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.

not very democratic is it, but then i think that applies to all the other parties as well

It is why Ken Clarke lost out. He was too pro Europe and was eliminated on the second ballot by the MPs before Davis and Cameron were voted on by the constituents.

Manuel,

Post 59170.

--=-=-=

When Miliband is PM in May, he will be supported by SNP and probably Lib/Dems. The latter will be smaller 'number and won't risk supporting the tories again, as their membership has already been alienated and decimated by the previous choice of the association with the tories.

You may read the last government as a warning against future lib/dem association with the tory part.

I think Sturgeon is a bright intelligent, wee lass and Miliband is proving himself to be intelligent and thoughtful with sensible inclusive policies acceptable to SNP, Lib/dems, his own party and the minor left wing parties.

There is are more policies and values binding these parties together than separating them. Also, all these parties need to build up their coffers for another UK GE election and also for the Scottish election.

All these party will be on tip toe and prepared to delay, or avoid any policies which will split them.

(Trident and Scottish Independence bills will be kicked into the long grass for 4 + years. Other than the costing and review of Trident's efficacy.)


It may therefore produce a sensible form of government, while all these "alliance" parties substantiate themselves in "public" opinion and perhaps to future voting trends towards "alliance" or "coalition" governments.

-=-=-=-=

It will be interesting to watch the infighting in the tory party when Cameron loses.

A bit like watching rats in a sack!

HMRC collected £513.6bn in taxes in 2014-15, up from £492.5bn in 2013-14, VAT accounted for a fifth of revenue.
In March 2015 total HMRC receipts came to £37.58bn, up on the £35bn recorded in March 2014.

More jobs and wage increases are feeding through, the Tories are slowly but surely turning the country around.
2517

Manuel.

Another point on Lib/Dems, is that if they sit on the opposition benches with the tories again, they will be in danger of being tories in disguise at any following election their will have lost their credibility and will be further decimated. The largest portion of their votes I would think going to labour.

=-=-==--

Strategically and tactically, I think Miliband is playing his hands as the Eagle sisters play chess!

2.5,

But how long has it taken the present bunch of genies to get GDP to back 2009 levels?

Also, with level of employment as suggested why isn't productivity higher.


Another chart for Manuel to put in his pipe and smoke!

fred - it really is such a shame that you are totally incapable of putting forward a sensible and balanced view without adding a bunch stupidly predictable little snipes and barbs .... basically, it just pulls the rug from under



my own view is that we will end up with some kind of labour/snp alliance, formal or otherwise
for sure there will a variety of "envy and spite" taxes and measures which will raise comparatively little and achieve even less but will appease those with green eyes

to my mind, the interesting bit will be to see the lines and options that snp takes
sturgeon is certainly no fool, nor salmond for that matter, and of course reality and pre-election rhetoric will diverge significantly

despite all the scaremongering, i wonder if snp will indeed push labour further to the left

there is also the small matter of trident and i'm sure a number of other issues that are close to snp's heart (and manifesto) with which they will lambast any gov't and most assuredly use as potential ransom and blackmail issues

Clegg said today that he will only have an arrangement/coalition with the party with the most seats.

This week Lancashire Labour party advertised for nine vacancies on zero hour contracts

Good to see their clamping down on them.
2517

The latest Lord Ashcroft polling of marginal constituencies suggests UKIP will lose Rochester & Strood to the Conservatives.

The figures will be a blow for UKIP with Mark Reckless losing the seat he kept after defecting from the Conservatives last year.

According to the bookies, the tories are odd's on to get the biggest number of seats.

That doesent translate into an overall majority...however, there's something not quite right about this outing, people are reluctant to say what they will do in the privacy of the booth.

I don't think any of the polls are worth a toss this time out, because there is no way to predict where the axe will fall in the marginals....or some of the so called "safe" seats.

Make what claims you like George, but time for you to wake up to the reality that no one likes the Tories... trusts or believes them.

Milliband is taking singing lessons as we speak :-


wonder if one day that, you'll say that, you care
If you say you love me madly, I'll gladly, be there
Like a puppet on a string

Love is just like a merry-go-round
With all the fun of a fair
One day I'm feeling down on the ground
Then I'm up in the air
Are you leading me on?
Tomorrow will you be gone?

I wonder if one day that, you'll say that, you care
If you say you love me madly, I'll gladly, be there
Like a puppet on a string

I may win on the roundabout
Then I'll lose on the swings
In or out, there is never a doubt
Just who's pulling the strings
I'm all tied up in you
But where's it leading me to?

I wonder if one day that, you'll say that, you care
If you say you love me madly, I'll gladly, be there
Like a puppet on a string

I wonder if one day that, you'll say that, you care
If you say you love me madly, I'll gladly, be there
Like a puppet on a string

Like a puppet on a..... String

And if Millibandus doesn't dance to her tune, then she will destroy what remains of the Labour Government and we'll all live happily ever after :0)

Stan
The Conservatives are polling the same as Labour, which is about 33%. The Conservatives always get a better percentage on the day of the election. This makes it somewhat difficult for you to claim that no one likes the Tories.

It makes it even more difficult to make the claim if the Conservatives get most votes and or seats.

Boost for David Cameron as 5,000 small firms back Conservatives
Thousands of small company bosses sign a letter praising the Tories' economic plans and warning that Labour would 'undo' progress of recovery


Telegraph - There you go Stan, if you can be arsed read it for yourself!

It's all bollox Chris, it doesent really matter who you vote for with the big three, it will all come out the same.

Max - A favourite mantra is past performance is no guarantee ....etc. Except in Labours case as history has shown they have always fxxxxd up. Throw in a bunch of Nationalists whose sole agenda is to break up the UK and were all doomed, dooommeedd!! I tell ye :o)