Friday 6th March 2015

Toby Latimer · Post by **Toby Latimer** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:05 pm

Boris reminds Dave of the game at Eton, how he gave relief with his imaginary giant sized logjam clearing suppository tool

: ScreenShot00295.jpg (67.37 KiB) Viewed 12804 times

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:05 pm

Tubby Isaacs wrote:Lucas is searching for stardust.

In her address, former leader Ms Lucas will say the Green Party should join forces with the SNP in the next Parliament to maximise their influence on the next government.

"With the rise of the SNP, and with our own Green surge, we have the chance to forge a new grouping in Parliament. A progressive alliance.
That's the local government nationalizing, council tax freezing, SNP.

I'm disappointed. Exceedingly disappointed.

LadyCentauria · Post by **LadyCentauria** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:06 pm

StephenDolan wrote:'Sky and Channel 4 have already said they are prepared to host the two party debate on a different date if the leaders of the Conservative and Labour parties can agree. Failing that the broadcaster preparations will continue for 30th April.'

Hmm, the 1v1 leadership debate needs to be after the manifestos have been published (and away from the budget). If Cameron says yes and asks for a change of date is this reducing the benefit? Yes I realise I'm searching for flies in ointment.

Well, we have to hope that Labour will use both manifestos having been published and distributed as a sticking-point. It does depend on both parties agreeing to the change of date, after all. Cameron will already be on a massive climb-down, having made his 'final offer' of one short multi-party debate!

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:07 pm

You find out who your friends are when you’re following William Hague and Ffion round the States

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/20 ... -and-ffion

But guess who is the real pig?

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:07 pm

frightful_oik wrote:Have we had this one?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qH0ERUg ... freload=10

Yes, we have (courtesy of yahyah, I think, yesterday). But a repeat is welcome - thanks!

ErnstRemarx · Post by **ErnstRemarx** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:10 pm

PorFavor wrote:Breaking news on the BBC -

The debates will go ahead as planned. Over to you, Dave . . .

Edited to remove an extra "n"

So they've decided to call his bluff eh?

Excellent. If he debates, he'll come out badly and Miliband can hardly fail to change more than a few minds as to what he's like (as opposed to the joke meeja version). If he ducks out, Miliband gets a free hour's advertising, and the bacon faced pisstrumpet ends up with the worst possible image. Imagine that: a PM who calls Miliband 'weak' but won't even debate FTF with him. And think how people will treat his disdain for the process, his contempible and contemptuous attitude towards voters and his hypocrisy, given his remarks about the desirability - nay, necessity - to have debates prior to the 2010 election.

Best news I've read all day.

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:13 pm

At the risk of repeating anyone, who is the embarrassment who masquerades as prime ministerial expected to renegotiate terms with the EU when he can't even get a fucking TV debate right?

Arsehole is too lenient a way to describe him.

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:19 pm

Jim Pickard retweeted
John Stevens ‏@johnestevens 6h6 hours ago
Green Party motion to axe policy "to ban all cars... as this would probably prove unattractive with the electorate"

Not satire. There's a pic of the motion paper.

pk1 · Post by **pk1** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:21 pm

The Scottish National party has dramatically increased its use of crowdfunding to raise money for the general election, launching a new campaign on a second site and doubling the number of appeals.

The SNP – on paper one of the UK’s and most cash-rich wealthiest parties – has started using the site Crowdfunder to run 18 new appeals, including one campaign to raise £10,000 for former first minister Alex Salmond to contest Gordon in north east Scotland.

The SNP’s move to increase its crowd-funding has an obvious appeal: its activist base is well-used to it after the referendum campaign, it galvanises and involves activists and it suits its new grassroots ethic.

But has this crowdfunding appeal flagged up an unexpected issue for the SNP? Is it running short of money, for what is emerging as the biggest and most expensive general election campaign in its history? After all it, only £5,580 in reportable donations in the last three months of 2014.

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/scot ... paign-ever" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm confused.

Why do they have to crowdfund ?

Why can't people make donations to the party or individual candidate like all other parties do ?

How transparent are these donations & how are they reported to the Electoral Commission ?

Am I alone in thinking this has a distinct 'whiff' about it ?

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:21 pm

letsskiptotheleft wrote:At the risk of repeating anyone, who is the embarrassment who masquerades as prime ministerial expected to renegotiate terms with the EU when he can't even get a fucking TV debate right?

Arsehole is too lenient a way to describe him.

Not going to be able to get rid of the image I have conjured up of a 'lenient arsehole' for quite some time.

Toby Latimer · Post by **Toby Latimer** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:24 pm

This looks interesting ...

: ScreenShot00296.jpg (66.24 KiB) Viewed 12753 times

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/itvs ... es-5285720" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:24 pm

Eric_WLothian wrote:
TechnicalEphemera wrote:
AnatolyKasparov wrote:Being reported just now that Sturgeon is willing to compromise over Trident.

I have long thought we might end up with it downgraded rather than scrapped completely - this only confirms that if anything.
Presumably we can keep it, but only if it is painted with the Scottish flag and a thistle gift tag added.

Nicola Sturgeon: Scrapping Trident my red line for propping up Labour
The First Minister says halting the renewal of Britain's nuclear deterrent would be her "absolute priority" if the SNP holds the balance of power
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politic ... abour.html

Nicola Sturgeon says Trident conflict would not stop SNP backing other Labour policies
Scottish first minister says party’s support for minority Labour government would not be conditional on Ed Miliband scrapping nuclear missile system
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... ion-labour

The SNP are the same as the Lib Dems - all they want is power (the ultimate power being independence). They are really not interested in the best interests of the UK (or Scotland).

This didn't take very long.

She's worked out that she can keep those jobs and keep the Trident grievance.

Though they're going to join NATO and presumably spend 2% on GDP anyway.

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:26 pm

rebeccariots2 wrote:
letsskiptotheleft wrote:At the risk of repeating anyone, who is the embarrassment who masquerades as prime ministerial expected to renegotiate terms with the EU when he can't even get a fucking TV debate right?

Arsehole is too lenient a way to describe him.
Not going to be able to get rid of the image I have conjured up of a 'lenient arsehole' for quite some time.

Sorry!

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:28 pm

stefanstern ‏@stefanstern 21 secs22 seconds ago
Who's doing the PR for the empty chair? Whoever they are, they're good.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:29 pm

Special Delivery for Mr Ed Miliband! One plucked fowl (sp?). Sign here, please . . . .

(On the post- pre-manifesto thing - Ed Miliband will have to box clever (doesn't he always?) on this one to avoid hysterical accusations of his "trying to wriggle out" etc, etc.)

Oh, just heard a BBC News 'phone interview on the debates subject with a Conservative MP (sorry wasn't paying attention so no details). Anyway the line went dead. Sounded like a "hang-up".

Edited

To add a "v"

ephemerid · Post by **ephemerid** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:30 pm

Amid all the celebrations and log-jam clearing (I'm free, Dave, see above) someone's missing.......

....wheeeeeerrrreeee's Huuuuugoooooo??????

TheGrimSqueaker · Post by **TheGrimSqueaker** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:31 pm

ohsocynical wrote:
You find out who your friends are when you’re following William Hague and Ffion round the States

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/20 ... -and-ffion
But guess who is the real pig?

I read that. Final line is a killer.

Toby Latimer · Post by **Toby Latimer** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:35 pm

Porn king Stringydickfellow reveals the new stars of his latest blue movie, in which the geezer knocks on the kitchen door of a young woman & says he's the plumber who's come to fix her logjam

: ScreenShot00291.jpg (79.23 KiB) Viewed 12733 times

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:38 pm

Toby Latimer wrote:This looks interesting ...
ScreenShot00296.jpg
http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/itvs ... es-5285720" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Guess that means no more Newsnight jobs then? Shame.

Love the Conservative pundits who are trying to claim there is no interest amongst the public, that maybe the case, but FatBoy shouldn't have pushed so hard 5 years ago then.

TheGrimSqueaker · Post by **TheGrimSqueaker** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:41 pm

Tubby Isaacs wrote:stefanstern ‏@stefanstern 21 secs22 seconds ago
Who's doing the PR for the empty chair? Whoever they are, they're good.

Martin "Blackops" Belam apparently.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/usvsth3m/empty- ... es-5278721" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:45 pm

http://schoolsimprovement.net/tories-co ... udent-debt" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A study published today by thinktank Policy Exchange as part of its manifesto for education calls for all parties to commit to a student loan repayment scheme for teachers who are starting work or training in September.

You mean the answer wasn't throwing money at people with Firsts?

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:48 pm

Ed Miliband needs to turn up with a tenner at PMQs.

If you can hire the PM to play tennis, you can surely hire him to do proper debates?

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:49 pm

Miliband ''Don't confuse my decency for weakness'' good headline, very.

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

Decency and Cameron are not two words you use too readily, not since becoming PM anyway.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:49 pm

ohsocynical wrote:
You find out who your friends are when you’re following William Hague and Ffion round the States

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/20 ... -and-ffion
But guess who is the real pig?

Everyone, please read this article. It's chilling. I wasn't expecting that name.

TheGrimSqueaker · Post by **TheGrimSqueaker** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:54 pm

Prof Patrick McGhee ‏@ProfMcGhee · 3m3 minutes ago
Breaking: Empty chair now third favourite to lead Tories after #GE2015 "I will heal wounds, reach out to grassroots"

rebeccariots2 · Post by **rebeccariots2** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:55 pm

Iain Dale retweeted
Matthew Harris @hattmarris84 · 8m 8 minutes ago
Lord Ashdown: BBC have now 'found the backbone not to persuade anybody to give in to the PM...I dont think this has been their finest hour'

Iain Dale retweeted
Matthew Harris @hattmarris84 · 12m 12 minutes ago
Lord Ashdown goes on to tell @IainDale that he was glad that the "wobbly willies at the BBC" didn't chicken out of standing up to Number 10!

Toby Latimer · Post by **Toby Latimer** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:56 pm

Not a bit like the biased MSM, i like James O'Brien. He tore Duncan Smith to shreds on his LBC show once, last night he told Shapps this

: B_Xo6TTWQAE5ko_.png (147.95 KiB) Viewed 12687 times

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 5:57 pm

letsskiptotheleft wrote:
Toby Latimer wrote:This looks interesting ...
ScreenShot00296.jpg
http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/itvs ... es-5285720" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Guess that means no more Newsnight jobs then? Shame.

Love the Conservative pundits who are trying to claim there is no interest amongst the public, that maybe the case, but FatBoy shouldn't have pushed so hard 5 years ago then.

Well, the TV companies seem to think 22 million isn't to be sniffed at and thanks to Dave I reckon a couple of million more will tune in now.

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 6:02 pm

letsskiptotheleft wrote:Miliband ''Don't confuse my decency for weakness'' good headline, very.

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

Decency and Cameron are not two words you use too readily, not since becoming PM anyway.

Trouble is that the media think any Labour leader who doesn't stage fights with lefties or unions is weak.

Toby Latimer · Post by **Toby Latimer** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 6:07 pm

Why don't the broadcasters just tell Wavey Davey that they will organise a mock up arrangement of Billingsgate Fish Market with lots of aquatic sea life set out on stalls for him to point at in between questions. He'd be up for it like a shot.

: Red fish 673x295.jpg (96.11 KiB) Viewed 12652 times

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 6:07 pm

citizenJA - reposted a comment made by another commentator regarding the importance of the televised debates.

Ikonoclast
...here's just a bit of insight as to why the debates matter...

Stephen Coleman, professor of political communications at Leeds University, carried out research on the impact of the TV debates in 2010. On the World at One he said they had a remarkable impact in terms of helping first-time voters decide how to vote.

They were remarkably popular ... Two thirds of people in our surveys said that they did in fact learn something new about what the parties stood for. 87% said they talked to other people after the debates.

But I’ll tell you the really surprising thing was first-time voters. 74% of them said that after watching the debate they knew something more about what the parties were standing for than they did before and 50% of them - half of all first-time voters who watched it, and a very large number did - said it helped them to decide how to vote.

That is quite unique in the history of British political communication at election time in terms of reaching large numbers of people, particularly those who are the least reachable by the usual political discussion.

Ikonoclast
The Tories have this type of intel at their disposal which is why they fear the debates. And let's not let the swivel eyed loon tendency tell us the debates don't matter, as this research (plus others on the debates) prove consistently that they do matter.

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/m ... t-48492508

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/m ... t-48496456

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 6:09 pm

Toby, that picture is horrid.
I love it.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 6:11 pm

citizenJA wrote:
citizenJA - reposted a comment made by another commentator regarding the importance of the televised debates.
Ikonoclast
...here's just a bit of insight as to why the debates matter...
Stephen Coleman, professor of political communications at Leeds University, carried out research on the impact of the TV debates in 2010. On the World at One he said they had a remarkable impact in terms of helping first-time voters decide how to vote.

They were remarkably popular ... Two thirds of people in our surveys said that they did in fact learn something new about what the parties stood for. 87% said they talked to other people after the debates.

But I’ll tell you the really surprising thing was first-time voters. 74% of them said that after watching the debate they knew something more about what the parties were standing for than they did before and 50% of them - half of all first-time voters who watched it, and a very large number did - said it helped them to decide how to vote.

That is quite unique in the history of British political communication at election time in terms of reaching large numbers of people, particularly those who are the least reachable by the usual political discussion.
Ikonoclast
The Tories have this type of intel at their disposal which is why they fear the debates. And let's not let the swivel eyed loon tendency tell us the debates don't matter, as this research (plus others on the debates) prove consistently that they do matter.
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/m ... t-48492508

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/m ... t-48496456

I was wavering in 2010, and although I didn't watch the debates I saw Vince Cable being interviewed on TV, and was so impressed I voted LibDem.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 6:12 pm

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Iain Dale retweeted
Matthew Harris @hattmarris84 · 8m 8 minutes ago
Lord Ashdown: BBC have now 'found the backbone not to persuade anybody to give in to the PM...I dont think this has been their finest hour'

Iain Dale retweeted
Matthew Harris @hattmarris84 · 12m 12 minutes ago
Lord Ashdown goes on to tell @IainDale that he was glad that the "wobbly willies at the BBC" didn't chicken out of standing up to Number 10!

I think Ashdown has remarkedly understated the facts on the ground. Tories are bullying, frightened, arrogant people & their PM isn't fit to lead...anything...ever...at all.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 6:14 pm

Yep, Ohso, I know.
It's okay.
No one could have anticipated the LibDem catastrophe.
I'm sorry.

danesclose · Post by **danesclose** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 6:15 pm

PorFavor wrote:
AnatolyKasparov wrote:
RobertSnozers wrote: Ha!

He'll do them then. He has to.
Well yeah, though I suspect even now Crosby will be advising him not to attend and try to tough it out by posing as an above the fray "statesman"

What is now surely clear to everybody is that the team around Dave have played this abysmally. If the PM had said at the start of the year (say) that he wasn't doing them come what may, he would have taken a hit but it might just have been containable. Not much chance of that now......

(after a week's break, my election review is up at the usual place btw )

Indeed. And as I said yesterday, if he won't deign to turn up and tries to demean the other participants on the "No show without Punch" basis, he'll just come across as even more arrogant than usual. (Hard to imagine that that's possible I know, but true nonetheless, I believe.)

Perhaps there might be an urgent need for him to chair a COBRA meeting on the day of the debate

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 6:16 pm

We'll give voting democratically another go.
Next government in either represent all the people or they represent all the people.
End of.

yahyah · Post by **yahyah** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 6:23 pm

Looks like the Greens are not that different from other parties.

http://politicalscrapbook.net/2015/03/g ... -lobbyist/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 6:25 pm

Required reading for the PM.

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

* I do like chickens tho, in my head I sometimes play fantasy small holdings, what animals I would have given the space, chickens would be top of the list, a fat Tory would have a shotgun rammed into him..

Pure fantasy of course.

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 6:33 pm

yahyah wrote:Looks like the Greens are not that different from other parties.

http://politicalscrapbook.net/2015/03/g ... -lobbyist/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Science communicator, that's one way of describing it.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 6:49 pm

letsskiptotheleft wrote:Required reading for the PM.

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

* I do like chickens tho, in my head I sometimes play fantasy small holdings, what animals I would have given the space, chickens would be top of the list, a fat Tory would have a shotgun rammed into him..

Pure fantasy of course.

I'm not too keen on chickens. There's something a bit reptilian about them (although, oddly, I rather like lizards). Now ducks I do like.

Tubby Isaacs · Post by **Tubby Isaacs** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 6:50 pm

This is where we really miss decent satire shows.

Cameron and the chair would be all over them, and create more news in itself.

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 6:52 pm

At the top of the Tory manifesto.

Remembering our great leader Margaret Thatcher.
"Where there is harmony may we bring discord. Where there is truth may we bring error. Where there is faith may we bring doubt. And where there is hope may we bring despair."

Edited because I can't spell.

Eric_WLothian · Post by **Eric_WLothian** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 6:53 pm

PorFavor wrote: I'm not too keen on chickens. There's something a bit reptilian about them (although, oddly, I rather like lizards). Now ducks I do like.

I agree - can't decide whether orange or plum sauce is best though.

LadyCentauria · Post by **LadyCentauria** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 6:55 pm

Eric_WLothian wrote:
PorFavor wrote: I'm not too keen on chickens. There's something a bit reptilian about them (although, oddly, I rather like lizards). Now ducks I do like.
I agree - can't decide whether orange or plum sauce is best though.

Plum. Definitely plum

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 7:02 pm

[youtube]fxQ6L3kN4n8[/youtube]

This is going under the #runningscared, please, can we keep the great Roy Orbison out of this, sacrilege, or sacre bleu!

Toby Latimer · Post by **Toby Latimer** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 7:12 pm

Jacob Rees Mogg now being wheeled out to defend Cameron after Shapps guttersnipe rambling yesterday. He just called James Purnell & the BBC left wing. Berk.

Post by **letsskiptotheleft** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 7:17 pm

Toby Latimer wrote:Jacob Rees Mogg now being wheeled out to defend Cameron after Shapps guttersnipe rambling yesterday. He just called James Purnell & the BBC left wing. Berk.

Yes, when the MP for the 15th Century is wheeled out to defend you, you know things are desperate.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 7:17 pm

Toby Latimer wrote:Jacob Rees Mogg now being wheeled out to defend Cameron after Shapps guttersnipe rambling yesterday. He just called James Purnell & the BBC left wing. Berk.

He's aware Sky & the other left-wing radical broadcasters are in on the deal too? Did his head explode when someone told him that?

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Fri 06 Mar, 2015 7:18 pm

letsskiptotheleft wrote:[youtube]fxQ6L3kN4n8[/youtube]

This is going under the #runningscared, please, can we keep the great Roy Orbison out of this, sacrilege, or sacre bleu!

Yes - I had that playing in my head yesterday. I didn't like to mention it . . . .