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.

whatever the various opinions expessed here, the odds must surely favour a coalition of labour and snp + perhaps a few of the also-rans
this scarcely fills one with confidence , but then nor do the tories

one way or another, the current bunch of political leaders and their henchmen make the much scorned WW1 generals look like a collection of super-heroes

let's at least hope for another GE within just a few months ...... a bit like chucking in one's hand at scrabble and hoping for a better selection of letters next time around

The cut back Kippers at it again:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2015-32390436

Just a bunch of ex "Con" artist voters in the main.

Sir John Major: A Labour and SNP deal will cause 'mayhem'




By Peter Dominiczak, Political Editor

10:30PM BST 20 Apr 2015

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An Ed Miliband government propped up by the SNP will lead to “mayhem” as Labour faces a “daily dose of political blackmail” that will lead to higher taxes and job losses, Sir John Major is to warn.


Making his first intervention of the general election campaign, the former Conservative prime minister will use a speech to warn that all voters in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will "all pay the price" if there is a deal between Mr Miliband and Miss Sturgeon.


The SNP will be in a position to "bring down the government at any time" if its demands for increased spending in Scotland are not met, Sir John will say.


It came as two of Labour’s most senior figures on Monday opened the doors to talks with the SNP in the event of another hung Parliament.




Ed Balls, the shadow chancellor, and Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary, both suggested that Mr Miliband could look to do a deal with Miss Sturgeon after the May 7 vote.

It represents a significant shift in Labour’s rhetoric over a deal with the SNP. Mr Balls last week said that any deal with the Scottish nationalists would be a “betrayal” of English voters.

Mr Miliband has repeatedly refused to rule out a deal with the SNP after the election, despite insisting that he would never form a coalition with Miss Sturgeon.




In a sign of the growing confusion in the Labour Party over Scotland, Mr Miliband on Monday repeatedly said “that ain’t gonna happen” when asked if the SNP would be “calling the shots” after the election, but again did not conclusively rule out a deal.

Miss Sturgeon on Monday unveiled her election manifesto and pledged to force a UK government into £140billion of extra spending.

Her plans would mean around £5,200 more borrowing per household in the UK, raising the prospect of significant tax hikes worth thousands for families across the country.

Laying the groundwork for a post-election deal with Mr Miliband, the SNP prospectus also supported a series of flagship Labour pledges including the reintroduction of the 50p top rate of tax, reversing the NHS reforms as well as a cut in tuition fees to £6,000.




On the prospect of a Labour government requiring SNP support, Sir John will say: “This is a recipe for mayhem. At the very moment our country needs a strong and stable government, we risk a weak and unstable one - pushed to the Left by its allies, and open to a daily dose of political blackmail.

"In 16 days' time, the people of the United Kingdom will elect our next Government. There is a simple choice to make: do you vote for the Party that presided over economic chaos: or the Party that has led us out of it?"

While Cameron and Farage alienate 5.3 million Scots.

No wonder the Scots wish to leave the UK!


Well done!

Rubbish, you can't blame the Cons for Labour's demise in Scotland. Not called canny for nowt, branch office ring any bells?

I hear when Sturgeon wins the election she is going to transfer the Clyde Side Trident bases to the Thames embankment, suggesting as London is the heart of the nation it should be better protected!

It could be the next London tourist attraction with Boris as the tourist guide!

Only sensible...What a good idea.

Just a reminder, that the BBC have a web site with ALL the polls on it:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/poll-tracker

OddsChecker is a very good web site to see what the bookies are saying about the General Election and there are some extremely interesting bets in the British Politics section:

http://www.oddschecker.com/politics/british-politics/next-uk-general-election/most-seats

Suggestion: Place bookmarks to these pages in your browser's BookMarks Bar.

Here is a good suggestion.

Election 2015: Nick Clegg's tax rise vow on second homes
21 April 2015
From the section Election 2015
Liberal Democrat leader and deputy PM Nick Clegg
Prices are "beyond reach" of many young people, Nick Clegg says
Nick Clegg has said owners of second homes in rural beauty spots could face paying double the rate of council tax under Liberal Democrat plans.

-=-=

Launching the party's Countryside Charter, he said the plans would ensure local residents were not priced out of the property market.

They would allow local authorities to charge 200% council tax in some areas.
The Lib Dem leader also wants to create 300,000 jobs in rural areas if the party has power after the election.

Mr Clegg said the proposed second home levy was aimed at ensuring there was "fairness in the housing market".

it wouldn't achieve it's aim, but it's not a bad idea for all that
quite how it would be enforced is another matter, for surely it is quite easily circumvented

Will MP's be charged double for their second homes?

Do pig's fly??

rent one, own one .... or you own one and your other half the other ..... lots of variations possible

in any case, though it will help funding for local councils, it won't reduce the price of these "holiday homes" by much if at all

what's grabbed the market by the testicles?
it was up a fair bit earlier and i see it's now down 20+

Perhaps, you came home!

story wrong .... it must be pining for me as i'm by the pool in Dubai as i write :-)

Cleggy's just trying to pay to his audience.

It would be childishly simple to get around any second home law.

oops

Just checking!

Hope it is not on business expenses.

8-)

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Just out of interest, how many Tory and UKIP MPs in Scotland are likely to be elected for the London based parliament?

Seems fewer than labour!

Why?

Seems to me the Camerons are being rejected by more and more of the UK.

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Edited.........!!!!!