Election Campaign

If the differential is less than the number of SNP MPs it doesn’t matter

Only if the SNP actually vote for a Labour government. If they abstain, and the Tories can muster more votes than Labour (with the LibDem and DUP say), then it’s possible no-one would be able to form a government i.e. Labour and SNP can vote down the Tory option, but the Tories and their buddies could vote down the Labour option if the SNP abstain.

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And the likelihood of this given that Nicola Sturgeon is calling on Ed Milliband to “lock” David Cameron out of number 10?

And the likelihood of this given that Nicola Sturgeon is calling on Ed Milliband to “lock” David Cameron out of number 10?

Not sure – but Milliband has pretty much said he doesn’t want their support. If I was Sturgeon in that scenario I’d let the Labour party know I’d allow them to form a government, but only if they changed leader. They’d also be the SNP’s bitches for the rest of the parliament anyway, because if the Tories have more seats then Labour wouldn’t be able to do anything without actual support from the SNP or others.

You can do a huge amount in government without passing bills, as long as you can raise money (get a finance bill through) and survive a confidence motion you can govern.

EDIT: SNP can only put forward bills if they win the private members bill ballot, and these can be talked out, only governments put forward bills otherwise.

nemesis – Member

Well, 10 million followers is not the same as 10 million people listening to what he says and I’m sure a very small proportion of those 10 million actually watch his Trews

The joy of it for Miliband is that nobody has to watch it- they just have to think “Russell Brand’s alright” “Miliband went on the Trews, he must be alright” and “David Cameron was a dick about it”. Uncharacteristically good (and somewhat brave imo) move from him tbh.

Just finished watching the Scottish news, Ruth Davidson’s having a brilliant war isn’t she? Driving around in a tank, skidding around on a quad bike, blowing on some guy’s chanter… Being Ruth Davidson looks way better than being David Cameron.

You lot still discussing who to vote? FFS! 😯

Debate Me!(x2) is going to be next PM like it or not so why are you lot still trying to justify your chosen one eh?

Scotland will be an independent nation under PM Debate Me!(x2) and history will be created when the dream of the union break-up has finally been fulfilled.

Hell yes!

Long live Robert the Bruce!

😆

Sam cam was sent out to pound out the streets of Brentford and iselworth today, in an attempt to save the Tory incumbent , shame I moved away 2 weeks ago I could’ve told her what I think of Dave*

* not really I’d probably have been all pitr and nice

But we did have an absolutely die hard labour supporter down our street, obsessed with getting the Tories out his house covered in labour banners , I’d loved to have seen his reaction, I imagine that security detail would’ve been involved

kimbers – Member
But we did have an absolutely die hard labour supporter down our street, obsessed with getting the Tories out his house covered in labour banners , I’d loved to have seen his reaction, I imagine that security detail would’ve been involved

My colleagues are socialist hammer, communist, Green, Labour die hard and they have intense hatred for anything Tories or Tories related … 😯

They are really angry people aren’t they … 😛

Terry wasn’t angry just sad that the evil Tories were out to shaft the poor

I am going to let them know who I will vote just to see them fume for entertainment … 😆

They are dead serious people btw.

I vote for the Party whose ideals I most identify with. If it’s highly likely there will be a hung parliament, I think voting on specific policies / manifesto commitments is a bit pointless as they only really apply in the event of an outright majority. With coalitions, everything is up for horse trading.

Well that’s my vote cast – it’ll be interesting to see what government we end up with.

it’ll be interesting to see what government we end up with.

The result of the general election is boringly predictable imo.

Either Cameron or Miliband will become Prime Minister.

And while they continuously try to manufacture differences between themselves they have also simultaneously been going out of their way to reassure voters that no one need worry as they are just like their opponent.

The result of the general election is boringly predictable imo.

Not in Scotland, where I’m voting.

The result of the general election is boringly predictable imo.

You think? By far the most interesting and unpredictable election I can recall. The make up of the coalition will be interesting.

Not in Scotland, where I’m voting.

Sorry you said “what government we end up with”. Which suggests that you weren’t referring to Scotland. Scotland will have the same government after the general election as before the general election.

Sorry you said “what government we end up with”. Which suggests that you weren’t referring to Scotland. Scotland will have the same government after the general election as before the general election.

Probably not. The SNP will still run devolved matters but they might have some influence in the UK as a whole. I don’t think this time there will be an outright majority for anyone and it’s looking unlikely the LibDems will be in a position to sell out by themselves this time.

I don’t think this time there will be an outright majority for anyone and it’s looking unlikely the LibDems will be in a position to sell out by themselves this time.

And that doesn’t change one iota the fact that either Cameron or Miliband will be Prime Minister. Exactly the same situation if there was an outright majority or the LibDems were in a position to sell out.

The Sun comes out for the Tories – no surprise there – for reasons including to stop the SNP running the country. The Scottish Sun comes out for the SNP!

We’re doomed! Ruthie is on the warpath… 🙂

Nope,she doesn’t look familiar…Should I know who she is? I teach Modern Studies but even I cannot be expected to recognise every wannabie politician 😆

Leader of the Tory Party in Scotland for those who do not recognise our right wing heroes. 🙂

What a surprise Murdoch once again tries to screw Labour over.

Loving the Davidson meme’s.

Ruth Davidson has always come across well. I don’t agree with her views personally, but I respect her as a politician.

Yes, she’s a rare thing, a likeable Tory. And especially with all the abuse she gets, you have to admire her gumption.

Yes, she’s a rare thing, a likeable Tory. And especially with all the abuse she gets, you have to admire her gumption.

Apparently she’s one of the better liked party leaders in Scotland, despite her party not being popular.

She is about as likeable as they get,but look at her competition.

Speaking of likeable politicians you’d never vote for, have we done Willie Rennie getting clocked by Strava?

I have to say that I’m absolutely disgusted by the anti-SNP rhetoric currently being spewed out by Dave, and his friends in the right wing press. It confirms what a truly nasty arrogant bunch they are. What they’re suggesting is that the SNP is not a legitimate party of government.

Well, I’m sorry Dave, but this is a democracy, and if the constituents of wards North of the Border want to return SNP MP’s to Westminster, then those MP’s have just as much democratic legitimacy as the MP for Chipping Norton, or Henley on Thames! Whether you like it or not!

And its just this kind of monumental arrogance, and condescension, that disgusts not just voters in Scotland, but pretty much anywhere outside London and the South East, from Cornwall to Newcastle!

And the labour parties attitude isn’t much better either. Its equal guilty of refusing to recognise the legitimacy of the SNP.

Well its a dangerous game they’re both playing. Because this distasteful attitude just makes the 2 Westminster parties look even more aloof, disengaged and unrepresentative than ever. It just confirms every suspicion, in ‘the regions’ that our views don’t count, and how dare we upstarts even suggest they should be taken into consideration.

The Scottish people have been offered something different from the rest of the UK. The lucky bastards! They have been offered a legitimate, credible alternative to the tired 2 party system, that is increasingly distrusted outside London and the South East. And look what they’ve opted for. The whole political landscape has changed. Should that not tell them all they need to know about how Westminster is viewed?

Forget the whole independence thing for the moment, and concentrate on the other SNP policies.

The Tory party is already an irrelevance in the northern cities. Rightfully loathed for what they uncaringly did to our industries and communities. Nobody votes for them! And thats never going to change! And the labour party is just the default vote, as a result of that anti-tory hatred. And my god, they’ve taken that for granted. For 30 years!!! And the result is the pathetic, totally unrepresentative, hollowed out sight of the present Tory-light party

Well they need to be bloody careful. Because if large parts of the country were being offered the same choice the Scots presently have in front of them – A credible, more left-leaning, truly socially democratic alternative to the 2 party cabal, then the labour party could also be finding itself as dead in the water as they are in central Glasgow, in their other previous ‘heartlands’ too!

Was that on the way to his press conference to proclaim that there would be no coalition deals as far as the Lib Dems were concerned. Anybody fancy taking a pic of the front cover of the sun in England today and posting it up? The contrast with the Scottish edition will be funny.

Shirley any right minded person would see that the Murdoch is backing the Tories and realise they are a bad choice!

@binners I don’t think anyone is saying the SNP are not legitimate, you have been listening too hard to the SNP. The Tories are simply saying a government with the SNP will be chose and quite rightly pointing out how Milliband will be a puppet to Salmond and Sturgeon

The North was in decline when the business owners decided to out source their manufacturing to Asia. Didn’t do themselves any favours with their side of the industrial relations disputes either. Blaming it on the Tories/Thatcher is just convenient. Blair recognised to get elected the Labour party had to move to the centre. The more Labour goes left the less likely they will be to win an election. The SNP are NOT a left leaning party IMO, lets look at what they have done/will do in Holyrood. Trident has nothing to do with nuclear disarmament, its all about “your” nukes being in “our” country. It’s easy to shout from the roof tops but once in government you have to balance the books.

Blaming it on the Tories/Thatcher is just convenient

Jammy You really, really, really don’t get it at all, do you? You think we loath them because we just failed to understand things? Global economics too complicated for us whippet-breeding, flat cap wearing pigeon fanciers? Us poor stupid northerners eh?

Well that isn’t what happened. We appreciate that some of that was the result of globalised forces beyond our control. But It was the vicious malice with which that agenda was pursued. They virtually declared war on us!!! I personally watched, on my journey to school, daily, the Police, bussed in from the South East, on premium overtime, deployed as a brutal militia against the miners! Its about this….

And Michael Hesaltine was a lone voice in the Tory party suggesting that decimating the industries of the northern cities, and making not even the slightest token effort to cushion the crushing economic blow, might not be the most humane thing for a government to do. They sat back and did absolutely nothing while whole communities were torn apart by mass unemployment and poverty!

Everyone who lived through that absolutely despises the Tory’s!!! Why do you think that the northern cities return not a single Tory MP. Not one!!! I’ve lived in constituencies were the Tory’s poll around 4%

Is that because we’re just too thick to understand global economics? Or because we bitterly resent what was done to us by a party who just did”t care! And in a lot of cases looked like they were actively enjoying the whole thing?

Trident has nothing to do with nuclear disarmament,

Getting rid of them was a central policy of the SNP since the year dot. It was also one of the promises Labour made and u turned on. The SNP don’t want them removed from Scotland,they want them removed all together and the money spent on people. SNP are not a left leaning party… 😆 did you not suggest on the indy thread that they were pretending to be in order to stay in power?

@binners I don’t think anyone is saying the SNP are not legitimate

Have you not been paying attention? Thats exactly what they’re saying. They’re preparing the ground to say that a minority labour government, supported on whatever basis by the SNP, is not democratically legitimate. And if that comes to pass, which it looks like it well might, then the Tory press will be screaming blue murder that this is the case

To be fair, that’s not the same thing as you’re claiming regardless that it’s clearly scaremongering.

EDIT – actually on reflection it’s semantics really I suppose. Either way, as I’ve said before, the nasty party are playing nasty politics but probably tactically it’s the right thing for them…

jambalaya – Member

@binners I don’t think anyone is saying the SNP are not legitimate

Except for David Cameron, who says that “these people” aren’t allowed in the government of “his country”. And Theresa May who says “It would raise difficult questions about legitimacy.” And Nick Clegg. And the Telegraph. And the Mail.

Milliband will be a puppet to Salmond and Sturgeon

In just the same way that Dave was Nicks puppet ?

The SNP are NOT a left leaning party IMO

I cannot wait to see how you maintain this 100% record in light of that comment.