Whenever I look at the Tory data, it seems that they are losing purely to UKIP.
That isn't about austerity and inequality, it's about immigrants and gay weddings.
The Tories are comfortably gaining net from their LibLab left.
The majority of UKIP voters are against austerity, according to the polls. They're even more against it than the (remaining) Lib Dem voters.
I'm hoping to see some polling soon, that shows Kippers think you can end austerity/the deficit overnight by simply ending immigration.
A Cameroon saying UKIP want to end all immigration is like a lefty saying the Tories want to abolish the welfare state
What amount of net immigration do you want next year after Nige has swept UKIP to victory?
As little or as much as is necessary
Who decides the level? And how?
Maybe Milibaldrick should decide?
The market for skilled jobs decides
Is there an established and effective method for the jobs market to regulate levels of immigration? I really don't know, so genuine question.
My idea is that any economic migrant can come provided they get paid £1000 per week.
Which would guarantee high skilled, high value adding immigrants who would create more wealth than they consumed.
So, your idea is that if a British person has trained to become, say, a computer programmer, then he should face competition from foreigners.
But if he hasn't bothered to get himself educated, he shouldn't.
You want a system that discourages people from bettering themselves.
Well, it's a view, I suppose.
Sorry but the argument has a (little) point. By setting a minimum wage of £50,000 for an overseas IT specialist it might encourage companies to develop local workers up to the point they are worth £50k a year.
Granted we all know that if that occurs the work would really just be outsourced to Indian on mass but its a plausible argument...
Twitter chris g @chrisg0000 5m5 minutes ago Ed #Miliband just lost a debate on one of #Labour's few flagship policies to Myleene Klass... For a future PM, this is not good...
The Agenda @agendaitv 28m28 minutes ago @KlassMyleene to @Ed_Miliband “You can’t just point at things and tax them. You have to have a better strategy.” #TheAgenda
Mark Thompson @MarkReckons 24m24 minutes ago If Ed Miliband gets pwned by Mylene Klass no wonder he won't debate Farage.
Alex Wickham @WikiGuido 38m38 minutes ago "I'm a pensioner," says Christopher Meyer. "I think you should pay more tax," interrupts Miliband. This is going well. #TheAgenda
Whenever I look at the Tory data, it seems that they are losing purely to UKIP.
That isn't about austerity and inequality, it's about immigrants and gay weddings.
The Tories are comfortably gaining net from their LibLab left.
The majority of UKIP voters are against austerity, according to the polls. They're even more against it than the (remaining) Lib Dem voters.
I'm hoping to see some polling soon, that shows Kippers think you can end austerity/the deficit overnight by simply ending immigration.
A Cameroon saying UKIP want to end all immigration is like a lefty saying the Tories want to abolish the welfare state
What amount of net immigration do you want next year after Nige has swept UKIP to victory?
As little or as much as is necessary
Who decides the level? And how?
Maybe Milibaldrick should decide?
The market for skilled jobs decides
Is there an established and effective method for the jobs market to regulate levels of immigration? I really don't know, so genuine question.
I don't know either, but I cant see why not really. If we are short of skills to do a certain job then we can advertise overseas with out restriction to people who are qualified. There needn't be an immigration quota. If every doctor and nurse dropped dead and we had to replace them all with immigrants from Sri Lanka then that's what we would do, if possible
That is the current law. At present if when I advertise a post for more than 4 weeks there is no appointable UK or EU applicant, then I can interview and appoint non-EU candidates, who are then granted a permanent visa.
We recently have appointed a Syrian, an Indian and a Russian by this means.
Ah! Well it shouldn't be that difficult to apply to EU citizens as well then! Glad that I am not such an extremist after all
Why shouldn't I hire who I want to hire, without going through your rigmarole?
Because it's not all about you and how much you get to line your pockets. Why should you get to take advantage of all the benefits of doing business in this market/society of ours, without also having some obligations to that same society?
I wonder what the impact of a sudden economic downturn will be on the election. Surely negative for the Tories as they have staked everything on good economic numbers.
Interesting question.
I don't necessarily think it would be bad for the tories, but who knows who could benefit?
Actually that's a superb question.
If we get dragged down then Dave will get a good kicking in the fundamentals.
If the UK can withstand (albeit temporarily) the collapse of the entire fiscal world until May then it has to be excellent for Cameron.
Tykejohno/Big John Owls Indeed, Myleene seemed to be obsessed by poor little grannies who were going to be hit by the tax, though Ed responded relatively calmly pointing out less than 1% of homes would be affected
Is Ed actually fighting his corner on the mansion tax and saying "damn right rich people should pay more tax", or is he doing his usual by coming across as an apologetic pushover and thus not impressing anyone of either viewpoint?
Oh dear.... twitter Owen Jones @OwenJones84 26m26 minutes ago Polls show the Greens and SNP surging. Straightforward message to Labour. Offer an inspiring alternative, or Cameron back in No 10 next May
PS. Came across this gem as a retweet, I was blocked by Owen Jones a long time ago because I suggested a comment he made was patronising to those on benefits. Oops.
If Ed Miliband can get pwned by Mylene Klass, then just imagine the monstering Ed's going to get during the General Election.
Poor Labour supporters, you must feel like a Carthaginian soldier under the command of Hannibal, you know you're doomed to your inevitable defeat.
He didn't though.
MT will be a vote winner. (Not with PB Tories obviously)
Hopefully the squealing about it gets louder.
I am confident that can only be good for Ed
The link to the proceeds going to the NHS very clever too IMO
The tone matters though. Even on the rare occasions when Labour have come up with a decent "left-wing" policy, they're always so apologetic/defensive about it and don't really fight back when greedy rich sods start whining about it, which I fear to the average person at home just makes them look really weak. They need to take a leaf out of the SNP's book: be really defiant about it and atleast earn some points for standing up for what they believe in.
Whenever I look at the Tory data, it seems that they are losing purely to UKIP.
That isn't about austerity and inequality, it's about immigrants and gay weddings.
The Tories are comfortably gaining net from their LibLab left.
The majority of UKIP voters are against austerity, according to the polls. They're even more against it than the (remaining) Lib Dem voters.
I'm hoping to see some polling soon, that shows Kippers think you can end austerity/the deficit overnight by simply ending immigration.
A Cameroon saying UKIP want to end all immigration is like a lefty saying the Tories want to abolish the welfare state
What amount of net immigration do you want next year after Nige has swept UKIP to victory?
As little or as much as is necessary
Who decides the level? And how?
Maybe Milibaldrick should decide?
The market for skilled jobs decides
Is there an established and effective method for the jobs market to regulate levels of immigration? I really don't know, so genuine question.
Yup, you just let people come and go. The market regulates itself, because people want to go where they can find jobs and people want to create jobs where they can hire the people they need. Good to see UKIP finally coming around on this.
I am not speaking for UKIP obviously, but my own solution would also involve unskilled jobs being taken by British people currently on the dole, at least 3 days a week, else they lose their dole
So you would have less welfare, more people in work and still be open to the best in the business globally
Myleene Klass and Christopher Meyer just been ripping into Ed Miliband to his face on ITV's 'The Agenda'
What did they say ?
Myleene doesnt want to pay the Mansion Tax
Ed came over very well IMO
Well if that was it,win win win for miliband.
More mansion owners telling us they dont want to throw a bit in the pot for the NHS please.
Why should they bother when the cash simply goes to pay off Slackers who take early retirement, rather than actual healthcare.
Watcher or stalker
Get your cash out for the lads Marlene
Merely an observation - you seem overly sensitive..
Public healthcare has the same problems as Local Government. Council tax bills rocket upwards, whilst services are cut. Why? Because ever more cash is pouring into pensions for those who no longer do anything useful.
One does wonder if NHS management cares less about its patients, and more about feather bedding its staff.
Is Ed actually fighting his corner on the mansion tax and saying "damn right rich people should pay more tax", or is he doing his usual by coming across as an apologetic pushover and thus not impressing anyone of either viewpoint?
Apparently he said something along the lines of only 1% of of your grannies are going to get thrown out on the street.
So I guess that's OK then being as they are Labour in'all.
If Ed Miliband can get pwned by Mylene Klass, then just imagine the monstering Ed's going to get during the General Election.
Poor Labour supporters, you must feel like a Carthaginian soldier under the command of Hannibal, you know you're doomed to your inevitable defeat.
Yes, he's inept and yes, voters are repulsed. It's good to laugh at him and his supposed plight.
And yet - the electoral geography and the split of the Right will deliver him into Number 10. Not only am I confident he'll become PM next May, I think he is highly likely to serve a longer term in the job than Cameron.
Ed and Labour will have the last laugh. It's the Tories who can't win next may, not Ed.
If Ed Miliband can get pwned by Mylene Klass, then just imagine the monstering Ed's going to get during the General Election.
Poor Labour supporters, you must feel like a Carthaginian soldier under the command of Hannibal, you know you're doomed to your inevitable defeat.
Yes, he's inept and yes, voters are repulsed. It's good to laugh at him and his supposed plight.
And yet - the electoral geography and the split of the Right will deliver him into Number 10. Not only am I confident he'll become PM next May, I think he is highly likely to serve a longer term in the job than Cameron.
Ed and Labour will have the last laugh. It's the Tories who can't win next may, not Ed.
""He's inept and yes voters are repulsed"
My party before my country....... Thats nice but not unexpected to be honest
If Ed Miliband can get pwned by Mylene Klass, then just imagine the monstering Ed's going to get during the General Election.
Poor Labour supporters, you must feel like a Carthaginian soldier under the command of Hannibal, you know you're doomed to your inevitable defeat.
Yes, he's inept and yes, voters are repulsed. It's good to laugh at him and his supposed plight.
And yet - the electoral geography and the split of the Right will deliver him into Number 10. Not only am I confident he'll become PM next May, I think he is highly likely to serve a longer term in the job than Cameron.
Ed and Labour will have the last laugh. It's the Tories who can't win next may, not Ed.
Not many people expected Major to win in 1992, but he did, and there are a lot of similarities between then and now. The voters certainly rate Cameron much more highly than Miliband, just as they rated Major above Kinnock.
The Ashcroft figures for Miliband vs Cameron among "swing voters" are dire for the red team. Swing voters actually rate Nick Clegg above Miliband. This is the sort of set up where we would expect a late swing towards the incumbent, less unpopular, leader of the governing party/parties.
Maybe it won't come to pass. Perhaps the Conservatives will run a poor campaign - unlike in 1992 - and perhaps strong Labour figures will emerge from the shadow Cabinet to propel Labour to victory despite their albatross of a leader. The future is not written in stone. Yet there are signs there that lead one to expect undecided voters to swing decisively to Cameron during the campaign.
And, really, UKIP represent as much of a split on the right as the Alliance represented a split on the left - ie very barely. It's a comfort blanket sort of story that some Tories like to tell so that they can blame UKIP for all of their weaknesses, just as many Labour people blamed the SDP and Liberals for their own failures in the 80s.
Some of those Scottish constituency odds on the SNP look very sexy on current polling. They're going to shorten.
Indeed.
Absolutely antifrank / TSE. I still get the impression that those odds are 'anchoring' too much on the current SNP positions in constituencies ie underestimating the SNP surge in the central belt where they did well in the referendum amongst poorer voters. Conversely, I think they're overestimating the SNP in rural Scotland - seats like West Aberdeenshire & Kincardine and Gordon come to mind (Gordon 1/7 on IIRC) even though I would expect the mighty Salmond to take it if he stood there. Should be about time that Mr Salmond declares his hand surely?
Only 3 days to go to R&S, and 4 days to Dirty Dicks - can't wait. Its going to be a stupendous week one way or another!
I thought it was previously agreed that the meets would be other than a Monday or Friday and that was the case previously when I last attended. (Thursday?) .
Point is some of us are heading back home on the Friday after the week in London at the office. A Friday do is never achievable for people like us. Would like to attend but having been in the smoke all week will be back in the West Country taking the Friday early afternoon rush back to the family
Yup disappointed I can't make it but priorities and all that ( and Mrs Moses of course)
Some of those Scottish constituency odds on the SNP look very sexy on current polling. They're going to shorten.
Indeed.
Only 3 days to go to R&S, and 4 days to Dirty Dicks - can't wait. Its going to be a stupendous week one way or another!
I'm going to open a book on where JohnO ends up after Friday night. Though if I take him back to the station myself again I could probably fix the result of that particular market with a little callous shove onto the wrong train...
I'm told that a constituency poll currently being carried out in Brighton Pavillion - the Green's only seat
Personally I'm convinced Lucas will hold her seat, however narrowly. I'd be willing to bet a small amount on it.
I have already bet a small amount on it. I would like to thank Mark Senior once again for offering me 8/1 on this. PB Tories have to pay for our cocktails somehow and the pickings have been slimmer since tim left us.
rcs1000 - all life is an instance of a feudal system, you owe a duty to the people below as well as the people above. But you don't recognise your duty to the people of this country - unless you need them. No one in the country now owes you anything, because you don't acknowledge your debt to others. Even bigjohnowls has greater value as a member of society, worthless idler that he is.
I thought it was previously agreed that the meets would be other than a Monday or Friday and that was the case previously when I last attended. (Thursday?) .
Point is some of us are heading back home on the Friday after the week in London at the office. A Friday do is never achievable for people like us. Would like to attend but having been in the smoke all week will be back in the West Country taking the Friday early afternoon rush back to the family
Yup disappointed I can't make it but priorities and all that ( and Mrs Moses of course)
Sorrry to hear that Moses. Friday would be more suitable for me because it's on my way home from the Midlands to east London. It's been 18 months since I've been to a PB meet...
I'm told that a constituency poll currently being carried out in Brighton Pavillion - the Green's only seat
Personally I'm convinced Lucas will hold her seat, however narrowly. I'd be willing to bet a small amount on it.
I have already bet a small amount on it. I would like to thank Mark Senior once again for offering me 8/1 on this. PB Tories have to pay for our cocktails somehow and the pickings have been slimmer since tim left us.
My reasoning is that voters love for their area to be "on the map" so-to-speak, and Caroline Lucas certainly does that for Brighton Pavilion. I think some people who detest everything she stands for will vote for her nonetheless because she isn't a member of the three establishment parties.
There are so many reasons why Ed Miliband has proved to be a poor Labour Leader/Leader of the Opposition over the last four years, not least the fact he was never ever up to the job. But for me, he has turned out to be probable the laziest Leader of the Opposition in a while. I mean, take this summer, he was absolutely invisible for most of it despite the fact that it was the latter stages of the Independence Referendum. No wonder he got such a torrid time when finally he turned up at this event two years too late, and looking like such a cynical Johnny come lately to the No campaign.
Has any other party Leader got as much to lose in Scotland than the current Labour Leader, and you wonder why a LABOUR leader is now currently less popular than a Conservative PM in Scotland?! That is a hell of an achievement at time when a Coalition Government is delivering austerity. People used to claim that Osborne was like a submarine who submerged and disappeared for periods of time, but like previous Chancellors, he has one hell of a full time day job to keep him busy. What's Ed Miliband's excuse?
Lets take the Rochester by-election, Cameron is the PM and Osborne the Chancellor. How many times has Miliband turned up in Rochester to support his candidate in a seat that Labour held right up to 2010 compared to Cameron and Osborne? If Labour were on course to win the next GE, then they should have been throwing the kitchen sink at this seat and Miliband should have been leading from the front as a visible presence on the ground.
If that had been Cameron before the last GE, he would have held one of the many Cameron Directs he had held up and down the country in this seat as part of the by-election campaign. If Miliband needs one definitive answer as to why he is tanking in the polls right now when it really matters, its because he never bothered to initiate a conversation or put in the hard graft needed with the public when it mattered over the last four years.
Take Jim Murphy and his Hundred Streets tour for the No campaign during the Indy Ref, it got so much attention that it attracted the kind of Yes abuse that saw him have to briefly halt it for safety reasons. But Murphy probable did far more to reach out to Scottish voters than Miliband has done in four years, and more importantly its why he will probable win the Scottish Leadership contest despite the opposition of the Unions! And that is going to be a huge loss to the Westminster Labour party. I admit it, I have been an admirer of Murphy as a politician since before he became Scottish Secretary under Brown in the last Labour Government.
But having watched Miliband on The Agenda tonight, it struck me yet again just how underrated Murphy remains amongst Labour supporters UK wide. He has always had a much higher media profile at election times up here in Scotland, and he would have been so much better than Miliband connecting with the voter on the street tonight on The Agenda. Seen him do this quite regularly, and also Ruth Davidson very effectively over the last year a two. Despite the current Scots Polls, Sturgeon ain't no Salmond, Murphy or Davidson.....her performances are so contrived as to be painful if she isn't parked in front of an adoring SNP audiences clapping and cheering at her now tired and clichéd soundbites.
"The profile tool, which was launched last week, was seized upon by social media on Monday as users discovered that Nigel Farage devotees typically listen to the Carpenters and bank with Lloyds, while fans of David Cameron (who are mainly men over 60) prefer Dolly Parton and watching Les Misérables with their pet fish. Nick Clegg’s followers are fans of the Eurovision song contest.
Miliband’s typical followers enjoy mushroom stroganoff and vegetarian stews, and will commonly profess statements such as “basically Marx was right”. They admire Pete Seeger and Jeremy Paxman. The data claims that musicians such as Cliff Richard are the favoured soundtrack to Britain’s rightwing, with the veteran pop star in the top five music choices for those who like the Conservatives, Ukip and the Daily Mail. Those who read Socialist Worker and the New Statesman prefer the music of Pulp, while BNP supporters are fans of the rapper 50 Cent."
"The profile tool, which was launched last week, was seized upon by social media on Monday as users discovered that Nigel Farage devotees typically listen to the Carpenters and bank with Lloyds, while fans of David Cameron (who are mainly men over 60) prefer Dolly Parton and watching Les Misérables with their pet fish. Nick Clegg’s followers are fans of the Eurovision song contest.
Miliband’s typical followers enjoy mushroom stroganoff and vegetarian stews, and will commonly profess statements such as “basically Marx was right”. They admire Pete Seeger and Jeremy Paxman. The data claims that musicians such as Cliff Richard are the favoured soundtrack to Britain’s rightwing, with the veteran pop star in the top five music choices for those who like the Conservatives, Ukip and the Daily Mail. Those who read Socialist Worker and the New Statesman prefer the music of Pulp, while BNP supporters are fans of the rapper 50 Cent."
"The profile tool, which was launched last week, was seized upon by social media on Monday as users discovered that Nigel Farage devotees typically listen to the Carpenters and bank with Lloyds, while fans of David Cameron (who are mainly men over 60) prefer Dolly Parton and watching Les Misérables with their pet fish. Nick Clegg’s followers are fans of the Eurovision song contest.
Miliband’s typical followers enjoy mushroom stroganoff and vegetarian stews, and will commonly profess statements such as “basically Marx was right”. They admire Pete Seeger and Jeremy Paxman. The data claims that musicians such as Cliff Richard are the favoured soundtrack to Britain’s rightwing, with the veteran pop star in the top five music choices for those who like the Conservatives, Ukip and the Daily Mail. Those who read Socialist Worker and the New Statesman prefer the music of Pulp, while BNP supporters are fans of the rapper 50 Cent."
"The profile tool, which was launched last week, was seized upon by social media on Monday as users discovered that Nigel Farage devotees typically listen to the Carpenters and bank with Lloyds, while fans of David Cameron (who are mainly men over 60) prefer Dolly Parton and watching Les Misérables with their pet fish. Nick Clegg’s followers are fans of the Eurovision song contest.
Miliband’s typical followers enjoy mushroom stroganoff and vegetarian stews, and will commonly profess statements such as “basically Marx was right”. They admire Pete Seeger and Jeremy Paxman. The data claims that musicians such as Cliff Richard are the favoured soundtrack to Britain’s rightwing, with the veteran pop star in the top five music choices for those who like the Conservatives, Ukip and the Daily Mail. Those who read Socialist Worker and the New Statesman prefer the music of Pulp, while BNP supporters are fans of the rapper 50 Cent."
Comments
Granted we all know that if that occurs the work would really just be outsourced to Indian on mass but its a plausible argument...
I forgot that that Heywood and Middleton was on the same day as Clacton, though its result was announced first.
Nice try with Hillhead and Crosby, but Belfast South intervened.
Sarah Vine @SarahVine
Myleene Klass to Ed Miliband: "You can't just point at things and tax them" #TheAgenda
Twitter
chris g @chrisg0000 5m5 minutes ago
Ed #Miliband just lost a debate on one of #Labour's few flagship policies to Myleene Klass... For a future PM, this is not good...
The Agenda @agendaitv 28m28 minutes ago
@KlassMyleene to @Ed_Miliband “You can’t just point at things and tax them. You have to have a better strategy.” #TheAgenda
Mark Thompson @MarkReckons 24m24 minutes ago
If Ed Miliband gets pwned by Mylene Klass no wonder he won't debate Farage.
Alex Wickham @WikiGuido 38m38 minutes ago
"I'm a pensioner," says Christopher Meyer. "I think you should pay more tax," interrupts Miliband. This is going well. #TheAgenda
Really het up very funny
If we get dragged down then Dave will get a good kicking in the fundamentals.
If the UK can withstand (albeit temporarily) the collapse of the entire fiscal world until May then it has to be excellent for Cameron.
Not sure what he will do in June though?
Poor Labour supporters, you must feel like a Carthaginian soldier under the command of Hannibal, you know you're doomed to your inevitable defeat.
Get your cash out for the lads Marlene
twitter
Owen Jones @OwenJones84 26m26 minutes ago
Polls show the Greens and SNP surging. Straightforward message to Labour. Offer an inspiring alternative, or Cameron back in No 10 next May
PS. Came across this gem as a retweet, I was blocked by Owen Jones a long time ago because I suggested a comment he made was patronising to those on benefits. Oops.
MT will be a vote winner. (Not with PB Tories obviously)
Hopefully the squealing about it gets louder.
I am confident that can only be good for Ed
The link to the proceeds going to the NHS very clever too IMO
You should listen to us, he's less popular than Nick Clegg and the clap.
So you would have less welfare, more people in work and still be open to the best in the business globally
Monstered by Kyleen ?? Ye gods!
The National executive must be having kittens at this point.
Buy popcorn shares in April.
Public healthcare has the same problems as Local Government. Council tax bills rocket upwards, whilst services are cut. Why? Because ever more cash is pouring into pensions for those who no longer do anything useful.
One does wonder if NHS management cares less about its patients, and more about feather bedding its staff.
So I guess that's OK then being as they are Labour in'all.
Granny tax?
And yet - the electoral geography and the split of the Right will deliver him into Number 10. Not only am I confident he'll become PM next May, I think he is highly likely to serve a longer term in the job than Cameron.
Ed and Labour will have the last laugh. It's the Tories who can't win next may, not Ed.
In their fiscal planning objectives, are Labour going to spend the mansion tax as many times as they have already spent the bankers tax?
""He's inept and yes voters are repulsed"
My party before my country....... Thats nice but not unexpected to be honest
Are you a super-recogniser? Take the test here:
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The Ashcroft figures for Miliband vs Cameron among "swing voters" are dire for the red team. Swing voters actually rate Nick Clegg above Miliband. This is the sort of set up where we would expect a late swing towards the incumbent, less unpopular, leader of the governing party/parties.
Maybe it won't come to pass. Perhaps the Conservatives will run a poor campaign - unlike in 1992 - and perhaps strong Labour figures will emerge from the shadow Cabinet to propel Labour to victory despite their albatross of a leader. The future is not written in stone. Yet there are signs there that lead one to expect undecided voters to swing decisively to Cameron during the campaign.
And, really, UKIP represent as much of a split on the right as the Alliance represented a split on the left - ie very barely. It's a comfort blanket sort of story that some Tories like to tell so that they can blame UKIP for all of their weaknesses, just as many Labour people blamed the SDP and Liberals for their own failures in the 80s.
Only 3 days to go to R&S, and 4 days to Dirty Dicks - can't wait. Its going to be a stupendous week one way or another!
Ben @Jamin2g
Ed Miliband says he'll take on terrorists, two minutes later he loses an argument to Myleene Klass.
#TheAgenda
11:10 PM - 17 Nov 2014
Not good press for hapless Ed I would have said
I thought it was previously agreed that the meets would be other than a Monday or Friday and that was the case previously when I last attended. (Thursday?) .
Point is some of us are heading back home on the Friday after the week in London at the office. A Friday do is never achievable for people like us. Would like to attend but having been in the smoke all week will be back in the West Country taking the Friday early afternoon rush back to the family
Yup disappointed I can't make it but priorities and all that ( and Mrs Moses of course)
Plus identifying beaches at the other end of the earth, eh Andy? (^_-)
@JohnLoony
Are they Dave and George?
You might be able to get a job with the Met Police, just from sitting in front of your computer, identifying criminals.
Has any other party Leader got as much to lose in Scotland than the current Labour Leader, and you wonder why a LABOUR leader is now currently less popular than a Conservative PM in Scotland?! That is a hell of an achievement at time when a Coalition Government is delivering austerity. People used to claim that Osborne was like a submarine who submerged and disappeared for periods of time, but like previous Chancellors, he has one hell of a full time day job to keep him busy. What's Ed Miliband's excuse?
Lets take the Rochester by-election, Cameron is the PM and Osborne the Chancellor. How many times has Miliband turned up in Rochester to support his candidate in a seat that Labour held right up to 2010 compared to Cameron and Osborne? If Labour were on course to win the next GE, then they should have been throwing the kitchen sink at this seat and Miliband should have been leading from the front as a visible presence on the ground.
If that had been Cameron before the last GE, he would have held one of the many Cameron Directs he had held up and down the country in this seat as part of the by-election campaign. If Miliband needs one definitive answer as to why he is tanking in the polls right now when it really matters, its because he never bothered to initiate a conversation or put in the hard graft needed with the public when it mattered over the last four years.
Must bull-up on my IC3s and IC4s, etc...
But having watched Miliband on The Agenda tonight, it struck me yet again just how underrated Murphy remains amongst Labour supporters UK wide. He has always had a much higher media profile at election times up here in Scotland, and he would have been so much better than Miliband connecting with the voter on the street tonight on The Agenda. Seen him do this quite regularly, and also Ruth Davidson very effectively over the last year a two. Despite the current Scots Polls, Sturgeon ain't no Salmond, Murphy or Davidson.....her performances are so contrived as to be painful if she isn't parked in front of an adoring SNP audiences clapping and cheering at her now tired and clichéd soundbites.
Latest ELBOW for LibDems: 7.8%
Roy Greenslade notes the sparse national press coverage given to Thursday's byelection in Rochester and Strood"
http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2014/nov/17/national-newspapers-newspapers
Miliband’s typical followers enjoy mushroom stroganoff and vegetarian stews, and will commonly profess statements such as “basically Marx was right”. They admire Pete Seeger and Jeremy Paxman. The data claims that musicians such as Cliff Richard are the favoured soundtrack to Britain’s rightwing, with the veteran pop star in the top five music choices for those who like the Conservatives, Ukip and the Daily Mail. Those who read Socialist Worker and the New Statesman prefer the music of Pulp, while BNP supporters are fans of the rapper 50 Cent."
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/nov/17/like-sweetcorn-cliff-richard-market-research-firm-reckons-you-are-rightwing
Neat! Thanks!