Election Campaign

Just asking.

I was taking the piss Woppit. 22% of people think Tony Blair should be put on trial for war crimes, despite Z-11 wanting to put a tenner on Tony Blair winning a landslide for Labour next week it’s clear that Blair is toxic for Labour. I assume that Z-11 is loaded and is perfectly happy to lose a tenner.

And Miliband obviously believes that there is no chance that Labour would sack him and replace him with someone who was prepared to do deals if this allowed Labour to implement some of these “vital” policies. He knows that the Leader’s grip on power is total.

If I’m right in that labour prefer not to try to form a minority govt with SNP support with an eye on the long game, then this is the main remaining question. Unless he’s completely selfless and is putting the party before his own ambitions (which would probably be a first), he must be pretty confident of still remaining leader after the election even if he loses. I can see the sense in this, labour can sit back, continue in opposition and watch the tories tear themselves apart in the aftermath of another failure to win.

The only way the SNP have power is if they are willing to vote with the Tories.

Or they offer to pull a sickie on the day: it’s called abstaining. Equally the SNP could call for a vote critical of the Tories. Which way do Labour vote?

Ernie, I think that the fact that labour was re-elected with Blair as leader despite Iraq proves you are wrong

You said Tory lite was not popular

Tony’s ‘Tory lite’ approach was not just popular, it was stinkingly and overwhelmingly landslide election winning popular

It was only when new labour went on the retreat and good-old-bad-old-old labour came out again that it all went wrong for them

If ‘opposition to the Tories’ really was popular, then Labour should be romping home now, it isn’t enough on its own now, nor was it in 79, 83, 87, 92 or 2010 – the lesson is that Labour only actually win when they commit 100% to Tory-lite, as new labour did.

Equally the SNP could call for a vote critical of the Tories

How? They don’t run government business and don’t have opposition day.

To vote down anything Labour do, the SNP will have to vote with the Tories, that is not a good look

Not necessarily as currently polling is indicating that the Tories may have more seats than Labour – which might mean that all the SNP have to do is abstain (depending on how the minor parties then vote).

Ernie, I think that the fact that labour was re-elected with Blair as leader despite Iraq proves you are wrong

I think it proves just how unpopular the Tories were.

Where traditional Labour voters feel there is a credible alternative to Tory-lite Labour, such as in Scotland, then they desert Tory-lite Labour.

The extent of the SNPs landslide victory in Scotland will have nothing to do with independence, it will be directly linked to anti-Tory and anti-Tory-lite widespread popular sentiment.

The Tories haven’t won a majority for over 20 years, they won’t win one next week. Tory policies are not very popular.

Not necessarily as currently polling is indicating that the Tories may have more seats than Labour – which might mean that all the SNP have to do is abstain (depending on how the minor parties then vote).

Then Labour give the LibDems a concession and get their votes, should be sufficient, if it isn’t Labour won’t be in government.

Look at it strategically, if Labour are going to recover in Scotland they have to defeat “Vote SNP and get the best of both worlds”. How do they do that? By making the SNP irrelevant in Westminster by not pandering to them.

mefty – Private Member’s (giggles) Bill? If fifty of them call for the same thing, what will the Speaker do? Especially if it’s still Mr B.

So which Party Leader has impressed you the most?

For me its been Ruth Davidson and Leanne Woods (Scots Tory & Plaid Cymru). Not that I agree with Ms Davidsons policies but she comes across as sane, personable and someone I could sit down with. The tories could do a lot worse than elect her national party leader – not that it will happen of course.

It’s quite amusing to think that come next Friday there might be the interesting scenario of the tories not being able to form a government, and the labour party not wanting to. So what happens then?

mefty – Private Member’s (giggles) Bill? If fifty of them call for the same thing, what will the Speaker do? Especially if it’s still Mr B.

They have to win the ballot and it can be talked out and to be frank to what purpose, we know they are not big fans of the Tories.

Scots Tories; it’s a shame that Murdo Fraser didn’t get the job of leader. I think his heart was in the right place when he identified that they really needed to make a fundamental change and break away from Westminster control ( he was even considering a name change). Ruth Davidson is still in react mode. What happened to her famous “line in the sand” over devolution?

I’m hoping we end up like Belgium did a few years back, where there was electoral stalemate, and nobody can form a government. That’d be lovely.

It’s quite amusing to think that come next Friday there might be the interesting scenario of the tories not being able to form a government, and the labour party not wanting to. So what happens then?

It seems to me that the power vacuum would provide the perfect opportunity for armed insurrection.

t’s quite amusing to think that come next Friday there might be the interesting scenario of the tories not being able to form a government, and the labour party not wanting to. So what happens then?

The leader of the third largest party gets a chance and both lots of Tories vote against?

That’d be lovely.

The thought of senior civil servants having free reign to line the pockets of themselves and their mates doesn’t fill me with much confidence. Not that politicians stop that from happening anyway, but it would be even more open season in the brown-envelope-have-a-non-exec-directorship stakes.

Wouldn’t the queen just takeover? Imagine that!

Ed would rather have Tories in power than co-operate with the SNP, who to my mind are close to True Labour. The first of the unions has broken ranks to say so.

Let’s judge whether SNP are really true Labour actually do in Holyrood rather they what they say in a general election, yes ?

The SNP are free to increase taxes in Scotland, let’s see whether they introduce a 50p tax band. Let’s see how successful or not their stamp duty changes are. They are free to rebalance their budget to increase spending on the NHS and welfare too.

The SNP are free to increase taxes in Scotland

Unless there was a change in the law while I was asleep I don’t think they are.

@ernie – yes they have control over personal taxation they just can’t change the personal allowance (from recollection). They have had these powers for a while (since 1998 I just read) plus they will have more powers as a result of the “vow”

I believe that Dave gets to remain in charge until a new government can be formed.

Not to introduce a 50p tax band. It’s beyond the powers of the variable rate.

@ernie under the “vow” they can is my understanding and right now they could make the top rate 48 (45+3) which plus the 2p NI makes 50 vs current 47 (45+2)

They won’t do this not change the basic rates as jobs will move South of the border or companies will change the way they pay people. Which is a microcosm of what happens if the wider UK rates are changed.

Variation of income tax

The Scottish Parliament will have more powers to vary rates of income tax. Currently Scotland has power over 3%. The Scotland Act extends this to 10%.

No Scottish government has varied the income tax rate. The Parliament can only increase all the rates simultaneously or reduce all the rates simultaneously. This provides very little flexibility since the number of rates, the banding of them, and eligibility remain wholly UK responsibilities. Scotland also has no control over the tax thresholds.

For instance: the basic rate of income tax is 20%. The higher rate is 40%. The additional rate is 45%.

When the Scotland Act comes into effect in 2016, a Holyrood Government could choose to reduce the rates to 10%, 30% and 35%, or they could increase them to 30%, 50% and 55%. All three rates would have to move in tandem.

The Personal Allowance defines how much income you can earn before paying income tax. The tax threshold is £9,440 for 2013-14. This will still be controlled by Westminster.So – increasing the top rate of tax would also increase the lower rate and the tax threshold cannot be adjusted to minimise the impact on the lower paid.

Labour’s Debate Me! Debate Me! One to One! Hell Yes! is going to be the next PM after being pushed to become a hypocrite by party members because they all want to be in power.

The red army will march in and you lot will now truly be probed in uranus.

Then I shall have my “I told you so …” but as usual the die hard red army will insist on being right and keep marching the nation to their doom.

The Union will be split under the Labour and with their usual hypocritical stance they insist that the world has changed and they are merely part of the change.

Then we have centuries of Labour in power, red army playing their tricks, and we all die after that.

There will erect a Neil Kinnock statue in place of Winston Churchill and Debate Me! will insist on having a statue of himself in all counties.

The End.

😆

You really are very tiresome.

Lifer – Member

You really are very tiresome.

You have agreed then?

Does that mean that I am right that Ed Milliband and Labour will be in power?

😆

You really are very tiresome.

I am amazed anyone reads what he writes only poster I just skim over when I see the name.

.

D Tel now says that Ed will work with the SNP.

What will tomorrow bring?

slowoldgit – Member

What will tomorrow bring?

Saturday.

slowoldgit – Member

D Tel now says that Ed will work with the SNP.

Oooohh … See! See! 😯

What will tomorrow bring?

The beginning of the countdown clock to the impending red army march.

😯

At 33/1 on paddy power for a labour/Tory coalition im starting to wonder if its worth putting a tenner on it…..

At 33/1 on paddy power for a labour/Tory coalition im starting to wonder if its worth putting a tenner on it…..

Do they also give odds on Hell freezing over?

At 33/1 on paddy power for a labour/Tory coalition im starting to wonder if its worth putting a tenner on it….

Two words: Ed Balls.

Pigs will fly before he will ever get into bed with the tories.

Could you imagine how quickly Scotland would claim independence if that were to happen.

Do they also give odds on Hell freezing over?

That’s what I always thought, but with the rise of the SNP I’m not so sure anymore as both parties may decide to work together to keep the SNP out

The Union will be split under the Labour and with their usual hypocritical stance they insist that the world has changed and they are merely part of the change.

Because no other political party is ever hypocritical. Ever.

It’d be like denouncing Europe, denouncing European workers and then marrying and employing a German. It would just be daft. 😛

dazh – Member

At 33/1 on paddy power for a labour/Tory coalition im starting to wonder if its worth putting a tenner on it….

Two words: Ed Balls.

Pigs will fly before he will ever get into bed with the tories. [/quote]

He will do anything in exchange for power and a taste of the sweet smell of top govt position. He is will definitely conjure something for that.

Pimpmaster Jazz – Member
Because no other political party is ever hypocritical. Ever.

At this moment the fishy smell comes from the red army …

It’d be like denouncing Europe, denouncing European workers and then marrying and employing a German. It would just be daft.

What is it with the red that always wanted to emulate the centralised Politburo administration with open free for all mega state?

He married a German so what? Is marrying someone an issue now?

He will do anything in exchange for power and a taste of the sweet smell of top govt position.

Well considering that it’s well reported that he was the person who torpedoed talks between labour and the libdems last time round the facts would suggest otherwise.