election 2015

[chrisj]

I agree completely with you about David Miliband and your assessment of Labour's chances given UKIP and SNP. Labour will not support a EU referendum and certainly will not support leaving the EU or cutting off some ties. They also will never support the break-up of the UK, so their chances in Scotland in future is bleak.

David should not only have supported his brother but should have fought hard to get his points across even if it meant opposing some of his brother's policies and stance. Listening to him today, I had forgotten how well spoken he is and how so much different in looks he is compared to his brother. However, I still doubt he would have won an outright majority against David Cameron - not on policies or even beauty contest. Being married to an America will not have helped and SamCam does it for a lot of people...

[simply_the_best]

UKIP, despite polling 4 million votes only won one seat, and that was one of their two ex-Tories. Part of UKIPs problem is the rhetoric used by their supporters. "Anti-British" and "Traitors" being just 2 examples of their intolerance of anyone whose opinion differs from theirs.

Same rhetoric used by the Nats up here, Anti-Scottish and Quislings if you voted No, worked for them


Labour were demonised by the Left in Scotland and the Right in England, Cameron must be laughing is socks off at the Nats helping him to a 2nd term.

"Red Tories out" was the cry up here and we all end up with the Blue Tories.

[dvbuk55]

Being married to an America will not have helped and SamCam does it for a lot of people...

Nick Clegg is married to a Spaniard and Nigel is married to a German it doesn't seem to have affected their popularity much. They do look quite a lot alike Ed and Dave but Ed is more coarse looking and in my opinion does not speak as well as Dave. Actually Sam looks a little brow beaten maybe there's a bit bullying in the SamCam household.

[Tman]

Well Tman I kind of like the difference an SNP government has made in Scotland, it's by no means perfect and it's still too early to determine if their policies are sustainable in the long run but it does feel like a better place to live in than it did under Tory/Labour rule.

A difference? What, in three days?
To paraphrase the old quote "today the Scots are ringing the bells, tomorrow they'll be wringing their hands".
The average Scot will indeed be wringing their hands in future, when the SNP achieve their aim of full fiscal independence and living standards drop.
Seems like the Bank of dad (for the Scots) is about to shut, and then we'll see how popular the wee lassie from the SNP proves to be...

[fishtank]

Well Tman I kind of like the difference an SNP government has made in Scotland.

A difference? What, in three days?

We've had an SNP government in Scotland for 8 years Tman, do try to keep up.

[chrisj]

Being married to an America will not have helped and SamCam does it for a lot of people...

Nick Clegg is married to a Spaniard and Nigel is married to a German it doesn't seem to have affected their popularity much. They do look quite a lot alike Ed and Dave but Ed is more coarse looking and in my opinion does not speak as well as Dave. Actually Sam looks a little brow beaten maybe there's a bit bullying in the SamCam household.

Clegg and Farage were never going to be Prime Ministers so their spouses nationalities are not that relevant. Cameron's missus is also not a big deal but when you want to be a Prime Minister and your missus is an American and not even seen that much then people and the Press will make unfavourable comparison.

Clegg's wife is the only one that projects the best out of the leader's spouses. She is a formidable woman with a proper job in her own right and she is comfortable in the political arena especially Europe-wide. Sam-Cam is more for show and like you said, there is something sweet-sickly and home-kept about her but she is DC's trophy and know how to present herself without being too involved or showy. Justine Millband (she does not even use the surname like Clegg's wife) appears not to want to be involved in public life and in politics - I bet she is relieved that it is all over. She will not even show much affection to her husband in public - she practically avoided Ed's kiss after his massive speech in a party conference; yikes!

Anyway, this is just a minor point but politics and public opinions also involve some beauty and aesthetic contest; IMO.

[borders]

ChrisJ , did you seriously write that yourself !!?? maybe your next job is a reporter for Hello magazine or something !!
Farage is married to a German I believe, and with his parties views on immigration , I kinda smacks of do as I say, not as I do IMO . all the rest you have written about is bollocks..... surely !!??

[borders]

P.S all said in jest !!!!

[chrisj]

I did say it was a minor issue. However, if you do not think that some people vote on the basis of tittle-tattle and Hello-esque point of view, then you are mistaken.

I am not a Farage fan and I do not think he is personally is racist, but being married to a foreigner or even being an immigrant yourself should not stop you having a view about mass-migration. The issue is mass-migration of people that are not exactly deserving - just being part of the EU should not have been a cart-blanche for all and sundry to move and settle where they want.

Moreover, Farage has always argued more against the poorer countries of the EU that joined much later - he is all for a more loose alliance between countries of more or less similar economic scale; and Germany is one of those countries. Our Royal Family is also of German descent - Farage is not being hypocritical in any way. To Farage's credit, he is even more in favour of people from the Commonwealth countries not just the Eastern European who in the main provide lower-skilled* labour and taking out more than they are contributing - controversial, I know!

* Before anyone goes on to say that most (for argument sake) of these people are well educated and harder working; the same can be said for migrants from the Commonwealth countries and their history is tied more closely to the UK than the Eastern Europeans.

[Tman]

We've had an SNP government in Scotland for 8 years Tman, do try to keep up.

Yeah, in the puppet theatre that is Holyrood, but now those 56 Scottish MPs will sit in with the big boys they (the 56) will maybe exert some influence on things where it may make a difference.
If nothing else McSmug, Jimmy Krankie etc will make such pains of themselves in attempts to appear to be doing something for Scaaartland that even the most die-hard Tory MP will be glad to see the back of them, but that's probably the SNP's long-term aim anyway...

[dvbuk55]

I don't see why Scotland, the North West, Wales or anywhere else shouldn't have self determination in the things that matter. Devolution would enable decisions to be made for the people in that area. Things like HS2 is totally unnecessary, the money should be spent on better more important things. Most pundits say it's a waste of time and money and would not engender trade in any useful way. It would mean you can get to London faster but who would want to?

[motherhubbard]

- just being part of the EU should not have been a cart-blanche for all and sundry to move and settle where they want.

Perhaps the VE celebrations jus passed you by or perhaps you delight in writing the stupidest comments on this board.

In 1945 Europe had just suffered 6 years of death and destruction for the second time in 40 years.
The European project was designed to avoid that happening again. And the fact we haven't fought WW3 in Europe might mean it has been a success.
Central to that aim of creating a common Europe was/is the free movement of people. It is enshrined in the Treaty of Rome. It isn't and shouldn't be negotiable.

So yes - being part of the EU is a carte blanche for all a sundry to move and settle where they want.

[chrisj]

Now I am beginning to wonder whether there is some truth in the leak of the conversation between Nicola Sturgeon and the French Ambassador??? It was alleged that NC would prefer DC to stay in power...

It all makes sense because only the Conservative's quick clamour for English vote for English MPS after making all sorts of promises and the truly nasty portrayal of Scotland and their leaders as a nation of scroungers will have driven a lot of Scottish people (and SNP voters, of course) to vote en-masse for the SNP.

These two parties, the Conservative and the SNP played a blinder for different and very selfish reasons... Labour and LibDems really had no choice but to ally with the Conservative during the Referendum - after all, they do not want the UK to break up; and party politics will not have helped them either way. If Scotland had got independence, Labour and Lib Dems will have lost their MPS and influence in Scotland. Of course, they lost almost all their MPS but are not entirely finished and the nation is still together; but for how much longer?

EU referendum might lead to a Brexit and it is almost without doubt that towards the middle or end of this parliament, there will be a clamour for another Scotland referendum - the Tories and other parties can always block that move or throw the referendum to all of the UK...

[chrisj]

- just being part of the EU should not have been a cart-blanche for all and sundry to move and settle where they want.

Perhaps the VE celebrations jus passed you by or perhaps you delight in writing the stupidest comments on this board.

In 1945 Europe had just suffered 6 years of death and destruction for the second time in 40 years.
The European project was designed to avoid that happening again. And the fact we haven't fought WW3 in Europe might mean it has been a success.
Central to that aim of creating a common Europe was/is the free movement of people. It is enshrined in the Treaty of Rome. It isn't and shouldn't be negotiable.

So yes - being part of the EU is a carte blanche for all a sundry to move and settle where they want.

You will find that the majority of the British electorate will disagree with you there... Cooperating with people in Europe is not the same thing as trying to creating a United States of Europe. Why don't we get all of Europe in including Russia - as we are so scared of being involved in another war in Europe. So by not allowing more and more Eastern European countries from joining the EU, we are stopping war from taking place? Really, you can believe that if you want.

Nations are Nations - they are all different and competing against each for limited resources. Some sort of social engineering is only going to end in disaster further down the line.

As long as the likes of Labour and Lib Dems do not see that mass-migration is a problem, then we shall continue to have the Conservative party and the rise and rise of Right wing parties like UKIP and other in Europe. One simple slip by Gordon Brown when asked by a life-long Labour supporter (Gillian X) about why the in-flux, and him calling her a bigot was enough for him to lose so many seats and hand DC the chance to go into coalition with the Lib Dems

If you think many of the newer European countries will tolerate a massive in-flux then you are a dreamer. Even in country as poor as Greece with all the hand-outs they are getting from EU, some of their people are still against foreigners and they have right-wing parties thriving.

Please stop the name calling - just debate, no need for verbals.

[chrisj]

In 1945 Europe had just suffered 6 years of death and destruction for the second time in 40 years.
The European project was designed to avoid that happening again. And the fact we haven't fought WW3 in Europe might mean it has been a success.

The first time the European Common was set up - it was mainly for Agriculture and Trade and UK was not even part of the original line up.

The current state of affair of The EU is much more recent than the aftermath of the war that you are talking about.. Even then in the 70s, there were not many countries involved and those involved were not that far off each other economically; and there was no single European currency... You are somewhat re-writing history...

Central to that aim of creating a common Europe was/is the free movement of people. It is enshrined in the Treaty of Rome. It isn't and shouldn't be negotiable.

I think you have forgotten that we now have a party in power that is willing to renegotiate, and some of their right-wing elements are looking for UK to quit the EU regardless of whether the government wins back some power or negotiate successfully. You will have to wait and see to find out that the EU will more than not bend over backwards for the UK; all it will take is for the Greeks to exit the EU and the dominoes will start to fall.

By the way, I am a Labour voter and supporter but never been keen on 'expanding' the EU and free movement and labour or what I can call mass-migration and changing of the landscape especially for people at the lower wrung of the economic ladder...