UK Politics Thread

[Egan]

Originally Posted by Oberon

Good point, but the Tories have always been better in opposition than in power, they are good at nipping at the heels of the party in power, and then when they get in power blaming everything that goes wrong on the previous party. IDS was a wet lettuce though, and still is, the 'Quiet Man' I remember they called him, amongst other things, Cameron has probably been the strongest Tory leader since Hague though, but he hasn't exactly had much opposition, Brown was as good at political fighting as a dead hedgehog, and Milliband is...well...about the same.
Labour is at a weak point now, the lowest since the 1980s, and I dare say that they will have to reinvent themselves if they don't make it in at the next election. New New Labour perhaps...
However, at the moment, they're getting votes, not for their policies, but for the fact that they're not Lib-Dem or Tory.

Brown was from another age. Personally, I like him. I just don't think he had what it took to be much more than a loud back bencher. The problem is that we're mid-term just now and I remember all those times in the 80's the Tories languished badly in the polls but romped to victory every time. I don't think it'll happen this time, to be honest. The Tories have badly misjudged the anger that has emanated from their failure to take on Business, banks and the rich. Not that I think Labour wouldn't have been the same, although the unions might have had more of a say.

MGR1 makes an excellent point about the career path of modern politicians; it's not just limited to Labour, though, by any means. Too many of them are graduating with a politics degree, going straight into a party as a researcher and then getting parachuted into constituencies. Modern politicians are out of touch with the public and that comes from never having worked or socialized with any of them. The creation of a genuine political class or elite is something that has to be dealt with.

[Garion]

Originally Posted by Egan

Oh, God. That photo is made all the more scary by the fact that I work there.

T'was my eldest daughters wedding on 2nd of June.. Unfortunately they would not allow me to bring my claymore

Cheers

Gary

[BossMark]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Well I always thought Eds brother David would have been a far better choice.

Call me biaised but I have worked with him on a couple of minor projects (he is my local MP) and I see him as being more voter friendly, articulate and experienced than his brother.

I did vote for him in the Labour party leadership elections

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by BossMark

I did vote for him in the Labour party leadership elections

Me too

[BossMark]

Originally Posted by STEED

Hey look, Cameron backs Osborne..You are a... USELESS TOSSER CAMERON!

Dodgy Dave is a tosser couldn't agree more on that, even more so when he looks after his Eton and Bullingdon club chums.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullingdon_Club

[Jimbuna]

http://www.newsbiscuit.com/2012/05/0...rashing-of-uk/

Damn your link jimbuna.
http://www.newsbiscuit.com/2012/06/0...-short-queues/

[MGR1]

Originally Posted by Egan

The creation of a genuine political class or elite is something that has to be dealt with.

Indeed. The big question is how? It's not just the UK, but in other countries.

Since most modern politicians or of such low quality people generally won't touch them with a barge pole. This manifests itself in low electoral turn outs - I'd say that the biggest party people believe in is the Apathy Party!

My own personal "beef" is that most people unthinkingly vote for the party they've always voted for. Example: A few people I work with only vote Labour as that's what they've always done. When I've asked them why, they say automatically that it's the party of the working man. When I ask them to actually think a bit deeper, they automatically turn defensive, as if they don't want to challenge their preconceptions.

Mike.

[Egan]

Originally Posted by MGR1

My own personal "beef" is that most people unthinkingly vote for the party they've always voted for. Example: A few people I work with only vote Labour as that's what they've always done. When I've asked them why, they say automatically that it's the party of the working man. When I ask them to actually think a bit deeper, they automatically turn defensive, as if they don't want to challenge their preconceptions.

Yep. It's one of my bugbears. The whole 'I'm voting for Party X. My Da voted for Party X. My Grand Da voted for Party X' thing is particularly evident here in Glasgow where Labour will get re-elected year after year in the council without any serious challenge, and no matter how corrupt they actually are (and they're especially bad here.)

I actually wonder, though, if the apparent threat to Labour in England in the event of a Nationalist Yes vote in Scotland could be mitigated to a certain extent if they were to try and win back all those traditional working class voters who used to support them instead of trying to pander largely to the middle class.

@Garion: Wedding in the uni chapel? Very nice. Congratulations to your daughter on the happy occasion. I was at work that day and I think I might have wondered past your party in Professor's Square before they went into the chapel. Looked like a big do, hope it was a good one!

[Garion]

Yup it was at the Uni Chapel at 12.00, I spent a lot of the day talking to a warden, security guy called Daniel about Paganism, seeing s how we are both pagans.

As for voting, where I live in the midddle of nowhere in East Lothian, most of the Nobs tradtionally vote Tory (spit). But.... a lot of peeps were suckered by the Lib Dems in the elections prior to the last one and now feel totally beytrayed by them, so they voted SNP this time.

I have only ever voted Tory once and that was in 1979 when I was still a serving Police Officer... NEVER AGAIN!

Cheers

Gary

[MGR1]

Originally Posted by Egan

Yep. It's one of my bugbears. The whole 'I'm voting for Party X. My Da voted for Party X. My Grand Da voted for Party X' thing is particularly evident here in Glasgow where Labour will get re-elected year after year in the council without any serious challenge, and no matter how corrupt they actually are (and they're especially bad here.)

I actually wonder, though, if the apparent threat to Labour in England in the event of a Nationalist Yes vote in Scotland could be mitigated to a certain extent if they were to try and win back all those traditional working class voters who used to support them instead of trying to pander largely to the middle class.

Nah - our lot make Glasgow look like amateurs when it comes to peculation! What makes it worse is that it happens regardless of party affiliation!

I detest Labour, but at both Westminster and Holyrood you need a strong opposition and they're not being one. At the latter Eck's pretty much dominating whilst the rest are, to be honest, nonentities and that's not good for keeping the SNP in check.

As for pandering, remember that the party hierarchies are dominated by the middle class. Naturally they'll look to their own first and the rest later. Very few people are genuinely working class these days - most who would be are unemployed and on the dole. If they bother to vote at all, they'll generally vote for those who'll keep them in benefits - bread and circuses (or would that be mindless talent shows?) etc, etc.

As for who put them on the dole? Well, you can't just blame Thatcher. She may have accelerated and finished the process, but the rot started much earlier. Labour screwed up the aviation industry in the 60's by cancelling promising projects (not just TSR2) and buying supposedly cheaper US equipment. Then in the 70's Management stupidity and Union intransigence fatally weakened the rest at a time of increasing competition from other countries products.

Mike.

[BossMark]

I really hope this is the start of the end for this crappy coalition government

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18419662

I really hope this is the start of the end for this crappy coalition government

Abstain????? the damn libs are only going to abstain in the vote on the useless muppet.
That shows just how gutless the twats are.

In other news Dodgy Daves bestest buddy Brooks gets her first court appearance today over her silly attempt at destroying the evidence

[BossMark]

Originally Posted by Tribesman

Abstain????? the damn libs are only going to abstain in the vote on the useless muppet.
That shows just how gutless the twats are.

In other news Dodgy Daves bestest buddy Brooks gets her first court appearance today over her silly attempt at destroying the evidence

I know they are gutless and if they have any backbone then they would vote with Labour. And come the next election they will be wiped out of existence.
And yeah just seen that bitch going into court.

[Oberon]

I think abstain is the best we can hope for from the Fib Dems.