Thursday 2nd April 2015

[TechnicalEphemera]

Another debate poll, this one from Survation

Survation/Mirror (winner): DC 25 EM 25 NC 6 NF 24 NB 3 NS 15 LW 2


I'm getting the impression that these polls are pretty pointless, everyone just seems to vote for their own regardless of what they did on the night with the exception of the floating voters who go for the freshest unknown ala Clegg 2010.

The messy debate doesn't help. The polls reflect general confusion. But Sturgeon has done well, she won't really have shifted Scottish opinion. She may have reassured potential Labour voters that the SNP aren't that scary (a key Tory message).

Miliband has also done well, toe to toe with Cameron.

Farage is a twat but Tory right wingers love him.

Bennett sank without trace. Wood didn't play a blinder but she has more limited aims (stay competitive, don't screw up).

Instead of looking above it all Cameron just looks isolated.

[adam]

Hello lovely ftners. It's been a while. And I don't want to distract from the leaders debate, but I could do with your communal assistance [/...] froth, noise and prejudice...

Hi

I think there's something to be said for making people accept that when they say 'we're worried about immigration' what they're really saying - about themselves - is 'I don't like poor black people'. I wonder how much they object to a number of current parliamentarians - Peter Hain (born in Kenya), Brooks Newmark (USA), my MP Daniel Kawczynski (Poland). I also think (but I've only got this from Wiki so you need to check) that the largest immigrant group in the UK are Irish.

(And as an aside, Billy Bragg tells a story about playing in the Wulfrun Hall in Wolves and, during the soundcheck, having Jim Davidson's stage manager come down from the main Civic Hall upstairs, saying he was on there at the same time as the gig and could they bear that in mind - so Billy's crowd spent the whole night shouting and the amps on stage were turned up to 11).

[TechnicalEphemera]

Hello lovely ftners. It's been a while. And I don't want to distract from the leaders debate, but I could do with your communal assistance [/...] froth, noise and prejudice...

Hi

I think there's something to be said for making people accept that when they say 'we're worried about immigration' what they're really saying - about themselves - is 'I don't like poor black people'. I wonder how much they object to a number of current parliamentarians - Peter Hain (born in Kenya), Brooks Newmark (USA), my MP Daniel Kawczynski (Poland). I also think (but I've only got this from Wiki so you need to check) that the largest immigrant group in the UK are Irish.

(And as an aside, Billy Bragg tells a story about playing in the Wulfrun Hall in Wolves and, during the soundcheck, having Jim Davidson's stage manager come down from the main Civic Hall upstairs, saying he was on there at the same time as the gig and could they bear that in mind - so Billy's crowd spent the whole night shouting and the amps on stage were turned up to 11).

Many of them just don't like poor non British people undercutting their wages. It is an issue, but skin colour doesn't enter into it ( apart from the BNP tendency). Just because some of UKIP's voters are racists doesn't mean they all are.

If Miliband gets his chance this community will be happier when it becomes impossible to undercut wages with immigrant labour.

[adam]

If Miliband gets his chance this community will be happier when it becomes impossible to undercut wages with immigrant labour.

Yes, completely agree.

Many of them just don't like poor non British people undercutting their wages. It is an issue, but skin colour doesn't enter into it ( apart from the BNP tendency). Just because some of UKIP's voters are racists doesn't mean they all are.

Jim Davidson is, and he's who's there. I struggle to believe that Christine Hamilton's driving force is concern about low wages for working class jobs. The party's campaign is leading on a blatantly racist tone - in fact worse than that, Farage is talking shit about race, being recorded doing it and then denying it all the next day - not taking anything back or apologising, just 'I didn't say that'. It is worth calling people out on these things. If nothing else, it will raise it as an issue with their potential voters, confront the issue and it will in the longer term make UKIP a better party, hell bent on euro-exit dangers but without some of the open shit rising to the top.

Edited to add - I'm not convinced I can make any of this make sense at this late hour, sorry. Sleep.

[51A]

I have to think that, having been a member of New Labour in 1997 and seeing the endless let-downs, coalition for the dispossessed like Plaid and SNP has to happen or we'll have more govt by interest groups and not for the people. I know my vote won't coun't (except it might, our MP stood down and I don't know the name of this safe-seat holder, no-one told me) but I think I'll go Plaid for Wales.

[51A]

Blimey Scots, you should be right proud of Nicola Sturgeon! I'd blooming vote for her if I lived there! I don't have that option but you do. We can't do this 2 party shite any more, Blair ruined that. We have few proper Labour voices left on the left and if to make the left louder we have to do coalition then let's bloody do it! The Nations have been silenced for centuries and you know what, we matter!

[51A]

Best bits of the leader's debates have by far been the women. Blimey if we ruled the world it would be a lot better!

[yahyah]

51a

I don't live in your consituency but I know who the Labour candidate is.

He may incite the ire of the I'm a real lefty me' brigade for being a well educated barrister, but he has lived locally for many years and has written biographies of Atlee & Nye Bevan.

Also, I live in a constituency where Plaid are the far biggest party on the council and believe me, they don't mind austerity when it suits them, or whipping up a bit of anti-immigration when the immigrants are English.

http://labourlist.org/2015/03/nick-thom ... n-torfaen/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[yahyah]

Best bits of the leader's debates have by far been the women. Blimey if we ruled the world it would be a lot better!

We undoubtedly need more women in politics, but not sure female dominance would be any better.
We need more men who aren't scared not have to act macho. Like Ed.

[StephenDolan]

We need the best people irrespective of their sex. Women should be better represented but I'd like to think Thatcher demonstrated that women ruling the world is as simplistic as men ruling the world being the solution.

Apologies if this comes across as grumpy!

[yahyah]

From South Wales Argus:

Nick Thomas-Symonds, 34, secured the party’s nomination after the incumbent MP and former Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy announced in January he was stepping down.

Mr Thomas-Symonds beat four others to the nomination at a party meeting yesterday.

He was born at Panteg Hospital, grew up in Blaenavon and lives in Abersychan with his wife and two daughters. He attended St Alban’s School in Pontypool and attended Oxford University, where he has lectured in politics.

He said: “It is a great honour to win the Labour nomination for my home constituency of Torfaen with such incredible support from local party members.

"I now look forward to putting the Labour case to the people of Torfaen. I will be working extremely hard for their support, campaigning to end the destructive policies of the Tory-Liberal Democrat coalition and to return a Labour government in May, which is vital for our communities and public services in Torfaen.”

He has written biographies of Labour giants Clement Attlee and Aneurin Bevan.

He said: “They inspire me because of the great improvements they brought about for working people, not least the National Health Service, which I am passionate about defending.”

A barrister for over a decade, he has been a Labour activist in Torfaen for 17 years and is the secretary of his local party

[yahyah]

@stephen

Not grumpy, but then I'm a bit grumpy myself this morning.

Not sure whether to open a new thread as a four day Easter weekend one, rather than just Friday ?

[TechnicalEphemera]

@stephen

Not grumpy, but then I'm a bit grumpy myself this morning.

Not sure whether to open a new thread as a four day Easter weekend one, rather than just Friday ?

Go with the Long Good Friday