Election Campaign

Why does THM hate the SNP so much and spends hours berating them on here(not that it will have any affect on the Scottish voters),seems he reserves even more bile for them than Labour.
Is there a hidden agenda,or is there something I have missed/or something we should be told?
ernie is far more even handed with his criticisms of all the players.

IIRC its because he is neutral and above party politics 😉

He claims they are worse [ lying/decitful/manipulative ] than the others for reasons I am sure he will be delighted to explain

I am sure he will be delighted to explain

Please no. The independence thread was quite long enough. Just look at that.

Don’t worry OB, no intention. 😉

more comedy gold from Jim Murphy just making up new words. #LeadersDebate

Why not allow education to price itself properly in the first place.

How do we do that, AAMOI ?

Northwind very interesting reading your posts on education. One point to pick up on though are the Tory reforms to granting visas, we had far too many students using higher education visas to come here for work never attending their Uni or not competing their course but remaining in the UK. You are right that some Unis became heavily reliant upon them but the flow needed to be addressed.

bencooper – Member

Greenock, today:

Bloke on the right is a member of Combat 18 with a violent history, just to put the wee lassie’s bravery in context.

Brave wee lassie. Freedooommm!

jambalaya – Member

we had far too many students using higher education visas to come here for work never attending their Uni or not competing their course but remaining in the UK

That’s not connected at all. These are measures targeting all students, not just those abusing the system, and none of them affect visa abuse or overstaying in the slightest. In fact most of them have more impact on genuine students. Seriously, look over the points I made and tell me which ones you think counter that issue.

Meanwhile, the procedures in place to deal with visa abuse, which are totally separate, are actually pretty effective when used and monitored. The Home Office struggles with them, because they’re underfunded, demoralised and their procedures change every time the wind does but they do what they can. Which is why you saw tier 4 licences suspended (another one of these quite recently), highly trusted statuses withdrawn as with London Met, and why there’s a load of measures in place to ensure attendance and to monitor universities. Which are all a pain in the arse but they do serve a purpose.

London Met is a joke of a Uni. Its really nearer to a college in quality. The very few grant applications we got from them when I was at the Research Councils were laughable. It’s a shame a rubbish Uni made a mess of visas and impacted the rest.

One point to pick up on though are the Tory reforms to granting visas, we had far too many students using higher education visas to come here for work never attending their Uni or not competing their course but remaining in the UK. You are right that some Unis became heavily reliant upon them but the flow needed to be addressed.

I fully agree that there are some establishments (and fake unis and colleges iirc?) that do this a lot. There should be stricter controls and checks on the establishments rather than the universities as far as I could tell the rules were either making it very difficult for highly talented students to study here or pushing them away entirely.

Catching up on the news. More abusive and unpleasant behaviour in Scotland from those wearing the Saltire shown on the BBC. Laughed out loud on the newspaper reviews on SKY when they pointed out austerity was indeed over in Scotland as Nicola Sturgeon is now flying around in a personalised helicopter 😀

More abusive and unpleasant behaviour in Scotland from those wearing the Saltire shown on the BBC.

that’s just the BBC being down on the Nats as an independent Scotland will see the end of the BBC’s cosy world, probably Labour Party supporters dressed up to cause trouble 😉

Catching up on the news. More abusive and unpleasant behaviour in Scotland from those wearing the Saltire shown on the BBC. Laughed out loud on the newspaper reviews on SKY when they pointed out austerity was indeed over in Scotland as Nicola Sturgeon is now flying around in a personalised helicopter

Funny how they didn’t cover the female SNP supporter (from Leicester, actually) who was attacked by unionist thugs in Paisley so badly that she needed stitches. Oh well, par for the course really.

The helicopter. Critics love going on about that. However we live in a country with no motorways north of Perth, and not many railway lines either. There are only so many ways to get about Scotland quickly, and it’s not like it was paid for by the taxpayer.

However we live in a country with no motorways north of Perth, and not many railway lines either.

God that sounds awful. Hasn’t it been fully colonised yet ?

ernie_lynch – Member
However we live in a country with no motorways north of Perth, and not many railway lines either.
God that sounds awful. Hasn’t it been fully colonised yet ?

POSTED 4 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST

They keep trying,but the bally natives are increasingly restless old chap.

Jam have you tried Fox news ?
IMHO you will just love its news coverage

Morning JY, I watch a broad variety, Vice News is my current favourite. You can hardly hold the BBC up to bias when you have obnoxious SOBs simply intent on distrupting someone’s canvassing.

Ben the helicopter has a large picture of Sturgeon emblazoned on it. I cannot recall ever seeing such a thing anywhere else, not in the UK or the US even where politics is focused on the individual. With all the violence it’s not surprising the Romans built a wall.

@jambalaya you are nigel farage. Keep the fiver.

Ben the helicopter has a large picture of Sturgeon emblazoned on it. I cannot recall ever seeing such a thing anywhere else, not in the UK or the US even where politics is focused on the individual. With all the violence it’s not surprising the Romans built a wall.

I know it’s a strange thing in this country, to have a politician who people actually like. Other leaders like to flit in and out unnoticed apart from the pre-arranged press, holding closed events in empty warehouses or private meetings. The SNP would be mad not to make the most of Nicola’s popularity.

Is this unpleasantness (on all sides) something new in Scottish politics or has it always been there?
It is markedly different to around here that’s for sure, it feels more like a local council election rather than the most closely balanced General Election in memory.

Is this unpleasantness (on all sides) something new in Scottish politics or has it always been there?

There’s no real unpleasantness. Just as before the Referendum, the media report a bit of heckling as a riot.

Well, you mentioned someone getting assaulted, that’s pretty unpleasant.

Anyone need their ball back?

jambas, shin pads in the post 😉 (had you in mind with your reign experience yesterday!!)

Yes, there’s a new trend for the sectarian knuckle-draggers to latch onto political things – that is different, it’s true. The Orange Order were strong No campainers.

However I don’t think it’s right to extrapolate this to a wider thing about Scottish society.

Didn’t mention anything about wider Scottish society, I asked if the unpleasantness around politics is a new thing.
It is pretty rare in England outside of extremist groups like BNP etc.

I think the SNP move to the left, combined with the collapse of the Old Firm derby, means that in Glasgow at least we are seeing the knuckle headed idiots using the SNP and everything around it as a cause to jump on.

Dragon has it spot on.

muddydwarf – Member
Didn’t mention anything about wider Scottish society, I asked if the unpleasantness around politics is a new thing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_George_Square

There’s no real unpleasantness. Just as before the Referendum, the media report a bit of heckling as a riot.

Clearly you have a higher threshold for abuse than I do. The media reported it for what it was and I made my own mind up from watching the video.

Is it right to extrapolate this to wider Scottish society ? What ever the answer it certainly reinforces the steriotypes.

On the helicopter the SNP are normally pretty smart at managing their publicity, this seems a real own goal in particular with the cult status graphics. As for popularity Cameron, Miliband and Farage all have far far more supporters than does Ms Sturgeon. Big fish small pond.

@ernie, a throwback to a post you made a few days ago about the Conservatives taking it out (or similar such words) on societies most vulnerable.

Under the Tory government Welfare spending has been pretty consistent at £110bn, that’s £550bn over the life of the parliament, half a trillion pounds 😯 Thats the same amount Labour where spending in 2009 and substantially more than the £80bn Labour where spending after 8 years in government in 2006

UK Public Spending Link

It’s a similar story on the NHS with Tories spending more year on year than Labour did. Curious Labour is focusing it’s campaign on the NHS when the Tory spending increase is £8bn vs £2.5bn from Labour. Tories will kill the NHS spending £140bn whilst Labour will be saviour spending £134.5bn

The helecopter is paid for by the Weirs,the same euromillion winning couple who put nearly a million pounds into the indy campaign.But yeah,it isn’t a good look.I’m not sure about the personality cult bit;that all sounds a bit THM and “dear leader” But maybe that is what the right are calling politicians from other parties now.Folk up here don’t really see it as such.

A good article on why you shouldn’t vote for Ed as he is an economic idiot:

Ed and incentives[/url]

Same blog has an interesting piece on how without inflation any debt currently taking out by whatever UK government will need to be paid back in full rather, than being inflated away, which hasn’t previously happened in recent times.

@duckman, it’s the personal photos on the side that really tip it over the edge for me.

@dragon, indeed re inflation and debt, the “right amount” has always been understood to be a good thing hence the BoE having an inflation target. In truth no government is ever intending to pay back the national debt, it’s about keeping it at a sustainable level. There is no doubt our is not at a sustainable level and needs to be brought under control, it’s still growing due to our substantial deficit. As/when interest rates return to a more normal level the interest burden is going to be very painful.

Clegg has impled hed be willing to go into coalition with Labour now
LabDem coalition?

Clegg wants power. He will do a deal with however offers it to him. Not necessarily a bad thing. Despite Vince’s best efforts, the coalition has achieved a reasonable amount in very challenging circumstances. He deserves some credit for that.

Ben the helicopter has a large picture of Sturgeon emblazoned on it. I cannot recall ever seeing such a thing anywhere else, not in the UK or the US even where politics is focused on the individual. With all the violence it’s not surprising the Romans built a wall.

Worth a read: https://opendemocracy.net/ourkingdom/oliver-huitson/press-campaign-so-far-‘coup’-gathers-pace/feed

“From around April 12th onwards, the new villain was Nicola Sturgeon, the “poisoned dwarf” as the Sun called her, the “most dangerous woman in Britain”. The message runs essentially as follows: Sturgeon will dominate a weak Miliband in a coalition, the SNP will destroy the country. It’s “the worst constitutional crisis since the abdication”, ran the Mail’s front page. This strategy doesn’t target anyone except UKIP voters and the odd swing voter; unless you vote Tory the country will be destroyed.”

I have no issue with raising issues with politician’s failings (in fact more issues with them being hidden in the case of men like Lord Brittan), but smearing and name-calling say more about the slanderer than the person it’s directed at.

I think the SNP move to the left, combined with the collapse of the Old Firm derby, means that in Glasgow at least we are seeing the knuckle headed idiots using the SNP and everything around it as a cause to jump on.

So the SNP and the BNP are starting to become better aligned? 😉

Seems to be either a bit of a damp squib around here, only noticed 2 yellow banners. I wonder if this is as a consequence of all the vandalism during the devo farce that the others have decided not to waste their money campaigning, putting up posters & banners or are they all broke!!
Or are they just giving up to the inevitable(according to the polls)?
Had 1 leaflet through the door, 2 letters and MrsT was in when the MP came’a knocking.
As a Scot Gov employee who has had no wage rise for a few years, an increase in Nat Ins, decrease in pension, raised retirement age and a ban on recruitment I’m not sure what way she’ll be voting, maybe with her feet!!

Clegg or more to the point, the Lib Dems desperately need power. Having been so naive and passive in coalition, they need to get into government again and show that that won’t happen again and that they can actually achieve something.

If they sit on the margins, people will just remember what happened this time round and it’ll take a long time to build trust.

Or of course, they could get power again, prove to be equally ineffective and completely kill off their vote…