Election - Something About to Happen ?

[Old Timer]

Hearing word that BBC and Broadhsheet/Left leaning papers have been told to keep their Political Journalists available at short notice for a possible major Labour announcement this weekend.

Also told that Betting has been suspended on 25th March as a possible GE day owing to sudden influx in bets.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

Would you please be more careful about the use of the word "major" in any election discussion?
Gave me quite a nasty shock when reading that!

 

[Techniquest]

If it's Labour waving the white flag and jumping ship, then I'm all for hearing the news! Almost as good would be the announcement Gordon Brown's permanently retiring to be replaced by someone else...

 

[Pumbaa]

****ter and other news sources have been chirping about a possible election announcement since late Thurs evening. For once, we may be in agreement OT!

It would be ****ing annoying though, I'm out the country for a while later this month.

So, having gone from a clear victory, to contemplating the formation of a hung parliament, where do we all stand in thinking how it will go for our blue feathered friends?

 

[devon_metro]

So long as its after the 17th, I wish to make my vote against Labour!!

 

[Zoe]

It's not going to be any different under Cameron.

 

[theblackwatch]

So long as its after the 17th, I wish to make my vote against Labour!!

Major birthday coming up then?

 

[Old Timer]

Papers are going to bed now so looks like Brown has bottled it, for a second week, and the third time.

 

[Zoe]

I remember John Major hanging on in 1997 until the bitter end.

 

[Old Timer]

I remember John Major hanging on in 1997 until the bitter end.

The difference was that the Recession was giving way to growth when he left power, unlike what will happen now. Here we face another but deeper 1979

Bliar and Brown both benefitted from this yet managed, in true Labour style, to destroy that inheritance.

I note in an earlier post you feel gifted with the foresight to tell us how things would be under Cameron :roll:

 

[Zoe]

I note in an earlier post you feel gifted with the foresight to tell us how things would be under Cameron :roll:

I can't predict the future but in the same way as many socialists have been disappointed by New Labour, don't expect a return to the days of Thatcher under Cameron.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

I can't predict the future . . . . .

EXACTLY!

. . . and neither can anyone on here; nor any politician; nor their advisors; nor the Civil Servants in Westminster (who'll still be there whatever the election outcome); nor any media hack; nor any academic researcher.

Isn't that the real problem?
No one knows how external factors will affect the UK, and no one knows what possible strategies for internal adjustments will actually benefit us as a whole and as individuals.
How could they?

Its going to be as informed an election as playing the lottery.

 

[mrcheek]

Papers are going to bed now so looks like Brown has bottled it, for a second week, and the third time.

Actually Im glad of that. The Tories poll lead has narrowed slightly over the last couple of weeks. I would honestly prefer a delayed election, so they can win by a decent margin. The last thing this country needs is a hung parliament.

As an aside, several years ago, I forecast that this election would never even happen. I predicted that Brown would fabricate some kind of national emergency, such as a terrorist alert, in order to postpone it. Still could happen.

 

[Wyvern]

Is it possible that rumours have been stirred up to divert attention away from the Tory party conference?

 

[Old Timer]

I can't predict the future but in the same way as many socialists have been disappointed by New Labour, don't expect a return to the days of Thatcher under Cameron.

I would not. I am sure that David Cameron is his own man.

I find it amazing though that people still feel the need to refer back to a woman who has been out of power for 21 years.

Time and circumstances move on, although as has been pointed out many, many times before, history repeats itself so let me make this prediction.

The Conservatives take power and then spend one or maybe two Parliaments sorting out the whole economic mess we are in.

During this period, what is left of Labour (maybe even the third party not the official Opposition even) will shout and bawl about "Tory spending cuts", conveniently forgetting that they would have had to do the same :roll:

At some point, normally just when things are starting to get better, the Turkeys will manage to persuade the dumb and dumber that the Conservatives are a "bad" Party, and that it is time for a change. Labour (if it still exists or its possible equivalent) promise a whole new nirvana, and get voted in.

There then follows a series of years as the economy pulls itself out and during this time public spending runs rife, with much lauding about Labour's fiscal competence. We get into another recession because we can no longer afford to pay for the costs of so much public spending. High taxation causes Companies to either go bust or go abroad, and back come the Conservatives to put the whole sorry mess right yet again :roll::roll::roll:

 

[Pumbaa]

Actually Im glad of that. The Tories poll lead has narrowed slightly over the last couple of weeks. I would honestly prefer a delayed election, so they can win by a decent margin. The last thing this country needs is a hung parliament.

Probably both main parties would be wishing for a hung parliament. Coalition to clean up, and conveniently no single group to blame for the huge taxes and entry into austerity programmes.

I'd still rather my chances without a Tory presence - they still want to avoid the inconvenient truth that immediate cuts and slashes will cripple us and only stall further recovery.

 

[Old Timer]

I'd still rather my chances without a Tory presence - they still want to avoid the inconvenient truth that immediate cuts and slashes will cripple us and only stall further recovery.

That is at variance with both Darling's view, as well as independent international economists, the IMF and the majority of EU Monetary experts.

Darling has a totally opposite view to Brown in that Darling believes cuts are needed sooner rather than later and that continued spending will not improve the economy.

Darling is about the only one who is coming out of this mess with any credit, and his admission that Brown is a bully will see him attacked by the various Labour Attack Dogs very soon indeed.

 

[Ivo]

To be perfectly honest, I really don't mind if the Tories lose (even though I, as is typical of South East Essex, am a strong blue). On the other hand, if Labour win once again... I probably shouldn't say this, but if I had to choose between Harriet Harman and Nick Griffin for PM, and it was a matter of "one, other or death", I'd choose death. And Har-woman wouldn't get my second vote either.

 

[DescendingSadly]

The lot of them are crooks out to line their own pockets. Doesn't mean i'll be wasting my vote though!

 

[devon_metro]

That is at variance with both Darling's view, as well as independent international economists, the IMF and the majority of EU Monetary experts.

Darling has a totally opposite view to Brown in that Darling believes cuts are needed sooner rather than later and that continued spending will not improve the economy.

Darling is about the only one who is coming out of this mess with any credit, and his admission that Brown is a bully will see him attacked by the various Labour Attack Dogs very soon indeed.

Have to agree, I quite rate Darling as a chancellor, however Brown is just an oath.

 

[thefab444]

Alistair Darling strikes me as another John Major, he seems like a genuinely nice person, but isn't really leadership material.

 

[Pumbaa]

That is at variance with both Darling's view, as well as independent international economists, the IMF and the majority of EU Monetary experts.

They're split very much 50/50, and I think time will tell who is right. We will be finding out either way!

 

[313103]

Really cant wait for the tories to get in! I mean they will 'RIGHT' all the wrongs that this other RIGHT WING government (under the name of NEW Labour) has done.

To be honest can someone please tell me how they tell the difference between the Tories and New Labour? Unless of course the tories are going to call themselves 'New Conservatives' therefore distinguishing themselves from old Conservatives, i really cant see the tories being any different then NEW labour are.

If anyone thinks that the current NEW Labour are by any means socialist, then they are as deluded as those who think the tories wont be any different then they were all those years ago when they were last in power.

 

[Pumbaa]

Interesting take on the Tory weekend here:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bb347764-2498-11df-8be0-00144feab49a.html

Sums it up well I think, I look forward to reading other takes on it tomorrow.

 

[Old Timer]

The FT has been drifting leftwards for a couple years now and is no longer taken seriously by those who matter.

Its interesting to see how the scales have suddenly lifted from the eyes of the Grauniad and suddenly they are on a hatefest campaign against Labour :roll::roll::roll::roll: So much for fraternal Leftist love eh ?

Despite this I see the BBC was spinning like mad at the weekend that the adjustment from 0.1% to 0.3% means the Recession is now all but a bad memory :roll::roll::roll: The most stomach churning thing of all of all was the inane comment that the UK was now "walking out of recession" as against ( I think..crawling or something similar). The sooner we put this horrid organisation, that is now the laughing stock of the world with its subservient flag-waving for Labour, out of its misery the better.

 

[Dennis]

On the subject of the growth figure, how much of the 0.3% is attributable to the seemingly never ending expansion of the public sector?

 

[mrcheek]

Have to agree, I quite rate Darling as a chancellor, however Brown is just an oath.

I assume you mean "oaf".

An "oath" is like a pledge you make to tell the truth before speaking as a witness in court. Or before you take office as an MP...
In other words, and "oath" is usually something pretty meaningless that everyone ignores.

Wait, maybe Brown IS an oath!

 

[Ivo]

I've just had a look at this thread whilst logged out, and the following link appeared at the top in a Google Ad:

http://www.youtube.com/webcameronuk?gclid=CPSc6a3-laACFZYU4wodEFFwdw

EDIT: It's still there! Anyone actually bothering with this? Come on, David, we all know you're Premier-bound, now do some work!

 

[Old Timer]

On the subject of the growth figure, how much of the 0.3% is attributable to the seemingly never ending expansion of the public sector?

WE will not know the true figure until Labour have been thrown out and there is a full audit of where we are.

You cannot believe ANYTHING that Labour say, and when its bad news you can be certain that its actually much worse and being "spun".

What IS known however is that public admissions on PFI show that there is a massive financial committment for the next 25/30 years and that payments to this alone will be crippling. There are already NHS Trusts who cannot afford to employ Doctors and Nurses for their new Hospitals because of the PFI costs, indeed Hinchingbrooke is but the first of many Trusts to throw in the towel, and you can expect a massive Privatisation of health services not through any Political impetus but simply because the Treasury does not have the revenue to pay for the outgoings.

Unfortunately I can see the headlines in the Leftist press already, followed by the baying of what little will be left of Labour, and no doubt the various rose tinted glasses wearing Turkeys and dumb and dumber will be attributting all of this to the new Conservative Government :roll::roll:

 

[Zoe]

You cannot believe ANYTHING that Labour say, and when its bad news you can be certain that its actually much worse and being "spun".

Maybe not but I certainly wouldn't believe anything Cameron says, remember 1997 and the wave of expectation when Blair came to power?

As far as PFI goes, a real socialist party would never have done it. PFI was introduced by John Major but continued by New Labour.

I certainly don't trust New Labour and won't be voting for them but the last thing we need is a shift further to the right.