Welcome to the Conservative Corner! UPDATED What do you think of the cinema ad?

[afleitch]

'Are you thinking what we're thinking?'

Pull up a chair, make yourself a big cup of tea, fold away that Daily Telegraph and make yourselves at home! Yes this is the corner to get away from those pesky Labour supporters and....more sugar?...okay there you go.

Yes despite what we read elsewhere, this is a tight race. It's more than likely Labour will get a majority of 50 plus but the show's not over until Nicholas Soames sings!

Who am I? I'm a centrist former Labour Party member who quit last year. I'm a conservative Democrat hence my red avatar. I enjoy this board, but it's almost like a one man battle on here, hence this Conservative Corner...biscuit? of course....I'll post day to day stories on here and no doubt fight many battles but lets see how things go

[PADem]

Quick question who is Pim Fortuyn? I've heard mixed reports around him.. One of my dutch friends thinks he's the greatest dutch person ever, the other can't stand him....

[afleitch]

Pim Fortuyn was an openly gay Dutch businessman turned politician who founded a political party that swept to power in the local elections in Rotterdam before falling to the assasins bullet just before the general election in 2002. He believed that the Netherlands was a tolerant nation, but that it was in danger of 'tolerating the intolerable' when it came to Islamic fundamentalism. He believed that the Islamic community was insular anti women and homophobic, values that countered those of the Netherlands as a whole. He believed that immigration and asylum was having an adverse effect on Dutch society and should be halted and reversed. In fact more Muslim children were being born in the country than Dutch children. The political left tried to label him a bigot, or a fascist, but it didn't work as he himself was openly gay and his deputy leader was black. He was assassinated outside a radio studio by an animal rights activist and Muslim sympathiser. His party LPF or Lijst Pim Fortuyn were kingmakers during the 2002 elections but faded shortly afterwards. His successor in many ways is Geert Wilders, a man who recently came out of his safe house after the murder of Theo Van Gogh (Wilders name, amongst others was written on the piece of paper next to his dead body) Geert Wilders new party currently leads in the polls and Pim Fortuyn was last year named Greatest Dutchman in a nationwide poll.

I admired Fortuyn when he was alive and I continue to do so after his death. He was a breath of fresh air who in my view knocked the political left for six. The usual rhetoric couldn't apply to him. He was a liberal minded man who had enough by the fundamentalist brand of Islam that is prolific in Europe, the Low Countries in particular. I can also empathise as I am also openly gay and have been the target of Muslims on my university campus, most of whom were not even born here. I believe Islam is the biggest threat to western values of individual liberalism and democracy.

[South Park Republican]

I don't care what the polls say.  I think the Tories are perpetually doomed.    If the Lib Dems ever gain in popularity over Labour, they''ll be reduced to third party status.

I pitty the UK but that is what the voters there want.

[Jake]

I don't agree with that at all. The Tories have a real chance at seriously cutting into Labour's majority come May 5th.  If they can really reduce it, say into the 30-50 range, they place themselves well for 2008/9.

[PADem]

Pim Fortuyn was an openly gay Dutch businessman turned politician who founded a political party that swept to power in the local elections in Rotterdam before falling to the assasins bullet just before the general election in 2002. He believed that the Netherlands was a tolerant nation, but that it was in danger of 'tolerating the intolerable' when it came to Islamic fundamentalism. He believed that the Islamic community was insular anti women and homophobic, values that countered those of the Netherlands as a whole. He believed that immigration and asylum was having an adverse effect on Dutch society and should be halted and reversed. In fact more Muslim children were being born in the country than Dutch children. The political left tried to label him a bigot, or a fascist, but it didn't work as he himself was openly gay and his deputy leader was black. He was assassinated outside a radio studio by an animal rights activist and Muslim sympathiser. His party LPF or Lijst Pim Fortuyn were kingmakers during the 2002 elections but faded shortly afterwards. His successor in many ways is Geert Wilders, a man who recently came out of his safe house after the murder of Theo Van Gogh (Wilders name, amongst others was written on the piece of paper next to his dead body) Geert Wilders new party currently leads in the polls and Pim Fortuyn was last year named Greatest Dutchman in a nationwide poll.

I admired Fortuyn when he was alive and I continue to do so after his death. He was a breath of fresh air who in my view knocked the political left for six. The usual rhetoric couldn't apply to him. He was a liberal minded man who had enough by the fundamentalist brand of Islam that is prolific in Europe, the Low Countries in particular. I can also empathise as I am also openly gay and have been the target of Muslims on my university campus, most of whom were not even born here. I believe Islam is the biggest threat to western values of individual liberalism and democracy.

Sounds like a decent guy to me.

[bullmoose88]

*Hopes to see the Tories and Lib Dems gain at the expense of Labour*

(but thats the small "l" libertarian/european liberal talking in me. I sorta favor the LibDems, but either winning big would be great.)

[Democratic Hawk]

There will be Labour losses and, electorally speaking, there isn't a great deal left for the party to gain

A dominant Labour Party would be a better prospect for the Liberal Democrats in the long-term; however, a resurgent Conservative Party would see the Liberal Democrats pushed into a very poor third because Lib Dem seats in the South West and south-west London would be at risk

Dave

[Keystone Phil]

I can't stand the Labour party. I get especially fed up with them whenever I watch PM's Questions. I'd love to see them suffer huge defeats and ultimatley lose power (though I've been told that the Conservatives have a very small chance at winning back the PM position). My problem: I like Blair's stances with the U.S. and am afraid that if the Tories were to get control, the U.S. would lose a major ally in the War in Iraq.

[afleitch]

I doubt so, the Conservatives despite their rhetoric do not want to see a withdrawal of British troops, they, like many other parties doubt the legality of the war. The Tories aren't running on an anti-war platform. It is likely the troops will stay in Iraq until they are no longer needed.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

what are the Lib Dems' position? I'd vote for the party that wanted to pull the troops out, except RESPECT of course, because a Muslim-affiliated group will never receive my vote.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

what are the Lib Dems' position? I'd vote for the party that wanted to pull the troops out, except RESPECT of course, because a Muslim-affiliated group will never receive my vote.

Last time I checked Menzies Campbell (foreign affairs spokesman) is in favour of keeping the British troops there.

You'll be interested to know that they've been agressively courting the Muslim vote recently

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

why is no party willing to jump on this issue? It'd definately be a winner, it worked in Ukraine and Spain.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

why is no party willing to jump on this issue?

Because most voters don't want the troops out

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I thought pretty much everywhere outside of the US was massively against the war.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I thought pretty much everywhere outside of the US was massively against the war.

Not really.
Before the war people were pretty much split on the issue and although most people now think it was a mistake most couldn't care less about it.
The general feeling is that pulling British troops (most people are pleased at the job they've done in Basra, btw) out would leave the U.S Army as the only people there to stop a massacre.
Which is why it's political suicide to call for an immidate pull out...

[afleitch]

I agree with Al on this one. The situation in Iraq was a factor 18 months ago. Now no one really cares. Rose Gentle, the mother of a dead soldier is standing in my neighbouring seat of East Kilbride against Labour's Adam Ingram, but apart from denting his majority it won't do much. There are more important things than the war on the minds of the British voter.

[Jake]

I thought pretty much everywhere outside of the US was massively against the war.

That's what the media wants us to think.

[Notre Dame rules!]

I think most sensible people realize that withdrawing Coalition forces from Iraq would be disastrous to the stability of the emerging Iraqi democracy, and would be a serious setback to the whole region.

[Notre Dame rules!]

Pim Fortuyn was an openly gay Dutch businessman turned politician who founded a political party that swept to power in the local elections in Rotterdam before falling to the assasins bullet just before the general election in 2002. He believed that the Netherlands was a tolerant nation, but that it was in danger of 'tolerating the intolerable' when it came to Islamic fundamentalism. He believed that the Islamic community was insular anti women and homophobic, values that countered those of the Netherlands as a whole. He believed that immigration and asylum was having an adverse effect on Dutch society and should be halted and reversed. In fact more Muslim children were being born in the country than Dutch children. The political left tried to label him a bigot, or a fascist, but it didn't work as he himself was openly gay and his deputy leader was black. He was assassinated outside a radio studio by an animal rights activist and Muslim sympathiser. His party LPF or Lijst Pim Fortuyn were kingmakers during the 2002 elections but faded shortly afterwards. His successor in many ways is Geert Wilders, a man who recently came out of his safe house after the murder of Theo Van Gogh (Wilders name, amongst others was written on the piece of paper next to his dead body) Geert Wilders new party currently leads in the polls and Pim Fortuyn was last year named Greatest Dutchman in a nationwide poll.

I admired Fortuyn when he was alive and I continue to do so after his death. He was a breath of fresh air who in my view knocked the political left for six. The usual rhetoric couldn't apply to him. He was a liberal minded man who had enough by the fundamentalist brand of Islam that is prolific in Europe, the Low Countries in particular. I can also empathise as I am also openly gay and have been the target of Muslims on my university campus, most of whom were not even born here. I believe Islam is the biggest threat to western values of individual liberalism and democracy.

Until his murder by Jihadists, Pim Fortuyn was usually reported to by a gay psuedo-fascists here in the states, prmarily because  of his views of the  Islamic 'threat' in Europe.  The left leaning US press rarely delves into the factual reasons for the views of such people as Pim, but falls back on the template that anyone who expresses strong opinions must be an extremist.  Sadly, far too few journalists are even curious enough to perform even the most perfunctory research of the motivations behind a candiates views.

[minionofmidas]

Huh? Pim Fortuyn's murderer became a Muslim exactly when?

[Notre Dame rules!]

oops...my bad.


I was combining two separate issues.  Looks like consuming alcohol can impair judgment afterall.

[Notre Dame rules!]

Van der Graaf was murdering Pim on behalf of the Muslims, not because he was one, or so he says at any rate.

[Silent Hunter]

What does everyone think of the Tories' manifesto?

[Bunnybrit]

afleitch has made some good points. I am an like him openly gay, and live in a Musilm area, and have been the target of abit of virbal attacks from young musilms over the last year mainly when leaving a gay pub.
I am a Conservative Party member and really would love to see a Conservative victory, but I think Labours majority is just to big. Hand on heart I reackon a Labour Majority of around 50 seats, but anything could happen and most of the polls are all over the place. Also dont forget the "shy" factor when pollsters ask people some Conservative voters dont admit they are voting Conservative. In some ways this election could been compared to 1970 or 1987.
As for the Conservative manifesto no surpries its basiclly the same what was announced at the Bournemouth Party Conference in October last year.
Game on!!!!!