the tea but no offer of biscuitScrapheap_as_was said:Can I tap in too?
I've been offered a cup of tea by my wife - this could lead to me needing to wash up the cup, drinking it and purchasing a biscuit to go with it but not necessarily in that order.
The question - rich tea or choccy biccie?0 -
There were seven 35 year-olds on board the plane if I've counted correctly, although I can't tell which were male/female:AveryLP said:
AndyAndyJS said:"10.40 According to the BBC's Myanmar correspondent Jonah Fisher, Malaysia is briefing journalists that officials there think the plane is most likely on the China/Kyrgyzstan border - not attributed.
11.37 If the area border areas of China and Central Asia are indeed where MH370 has gone - as is the most likely scenario according reported briefings by unnamed Malaysian officials - attention will naturally turn to western China’s Muslim Uighur ethnic minority.
Uighurs were allegedly responsible for an attack in the south-western city of Kunming on March 1 that left 29 people dead and injured about 140 others."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/malaysia/10687223/Malaysia-Airlines-MH370-plane-crash-live.html
It is reported that there was an Uighur on board the flight who is "of interest" to investigators.
See: http://bit.ly/1iDN76D
Just one of many speculative theories.
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1443730/full-malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-passenger-list0 -
PPP GOP nomination 2016
•Mike Huckabee 18% [16%] (13%) (11%) {15%} [11%] (17%)
•Jeb Bush 15% [14%] (10%) (13%) {14%} [12%] (17%)
•Chris Christie 14% [13%] (19%) (13%) {14%} [14%] (21%)
•Rand Paul 14% [11%] (11%) (10%) {5%} [7%] (4%)
•Ted Cruz 11% [8%] (14%)
•Marco Rubio 6% [8%] (7%) (22%) {21%} [18%] (10%)
•Paul Ryan 5% [8%] (10%) (15%) {16%} [12%] (7%)
•Scott Walker 5% [6%] (4%)
•Bobby Jindal 4% [5%] (3%) (4%) {3%} (3%)
•Someone else/Not sure 9% [10%] (10%) (8%) {7%} [7%] (10%)
If Mike Huckabee was not a candidate for President in 2016, who would you support, given the choices of Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Bobby Jindal, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan, and Scott Walker?
•Jeb Bush 21% [18%] (12%) {14%} [11%] (13%) {15%} [12%]
•Rand Paul 15% [13%] (12%) {16%} [17%] (16%) {14%} [17%]
•Chris Christie 14% [17%] (23%) {16%} [14%] (13%) {15%} [15%]
•Ted Cruz 13% [11%] (15%) {15%} [20%] (12%) {7%}
•Paul Ryan 9% [9%] (11%) {11%} [10%] (13%) {9%} [12%]
•Marco Rubio 8% [8%] (8%) {10%} [10%] (10%) {16%} [21%]
•Scott Walker 5% [7%] (6%) [3%]
•Bobby Jindal 5% [5%] (4%) {6%} [4%] (4%) {3%} [4%]
•Someone else/Not sure 10% [11%] (10%) {8%} [9%] (13%) {15%} [10%]
General Election
•Hillary Clinton (D) 47% {45%} [48%] (48%) {44%} {49%} [51%]
•Jeb Bush (R) 44% {43%} [43%] (39%) {41%} {43%} [37%]
•Hillary Clinton (D) 46% {45%} [42%] (44%) {43%} [47%] (46%) {46%} [44%]
•Chris Christie (R) 42% {43%} [45%] (39%) {42%} [44%] (42%) {41%} [42%]
•Hillary Clinton (D) 48% {46%} {46%} (50%) {50%} [53%]
•Paul Ryan (R) 43% {44%} {44%} (43%) {44%} [39%]
•Hillary Clinton (D) 47% {46%} [48%] (49%) {47%} [51%] (49%)
•Rand Paul (R) 42% {43%} [43%] (37%) {39%} [41%] (43%)
•Hillary Clinton (D) 49% {46%} [48%]
•Mike Huckabee (R) 42% {43%} [42%]
•Hillary Clinton (D) 48% {45%} [51%] (49%) {49%} [51%]
•Marco Rubio (R) 40% {40%} [41%] (42%) {41%} [37%
]
•Hillary Clinton (D) 51% {47%} [49%] (50%)
•Ted Cruz (R) 40% {41%} [41%] (33%)
•Mike Huckabee (R) 46%
•Joe Biden (D) 41%
•Mike Huckabee (R) 44%
•Elizabeth Warren (D) 33%
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The Uighur inspired attack theory is the one at the top of the Western intelligence possibilities list. Has been for the last few days.0
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Sorry shouldn't that have read utter uninformed garbage? Sometimes you can be very astute Socrates. Other times you completely undermine whatever your position is by using such rubbish to support your position.Socrates said:A great article about the apologists for Russia in the West:
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/03/pathetic-lives-of-putins-american-dupes.html0 -
So what would you say is the main philosophical belief of Putinism, outside of Russian nationalism?AveryLP said:
It is a dreadful article full of needless abuse, Socrates.Socrates said:A great article about the apologists for Russia in the West:
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/03/pathetic-lives-of-putins-american-dupes.html
It is predicated on the assumption that:
Vladimir Putin’s Russia follows no model except Russian nationalism. To the extent it employs a non-nationalist philosophy, its main idea is that gays have weakened Europe.
Yawn!0 -
You think people are astute when they agree with you, and consider people to be speaking complete rubbish when they do not. The article was completely accurate in the motivations of many of those defending Russia, especially on the Western journalists working for Russia Today, which makes Fox News seem like it's fair and balanced.Richard_Tyndall said:
Sorry shouldn't that have read utter uninformed garbage? Sometimes you can be very astute Socrates. Other times you completely undermine whatever your position is by using such rubbish to support your position.Socrates said:A great article about the apologists for Russia in the West:
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/03/pathetic-lives-of-putins-american-dupes.html0 -
Mike Brown's been impressive this 6 Nations (I wasn't a fan previously) but the English players of the tournament have been Lawes and Launchbury in the second row. They've been outstanding.0
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You're narrowing your options too soon. Are there any scones in sight?Scrapheap_as_was said:Can I tap in too?
I've been offered a cup of tea by my wife - this could lead to me needing to wash up the cup, drinking it and purchasing a biscuit to go with it but not necessarily in that order.
The question - rich tea or choccy biccie?
0 -
not a real choccy biscuit then , poor imitationScrapheap_as_was said:
Well fancy that - in the spirit of all things USA - turns out I had an OREO...malcolmg said:
choccy for sure, I just got the tea but no offer of biscuitScrapheap_as_was said:Can I tap in too?
I've been offered a cup of tea by my wife - this could lead to me needing to wash up the cup, drinking it and purchasing a biscuit to go with it but not necessarily in that order.
The question - rich tea or choccy biccie?0 -
No, that is a complete misrepresentation. I think you are generally astute whether or not we agree (such as on AGW). It is linking to such utter rubbish as that article that disappoints me.Socrates said:
You think people are astute when they agree with you, and consider people to be speaking complete rubbish when they do not. The article was completely accurate in the motivations of many of those defending Russia, especially on the Western journalists working for Russia Today, which makes Fox News seem like it's fair and balanced.Richard_Tyndall said:
Sorry shouldn't that have read utter uninformed garbage? Sometimes you can be very astute Socrates. Other times you completely undermine whatever your position is by using such rubbish to support your position.Socrates said:A great article about the apologists for Russia in the West:
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/03/pathetic-lives-of-putins-american-dupes.html
This after all is the man who claimed one of the reasons he hated George W Bush was because the public in general didn't share his hatred of him. Hardly the greatest exercise in logical thinking in the world.
I continue to believe you are astute just as I consider to believe that Chait - of whom I have read almost every article he ever wrote for New Republic - is quite possibly one of the worst political commentators in modern US history.0 -
BBC makes Fox look like Oscar winning news channel, nobody worse at jingoism and lack of reality than the UK propaganda unit. Al jazeera and RT are models of truth compared to them.Socrates said:
You think people are astute when they agree with you, and consider people to be speaking complete rubbish when they do not. The article was completely accurate in the motivations of many of those defending Russia, especially on the Western journalists working for Russia Today, which makes Fox News seem like it's fair and balanced.Richard_Tyndall said:
Sorry shouldn't that have read utter uninformed garbage? Sometimes you can be very astute Socrates. Other times you completely undermine whatever your position is by using such rubbish to support your position.Socrates said:A great article about the apologists for Russia in the West:
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/03/pathetic-lives-of-putins-american-dupes.html0 -
Great to see people bypassing the legacy media, which as anyone who has read a newspaper story about any topic they know about has seen hardly ever report a story accurately, and going straight to the analysis of people who actually understand the thing they're writing about.AndyJS said:I see PPRuNE's main page on this has now reached 6 million views
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MH370 is not really an incident to be flippant about but I shall succumb.AndyJS said:
There were seven 35 year-olds on board the plane if I've counted correctly, although I can't tell which were male/female:AveryLP said:
AndyAndyJS said:"10.40 According to the BBC's Myanmar correspondent Jonah Fisher, Malaysia is briefing journalists that officials there think the plane is most likely on the China/Kyrgyzstan border - not attributed.
11.37 If the area border areas of China and Central Asia are indeed where MH370 has gone - as is the most likely scenario according reported briefings by unnamed Malaysian officials - attention will naturally turn to western China’s Muslim Uighur ethnic minority.
Uighurs were allegedly responsible for an attack in the south-western city of Kunming on March 1 that left 29 people dead and injured about 140 others."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/malaysia/10687223/Malaysia-Airlines-MH370-plane-crash-live.html
It is reported that there was an Uighur on board the flight who is "of interest" to investigators.
See: http://bit.ly/1iDN76D
Just one of many speculative theories.
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1443730/full-malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-passenger-list
What about passenger number 44 listed as HOU/BO?
I can imagine him opening the flight cabin door and announcing himself in the manner of our very own Bond_James_Bond as:
"Hou, Bo Hou".0 -
Indeed, it was mentioned by some on the first day of the disappearance, due to the time proximity of the knife attack in Kunming.Y0kel said:The Uighur inspired attack theory is the one at the top of the Western intelligence possibilities list. Has been for the last few days.
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Malcolm, I was referring to what is on the table in the sense of news media witterings. Unless it ws actually enacted and given force of law before the vote, I wouldn't believe anything the No campaign offered if it was signed in their own blood and supervised by Auld Nick, and that is not just because of what happened after the last time we voted no. The Westminster conventions of crown sovereignty, and of a new admin not being bound by the previous one, make all such assurances worthless, especially if a coalition partner cam be blamed for it (vide student fees). And it's not as if the Scots can (usually) vote them out at the next UK GE, if the promises are broken.malcolmg said:
Carnyx, you have one point very wrong, there is NOTHING extra on the table, some weasely words , if , maybe , could be , etc. Nothing whatsoever is on the table and all these vague murmurings will vanish like snow off a dyke if we are stupid enough to trust the likes of Cameron and vote NO.Carnyx said:
Much of this is simply because of the devo a bit more option suddenly being on the table, and this question inherently involves the differing implementations by the various parties likely to lead in the Scottish Pmt - and as this is currently the SNP, and probably also the SNP after the next Scottish election (and we don't have a clue what Labour in Scotland want to do), there's not much option.TGOHF said:malcolmg said:
Difference is we could not bail out anything , Germany can and not even notice it. Blind faith in Nick & Dave touchingTGOHF said:
We would shut down all nuclear power just in case there was a tsunami ?Pong said:I'd rather have Angela Merkel running the country than Nick & Dave. Or Ed.
And spend billions bailing out the PIIGS ?
Nein danke...
Och wee Malky - one doesn't rise to your obvious bait. I have noticed a shift from talk of the Sindy ref to talk of the post No win "reckoning" and how the SNP will benefit - speaks volumes.
In all honesty, I think it's also partly that we've exhausted the "Will it be Yes?", and "What happens between Yes and Indy Day?" and are moving on to other permutations of the events tree.
But I'll tell you something that really did surprise me this morning, and also balances your perception. Ruth Lamont, leader of the Scottish Tories, actually said up front that she'd hope to lead the Scottish Tories in an independent Scotland. And that is at the time of the current Tory conference!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-26577851
Only thing that ensures more power is YES.
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I think the chances of the Tories shutting up about Europe after May are slim.David Herdson said:The question is whether the Conservatives will be able to flick the ‘off’ switch after May. I’ve long been expecting the Blues to finish third and polling behind UKIP would cause much soul-searching, with all sorts of unsolicited, meant-to-be-helpful suggestions. Resisting those suggestions, and indeed that whole debate, will not be easy but may well make the difference between success and failure in 2015.
Something I've noticed about the Tories is the way they address the problem of UKIP through a purely EU perspective, referenda, re-patriating powers, etc. The problem with this is that, I'd say, to most of the huge surge in UKIP support, the EU features way down their list of priorities. One example of this is social conservatism, which has no party advocating it (except UKIP).
So, the Tories will pick the issue that suits them to attack UKIP, rather than the issues which are salient to UKIP supporters.
Finishing third in a national election virtually guarantees this reaction.0 -
Edmondoedmundintokyo said:
Great to see people bypassing the legacy media, which as anyone who has read a newspaper story about any topic they know about has seen hardly ever report a story accurately, and going straight to the analysis of people who actually understand the thing they're writing about.AndyJS said:I see PPRuNE's main page on this has now reached 6 million views
It has been a bit of both to be fair.
PPRuNe is great for analysis of data put into the public domain by mainstream journalists. Excellent for sorting the wheat from the chaff.
But some credit must go to Andy Pasztor, the WSJ journalist who was first to leak the Inmarsat tracked flight path story based on insider briefing from his contacts in US flight investigation and law enforcement agencies.
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Putin is reacting to the Ukraine in the same way a British Prime Minister would react to the EU and US openly courting Scottish Independence and fostering revolt in Glasgow as a means of forcing the UK into closer and deeper integration with Europe.Socrates said:
So what would you say is the main philosophical belief of Putinism, outside of Russian nationalism?AveryLP said:
It is a dreadful article full of needless abuse, Socrates.Socrates said:A great article about the apologists for Russia in the West:
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/03/pathetic-lives-of-putins-american-dupes.html
It is predicated on the assumption that:
Vladimir Putin’s Russia follows no model except Russian nationalism. To the extent it employs a non-nationalist philosophy, its main idea is that gays have weakened Europe.
Yawn!
The first thing the PM would do is secure Faslane, encourage an Edinburgh referendum and then send the tanks into the borders.
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Apparently the 35 year-old has already been identified as ""MAIMAITIJIANG/A". Of course there's no evidence that he had anything to do with it.0
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= Memetjan Abdullah. Of course there's no evidence that he had anything to do with it.AndyJS said:Apparently the 35 year-old has already been identified as ""MAIMAITIJIANG/A". Of course there's no evidence that he had anything to do with it.
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/03/interpol-looking-at-35-year-old-uighur-passenger-on-mh370/0 -
Re: "Will the Tories stop talking about Europe after May?" That may not be the dominating EC matter affecting politics?
A key event could be the Clegg vs Farage encounter and then we have the effect of the referendum policies at the GE. First up the April 2nd event. Farage has all the time to prepare against a pre-occupied Clegg with a diary full of Govt meetings and papers. Farage has no excuse in not wiping the floor with Clegg and yet... Will Farage really knuckle down and do the hard work in preparing his challenge? If Farage does then the Cleggasm uplift for the Euros may not happen and Farage's team will sweep the EC elections. My wallet hopes so, but my head harbours doubts about Farage's professionalism.0 -
A good summary post from PPRuNe which doesn't present conjecture as fact. Looks at various 'human intervention' theories:AndyJS said:
= Memetjan Abdullah. Of course there's no evidence that he had anything to do with it.AndyJS said:Apparently the 35 year-old has already been identified as ""MAIMAITIJIANG/A". Of course there's no evidence that he had anything to do with it.
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/03/interpol-looking-at-35-year-old-uighur-passenger-on-mh370/
Think about it how many avenues of suspicion on board the plane are being thought of...
1. 2 confirmed passengers on stolen passports
2. 20+ employees of Freescale Semiconductor
3. Malaysia Airlines engineer among the passenger list
4. At least one passenger from the Xinjiang region
5. First Officer being a rule breaker
6. Captain having sim at home
Some of these, maybe all, will turn out to be coincidence or somewhere in the list is what is going on...
But that so many avenues seem like feasible possibilities is merely because such little information has been made public.
I have not heard any official information about any possible electronic failure, so I think they've been on the human interference route since the outset.
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It depends upon which party is viewed as having the worst result. Finishing third may not be as bad for the Conservatives as for the Lib Dems being reduced to 2, 1 or 0 MEPs.Ninoinoz said:
I think the chances of the Tories shutting up about Europe after May are slim.David Herdson said:The question is whether the Conservatives will be able to flick the ‘off’ switch after May. I’ve long been expecting the Blues to finish third and polling behind UKIP would cause much soul-searching, with all sorts of unsolicited, meant-to-be-helpful suggestions. Resisting those suggestions, and indeed that whole debate, will not be easy but may well make the difference between success and failure in 2015.
Something I've noticed about the Tories is the way they address the problem of UKIP through a purely EU perspective, referenda, re-patriating powers, etc. The problem with this is that, I'd say, to most of the huge surge in UKIP support, the EU features way down their list of priorities. One example of this is social conservatism, which has no party advocating it (except UKIP). So, the Tories will pick the issue that suits them to attack UKIP, rather than the issues which are salient to UKIP supporters.
Finishing third in a national election virtually guarantees this reaction.
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Mr Farage has spent the last twenty years trying to have a national debate on the for/against case of British membership of the EU. He'll make his case.TCPoliticalBetting said:Will Farage really knuckle down and do the hard work in preparing his challenge? If Farage does then the Cleggasm uplift for the Euros may not happen and Farage's team will sweep the EC elections. My wallet hopes so, but my head harbours doubts about Farage's professionalism.
0 -
Will the Tories stop talking about Europe ? You wish....
There are some to whom that is all that matters.0 -
"failed to stand up to the EU" is the number 2 negative for Conservative supporters and Conservative defectors considering the Conservative Party's performance in government.Ninoinoz said:
I think the chances of the Tories shutting up about Europe after May are slim.David Herdson said:The question is whether the Conservatives will be able to flick the ‘off’ switch after May. I’ve long been expecting the Blues to finish third and polling behind UKIP would cause much soul-searching, with all sorts of unsolicited, meant-to-be-helpful suggestions. Resisting those suggestions, and indeed that whole debate, will not be easy but may well make the difference between success and failure in 2015.
Something I've noticed about the Tories is the way they address the problem of UKIP through a purely EU perspective, referenda, re-patriating powers, etc. The problem with this is that, I'd say, to most of the huge surge in UKIP support, the EU features way down their list of priorities. One example of this is social conservatism, which has no party advocating it (except UKIP).
So, the Tories will pick the issue that suits them to attack UKIP, rather than the issues which are salient to UKIP supporters.
Finishing third in a national election virtually guarantees this reaction.
http://yougov.co.uk/news/2014/01/27/how-tories-can-win-next-election/
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Not our present PM. He would be wagging his tail to the EU and US in compliance. They may even throw him a bone.AveryLP said:
Putin is reacting to the Ukraine in the same way a British Prime Minister would react to the EU and US openly courting Scottish Independence and fostering revolt in Glasgow as a means of forcing the UK into closer and deeper integration with Europe.Socrates said:
So what would you say is the main philosophical belief of Putinism, outside of Russian nationalism?AveryLP said:
It is a dreadful article full of needless abuse, Socrates.Socrates said:A great article about the apologists for Russia in the West:
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/03/pathetic-lives-of-putins-american-dupes.html
It is predicated on the assumption that:
Vladimir Putin’s Russia follows no model except Russian nationalism. To the extent it employs a non-nationalist philosophy, its main idea is that gays have weakened Europe.
Yawn!
The first thing the PM would do is secure Faslane, encourage an Edinburgh referendum and then send the tanks into the borders.0 -
I don't think it much matters where the Conservatives place. What will matter is how many MPs, looking at the data from the EU and locals, think their seats are vulnerable. Then they ask themselves if they would benefit from a change in policy/personnel.TCPoliticalBetting said:
It depends upon which party is viewed as having the worst result. Finishing third may not be as bad for the Conservatives as for the Lib Dems being reduced to 2, 1 or 0 MEPs.Ninoinoz said:
I think the chances of the Tories shutting up about Europe after May are slim.David Herdson said:The question is whether the Conservatives will be able to flick the ‘off’ switch after May. I’ve long been expecting the Blues to finish third and polling behind UKIP would cause much soul-searching, with all sorts of unsolicited, meant-to-be-helpful suggestions. Resisting those suggestions, and indeed that whole debate, will not be easy but may well make the difference between success and failure in 2015.
Something I've noticed about the Tories is the way they address the problem of UKIP through a purely EU perspective, referenda, re-patriating powers, etc. The problem with this is that, I'd say, to most of the huge surge in UKIP support, the EU features way down their list of priorities. One example of this is social conservatism, which has no party advocating it (except UKIP). So, the Tories will pick the issue that suits them to attack UKIP, rather than the issues which are salient to UKIP supporters.
Finishing third in a national election virtually guarantees this reaction.0 -
A Unionist writes:
'Scotland: Foolish ‘No’ campaign is morphing into the ‘Nasty’ campaign
..In fact, the idea is so stupid, I’m wondering if Theresa May – who holds a job much less powerful than the media often suggests – has been suckered by her putative ‘leadership’ rivals.
I’m a unionist in broad terms, but I’m finding the dishonesty and negativity of the ‘No’ campaign – the way it treats Scots like dummies – increasingly offensive. Ironically, in view of Theresa May’s own comments on the subject in the past, the No campaign is becoming the Nasty campaign.'
http://tinyurl.com/nmpr58e0 -
England have a seriously good rugby team. The best since 2003. So strong in the pack, half backs, centres and full back. To be picky, the wings are weak points, relatively speaking, and we need a better replacement hooker than Youngs - his lineout throwing is poor. There's a year to sort these things out. If we can we have a proper World Cup chance. The progress made under Lancaster is astounding. I thought Farrell had something in him a couple of years back and he really does. It's all extremely positive.0
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Why did you 'tinyurl' the address by the way? It wasn't to mask the fact it's the website of Eric Joyce, I trust.Theuniondivvie said:A Unionist writes:
'Scotland: Foolish ‘No’ campaign is morphing into the ‘Nasty’ campaign
..In fact, the idea is so stupid, I’m wondering if Theresa May – who holds a job much less powerful than the media often suggests – has been suckered by her putative ‘leadership’ rivals.
I’m a unionist in broad terms, but I’m finding the dishonesty and negativity of the ‘No’ campaign – the way it treats Scots like dummies – increasingly offensive. Ironically, in view of Theresa May’s own comments on the subject in the past, the No campaign is becoming the Nasty campaign.'
http://tinyurl.com/nmpr58e0
