UK General Discussion

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Shapps has said the Tories will select candidates based on the existing boundaries. Make of that what you will.

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How much has been pissed up the wall on this review, then?

Too much.

Ah well, one step closer to Number 10 for Ed I suppose.

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The apology. How is this man in politics? He's an utter joke!

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The idea that Cable or Farron (especially Farron) would do better is completely wrong anyway.

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Why? Clegg is completely ruined in the minds of the public, but if you look at the polls, Cable is still relatively popular. The Liberal Democrats are still going to go lose a lot of seats in the next election, but with someone other than Clegg they could do slightly better.

Cable's still a pretty unknown entity to most normal voters. Anyone new would be easily tarred with the same brush as Clegg. And on tuition fees, Cable voted for the rise and it was his department that was in charge of it.

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Clegg's approval ratings are now at approximately minus sixty trillion.

That high?

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http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/09/23/jon-cruddas-labour-policy-chief-lib-dems-have-done-good-in-government_n_1907159.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

Wow, no.

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It's unsurprising really given how loyal they've all been to Clegg, although ICM seem to disagree - as ever - with YouGov's (and Opinium's) findings.

Topline figures are:
ICM: LAB 41% (+2), CON 31% (-3), LDEM 14% (-1), OTH 14% (+2)

With the Cable hypothetical producing:
LAB 38% (-3%) CON 30% (-1), LDEM 19% (+5), OTH 13% (-1)

Worth noting that the last time ICM shown a 10-point Labour lead was in 2003.

ICM have consistently shown dodgy LD numbers anyway. And new leaders always seem like a good idea, but it never works out as well as the party originally thought.

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Clegg is so toxic (in a way that few other past examples can compare to)

They're be books and all kinds done on it once he's gone. He gets actual aggressive hate from people rather than just high annoyance that the likes of Brown and Major got.

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Interesting. More than one politician has used their middle name for politics - Leonard James Callaghan for example.

I think Prime Minister James Brown's got the best one.

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And so it begins again:
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/09/29/david-miliband-told-aides-ed-would-crash-and-burn-as-labour-leader_n_1925819.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

The insecurity of all three leaders in this parliament is surely unprecedented. Someone has to fall first.


And gross:
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/09/22/liberal-democrats-for-romney_n_1906326.html?utm_hp_ref=uk-politics

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10 minutes into the speech and Ed is, dare I say it, actually doing quite well.

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His media training was blatant, mind.

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Rank hypocrisy.

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The first post-"One Nation" speech from YouGov gives Ed his highest rating as preferred Prime Minister ever. 27%.
http://cdn.yougov.com/cumulus_uploads/document/6aw937uwlp/YG-Archives-Pol-Sun-results-031012.pdf

For some context, the first such poll of 2012 gave to Cameron at 41-17%.

Perceptions of Ed have also improved.
http://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/8h6kfbu889/YG-Archives-Pol-Sun-results-121003%20Ed%27s%20Speech%20%282%29.pdf

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If you needed any confirmation that he's unqualified to be Health Secretary:
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/10/05/jeremy-hunt-abortion-restrict-time-limit-no-concern-for-women_n_1944010.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

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It certainly looks like Ed Miliband got a good bounce from his speech if you believe today's Sunday Times/YouGov poll: 40% say he's doing a good job (though still 49% say he's doing a bad one), up from 28% (57% bad) last week.  The headline figures are not bad either (Lab 45%, Con 31%, LD 8%), but YouGov has been quite volatile recently and that's at the top end of their normal range for Lab.

(Tables here.)

Ed's best since January 2011. Maybe he's finally getting somewhere...

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Interesting:

http://dpmcbride.tumblr.com/post/32931120073/5-years-on-the-election-that-never-was

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Gordon always was smarter than the media liked to believe.

And I agree with him in general on Ed. He has all the pieces to make a great PM, all except the piece of charisma and style. That's the one-up that his brother has.

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He was the future... once.

And there's been some more bubbling of this Boris-Dave melodrama over the weekend. I really wish they'd take their schoolboy grudges elsewhere. I don't even know what Boris is playing at, I don't think he wants this poisoned chalice.

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Boris entering conference, er woah. And Dave's bitterness on his own walk-and-talk-with-reporters-chasing-him on ITN really shone through.

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So, er, Dave does what he always does, giving Ed the win in terms of conference speeches.

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ComRes saying that the two Eds are now level on economic (in)competence with the PM and George. Worrying for the Tories.

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Two SNP MSPs leave party over NATO policy change

Wonder how many'll leave when Scotland votes no.

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UK has exited recession with a 1.0% GDP growth in Q3. A good chunk of that is due to the Olympics, but by no means all.

Question is whether this can be sustained and whether the unemployment numbers come down.

A recovery for London, sure, but what of the rest of us?


Oh, and lol at Mike Smithson talking up Theresa May mounting a leadership challenge. That'll be the day when I realise that the Tory party has, once and for all, without question, had leave of its senses.

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Oh Mr. Griffin
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/10/26/nick-griffin-gay-racist-bnp-leeds-student-homophobic_n_2022540.html?utm_hp_ref=uk