Re: The UK General Election Thread

[PeterCS]

Still, he seems a pleasant enough chap.

[Allan D]

Harris Poll yesterday gives Tories a 8% lead over Labour

Tories 36%
Labour 28%
Lib Dem 18%
Others 18%

Others is a tad worrying - could we be heading for our first BNP MP?

Possibly in Barking where the incumbent is the ghastly Margaret Hodge, former Leader of Islington Council and next-door neighbour to Tony Blair (when he was an Islington resident). Labour score in that poll is the same as they achieved under the recently-departed Worzel Gummidge in 1983 when Mrs T won with a majority of 146. Even in the recent polls showing the Tory lead shrinking Labour only averages about what Michael Howard got in the last election - 31.7%. Hardly a stunning endorsement for GB, I would have thought.

[Allan D]

Still, he seems a pleasant enough chap.

But with an unpleasant side:

Speaker accused of taking Labour prompts as Tory anger at Bercow erupts

[JKLever]

I honestly don't mind Farage at all. Wouldn't want him as a diplomat, but would like to see him stir things up in the commons.

'Prime Minister, you have the appearance of a damp rag...........'

[Allan D]

The last incumbent Speaker to be defeated in a General Election was Sir Richard Onslow who failed to be returned by the burghers of Surrey in 1710. This did not prevent him (after being returned by a rotten borough) from becoming Chancellor of the Exchequer 4 years later:

He proved to be a poor Speaker as he made no effort whatsoever to show any kind of neutrality, a fact which upset all but the most fervent Whigs.

Richard Onslow

His nephew, Arthur, was unanimously elected Speaker 18 years after his uncle and became, at 34 years, the longest-serving, and, arguably, the greatest of all Speakers. I wonder if Bercow can match the elder Onslow's dubious record on its tercentenary?

[tellitlikeitis]

Having lived through some truly awful (Labour) governments - 3 day week, national strikes, uncollected 6 weeks of rotting rubbish and power cuts - I can say that we can all look back at previous times and say 'never again'.

But this would be like looking back at the West Indies in 1980's as trying to say TODAY, ''aren't they good TODAY'?''.

The problem people have is they only remember what they want to remember and we cannot plan the future by looking at the past.

Cameron et al are mostly inexperienced after 12 long years of Labour. But Bliar and his cronies were equally inexperienced when they got a 1997 landslide.

My personal view is that in the past 3 labour administrations they have left office with a ruined economy - FACT. The Conservatives have left office with a bouyant economy - FACT. If you are choosing to vote based on economic factors then you must look at this. But there's just something about the Labour party that doesn't work for me., with them NEVER taking responsibility for anything that happens.

The Lib Dems may as well offer the moon because they are not going to get in and they cannot seem to make their minds up who their target audience is.

I personally do not care if Cameron or Osbourne are 'Toffs' as long as they do the right things to get this country back on track. In the same way that I don't care that Brown is a Scot or Darling is a Scot, or Douglas Alexander is a Scot etc etc, as long as they do a good job. Sadly, they have not and with 12 years to change things (6,000 new laws is an idea of how much they believe the governments should control our lives), it really is time for a change.

The Conservatives deserve a chance - it's their 'go', and a chance to learn from the mistakes of all governments before.

[horace]

is Cabinet Minister Miliband related (eg son of) to the old social theoretician and historian Ralph Miliband???

[PeterCS]

No, of course not.

Half the people in Britain are called Miliband.


*very simply researched link*

[JKLever]

YouGov poll puts Tory lead at just 2 points. Eek
http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2010/03/december-2008-lead-lowest-poll

[Dello]

Why eek? Wouldn't a hung parliament be the best outcome for everyone: Labour turfed from power, the Tories denied an overall majority, the Lib Dems - who'll never get to govern any other way - handed a shot at actually contributing something.

A coalition of spastics forced to meld all of their incompetence together in the vain hope that, between them, they might come up with something bordering on, well, not total shit.

Good times, no?

[Basil]

But it won't work that way: Labour cannot afford to fight two elections in one year. The Lib Dems won't want to be seen as forcing a second election as they know their vote would be squeezed.

Conclusion - Minority government ( of either party) for two years and then another election.

[JKLever]

Still undecided who to vote for. Labour have been slowly eroding civil liberties and the Tories are going to make cuts too early.

And that George Osborne is a shifty barsteward.

[PeterCS]

You need to listen to Merls more.

[JKLever]

Tory boy himself...?

[PeterCS]

Merls wasn't born Tory.