FlyTheNest

Some of you may have heard about DPAC's Revenge Tour.

This involves going to Various MPs constituencies and behaving in a naughty fashion. The pics are fun.

One involves a washing line, stretched over a zebra crossing, with a line of underpants (some bearing pics of IDS) pegged to it.

More at - dpac.uk.net

RobertSnozers wrote:Getting a bit fed up with so-called left parties lining up with the Tories to attack Labour over the NHS, when it's the Tories that are the real threat. Just heard Caroline Lucas on R4 trotting out the old saws about 'Labour introducing PFI' (they didn't) which is apparently privatisation (it isn't) and says the Greens want to get rid of the 'internal market' and 'purchaser provider split' which, again is NOT THE SAME AS PRIVATISATION!!!! I want to know how the Greens propose to separate planning from the provision of services, which is essentially what the 'internal market' is about. Allowing the same people to plan healthcare and carry it out doesn't work. It's a recipe for fragmentation and patchy coverage.

Lucas is fond of the "Labour signed up to £30bn of cuts" lie too.

I heard a comment by Sturgeon on the radio yesterday about how one of her first jobs was to renationalise a hospital that Labour had privatised.

Being on the radio, I couldn't rewind it to hear the name of this hospital but she was not challenged on it at all & this frustrates the living daylights out of me !

"Gutsy" Cameron gets endorsement of Michael Bloomberg, the 13th richest person in the world!

AS mentions a tory rant at Mike O'Brien who I had never heard of so went searching & came across this little beauty on his website:

On Tuesday at a hustings at Richmond Retirement Village in Bedworth degenerated into farce when the supposedly neutral chairperson was exposed as the Tory Parliamentary Candidate for another constituency, who had failed to declare it to the other parties.

http://www.electmikeobrien.co.uk/tory_d ... e_hustings" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:"Gutsy" Cameron gets endorsement of Michael Bloomberg, the 13th richest person in the world!

"Gutsy" is indubitably true, lovely Paul.

I hesitate to spoil your morning - but surely you haven't forgotten the Mickey Mouse Towel Incident?

I certainly wish I had.

Bloomberg is quite right. We have an ex-PM whose guts are HUUUUUUGE. Clever Mr.Bloomberg.

Mr.Bloomberg's net worth is, in pounds sterling, £24.93 Billion. He could pay for IDS's "reforms" all by himself.
In fact, he could take care of the entire budgets of DEFRA, DCLG, DfE, and overseas aid for a year and have change.

At current UK rates, his dosh could generate interest of £2BN PA. That would take care of all the errors at DWP.

Nobody should be that rich. It's obscene.

I will simply note that well known Ed admirer J Rentoul said (no doubt thru gritted teeth) it might have been a smart move by Miliband to meet Brand.

When will the full transcript become available?

McBride debunking the ''no tax rises in the next parliament'' bollocks.

" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Unlike the idiots in charge of Tory election strategy he knows a thing or two about taxation. As does Ed Balls.

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:"Gutsy" Cameron gets endorsement of Michael Bloomberg, the 13th richest person in the world!

We've got Bill de Blasio ner ner ner ner ner

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... -de-blasio" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

AnatolyKasparov wrote:I will simply note that well known Ed admirer J Rentoul said (no doubt thru gritted teeth) it might have been a smart move by Miliband to meet Brand.

When will the full transcript become available?

Crikey, he has been fully inducted into the DUEMA club hasn't he.

Good-morning, everyone.

letsskiptotheleft wrote:McBride debunking the ''no tax rises in the next parliament'' bollocks.

" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Unlike the idiots in charge of Tory election strategy he knows a thing or two about taxation. As does Ed Balls.

McBride used to work in Customs and Excise for a start before going into the Treasury.

Reported about ten minutes ago - the final week leading to next Thursday's election

UK consumer confidence falls for first time since December

Consumer confidence in Britain has fallen this month for the first time since December – disappointing news for David Cameron ahead of next Thursday’s general election.

Polling firm YouGov and economics consultancy CEBR said their measure of consumer confidence fell to 113.1 in April from 113.9 in March. That’s more than a point lower than it was this time last year. The news comes after official GDP figures yesterday showed economic growth slowed sharply in the first three months of the year.

With the election just over a week away, the dip in confidence has come at “exactly the wrong time for the government,” said Stephen Harmston, head of YouGov Reports. He added:

As the GDP figures slow down, it is clear that consumers still feel as though the recovery is fragile and that many of them are not feeling it in their wallets.

http://www.theguardian.com/business/liv ... 93f8b8586c" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Norman Smith (BBC) has just been reminding us that William Hague tried this "latest" tax wheeze and was forced to drop it because it was a load of old cobblers.

Somebody mentioned that they thought the man who signed the tory letter on behalf of Diverse Cymru may be a tory candidate.

He is indeed:

https://www.conservatives.com/OurTeam/P ... Keith.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Pah, sheer coincidence that he signed the letter as a PPC

AnatolyKasparov wrote:I will simply note that well known Ed admirer J Rentoul said (no doubt thru gritted teeth) it might have been a smart move by Miliband to meet Brand.

When will the full transcript become available?

Sometime today I think.
Here's a link to RB 'The Trews' where it will be shown.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCswH8o ... g-0_JTYFNw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

pk1 wrote:Somebody mentioned that they thought the man who signed the tory letter on behalf of Diverse Cymru may be a tory candidate.

He is indeed:

https://www.conservatives.com/OurTeam/P ... Keith.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Pah, sheer coincidence that he signed the letter as a PPC

Hah! PPC for the Cynon Valley, it doesn't get much harder than that, unless you're in the Rhondda, Neath, Ogmore, Ponty, I needn't go on. Even if he up against the god-awful Ann Clwyd.

letsskiptotheleft wrote: the god-awful Ann Clwyd.

I still can't quite believe she was re-selected. I hear her name & shudder.

pk1 wrote:

letsskiptotheleft wrote: the god-awful Ann Clwyd.

I still can't quite believe she was re-selected. I hear her name & shudder.

I drive through her constituency on the way to work, she's done nothing for the area, find it hard myself, but just goes to show Labour has it's share of fools too.

pk1 wrote:

letsskiptotheleft wrote: the god-awful Ann Clwyd.

I still can't quite believe she was re-selected. I hear her name & shudder.

I know what you mean, pk1.

She is clearly devastated by grief at the loss of her dearly-loved husband. I'm of the view that grief of that order, causing some very screwed-up blaming behaviour, needs dealing with professionally. Bereavement counselling wouldn't go amiss.
The investigation and subsequent report of Owen Robert's care found no substance to her many allegations.

CTNHS members have similar issues - they are displaying all the signs of unresolved guilt and they need help. I don't doubt that some of them did not experience the NHS at its best; but they are being wound up by Bailey, whose agenda is not to improve care it's about her own gratification and she has lied through her teeth on almost everything - from the care her mother had to her own "persecution".

It makes me very angry when people who should know better (Clwyd) and people who are evidently untrustworthy (Bailey) are lauded as victim campaigners when they are nothing of the kind - they both need help; and although I suspect that Clwyd would benefit from some therapy, I am of the belief that Bailey would not mainly because she is a self-publicist and this, for her, is not about the issues.

Clwyd is 78. Whatever her personal circumstances, she should stand down and give someone else a chance.

Ed Miliband:

“I say to all of the politicians in this campaign, here is the danger: the danger is that politics is being played in an increasingly empty stadium.
“If we don’t recognise that, if we don’t engage in different ways with the people who aren’t engaging in this election, then we will have fewer and fewer people voting.”

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... journalism" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I despise Sajid Javid, the sneering, apparently acceptable face of modern Conservatism. Says everything that he is, if you listen to pundits, one to watch.

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/a ... are_btn_tw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

letsskiptotheleft wrote:

pk1 wrote:

letsskiptotheleft wrote: the god-awful Ann Clwyd.

I still can't quite believe she was re-selected. I hear her name & shudder.

I drive through her constituency on the way to work, she's done nothing for the area, find it hard myself, but just goes to show Labour has it's share of fools too.

And the support she gave Julie Bailey, Charlotte Leslie et al in attacking the Welsh NHS was shameful. Obviously she was unhappy about her husband's treatment but she shouldn't have let herself be exploited like that.

On which, Bailey's Twitter at the moment is an overtly political attack on Andy Burnham on a daily basis. I wonder what will become of Cure if Burnham is Sec of State in a couple of weeks!

Welcome to these web pages, which contain information about Martin Baxter and some of his activities.

Martin's professional career has spanned the worlds of advanced academical research and of investment banking derivative pricing. Both of these represented in his co-authorship of the best-selling Financial Calculus, a text book on the mathematics of derivatives.

He currently works at Nomura International in London where he is responsible for the mathematical modelling and pricing of all derivative products across the fixed-income, credit and foreign exchange markets.

Away from work, he has an interest in UK elections. He has applied scientific techniques to the electoral geography of Britain to predict the future general election result, whenever it may occur. Regularly updated pages containing overall predictions and seat-by-seat predictions are available in this site.

http://www.martinbaxter.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Baxter also writes in the Daily Telegraph & he's the founder of Electoral Calculus.
I know little about the mathematics of investment banking derivative pricing.

citizenJA wrote:Ed Miliband:

“I say to all of the politicians in this campaign, here is the danger: the danger is that politics is being played in an increasingly empty stadium.
“If we don’t recognise that, if we don’t engage in different ways with the people who aren’t engaging in this election, then we will have fewer and fewer people voting.”

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... journalism" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This man is beginning to sound and act like a real statesman. I am impressed.

Thanks for highlighting this, J.

He is talking about real political involvement for all of us - and even if that means he risks people voting for another party, he is showing that he is a true democrat. Unlike OGRFG, he talks TO people, not at them.
The way he has conducted himself this past few weeks has erased any doubts I might ave had that he's not up to the job (though to be fair, I didn't have many!) and he is looking both sharper and less geeky (not that he seems to care).

This is good. More please.

"How can I make this pledge? George has been showing me the books and taught me the magic of double entry book-keeping. Think of a number and double it."

Scottish polling is mad. 54%? Jaw dropping, head shaking.

I wonder how the typical unionist Scottish voter is likely to vote.

citizenJA wrote:

Welcome to these web pages, which contain information about Martin Baxter and some of his activities.

Martin's professional career has spanned the worlds of advanced academical research and of investment banking derivative pricing. Both of these represented in his co-authorship of the best-selling Financial Calculus, a text book on the mathematics of derivatives.

He currently works at Nomura International in London where he is responsible for the mathematical modelling and pricing of all derivative products across the fixed-income, credit and foreign exchange markets.

Away from work, he has an interest in UK elections. He has applied scientific techniques to the electoral geography of Britain to predict the future general election result, whenever it may occur. Regularly updated pages containing overall predictions and seat-by-seat predictions are available in this site.

http://www.martinbaxter.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Baxter also writes in the Daily Telegraph & he's the founder of Electoral Calculus.
I know little about the mathematics of investment banking derivative pricing.

That phrase "advanced academical research" doesn't ring true to me. Either he's not an academic or he didn't write this

13h13 hours ago
Chris Coltrane ‏@chris_coltrane
If Russell Brand wants to meet & influence party leaders then he should set up an institutionally criminal media empire like the rest of us.

StephenDolan wrote:Scottish polling is mad. 54%? Jaw dropping, head shaking.

I wonder how the typical unionist Scottish voter is likely to vote.

Here it is a straightforward contest between Labour and the SNP - the other parties are very much also-rans. I don't know whether I'm typical, but it's an easy choice!

I suspect there will be a lot of tactical voting in former LibDem strongholds - especially Gordon - and that they may do better than expected.

citizenJA wrote:Ed Miliband:

“I say to all of the politicians in this campaign, here is the danger: the danger is that politics is being played in an increasingly empty stadium.
“If we don’t recognise that, if we don’t engage in different ways with the people who aren’t engaging in this election, then we will have fewer and fewer people voting.”

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... journalism" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Which will suit Conservatives...They want an undernourished [hungry children don't learn as well] unquestioning, [so they can help themselves to the country's wealth] cowed pool of future workers.

I like reminding CCHQ when they Tweet, that there are more of us than them.

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:

citizenJA wrote:

Welcome to these web pages, which contain information about Martin Baxter and some of his activities.

Martin's professional career has spanned the worlds of advanced academical research and of investment banking derivative pricing. Both of these represented in his co-authorship of the best-selling Financial Calculus, a text book on the mathematics of derivatives.

He currently works at Nomura International in London where he is responsible for the mathematical modelling and pricing of all derivative products across the fixed-income, credit and foreign exchange markets.

Away from work, he has an interest in UK elections. He has applied scientific techniques to the electoral geography of Britain to predict the future general election result, whenever it may occur. Regularly updated pages containing overall predictions and seat-by-seat predictions are available in this site.

http://www.martinbaxter.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Baxter also writes in the Daily Telegraph & he's the founder of Electoral Calculus.
I know little about the mathematics of investment banking derivative pricing.

That phrase "advanced academical research" doesn't ring true to me. Either he's not an academic or he didn't write this

He's one of the Hamilton Academicals, donchaknow? (Probably one of the few teams David Cameron doesn't claim to support.)

Show went to hustings last night while I stayed at home being nice to my joints......yesterday's trudging made my flare-up flare up. (

Anyway - there were about 100 people there, and only UKIP failed to turn up.

Show said that there were some very bright people asking questions; some excellent exchanges, with our guy doing very well.
Best question was this, according to Show - "If you could put forward a Private Members' Bill, what would it be?"
Roger Hugh Wiliams (LD) said that he'd already done this and waffled on a bit. The Tory said he'd reverse the devolved powers for education and encourage Free Schools, claiming that the impending closure of the local high school wouldn't happen if the parents could run it. (????)
Our Matthew said he'd want health and social care amalgamated all over the UK as it has been in Wales, with a ring-fenced budget and a return to a totally nationalised public health and social care service.

Show was asked to leave when he accused the Tory of lying when he said the Tories would protect defence spending. He didn't leave.....

One interesting thing was when Matthew was asked why he personally was against Trident when Labour policy is to keep it - apparently he said he was allowed to hold personal opinions and still support the majority of his party's policies, and he will not compromise his principles just to fit in.
That got a round of applause....

Matthew's been working so hard for this. I really really hope that he wins. It's not likely, but not impossible. If I did God, I'd be praying now.

These ones are something to look forward to

Lord Ashcroft ‏@LordAshcroft 3m3 minutes ago
Will be releasing three more constituency polls later today...Sheffield Hallam, Thanet South and South Swindon.

StephenDolan wrote:Scottish polling is mad. 54%? Jaw dropping, head shaking.

I wonder how the typical unionist Scottish voter is likely to vote.

Queen o' oor hearts, Nicola Sturgeon has tweeted about this.

Nicola Sturgeon
✔ ‎@NicolaSturgeon
Forget polls - only votes win elections. The more seats @theSNP win, the stronger Scotland will be. Let's keep working hard. #GE15 #voteSNP

As The Sparrow says

Surgeon’s tweet underlines the danger to the SNP from a poll like this. If voters read a lot of stories about how a huge SNP victory is inevitable next Thursday, they may be less motivated to turn out.

That poll, and the reactions to it, illustrate three things for me:
1) Extrapolating the results of an election from a poll, however large the sample, should be done with caution
2) If you have stack polling company databases with your supporters, as has been suggested and which the SNP were caught doing before, then you end up with nonsensical information - hence Sturgeon's tweet and Sparrow's note of caution
3) If you start to believe your own propaganda then you are bound to be disappointed.

Now, that poll may be a reasonable interpretation of what is happening in Scotland, it may be true that the entire population is gripped by some mass hysteria that means they hate Miliband/Murphy more than they hate Cameron, we may truly have stepped through the looking glass; but Sturgeon obviously doesn't believe it and neither do I.

Edited to add - I've been looking at the data tables and have to confess to being a little confused. The sample size is 1071 (which makes my point 1) above even more relevant) but a lot of the numbers don't add up; for example, the age breakdowns only come to 1066, the employment breakdowns to 1056, habitation to 1006. Can anybody suggest why that might be so?
https://www.ipsos-mori.com/Assets/Docs/ ... tables.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ha! William Hague has been wheeled out to defend the tax nonsense (BBC)!

If that poll *does* turn out to be true, though, then the Scots really have gone mad and their one party state should be shunned by the rest of us until sanity returns

StephenDolan wrote:Scottish polling is mad. 54%? Jaw dropping, head shaking.

I wonder how the typical unionist Scottish voter is likely to vote.

Good question.
I posted an article from Rafael Behr late on last night's thread. His work comes close to my own understanding of this election. Behr is a 'unionist'. I am too. I've never described myself using that word before now. I'm puzzled by the hostility directed at Labour from some in Scotland - it's disproportionate to any failing of the Labour party during the last five years, in my opinion.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... e#comments" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Never a great fan, but still sad to see Joni Mitchell ‘in a coma’

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/enter ... 81521.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

@TheGrimSqueaker
Agreed.

AnatolyKasparov wrote:If that poll *does* turn out to be true, though, then the Scots really have gone mad and their one party state should be shunned by the rest of us until sanity returns

It was in the 2011 SE that the SNP fortunes bloomed - but that was largely due to the LibDems getting into bed with the Tories the year before. Will the LibDem protest voters now desert the SNP?

''Steve Barrow, head of G-10 strategy at Standard Bank, said in a research note that a new law “could cause monumental damage if it has to be defied in the event of a deterioration of the economy.”

He said it showed the Conservatives were “the more desperate party” as the May 7 election draws closer.''

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... ban-in-law" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

AngryAsWell wrote:Never a great fan, but still sad to see Joni Mitchell ‘in a coma’

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/enter ... 81521.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sad indeed.

Not a fan? If there were a prize for best album opening, I'd give Joni it for the first 40 second passage of Court & Spark.

[youtube]x4enC_DzK6U[/youtube]

PorFavor wrote:

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:

citizenJA wrote:Baxter also writes in the Daily Telegraph & he's the founder of Electoral Calculus.
I know little about the mathematics of investment banking derivative pricing.

That phrase "advanced academical research" doesn't ring true to me. Either he's not an academic or he didn't write this

He's one of the Hamilton Academicals, donchaknow? (Probably one of the few teams David Cameron doesn't claim to support.)

Thank you for your replies, Paul & PorFavor - I agree with you Paul. I had to look up Hamilton Academicals, PorFavor to understand the reference!

Its actually "Hamilton Academical", but yeah

& the Kingsman lead singer died.

Louie Louie gets played regularly here, fantastic intro.

AnatolyKasparov wrote:If that poll *does* turn out to be true, though, then the Scots really have gone mad and their one party state should be shunned by the rest of us until sanity returns

Just like the no currency union thing during the indyref,SNP simply can't believe that Labour won't do deals with them after the election.So they will march down to Westminster and discover that they are not as powerful as they think they should be.(in my opinion)
If Scotland win for the Tories they will be shafted.Serve them right.
If Ed becomes pm they won't be holding him over a barrel.
And there will be no voices except their own speaking for Scotland.
One rather prolific nat poster at the guardian is complaining that if there is a lab/lib/DUP meeting of minds,and seats,it will be an affront to democracy.Ergo,Scotland should be able to dictate to Labour just who they join forces with.
Hope they have a shit next 5 years then piss off at the end of it.

Closing lines of the same song from Joni

His eyes were the color of the sand
And the sea
And the more he talked to me
The more he reached me
But I couldn't let go of L.A.
City of the fallen angels

Sorry I reckon she's amazing

Just for a change I'm going to be superficial and childish . . . .

The photograph of Nicola Sturgeon at the top of the Guardian Election Blog - is she doing a Benny Hill impression? If so, why?

citizenJA wrote: I'm puzzled by the hostility directed at Labour from some in Scotland - it's disproportionate to any failing of the Labour party during the last five years, in my opinion.

I don't see any particular hostility coming from anybody other than independence supporters. They're still unable to grasp the fact that three parties with different aims could possibly unite on one particular issue. The Tories are just capitalising on the split for their own electioneering ends.

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:Closing lines of the same song from Joni

His eyes were the color of the sand
And the sea
And the more he talked to me
The more he reached me
But I couldn't let go of L.A.
City of the fallen angels

Sorry I reckon she's amazing

She just never did it for me, I'm not being critical and I'm not disliking her or being disrespectful, just not a big fan.