[Closed] Less than 80 days to UK Election....who cares?

why would I vote for UKIP when I've got Gove as my MP?

Good point Z-11. I can't say there's a huge difference between the two - both are raving right-wing and a bit loopy. As you were.

[quote=jfletch ]The number of patients per doctor is not the only measure of productivity. Quality of care and outcomes are also valuable.

Indeed - which is why I'm quite happy for their productivity if measured purely on the number of patients seen to be lower - which seemed to be the only measure just5 wanted to use. Hence my analogy about teachers and class sizes.

You have to wonder what the Scottish Labour people have been smoking, really.

First Jim Murphy puts out a video and tweets that Scotland has many more cancelled operations than England.

Then it's pointed out that they've misunderstood the statistics, so instead of apologising the video is deleted.

Labour then go on the attack, blaming the SNP for not producing statistics they can understand.

So the SNP decide to be nice and bring out more detailed weekly statistics.

Labour then claim this as a massive triumph.

Then there's a motion in Holyrood welcoming the new statistics, and Labour vote against it.

Meanwhile, two other Labour muppets are filmed standing in front of a shut NHS clinic, complaining about NHS closures. Pity they missed the brand new clinic built to replace it just down the road.

Really, honestly, if the BBC weren't fawning over every Jim Murphy utterance then they'd be in singe digits in the polls. I remember the Labour Party of old, what on earth has happened to them?

You can't blame Murphy for that Ben it was pretty much the same before he took over 🙂

Oh no, I'm not blaming Murphy - but what on earth were they thinking picking an uber-Blairite like Murphy in the first place?

if I am a Labour Party member, and also a union member, how many votes do I get?

FWIW Tory MPs get to vote for who stands in the contest to be leader and then in the leaders election. I am less sure if this counts as voting twice but it does seem unfair.

Really, honestly, if the BBC weren't fawning over every Jim Murphy utterance then they'd be in singe digits in the polls.

Because what Jim Murphy and Scottish Labour says is of no news value and should be ignored? As your little rant drawing attention to what Jim Murphy and Scottish Labour having been saying proves.

Still, keep blaming the BBC - remember it was them what lost you the referendum.

I wonder what the Scottish people "have been smoking" that makes them so susceptible to being manipulated by the BBC ?

I am voting UKIP but this afternoon I was messed up by some local bureaucratic ZMs in GeordieLand who demanded me to pay £500 plus for something which I should have got for free in the first place. These are very greedy ZMs ...

Apart from entertainment, I want to vote for UKIP purely out of sympathy for the local population but the way I was treated recently and this afternoon, I really feel like opening the floor gate to let entire world population to live here to dilute the bureaucratic ZM genes.

I am in a dilemma now ...

Because what Jim Murphy and Scottish Labour says is of no news value and should be ignored?

No, that's not what I said. The idea of an impartial broadcaster is that they impartially report the facts, and if they're a broadcaster of note then they should also have investigative journalists to actually establish what the facts are.

BBC Scotland don't seem to do that. They just happily run with whatever Labour have fed them, uncritically. When the Murphy gaffe was revealed, the BBC didn't say that Labour had got teh statistics wrong, they reported that "the SNP claim that Labour have got the statistics wrong".

Still, keep blaming the BBC - remember it was them what lost you the referendum.

No it wasn't. But we were fooled into thinking we had an impartial public service broadcaster, when we don't.

And the thing is, I'm not a SNP supporter. I grew up a Labour supporter. My politics haven't changed, but the Labour party has shifted far, far to the right of where it was. Supporting austerity, wanting to renew Trident - they're so far away from where they were, they're only the Labour Party in name.

I'd love the old Labour Party back. I'd probably vote for them.

bencooper - Member

No it wasn't. But we were fooled into thinking we had an impartial public service broadcaster, when we don't.

Yes, there is no such things as impartial public service broadcaster especially regarding the referendum. You guys were fooled.

Also I was surprised by my colleagues' views that Scotland is seen as a conquered trophy land.

😯

Yeah I was disappointed too when the hard right seized control of the Labour Party and screwed the party up, but I don't tediously blame the BBC at every given opportunity.

I will be supporting the Green Party in my constituency this GE (other choices might exist in other British constituencies). Whatever the result I'm certain it won't be enough to satisfy me - should I blame the BBC, not enough coverage, exclusion from televised debates, etc?

EDIT : My support for the Labour Party was only ever on the basis that it was [i]"the"[/i] mass party of the working people, and that the election of a Labour government always represented a definitive step forward in the interests of ordinary working people, but beyond that I was under no illusions - it was a social-democratic party whose ultimate role was to manage capitalism, be it in a manner which benefited ordinary working people more.

Vote Green.
At least they give a shit about something thats not just themselves.
A few extra politicians hopefully doing something meaningful

Sums up my support for labour that ernie

They were once radical though but not in our lifetimes

Jim Murphy is the living embodiment of how far the Labour Party has comprehensively detached itself from its core vote, and how utterly and completely politically clueless Ed Milliband is.

What has the Scottish referendum, and the heomoraging of the labour vote to the SNP taught us? We're not quite sure, but the answer lies in imposing, from our Ivory towers in Westminster, an ultra-Blairite to sort it out.

Yes Ed... that's the answer that everyone was crying out for! Being hectored with neo-liberal, faux Tory rhetoric will definitely rally the faithful. That's how the situation looks from Islington, is it? You utter cockwomble!

binners - Member

Jim Murphy is the living embodiment of how far the Labour Party has comprehensively detached itself from[s] its core vote[/s] reality

FTFY... The thing is he genuinely seems to think he's doing a good job. I suppose this is a hidden risk of being given an easy ride by the people around you- if you're never challenged, and reading newspaper stories about how you're doing greatm you get to believing it, and as a result end up doing even worse. Meanwhile everyone else thinks you're a fanny.

It was always pretty likely that Murphy'd be a disaster but I'm not happy to be able to say "told you so", really wish we had a leader. The demolition of the labour party in Scotland has no positives, other than the fact that it might wake them up but jesus, how much waking up can they need?

Yes, Murphy was seriously claiming until recently that Labour wouldn't lose any seats in the coming GE. That's self delusion on an epic scale.

I think the clearest example that the whole system is complrehensively FUBARed is the contimual "Vote X get Y" messages. Vote SNP, get Labour. Vote SNP, get Tory. Vote Green get Tory. Vote UKIP get Labour. Vote Plaid get UKIP. We've had almost every possible permutation. What does this mean? It says to me that the political syste is broken, the parties don't have any ideas, and they care more about fighting with each other than they do about looking after the country.

Why isn't there a "None of the above" option on the ballot paper? Because it'd win in a landslide.

Yeah I was disappointed too when the hard right seized control of the Labour Party and screwed the party up, but I don't tediously blame the BBC at every given opportunity.

I will be supporting the Green Party in my constituency this GE (other choices might exist in other British constituencies). Whatever the result I'm certain it won't be enough to satisfy me - should I blame the BBC, not enough coverage, exclusion from televised debates, etc?

I don't quite understand why you object so much to me criticising the BBC - isn't it a bad thing if a national broadcaster is being biased? I wouldn't mind so much if it was a newspaper, but the BBC is funded by all of us and has an obligation to be fair and balanced. Shouldn't we hold the BBC to higher standards, and complain when it is being partial?

Because slagging off the BBC is a very lazy, tedious, and now very fashionable - specially among right-wingers, cop out.

For all its failings the BBC is one of the most respected and quality news provider in the world - it's reputation is deservingly world renown.

Yes its political slant does not always meet with my approval, far from it. And yes imo since its Director-General was sacked because the BBC offended New Labour when it told the truth about Tony Blair 'sexed up' Iraqi dossier (the only head to roll as the result of the total **** up that was the Iraq War was the Director-General of the BBC - no politicians were sacked for the greatest foreign policy disaster since Suez ffs) it has become noticeably more timid and less fearless in reporting stories which might embarrass the government. Thank you Tony Blair/New Labour - another great legacy which you must be proud of.

But we have to deal with what we've got - whingeing endless with "it ain't fair" is unconstructive and pointless. Aim to achieve your political goals even though things are stacked against you. You know, like the Tory press making things as difficult as possible for you - are you going to whine endlessly about the Daily Mail? The Tory press will never change, are you therefore going to give up because the battle can't be won?

If you have faith in your political convictions then you should have faith in overcoming obstacles. You watch and listen to the BBC how come you have come to your conclusions despite that? Are you somehow superior to those who watch and listen to the BBC and have come to a different conclusion to yours?

Stop blaming the BBC. Leave that to the Daily Mail, the Sun, and the varied assortment of right-wingers who despise the BBC because they can't fully control it.

Green's: Car Crash interview on LBC

[url= http://www.lbc.co.uk/incredibly-awkward-interview-with-natalie-bennett-105384#KBiswSjQ6LtMIy9D.97 ]Natelie Bennet on LBC[/url]