UK General Election 2015

[arbboy]

The Scottish yes/no thread provided such great debate and it's less than a year til the GE.  This week is the start of the Autumn conference season for the major political parties so it seems a perfect time to start a thread for the GE.

[AndrewT]

Predictions:

• This autumn Cameron ousted by Tory rebellion

• George Osbourne elected leader

• Ed Milliband and half of Shadow Cabinet promptly die laughing

• Osbourne removed as Tory leader and replaced by the corpse of Maggie Thatcher, operated as a marionette by Boris Johnson

• Gordon Brown returns as Labour leader after defeating Ed Balls in MMA cage match at Wembley Stadium

• Leader's debates in GE campaign descend into farce as participants fling faeces at each other and David Dimbleby

• In ensuing chaos Alex Salmond leads Norwegian-backed Scottish milita south of the border and captures territory as far south as Sheffield

• Arsenal finish 4th in Premier League

[redsimon]

Predictions:

• This autumn Cameron ousted by Tory rebellion

• George Osbourne elected leader

• Ed Milliband and half of Shadow Cabinet promptly die laughing

• Osbourne removed as Tory leader and replaced by the corpse of Maggie Thatcher, operated as a marionette by Boris Johnson

• Gordon Brown returns as Labour leader after defeating Ed Balls in MMA cage match at Wembley Stadium

• Leader's debates in GE campaign descend into farce as participants fling faeces at each other and David Dimbleby

• In ensuing chaos Alex Salmond leads Norwegian-backed Scottish milita south of the border and captures territory as far south as Sheffield

• Arsenal finish 4th in Premier League

Thought this was realistic until the last point

[arbboy]

Comical scenes today when Rachel Reeves (Shadow work and pensions secretary) had no idea how much the value of the state pension was in a radio interview (similar to asking a poker pro whether a straight beats a flush) when asked yet we are supposed to trust Labour on the economy according to Messers Balls and Milliband.

All joking aside though i think this strikes a deeper point across all of the political parties of how out of touch with reality the vast majority of MP's are and why people in general don't bother to vote.

[Woodsey]

In before someone gets called racist or a PC tosser 

[AndrewT]

Comical scenes today when Rachel Reeves (Shadow work and pensions secretary) had no idea how much the value of the state pension was in a radio interview (similar to asking a poker pro whether a straight beats a flush) when asked yet we are supposed to trust Labour on the economy according to Messers Balls and Milliband.

All joking aside though i think this strikes a deeper point across all of the political parties of how out of touch with reality the vast majority of MP's are and why people in general don't bother to vote.

I noticed this yesterday as I started looking up on Wikipedia various Labour people and political commentators I'd never heard of - so many of their profiles contained 'went to such and such posh school then went to Oxford University to study Politics, Philosophy & Economics then got a job working in politics' - so few of them have any real experience of the real world that everyone else lives in. And this is Labour - the party of the working people

As much of a clown as he could be it was a relief when they started talking to John Prescott.

[arbboy]

This is going to sound sexist but it's a real issue i feel in politics at the minute and Reeves sums up the type of person benefiting from this PC nonsense of having so many women in govt.  I have no problem with having the entire cabinet and shadow cabinet being all women IF they are suitably qualified to do the job.  I just get the feeling a lot of these women are not suitably qualified for the senior roles they are being given but get them to balance all the PC bullshit (too many middle aged men in govt etc etc) to keep certain voter groups happy.

[Marky147]

In before someone Woodsey gets called a racist, or calls someone else a PC tosser 

[AndrewT]

This is going to sound sexist but it's a real issue i feel in politics at the minute and Reeves sums up the type of person benefiting from this PC nonsense of having so many women in govt.  I have no problem with having the entire cabinet and shadow cabinet being all women IF they are suitably qualified to do the job.  I just get the feeling a lot of these women are not suitably qualified for the senior roles they are being given but get them to balance all the PC bullshit (too many middle aged men in govt etc etc) to keep certain voter groups happy.

Can someone let arbboy know that Woodsey has hacked his account?

[TightEnd]

Oh good


Interesting fact, No party has ever won with Labour's current poll ratings on economy and leader.

Whilst this is interesting, the right has never been this divided in postWWII era, with UKIP polling 12-15%

How this plays out is going to be fun, particularly as Labour with 40 Scottish MPs may have a very touch general election in Scotland next year

the latest Ashcroft reveals some of the numbers behind the numbers

[Woodsey]

In before someone Woodsey gets called a racist, or calls someone else a PC tosser 

lol probably

[arbboy]

This is going to sound sexist but it's a real issue i feel in politics at the minute and Reeves sums up the type of person benefiting from this PC nonsense of having so many women in govt.  I have no problem with having the entire cabinet and shadow cabinet being all women IF they are suitably qualified to do the job.  I just get the feeling a lot of these women are not suitably qualified for the senior roles they are being given but get them to balance all the PC bullshit (too many middle aged men in govt etc etc) to keep certain voter groups happy.

Can someone let arbboy know that Woodsey has hacked his account?

All joking aside it's an issue that is very sensitive and no one really wants to discuss it.  I think Reeves' types, like you say with no real world experience, not the greatest speaker and clearly no grasp of the detail of her current role at grass roots level but fits the pretty face and box ticked education background which seems to be so standard in modern politics across all parties not just Labour.  I am not targeting any particular party here.

You have to wonder how they have been promoted to such roles so quick?

[Longines]

You have to wonder how they have been promoted to such roles so quick?

The scary, but quite possibly true, reason is she's better than the blokes.

[arbboy]

You have to wonder how they have been promoted to such roles so quick?

The scary, but quite possibly true, reason is she's better than the blokes.

I agree i think this Labour shadow cabinet is as light weight as any i can ever remember.

[Doobs]

In before someone Woodsey gets called a racist, or calls someone else a PC tosser 

lol probably

Should run a sweep on what page this happens, we could also have a competition for the most innocuous reason for calling somebody else a quisling.  Arbboy is 1/5 to be first sexist, but as he is often reminding is, 1/5 can still be value.  

Interesting on that Reeve interview the seems to be oblivious to the fact it does currently depend on contributions.  Seems inability to spend 5 minutes on research is catching.  Obviously she should know the standard state pension in her role.