199 replies to this topic

[garjones]

Keynes is still right.

The results of austerity and cuts v stimulus:

[Johnny Henning]

Which means he was lying.

Yes, we know that happens but now he's been caught lying.

Don't you Brits still tar and feather people? Time for some good old fashioned humiliation in the public square.

[steveuk]

Don't you Brits still tar and feather people? Time for some good old fashioned humiliation in the public square.

Yes we do. Its called media coverage.

[garjones]

If they brought back the stocks for dodgy politicians I'd be first in line, if it were Cameron or Osbourne I'd happily pay for the flight and spend a month's wages on rotten fruit.

[Johnny Henning]

You have to pay for rotten fruit in England?

Well, I suppose if they brought back the stocks, it would open a whole new market - The Stocks Market!



Wholesome fun for the family AND good for the economy!

[garjones]

You have to pay for rotten fruit in England?

Only if you want it delivered by the truckload.

[Sanjay]

Best to buy fresh fruit - it hurts more when it hits.

[Johnny Henning]

Why not a hammer? Do they check your bags first?

[Russell H]

Best to buy fresh fruit - it hurts more when it hits.

Tinned.

[steveuk]

Or you could leave it attached to the branch?

[Sanjay]

LibDems have taking a hammering. Yeah the Tories have too but they're probably relieved that Cleggy's crew are still taking the coalition backlash. Hopefully Labour can do something with this - but with Milliband at the helm, I have my doubts.


One interesting exchange that I'd caught from last night:

Baroness Warsi sparks UKIP fury over BNP suggestion

A row has blown up between Conservative co-chairman Baroness Warsi and UKIP after she appeared to link the party's poll success to the decline of the BNP.

UKIP is on course for its best ever local election results - mainly at the expense of the Conservative Party.

Baroness Warsi said it was "interesting" how an increase in the number of UKIP candidates had coincided with a drop in BNP candidates.

Her comments prompted an angry Twitter outburst from a UKIP spokesman.

Gawain Towler called Lady Warsi a "bitch", prompting some of his 1,700 Twitter followers to criticise his "unparliamentary language". He quickly deleted the post and and apologised, tweeting: "Deleted, out of order on my part".

He later added: "Shouln't (sic) have said that, apologise."
'Interesting mix'

UKIP's deputy leader Paul Nuttall also responded to Baroness Warsi's comments, calling them were "disgraceful" and "a sign that the Conservatives are very scared of UKIP."

Speaking on the BBC's election night coverage, Lady Warsi said: "Where UKIP is fielding candidates this time that the BNP did last time but they're not this time, I think that will have an impact."

She added: "There are members of UKIP who are from all sorts of political parties, but it is an interesting mix there in terms of the number of candidates."

The BNP is fielding 131 candidates at this year's local elections, far fewer than in previous years.

The anti-immigration party has blamed this on a cash shortage, but it has been rocked by defections and internal strife and appears to have focused its resources on the London Assembly and mayoral elections.

UKIP is fielding a record number of local election candidates, about 700, and is polling at about 14% in the areas where it is running candidates - ahead of the Liberal Democrats.

The party is attempting to broaden its message beyond its traditional anti-EU platform, with pledges to cut council tax and building more grammar schools but it has traditionally performed poorly at local polls.

Backbench Conservative MP Gary Streeter said Conservative supporters were sending a message to David Cameron that "they don't think our leadership is Conservative enough" by voting UKIP.

[garjones]

This quote I found interesting:

On the subject of Lib Dem dissent, Nick Clegg may be more worried about the Lib Dem peer Lord Oakeshott . Oakeshott told BBC News a few minutes ago that the Lib Dems could not afford to keep losing councillors at the rate they are now.

Two out of every five out of our hard-working Liberal Democrat councillors, last yaer and this year, have lost their seats ... For me what matters is whether we can fight the next election as a nationwide, powerful independent force. If we have another year like this, we won't be able to.

He also said that there had to be bold action on the economy, and that David Cameron was not doing enough to get banks to lend to businesses.

I'm afraid, particularly from the Treasury and David Cameron, all we had is pussy-footing about. They talk about it, but they won't act. This is now vital.

Oakeshott was particularly critical about the government's failure to get the state-owned RBS to lend more.

I asked the Swedish finance minister the other day how they made nationalised banks lend. He said to me: "It's simple. We own them, we tell them what to do and if the directors don't, we sack them and get people who can." That's what me must do.

On the same programme Lord Ashdown, the former Lib Dem leader, said he agreed with Oakeshott on this point.

http://www.guardian....localgovernment

Exactly what I've been saying for a while now, they set lending targets, the banks fail them all and then they just carry on. Which is fine if it's Barclays or HSBC that never took a penny in bailout but for RBS or Lloyds which are largely givernment owned, they should sack them. Just as would happen in the market sector if they failed to reach their profit targets.

[Mike]

In terms of numbers of local councillors across the whole UK, the SNP - who only contest seats in Scotland, less than 10% of the UK's population - are now only 7 seats behind the Lib Dems.

The collapse of the Lib Dem vote is astonishing in its scale and I am not too mature to not take delight in seeing the party punished so brutally for the failure of their leadership to stand up for their party's principles. Hopefully somewhere within the party serious discussions are now being had about how toxic Clegg and the top layer of Liberal Democrats have become; the business of local government is far removed from Westminster and a lot of good councillors have fallen for no faults of their own. I still have a slender hope that Clegg himself might do the decent thing and reassert his party's core beliefs rather than allow themselves to be used to prop up a minority Tory Government whose zealous pursuit of ideological change seems to have no other checks.


And does Boris fancy himself Cameron's successor as Prime Minister?

[Russell H]

And does Boris fancy himself Cameron's successor as Prime Minister?

As the biggest Tory success story, it wouldn't surprise me if that's not being talked about behind closed doors.

[steveuk]

So the Conservatives are blaming the Lib Dems for last week's results and they think the would've done better last week if they were MORE Conservative?

I suppose its still odd that professional politicians don't realize that's the classic reaction of a party that gets a kicking from the electorate but its not very surprising.

[Ben the Obiwomble]

Oh, it'll get worse Steve. I'm certain the attitude to the voters will be: Fuck it, they'll have cooled down in 3 years.

Of course, if Cameron fails to win the next election outright - or worse for him, Labour get in, then I expect Boris to declare his 2nd term of being Mayor will be his last, Cameron knows he's got the leadership for another year, Cue June 2016, or perhaps a little later, following a by-election Boris is back to being an MP, cue leadership contest, which Boris wins and we either have Boris as PM or leading a Tory opposition, with a probable win for 2020.

That he wants to be PM is one of the worst kept political secrets going!

[garjones]

Oh, it'll get worse Steve. I'm certain the attitude to the voters will be: Fuck it, they'll have cooled down in 3 years.

Of course, if Cameron fails to win the next election outright - or worse for him, Labour get in, then I expect Boris to declare his 2nd term of being Mayor will be his last, Cameron knows he's got the leadership for another year, Cue June 2016, or perhaps a little later, following a by-election Boris is back to being an MP, cue leadership contest, which Boris wins and we either have Boris as PM or leading a Tory opposition, with a probable win for 2020.

That he wants to be PM is one of the worst kept political secrets going!

Boris will never be PM. The London Mayor role seems to like their characters. Which is nice but Boris has as much chance of being the Tory head as Ken did at Labour. I'd rest my house on neither achieving anything more.

[Mike]

Oh, I think Johnson as PM is a very very different proposition to Livingstone as PM; I agree that Ken never had a chance. Boris I think has a possible path to Number 10 that Ken never had.

One of the other interesting corollaries to the current local elections: it further tears down the idea that Labour still need Scottish votes to carry England and Wales.

[Ben the Obiwomble]

Perhaps Gar, but like Mike, I'd see a difference with Boris.

I didn't get the sense that Ken ever wanted to go beyond running London, I do with Boris. But for him to have a chance at doing that, Cameron and Osborne have to fail spectacularly.

[garjones]

Perhaps Gar, but like Mike, I'd see a difference with Boris.

I didn't get the sense that Ken ever wanted to go beyond running London, I do with Boris. But for him to have a chance at doing that, Cameron and Osborne have to fail spectacularly.

Different to Ken I'll concede, he's a lot younger and more ambitious but the rest of the country still views the candidates for London mayor, even Paddick, as wildcards. It's also almost a single issue post where transport policy comes first.

Boris will never be PM and I doubt he'll be considered for it.