Friday 1st May

[PorFavor]

have got girded loins, jangling nerves and red mist.
knackering.

Much easier to have girdled lions, as I did for last night's debates

Can someone help me out, please? I've always been confused by "cod loins" (available in a supermarket near you). Do fish have loins?

Griddled loins for tea?

[tinyclanger2]

have got girded loins, jangling nerves and red mist.
knackering.

Much easier to have girdled lions, as I did for last night's debates

Can someone help me out, please? I've always been confused by "cod loins" (available in a supermarket near you). Do fish have loins?

Griddled loins for tea?

From EE Cummings to Ivor Cutler.

Impressive range.

[RogerOThornhill]

Michael Deacon ✔@MichaelPDeacon
"This is a real career-defining election!" David Cameron just shouted, before swiftly correcting himself. "Country-defining!"



Truth will out...

[tinyclanger2]

Telegraph reckons Miliband "almost insulted our intelligence"

[pk1]

Back in Cardiff, Ed Miliband has just announced that Labour would effectively cancel the bedroom tax on its first day in office. It would do that by making funds available to councils to allow them to compensate people for the cost of the bedroom tax in full.

I can hear it now - the SNP has already been doing that so he's just following Sturgeon's lead.....

*sigh*

[AnatolyKasparov]

Michael Deacon ✔@MichaelPDeacon
"This is a real career-defining election!" David Cameron just shouted, before swiftly correcting himself. "Country-defining!"



Truth will out...

This one will go viral just like the "West Villa" gaffe did. Nice timing

[RogerOThornhill]

Telegraph reckons Miliband "almost insulted our intelligence"

That might be difficult.

[pk1]

Telegraph reckons Miliband "almost insulted our intelligence"

They have some to insult ? When will that be transferred to some of their commentators & readers ?

[TheGrimSqueaker]

Jason Farrell ‏@JasonFarrellSky · 4m4 minutes ago
Miliband on Cameron's "career" comment: "For him this election is all about him..." he sees "his CV on the ballot paper I see child benefit"

[ohsocynical]

Our care package has been cut, and I am desperate – #100days100stories

http://blog.scope.org.uk/2015/05/01/our ... 00stories/

[ephemerid]

I know people dislike this about politics, but one of the key political skills is to be able not to answer any question asked.

Whilst I agree, Hugo, that this is one of the "key political skills", it shouldn't be - diplomacy with people is one thing, but there is a huge gap between being charming to the electorate and outright lying.

It's not just about the very obvious failure of so many of our elected servants (for that is what they are, whether they believe it or not) it's also, now, about bare-faced mendacity and glaringly obvious spin.

The Tories have become so arrogant now that they simply don't care what they say or how much they lie - there is very little reporting on the fact that Cameron lied about the SNP's influence on Labour again last night; whatever Ed says, however many times he denies it, the Tories keep on saying it when they know it isn't true. The same can be said on the NHS, on tax and spending, on social security, on immigration, on everything.

I have been impressed by Miliband's reluctance to do a Cameron and simply regurgitate the spin-doctor's soundbites; he really does talk to people and he doesn't demean their questions by responding with a long and tedious "we've done this, we'll do that" peroration as Cameron does all the time - he actually tries to answer the question and frequently concedes that some people won't agree.

What we need - despite your assertion being true - is a new politics.I want this mendacious spin and nonsense to stop. Labour does it sometimes, too; I have never been impressed by it and I can't be that unusual. However, some people will not see through the antics of Cameron and his ilk, and will assume that he isn't lying. He is.

[LadyCentauria]

have got girded loins, jangling nerves and red mist.
knackering.

Much easier to have girdled lions, as I did for last night's debates

Can someone help me out, please? I've always been confused by "cod loins" (available in a supermarket near you). Do fish have loins?

Griddled loins for tea?

Here you go:

Loins
The prime part of a fillet taken above the bone of a large round fish such as Cod, and taken from either side of the bone of large game fish like Tuna. Smaller loins from Cod or Hake may be portion size, but large loins from Tuna and Swordfish will need cutting into suprêmes.

http://www.mjseafood.com/fishipedia-sea ... -portions/

Since the general definition of 'loin' is 'between the lowest rib and the hips' it seems odd to apply it to fish – only because they don't, generally, have hips – but I suppose you could apply it to anything between the last rib and the pelvic fin, which is probably what fishmongers do.

[tinyclanger2]

I know people dislike this about politics, but one of the key political skills is to be able not to answer any question asked.

Whilst I agree, Hugo, that this is one of the "key political skills", it shouldn't be - diplomacy with people is one thing, but there is a huge gap between being charming to the electorate and outright lying.

It's not just about the very obvious failure of so many of our elected servants (for that is what they are, whether they believe it or not) it's also, now, about bare-faced mendacity and glaringly obvious spin.

The Tories have become so arrogant now that they simply don't care what they say or how much they lie - there is very little reporting on the fact that Cameron lied about the SNP's influence on Labour again last night; whatever Ed says, however many times he denies it, the Tories keep on saying it when they know it isn't true. The same can be said on the NHS, on tax and spending, on social security, on immigration, on everything.

I have been impressed by Miliband's reluctance to do a Cameron and simply regurgitate the spin-doctor's soundbites; he really does talk to people and he doesn't demean their questions by responding with a long and tedious "we've done this, we'll do that" peroration as Cameron does all the time - he actually tries to answer the question and frequently concedes that some people won't agree.

What we need - despite your assertion being true - is a new politics.I want this mendacious spin and nonsense to stop. Labour does it sometimes, too; I have never been impressed by it and I can't be that unusual. However, some people will not see through the antics of Cameron and his ilk, and will assume that he isn't lying. He is.

100% agree.
Not a fake new politics - the greens, and the nationalists - but genuinely, boldly, honestly different. In a bizarre way, Farage probably is at least "honest".
(May be going to far there, but you get my drift)

[tinyclanger2]

Hello all.

If anyone's been feeling down, you really need to check out the clip attached to this tweet, it'll cheer you right up. Cameron's cracking under the pressure!

Edited to add, you can now also see the clip on a perpetual loop on Sparrow's blog.

Oh Christ, he LITERALLY has his sleeves rolled up. Why does the country tolerate this prick?

I have absolutely no idea. It's like moustaches and soul patches (many apologies for my being an old stiff to anyone with either). I JUST DON"T GET IT.

[tinyclanger2]

Much easier to have girdled lions, as I did for last night's debates

Can someone help me out, please? I've always been confused by "cod loins" (available in a supermarket near you). Do fish have loins?

Griddled loins for tea?

Here you go:

Loins
The prime part of a fillet taken above the bone of a large round fish such as Cod, and taken from either side of the bone of large game fish like Tuna. Smaller loins from Cod or Hake may be portion size, but large loins from Tuna and Swordfish will need cutting into suprêmes.

http://www.mjseafood.com/fishipedia-sea ... -portions/

Since the general definition of 'loin' is 'between the lowest rib and the hips' it seems odd to apply it to fish – only because they don't, generally, have hips – but I suppose you could apply it to anything between the last rib and the pelvic fin, which is probably what fishmongers do.

Am now unclear as to whether I am even correctly girded.

[LadyCentauria]

Back in Cardiff, Ed Miliband has just announced that Labour would effectively cancel the bedroom tax on its first day in office. It would do that by making funds available to councils to allow them to compensate people for the cost of the bedroom tax in full.

I can hear it now - the SNP has already been doing that so he's just following Sturgeon's lead.....

*sigh*

On Day One. If he and Ed Balls then abolish the Under-Occupancy Penalty in an Emergency Budget (which wo'n't happen on Day One but soon thereafter) that would take it further than the mitigation measures currently in place in Scotland (through the Scottish Parliament) and, in that way, keep the Manifesto Pledge on abolition.

[pk1]

Sturgeon:

Ed Miliband’s disastrous revelation that he would rather let the Tories back in than work with the SNP to keep them out will galvanise even more people to vote SNP.

Yeah, except that's not what he said was it Nicola

[LadyCentauria]

Can someone help me out, please? I've always been confused by "cod loins" (available in a supermarket near you). Do fish have loins?

Griddled loins for tea?

Here you go:

Loins
The prime part of a fillet taken above the bone of a large round fish such as Cod, and taken from either side of the bone of large game fish like Tuna. Smaller loins from Cod or Hake may be portion size, but large loins from Tuna and Swordfish will need cutting into suprêmes.

http://www.mjseafood.com/fishipedia-sea ... -portions/

Since the general definition of 'loin' is 'between the lowest rib and the hips' it seems odd to apply it to fish – only because they don't, generally, have hips – but I suppose you could apply it to anything between the last rib and the pelvic fin, which is probably what fishmongers do.

Am now unclear as to whether I am even correctly girded.

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/10/0 ... ated-guide

(Hope I haven't made the page enormous... If so: help!)

[ohsocynical]

The unexpected and sharp fall in the headline manufacturing PMI to 51.9 in April from 54 in March was driven by broad weakness in the sector.

It was the slowest growth for UK factories in seven months, as growth in output, new orders, and employment all slowed.

Job creation in the sector was the slowest in almost two years.

This is not good news for the Conservatives, following the GDP shocker on Tuesday (growth halved in Q1 to 0.3%).

With less than a week to go before the general election, the signal from the manufacturing PMI is that that the economy got off to a poor start in the second quarter.

That is a blow to David Cameron and George Osborne, who have marked out the economy as a key election battleground for the Conservatives.

Consumer goods were behind the (weak) growth in manufacturing orders and output in April according to the PMI.

Given growth in the sector was dependent on domestic work and not work abroad, that poses another difficulty for the current government: it’s stated ambition is to rebalance the economy away from a heavy reliance on consumer spending and towards more manufacturing and exports.

As yet, exports have yet to provide a boost to the economy and more than six years on from the beginning of the financial crisis, manufacturing output has yet to surpass it’s pre-crisis peak.

This is what Rob Dobson, senior economist at Markit, had to say:

Coming on the back of weaker-than-expected GDP numbers on Tuesday and only six days before the general election, today’s UK PMI delivered less than positive news on the health of the manufacturing sector.

Rates of expansion in production and order books both slowed sharply in April, meaning manufacturing is again unlikely to provide much of a boost to broader economic growth. This keeps the emphasis for maintaining the recovery highly reliant on the services sector.

Growth remains largely consumer-led, with the strong performance of the consumer goods sector in stark contrast with other sectors.

The investment and export pictures are also subdued. A decline in capital goods new orders is a weak bellwether for business investment spending, while a slowing global economy and strong sterling- euro exchange rate are hurting the competitiveness of exporters.

A key challenge for the next government is to revive manufacturing and help it at least regain its pre-crisis peak, as any signs of rebalancing the economy towards manufacturing and exports remain frustratingly elusive.

http://www.theguardian.com/business/liv ... 79681b8cd6

[SpinningHugo]

I know people dislike this about politics, but one of the key political skills is to be able not to answer any question asked.

Whilst I agree, Hugo, that this is one of the "key political skills", it shouldn't be - diplomacy with people is one thing, but there is a huge gap between being charming to the electorate and outright lying.

It's not just about the very obvious failure of so many of our elected servants (for that is what they are, whether they believe it or not) it's also, now, about bare-faced mendacity and glaringly obvious spin.

The Tories have become so arrogant now that they simply don't care what they say or how much they lie - there is very little reporting on the fact that Cameron lied about the SNP's influence on Labour again last night; whatever Ed says, however many times he denies it, the Tories keep on saying it when they know it isn't true. The same can be said on the NHS, on tax and spending, on social security, on immigration, on everything.

I have been impressed by Miliband's reluctance to do a Cameron and simply regurgitate the spin-doctor's soundbites; he really does talk to people and he doesn't demean their questions by responding with a long and tedious "we've done this, we'll do that" peroration as Cameron does all the time - he actually tries to answer the question and frequently concedes that some people won't agree.

What we need - despite your assertion being true - is a new politics.I want this mendacious spin and nonsense to stop. Labour does it sometimes, too; I have never been impressed by it and I can't be that unusual. However, some people will not see through the antics of Cameron and his ilk, and will assume that he isn't lying. He is.

Miliband has several tactics (which others share) for not answering questions. he will say

"The real question is..." and then answer something else. If you re-watch the first 'debate' he answers a different question from that asked on almost each occasion.

or

"I don't accept that,,," when it is something like basic maths from the IFS.

or

"I am not going to answer hypothetical questions." When asked about what happens if Labour don't win a majority. We just govern as if we do? Really?

The last is the most annoying tactic adopted by politicians as hypothetical questions are just as valid and important as any other.

Miliband is a politician like any other. Thank God for that, because if he really were fundamentally different and some kind of saint he wouldn't stand a chance. Democratic elections are won by those skillful at winning democratic elections. Virtue is not the point.

[pk1]

What we need - despite your assertion being true - is a new politics.I want this mendacious spin and nonsense to stop. Labour does it sometimes, too; I have never been impressed by it and I can't be that unusual. However, some people will not see through the antics of Cameron and his ilk, and will assume that he isn't lying. He is.

100% agree.
Not a fake new politics - the greens, and the nationalists - but genuinely, boldly, honestly different. In a bizarre way, Farage probably is at least "honest".
(May be going to far there, but you get my drift)

Wouldn't it be great if a politician just stood up & said

ok if you want the best NHS, your tax will have to go up in order to pay for it; if you want triple-locked pensions, taxes will have to rise; if you want your bins emptied twice a week, your taxes will have to rise

and so on

I'm hoping I might see that before I die.

[ohsocynical]

Here you go: http://www.mjseafood.com/fishipedia-sea ... -portions/

Since the general definition of 'loin' is 'between the lowest rib and the hips' it seems odd to apply it to fish – only because they don't, generally, have hips – but I suppose you could apply it to anything between the last rib and the pelvic fin, which is probably what fishmongers do.

Am now unclear as to whether I am even correctly girded.

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/10/0 ... ated-guide

(Hope I haven't made the page enormous... If so: help!)

Nice description. So can we take it that when Dave rolls up his shirtsleeves, he's girding his elbows?

[ohsocynical]

Here you go: http://www.mjseafood.com/fishipedia-sea ... -portions/

Since the general definition of 'loin' is 'between the lowest rib and the hips' it seems odd to apply it to fish – only because they don't, generally, have hips – but I suppose you could apply it to anything between the last rib and the pelvic fin, which is probably what fishmongers do.

Am now unclear as to whether I am even correctly girded.

http://www.artofmanliness.com/2014/10/0 ... ated-guide

(Hope I haven't made the page enormous... If so: help!)

Nice description. So can we take it that when Dave rolls up his shirtsleeves, he's girding his elbows?

[ephemerid]

A new career for OGRFG!

This is what I am hoping for. I will joyously vote for Cameron's career trajectory to be country-changing. Oh yes.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

News Flash - the headlines on Friday 8th.May are as follows (if the MSM can predict QT victory, I can predict their headlines):

David Cameron has accepted an invitation from HM The Queen to attend Buckingham Palace in order to receive his dubbing (he had his drubbing yesterday) as Lord Flab of Fauntlerboy, Laird of the Clan Donald Tax Haven Cameron, and Duke of the Slipping Nobody Set.

He will then travel north with Brenda and the gang, once the Royal Spare Heir has been safely delivered, for a spot of deer stalking.

He will not wear ermine to his ennoblement in the House Of Louts, but will be tastefully tailored in a gown of fox-fur with an edging of white badger bristles in protest at the incoming Labour Marxist Spendthrift Taxing Communist Milibrand Scottish Party who will fail to repeal the ban on hunting.
The outfit, designed by the Savile Row tailors Jimmy's (who made Mrs.Thatcher's blue suits) will include pre-rolled shirtsleeves and a patented non-stick teflon treatment which repels any inadvertent sweat drips, whilst insulating the wearer from all responsibility when the outfit disintegrates.

Suitably refreshed from his sixth holiday of the year, he will return to a rapturous reception, which will include - a royal procession when his cousin Kim Kardashian visits London which he won't be invited to; a party at the newly-refurbished home of Mrs.Charlie Brookes who only invites people who are "in" and thus won't be allowing him to offer LOL's on an unsolicited basis; and a Mr.A.B.De-Pfefell Johnson will not require his presence at a Bullingdon Club celebration of the election result at the Chiltern Firehouse which will live up to its name and be a house on fire.

I'm sure we are all agreed that this will be the career-enhancing few weeks Lord Fauntlerblob can look forward to, and may we be the first to congratulate him on his marvellous career and hope he enjoys his well-deserved rest on Jersey which he is king of.

[ohsocynical]

Sorry for the double post. Getting the error thingy again..

[AnatolyKasparov]

Sorry for the double post. Getting the error thingy again..

You do wonder how this place will cope a week from now, tbh

[tinyclanger2]

James Chapman (Mail) @jameschappers
Cameron on @guardian: 'It's not a newspaper for reading, it's for helping to start the fire on a cold winter's evening' (via @timesdiary)

so utterly entitled and utterly self-serving, that they are totally unable to see just how far to the right (and equally self-serving) the Guardian - and of course the BBC - now are.

[Swarthlander]

As for 'girding the loins', would it be easier with a codpiece?
http://www.theguardian.com/books/galler ... n-pictures" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good morning.

[pk1]

Michael Gove was speaking earlier (see 11.36am) at a Conservative photocall with 50-odd activists wearing Nicola Sturgeon masks

Gove there again ! Does he seriously have nothing better to do than herd a group of idiots in masks around ?!

[mikems]

'50-odd activists'

The UK's first zero-hour 'activists'? Someone should investigate these 'activists'...

[tinyclanger2]

As for 'girding the loins', would it be easier with a codpiece?
http://www.theguardian.com/books/galler ... n-pictures" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good morning.

oh! very modern.
I bet you're "on twitter" too.

[tinyclanger2]

Sorry for the double post. Getting the error thingy again..

You do wonder how this place will cope a week from now, tbh

In so many ways. I will purchasing vermouth tomorrow.

[RogerOThornhill]

James Chapman (Mail) @jameschappers
Cameron on @guardian: 'It's not a newspaper for reading, it's for helping to start the fire on a cold winter's evening' (via @timesdiary)

so utterly entitled and utterly self-serving, that they are totally unable to see just how far to the right (and equally self-serving) the Guardian - and of course the BBC - now are.

Maybe he's been told that the Guardian are going to come out for Labour.

[mikems]

"I am not going to answer hypothetical questions." When asked about what happens if Labour don't win a majority. We just govern as if we do? Really?

Hard to know how else he should answer. You don't know what is going to happen, and nor does he.

There is one big difference between Labour party people 'failing to answer' and tories. The difference is in the questions, or rather, what motivates them.

Those asked of Cameron that he fails to answer are to do with reality, the consequences of his own policy. Miliband is required to answer questions that have been more or less tailored to the tory narrative, and are designed as gotchas; they are not good-faith attempts to find out Labour party policy.

[TheGrimSqueaker]

Michael Gove was speaking earlier (see 11.36am) at a Conservative photocall with 50-odd activists wearing Nicola Sturgeon masks

Gove there again ! Does he seriously have nothing better to do than herd a group of idiots in masks around ?!

Just because they are Republicans they are not necessarily idiots.

[Willow904]

At least with all the focus on the SNP no one is asking Ed Miliband about the possibility of a Lab/Lib coalition, which he really can't afford to rule out, but which possibly wouldn't go down too well with potential voters.

If Labour do a little better than expected, I think it may still be in the frame, especially if Labour can unseat Clegg. It would make for much more stable government and would increase the possibility of real constitutional reform - an area where the Libdems would be much more enthusiastic bedfellows. The SNP would thwart any attempts to create English (either to cities or regions) devolution to mirror the devolution we've already had to NI, Scotland and Wales, as this would be a union solution, not a nationalist one and would help cement the union, rather than fracture it.

I really hope those Scottish polls are wrong. I think the United Kingdom is better off together, fighting the wealthy, international elite as one nation, alongside our allies in the EU. With a Labour government fighting for equality in the EU we'd have a government actually leading the way on financial transaction taxes and tax haven transparency, rather than a government opposing them on behalf of the bankers and tax dodgers.

[mikems]

The SNP would thwart any attempts to create English (either to cities or regions) devolution to mirror the devolution we've already had to NI, Scotland and Wales, as this would be a union solution, not a nationalist one and would help cement the union, rather than fracture it.

That's very true, but it is also one of the areas they are vulnerable to having their bluff called. They have made too much of their anti-tory credentials to do anything but support constitutional reform and regional devolution...because if they don't support it, they will be aligned with the hated tories.

[pk1]

Watch !

[youtube]FMpl7eDEeYg[/youtube]

[mikems]

The SNP also has a problem in that a good deal of its current support is not nationalist in the sense of wanting an independent Scotland. They cannot be too gung-ho about it, without losing that support...another consequence of pitching yourselves as anti-tory rather than purely nationalistic, for medium term gain...tactics over strategy, in fact, even if it is clever in the short-term.

[tinyclanger2]

The SNP also has a problem in that a good deal of its current support is not nationalist in the sense of wanting an independent Scotland. They cannot be too gung-ho about it, without losing that support...another consequence of pitching yourselves as anti-tory rather than purely nationalistic, for medium term gain...tactics over strategy, in fact, even if it is clever in the short-term.

But this is why the SNP polls are such a puzzle. I can't figure out why so many Scots (not all of them, Eric) seem to want to risk putting all of their eggs in one fundamentally separatist basket.

[ohsocynical]

Eamonn McGuinness ‏@EMcG67 20 mins20 minutes ago
@faisalislam Methodolgy changed from last Populus poll - DKs now given to party they voted for in 2010 - under old metholdolgy Lab 1% ahead

[PorFavor]

As for 'girding the loins', would it be easier with a codpiece?
http://www.theguardian.com/books/galler ... n-pictures" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Good morning.

Is a codpiece the same as a cod loin?


By the way - everyone's loins (girded or otherwise) are all too big for me to reach the "thanks" button with any ease. So - thanks.

And to echo AnatolyKasparov - are we confident that "we" have a robust site for next week? I expressed some concern about this a couple of days ago. I wonder if we will get invaded? That might be interesting. I shall have my cod griddled, just in case.

[LadyCentauria]

Sorry for the double post. Getting the error thingy again..

If I get an error or SQuiRreL message, I go back a page (using the left-facing arrow in the browser's tool-bar) and then hit refresh (the curved arrow in the browser's tool-bar.) That usually corrects the problem and either the 'thanks' or the 'new post' appears in the correct place. That might help you and others.

[ohsocynical]

Sorry for the double post. Getting the error thingy again..

If I get an error or SQuiRreL message, I go back a page (using the left-facing arrow in the browser's tool-bar) and then hit refresh (the curved arrow in the browser's tool-bar.) That usually corrects the problem and either the 'thanks' or the 'new post' appears in the correct place. That might help you and others.

I usually do all that but it often doesn't work.

[frightful_oik]

Michael Gove was speaking earlier (see 11.36am) at a Conservative photocall with 50-odd activists wearing Nicola Sturgeon masks

Gove there again ! Does he seriously have nothing better to do than herd a group of idiots in masks around ?!

Just because they are Republicans they are not necessarily idiots.

Really? I've clearly been mistaken for some time.

[PorFavor]

@SpinningHugo

You've been watching "The Two Ronnies" again, haven't you? (Actually Benny Hill did it first.)

[onebuttonmonkey]

I know people dislike this about politics, but one of the key political skills is to be able not to answer any question asked.

Whilst I agree, Hugo, that this is one of the "key political skills", it shouldn't be - diplomacy with people is one thing, but there is a huge gap between being charming to the electorate and outright lying.

...

What we need - despite your assertion being true - is a new politics.I want this mendacious spin and nonsense to stop. Labour does it sometimes, too; I have never been impressed by it and I can't be that unusual. However, some people will not see through the antics of Cameron and his ilk, and will assume that he isn't lying. He is.

Those of us who wish we had a better politics also need to be honest with ourselves about ourselves, though. Many ordinary voters who say, "oh, i just wish they were honest" are exactly the same people who would be loudly and openly crucifying MPs who were honest. We say what we want, but we also famously reject what we said we wanted when we get it. "Why can't he admit he won't win a majority?" would be followed by, "See! Even he doesn't think he's going to win! I'm not going to vote fvor someone like him! Why would I vote for someone who says he's a loser!" And you know what? If Cameron admitted it, Miliband and Labour supporters would be in the front row making capital from it, too. We may want a solution but we are also, for all our better intentions, exactly part of the problem.


The newspapers would savage anyone in politics who was honest. People who are open about their record would be savaged on social media - in fact, ordinary voters, professional journalists, unpaid activists and career politicians would all queue up to take small snippets out of context, to build ad hominem attacks on the people who gave them the ammunition, some of them in service of a bigger truth, others to get their pay. The fact that politics matters means that it is always going to drive the wrong kind of behaviour in service of the bigger cause.

So a better politics doesn't just come from politicians; also, it's dependent on the culture we're a part of being able to allow it to survive. In this, then, our politicians truly are representative of our own partisanship and willingness to compromise in order to win a bigger argument. All of these are reasons why we've never had a "new politics" - we just have degrees of the politics we have. All of which is why idealists like me can and have never lived up to our ideals when given a chance to do so.

Miliband has been trying to fight a more positive, less negative campaign for sure, but he's as guilty (in terms of type if not degree) of the same old political tricks as any other politician. Pretending otherwise - or, more importantly, excusing him for doing so because of the bigger reason - is exactly part of the reason politics are the way they are. The most important thing, of course, is the ideas he represents, rather than the style of representation. The media have helped to dumb down debate - of course they have - but then, show me the electorate that hasn't been willing to take part in that?

Perhaps we can get to a better politics through rejecting the worst extremes of what we have now. I hope so - I believe we can do better. But not everyone who votes for Cameron is doing so because they've been duped, and not everyone wants the same kind of better as we do. Many people simply can't be bothered to engage - and while I wish they would, I can't compel them to, any more than I can compel them to stop enjoying cheap political tricks. Why? Because democracy.

[Rebecca]

The SNP also has a problem in that a good deal of its current support is not nationalist in the sense of wanting an independent Scotland. They cannot be too gung-ho about it, without losing that support...another consequence of pitching yourselves as anti-tory rather than purely nationalistic, for medium term gain...tactics over strategy, in fact, even if it is clever in the short-term.

But this is why the SNP polls are such a puzzle. I can't figure out why so many Scots (not all of them, Eric) seem to want to risk putting all of their eggs in one fundamentally separatist basket.

What I don't understand is when Sturgeon behaves like a teenage stalker,every time Ed says no she tells Scotland he doesn't mean it,he really loves her but is too shy to admit it,they all seem to accept it.
They have taken leave of their senses.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Just tried to "thank" a post and got "invalid" <sigh>

[frightful_oik]

Works for me AK.