The 2015 General Election Megathread

[Gorgiewave]

For those who know the Truth when they feel it in their gut:

 

[JamboX2]

Thats a great article on Plaid X2, thanks for posting.

Cheers mate. The differences are pretty noticeable between the two nations at present.

 

Scottish Labour never properly put that "red water" between itself and Blair.

 

Which is a shame because they implemented a lot of "old Labour" style policies in office and fought against New Labour policies being implemented in Scotland than their Welsh counterparts. Free tuition, free personal care, increased nursery provision, more new schools and hospitals, bus passes, no to foundation hospitals...

 

Weak leadership and not championing Labour successes has lead to an almighty downfall.

[Psychedelicropcircle]

still find it difficult to understand why the Scottish electorate are so desperate to elect an unproven, negative and dangerous set of MP's to parliament under the SNP banner. Just a few months ago, we rightly sent the pro independence crowd back to their bolt holes to think again, and now they have broken cover with their new nasty 'if you don't vote for us you are betraying Scotland' type of MP.

 

No clue of how they are going to budget for anything, anti NATO, pro NATO, anti NATO again, pro NATO but anti nuclear and various other changes of policy that appear to be written on the back of an envelope.

 

Yep, Labour under Jim Murphy are sleepwalking into one of the most humiliating ever disasters in history and the Lib Dems are just about invisible in Scotland, and we still have the shadow of Thatcher causing, in my opinion, the best Scottish politician we have, to be disregarded totally, but for those who worship wee Jimmie Kranky and her party, what is the main policy that makes you want to vote this Nationalist lot into a position where they will back up the very party that they are seeking to defeat?

 

 

Still hopeful that the electorate will come to some form of sense and deny Sturgeon her dream of destroying the UK. SNP have had power in Scotland for years and they have shown nothing but contemp for Scotland and its people.

Grand coalition is still an option??

[Cast No Shadow]

The British Nationalists are losing the plot and their obliteration isn't for another ten days yet.

[leginten]

Then again http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/generalelection/general-election-2015-the-uk-would-become-a-communist-dictatorship-under-ed-miliband-and-nicola-sturgeon-claims-wife-of-michael-gove-10193221.html

You do wonder about some of the stuff coming out at the moment - it's frenzied, it's extreme and it's designed to stir up hatred. It appears that adherents of the Rangers/Celtic type dominance FPTP has provided for Labour and the Tories since time immemorial just can't cope with the possibility that it might throw up something different. And a lot of the opinion being expressed in rags like the Daily Mail is verging on race hate. I was foolish enough to pick up and look at a complimentary copy of the Mail on Sunday at a London airport yesterday, and almost couldn't believe what I was reading. Four full pages of the type of SNP-hate contained in the linked article above. Lies, inaccuracies, character assassination, distortion, borderline racism. It really was reminiscent of Der St?rmer - it was that bad. And it's shaping Middle England's opinion. God help us.

Edited April 27, 2015 by leginten

[Cast No Shadow]

And now you're cured

 

[Victorian]

More contrived and superficial illusion and shameless chicanery from the outgoing government today,

 

Cameron and his new found bouncy bouncy, throw your hands up in the air persona. "If I'm jumping around excited it's because I'm oh so passionate about this". Well naw really Dave (do we still call you that?) It's cos your PR and spin doctor teams have told you to jump around.

 

Clegg and his promises and his red line issues. "We simply wont be part of a government unless our education demand is met". How are you going to fund that Nick? "We'll find savings". From which budgets? "No we'll find savings from WHITEHALL DEPARTMENTS". It's just overt dishonesty to phrase things in a way that makes departmental budget cuts sound like a few Whitehall based pen pushers being pensioned off. He even had the gall to say that this year's big promise is different to last time's big promise because it says so in the manifesto. He wont flinch from it this time... just like they didn't flinch from the last promise... even though he's already washed his hands of it by saying it was not affordable after all and it was a mistake. Just a lying ****.

Edited April 27, 2015 by Victorian

[freddiemac]

still find it difficult to understand why the Scottish electorate are so desperate to elect an unproven, negative and dangerous set of MP's to parliament under the SNP banner. Just a few months ago, we rightly sent the pro independence crowd back to their bolt holes to think again, and now they have broken cover with their new nasty 'if you don't vote for us you are betraying Scotland' type of MP.

 

No clue of how they are going to budget for anything, anti NATO, pro NATO, anti NATO again, pro NATO but anti nuclear and various other changes of policy that appear to be written on the back of an envelope.

 

Yep, Labour under Jim Murphy are sleepwalking into one of the most humiliating ever disasters in history and the Lib Dems are just about invisible in Scotland, and we still have the shadow of Thatcher causing, in my opinion, the best Scottish politician we have, to be disregarded totally, but for those who worship wee Jimmie Kranky and her party, what is the main policy that makes you want to vote this Nationalist lot into a position where they will back up the very party that they are seeking to defeat?

 

 

Still hopeful that the electorate will come to some form of sense and deny Sturgeon her dream of destroying the UK. SNP have had power in Scotland for years and they have shown nothing but contemp for Scotland and its people.

[Rand Paul's Ray Bans]

That's why we're Better Together. I'd have loved to have seen the Scottish Government (Scottish GDP: 248bn pounds) bailing out RBS (bailout: 46bn pounds). 18.5% of the national wealth to bail out a bank. As the UK (GDP: 2.7 trillion pounds), 1.7% of GDP went to saving RBS. What has the RBS bailout got to do with the SNP? Anti-banker champion of the little person, Alex Salmond, was egging them on to fatally take over ABN "for Scotland".

 

 

 

 

.

1. Scottish independence was decided last year. It's absolutely worthless to say "if Scotland had been independent since the 1970s...". It wasn't.

2. I quote:

Labour took great delight in quoting back Salmond's words from an article in the   Times on 7 April 2007:

 

"We are pledging a light-touch regulation suitable to a Scottish financial sector with its outstanding reputation for probity, as opposed to one like that in the UK, which absorbs huge amounts of management time in 'gold-plated' regulation."

 

http://www.theguardian.com/uk/scotland-blog/2012/feb/01/alex-salmond-regrets-backing-goodwin

 

So, yes it probably would have happened.

 

 

Absolutely hysterical. 

 

As mental as asserting that Scotland would be a land of milk and honey if she were independent. As mental as asserting that UK is uniquely terrible. 

 

Just, mental.

[Rand Paul's Ray Bans]

Age shouldn't be a barrier to being an MP, but Mairi Black is a bampot.

 

Also I've met Dougie Alexander, and he's pretty sound. A red win there, pl0x.

[The Mighty Thor]

More contrived and superficial illusion and shameless chicanery from the outgoing government today,

 

Cameron and his new found bouncy bouncy, throw your hands up in the air persona. "If I'm jumping around excited it's because I'm oh so passionate about this". Well naw really Dave (do we still call you that?) It's cos your PR and spin doctor teams have told you to jump around.

 

Clegg and his promises and his red line issues. "We simply wont be part of a government unless our education demand is met". How are you going to fund that Nick? "We'll find savings". From which budgets? "No we'll find savings from WHITEHALL DEPARTMENTS". It's just overt dishonesty to phrase things in a way that makes departmental budget cuts sound like a few Whitehall based pen pushers being pensioned off. He even had the gall to say that this year's big promise is different to last time's big promise because it says so in the manifesto. He wont flinch from it this time... just like they didn't flinch from the last promise... even though he's already washed his hands of it by saying it was not affordable after all and it was a mistake. Just a lying ****.

I mind the last time he made promises on education.

 

Just saw him on the news. We're not the tories little brother. Of course not Nick. Of course not.

[Cade]

See today's "5000 small business owners" letter in the Telegraph backing the Tories?

 

Turns out it was written by Tory HQ (who failed to hide their ID on the electronic version of the letter.

 

And if you look carefully you will see that many of the "signatures" are in fact big business people who just happen to own lots of small businesses and have signed it one for each of those businesses.

 

AND after contacting companies on the list, many of them were unaware their names were on it and have demanded that they be removed and apologized to by the Tories.

 

What an absolute shambles

 

 

[Victorian]

How about today's big vote stealer from Miliband. No Stamp Duty for first time buyers. "I'm putting first time buyers first".

 

But this saving for doubtless very worthy and cash strapped young families and key workers stands an excellent chance of disappearing like snow off a wall due to a shift in the supply-demand-price curve. Suddenly increase demand by putting money in peoples' pockets only serves to increase price because you haven't done anything to tackle supply. Thus negating any duty saving. The only safe way to make homes affordable is to increase supply. But of course he has to pay lip service on the issue so any old pointless cobblers will do.

[aussieh]

Age shouldn't be a barrier to being an MP, but Mairi Black is a bampot.

 

Also I've met Dougie Alexander, and he's pretty sound. A red win there, pl0x.

Dougies full of his own self importance, and a lazy ..........

[aussieh]

voting for hope over substance, for hope over a recovering economy, for hope over improving employment figures, for hope over small to large business wishes, for hope over all known facts, for hope over reality, that is one huge hope you have.

Wheres this fabled land of recovery, WHERE???????????????.

[JamboX2]

How about today's big vote stealer from Miliband. No Stamp Duty for first time buyers. "I'm putting first time buyers first".

 

But this saving for doubtless very worthy and cash strapped young families and key workers stands an excellent chance of disappearing like snow off a wall due to a shift in the supply-demand-price curve. Suddenly increase demand by putting money in peoples' pockets only serves to increase price because you haven't done anything to tackle supply. Thus negating any duty saving. The only safe way to make homes affordable is to increase supply. But of course he has to pay lip service on the issue so any old pointless cobblers will do.

Again, he's plan is 200,000 homes per year over 5. SNP plan 100,000 and the LibDems and Tories say as many as private sector builders can build.

 

There is the "land grab" plan too to ensure the land is used or has to be used or handed onto local authorities to build on.

 

There are plans here. But then again, this is an England and Wales only policy (for now as Wales is getting this devolved through Silk). We've got Land and Buildings Transaction Tax. So this is a great one for England and Wales. But we've got control over our own housing market now.

[Footballfirst]

[aussieh]

messing deid most likely.

[JamboX2]

Nicola Sturgeon - "I will do nothing to let a Tory government in"

 

Okay. You've no cards to play...

[Victorian]

Maybe all those tidal turbines are going to calm the whole seven seas and them wind farms will put a break on the world's weather systems. Maybe that's what UKIP hope so they can build imigrant fired power stations.

[aussieh]

Nicola Sturgeon - "I will do nothing to let a Tory government in"

 

Okay. You've no cards to play...

Doesnt mean labour wont.

[aussieh]

Nicola Sturgeon - "I will do nothing to let a Tory government in"

 

Okay. You've no cards to play...

Doesnt mean labour wont.

[JamboX2]

Salmond knew of the impending financial crash? Desperate.

Did Brown and Darling? Because they've been blamed for decisions made prior to the crash and for opinions they held.

 

Strangely Osbourne and Cameron when calling for the total deregulation of the mortgage market were opposed by many, but not one, Salmond.

 

He is still an influential voice in his party but on the mortgage market, on banking, on the euro, on the economy as First Minister (Amazon and Sky were given handouts for low pay work with poor working conditions and who avoid tax and he made a corporation tax cut of 3% less than the UK at any time key policies which defined him) and in the referendum he shot himself repeatedly in the foot on the economy and ignored his Finance minister and advisers on the best courses of action.

 

Scrutiny of Salmond often doesn't stick with because he's made of Teflon.

[Victorian]

Nicola - this campaign isn't about independence.

 

Dave - don't believe Alex Salmond if he says they don't want to force another referendum.

 

Nicola - we are not campaigning for a referendum.

 

Edbaws - Alex Salmond is only interested in independence.

 

Nicola - we've been as clear as we can be that independence is not what we are proposing.

 

Dave - don't allow Labour to win because Alex Salmond is only interested in forcing a referendum.

 

Nigel - don't give them independence unless the rest of the UK gets independence from Scotland. We're Unionist.

 

Nick - if I join the SNP, can I get to stay deputy prime minister?

[JamboX2]

Doesnt mean labour wont.

Labour won't back a queens speech from a Tory government.

 

She's been quite good to be fair. She's come out against minority government at Holyrood but for it at Westminster. She's said she's got a similar manifesto to Labour, but Labour is Tory-light. She's against English nationalism and Cameron playing up English nationalism as it's tawdry, but it's not for her with Scottish nationalism.

 

She's very very sharp, very impressive and a good person in an interview (I've seen her make speeches and she's no where near as good as Salmond there or Margo or Brown etc).

 

I wonder if she is playing up a fall here. If she does really well at holding Labour to go left and they do well and the government is very popular and reforms come, could she shoot herself in the foot and torpedo the need for independence and give Labour a shot of a majority at 2020.

Edited April 27, 2015 by JamboX2

[luckydug]

Labour won't back a queens speech from a Tory government.

 

She's been quite good to be fair. She's come out against minority government at Holyrood but for it at Westminster. She's said she's got a similar manifesto to Labour, but Labour is Tory-light. She's against English nationalism and Cameron playing up English nationalism as it's tawdry, but it's not for her with Scottish nationalism.

 

She's very very sharp, very impressive and a good person in an interview (I've seen her make speeches and she's no where near as good as Salmond there or Margo or Brown etc).

 

I wonder if she is playing up a fall here. If she does really well at holding Labour to go left and they do well and the government is very popular and reforms come, could she shoot herself in the foot and torpedo the need for independence and give Labour a shot of a majority at 2020.

 

Sadly it looks as if our friends in England are going to give the Tories a majority.

Latest poll from Lord Ashcroft suggests the Tories now have 6% lead over Labour. Another poll gives the Tories a 3% lead.

Clear daylight beginning to emerge. If this continues talk of deals etc will be obsolete.

A Tory majority would push Scots towards independence imo. After all the shit that the Tories have been chucking at the Scottish people the Union is well and truly fecked. 

[Cade]

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2015/feb/27/guardian-poll-projection

 

Updates daily as a poll of polls. STILL too close to call.

Edited April 27, 2015 by Cade

[aussieh]

Labour won't back a queens speech from a Tory government.

 

She's been quite good to be fair. She's come out against minority government at Holyrood but for it at Westminster. She's said she's got a similar manifesto to Labour, but Labour is Tory-light. She's against English nationalism and Cameron playing up English nationalism as it's tawdry, but it's not for her with Scottish nationalism.

 

She's very very sharp, very impressive and a good person in an interview (I've seen her make speeches and she's no where near as good as Salmond there or Margo or Brown etc).

 

I wonder if she is playing up a fall here. If she does really well at holding Labour to go left and they do well and the government is very popular and reforms come, could she shoot herself in the foot and torpedo the need for independence and give Labour a shot of a majority at 2020.

Evel, means the end of any non English Mp Prime Ministers.

Another nail in the mighty onion.

[Victorian]

Sadly it looks as if our friends in England are going to give the Tories a majority.

Latest poll from Lord Ashcroft suggests the Tories now have 6% lead over Labour. Another poll gives the Tories a 3% lead.

Clear daylight beginning to emerge. If this continues talk of deals etc will be obsolete.

A Tory majority would push Scots towards independence imo. After all the shit that the Tories have been chucking at the Scottish people the Union is well and truly fecked.

Then bring on the EU referendum. Blame the result on Alex Salmond if it goes Pete Tong.

[luckydug]

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interactive/2015/feb/27/guardian-poll-projection

 

Updates daily as a poll of polls. STILL too close to call.

I think the Ashcroft Poll was published after that.

[Boab]

Posted that about 30 pages back but well worth a bump, mate.

What a plonker in a party of raving lunatics.

[aussieh]

Sadly it looks as if our friends in England are going to give the Tories a majority.

Latest poll from Lord Ashcroft suggests the Tories now have 6% lead over Labour. Another poll gives the Tories a 3% lead.

Clear daylight beginning to emerge. If this continues talk of deals etc will be obsolete.

A Tory majority would push Scots towards independence imo. After all the shit that the Tories have been chucking at the Scottish people the Union is well and truly fecked.

Tory majority, Evel, England take us out of europe, trident renewal, London Dominance for Boris, Oil price ROCKETS, no much power to holyrood, auch well could be worse, we could vote no to run our own Country, oh wait.... PURE PISHFLAPS.

[Cade]

I think the Ashcroft Poll was published after that.

Then we'll see the knock-on effect of his poll in tomorrow's data

[Footballfirst]

Posted that about 30 pages back but well worth a bump, mate.

What a plonker in a party of raving lunatics.

No probs.  I've been dipping in and out the thread, so haven't read every post.

[JamboX2]

Sadly it looks as if our friends in England are going to give the Tories a majority.

Latest poll from Lord Ashcroft suggests the Tories now have 6% lead over Labour. Another poll gives the Tories a 3% lead.

Clear daylight beginning to emerge. If this continues talk of deals etc will be obsolete.

A Tory majority would push Scots towards independence imo. After all the shit that the Tories have been chucking at the Scottish people the Union is well and truly fecked.

It's English nationalism v Scottish nationalism. The English since 1997 have had nothing to loose in Scotland. Labour have. Repeatedly failing to win back that professional vote in Scotland has alienated them. Scottish Tories are different beasts and the tension within that party is greater than any other pan-Union party.

 

However, the national poll you're talking about doesn't reflect constituency and marginal seat polling which puts Labour ahead.

 

Cameron and Clegg outpolled Brown and their parties outpolled Labour, even the LibDems did at times. But Labour still held fast in many places and prevented them winning.

[JamboX2]

Evel, means the end of any non English Mp Prime Ministers.

Another nail in the mighty onion.

No it doesn't. Do you understand what's being proposed?

 

EVEL isn't no votes for Scots on English matters. They can still vote at final stage. It is an additional stage in the process whereby the speaker would say before a final vote that there should be an English only vote on parts of acts which apply solely to England.

 

So on income tax, all the UK wide aspects are UK wide votes. Setting bands are English and Welsh only, so Scots can't vote on the band rates. Scots still vote for the budget and have a say on how it looks.

 

EVEL is not ideal. It's not great, but it may not end the union. Agitation around using it will.

[Boab]

No probs.  I've been dipping in and out the thread, so haven't read every post.

[luckydug]

 

Quite a character is Victoria   http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/dec/08/ukip-victoria-ayling-immigration-nigel-farage

Still at least she's not an inexperienced 19 year old.

[jambos are go!]

Incredible 30% of Scots yet to make their mind up according to Reporting Scotland tonight. Lots to play for.

[Boab]

Quite a character is Victoria   http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/dec/08/ukip-victoria-ayling-immigration-nigel-farage

Still at least she's not an inexperienced 19 year old.

I would think her I.Q. would struggle to get to 19.

[luckydug]

Incredible 30% of Scots yet to make their mind up according to Reporting Scotland tonight. Lots to play for.

 

Probably the 30% who dont bother to  vote at General Elections.

[aussieh]

Incredible 30% of Scots yet to make their mind up according to Reporting Scotland tonight. Lots to play for.

Whats your thoughts, with Tory speak on anti Scots mode?.

[JamboX2]

http://news.stv.tv/scotland-decides/analysis/318150-stephen-daisley-on-grandfathers-fathers-sons-and-labour-politics/

 

I think those who are SNP or Labour or Tory or Liberal and those who haven't made up their mind can all take something from this. As a Scot this is the best article from the election I've read.

[jambos are go!]

Whats your thoughts, with Tory speak on anti Scots mode?.

No idea what you are talking about. Not for the first time.

[Cade]

No it doesn't. Do you understand what's being proposed?

 

EVEL isn't no votes for Scots on English matters. They can still vote at final stage. It is an additional stage in the process whereby the speaker would say before a final vote that there should be an English only vote on parts of acts which apply solely to England.

 

So on income tax, all the UK wide aspects are UK wide votes. Setting bands are English and Welsh only, so Scots can't vote on the band rates. Scots still vote for the budget and have a say on how it looks.

 

EVEL is not ideal. It's not great, but it may not end the union. Agitation around using it will.

Erm no....the current idea is that non-English MPs can take part in debates on English-only issues, but the voting is for English MPs only.

 

That's pish. English MPs count double and have an inbuilt conflict of interest between English only and UK wide policies.

[Boab]

http://news.stv.tv/scotland-decides/analysis/318150-stephen-daisley-on-grandfathers-fathers-sons-and-labour-politics/

 

I think those who are SNP or Labour or Tory or Liberal and those who haven't made up their mind can all take something from this. As a Scot this is the best article from the election I've read.

 

Very good piece.

[JamboX2]

Erm no....the current idea is that non-English MPs can take part in debates on English-only issues, but the voting is for English MPs only.

 

That's pish. English MPs count double and have an inbuilt conflict of interest between English only and UK wide policies.

No, the Tory plan is that he speaker will examine legislation as proposed. If sections apply to England only a grand committee of English MPs (like Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland had pre-devolution) is established. That committee then decides on those English matters and the rest of the legislation, if it has a UK wide impact, is sent back to the full commons for debate and amendment as a whole before the vote is made.

 

Again, this is a rehash of an old idea Scots used to their advantage.

[JamboX2]

Very good piece.

Couldn't agree with it more, myself. Labour does need to reinvigorate itself in Scotland. And there is a golden chance to do so in 2016 at Holyrood with a stronger team. Whatever may happen at the end of this it's a chance to set out a vision to counter the SNP.

 

But at the same time the article is just superb. We can't use old values and contexts long gone to define and set our future and how we relate to politics. Compassion, fairness and ambition for the next generation should be the corner stones of the next 10 years, not the slide we can see on both sides of grudge and grievance.

[aussieh]

No idea what you are talking about. Not for the first time.

Aye, ok. The 30% wont be voting for the Blue Bloods thats for sure.

[Malinga the Swinga]

Wheres this fabled land of recovery, WHERE???????????????.

it is in the UK. Businesses are recovering and investing and employment figures are rapidly improving. Compare us to other European countries and our economy is in a far better shape. Just because Nicola, Ed and the left wing media can't begin to give the Tory party any credit, doesn't mean that it isn't happening.