If there was a general election tomorrow...

[tonyh29]

Did anyone listen to Brown this morning ? It was on in the radio on my way to work from the school run ... was trying to work out why the man responsible for all this public spending now says I'm the man to solve it by making cuts ( didn't he also say the Tories were the party of cuts ??)

In short , doesn't it look as though governments just make it up as they go along ... We will put in policy A and then when it's proven to be pants we will try B and then C and so on and so on .....

Still no mention of saving millions by scrapping ID cards .. he doesn't get it does he

and he seemed proud of the fact that we had CCTV cameras to spy on our every movement and not actually solve crime ..

I thought at PMQ's last week he looked in better health and was off the drugs ..clearly after todays speech he is back on them

[Gringo]

Still no mention of saving millions by scrapping ID cards .. he doesn't get it does he

I would expect darling to announce formally it's being cut back on wednesday in the pre-budget report, along with halting the £12bn nhs white elephant.

[R.I.C.O.]

Going to vote green, or whichever hard left party is on the ballot. Probably a wasted vote, but can't bring myself to vote for John "Friend of Israel" Spellar in a safe seat.

This election will probably be the most negative in history but it will be all about who can get their core votes out. In that case I expect Call Me Dave to ride the votes of the reactionary geriatrics into No 10 and the continuation of Thatcherism for another god knows how long. :cry:

[briny_ear]

Labour.

Conservatives are too close to the BNP for me, seem to recall a local Tory MP giving it all the "Britain for the British" speech, sounded a lot like Griffin tbh.

Even though I am starting to lean slightly towards the Lim Dems, I would move out if the BNP ever got voted in...

I'm not sure it's that straightforward. A significant number of BNP supporters are former labour voters ( I think the figure was something like 35% in a recent survey).

Also, I recall a phrase something like "British Jobs for British Workers" which came not from the Tories but from a Mr G Brown (it turns out he didn't mean it, though, like most things Brown says these days).

Also, Mr Brown's "policy" launched at the Labour Party conference of "forcing" pregnant single mothers to live in "supervised homes" was a more or less direct lift from a policy agreed at the earlier BNP conference.

But I think that policy has now been dropped as well.

[Chindie]

We've had this debate before recently but the BNP are effectively a very left wing party that just so happens to be racist. They advocate much more public spending on the NHS, education, etc etc IIRC. They're not really that close to the Tories on anything.

I'd also say that much of their support most likely comes from people we'd expect to be Labour fans, poor background, keen on state intervention, and so on.

To be honest, I think if a party popped up that had most of the BNP's policies, but got rid of the racism, they'd probably be rather popular amongst Labour heartlands. It's just as well the party is defined by it's racism, thankfully, because if that was on the back burner as they'd like it to be they'd get plenty of votes.

[picicata]

We've had this debate before recently but the BNP are effectively a very left wing party that just so happens to be racist. They advocate much more public spending on the NHS, education, etc etc IIRC. They're not really that close to the Tories on anything.

I'd also say that much of their support most likely comes from people we'd expect to be Labour fans, poor background, keen on state intervention, and so on.

To be honest, I think if a party popped up that had most of the BNP's policies, but got rid of the racism, they'd probably be rather popular amongst Labour heartlands. It's just as well the party is defined by it's racism, thankfully, because if that was on the back burner as they'd like it to be they'd get plenty of votes.

So basically National Socialists...

[mjmooney]

We've had this debate before recently but the BNP are effectively a very left wing party that just so happens to be racist. They advocate much more public spending on the NHS, education, etc etc IIRC. They're not really that close to the Tories on anything.

I'd also say that much of their support most likely comes from people we'd expect to be Labour fans, poor background, keen on state intervention, and so on.

To be honest, I think if a party popped up that had most of the BNP's policies, but got rid of the racism, they'd probably be rather popular amongst Labour heartlands. It's just as well the party is defined by it's racism, thankfully, because if that was on the back burner as they'd like it to be they'd get plenty of votes.

So basically National Socialists...

Nail. Head.

And, a few nutters aside, the vast majority of Germans ended up really, REALLY regretting voting for the Nazis.

[Rodders]

Yes the defining element of Nazi politics was their socialist manifesto

[tonyh29]

because if that was on the back burner as they'd like it to be they'd get plenty of votes.

Isn't that what Griffen is trying to do though ? back tracking on everything he's ever said and hoping the public have short memories in a bid to become respectable ...

[Chindie]

because if that was on the back burner as they'd like it to be they'd get plenty of votes.

Isn't that what Griffen is trying to do though ? back tracking on everything he's ever said and hoping the public have short memories in a bid to become respectable ...

Yes, which is why I said 'as they'd like it to be'

They'd get votes if they weren't racist. Probably not enough to win because I'm sure quite a few people would look at their social policies and go 'Well... I'm a lefty and I like what I see but wheres the money coming from for it?'.

Griffin knows that he has policies, outside of the race issues, that certain demographics will lap up so he's trying to whitewash the stuff that really defines them or dress it up in fancier titles and phrases to get... legitimacy I suppose.

[snowychap]

...clearly after todays speech he is back on them

It would appear so, Tony.

I've just read that the following came out today:

...the prime minister said he hoped to make the "great majority" of government services online-only within five years.

Exclusively online?

How about those who don't have internet access, then?

[snowychap]

Just a further point on this Gordo goodness (as being hinted at on Newsnight):

There will be massive savings by making all government services only accessible online (i.e. by huge, new IT projects).

There will be massive savings by scaling back huge, existing, unwieldy, impractical government IT projects.

[tonyh29]

Challenged about Labour’s record on efficiency savings, Mr Brown insisted that his savings could not have been made any earlier.

It was only the advent of the internet that allows the new changes, he said. “This is a very recent development.”

I know some areas can't get Broadband but you'd think Downing street would have got it installed years ago ....

I know Brown seems to forget it was his tenure as Chancellor when public sector pay sky rocketed, ...... I'm expecting an announcement in his next speech demanding a referendum on the ‘EU’ constitution.

[S-Platt]

Cameron claims to be a Villa fan thats enough to win my vote! but then i dont have any interest in politics really!

[tonyh29]

Cameron is the nephew of former Villa chairman Sir William Dugdale who took him to his first ever game as a 13-year-old.

[snowychap]

Challenged about Labour’s record on efficiency savings, Mr Brown insisted that his savings could not have been made any earlier.

It was only the advent of the internet that allows the new changes, he said. “This is a very recent development.”

I know some areas can't get Broadband but you'd think Downing street would have got it installed years ago ....

This week, oi shall be mostly saving the world with the internets.

[snowychap]

Cameron is the nephew of former Villa chairman Sir William Dugdale who took him to his first ever game as a 13-year-old.

No link to ToryHome/Torypedia?

[tonyh29]

i got it off the Birmingham post ...

[mykeyb]

Well a personal highlight for me would be to see the faces of Jacqui Smith & Hazel Blears when hopefully the GBP kick them out on their arses for milking the system. (You can add any other, labour, tory, lib dem MP of your choice here)

After watching Panorama last night when for some reason Blears didnt want any airtime on BBC One, I hope the BBC do the decent thing at the next election and turn the tables and avoid her.

[paddy]

When asked who he support he said "Aston Villa, but don't ask me to name any of their players..."

Not exactly the most avid of fans.

Jacqui Smith's a much more avid Villa fan than him (has a season ticket I believe) but I wouldn't vote for her either...