FlyTheNest

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 4:30 am**

Good morntereve, all. Starting the day with this

-and-awe-inspiring encounter between an ROV and a sperm-whale, to celebrate Ed's plan to massively increase the number and scope of Marine Reserves in British and Commonwealth waters:

[youtube]SkBpummjR5I[/youtube]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkBpummjR5I

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 7:26 am**

Morning and thanks Lady C

I just wanted to flag up some great stuff late yesterday evening here - not to be missed

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 7:57 am**

Post deleted.

No amount of persuasion will affect those who believe they have found their political holy grail - be it Plaid, SNP or Greens. Or UKIP.

We have to make our own mistakes in search of the 'new politics'.
Five years will give plenty of time to reflect.

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 8:26 am**

Lib Dem MP: there will not be another coalition with the Conservatives
Andrew George, MP for marginal seat of St Ives, told a public meeting there would be no repeat of 2010 deal
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... servatives" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

He's one of a few Lib Dem MPs I would be pleased to see re elected. He's a stalwart campaigner against the monstrous badger cull and has rebelled on several occasions.

But I'm not sure I would be as confident about him re no further coalition with the Tories. I think that will very much depend on whether Clegg is ousted or not.

Morning all.

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 8:30 am**

@51A.

Interesting to hear you're still undecided. If none of the parties appeals more than another, perhaps you should look just at the individual candidates in your constituency to see if that helps.

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 8:47 am**

Re 51a's post and yahyah's response.

It's a difficult situation we all find ourselves in. I've tried hard to consider the other parties and their candidates round here with an open mind - and certainly no personal flack involved.

Thinking about rainbow coalitions - all we've really had at the hustings so far are attacks on Labour by Green and Plaid. The Lib Dems haven't turned up and the Tory has only turned up at one - and much to the audience's disgust he was thanked for doing so as if it was a great concession by him. Anyway - it's not a great starting point for such a coalition. When a rainbow coalition was suggested before the last Assembly election - it was going to be Plaid, Tories and Lib Dems. It - along with their record in the Welsh government - played very badly with potential Plaid voters and they lost ground.

My own experience of Plaid when campaigning against the badger cull - and campaigning during the last Assembly election - was not good to say the least. There were certain Plaid activists who tried repeatedly to get anti cull supporters arrested - for no proper reason. It was harrassment and not pleasant. People got to hear about it and it did them no good at all around here. The local Plaid group was in turmoil with several resigning and leaving over various related matters. We've tried to get a proper written statement from Plaid re their position on any future badger culling - with no success as yet as far as I know. When the Plaid candidate was asked about their current position at a hustings he said he didn't know and would have to ask Elin. Elin Jones was the architect of Plaid's previous badger culling policy and no longer holds the brief for rural affairs - she's meant to be health I believe. No one was reassured by that. There is sadly still a big split between the rural Plaid vote - farming communities - and the valleys vote - and the public / manifesto face of Plaid. I haven't seen much that is progressive around here.

Having said all that. I agree with 51a that I would like more done about second homes and their impact on communities. And I say that as someone who benefits from providing gardening services to a couple of second home owners.

From the Green party here I would just like to see more ongoing involvement at a local level. Then there would be something to assess them on. At the moment it feels like a pop up stand for the election. Be good to have some people standing as Green councillors next time round and build from that.

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 8:51 am**

Have deleted my second post too, if anyone thinks they are going mad and seeing things.
Going to spend the day in the garden tending seedlings etc. as I know I will end up offending someone otherwise.

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 8:57 am**

Good Morning. Lynton Crosby has finally succumbed to George's requests for another line. After Ed's success with the ladies and his rising approval ratings since the Leaders' Debate, secret discussions have taken place between Lynton and a fellow compatriot. Dave shall now appear for a photo-shoot with the Sun's Page Three girls.

Reluctant to appear with Andrew Neil, Dave also agreed to an interview with Jo Coburn and was told to be especially nice, even to flirt a little. The recording is believed to have come to an abrupt and disorderly end when he was heard telling Jo he knew what colour panties she was wearing.

Edit: corrected compatriot.
Edit: also succumbed. Typos are bad enough but spelling mistakes...

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 9:01 am**

Aftevenoonimorn all...

Feeling sheepish for having spent most of the last few weeks lurking - writing something I think makes a bit of sense but then taking too long editing, adding bits and making it totally unintelligible so giving up in frustration....so I'm determined to say something today even if it does come across as a load of old b******s.

Excellent to see Mr Ed (or is that now 'Red Hot Ed') being mobbed by excited voters whilst Dodgy Empty Calamity Camer-con can't keep an audience in their seats. The premise, I believe(TM), being followed by the Coalition of Clowns is that 'Dave's popular, so we can do anything (or nothing) and our core vote (who think Dave's a 'good guy') will get us back in, as we've still got the blessing of Murkydochia.

So I state again that here in Hope (just north of Peterborough) a landslide is on its way....although I'm more troubled by the sudden raising of the game of the parties 'of the left'. I found myself thinking, as Leanne Wood launched into her 'we must repeal Thatchers union legislation', 'I'll vote for them'...oh, but wait....I live in England...in my heart I'm a Green...but in my head, I know that anything other than a Labour vote (even though I'm in Boles the Blusterers' seat with 51% Tory vote so my vote doesn't count for anything) strengthens the return of Chicken Dave and the Murkydochian Monsters. After May 7th we will either have Mr Ed in No 10 with his existing experience of Government, the environment and life in general, who will be amenable to the pull to the left (or 'us', as I think it should be termed, as Tories and the Lost Deposits (and Tory Blur and the Blur-ites) are most definitely 'them') - meaning the Greens, Plaid and the SNP (if indeed they are anti-Austerity, anti-Bedroom Tax and not Murdochs' puppets) will be able to talk to someone who listens....if not Mr Ed then the same la-la-la administration will return with Clouncy Funt telling us how popular he is for having made Thatchers wet dream come true...'no such thing as society'.

Surely there are rules against non-doms and MPs donating to other parties? (Re the Goldsmiths from a post last night).

I'm also on the Betfair site, trying to make sense of the system there - no offence, Hugo, but if you're telling people that a ~~vote~~ bet on a Labour majority is a waste of money, I'm having £10 of that (when I can work out WTF you do on their site

) - so far I can see that Labour majority is around 45/50 to 1...and a Conservative majority? 9/11 to 1...in the immortal words of Jim Royle - "my f*****g a**e" - I'll get there in the end!

Interesting discussion around Mdm Lagarde and Gidiot...I hadn't thought of Gidiot being next in line at the IMF (after all that guff about 'compassionate capitalism' and 3 years on still they pretend they understand how capital works) - it's unlikely (IMHO) for a number of reasons - there will be some people at the IMF who are competent so putting Gidiot the Gimp (sorry - but name calling is really all I have left for them where basic human respect used to be) in the middle of that won't be popular to say the least...and Natalie Rowe will have published her book (at the second attempt, having been blocked the first time IIRC)...and Ed Balls will be at No 11 and may well have decided to publicise the absolute chaos that has permeated all levels of government for the last 5 years, and especially the outright lies and 'smoke and mirrors' financial chicanery from the Exchequer.

TTFN

Also edited (to make sense of the Betfair bit

)

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 9:03 am**

utopiandreams wrote:Good Morning. Lynton Crosby has finally succombed to George's requests for another line. After Ed's success with the ladies and his rising approval ratings since the Leaders' Debate, secret discussions have taken place between Lynton and a fellow compatriate. Dave shall now appear for a photo-shoot with the Sun's Page Three girls.

Reluctant to appear with Andrew Neil, Dave also agreed to an interview with Jo Coburn and was told to be especially nice, even to flirt a little. The recording is believed to have come to an abrupt and disorderly end when he was heard telling Jo he knew what colour panties she was wearing.

Blimey - are things that bad? Gidiot's getting the CMP from...oh sorry - not that sort of 'line'...mea culpa!

Edit for apostrophe - is the correct term 'bumboils'?

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 9:14 am**

Lonewolfie wrote:
utopiandreams wrote:Good Morning. Lynton Crosby has finally succombed to George's requests for another line. After Ed's success with the ladies and his rising approval ratings since the Leaders' Debate, secret discussions have taken place between Lynton and a fellow compatriate. Dave shall now appear for a photo-shoot with the Sun's Page Three girls.

Reluctant to appear with Andrew Neil, Dave also agreed to an interview with Jo Coburn and was told to be especially nice, even to flirt a little. The recording is believed to have come to an abrupt and disorderly end when he was heard telling Jo he knew what colour panties she was wearing.
Blimey - are things that bad? Gidiot's getting the CMP from...oh sorry - not that sort of 'line'...mea culpa!

Edit for apostrophe - is the correct term 'bumboils'?

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 9:15 am**

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Lib Dem MP: there will not be another coalition with the Conservatives
Andrew George, MP for marginal seat of St Ives, told a public meeting there would be no repeat of 2010 deal
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... servatives" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
He's one of a few Lib Dem MPs I would be pleased to see re elected. He's a stalwart campaigner against the monstrous badger cull and has rebelled on several occasions.

But I'm not sure I would be as confident about him re no further coalition with the Tories. I think that will very much depend on whether Clegg is ousted or not.

Morning all.

I admire Andrew George & his stance on the NHS. He spoke at the TUC's Save our NHS Rally in 2012.

[youtube]puYcoMHBJPo[/youtube]

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 9:23 am**

Interesting poll, reported in the Times Red Box morning briefing:

EXCLUSIVE YOUGOV POLLING

Third of Labour supporters backed other parties in 2010
Where are Labour gaining their votes? YouGov has a group of over 30,000 voters whose voting intention we sought during the 2010 general election: we have re-interviewed them in the past few weeks (Stephan Shakespeare writes). It gives us a very reliable and precise view of how votes have switched over the five years.

As the chart shows, 67 per cent of Labour’s current support base voted for the party five years ago. Bear in mind that this study does not include the younger voters who have joined the electoral register since 2010 - a group that has a higher likelihood of voting Labour.

While Labour has lost 8.6 per cent of its 2010 vote to other parties and “don't know”, it has gained 10 per cent of the vote from others.

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 9:28 am**

Morning pk

I read somewhere just now that Ed is hoping to reach out to former Tory voters in the closing stages, which looks sensible given the figures you post.

I still think a neglected aspect of the upcoming GE is the coincidence with local elections in large swathes of the country, and the possibility that gives people of casting votes for two different parties on the same day.

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 9:32 am**

http://voxpoliticalonline.com/2015/04/2 ... drew-marr/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm not sure I'd go as far as the above article, but I did have a similar reaction to what Cameron had to say about sanctions and foodbanks and wrote a comment as such btl in the G yesterday. When faced with the blunt fact that someone died of their health condition because they didn't have any money to run their fridge because they had been sanctioned for missing a meeting, Cameron's reaction was that it was appropriate for someone to be sanctioned for missing a meeting. He also appeared to defend sanctioning someone with learning difficulties because they were unable to fill out a form on a computer. I'm very glad these cases were aired on BBC primetime and everyone got to see that Cameron supported sanctions for these minor misdemeanors as those defending the Tories always try to deny people are deliberately sanctioned for such minor cases. McVey has insisted sanctions are used as a last resort (to most people this would be something like turning down multiple suitable jobs), yet here's Cameron confirming they are used for a missed meeting (with no warning) or for having learning difficulties (with no help offered to fill forms).

Because I know this is what the DWP has been doing, the significance of this interview didn't hit me until today. I wouldn't go as far as accusing David Cameron of murder, as such sensationalism doesn't help and makes it easy for people to dismiss. But I would certainly like to see the content of this interview widely reported and the significance of what David Cameron thinks deserves a sanction publicised as much as possible.

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 9:33 am**

The local elections were last fought in 2011 - and though the LibDems had big losses then, they still polled the equivalent of about 15-16% nationally.

Things have got worse, not better, for them since.

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 9:52 am**

I gather Humphrys gave May a complete mauling on Today this morning.

What with Marr spearing Cameron yesterday......

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 10:18 am**

Labour are launching a manifesto for disabled people.

As part of it, they want to

Invite disabled people to work with ministers on a cross-governmental committee to improve disability policy.

http://labourlist.org/2015/04/too-many- ... ed-people/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We have a disability specialist within our midst (as well as disabled FTNers) so what a brilliant opportunity to get involved

@Ephe - Would you be interested in getting involved ?

@Ernst - if Ephe is interested, would you contact Rachel Reeves & lobby for her please ?

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 10:39 am**

Morning all.

Mark Ferguson interview with Ed Miliband in LabourList today. Bearing in mind that Ferguson has not always been Ed's biggest cheerleader and has at times (in my opinion) been part of the problem, rather than the solution, it is astonishingly decent.

http://labourlist.org/2015/04/all-ive-e ... ign-trail/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The daily LabourList email, which pointed me toward that piece, talks about the problems Labour face over Scotland and these two paragraphs stood out:

Meanwhile in Scotland, Ed Miliband will be addressing the Scottish TUC, who he will tell that the only guarantee of a Labour government comes from electing Labour MPs. I'm not sure this should even need to be said - but this is where Scottish politics is now. Scottish Trade Unionists are not universally pro-UK, so this may be a tougher audience than some that Miliband has faced on the campaign trail. But it could also be an opportunity to win hearts and minds too.

Elsewhere in Scotland, the SNP are launching their manifesto today. We're told that they're going to make an appeal to Northern England and Labour MPs, but lets remember that they didn't give a toss about Northern England when they were trying to leave the UK and set up Scotland as a tax-haven with corporation tax permanently below that of the rest of the UK. That was intended to poach northern jobs. Sturgeon's shtick won't work this time, because the north remembers.

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 10:54 am**

I refuse to pay Johnson for clicks to his hyperbole so happily Andrew Sparrow has quoted from it:

You wouldn’t get Herod to run a baby farm, would you? It would not normally occur to you to interview a convicted jewel thief for the post of custodian of the Tower of London.

You would not dream of asking a fox to look after the henhouse or a temperance campaigner to run a brewery or Attila the Hun to work as a doorkeeper for the Roman senate – and no one in their right mind would enter into a contract with a bunch of voracious weevils to protect the lovely old timbers in the tower of the local church. Would they?

Any such course of action would be totally nuts. So can someone tell me why in the name of all that is holy there are some apparently rational people who are even contemplating the elevation of the Scottish Nationalist Party to a position of effective dominance in the government of the United Kingdom – an entity that they are sworn to destroy?

It is therefore obvious to every serious political analyst that [Ed Miliband] would be in many ways the plaything of the SNP. Unless he has the support of that 40-plus bloc of Scottish secessionists, he will be stymied. If Miliband somehow manages to form a minority government, he will be peeping from Alec Salmond’s sporran like a baffled baby kangaroo. He would be the vacillating Macbeth, pushed hither and yon by Lady Macbeth, in the form of Nicola Sturgeon.

Did you see her the other night, telling him to man up, to screw his courage to the sticking place – to do what she told him to do because “you are not strong enough on your own”? The awful truth is that she is right. Without her help and her say-so, and without the support of Salmond and his troops in the Commons, there is not a single bill that Labour could get through.

This from the man that thinks he could be PM one day. What an enormous fucking twat ! I abhor the c-word but if I was ever to use it, it would be about the current Mayor of London.

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 11:01 am**

http://www.youthsight.com/media-centre/ ... tudents-2/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 11:33 am**

pk1 wrote:I refuse to pay Johnson for clicks to his hyperbole so happily Andrew Sparrow has quoted from it:

You wouldn’t get Herod to run a baby farm, would you? It would not normally occur to you to interview a convicted jewel thief for the post of custodian of the Tower of London.

You would not dream of asking a fox to look after the henhouse or a temperance campaigner to run a brewery or Attila the Hun to work as a doorkeeper for the Roman senate – and no one in their right mind would enter into a contract with a bunch of voracious weevils to protect the lovely old timbers in the tower of the local church. Would they?

Any such course of action would be totally nuts. So can someone tell me why in the name of all that is holy there are some apparently rational people who are even contemplating the elevation of the Scottish Nationalist Party to a position of effective dominance in the government of the United Kingdom – an entity that they are sworn to destroy?

It is therefore obvious to every serious political analyst that [Ed Miliband] would be in many ways the plaything of the SNP. Unless he has the support of that 40-plus bloc of Scottish secessionists, he will be stymied. If Miliband somehow manages to form a minority government, he will be peeping from Alec Salmond’s sporran like a baffled baby kangaroo. He would be the vacillating Macbeth, pushed hither and yon by Lady Macbeth, in the form of Nicola Sturgeon.

Did you see her the other night, telling him to man up, to screw his courage to the sticking place – to do what she told him to do because “you are not strong enough on your own”? The awful truth is that she is right. Without her help and her say-so, and without the support of Salmond and his troops in the Commons, there is not a single bill that Labour could get through.
This from the man that thinks he could be PM one day. What an enormous fucking twat ! I abhor the c-word but if I was ever to use it, it would be about the current Mayor of London.

How does that buffoon know all this? Has he had a sneak preview of the election results?

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 11:50 am**

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:Morning and thanks Lady C

I just wanted to flag up some great stuff late yesterday evening here - not to be missed

It was good hearing from a friend I'd not read in awhile.

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 11:58 am**

RobertSnozers wrote:
yahyah wrote:Have deleted my second post too, if anyone thinks they are going mad and seeing things.
Going to spend the day in the garden tending seedlings etc. as I know I will end up offending someone otherwise.
Sorry you deleted your post yahyah, I thought you spoke a lot of sense. And not just for quoting me, of course

I too will be brief for fear of giving offence, but I would like people to try and remember the excitement and hope there was around the LibDems last time, and for that reason try to see objectively those parties who seem to offer an old-style leftwing vision. I don't want to tell people who to vote for or not vote for - just to ask that they make sure they examine the reality of the party and vote with both heart and head. I wish someone had told me some home truths about the LibDems last time - but more than that I wish I'd had the sense to look for myself and not simply see what I wanted to see.

We have a great ground rule for this, which Robert you've just followed to the letter

We don't criticise individuals' voting intentions.

(I didn't see yahyah's deleted posts, so yahyah please note this is specifically not directed at you)

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 12:04 pm**

Good afternoon.

Just to let those who are even remotely interested

my Labour Party "Hell Yes" T-shirt arrived in todays post.

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 12:09 pm**

yahyah wrote:Have deleted my second post too, if anyone thinks they are going mad and seeing things.
Going to spend the day in the garden tending seedlings etc. as I know I will end up offending someone otherwise.

I love your voice here, Yahyah, & you're a beautiful friend. Enjoy your day.

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 12:11 pm**

Swarthlander wrote:Good afternoon.

Just to let those who are even remotely interested my Labour Party "Hell Yes" T-shirt arrived in todays post.

And I've just found out mine arrived on Saturday. Hell yes!!!!

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 12:20 pm**

Second Labour lead of the day

Mike Smithson ‏@MSmithsonPB 2m2 minutes ago

LAB moves to 2% lead with Populus
Lab 34 (nc) Con 32 (-1) LD 9 (nc) UKIP 15 (+1)

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 12:24 pm**

ICM have a new poll out today - hopefully it will be less ridiculous than the last one

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 12:25 pm**

You've all helped me to sometimes quarrel to good purpose. If my opinions aren't to the liking of others, teach me other opinions & I'll consider changing my own. I may not change my opinion on an issue but I will consider doing so. This is what politics & society is about right here. We're intelligent adults who're going to disagree with each other. We can do that without causing harm.

If I've hurt another personally with my words here, please don't write me off but message me. Give me a chance to ask your pardon & work toward it not happening again. I'm a human being & I make mistakes. I try not to make the same ones repeatedly. Thank you for helping me communicate with you.

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 12:42 pm**

RobertSnozers wrote:
yahyah wrote:Have deleted my second post too, if anyone thinks they are going mad and seeing things.
Going to spend the day in the garden tending seedlings etc. as I know I will end up offending someone otherwise.
Sorry you deleted your post yahyah, I thought you spoke a lot of sense. And not just for quoting me, of course

I too will be brief for fear of giving offence, but I would like people to try and remember the excitement and hope there was around the LibDems last time, and for that reason try to see objectively those parties who seem to offer an old-style leftwing vision. I don't want to tell people who to vote for or not vote for - just to ask that they make sure they examine the reality of the party and vote with both heart and head. I wish someone had told me some home truths about the LibDems last time - but more than that I wish I'd had the sense to look for myself and not simply see what I wanted to see.

I voted LibDem last time...Read all the manifestos made sure I tuned in to listen to all sides. The LibDems made the most sense personally. Was very impressed with Cable's economic outlines.

Funnily enough if I listen to the LibDems now and pretend the last five years haven't happened they still sound solid. I would just say to anyone who isn't sure, forget about what they're saying now; they want to get elected so a little leeway is allowed.
Do check their history and their record.

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 1:09 pm**

pk1 wrote:Labour are launching a manifesto for disabled people.

As part of it, they want to
Invite disabled people to work with ministers on a cross-governmental committee to improve disability policy.
http://labourlist.org/2015/04/too-many- ... ed-people/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We have a disability specialist within our midst (as well as disabled FTNers) so what a brilliant opportunity to get involved

@Ephe - Would you be interested in getting involved ?

@Ernst - if Ephe is interested, would you contact Rachel Reeves & lobby for her please ?

No problem - if Ephie wants to.

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 1:46 pm**

Mike Smithson ‏@MSmithsonPB 1h1 hour ago

LAB moves to 2% lead with Populus

Lab 34 (nc) Con 32 (-1) LD 9 (nc) UKIP 15 (+1)

Why no Greens included on this?

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 1:50 pm**

The “Coalition for Marriage”, an anti-same sex marriage group, has distributed in North East Somerset a leaflet praising the Tory candidate, Jacob Rees-Mogg, for voting against same-sex marriage in Parliament. The leaflet says that Jacob Rees-Mogg “courageously” voted against same-sex marriage and says “Remember this when you vote on 7 May.”

Jacob Rees-Mogg should confirm whether he endorses this leaflet which is being distributed in North East Somerset which a view to encouraging people to vote for him.
http://www.todd4nesomerset.com/north_ea ... ty_leaflet

Todd Foreman is miffed about this and rightly so...

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 1:52 pm**

Tim Montgomerie ن ‏@montie Apr 19

Marr: is it true your private pollsters say it's difficult for you to win a majority? Cameron: No #OhYesTheyAre

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 2:10 pm**

Delivered my leaflets today. Couldn't get into a block of flats though, no main letter box.
Local party funds don't run to having the Royal Mail deliver, so unfortunately that'll be a whole bunch of prospective voters who think Labour can't be bothered.

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 2:13 pm**

ohsocynical wrote:
Mike Smithson ‏@MSmithsonPB 1h1 hour ago

LAB moves to 2% lead with Populus

Lab 34 (nc) Con 32 (-1) LD 9 (nc) UKIP 15 (+1)
Why no Greens included on this?

They are unchanged from the last Populus poll (on 4)

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 2:18 pm**

ohsocynical wrote:Delivered my leaflets today. Couldn't get into a block of flats though, no main letter box.
Local party funds don't run to having the Royal Mail deliver, so unfortunately that'll be a whole bunch of prospective voters who think Labour can't be bothered.

Blocks like that usually have a bell marked 'Trade' which allows access to all before a specific time - midday seems to be the norm round this way. Royal Mail must be granted permission to deliver letters (since tampering with mail is a criminal offence) hence the 'trade' access.

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 2:21 pm**

Latest ICM poll

hah that didnt work.

CON lead down to 2% in latest ICM poll
@Conservatives 34% @UKLabour 32% @LibDems 10% @UKIP 11% @TheGreenParty 5% Others

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 2:25 pm**

A better future for disabled people

[url]http://www.labour.org.uk/blog/entry/a-better-future-for-disabled-people?source=15_04_20_disability_manifesto&subsource=labour_twitter&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=labourUK&utm_campaign=15_04_20_disability_manifesto[/url]

I expect Ephie's read and dissected this...

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 2:27 pm**

FuriousGeorge wrote:Latest ICM poll

hah that didnt work.

CON lead down to 2% in latest ICM poll
@Conservatives 34% @UKLabour 32% @LibDems 10% @UKIP 11% @TheGreenParty 5% Others

I thought that one wasn't due out until around 4pm. Good news though. They had to increase the lead they had last time in order to be in seat winning mode. But it's shrunk

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 2:32 pm**

Some of you may recall the Henry Smith, MP for Crawley, blamed Jeremy Hunt for giving him grossly exaggerated figures on the number of staff at his local hospital.

Henry Smith had stated in leaflets that Crawley Hospital “has over 200 new doctors and nurses since 2010″ but the local NHS trust have since stated that the 200 increase claim is actually, errrr, higher than the total number of doctors and nurses working there full stop — let alone any increase.

http://politicalscrapbook.net/2015/04/t ... ors-claim/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Jeremy Hunt The Secretary of State for Health
I congratulate my hon. Friend on his campaigning for Crawley hospital and pay tribute to staff at the hospital, which was rated “good” by the Care Quality Commission last year as part of the new inspection regime. He will welcome the fact that since

2010 the number of doctors at the hospital has increased by 97 and the number of nurses by 107. Of course, we will always consider ways to improve services for his constituents.

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/? ... 8.3#g709.7" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I sent an FOI to find out what exactly the numbers were for each of the years since 2010. The response was received today. The 200 number is only just under the total number for the entire 5 years !!

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 2:39 pm**

Election 2015: Blow to Tories as poll puts Labour ahead on immigration and three more of the six main issues

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics ... 89336.html

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 2:42 pm**

General Election ‏@UKELECTIONS2015 Apr 19
Yougov

Which party leader do you think is the most honest
and trustworthy?

Miliband 26%
Cameron 22%
Farage 14%
Clegg 9%

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 2:47 pm**

Jsuknews.com ‏@jsuknewsfeed 3 hrs3 hours ago

Age Concern Lancashire boast about sending over 55s on Workfare.
If we can target these companies it will stop...

http://fb.me/1TCOcH1EZ

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 2:49 pm**

Good morfternoon.

This poster, over at the Guardian Election Blog, said it for me -

chimanimani
6m ago
1 2

All this Conservative alarmism about SNP rather assumes that the Conservatives wouldn't support Labour policy in order to deliver the lesser (as they would see it?) of evils. Thus on Trident, would they vote against it and so enable the SNP to get its policy through?
If so then clearly it would be the Conservatives that were responsible, not Labour!

To be fair to the BBC, one of their bods has pointed this out, too.

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 2:52 pm**

Cllr Matt Clifton ‏@MatthewSClifton 10 mins10 minutes ago
Cllr Matt Clifton retweeted Guardian politics

ICM adjusts for Tories' higher propensity to vote but not for Lab's superior ground campaign. Unadjusted ICM is tied Cllr Matt Clifton added,

Guardian politics @GdnPolitics
Tories still ahead of Labour in latest Guardian/ICM poll http://d.gu.com/9T80pk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Am I right in thinking that the American running the Labour campaign ran Obama's for the Democrats, and did exactly the same over there. Got feet on the ground.

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 3:08 pm**

ohsocynical wrote:Delivered my leaflets today. Couldn't get into a block of flats though, no main letter box.
Local party funds don't run to having the Royal Mail deliver, so unfortunately that'll be a whole bunch of prospective voters who think Labour can't be bothered.

Go in the morning, and press the 'trade' button if there is one - this should give you access (a trick I learned a few years back).

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 3:10 pm**

ohsocynical wrote:Cllr Matt Clifton ‏@MatthewSClifton 10 mins10 minutes ago
Cllr Matt Clifton retweeted Guardian politics

ICM adjusts for Tories' higher propensity to vote but not for Lab's superior ground campaign. Unadjusted ICM is tied Cllr Matt Clifton added,

Guardian politics @GdnPolitics
Tories still ahead of Labour in latest Guardian/ICM poll http://d.gu.com/9T80pk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Am I right in thinking that the American running the Labour campaign ran Obama's for the Democrats, and did exactly the same over there. Got feet on the ground.

Yep.

Posted: **Mon 20 Apr, 2015 3:11 pm**

Tim Shipman ‏@ShippersUnbound 1m1 minute ago
Ed Miliband now favourite to be PM with @paddypower for the first time since Oct 2014. Miliband 5/6. Cameron 10/11

FlyTheNest

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