Politics at Westminster | BREAKING: UKIP

We're up shit creek, so buy her a canoe.
 
I have a sneaky suspicion Gove told a foreign journalist he'd like to motorboat her maj, and between being translated twice it's become misinterpreted. It's the only rational explanation.
 
Best thing the government has done in 20 years.. cutting the shite vocational GCSE's. Long life the bonfire.
 
Brian, you have been slack in keeping us updated on the latest polling figures.

The UK Independence party has leaped into third place ahead of the Liberal Democrats for the first time in a YouGov-Sun poll. The poll also shows Labour with its largest poll lead of this parliament at 11 points.

It comes alongside a Times Populus poll showing Labour on 42 points (up four), the Conservatives on 33 (down one), the Lib Dems on 11 (unchanged) and others, including Ukip, at 16.

The two polls underline the extent to which the coalition parties have been hit by a budget that has led to a slew of bad headlines over the granny tax, pasty tax and charities tax. Although the Populus poll gives Labour its largest share of the vote since the general election, it will still concern Labour strategists that so much of the discontent with the Tories is leaking to Ukip rather than to Labour. The electorate appears to be unusually volatile.

The YouGov poll shows the Conservatives at 32%, Labour at 43%, Ukip at 9% and Liberal Democrats at 8%. YouGov reports: "This is a significant jump from the six-point leads we were showing last week, and the largest Labour lead since before the 'election that never was' in October 2007.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/apr/17/labour-biggest-lead-tories-polls
 
UKIP are turning into a real danger for the Tories.

The comments pages on Telegraph and Daily Mail articles are nearly all polluted with supportive comments for them.
 
bsc said:
UKIP are turning into a real danger for the Tories.

The comments pages on Telegraph and Daily Mail articles are nearly all polluted with supportive comments for them.
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While on the flipside it seems that the Labour vote is far less split now that Lib Dem popularity is at an all time low. Not looking good for the Tories.

I'm curious if these sort of figures would be reflected in the London Mayoral election in month or so.
 
That's mainly 'cos the Mayor of London doesn't really have any power to do anything other than feck with the transport, which is still scandalously expensive, thanks in part to both of them.

I'm not even sure I'll vote to be honest. They're both cnuts. And I hate cnuts that don't vote.
 
The Evening Standard really has fecked Ken over. I'm a Labour member (and I work for a Labour organisation) but I wouldn't vote for him if I was eligible. The party is well ahead in the polls in London; he was the wrong candidate last time and he's the wrong candidate this time.
 
It's a bit of a joke that the three people who ran for Mayor last time around are the three people running again. I really hope Ken wins, but it's looking unlikely if the poll data is anything to go by. Just who the hell is voting for Boris Johnson? He's the biggest tosser in London, and he's as sleazy as they come.
 
I think David Miliband would have been a far better Labour candidate than Ken, but I think he has bigger ambitions.
 
Ken's just as big a tosser to be fair, he's just not a posh tosser. Why anyone would "really hope Ken wins" is beyond me. He's a twat who's greatest achievement is making getting around London farcically more expensive.

If anything Boris is the safer bet as he's probably less inclined to feck with what little power he has. He'll just bumble around saying stupid things on good will tours. Ken will want to do something to ensure a legacy.
 
Mockney said:
Ken's just as big a tosser to be fair, he's just not a posh tosser. Why anyone would "really hope Ken wins" is beyond me. He's a twat who's greatest achievement is making getting around London farcically more expensive.

If anything Boris is the safer bet as he's probably less inclined to feck with what little power he has. He'll just bumble around saying stupid things on good will tours. Ken will want to do something to ensure a legacy.
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Although I don't mind Ken Livingston, I'm not too fussed about him personally. A Boris Johnson victory would be painted in the media as a Tory victory and a Labour defeat, even though I'm not sure a great deal of people will be voting on party grounds. It would legitimise the Tory-led coalition more than any Westminster by-election would, and would probably put some serious pressure on Ed Miliband.

But more importantly, Boris is a massive tosser. Much more so than Ken. He epitomises everything that is bad about tossery. It's not about him being a posh tosser, it's about him being a faux-dandy posh tosser. He's a complete fake. He thinks that he can dodge serious issues by being a lovable eccentric and a clown, and by whipping out Latin phrases when he gets himself in to a spot of bother. The worst thing about it is that it works - people lap it up. Frankly, he needs to just feck off.
 
I'd personally rather vote for who would be better/less worse for London over the next few years. Not who would have the best impact on my side of a wider partizan political party issue.

Crazy ey?

Plus I'd quite like some pressure put on Ed Milliband. Labour would be running away with the polls if they had anyone else but the least interesting and charismatic man in the world in charge.
 
London mayoral elections are usually above/beyond party politics. Boris is more popular than Tories, Ken is more unpopular than Labour. The polls don't match the national story.

I seem to be in complete agreement with you Mockney.
 
Mockney said:
Ken's just as big a tosser to be fair, he's just not a posh tosser. Why anyone would "really hope Ken wins" is beyond me. He's a twat who's greatest achievement is making getting around London farcically more expensive.

If anything Boris is the safer bet as he's probably less inclined to feck with what little power he has. He'll just bumble around saying stupid things on good will tours. Ken will want to do something to ensure a legacy.
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More expensive? Wasn't he the one that froze bus fares for years and then brought in oyster cards? Unless you mean congestion charges, but I haven't seen anyone rushing to abolish them since.
 
Oh yes, the Oyster card. That marvellous money saving device. Fares on the trains were about 90p before them. Then they were raised to almost £4. But thankfully the blessed Oyster card meant you could get on a train for only about £1...providing of course you bought a £3 oyster card.

I especially like failing to swipe in at an open barrier and being charged the full price.
 
Also, Galloway is on Question Time tonight. Should be worth a watch.
 
Brian Paddick fluffs his words within a minute of the debate starting.

"Unlike these guys, I'm not a professional politician"

[30 seconds later...]

"I'm a professional politician"
 
Ken is a cretin. Unelectable, unpalatable. Can't wait till he retires.
 
Gideon approved 10 billion for the IMF today

Amazing how they can find money when they really, REALLY, need it, but not for cancer sufferers or the disabled....

Osborne said the loan would come from the UK's reserves, was not money that would otherwise have been available for public spending, and would not add to the national debt.
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Will be interesting to see how Tory backbenchers take this...

Torygraphers ain't happy. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/...es-additional-10bn-towards-IMF-war-chest.html All top rated comments urging support for UKIP.
 
I agree with the government on the IMF contributions. If all countries (particularly Germany) had taken the stance that public money should no longer be used for bailout funds, the Euro currency would have collapsed by now and all of Europe would currently be recession. If the bond markets lose faith in the bailout project then we run the risk of Spain and Italy not being able to raise sufficient revenue to pay off their debt commitments. The European economy would go into meltdown.

The single most important issue in the world economy at the moment (and possibly the most important issue since WW2) is the European sovereign debt crisis. It isn't going to fix itself and if the countries of Europe (and the US though the IMF) can't get together and solve what is a solvable problem then we might as well all give up.
 
Now let's talk about how IMF loans come with massive "austerity or else" strings attached which punish the poorest people in the world, and force already poor nations into situations where they can't maintain basic infrastructure, forcing them to privatize vital national resources...oh never mind.
 
Ken's untrustworthy and egotistical, Paddick's policies seem weak or unrealistic and Boris is a bit of a buffoon whose biggest success (the bikes) was based on an idea started by the previous administration.

I'm going to research Siobhan Benita, the independent candidate. Those I know that have worked with her have a lot of respect for her. Hopefully her policies will stand up, she's worth a go given that none of the main three really appeal to me.
 
MJLD said:
Stay classy Guardian, going for Cameron's deceased father.
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You can't see how this might be in the public interest?

If Cameron's family members have money tied up in offshore funds designed [by his father, incidentally] to avoid paying income tax, then it throws into question his partiality on the issue of the government's commitment to clamp down on overseas tax avoidance.
 
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