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.

Hay's

If it's minor changes , then he won't give in to free movement of labour in the EU. That won't be a boost for Cameron.

It's not free movement alone, it's free everything!

Considering the trumpets about record numbers of people "in work"...why is the social security bill going through the roof?

rf ... I'm not aware of any recent transport minister being able to fly a plane or drive a train , so I'm missing your point.

And if you want to go there ... we had that fecking idiot Redwood as minister for Wales and I don't think he even knew where it was !

Hays , best odds for overall majority at the main bookies are

Cons 15/2 (Skybet)
Lab 40/1 (Bet365)

which suggests neither are going to happen.


Odds on the next government are

Lab minority 13/8 (Betfred)
Cons/Libs 4/1 (Betvic)
Cons minority 11/2 (Boylesports)
Lab/SNP (Bet65/Paddypower)

Prime Minister after election

Miliband 8/11
Cameron 11/10

The odds have moved towards Cameron during today

And none of it needed to happen.

All it required was a true conservative led gov to hold a referendum, and ukip would have disappeared in a puff of smoke.

But they couldn't/wouldnt take the chance, so now we have the very real prospect of red Ed in the saddle with the bint of the north riding shotgun.


Happy days? .. No, a curse on all their houses!

General election: SNP coverage ‘mostly negative’




18:06 Tuesday 28 April 2015


36 comments



Have your say


MEDIA coverage of the SNP has become increasingly negative as the general election draws closer, according to a new report.

The research, carried out by Loughborough University’s Communications Research Centre (CRC) between March 30 and April 22, was conducted as part of the third instalment in a series of reports scrutinising national news coverage of the general election campaign.

Among the headline findings were that coverage of the Nationalists has increased but so has the negative tone of reporting; First Minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon is the most prominent politician in the campaign after David Cameron and Ed Miliband despite not standing for a Westminster seat, and women are ‘quite marginalised’ in the campaign, with Ukip deputy chair Suzanne Evans the most prominent female after Ms Sturgeon, Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Woods and Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party.





The report found that, following Ms Sturgeon’s appearance on ITV’s Leaders’ Debate on April 2 - which fell during the first sample period - coverage of the SNP was generally positive.


However, during the second sample period (March 30 - April 15), negative coverage of the party ‘exceeded levels of negativity for Labour in the same period’.

The prospect of the SNP sweeping to victory in Scotland and thus playing a potential role in a new parliament was heightened with yesterday’s TNS Scotland poll suggesting the Nationalists are on track to win 57 of the 59 Scottish seats.

But talk of a post-election Labour / SNP deal led to attacks by London mayor Boris Johnson and former Prime Minister Sir John Major.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Johnson described the SNP as ‘literally anti-British’ and ‘lefties on steroids’, adding: “You wouldn’t get Herod to run a baby farm, would you? It would not normally occur to you to interview a convicted jewel thief for the post of custodian of the Tower of London.




“Any such course of action would be totally nuts. So can someone tell me why in the name of all that is holy there are some apparently rational people who are even contemplating the elevation of the Scottish Nationalist Party to a position of effective dominance in the government of the United Kingdom - an entity that they are sworn to destroy?”

And Sir John warned that any form of Labour / SNP alliance would be a ‘recipe for mayhem’ and would lead to an ‘weak and unstable government’, prompting a backlash from Ms Sturgeon, who branded his comments ‘an affront to democracy’, while Labour leader Ed Miliband accused the Conservatives of ‘threatening the integrity of the United Kingdom.’

The CRC also found that the Conservatives received the most ‘quotation time’ on television, followed by Labour, the Liberal Democrats, Ukip and then the SNP, while The Sun and Daily Mail newspapers gave consistently negative coverage of both Labour and the SNP, and consistently positive coverage of the Conservatives.

The report also determined that the Daily Mirror’s coverage of the SNP has ‘varied between balanced and marginally positive’ while the Liberal Democrats are attracting ‘little evaluative coverage or commentary of any kind’.




The research examined The Guardian, The Independent, The Times, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail (English edition), Daily Express (English edition), Daily Mirror, The Sun (English edition), Daily Star and the Metro (English edition. The TV programmes involved were Channel 4 News, Channel 5 News, BBC1 News at 10, ITV1 News at 10, BBC2 Newsnight and Sky News from 8pm - 8.30pm.

comments


What with the Tory made up 5000 buisness signatures,the Torygraph smear on Sturgeon,buffoon Boris calling Scots monkeys.not to worry there are still so called Scots on here willing to be blatantly lied to,called monkeys,and accept clearly fraudulent propoganda. Never a truer word was said when Burns wrote " What a parcel of rouges in a nation, bought and sold for English Gold"



The interviews I've seen featuring Nicola Sturgeon have been remarkably light on criticism or indeed knowledge of the political background in Scotland. Evan David's interview for the BBC was practically fawning as was Andrew Marr fairly recently. Not many difficult questions about Trident. FFA practically airbrushed out. Nigel Farage by contract was practically savaged by Davis in one of the most disrespectful leftie interviews of our time to the extent that Nigel had to himself interrupt just to get his answer out. Still a few brownie points for Davis from the socialist commissars central no doubt.



What is there to be negative about?

I have saved a fortune by having my council tax frozen for the last 8 years or so. Free prescriptions and because I am old free sweeties at the chemist for minor ailments. I travel all Scotland, thanks to the SNP giving me a free bus pass.

They promised to increas my State Pension to £260 per week, I assume the £160 they quote was a mistake because that would mean a cut for me.

They have given me pension freedom, so I am taking £2,000 per month (£1,600 net) which I can add to my stash in England to avoid Scottish taxation.

Add in free University tuition and FFR, you can' t whack it.

They have doubled our tax free allowances too. Saving us £12,000 over a parliament.

They will borrow £180 billion, all to be spent in Scotland all at negative rates because we are richer than Switzerland

Vote SNP in the GE to keep the selfish, greedy, grasping, old, Torry Buggers like me happy with a Conservative government.



Strange - all the adulation of Nicola Sturgeon after her excellent performance during the debates, there are complaints about negativity. However, a great debate performance does not compensate for the lack of substance and triumphalist rhetoric from the SNP leadership. "We will hold their feet to the fire". "We will write Labour's budget" "we will have the clout at Westminster" "we will evade every question about a second Referendum" "we will vote for FFA in 2016 - oh no, maybe not" "we have no answer to the billions in shortfall if we get FFA". Reporting negative statements in a factual manner is not negativity, it is truth". And fielding a 20 year old air-brained lassie with the same penchant for binge drinking as the average 20 year old student as a credible candidate is hardly a positive feature. Has anyone asked Mhairi Black any policy questions? Being besotted with the SNP during pubescence seems to be her only qualification. Now THATs a negative comment but you must admit it rings true.



Negative press for the SNP is not new and to my recollection has been so for the last 50 years.
Then, you were labelled a nutter if you voted Scottish Nationalist.
The difference today is that the old and new generation together have recently witnessed first hand the crude intimidatory tactics of the Westminster unionist parties and are no longer prepared to tolerate their condescending behaviour.
Hence the poll returns and the increasingly shrill cries from those with something to lose.



more anglo and colonial rogue polls and reports from angloland....along with anti Scots and Scotland rhetoric..bordering on racist...disgraceful ...but the english establishment will stop at nothing to maintain the 2party system....the evil face of unionism and colonialism at work on Scotland



Tory Govt, FFA in 18 months, 6 months later Salmond, Swinney and Sturgeon hiding out in AFC Bournemouth's sponsor's lounge living off the prawn sandwiches.

General election: SNP coverage ‘mostly negative’




18:06 Tuesday 28 April 2015


36 comments



Have your say


MEDIA coverage of the SNP has become increasingly negative as the general election draws closer, according to a new report.

The research, carried out by Loughborough University’s Communications Research Centre (CRC) between March 30 and April 22, was conducted as part of the third instalment in a series of reports scrutinising national news coverage of the general election campaign.

Among the headline findings were that coverage of the Nationalists has increased but so has the negative tone of reporting; First Minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon is the most prominent politician in the campaign after David Cameron and Ed Miliband despite not standing for a Westminster seat, and women are ‘quite marginalised’ in the campaign, with Ukip deputy chair Suzanne Evans the most prominent female after Ms Sturgeon, Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Woods and Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party.





The report found that, following Ms Sturgeon’s appearance on ITV’s Leaders’ Debate on April 2 - which fell during the first sample period - coverage of the SNP was generally positive.


However, during the second sample period (March 30 - April 15), negative coverage of the party ‘exceeded levels of negativity for Labour in the same period’.

The prospect of the SNP sweeping to victory in Scotland and thus playing a potential role in a new parliament was heightened with yesterday’s TNS Scotland poll suggesting the Nationalists are on track to win 57 of the 59 Scottish seats.

But talk of a post-election Labour / SNP deal led to attacks by London mayor Boris Johnson and former Prime Minister Sir John Major.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Johnson described the SNP as ‘literally anti-British’ and ‘lefties on steroids’, adding: “You wouldn’t get Herod to run a baby farm, would you? It would not normally occur to you to interview a convicted jewel thief for the post of custodian of the Tower of London.




“Any such course of action would be totally nuts. So can someone tell me why in the name of all that is holy there are some apparently rational people who are even contemplating the elevation of the Scottish Nationalist Party to a position of effective dominance in the government of the United Kingdom - an entity that they are sworn to destroy?”

And Sir John warned that any form of Labour / SNP alliance would be a ‘recipe for mayhem’ and would lead to an ‘weak and unstable government’, prompting a backlash from Ms Sturgeon, who branded his comments ‘an affront to democracy’, while Labour leader Ed Miliband accused the Conservatives of ‘threatening the integrity of the United Kingdom.’

The CRC also found that the Conservatives received the most ‘quotation time’ on television, followed by Labour, the Liberal Democrats, Ukip and then the SNP, while The Sun and Daily Mail newspapers gave consistently negative coverage of both Labour and the SNP, and consistently positive coverage of the Conservatives.

The report also determined that the Daily Mirror’s coverage of the SNP has ‘varied between balanced and marginally positive’ while the Liberal Democrats are attracting ‘little evaluative coverage or commentary of any kind’.




• The research examined The Guardian, The Independent, The Times, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail (English edition), Daily Express (English edition), Daily Mirror, The Sun (English edition), Daily Star and the Metro (English edition. The TV programmes involved were Channel 4 News, Channel 5 News, BBC1 News at 10, ITV1 News at 10, BBC2 Newsnight and Sky News from 8pm - 8.30pm.

comments


What with the Tory made up 5000 buisness signatures,the Torygraph smear on Sturgeon,buffoon Boris calling Scots monkeys.not to worry there are still so called Scots on here willing to be blatantly lied to,called monkeys,and accept clearly fraudulent propoganda. Never a truer word was said when Burns wrote " What a parcel of rouges in a nation, bought and sold for English Gold"



The interviews I've seen featuring Nicola Sturgeon have been remarkably light on criticism or indeed knowledge of the political background in Scotland. Evan David's interview for the BBC was practically fawning as was Andrew Marr fairly recently. Not many difficult questions about Trident. FFA practically airbrushed out. Nigel Farage by contract was practically savaged by Davis in one of the most disrespectful leftie interviews of our time to the extent that Nigel had to himself interrupt just to get his answer out. Still a few brownie points for Davis from the socialist commissars central no doubt.



What is there to be negative about?

I have saved a fortune by having my council tax frozen for the last 8 years or so. Free prescriptions and because I am old free sweeties at the chemist for minor ailments. I travel all Scotland, thanks to the SNP giving me a free bus pass.

They promised to increas my State Pension to £260 per week, I assume the £160 they quote was a mistake because that would mean a cut for me.

They have given me pension freedom, so I am taking £2,000 per month (£1,600 net) which I can add to my stash in England to avoid Scottish taxation.

Add in free University tuition and FFR, you can' t whack it.

They have doubled our tax free allowances too. Saving us £12,000 over a parliament.

They will borrow £180 billion, all to be spent in Scotland all at negative rates because we are richer than Switzerland

Vote SNP in the GE to keep the selfish, greedy, grasping, old, Torry Buggers like me happy with a Conservative government.



Strange - all the adulation of Nicola Sturgeon after her excellent performance during the debates, there are complaints about negativity. However, a great debate performance does not compensate for the lack of substance and triumphalist rhetoric from the SNP leadership. "We will hold their feet to the fire". "We will write Labour's budget" "we will have the clout at Westminster" "we will evade every question about a second Referendum" "we will vote for FFA in 2016 - oh no, maybe not" "we have no answer to the billions in shortfall if we get FFA". Reporting negative statements in a factual manner is not negativity, it is truth". And fielding a 20 year old air-brained lassie with the same penchant for binge drinking as the average 20 year old student as a credible candidate is hardly a positive feature. Has anyone asked Mhairi Black any policy questions? Being besotted with the SNP during pubescence seems to be her only qualification. Now THATs a negative comment but you must admit it rings true.



Negative press for the SNP is not new and to my recollection has been so for the last 50 years.
Then, you were labelled a nutter if you voted Scottish Nationalist.
The difference today is that the old and new generation together have recently witnessed first hand the crude intimidatory tactics of the Westminster unionist parties and are no longer prepared to tolerate their condescending behaviour.
Hence the poll returns and the increasingly shrill cries from those with something to lose.



more anglo and colonial rogue polls and reports from angloland....along with anti Scots and Scotland rhetoric..bordering on racist...disgraceful ...but the english establishment will stop at nothing to maintain the 2party system....the evil face of unionism and colonialism at work on Scotland



Tory Govt, FFA in 18 months, 6 months later Salmond, Swinney and Sturgeon hiding out in AFC Bournemouth's sponsor's lounge living off the prawn sandwiches.



Coverage is negative because it's honest. Everything about the SNP stinks: their policies; their economic plans; their attitudes: their hypocrisy and their representatives!



The SNP are the political equivalent of fugu.

Given their toxicity I'm amazed they are even allowed on TV.

Scotland deserves better than the SNP

Do you really want this clown ruling us? And no, not the one on the left

He would probably better than this clown!

NO TAX RISES FOR FIVE YEARS UNDER A CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT!!!!

GAME, SET AND MATCH!!! :0)

Hays , don't know where your getting your odds from but 11/10 for Cameron is rubbish.

Milliband 4/6 (Betfred , Paddypower , Ladbrokes)
Cameron 11/8 (Will Hill , Skybet)

These are the best odds available amongst larger UK bookies. Miliband is as low as 4/7 with some bookies.

Lol Chris you'll be telling me Everton are going to win the league next.

They are all lying b*stards and as no one is going to win an overall majority by the look of it they can say what the feck they want and blame someone else when it is unable to deliver.

CC - that too has to be a load of crap, for if not direct taxes (PAYE etc) then assuredly through the back-door in one way or another

the deficit cannot just be "magicked" away and there are genuine limits on where efficiency savings can be made even within the civil service and the like
i'm sure there are layers of NHS management that are surplus to requirements, other than for the fact that we have such a litigious society, but of course they will not sacrifice their own jobs

Look who holds the whip hand chez Sturgeon: Remarkable dominatrix painting said to hang in SNP leader's home... where husband cooks and cleans

It depicts Sturgeon as a dominatrix in a short red dress with a whip in hand

Her husband Peter Murrell gave SNP leader the painting as a birthday gift

He is credited with 'transforming' her into the national stateswoman she is

Murrell is nicknamed Penfold after Danger Mouse's loyal hamster sidekick

By Marc Horne For The Mail On Sunday

Published: 22:30, 25 April 2015 | Updated: 13:54, 26 April 2015




http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3055587/Look-holds-whip-hand-chez-Sturgeon-Remarkable-dominatrix-painting-said-hang-SNP-leader-s-home-husband-cooks-cleans.html

cynic - You may say that, I couldn't possibly comment!

I don't think I would swap Nicola for the tory pin up Cruella or the ukip leading lady.

.