Khaaaan!

For Rob.

Third Leaders Debate - The Live Blog

Oh Dear Kerry

Labours chief Twitterer has seemingly broken electoral law.

Bracknell Blog has the full story.

H/T: Cato.

Les Grande Third Debate Live Blog - Tonite

Tonight there will be another live-blog for the Third and final debate which will this time be a collaboration between All Seeing Eye, Barking Spider, Biased-BBC, Corrugated Soundbite, Dick Puddlecote, Governmentitus (here), GrumpyOldTwat, Man Widdecombe, Subrosa, and The Red Rag - all excellent and highly recommended blogs. The collaboration means you can be at any one of these blogs and participate in the same live-blog experience.

The TV debate starts at 8.30pm so be ready at a few minutes to as we will be rolling a little before the introductions.  The All Seeing Eye (who is the brains behind this particular operation) is set to allow yours truly loose for a second week tri-moderating with David M and ASE himself.

Come and have your say.  I can't guarantee that Gordon Brown won't classify you as a bigot for taking part, after all we know his brain misfires when people express opinions which do not recognise his personal sacrifice and visionary leadership; but we all know he will be out of work for a week so why not join us in a verse of:

nah nah nah nah
nah nah nah nah
wheeeaaay,
GOODBYE

New Labour Poster

Thanks Ollie.

The End Of Gordon Brown

Today was a very busy day at work, but it was impossible after having seen the news breaking at lunchtime not to keep the headphones in and Sky News quietly keeping me up to date with the goings on of a rather eventful day in politics.



This video needs to be watched again over and over.  It is a bit of a David Brent moment, where the flawed 'on camera' persona slips and the even more flawed 'off camera' persona shows through. 

Labour have been trying to spin this all afternoon and as the day goes on their rebuttal gets weaker and more tired.

There is a claim, (blatant spin really) that Gordon Brown was somehow involved in a "difficult conversation" but watch the video back and there is nothing troubling about it at all.  This is a bread and butter conversation in the street with a Labour supporter, who was identified by Gordon's own advisors in the crowd who had briefly vetted Mrs Duffy to ensure that she was somebody who would raise a concern, yet not really cause any real problems.  The Prime Minister's own reporting lobby have been critical that he is not engaging anyone without a red rosette on the campaign trail, to which Gordon's staff replied by ensuring the rosettes were left at home, so the journo's could not complain.  None-the-less, this women was vetted and deemed a useful pawn for the cameras.

That however was most definately not a difficult conversation. 

Dear God man, if that was difficult for you it is clear you would barely qualify for checkout work, let alone qualify as Prime Minister.

There is a spin that Gordon Brown like other people will say things that they don't really mean.  So, Labour spinners are actively saying that the Prime Minister is disingenuous as a defence to a worse perception.  It is truly so very disappointing that this is the man who already leads us, and that Labour supporters are paying their subs for an army of spin masters who must go on television to make excuses for Brown.  If the Prime Minister was lacking in frankness and sincerity in that interview, and his cheer-leaders are shouting this fact from the rooftops; then why should we ever believe a single word he ever has to say?

There is another spin, from Gordon himself this time, that he misheard Gillian Duffy.  Well, that really raises two more questions.

1.  What do you think you heard?
2.  If your reaction was that she was a bigot, why did you not challenge her on that assertion, and show yourself on live TV as someone who is prepared to stand up to bigots?

The answer of course is that he did not mishear or misunderstand at all.  Again, watch the video back and see how dismissive he is of a voter lifelong Labour voter for simply having concerns, and how he brands her ridiculous.  Why?  Because she says she is no longer sure that she will vote Labour.

It brings us screamingly back to the BIG question of the election.  It is not the economy and it is not the EU.  It is, is Gordon Brown mentally and psychologically capable of the job to which the Labour party have already anointed him?

Well, if shooting the breeze with a supporter is "difficult" for him and if his private thoughts consist of branding pensioners as bigots, I would say he needs a very, very, very long holiday. 

Brown talks a big game on morals and personal character yet he is frequently shown up on these very characteristics.  He, his staff and his government have been caught out countless times for lying and it is an ingrained characteristic of this Labour Government that they will only speak to their version of events, and their version of the truth.  This is of course never an accurate reflection of real life, of the real situation, of the real statistics or experiences of people.  In the conversation with Mrs Duffy today he was untruthful to her.  When she asked what he was going to do about the debt he replied he would cut in in half in four years.  The Labour policy as I have written about before is in fact not to cut debt in four years, but to cut the deficit in four years.  A liar to the very end. 

Gordon Brown thinks that if a person does not agree with him, or holds a different point of view that they are somehow evil, they are twisted.  They are certainly of a lower standing in his mind.  There is only one acceptable viewpoint and it is the one that he sets out.  When Gillian Duffy spoke of her pension, on immigration, on university places and did so in a tone that did not recognise that she finds him to be as great as he thinks himself to be, then he immediately dismissed her in his own head and to his inner-circle as "ridiculous" and as a "just a sort of bigoted woman".  Does he think anyone who simply mentions immigration and the virtue of handing away border control as a cost of EU membership to be bigotted?  If so, then according to Gordon Brown's litmus test I too am a bigot.  My friends and family are bigots.  Many of you are bigots.  Certainly all of UKIP and many Conservatives must then be bigots.  I am a bigot could be on a million t-shirts by the end of next week carrying the slogan, "Gordon Brown thinks I am a Bigot!"

Today, thanks to a Sky microphone and to the incompetence of Gordon's own staff in not turning off that mic as he got into the car; the truth was revealed about what has been widely speculated on how Gordon's mind functions.  The man has no mental capacity to accept anything other than his own point of view; he got into the car and in his own head HE was some kind of victim, and in thinking this threw a horrible and exceptionally inappropriate label at someone who may well have knocked on more doors on behalf of the Labour party in her lifetime than he himself ever has.  How dare someone speak to him like that!

Today, may well be the very day that the Labour Party finally was killed off as an electoral force in the UK.  The Liberals I think in the national psyche will now leapfrog Labour and will set themselves out as the party of the left after the election.  No longer being one of the big two will see their post election support waiver further with the Lib Dems, Greens and BNP the likely benefactors.

The Labour Party it must be remembered chose to move on their own leader when they removed Tony Blair, a man for all his faults had won three elections.  In removing him, they elevated via coronation rather than election the man they all saw as closer to their own ideology.  They did so with full conscience that the UK people would not be happy at having a Prime Minsiter who had not been elected by them directly - they did not care, they wanted Gordon and you and I were to have no say.  The man who knew he could never win an election, and never did became our leader.  He shafted us on an election on him, he denied us our promised vote on Lisbon, he mortgaged our childrens futures for the benefit of his mates in the city without a vote in Parliament.  Elections demand scrutiny that's one of many reasons why they safeguard people; Labour ignored all of us for the benefit of Gordon.  They themselves could have chucked him out, but chose instead to maximise their own salaries, pensions and expenses wand ran down the clock.  They must be made to pay the price for this now when we vote.

Gordon Browns career effectively ended today and there is only one person who can be blamed, and that is Gordon Brown. I wonder if this reality has caught up with him yet and he truly realises how significant his captured words are?

I always imagined the day the Labour Party died would be a joyous one, but instead I just feel sad for the poor pensioner from Rochdale who went out for a loaf of bread and came home branded by the Prime Minsiter of The United Kingdom to be a Bigot.  Come tomorrow, I suspect she will be glad she delayed posting that ballot paper.

The World According To Labour

This, at the time of posting is Breaking News.

The world according to Labour - If you even mention the word "Immigration" you are a bigot or a racist.

As per Sky News, from Gordon Brown this morning:

Gordon Brown has been caught out on microphone in an unguarded moment - calling a pensioner "bigoted".The Prime Minister was confronted by the 66-year-old woman while visiting Rochdale.

He spent nearly five minutes answering her questions and told her: "It's been very good to meet you."

However, a microphone picked up his words to an aide as he drove away in a car.

He said: "That was a disaster.

"You should never have put me with that woman.

"Whose idea was that?"

Mr Brown went on: "It's just ridiculous."

His aide then asked: "What did she say?"

Mr Brown replied: "Oh, everything, she's just a sort of bigoted woman who said she used to vote Labour."

The Prime Minister had been chatting to the woman about her pension credit, crime, education, as well as immigration, before the gaffe.

Brown will claim that he has been going around 'listening to people', but he is the same old closed-minded, two-faced Labourman he always was.   If you want to talk about Labour failures, and about what you see are issues - they, Labour,  will smear you and they will ignore you.  How nasty and ignorant of the Prime Minister; but also so very revealling to his true character.

How did this idiot ever get to be Prime Minister?





Update:  here is the video -

He's Not Wrong

Farage here filmed after Irelands second referendum taking questions on the EU. 



H/T: Fausty.

Dignitas - New Scandal

Quite frankly this is shocking:

At least 300 urns containing human remains have been dumped in a lake near where the Swiss suicide firm Dignitas operates, it has been claimed.

Police have launched an investigation after scores were discovered on the bed of Lake Zurich.

The urns, lying in 'a big heap', bear only the logo of a cremation service thought to be used by Dignitas, the controversial organisation where more than 100 Britons have ended their lives.

Full Story in the Daily Mail.

Farage Needs Some Cash

If you want to see Speaker Bercow unseated, or, if you want to help UKIP in the seat where they are presently most likely to win, then click HERE to donate.

UKIP Threaten BBC With Judicial Review

Leader's Office

United Kingdom Independence Party

Room 230

10 Greycoat Place

London

SW1P 1SB

020 7960 6773

Mark Thompson, Esq.,
Director-General,
British Broadcasting Corporation,
White City,
201 Wood Lane,
LONDON,
W12 7TS.

27 April 2010

By email to markthompsonandpa@bbc.co.uk

Dear Mark,

Proposed claim for judicial review

I wrote to Sir Michael Lyons at the BBC Trust on 22 December, asking that UKIP should be allowed to participate in the televised debates between party leaders. Sir Michael wrote explaining that you rather than the Trust were the appropriate point of contact, and you wrote to me on 15 January 2010, conveying to me your decision and that of the BBC to reject my request on the following grounds:

"The basis on which judgements are made about relative levels of coverage rests on past and current electoral support. For the election to the House of Commons in 2010, the starting point is the last General Election, in 2005. Similarly, the starting point for coverage of the 2009 European election was the previous European election of 2004. This means that UKIP - on the basis of its strong performance in 2004 - was given the same level of coverage in the 2009 election as the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties. In 2005, however, at the last General Election (notwithstanding its performance at the European election less than a year before), UKIP attracted just over 2% of the vote and won no representation at Westminster.

"It is, therefore, appropriate and consistent for the BBC - and other broadcasters - to offer the opportunity to take part in the Prime Ministerial debates only to those parties which have substantial electoral support in the context of Westminster. There will be additional opportunities across the BBC for other parties to receive appropriate coverage responding to the Prime Ministerial debate."

We have been given no adequate opportunity to respond to the first two debates. What arrangements is the BBC making to address this? How can the coverage be "appropriate" if we cannot reach the leaders' audience?

The first two of the party leaders' debates have been held and, as I feared, have given spectacular prominence to the three parties whom you, ITV and Sky TV allowed to take part. The unfairness in our being excluded from the party leaders' debates is now all too evident.

Most recently, I wrote to you on 23 April, sending you my recent correspondence with Sky TV, and inviting you to rectify the lack of impartiality which broadcasters have demonstrated in refusing to allow UKIP to participate in the televised leaders' debates. I have not had a reply to my letter to you. The final leaders' debate is in just two days' time. The matter is now urgent, and I have done my best to pursue it timeously.

Since time is now short, I have taken advice, in the light of which I should like to draw your attention to the following provisions in the BBC's own election guidelines:

"3. Due Impartiality in coverage of parties and issues

"3.1 Coverage of the Parties

"To achieve due impartiality, each bulletin, programme or programme strand, as well as online and interactive services, for each election, must ensure that the parties are covered proportionately over an appropriate period, normally across a week. This means taking into account levels of past and current electoral support.

"Due impartiality must be achieved within these categories:

 "clips;
 "interviews/discussions of up to 10 minutes;
 "longer-form programmes.

"Previous electoral support in equivalent elections is the starting-point for making judgments about the proportionate level of coverage between parties.

"However, other factors can be taken into account where appropriate, including evidence of variation in levels of support in more recent elections, changed political circumstances (e.g. new parties or party splits) as well as other evidence of current support. The number of candidates a party is standing may also be a factor."

These election guidelines - as you may know - were approved by Jenny Watson, the chairman of the Electoral Commission, in a letter dated 11 January 2010 to Ric Bailey, the BBC's Chief Adviser for Politics (Editorial Policy), as follows:

"In addition we are satisfied with the draft Election Guidelines, and the approach taken regarding the participation of candidates in constituency items during the election period."

In the last "equivalent" election, the 2005 General Election, UKIP won 2.2% of the national vote, as you have pointed out. However, in the more recent European Election of last year, UKIP came second in the UK, with 16.5% of the national vote, compared with 15.7% for Labour and 13.7% for the Liberal Democrats. This surely constitutes compelling "evidence of variation in levels of support in more recent elections". In the circumstances, I should have expected your correspondence to have referred to this provision within your election guidelines. You have allowed Labour and the Liberal Democrats to participate in the leaders' debates, though they received smaller shares of the vote than UKIP in the most recent test of national opinion, which was the European Election of last year. Yet you have denied UKIP the chance to participate.

Furthermore, UKIP - as of today - is fielding 560 candidates, a number not far short of those fielded by the three parties whom you are allowing to participate in the leaders' debate. As your own guidelines say, "The number of candidates a party is standing may also be a factor." I should have expected your correspondence to have referred to this provision of your electoral guidelines too. Certainly, UKIP - in the number of candidates we are fielding in this General Election - is close to parity with those parties whom you are allowing to participate.

Both these circumstances are directly relevant to any decision whether to allow UKIP to participate in the leaders' debates. Yet you do not seem to have taken account of them in your decision as conveyed to me, or in any of our subsequent discussions.

There is also the question of the BBC's obligations under its charter, which has been the subject of correspondence between us on many previous occasions. In the leaders' debate so far, the question of our EU membership, its lack of democratic accountability and its heavy financial and constitutional cost has not been debated at all. Mr. Brown has been allowed to get away with saying, unchallenged, that three million jobs depend on our membership of the European Union. Nor has there been any discussion of our proposal to introduce binding initiative referenda at local as well as national level, which is the only effective way to allow us, the people, to rule once more, as well as to address the issue of corruption in Parliament, to say nothing of the increasing gulf between government and the governed.

It is reasonable and proportionate, having regard to the election guidelines as cited above, and having regard to the absence of UKIP from the first two leaders' debates, that UKIP should be allowed to participate fairly and fully in the final leaders' debate.

Since you did not adopt my original suggestion that UKIP should at least be allowed to participate in some part of each debate, and since all other avenues available to me have been exhausted, and since UKIP has been denied the opportunity to participate at all in either of the first two debates, and since time is running out, I must now ask you to reconsider your refusal to allow UKIP to participate in the third and final leaders' debate, to be aired on Thursday evening, 29 April 2010.

Should you and the BBC fail to accede to this request by noon tomorrow, Wednesday, 28 April, 2010, please take this letter as notice, in terms of the pre-action protocol in judicial review proceedings under the Civil Procedure Rules, that the United Kingdom Independence Party, of PO Box 480, Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ12 9BG, and I as UKIP's leader, as claimants, will apply to the Administrative Court at or as soon as practicable after 2 pm tomorrow afternoon for judicial review of your decision and that of the BBC, as defendants, expressed in your letter to me of 15 January 2010, to refuse to allow UKIP to participate in the third and final leaders' debate, and for an injunction requiring you and the BBC to permit me, as UKIP's leader, to participate in that debate on an equal footing with all others whom you and the BBC shall have permitted to participate.

I regret that the notice is very short, but time is pressing and I have not had an answer to my letter to you of 23 April.

Details of our legal advisers will be notified to you in due course. In the meantime, any reply and any court documents should be sent to me at the address below:

The Lord Pearson of Rannoch,
Leader's Office,
United Kingdom Independence Party,
Room 230,
10 Greycoat Place,
LONDON,
SW1P 1SB.


Yours sincerely,


[signed] Malcolm


Lord Pearson of Rannoch

Who Can You Trust?

Who can you trust to work towards what you want in this General Election?

That is a tough question of course, but the way to find out is to get those people who want to represent you in Parliament to acknowledge and pledge that they will do what they say they will.  It is in this mindset and fed up of again being betrayed by our political class that James, Ian and David got together set up the Albion Alliance. 

It is because the Albion Alliance exists that I am able to publish the 95 names of the candidates that has had the courage and the conviction to make a simple pledge on this side of the election that if they are elected, they have all declared:

I pledge to work tirelessly to give the voters of my constituency a democratic and direct voice in the United Kingdom’s continued relationship with the EU.

I pledge that I will sponsor a Private Members Bill, written in clear concise terms, calling for a referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union – and/or support any motion for such a referendum – and to vote positively for any Bill that may call for such a referendum, irrespective of Party Whip, with a view to the successful outcome of this pledge within 1 year of a new Parliament or sooner.

As someone else who feels let down by our continued submersion into the EU leviathian the Albion Alliance has provided me with a mechanism by which look at the candidates running in my area and press my local candidates to get them to state unequivocally whether they feel the same way as I do, and if so to offer more than mere words.  Words alone that one day things will all come good have stranded the UK without the means of real self-determination.  It is time we got serious about what is at stake and how to correct it.

Thus far, just ninety-five candidates out of thousands have been willing and/or able to make this very simple pledge.  Thus these are the only ninety-five candidates that can really be trusted to work for a referendum.  I have included their contact info where I have it, as there is no such thing as an election candidate who could not use a bit more support, or a bit more cash.

Here they are:

Constituency                                   Candidate                                    Party

Aberconwy                                       Mike Wietska                            UKIP

Aylesbury                                         Chris Adams                              UKIP

Banbury                                           David Fairweather                      UKIP

Barnsley East                                  Mark Watson                              UKIP

Bermondsey &                                Loanna Morrison                      Conservative Party
Old Southwark

Bishop Auckland                            David Brothers                              UKIP

Bognor Regis &                            Douglas Denny                               UKIP
Littlehampton

Boston & Skegness                      Christopher Pain                            UKIP

Bournemouth West                       Philip Glover                                 UKIP

Bradford West                               Jason Smith                                   UKIP

Braintree                                         Michael Ford                                 UKIP

Bristol West                                  Chris Lees                                      UKIP

Camborne & Redruth                   Derek Elliot                                    UKIP

Cambridge                                     Old Holborn                                  Independent

Cardiff Central                              Susan Davies                                 UKIP

Carmarthen East &                      John Atkinson                                UKIP
Dinefwr

Chatham |& Aylesford                 Sean Varnham                               English Democrats

Chatham & Aylesford                  Steve Newton                                UKIP

Chelsea & Fulham                      Tim Gittos                                       UKIP

Chesham & Amersham             Alan Stevens                                    UKIP

Chippenham                             Michael Simpkins                            BNP

Christchurch                            David Williams                                 UKIP

Clwyd West                             Warwick Nicholson                          UKIP

Colchester                                John Pitts                                           UKIP

Colne Valley                            Nicola Turner                                    Liberal Democrats

Congleton                                Lee Slaughter                                    UKIP

Crawley                                   Chris French                                      UKIP

Croydon Central                     Ralph Atkinson                                 UKIP

Croydon South                     Jeffrey Bolter                                      UKIP

Devizes                                  Nic Coome                                         Libertarian Party UK

Doncaster North                 David Wilson                                      UKIP

Dover                                   Victor Matcham                                   UKIP

Dudley North                      Malcom Davis                                     UKIP

Ealing, Southall                   Ben Weald                                           English Democrats

East Devon                          Mike Amor                                           UKIP

East Lothian                        Jonathan Lloyd                                    UKIP

East Surrey                         Helena Windsor                                   UKIP

Epping Forest                      Andrew Smith                                       UKIP

Exeter                                   Keith Crawford                                     UKIP

Fareham                                Steve Richards                                      UKIP

Gateshead                             John Tennant                                       UKIP

Gillingham &                        Dean Lacey                                           English Democrats
Rainham

Gillingham &                        Robert Oakley                                       UKIP
Rainham

Glasgow Central                  Ramsey Ewan Urquhart                         UKIP 

Glasgow East                       Arthur Thackeray                                    UKIP

Hampstead & Kilburn         Magnus Nielsen                                      UKIP

Hastings & Rye                   Rod Bridger                                           English Democrats

Hastings & Rye                  Tony Smith                                              UKIP

Hornsey & Wood              Dr Rohen Kapur                                      Independent
Green

Horsham                              Harry Aldridge                                      UKIP

Huntington                         Ian Curtis                                                UKIP

Isle of Wight                      Mike Tarrant                                          UKIP

Kenilworth &                    John Moore                                            UKIP
Southam 

Kingston Upon                 Mike Hookem                                       UKIP
Hull East

Leeds North East               Warren Hendon                                   UKIP

Lincoln                                Nick Smith                                          UKIP

Liverpool, Walton             Joe Nugent                                           UKIP

Liverpool, Wavertree        Neil Miney                                           UKIP

Maidenhead                        Kenneth Wight                                      UKIP

Mid Bedfordshire              Bill Hall                                                 UKIP

Mid Sussex                         Marc Montgomery                               UKIP

Middlesbrough                  Stewart Lightwing                                 UKIP
South & East Cleveland

Monmouth                         Derek Rowe                                           UKIP

Newbury                             David Black                                           UKIP

Newton Abbott                Jackie Hooper                                         UKIP

North Antrim                      Jim Allister                                          Traditional Unionist

North Cornwall                  Ivor Masters                                         UKIP

North Dorset                     Jeremy Nieboer                                    UKIP

North Swindon                  Steven Halden                                        UKIP

North West                        Robert Brown                                       UKIP
Cambridgeshire

North Wiltshire                 Charles Bennett                                   UKIP

Oxford West &                 Paul Williams                                        UKIP
Abingdon

Rochester & Strood         Ron Sands                                            English Democrats

Rochford &                       James Moyies                                      UKIP
Southend East

Sevenoakes                      Alan Bullion                                          Liberal Democrats

Slough                               Diana Coad                                           Conservative Party

Somerton & Frome          Barry Harding                                       UKIP

South East Cornwall        Stephanie McWilliam                         UKIP

St Austell & Newquay     Clive Medway                                     UKIP

St Austell & Newquay    Stephen Gilbert                                    Liberal Democrat

St Ives                                Mick Faulkner                                     UKIP

Sutton & Cheam              Martin Cullip                                        Libertarian Party UK

Tiverton & Honiton        Daryl Stanbury                                     UKIP

Tonbridge & Malling      David Waller                                        UKIP

Truro & Falmouth            Harry Blakeley                                    UKIP

Uxbridge & South            Mark Wadsworth                               UKIP
Ruislip

Weaver Vale                      Paul Remfry                                         UKIP

Wentworth & Dearne       John Wilkinson                                 UKIP

West Suffolk                     Ian Smith                                              UKIP

West Worcestershire      Caroline Bovey                                   UKIP

Westmorland &               John Mander                                        UKIP
Lonsdale

Wirral West                     David Kirwan                                      Independent

Witney                             Nikolai Tolstoy                                    UKIP

Witney                            Paul Wesson                                        Independent

Wythenshawe &           Christopher Cassidy                             UKIP
Sale East

It is NOT too late to pledge, it is not too late to contact your local candidates to ask them to pledge. 

It WILL be too late to do anything about our EU Membership when the final controls are soon ceded to Brussels - Do something about it today!

UKIP Back SNP Action

UKIP support SNP action

Statement from UKIP re Alex Salmond (SNP) legal action.

Leader of UKIP, Lord Pearson said:

"UKIP support the stance of the SNP on this issue.

"We came second in the last national test of public opinion - at the Euro elections last year.

"Therefore, we should have a place in the debates also.

"Many people say they are becoming increasingly disinterested in the three failed old parties, and are less inclined to vote than ever before.

"The refusal to allow parties like UKIP and the SNP a place on the platforms only acts to perpetuate this disinterest further, and add to the problem of low voter turn-out.

"The public have the right to be informed of the choices open to them, and as a public service broadcaster, the BBC is honour-bound to provide licence fee payers with that information.

"We call on the BBC to give UKIP a place in the debates."

Gordon Brown = Compulsive Liar

Bring Down The Elephant

I should just clarify, though the gentleman in the video says much of what I do here, it is not me. (I am not sure who he is)*.   I have just seen this over on Muffled Vociferation where Sue says it is already doing the rounds, so I thought I would do my bit and post it here also.



Perhaps we should have a whip-round and get this broadcast on the BBC and ITV as a party political broadcast for the movement against more of the same?

If you like this and agree, then please remember to look at the smaller parties and the Independents running in your area; and if you have a blog or a social network page, please help spread this video so as many voters as possible see it.



*Update: Lawson Narse got in touch to inform me it is Pat Condell; Thanks Lawson!

The Second Debate - The Live Blog

In His Own Words

From Nick Clegg; about you and I.

“Watching Germany rise from its knees after the war and become a vastly more prosperous nation has not been easy on the febrile* British psyche.”

“All nations have a cross to bear, and none more so than Germany with its memories of Nazism. But the British cross is more insidious still.”

“A misplaced sense of superiority, sustained by delusions of grandeur and a tenacious obsession with the last war, is much harder to shake off. We need to be put back in our place.”

A Liberal Elitist slamming the Brits is neither new nor surprising, but considering how close he and his ilk are to power here in the UK, it is worrying. Certainly a febrile blogger like I couldn't tolerate living here under Clegg rule.

*I had to look it up. 
 
 

Reminder: Second Debate Live Blog Tonight

Tonights live-blog of the Second Debate will be a collaboration between All Seeing Eye, Barking Spider, Biased-BBC, Corrugated Soundbite, Dick Puddlecote, Governmentitus (here), GrumpyOldTwat, Man Widdecombe, Subrosa, and Tory Totty Online - all excellent and highly recommended blogs. The collaboration means you can be at any one of these blogs and participate in the same live-blog experience.

The debate starts at 8pm so be ready at a few minutes to as we will be rolling a little before the introductions.

Holier Than Thou

The Lib Dems have had questionable donations to the party which have come under question in recent years, but tonight it seems that one halo has just hit the floor, hard, with Nick Clegg being uncovered as receiving donations from wealthy businessmen to his personal bank account for which he claims "it had subsidised his parliamentary work."

It's unclear what "parliamentary work" these funds contributed to, especially as his expenses were rather high and staff costs and just about everything else was covered.  As yet, despite questioning no satisfactory answer for the purpose of the money has been provided, nor for what it was actually spent on.

Erm, some of us call that taking a bribe Cleggie.

"New Politics" my arse!  The Lib Dems are as corrupt, or more so that the other factions of The Westminster Party.
The full story is on The Telegraph.

St Vince, Brillo & Flanders On Economics

For anyone who wants to know a little bit more about Liberal Democrat Economics and on Vince Cable's public record prior to the election.

The Second Debate - The Live Blog

After the fantastic success of our group live-blog for the budget a few weeks ago, a few of us have decided that the debates offer another great opportunity for some live-blogging.  And this time, I will be climbing into the moderators chair.

The Second Debate will be a collaboration between All Seeing Eye, Barking Spider, Biased-BBC, Corrugated Soundbite, Dick Puddlecote, Governmentitus (here), GrumpyOldTwat, Man Widdecombe, Subrosa, and Tory Totty Online - all excellent and highly recommended blogs. If you haven't been to some of them before then please take this chance to try them out.

I hope many of you can join us for what promises to be a lot of fun.  Be here or at any of the blogs mentioned above Thursday night, the debate kicks off at 8pm, so we will probably be rolling at a few minutes to eight.

The First Debate In 15 Seconds

Sent to me by Tom, a Lib Dem supporter.

Farage vs Paxman

This is how you do it.

DD

I have not been alone on the blogosphere in pointing out how the current electoral set up is almost criminally unfairly balanced towards Labour.  Very soon (May 7th to be precise) I think the full effect of just how unfair the electoral boundaries have become is about to come slamming home and it could be the wider electorate who are being courted like never before that will be demanding some answers when the results are being digested after the election.

With the Lib Dems polling above Labour today it would seem Labour's Plan B is working.  If the Lib Dems do well, it is the Tories that suffer more; Labour get in via the back door.

For example, if all three parties get exactly 30% of the popular vote, as a voter it would be fair for me to expect a roughly equal number of seats to be allocated to each give or take a reasonable margin of error.

Have a look at the UK Polling Report seat calculator, which is calculating seats based on a uniform swing which is admittedly is a little flawed, but paints a compelling picture none-the-less.  At 30% each, which is not beyond the realms of possibility looking at the current polls we would get the following outcome:

Labour 305 seats (-51)

Conservative 208 seats (+10)

Liberal Democrats 106 seats (+44)

Others 13 Seats (+1)

Northern Ireland 18 Seats (NC)

Do you see what I am seeing?  Not only do Labour come out massively on top despite attaining the same share of the vote as Conservatives and the Lib Dems, but even if we combined the Tory and Lib Dem vote, they could not form a minority government between them even if they wanted one with their combined tally.  Net result, Gordon clings on.

What about another scenario.  Let's give The Tories and the Lib Dems 32% each, and leave Labour on 26%.  Here's what comes out of the seat calculator:

Labour 252 seats (-104)

Conservative 243 seats (+45)

Liberal Democrats 124 seats (+62)

Others 13 Seats (+1)

Northern Ireland 18 Seats (NC)

Despite Labour potentially polling 6% less than the Tories and 6% less than the Lib Dems, they could end up with the most seats in the new Parliament. Net result, Gordon clings on.

It is the Electoral Commission who has held the responsibility for Electoral Boundary reviews can by no measure claim success for this distortion.  Such happenings are not chance occurances or accidents. 

Here's the thing, don't go knocking on their door on May 7th because they've just handed over responsibility for the boundaries to a brand new QUANGO called the Local Government Boundary Commission on 1st April 2010.  The body responsible for the stitch up will insist it is no longer anything to do with them, and this new body will rightly claim they had nothing to do with it.  We will be afforded No Questions, No Answers, No Accountability.  One body set up to provide a stitch up quietly melts away where its actions can no longer be called to account and a new QUANGO takes its place at great cost to us both financially and electorally.

Boundaries aside there is another point.  Postal Votes will be going out soon and I believe they can arrive between one to two weeks before the actual election day; so the "others" and the Conservatives had better get their arguments sharpened real quick if they are serious about kicking Brown out.    Postal voting is becoming more popular so there are some serious votes to be won and lost at this next debate because those ballots could be in the post before the last debate comes around. 

If the Tory plan is to give Nick Clegg more rope in the hope he hangs himself then they are going to lose because time is just about up and I am not convinced they understand this.  If Lib Dem support is a novelty, if it is a whim then the Tories need to know that they do not have the luxury of time. 

Cameron's term can be characterised because of his seemingly hubristic belief that when Labour fail, people will move to the Conservatives; so he moved the Tories left, in an attempt to seize the centre ground.  In the last week however, that centre ground went Orange.  Since last Thursday Brown seems to have retreated into the bunker and the Conservatives appear to have lost that little bit of momentum and confidence they had just started to get in the lead up to that first debate.  Fraser Nelson seems to be making a better case for the Conservatives and is more visible in the last few days than David Cameron.

There are plenty more twists and turns left in this campaign yet.

You Should Vote Conservative Because....

That's the question on "This Week", (now twice weekly).  It is a good question, and one that needs answering.

I say those 5 words out loud, and I can't finish the sentence.  Well I can, but not convincingly.

... Because the Conservative Party will give you a referendum on EU Membership.  No, can't use that.

... Because the Conservative Party will cut income tax so we can better provide for our families.  Nope, the two tax cuts I know of are for Inheritance and on NI for business contributions.

... Because the Conservative Party will cut fuel duty to help small businesses and families.  Nope, ditto duty on ciggies and booze.

... Because they will do away with the hated TV Licence and sell of the Left Wing BBC.  No, David Cameron long ago insisted he was a fan of the BBC.

... Because they will reduce the size of the government.  Not sure; they are talking about "Big Society" which sounds a lot like big government with a bit of out sourcing.

I will refer back to a previous post for the benefit of anyone who wants to know what I am looking for, and why I will not be voting for the three main parties.

This is not Tory bashing - I can't think of any reason to vote Lib Dem nor Labour.  But Lib Dem and Labour voters can probably finish their own sentences and that is part of the Tories problem.  Perhaps Conservative supporters can finish the sentence for themselves and help others to finish the sentence in a way that will make people want to vote for the Blues.

Top Job

Anna Raccoon has had a busy day, again.  This time the blogger with the claws has torn some flesh from a pretty shoddy sounding local rag. 

Additional to the entertaining read there was a lesson I had not been aware of.  In researching the law behind reporting during a General Election Anna reveals that the print media are under no obligation to employ balanced reporting when describing Parliamentary candidates, it is the broadcast media which must take these steps.

Good job Anna!  I'm more of a read then rant blogger so you have gone to much more effort than I would have gone to, but I am glad there are many people like Anna on the Blogosphere who are willing to put in a shift on these things.

Monday Musing

Apologies for not posting for a few days, I have been away enjoying Conference League Football, celebrating my sisters impending birthday, recovering from some genetically modified super-virus and last night watching 24 and House all of which kept me away from the computer, and work will no doubt be competing for my attentions this week.

Along my travels there has been some conversations along the way from people regarding the election and regarding in particular the debates.  Despite what the polls are saying, I have yet to encounter anyone who is swinging their vote to the Lib Dems.  Now, that might say more about my circle of friends and family, and the encounters of the weekend, but none the less with a 14% swing in the polls, it is not matching the reality out there in Daniel World.

Which is good because I would genuinely be concerned if all of this fantasy talk of Nick Clegg becoming Prime Minister were to come true.  Mostly because of the Lib Dems fanatical support of all things EU - they would sell us down the river in a heartbeat; but also for Cleggs refusal to back the Lisbon vote despite the Lib Dem Manifesto commitment, and his intent to rid us of Trident (despite declaring publically he would not in his own leadership election, and at the cost of leaving our defence in the hands of the French).  I am actually getting annoyed hearing him refer to his opposition as the "older" parties when his party was born before Labour back in the 1800's.  (And back then the Liberal Party were for personal liberty, free markets, free trade and smaller government none of which can be charactered to Cleggy's party of today.)

What is a little alarming is that there are still people about supporting Gordon Brown, including people in my own family that really should know better.  It seems that whilst most of us are at work, Brown has done some good work in the last year on the sofa's of daytime television and at least one person I love dearly is at the moment still planning to vote for him, though she freely admits it is out of pity.  That really does not make it any better.

And with absolutely nothing to back up this or any of my claims I will move onto David Cameron who it seems has actually alienated people back home.  Whereas I thought he had just edged the debate over Clegg (despite clearly not having picked up some basic lessons from the US debates) it seems back home Cameron came across as remote and as somebody who could never understand the problems facing the coping classes and working poor.  A comment I would find difficult to make an argument against. So I won't.

And is it just me in thinking that if there really is a Clegg-bounce from a debate appearance, does that not make the case stronger for all of the parties to be involved in a TV debate at some point? If seeing and hearing Nick Clegg talk Lib Dem for his part of the 90 minute debate did him good because he was perhaps seen as new or different by some, then maybe UKIP, SNP, the Greens...et al, should be included also in future prime time debates.

So, with three weeks to go dare I make another prediction?  No, I am gonna stick with my original prediction of a wafer thin Tory majority and I think the Great British public in their infinite wisdom are collectively and subconsciously keeping the numbers in hung parliament territory because quite frankly we all have a shopping list of what we want from a perspective government, and few of us thanks to Browns busting of the bank balance are getting to hear much of what we want.  Consensus politics and record debt means there is little anyone feels able to promise.  The closer we get to polling day the more some of our shopping lists will get second and third looks from the main players.

If I were up there, as a crazy right-winger, I would be offering to sell off the BBC, and a referendum on EU membership which would save us money.  But I am not, so you can't have it.

ITV / Comres Poll

The first poll after the debates is out and there is a big twist

Conservative - 36%
Lib Dem - 35%
Labour - 24%
Others - 5%

The two big questions are, how solid is this for the Lib Dems and how would a General Election affect Parliament in terms of seats?

I think it is still hung parliament territory, but with the Lib Dems and Labour much closer together with the Conservatives way out in front.  Tellingly, Labour face a massive electoral advantage, so an 11% advantage for the Lib Dems and 12% to the Conservatives may still not be enough to relegate them to third in terms of seats.

The good news, perhaps now for as many as 76% of us is that the Socialists and Gordon Brown are now on the fast train to oblivion.

Update:  Oh Dear, the above is the "unweighted polling" and Adam Boulton on Sky says it leaked via Twitter when an ITV Journalist tweeted the raw data.

Update 2:  A lesson for us all.  Comres have rushed out the "real" results.

Conservatives - 35%
Labour - 28%
Lib Dem - 24%
Others - 13%

The weighting is done to ensure that voting weight for things like age and race samples from raw data are taken to match (or massaged) national samples... all in all, weighted polls are much more reliable than raw data (which is why the media pay for professional sampling to be done)

Overall, still in hung Parliament territory, with the Conservatives in the high 200's, Labour in Mid 200's and the Lib Dems's gaining to about the 70's. 

There are more twists and turns to come, but the story could be (with more polling) that the Lib Dems are starting to take Labour voters; it is the Conservatives that need to do this for an overall win. 

Debate Poll Results

The poll was open for just under an hour.

Q. Who Won Tonights Debate?

A.
David Cameron - 71%
Nick Clegg - 29%
Gordon Brown - 0%

Total Responses - 18

Comments from the poll:

1. No-one they are all as bad as each other falling over themselves to tell us how they'll spend our cash without asking us whether we agree or not.

2. But God help us if that is the best of it. Cameron "won" it for me, but Clegg, allowed by Cameron to get away with some ridiculous assertions, will do so in the eyes of most people who now are not interested in politics. Tonight will not have helped

3. Cameron too careful.
Clegg was anti-tory.
Brown looked foolish.


My personal feeling was that Cameron just edged it; he was out in front for a bit then Brown turned on the Tory Cuts line and dragged Cameron into a bit of a slog which let Nick Clegg do well in the late questions. Brown came over pretty bad, but I have never been a fan. The big winner on the night was Clegg purely for getting the airtime and the big loser was Brown.

It was not as sterile as I had anticipated, and it might actually shift the polls - it definitely will if Brown is this bad in either or both of the future debates.


Cross-Posted