UK General Discussion

[countydurhamboy]

Written to 1922, wut?

It's what the Tories call their backbench committee which organises their Leadership elections. Its named after a meeting in 1922, at which the Tory backbenchers axed their leader and broke apart the Lib/Con coalition of David Lloyd George.

[afleitch]

Good news for Cameron with ICM. Labour's lead down to 5.

[You kip if you want to...]

Good news for Cameron with ICM. Labour's lead down to 5.

The opposition being in majority territory is good news now?

[afleitch]

Good news for Cameron with ICM. Labour's lead down to 5.

The opposition being in majority territory is good news now?

That's exactly the spirit we want to hear It's ideal for us to have people think that Miliband will propel you to victory in 2 and half years time without having to work for it. Keep it going

[You kip if you want to...]

Good news for Cameron with ICM. Labour's lead down to 5.

The opposition being in majority territory is good news now?

That's exactly the spirit we want to hear It's ideal for us to have people think that Miliband will propel you to victory in 2 and half years time without having to work for it. Keep it going

Both sides have their complacent parts. Don't act like most Tories don't laugh Labour off, thinking they'll be propelled into the lead by simply laughing at Ed's nasally voice the second an election's called.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

A supposed 'national treasure' and director of a large number of truly terrible films is dead.

Hilarious detail from an obit:

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[Silent Hunter]

Good news for Cameron with ICM. Labour's lead down to 5.

The opposition being in majority territory is good news now?

That's exactly the spirit we want to hear It's ideal for us to have people think that Miliband will propel you to victory in 2 and half years time without having to work for it. Keep it going

Rate your lot are going, we won't even need to campaign.

[afleitch]

Worrying

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/22/muslim-patrol-anti-gay-harassment-east-london-_n_2527111.html

[Simfan34]

That link disappointed me. I had hoped the Muslim Patrol had been taking anti gay-harassment measures. Though, I realized you were unlikely to consider that "worrying".

We need to stop marginalizing minorities in the West- it only inflames them and promotes such activity.

[YL]

Good news for Cameron with ICM. Labour's lead down to 5.

At the moment that just looks like margin of error fluctuation; compared with their previous poll the Tories were up 1 and Labour down 2 (and the LDs up 2), which hardly looks earth-shattering.

The Guardian has developed a bad habit of exaggerating the significance of smallish shifts in ICM polls, yesterday's article on this one being a case in point (NB they've done it with shifts in different directions).

[You kip if you want to...]

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/01/22/david-cameron-europe-speech_n_2529055.html?1358896778&utm_hp_ref=uk

I expect the Tories to take the lead soon, in the same vain as the veto/flounce at the end of 2011.

Far too much uncertainty. A desperate move from a desperate PM who just wants to shut his party up and put UKIP back in their box. Bravo to Nigel Farage though, he seems to have a decent amount of influence over government policy considering UKIP has no MPs.

And more over, this isn't 7-8 years ago, the public doesn't really care as much as the Tory Party does.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Politics at its most pointlessly tedious. Yawn.

[afleitch]

It wasn't so much pressure from UKIP (and this has basically killed their raison d'etre) but expectation that Miliband would offer the same thing.

[You kip if you want to...]

Good point made by Michael Weir at PMQs. Why is it okay for uncertainty over an EU referendum, but not uncertainty over a Scottish referendum?

[Silent Hunter]

It wasn't so much pressure from UKIP (and this has basically killed their raison d'etre) but expectation that Miliband would offer the same thing.

Any attempt to renegotiate the treaties is going to have involve the entire 28 (Croatia joins this year) or fail entirely - because France and Germany won't accept a free rider.

[afleitch]

I think I'll need to make an 'Out of Britain , into Europe' banner

[Insula Dei]

Media round here have picked up on the referendum story, and from what I'm hearing they're mostly going on about how this makes Cameron look like a weak and ineffectual leader, afraid of his own shadow and lacking the courage to take decisive action on his own. 'If you want out, just say so.'-sort of thing. Especially that he doesn't want a referendum before 2015 doesn't go down too well. (Pretty fair assesment, I'd say)

[You kip if you want to...]

Again, does the electorate even care that much?

He's doing it for his backbenchers and to kill UKIP, not in the 'national interest' (as much as I hate that phrase).

[You kip if you want to...]

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/01/24/poland-eu-uk-referendum_n_2541784.html?1359041144&utm_hp_ref=uk
http://www.euractiv.com/future-eu/cameron-referendum-gives-ideas-a-news-517298

Just some stories from around the continent that Labour spin doctors should be shouting about.

And a nice dig from Laurent Fabius
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/01/23/david-cameron-eu-speech-france-red-carpet_n_2531705.html

Dimbles just made an amazing point on QT, if the LibDems think the referendum's so damaging to Britain, why do they keep the bloke who promised one in power if they think his promise is so damaging?

And on that note:
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/01/24/nick-clegg-claims-ministers-cut-too-deeply_n_2545098.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

I really like to think that my fellow countrymen aren't so thick as to buy this 'differentiation' strategy.

[doktorb]

"GDP was estimated to have decreased by 0.3% in Q4 2012 compared with Q3 2012.
Output of the production industries was estimated to have decreased by 1.8% in Q4 2012 compared with Q3 2012, following an increase of 0.7% between Q2 2012 and Q3 2012.
Construction sector output was estimated to have increased by 0.3% in Q4 2012 compared with Q3 2012, following a decrease of 2.5% between Q2 2012 and Q3 2012.
Output of the service industries was estimated to have been flat in Q4 2012 compared with Q3 2012, following an increase of 1.2% between Q2 2012 and Q3 2012.
GDP was estimated to have been flat in Q4 2012, when compared with Q4 2011.
GDP is estimated to have been flat between 2011 and 2012. Users are, however, reminded that this figure is subject to revision in the second estimate of GDP when all quarters of 2012 are open for revision."

[You kip if you want to...]

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/01/24/nick-clegg-children-state-private-school_n_2541655.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

Some facepalming going on in LibDem HQ today, I'm sure.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

It's a calculated remark: he has many Muslim constituents (they mostly voted for the Tory in 2010, which is how he won in the first place) and his majority is tiny. Arsehole.

[YL]

It's a calculated remark: he has many Muslim constituents (they mostly voted for the Tory in 2010, which is how he won in the first place) and his majority is tiny. Arsehole.

I assume that you're talking about the MP for Bradford East here, as there can't be many constituencies that fit, but I can't see what post you're replying to...

Looking at the BBC website, I presume you're talking about this?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I saw 'facepalming' and 'LibDem HQ' when scanning through the thread, and, you know. But, yeah, that's the story.

[Lief 🗽]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/25/britain-triple-dip-recession_n_2550520.html

Britain is now perilously close to a "triple-dip" recession, according to today's GDP estimates. Good job Tories.