UK General Discussion

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Regarding the issue of 'meaningful impact', I would once have cracked a joke about Cyril Smith, but given recent revelations that seems in poor taste.

[You kip if you want to...]

Tory hold. (you get me? )

[Supersonic]

Sir Alan Beith, the longest serving LibDem MP, is to stand down at the next election. He was first elected for Berwick-upon-Tweed at a by-election in 1973 (triggered by the resignation of its aristocratic Tory MP following a prostitution scandal) and has spent subsequent decades failing to make any kind of meaningful impact whatsoever. His retirement means that Berwick will likely be a top Tory target in the election.

Since when has any Liberal had any meaningful impact? They tend to have huge personal votes though. Sir Alan definitely does.

Didn't he vote against same sex marriage?

Tory hold. (you get me? )

Oh you!

[countydurhamboy]

Indeed he does. I imagine that he has personally attended every single tedious local ceremony that he has been physically able to since 1973.

To illustrate that point. My mother can't name the home secretory or the education secretory. But when asked who Alan Beith was " you mean sir Alan Beith, he is the Liberal MP for Berwick"

edit: Yes, he did vote against equal marriage. He chair of Lib Dem Christian Forum.

[You kip if you want to...]

Godfrey Bloom MEP opens his mouth again

Terrible, as expected from UKIP.

We've heard worse from Boris in the past though, haven't we?

[Andrea]

Berwick-upon-Tweed at a by-election in 1973 (triggered by the resignation of its aristocratic Tory MP following a prostitution scandal)

I believe the current Tory PPC also descends from a local artistocrat family

[afleitch]

With the Tories also targeting the other Berwick seat in Scotland. I'll be sad to see the blob of yellow straddling the border potentially dissapear. Actually, no I won't.

[You kip if you want to...]

Nothing official yet, but Andrew Stunell (LD, Hazel Grove) is planning to stand down as well. Apparently.

Tories will be happy.

[Supersonic]

Nothing official yet, but Andrew Stunell (LD, Hazel Grove) is planning to stand down as well. Apparently.

Tories will be happy.

Thanks, I am. *chink chink*

[You kip if you want to...]

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/aug/09/labour-risks-defeat-coalition-warns-andy-burnham

Pretty stinging coming from someone so high up. Can't say I disagree though.

As someone who clearly sees himself taking part in a 2015 leadership contest after a Labour defeat, this is pretty telling of what parts of the PLP must be thinking will happen come 2015.

[YL]

Comedy upper class Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg (the one who once campaigned in a General Election in Fife with his nanny) has apparently embarrassed himself a bit.

[You kip if you want to...]

Comedy upper class Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg (the one who once campaigned in a General Election in Fife with his nanny) has apparently embarrassed himself a bit.

He's like a character from a sketch show.

[You kip if you want to...]

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/11/where-labour-going-wrong-ed-miliband

Nothing we didn't already know, but still an interesting read (for the lefties here).

[afleitch]

David McLetchie MSP, the former Tory leader in Scotland has died of cancer at 61. There will be no by-election as the seat will be filled by the next in the list for the Tories which should be Cameron Buchanan.

[You kip if you want to...]

Chris Bryant implodes just weeks before the reshuffle.

[Supersonic]

Chris Bryant implodes just weeks before the reshuffle.

Was literally about to say this. Absolutely hilarious.

Labour trying to out-Tory the Tories on immigration is... amusing to say the least.

[Leftbehind]

Bryant's was a legitimate case argued badly, even so infinitely better reasoned than driving a van around the country telling illegal immigrants to go home (in a transparent PR bid to appear to be 'doing something' - even if that something is employing racial profiling and wasting everyone's time, money and resources). Bryant/Labour look to be at worst, incompetent. Tories look like equally incompetent racists.

[afleitch]

ICM shows 40% back the Tories on the economy up from 28% in June. Labour ahead by 3% in the poll for voting intention but looking good. I'll take that less than two years before the GE.

[Supersonic]

ICM shows 40% back the Tories on the economy up from 28% in June. Labour ahead by 3% in the poll for voting intention but looking good. I'll take that less than two years before the GE.

The comments on the Guardian article were... blissful.

[YL]

Apparently two of the five Respect councillors on Bradford city council have been suspended from the party for opposing George Galloway's desire to be mayor of London.

[jaichind]

One thing I find interesting about recent polling is the Right Left split.  If one counts Tories and UKIP as Right and Labour and LibDems as Left, recent polling shows that that Right is really at a all time high.  Just looking at averages of recent polling from http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/polls.html, we have Labour at 38.5, LibDem at 10, Tories at 31, and UKIP 13.  The Right/Left Split would be 44/48.5.  In 2010 the Right got 39.2%.  Looking at past elections one would have to go back to 1970 to find such a favorable split for the Right. Of course seat wise unless the UKIP vote swings behind Tories the next election would put Labour back into power.  

I always wondered if http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/ should add the option for tactical voting by UKIP voters in favor of Tories.

[MaxQue]

One thing I find interesting about recent polling is the Right Left split.  If one counts Tories and UKIP as Right and Labour and LibDems as Left, recent polling shows that that Right is really at a all time high.  Just looking at averages of recent polling from http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/polls.html, we have Labour at 38.5, LibDem at 10, Tories at 31, and UKIP 13.  The Right/Left Split would be 44/48.5.  In 2010 the Right got 39.2%.  Looking at past elections one would have to go back to 1970 to find such a favorable split for the Right. Of course seat wise unless the UKIP vote swings behind Tories the next election would put Labour back into power.  

I always wondered if http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/ should add the option for tactical voting by UKIP voters in favor of Tories.

Some UKIP voters are protest voters, they will NEVER vote for the incumbent government.

[Leftbehind]

You could just as easily add the 10% coalition-friendly market-liberals to the Right figure. Hell, I think that'd perfectly sum up how poor Labour and the Left as a whole are doing at present - Labour seems to have lost upto a third of their post-coalition gains in the past year (and not undeservedly).  

But really, the issue there isn't that we've all become right-wing neoliberals, quite the opposite: tax-the-rich and nationalisations are more popular than ever* - it's just the current state of opinion being poorly reflected by the main parties, and the UKIP momentum. So sure, objectively the Right is doing absurdly well in terms of vote share, but if you were to, say - as has been posited as a possibility - introduce an alliance between Tory/UKIP, you'll see their vote deflate quicker than a soufflé.

*and I distinctly remember seeing polling showing protest-friendly-UKIP voters supporting nationalisation moreso than present Liberals, despite being a professedly 'libertarian' party, aiming to buy policies off the shelf from IEA. But then UKIP, don't even know their policies, let alone WWC voters they've attracted by their anti-EU/immigration policies.

[You kip if you want to...]

Dead lady gives the "party of the government at the time" £520,000 to do with as they wish.

Tories and LibDems originally take it for themselves, then give it to the Treasury when the Mail kicks up a fuss.

Silly season everybody.

[You kip if you want to...]

And a former David supporter throws his weight behind Ed, basically telling the other random backbenchers who've been going on the last few weeks to shut up.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/ed-miliband/10239982/Ed-Miliband-is-a-b-and-thats-a-good-thing.html