The interview on the Beeb was sickening. The nice man from the BBC not interrupting, not asking any hard questions, just nodding (as if in agreement) like a good boy. He just as well have been on his knees with his tongue hanging out. Two posh boys chatting like old chums. It was like a Tory election broadcast. The downside of being so relaxed and chummy was that Cameron let this gob run away with him and has blurted out his long term plans and distracted from the upcoming election.

These broadcasts are not supposed to be interviews in any traditional
sense as they are just there to show a different side to all the leaders
so that is why they do not feature any real hard questions as per usual

What annoys me about this sort of interview is the fakery - oh says Cameron, there's a knock at the door, hello James Landale, what a surprise, come in! Even though your camera man sound man and assorted support people are already standing in my fucking kitchen. (east wing)

Ah, but his kitchen is more tastefully done that Ed's, which means he isn't planning on imposing Stalinism on us. Which is nice.

surreptitious57 wrote:These broadcasts are not supposed to be interviews in any traditional
sense as they are just there to show a different side to all the leaders
so that is why they do not feature any real hard questions as per usual

I understand that. My objection was the clear implication that the interviewer (James Landale) was supportive of Cameron and all that he said. Its one thing to frame it as an informal conversation. Quite another to be a sycophantic twit.
That said- I think Cameron was rather too relaxed and said things he has since regretted.

This is the same "interviewer" that allowed Cameron to make an unchallenged speech (with heavy spin) regarding the new leaders debates last week. Feeble. The BBC are supposed to know how to do "impartial". I'm well aware many of its main political commentators are Tories. Few are as inept and clearly bias as Landale.

It is the same in every department. The BBC is clearly in the pocket of the tories. It is a brown arm job because of the tories threat regarding the licence fee.

Left Unity have published their 2015 manifesto.

There are well over 100 candidates up and down the country standing for the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition and I think many, if not most, are also jointly standing under the Left Unity banner. I'm not sure how much overlap there is, and there may be quite a few more standing for the various socialist or communist parties that may or may not consider themselves as being represented under Left Unity.

Labour are definitely going to be losing more votes than they'd like to parties on the left.

Labour certainly won't lose many votes to that batshit load of lunatics. Nowhere near as many as they'll lose to the Greens and UKIP.

Whilst the 'batshit bunch of lunatics' that is the LibDems, have lost lots of votes.

Five years from now, the LibDems will be chuffed as hell even to be considered as a batshit bunch of lunatics. At least that's better than: "Lib who? They used to be in government? So how come I've never heard of them?"

Also along with:

"Oh with that git Cameron the one that ruined the NHS and education and got out as soon as could."

It is a for gone conclusion that the Lib Dems are going to get seriously shafted by the electorate come May. And the only
real question is by how much. It is not entirely unreasonable to think that they could lose up to half of their seats. They
certainly will not be forming a coalition with any one this time round. Opinion polls suggest they have been replaced by
UKIP as the third most popular party in terms of votes. If I was going to vote Lib Dem I would certainly keep it to myself

surreptitious57 wrote:It is not entirely unreasonable to think that they could lose up to half of their seats.

It's entirely reasonable, based on polling, to expect that they will lose more than half of their seats.

surreptitious57 wrote:They certainly will not be forming a coalition with any one this time round.

On the other hand, if the Tories fall just short and the LibDems would get them over the line, another ConDem coalition could easily be on the cards. That would require a plausible, if not necessarily likely, lift in the Tory vote. It's certainly possible though.

OlivierK wrote:It's entirely reasonable, based on polling, to expect that they will lose more than half of their seats.

You seem to be using an alternative definition of "reasonable" to that which I'm familiar with.

Strontium Dog wrote:

OlivierK wrote:It's entirely reasonable, based on polling, to expect that they will lose more than half of their seats.

You seem to be using an alternative definition of "reasonable" to that which I'm familiar with.

I just say taxi.

Yes, the term "beating a dead horse" could have been invented for you.

Strontium Dog wrote:Yes, the term "beating a dead horse" could have been invented for you.

How about beating a dead party. Now will that do.

Looks as if the LibDems will lose Taunton Deane. I know of some people who say they'll vote Tory instead, FFS. That is how low the trust in the LibDems has fallen; former LibDem voters voting Tory, because the LibDems helped Cameron into Number Ten. You couldn't make it up. Fortunately, not all LibDems are such fuckwits, and a fair few are going to vote Labour instead. It means the seat will go Tory, but potentially, Labour could come second.

Strontium Dog wrote:

OlivierK wrote:It's entirely reasonable, based on polling, to expect that they will lose more than half of their seats.

You seem to be using an alternative definition of "reasonable" to that which I'm familiar with.

If I ever found myself using your definition of anything I'd immediately stop talking and take the fuck back everything I'd been saying, because it must have been bullshit.

chairman bill wrote:Looks as if the LibDems will lose Taunton Deane. I know of some people who say they'll vote Tory instead, FFS. That is how low the trust in the LibDems has fallen; former LibDem voters voting Tory, because the LibDems helped Cameron into Number Ten. You couldn't make it up. Fortunately, not all LibDems are such fuckwits, and a fair few are going to vote Labour instead. It means the seat will go Tory, but potentially, Labour could come second.

Wishful thinking. The latest Ashcroft poll (Sep 2014) had Labour fourth, behind UKIP. And I would suggest the 4 points between Con and LD is hardly insurmountable.