UK general election May 2015

[oldbadger]

I think Boris would make a good U-kipper, "We will fight them on the beaches and not let any in...."

"Never have so many laughed at so few..."

If Boris came over to UKIP the media would go wild.
And that nice Mr Farage would have a very good week.

Not long now. How many seats do you think We-kippers will get?
I still stick with 10-20

 

[Altfish]

How many seats do you think We-kippers will get?
I still stick with 10-20

If you think that, I'd hurry off down to the bookies and get all the money you have on it.
The best the bookies are predicting is 5; the polls are saying 1 or 2.

 

[Yerda]

If you think that, I'd hurry off down to the bookies and get all the money you have on it.
The best the bookies are predicting is 5; the polls are saying 1 or 2.

If they don't get the shop in order soon they won't win a single seat. Every other day some UKIP counciller, MEP, or prospective MP is caught out cheating the taxpayer or being frankly racist. It's embarrassing.

Do you think Farage will stick to his claim that he'll resign as party leader should he fail to win South Thanet?

 

[philbo]

Do you think Farage will stick to his claim that he'll resign as party leader should he fail to win South Thanet?

Not sure he'll have a huge amount of choice in the matter if Carswell holds his seat. UKIP with him at the helm would be a very different beast indeed: a whole load more credible, but I'm not sure whether they'll be more electable.

 

[Altfish]

The Independent is starting to do a hatchet job on UKIP...

Ukip economic policy: Spend £38bn every year on defence but quit the EU, axe foreign aid, scrap HS2 and slash Scottish spending- General Election 2015 - UK Politics - The Independent

 

[Ultimatum]

Sorry, I'm getting very mixed signals..

So forget this "being not like the others" message, UKIP are fundamentally just like all the others but with a few different policies?

Few different policies? I beg to differ.
UKIP have a totally different attitude to how this country should be run when comparing their ambitions with the likes of the Conservatives and Labour, who are in favour of allowing abroad institutions conduct our legislation.

Ah, such sweet naiveté.. you really think that people think like that?

Using logic, mostly, yes. I would rather a boring, sloppy PM that passed populist policy than an excited, dramatic PM that did nothing.

Why then do politicians get forced out of office for personal peccadillos? If policy is all that matters, why has a single MP (or councillor) ever resigned?

If one breaks the law, no matter what position they hold, it is then that we should shame and prosecute them. I have no interest in having politicians holding office that have broken the law.
Those that have used dodgy action to further their own personal interests should be considered only on an individual basis.

But I suppose if people only care about policy, then that must make it fine to have corrupt sleazeballs like Hamilton on board, providing they're on-message policy-wise. Hold on a sec.. haven't we been over this before?

I had earlier said that I didn't approve of Hamilton being a part of UKIP infrastructure. However, neutrally, if Hamilton has done nothing illegal, then he has a right to stay.
My God, if we were to kick out every politician who, not illegally, had done something to further personal interests, we would run out of politicians!

 

[Ultimatum]

The Independent is starting to do a hatchet job on UKIP...

Ukip economic policy: Spend £38bn every year on defence but quit the EU, axe foreign aid, scrap HS2 and slash Scottish spending- General Election 2015 - UK Politics - The Independent

What's the hatchet job here? Negative vibes are all I'm getting from the article.

Also, I wonder why the Independent disabled comments on this article?

 

[oldbadger]

If you think that, I'd hurry off down to the bookies and get all the money you have on it.
The best the bookies are predicting is 5; the polls are saying 1 or 2.

Where are they polling? Frigging Belfast?
Nearly every person I speak with around here (Herne Bay = Thanet West) is a Ukipper. Honestly.

 

[Ultimatum]

The Farage family got mobbed by a group whilst out for a family dinner.
And he's supposed to be the bigot...

 

[Yerda]

The Farage family got mobbed by a group whilst out for a family dinner.
And he's supposed to be the bigot...

That was low. Family should be respected.

It's the party that are bigots, though.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

Nearly every person I speak with around here (Herne Bay = Thanet West) is a Ukipper. Honestly.

So Herne Bay is a nest of U-kippers and heretics? I think we need the Witchfinder General down there!

 

[philbo]

Few different policies? I beg to differ.
UKIP have a totally different attitude to how this country should be run when comparing their ambitions with the likes of the Conservatives and Labour, who are in favour of allowing abroad institutions conduct our legislation.

Except they don't "allow abroad institutions conduct our legislation" [sic]. If you're still harbouring the delusion that the EU has a hand in 75% of our legislation, you really need to learn to think.

Using logic, mostly, yes. I would rather a boring, sloppy PM that passed populist policy than an excited, dramatic PM that did nothing.

Still rather touchingly naive that you think logic has anything whatsoever to do with voting: over the years I've canvassed hundreds of voters and the number who show even the tiniest leanings towards some kind of logical thought when choosing where to place their cross could probably be counted on the fingers of one hand. Most of the time if they married the policies they profess to want against the parties standing, they'd actually vote for a different party.

I would rather have an intelligent PM leading a government of intelligent MPs who actually had some kind of hope of producing policies which resulted in the effects they desired: a thick populist is a great way to screw up a country economically, socially, pretty much in every way. The Greek government for many years had very popular policies: not collecting tax was very popular indeed - populism does not make for good policy. After all, more than half the electorate are of average intelligence or below..

I had earlier said that I didn't approve of Hamilton being a part of UKIP infrastructure. However, neutrally, if Hamilton has done nothing illegal, then he has a right to stay.
My God, if we were to kick out every politician who, not illegally, had done something to further personal interests, we would run out of politicians!

Maybe that's exactly what we should be doing: actually enforcing the rules. Most MPs aren't as venal as they're made out to be, and we really ought to get rid of the ones who are. Unfortunately voters obviously don't think this way: they have re-elected some of the worst proven liars & expenses fiddlers (not to mention electing the staggeringly stupid all the wy to bat**** crazy).* These people then use the fact of their re-election as validation that what they did couldn't have been *that* bad. Hamilton is the only MP that I can think of who was voted out because of what he did, and it took a nationally recognized and respected figure to unseat him on an "anti-corruption" ticket.


*Getting the EU to decide on even more of our laws doesn't seem like such a bad thing when you look at it that way.

 

[Ultimatum]

It's the party that are bigots, though.

Bigot - "a person who is utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief, or opinion."

Actually, the party tends to be fairly populist.
I was simply pointing out that the mobsters, with helmsman Daniel Glass, are exactly what they accuse UKIP of.

 

[oldbadger]

So Herne Bay is a nest of U-kippers and heretics? I think we need the Witchfinder General down there!

Yep!
South East Londoners mostly, who took advantage of that nice Mrs Thatcher's kind offer, buying their homes at half price or less, then, eventually, selling up and coming down here, rich as Lords.

And the Witchfinder General almost certainly already lives down here. Corrupt lot, them Witchfinders. Once they've found a witch they usually do a deal with 'em........ weekly massages...... Oh, I can't carry on... you Suffolk folk have led such sheltered lives..............

 

[philbo]

Bigot - "a person who is utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief, or opinion."

Actually, the party tends to be fairly populist.
I was simply pointing out that the mobsters, with helmsman Daniel Glass, are exactly what they accuse UKIP of.

Populism does not preclude bigotry (and can make things far worse: if a majority in a populist group hold bigoted opinions, policy will beocme bigoted, as will the whole group)

Though what the demonstrators did was wrong, stupid and self-defeating.

 

[Ultimatum]

Except they don't "allow abroad institutions conduct our legislation" [sic]. If you're still harbouring the delusion that the EU has a hand in 75% of our legislation, you really need to learn to think.

As I have said before, the German Federal Justice Ministry concluded that 84% of the country's legislation came from the EU.
All you have been able to quote is a Common's Library note that doesn't include EU regulations. It was also headed by the UK Government--who are in favour of EU membership.
Certainly, most (+50%) of our legislation comes from the EU. You are kidding yourself and others if you honestly think that the 9% quoted in the note is representational.

 

[Ultimatum]

Populism does not preclude bigotry (and can make things far worse: if a majority in a populist group hold bigoted opinions, policy will beocme bigoted, as will the whole group).

No political philosophy precludes bigotry.
However, populism--which, incidentally, can be quite a democratic form of philosophy--certainly aids to the prevention of bigotry.
But I do agree in that a heavy populist philosophy can be ruinous--everything in good moderation.

 

[philbo]

No political philosophy precludes bigotry.
However, populism--which, incidentally, can be quite a democratic form of philosophy--certainly aids to the prevention of bigotry.
But I do agree in that a heavy populist philosophy can be ruinous--everything in good moderation.

Under some conditions it can aid the prevention of bigotry; under others it will aid its influence: it all depends on the people. It certainly isn't a protection against.

 

[Altfish]

Latest polls are showing...

Conservatives 283 (286) -3
Labour 280 (276) +4
SNP 38 (39) -1
Liberal Democrats 26 (26) n/c
all the rest are no change
DUP 8
SDLP 3
Plaid Cymru 2
UKIP 1
Greens 1
Other 8

Source...

ElectionForecast.co.uk

 

[Altfish]

Latest polls are showing...

Conservatives 285
Labour 279
SNP 37
Liberal Democrats 26
DUP 8
SDLP 3
Plaid Cymru 2
UKIP 1
Greens 1
Other 8

Source...

ElectionForecast.co.uk