Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

Exclusive: Ukip surge is costing Labour as many votes as Tories, research suggests





Andrew Grice Author Biography


Political Editor


Tuesday 10 June 2014



Ed Miliband has been warned that Labour’s declining support among working class voters, many of whom are defecting to Ukip, poses the biggest threat to his party’s prospects of winning next year’s general election.



A study by the Labour-affiliated Fabian Society found that a gradual drop in support among blue-collar workers since 2005 has now been exacerbated by the rise of Nigel Farage’s party, putting Labour’s general election strategy in jeopardy.

Its research found that Labour’s lead in nine parliamentary seats would be lost if the results of last month’s council elections were repeated next year. Six seats would go to Ukip and three to the Tories, who would overtake Labour as Ukip eats into its support. The Fabians fear this “Ukip effect” could deny Labour victory in dozens of the crucial Lab-Con marginals that will decide the election.

The analysis, seen by The Independent, says Labour’s view that Ukip was a “Tory problem” has been “blasted” by last month’s Euro and council elections, and that it is hurting Labour and the Tories almost equally. Although the Fabians believe Mr Miliband can still win next year’s election, they warn that he will do so only by winning back the blue-collar workers.

The report concludes bluntly: “If elections are about momentum, then the Conservatives seem to have more reason for optimism than Labour. Labour will need to up its game to have a chance of a majority in 2015.” It warns that relying on working-class supporters to achieve about 35 per cent of the vote “will be insufficient to win.”


Marcus Roberts, the Fabians’ deputy general secretary, said: “The greatest threat to Ed Miliband’s hopes is the loss of blue-collar support. The Fabians have laid out how Labour can build a coalition of 2010 loyalists, ex-Lib Dems, new and non-voters and a few Conservative converts to win. But declining blue-collar support eats into its loyalist base and, crucially, the potentially sympathetic 2010 non-voters Miliband can’t do without.”


More uncomfortable reading here: http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/exclusive-ukip-surge-is-costing-labour-as-many-votes-as-tories-research-suggests-9523847.html

The last two cartoons sums up the effects of present tory policies!

do they?
more interestingly of course is the public face of merkel in supporting juncker and behind the scenes where she is as keen as the others to have a more progressive president

Well Lord Ashcrofts polls in the key marginals suggest otherwise. labour lowest lead as been 4% over the Tories and last week was 9%.

Gove and May cant have helped the Tories out indeed you could say its a gift to Nigel and UKIP.

Manuel,

Are you sharing her pillows now?

Welcome to your preview of The Times

Faith schools are divisive. Let’s get rid of them
Alice Thomson

Published at 12:01AM, June 11 2014

A state education should celebrate all religions equally. Churches, synagogues and mosques can teach the devout
When I was a teenager I was fascinated by the Jewish boarding school a few fields away from our house. The local children barely ever saw any orthodox pupils leave their citadel. Occasionally they would ask us to buy them pork scratchings at the local garage, which they would eat illicitly by the river.
Theirs was a different world. Girls and boys didn’t swim together. They couldn’t even turn on a light bulb on Saturdays; they performed no Shakespeare because he was considered antisemitic; and they had hours of Hebrew each week.
Still I rather wanted to go there: it

If you want the rest of the article its a quid a week to sign up.

There were quite a lot of boys who wanted to get into neighbouring girls schools also.

==========

I think there is a lot of huffing and puffing going on about some "state" education!

Give cash to Murdoch.. really G/F what are you thinking of.

Morning Fred, How did the France trip go?

no fred, but i occasionally read other the the daily mail and mirror

no fred, but i occasionally read other the the daily mail and mirror

You read the daily mail Alf? no wonder you are like you are -):

Hey Stan I thought some other Mug like Hays would pay it and share it with us. LOL.

It's a lot more than a quid a week.

I see your play G/F -):

Max special offer on Twitter.

Go on you know you want it.

lol gf, special offer for a limited time, then you'll find you have signed up for a year.

Probably yep.