General Election 2017 | Cabinet reshuffle: Hunt re-appointed Health Secretary for record third time

How do you intend to vote in the 2017 General Election if eligible?

  • Conservatives

    Votes: 80 14.5%

  • Labour

    Votes: 322 58.4%

  • Lib Dems

    Votes: 57 10.3%

  • Green

    Votes: 20 3.6%

  • SNP

    Votes: 13 2.4%

  • UKIP

    Votes: 29 5.3%

  • Independent

    Votes: 3 0.5%

  • Plaid Cymru

    Votes: 2 0.4%

  • Sinn Fein

    Votes: 11 2.0%

  • Other (UUP, DUP, BNP, and anyone else I have forgotten)

    Votes: 14 2.5%
  • Total voters
    551
  • Poll closed .
Oscie said:
The problem with appealing to the young is that the young never fecking vote.

You had girls thinking they were politically engaging by self-declaring themselves #Milifans on
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2 million people have registered to vote in the last two weeks. Three quarters of them under 25.

Its also worth noting that because the young never vote historically, ALL current polls weight against them, meaning the polling algorithms consider the responses worth much less than any other age group.

Corbyn polls above 60% with the 18 - 25 group.
 
Making appearances in front of audiences demographically or otherwise assumed to be sympathetic towards you is smart media management of a campaign if you're going great guns and just want to get over the line without too many slip ups.

I get why May does it. It's what Blair did when he only had to avoid being seen publicly eating his own poo to win. I don't really see the upside for Corbyn. If anything, given his polling deficit, he should be taking the John Major approach. Getting on a soap-box and not being afraid to get heckled. Don't think it'd make much difference to the final result but I think Corbyn would get some credit for being 'real' and facing detractors.

How Major campaigned in 1992 should be the blue print for subsequent electoral underdogs, but they've all gone for the sanitised 'home crowd' approach. When you're in front that makes sense, when you're behind it's a waste of time.
 
:lol: The Last Leg brought a Corbyn lookalike to the ITV studios the night of the Leaders Debate.
 
He attracted a huge crowd in leamington spa town center this week, its a tory held town. In the wirral, he got about 4,000 turn up yesterday in a marginal seat.

He appears to be doing just that. You may not see it on the news for obvious reasons, but that does not mean he isnt.
 
Nogbadthebad said:
He attracted a huge crowd in leamington spa town center this week, its a tory held town. In the wirral, he got about 4,000 turn up yesterday in a marginal seat.

He appears to be doing just that. You may not see it on the news for obvious reasons, but that does not mean he isnt.
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But only people who'll go to a Corbyn speech are Corbyn supporters. He needs to be heckled, standing on a soap box, confronting and fighting. Not drifting to an inevitable loss whilst amongst friends. The Tory issues have been entirely self-inflicted, Corbyn hasn't really done anything himself to strike a blow during the campaign at all because attending rallies in your honour makes a great social media banner picture but doesn't do much else.

Foot spoke to a crowd of 40,000 in York in 1983, a constituency the Tories took from Labour during that election.

My worry for the left, as someone who naturally sympathises ideologically, is that it's all becoming very insular and full of people who can't see pass the end of their noses who keep banging on about big crowds as if losing seats won't matter if 5,000 friends turn up to hear your concession speech.

Making the argument and winning people over has given way to the complacency of 'I must be right, all my friends agree'.
 
Oscie said:
If anything, given his polling deficit, he should be taking the John Major approach. Getting on a soap-box and not being afraid to get heckled. Don't think it'd make much difference to the final result but I think Corbyn would get some credit for being 'real' and facing detractors.
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Or he could have gone on a national TV debate and tried to look priministerial

Honestly can't see the point in avoiding it unless even his own team see him as toxic
 
Oscie said:
Making appearances in front of audiences demographically or otherwise assumed to be sympathetic towards you is smart media management of a campaign if you're going great guns and just want to get over the line without too many slip ups.

I get why May does it. It's what Blair did when he only had to avoid being seen publicly eating his own poo to win. I don't really see the upside for Corbyn. If anything, given his polling deficit, he should be taking the John Major approach. Getting on a soap-box and not being afraid to get heckled. Don't think it'd make much difference to the final result but I think Corbyn would get some credit for being 'real' and facing detractors.

How Major campaigned in 1992 should be the blue print for subsequent electoral underdogs, but they've all gone for the sanitised 'home crowd' approach. When you're in front that makes sense, when you're behind it's a waste of time.
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I think in some respects you're being a bit harsh here...

Just prior to the Libertines gig he was giving a similar speech in front of a large crowd at West Kirby which is in a very marginal seat... strategically making it a good place to campaign. Going on to the stage at the Libertines gig straight after is obviously because they are also pushing hard to get the younger demographic energised enough to vote. Labour know they are more popular with young people but the problem is getting them to vote on the day.

All of this makes far more sense than campaigning in unwinnable constituencies.
 
sun_tzu said:
Or he could have gone on a national TV debate and tried to look priministerial

Honestly can't see the point in avoiding it unless even his own team see him as toxic
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Yeah that was very odd. May not going was understandable. Cowardly, but understandable. Corbyn passing up the opportunity to perhaps address some misconceptions about him and his leadership with the excuse of "if she's not doing it, I'm not".
 
ZupZup said:
I think in some respects you're being a bit harsh here...

Just prior to the Libertines gig he was giving a similar speech in front of a large crowd at West Kirby which is in a very marginal seat... strategically making it a good place to campaign. Going on to the stage at the Libertines gig straight after is obviously because they are also pushing hard to get the younger demographic energised enough to vote. Labour know they are more popular with young people but the problem is getting them to vote on the day.

All of this makes far more sense than campaigning in unwinnable constituencies.
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Disagree fighting for marginals shows confidence. Hiding in safe seats exudes damage control. Corbyn isn't the first to do it but taking the approach of 'let's not rock the boat' from a position of inevitable defeat has always been a headscratcher for me. It's the electoral equivalent of losing 3-0 and resolving to shut up shop at half time. What's to lose by going into the Tory marginals and getting on a megaphone and being seen to have the balls to have it out. The argument that is, not your balls.

One of the major issues people who dislike Corbyn have is that it's seen as a bit cultish. The whole 'pro-Corbyn movement'. Showing him addressing large rallies doesn't really assuage that. The Question Time special is a good opportunity for him. Had he spent this election addressing yet convinced small audiences in town halls he'd have done better IMO away from this 'rar rar Jez' approach. That's how run-away leaders campaign, not someone who needs to win people over.
 
Corbyn is visiting Cannock on Tuesday which has been Tory held since 2010, including Aidan Burley of Nazi stag party fame. Might head down there.

Local candidate is Paul Dadge whose (for want of a better phrase) 'claim to fame' is being one half of one of the most iconic photos from the 7/7 bombings.
 
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Scottish election debate starting now, just in case anyone's interested.
 
As awful as this election has been with everyone trying their hardest to look more incompetent than the other, the perpetual embarrassment of that Eddie Hitler-look-a-like racist, Paul Nuttall, has been eminently enjoyable.
 
Cheesy said:
Scottish election debate starting now, just in case anyone's interested.
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Who will mention independence more? My bet is on.... rape clause Ruth
 
This is pretty appalling from Davidson. Asked about immigration and starts discussing cuts. She's having to defend stuff she doesn't agree with and it's showing.
 
Cheesy said:
This is pretty appalling from Davidson. Asked about immigration and starts discussing cuts. She's having to defend stuff she doesn't agree with and it's showing.
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Labour and Green doing well here, snp and tory slanging match is damaging both
 
Rolandofgilead said:
Labour and Green doing well here, snp and tory slanging match is damaging both
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I think Sturgeon's coming out fairly well. She's highlighting the hypocrisy of Davidson while still managing to portray herself as the strongest figure for Scotland. The slagging match is getting quite heated but she's fared better...and has just acknowledged it's Davidson who discusses independence more than anyone else.

Dugdale's done alright so far. I really like Harvie too, fantastic Green politician, but his appearance here is probably a bit pointless considering the party's only standing in about three areas.
 
Sturgeon is a true leader
 
fecking hell, Davidson pointing to the camera telling people to stop the SNP as if they're ready to launch a full-scale invasion of Poland.:lol:
 
Cheesy said:
I think Sturgeon's coming out fairly well. She's highlighting the hypocrisy of Davidson while still managing to portray herself as the strongest figure for Scotland. The slagging match is getting quite heated but she's fared better...and has just acknowledged it's Davidson who discusses independence more than anyone else.

Dugdale's done alright so far. I really like Harvie too, fantastic Green politician, but his appearance here is probably a bit pointless considering the party's only standing in about three areas.
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I agree as i wrote that post sturgeon started coming in to her own. Agree on Harvie too.
 
Dugdale going in strongly there, doing well here.
 
Sturgeon looking a bit weaker regarding education here.
 
Sturgeon too honest here - should just blame the tories
 
The whole issue of discussing devolved policy is a tricky one: on the one hand not doing so essentially allows Sturgeon to go on the attack without having to defend her own record, but at the same time discussing Scottish education has feck all to do with the UK general election. The current discussion isn't particularly relevant to June 8th.
 
Cheesy said:
The whole issue of discussing devolved policy is a tricky one: on the one hand not doing so essentially allows Sturgeon to go on the attack without having to defend her own record, but at the same time discussing Scottish education has feck all to do with the UK general election. The current discussion isn't particularly relevant to June 8th.
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No they should be talking about the role of Scotland in Brexit really. imo
 
Rolandofgilead said:
No they should be talking about the role of Scotland in Brexit really. imo
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Yeah, but I'd rather they didn't linger on Brexit for too long. It's good to actually discuss some policy on issues like education...but again the problem is it's not really relevant. Patrick Harvie's comments were very good though.
 
Why is the nurse banging on to Sturgeon but ignoring the Jeremy Hunt part, the feck?
 
Cheesy said:
To be fair healthcare's devolved to us - buck ultimately stops with the SNP on that one up here.
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Yeah I know, but it's quite clear the NHS up here is running better than down south, you can't complain about the better performing version.
 
Wow so that nurse is wife of a Tory councillor, supposedly been on QT before also.
 


We can expect to see more questioning along these lines i think. it's an attack line given further potency thanks to Corbyn himself too; for if his own words weren't controversial enough, he has Andrew Murray on his campaign staff so i understand.

'A terrorist sympathiser as your Prime Minister', coming to a billboard near you.
 
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