The trick is to have comprehensive coverage written by people who know what they are talking about.
Last summer The Sunday Telegraph wrote on their front page about a stalking horse challenge to topple Mrs May and that many MPs were backing it.
Under the Tory rules since 1997 there's no longer an option of a stalking horse challenge, it is a simple vote of confidence.
The only online edition I subscribe to is the FT. I used to read the actual Telegraph, but tbh, if I want to read about how the EU is doomed, I don't need to pay AEP, I can just come here instead.
Think yourself lucky. Put yourself in the shoes of a Labour voting Leaver who used to rely on the Guardian and the Independent/i as their main source of news (more the latter than the former as the Guardian has too much of an agenda). Now you can't pick them up without having every piece of news reported purely through a blatantly Europhile prism.
It's got to the point where I need to take out an online subscription to the Telegraph just to get an alternative point of view. For someone on the political left, that's the equivalent of having to live for three months in a brown paper bag in a septic tank, get up at six o'clock in the morning, clean the bag, eat a crust of stale bread, go to work down mill for fourteen hours a day week in-week out. etc etc
Reading the EU threads on this site isn't much better. Almost every one is written by a Remainer, even if the comments are more balanced.
Funnily enough I agree with you about the pro-Brexit case not being made. I like my ideas to be challenged, at least on a Devil's Advocate basis. Even if I don't change my mind on the balance, I would know the downsides to my plan and am happy to accept them. However the Devil struggles to make a case for leaving the EU. People who know what they are talking about all seem to be Remainers, or sceptics of all parties. After millions of words expended, I have to accept there probably aren't any practical benefits to leaving the EU. That sucks at the intellectual level. As well as the crapitude of the whole enterprise of course.
"Compared with December 2017, manufacturing output in January 2018 was estimated to have increased by 0.1%; this was the ninth consecutive period of growth and is the first time this has occurred since records began in February 1968."
The march of the makers was somewhat delayed but seems to have started in 2017.
Fantastic trade news this morning. Good but unsurprising to see Scotland punching above its weight. Surprised to see Wales do so too (looking at export value per capita), though not yet in surplus.
Would be interested to see regional figures if they are available.
I believe Scotland`s EU exports have increased to 49% of the total. Great that there's no threat to this growing area of our trade.
By stereotype yes....but I refer you to the data on how newspaper readers voted in GE 2017 which was I think posted on here recently. From memory the FT readers split 40% Con, 39% Lab. That 39% of the readers of the FT were prepared to vote for Jeremy Corbyn absolutely astonished me and does show the extent to which the Tories are now disliked in some metropolitan business circles.
I'm not surprised. In the 1990s, the FT said 'vote Labour' and earlier had supported anti-Thatcher Tories. I've always thought of it as middle of the road/liberal/bourgeois, as near to the Guardian as the Torygraph. Historically the Guardian was more Liberal than Labour.
My only spending goes on Private Eye. The current issue has news on just two pages of
May's hypocritical conduct on the Worboys case Selmayr's attempt to turn himself from a civil servant into a politician Barnier's plan to become President of the Commission (he'd sack Selmayr) UNITE's desperate attempt to keep McCluskey in post and more.
It's invaluable. Otherwise I've been known to read most of the sites without a paywall including the Washington Post and NY Times.
You are confusing the editorial line of the FT, which has often been left of the Conservatives in the past 30 years, with how its readership vote. Despite saying "vote Labour" in 1992, a hefty 65% of FT readers voted Con in the 1992 election (source: The Times Guide to HoC 1992). In 2017 the Tories' national vote share was similar to 1992 but only 40% of FT readers voted for them. A huge swing among the metropolitan managerial class.
Think yourself lucky. Put yourself in the shoes of a Labour voting Leaver who used to rely on the Guardian and the Independent/i as their main source of news (more the latter than the former as the Guardian has too much of an agenda). Now you can't pick them up without having every piece of news reported purely through a blatantly Europhile prism.
It's got to the point where I need to take out an online subscription to the Telegraph just to get an alternative point of view. For someone on the political left, that's the equivalent of having to live for three months in a brown paper bag in a septic tank, get up at six o'clock in the morning, clean the bag, eat a crust of stale bread, go to work down mill for fourteen hours a day week in-week out. etc etc
Reading the EU threads on this site isn't much better. Almost every one is written by a Remainer, even if the comments are more balanced.
"It ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. Because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions, and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new. This coolness arises partly from fear of the opponents, who have the laws on their side, and partly from the incredulity of men, who do not readily believe in new things until they have had a long experience of them.”
Machiavelli?
The man himself.
I remember reading The Prince at University for fun and just killing myself laughing. His observations on human psychology and motivations are spot on and we haven't changed at all.
Frank Herbert also pinched this idea for the start of Dune. “A beginning is a very delicate time."
"Compared with December 2017, manufacturing output in January 2018 was estimated to have increased by 0.1%; this was the ninth consecutive period of growth and is the first time this has occurred since records began in February 1968."
The march of the makers was somewhat delayed but seems to have started in 2017.
Best thing to recently happen for the Makers was against the advice of a certain ex politician , it seems....
< Now you can't pick them up without having every piece of news reported purely through a blatantly Europhile prism.
(snip)
Reading the EU threads on this site isn't much better. Almost every one is written by a Remainer, even if the comments are more balanced.
What do you expect? The vast majority of professional people voted Remain. The Leavers on here are part of a pretty small demographic. Perhaps you should start a campaign to get fishermen, black cab drivers, steelworkers and dustbinmen to write articles for the national press....that's the only way to correct the Remain bias.
Mr. L, The Prince is great, although it's also worth reading his Discourses on Livy. As you say, there's a lot of good psychology in there, as well as political and historical thinking.
One of my favourite Machiavelli quotes is that men must be pampered or annihilated. Although he was mostly referring to powerful individuals who could be a threat, that also tallies perfectly with the folly of the Samnites at the Caudine Forks (cited explicitly in Discourses) where they had a Roman army at their mercy. An elder Samnite advised that the Romans be allowed to go free and good relations to ensue, or for them to be obliterated utterly. Instead, the Samnites humiliated the Romans by making them march under a yoke as a sign of submission. Needless to say, the Samnites lost the war.
"Compared with December 2017, manufacturing output in January 2018 was estimated to have increased by 0.1%; this was the ninth consecutive period of growth and is the first time this has occurred since records began in February 1968."
The march of the makers was somewhat delayed but seems to have started in 2017.
Year Zero appears to be 1968 for the ONS. They should insert "comparable" before "records" perhaps because I have certainly used data on manufacturing output going back to 1948.
Who of have thought captain shirt arse was just a nasty piece of work to his staff...but having a member of staff painted out of portrait really is another level of pettiness.
Mr. L, The Prince is great, although it's also worth reading his Discourses on Livy. As you say, there's a lot of good psychology in there, as well as political and historical thinking.
One of my favourite Machiavelli quotes is that men must be pampered or annihilated. Although he was mostly referring to powerful individuals who could be a threat, that also tallies perfectly with the folly of the Samnites at the Caudine Forks (cited explicitly in Discourses) where they had a Roman army at their mercy. An elder Samnite advised that the Romans be allowed to go free and good relations to ensue, or for them to be obliterated utterly. Instead, the Samnites humiliated the Romans by making them march under a yoke as a sign of submission. Needless to say, the Samnites lost the war.
That is very good advice. You don't leave wounded tigers alive.
Fantastic trade news this morning. Good but unsurprising to see Scotland punching above its weight. Surprised to see Wales do so too (looking at export value per capita), though not yet in surplus.
Would be interested to see regional figures if they are available.
I believe Scotland`s EU exports have increased to 49% of the total. Great that there's no threat to this growing area of our trade.
It's 17% as at 2016. Of course, they may have jumped by £33bn in the last year, but probably not.
Ah, you meant Scotland's total exports in 2016 including to the semi-mythical UK single market, rather than UK external exports which I thought the rest of the conversation was about. Of course if you're a leaver that thinks our bright, Brexit future lies in Bit on Brit trade action, well done you maverick.
< Now you can't pick them up without having every piece of news reported purely through a blatantly Europhile prism.
(snip)
Reading the EU threads on this site isn't much better. Almost every one is written by a Remainer, even if the comments are more balanced.
What do you expect? The vast majority of professional people voted Remain. The Leavers on here are part of a pretty small demographic. Perhaps you should start a campaign to get fishermen, black cab drivers, steelworkers and dustbinmen to write articles for the national press....that's the only way to correct the Remain bias.
I'd agree that the vast majority of City and University workers voted Remain. You'd find plenty of professional people in the provinces who voted Leave, though.
I read some European newspapers online. What is notable is that their principal (or only) sources of UK news are the BBC and The Guardian.
Yes a great point. Because they are really the only two trustworthy free online news sources the UK has. It is damaging for the centre right point of view that there is no centre right equivalent of the Guardian. The Times and FT are behind a paywall, so is the Telegraph which has become a joke anyway. The Mail is too OTT and full of trashy celeb clickbait, ditto the Express, The Sun too lowbrow.
The trick is to have comprehensive coverage written by people who know what they are talking about.
Last summer The Sunday Telegraph wrote on their front page about a stalking horse challenge to topple Mrs May and that many MPs were backing it.
Under the Tory rules since 1997 there's no longer an option of a stalking horse challenge, it is a simple vote of confidence.
The only online edition I subscribe to is the FT. I used to read the actual Telegraph, but tbh, if I want to read about how the EU is doomed, I don't need to pay AEP, I can just come here instead.
Think yourself lucky. Put yourself in the shoes of a Labour voting Leaver who used to rely on the Guardian and the Independent/i as their main source of news (more the latter than the former as the Guardian has too much of an agenda). Now you can't pick them up without having every piece of news reported purely through a blatantly Europhile prism.
It's got to the point where I need to take out an online subscription to the Telegraph just to get an alternative point of view. For someone on the political left, that's the equivalent of having to live for three months in a brown paper bag in a septic tank, get up at six o'clock in the morning, clean the bag, eat a crust of stale bread, go to work down mill for fourteen hours a day week in-week out. etc etc
Reading the EU threads on this site isn't much better. Almost every one is written by a Remainer, even if the comments are more balanced.
"It ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. Because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions, and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new. This coolness arises partly from fear of the opponents, who have the laws on their side, and partly from the incredulity of men, who do not readily believe in new things until they have had a long experience of them.”
He'd never have made it in the venture capital industry..
The survey finds the two main parties running neck-and-neck at 43 per cent for the Conservatives and 42 for Labour.
However, Sir Vince Cable’s Liberal Democrats have slumped to just six per cent on the eve of their annual spring conference this weekend.
And Ukip, which last week ousted Henry Bolton as leader, has been reduced to two per cent.
Theresa May’s ratings have risen slightly over recent weeks while Jeremy Corbyn’s have dipped.
Some 41 per cent are “satisfied” with Mrs May, which is up three points since January, while 52 per cent are dissatisfied, which is down three points.
For Mr Corbyn, 37 per cent say he is doing well, which is down a point, and 52 per cent badly, up three.
Gideon Skinner, of Ipsos MORI, said: “The two main parties continue to dominate, even though neither has been able to build a clear lead.
“Both rely on distinct blocs for their support – young people for Labour and older voters for the Conservatives, while the middle-aged are split – and so far there is little sign of much switching between the two.”
Ipsos MORI interviewed 1,012 adults across GB by telephone from March 2 to 7. Data are weighted. Details at www.ipsos-mori.com
"Compared with December 2017, manufacturing output in January 2018 was estimated to have increased by 0.1%; this was the ninth consecutive period of growth and is the first time this has occurred since records began in February 1968."
The march of the makers was somewhat delayed but seems to have started in 2017.
Year Zero appears to be 1968 for the ONS. They should insert "comparable" before "records" perhaps because I have certainly used data on manufacturing output going back to 1948.
Sad to say that things that happened in 1968 are taught in history these days rather than modern studies. And it was only yesterday too....
< Now you can't pick them up without having every piece of news reported purely through a blatantly Europhile prism.
(snip)
Reading the EU threads on this site isn't much better. Almost every one is written by a Remainer, even if the comments are more balanced.
What do you expect? The vast majority of professional people voted Remain. The Leavers on here are part of a pretty small demographic. Perhaps you should start a campaign to get fishermen, black cab drivers, steelworkers and dustbinmen to write articles for the national press....that's the only way to correct the Remain bias.
I'd agree that the vast majority of City and University workers voted Remain. You'd find plenty of professional people in the provinces who voted Leave, though.
Yes, I agree. I meant the professional demographic in which most journalists and media types reside, which includes most of the right leaning ones.
Mr. L, The Prince is great, although it's also worth reading his Discourses on Livy. As you say, there's a lot of good psychology in there, as well as political and historical thinking.
One of my favourite Machiavelli quotes is that men must be pampered or annihilated. Although he was mostly referring to powerful individuals who could be a threat, that also tallies perfectly with the folly of the Samnites at the Caudine Forks (cited explicitly in Discourses) where they had a Roman army at their mercy. An elder Samnite advised that the Romans be allowed to go free and good relations to ensue, or for them to be obliterated utterly. Instead, the Samnites humiliated the Romans by making them march under a yoke as a sign of submission. Needless to say, the Samnites lost the war.
I did read that but I don't remember it nearly as well. I will give it another go.
I read some European newspapers online. What is notable is that their principal (or only) sources of UK news are the BBC and The Guardian.
Very sound.
Perhaps the reason why they so badly misjudged the opinion of the British public regarding EU membership.
It is never 'sound' to isolate yourself from as wide a range of views as possible even if you disagree with them.
I do not in any way agree with the political position of the Guardian on most matters but think it is the best newspaper in the current crop. And of course it is always wise to know what the opposition is thinking.
Funnily enough I agree with you about the pro-Brexit case not being made. I like my ideas to be challenged, at least on a Devil's Advocate basis. Even if I don't change my mind on the balance, I would know the downsides to my plan and am happy to accept them. However the Devil struggles to make a case for leaving the EU. People who know what they are talking about all seem to be Remainers, or sceptics of all parties. After millions of words expended, I have to accept there probably aren't any practical benefits to leaving the EU. That sucks at the intellectual level. As well as the crapitude of the whole enterprise of course.
The difficulty for the pro-brexit case remains that either you have to say that brexit of any kind is fabulous, which just sounds mad, or go all in on some given flavour of brexit and run the risk that that turns out not to be what we get, whereupon you have to change horses rather publicly. The only thing which will fully vindicate Leave is if the EU goes tits up in the next 5-10 years - a non-zero possibility, and one which it should be possible to consider without silly claims about schadenfreude being made.
The survey finds the two main parties running neck-and-neck at 43 per cent for the Conservatives and 42 for Labour.
However, Sir Vince Cable’s Liberal Democrats have slumped to just six per cent on the eve of their annual spring conference this weekend.
And Ukip, which last week ousted Henry Bolton as leader, has been reduced to two per cent.
Theresa May’s ratings have risen slightly over recent weeks while Jeremy Corbyn’s have dipped.
Some 41 per cent are “satisfied” with Mrs May, which is up three points since January, while 52 per cent are dissatisfied, which is down three points.
For Mr Corbyn, 37 per cent say he is doing well, which is down a point, and 52 per cent badly, up three.
Gideon Skinner, of Ipsos MORI, said: “The two main parties continue to dominate, even though neither has been able to build a clear lead.
“Both rely on distinct blocs for their support – young people for Labour and older voters for the Conservatives, while the middle-aged are split – and so far there is little sign of much switching between the two.”
Ipsos MORI interviewed 1,012 adults across GB by telephone from March 2 to 7. Data are weighted. Details at www.ipsos-mori.com
I read some European newspapers online. What is notable is that their principal (or only) sources of UK news are the BBC and The Guardian.
Yes a great point. Because they are really the only two trustworthy free online news sources the UK has. It is damaging for the centre right point of view that there is no centre right equivalent of the Guardian. The Times and FT are behind a paywall, so is the Telegraph which has become a joke anyway. The Mail is too OTT and full of trashy celeb clickbait, ditto the Express, The Sun too lowbrow.
TBF I find the BBC website and the Guardian Politics section of their website much more interesting than the others. I ignore the clickbait articles on Comment is Free.
The survey finds the two main parties running neck-and-neck at 43 per cent for the Conservatives and 42 for Labour.
However, Sir Vince Cable’s Liberal Democrats have slumped to just six per cent on the eve of their annual spring conference this weekend.
And Ukip, which last week ousted Henry Bolton as leader, has been reduced to two per cent.
Theresa May’s ratings have risen slightly over recent weeks while Jeremy Corbyn’s have dipped.
Some 41 per cent are “satisfied” with Mrs May, which is up three points since January, while 52 per cent are dissatisfied, which is down three points.
For Mr Corbyn, 37 per cent say he is doing well, which is down a point, and 52 per cent badly, up three.
Gideon Skinner, of Ipsos MORI, said: “The two main parties continue to dominate, even though neither has been able to build a clear lead.
“Both rely on distinct blocs for their support – young people for Labour and older voters for the Conservatives, while the middle-aged are split – and so far there is little sign of much switching between the two.”
Ipsos MORI interviewed 1,012 adults across GB by telephone from March 2 to 7. Data are weighted. Details at www.ipsos-mori.com
< Now you can't pick them up without having every piece of news reported purely through a blatantly Europhile prism.
(snip)
Reading the EU threads on this site isn't much better. Almost every one is written by a Remainer, even if the comments are more balanced.
What do you expect? The vast majority of professional people voted Remain. The Leavers on here are part of a pretty small demographic. Perhaps you should start a campaign to get fishermen, black cab drivers, steelworkers and dustbinmen to write articles for the national press....that's the only way to correct the Remain bias.
The AB split was 57:43 according to Ashcroft. That's the same split as the graduate vote. I dislike semantic games, but that doesn't strike me as a 'vast majority'. It was the under 25s who were overwhelmingly Remainers.
In terms of the alleged bias, the UK (if I can anthropomorphise an entire nation) has, over the last 25 years, reached a local economic optimum. There's no economic case for Brexit, unless you wish to drill down to sectoral advantages (e.g. fishing will probably benefit). However, for every winner (yay! fishermen!) there are more losers (who'd be in UK motor manufacturing?).
What's becoming clearer is that the long term economic effects are likely to be muted. A slight diminuition in the rate of economic growth and so forth. That highlights the disadvantages of these high level macro-economic measures.
If the 2030 UK Brexit economy is (say) 24% larger rather than 26% appears to be something of a wash (linearly, it's a drag of 0.04% per quarter), I doubt very much if the UK will still be the #5 global car exporter. It's more likely that the GVA growth will continue in the SE and London, while the NE/NW become relatively poorer (plus ca change etc).
Both sides talk past each other. Not helped, of course, by inflammatory language on both sides ('xenophobes' versus 'traitors').
The survey finds the two main parties running neck-and-neck at 43 per cent for the Conservatives and 42 for Labour.
However, Sir Vince Cable’s Liberal Democrats have slumped to just six per cent on the eve of their annual spring conference this weekend.
And Ukip, which last week ousted Henry Bolton as leader, has been reduced to two per cent.
Theresa May’s ratings have risen slightly over recent weeks while Jeremy Corbyn’s have dipped.
Some 41 per cent are “satisfied” with Mrs May, which is up three points since January, while 52 per cent are dissatisfied, which is down three points.
For Mr Corbyn, 37 per cent say he is doing well, which is down a point, and 52 per cent badly, up three.
Gideon Skinner, of Ipsos MORI, said: “The two main parties continue to dominate, even though neither has been able to build a clear lead.
“Both rely on distinct blocs for their support – young people for Labour and older voters for the Conservatives, while the middle-aged are split – and so far there is little sign of much switching between the two.”
Ipsos MORI interviewed 1,012 adults across GB by telephone from March 2 to 7. Data are weighted. Details at www.ipsos-mori.com
Funnily enough I agree with you about the pro-Brexit case not being made. I like my ideas to be challenged, at least on a Devil's Advocate basis. Even if I don't change my mind on the balance, I would know the downsides to my plan and am happy to accept them. However the Devil struggles to make a case for leaving the EU. People who know what they are talking about all seem to be Remainers, or sceptics of all parties. After millions of words expended, I have to accept there probably aren't any practical benefits to leaving the EU. That sucks at the intellectual level. As well as the crapitude of the whole enterprise of course.
The difficulty for the pro-brexit case remains that either you have to say that brexit of any kind is fabulous, which just sounds mad, or go all in on some given flavour of brexit and run the risk that that turns out not to be what we get, whereupon you have to change horses rather publicly. The only thing which will fully vindicate Leave is if the EU goes tits up in the next 5-10 years - a non-zero possibility, and one which it should be possible to consider without silly claims about schadenfreude being made.
This is of course exactly right. Even our two vociferous PB Brexperts, Tyndall and Smithson Jnr, had no idea which trade deals would be allowed under the various mooted scenarios (Canada, etc).
Both (of course you will have to ask them) are absolutely sure Brexit is going to be fantastic and was the right thing to do, but neither has any idea of what it will look like, come the day.
The survey finds the two main parties running neck-and-neck at 43 per cent for the Conservatives and 42 for Labour.
However, Sir Vince Cable’s Liberal Democrats have slumped to just six per cent on the eve of their annual spring conference this weekend.
And Ukip, which last week ousted Henry Bolton as leader, has been reduced to two per cent.
Theresa May’s ratings have risen slightly over recent weeks while Jeremy Corbyn’s have dipped.
Some 41 per cent are “satisfied” with Mrs May, which is up three points since January, while 52 per cent are dissatisfied, which is down three points.
For Mr Corbyn, 37 per cent say he is doing well, which is down a point, and 52 per cent badly, up three.
Gideon Skinner, of Ipsos MORI, said: “The two main parties continue to dominate, even though neither has been able to build a clear lead.
“Both rely on distinct blocs for their support – young people for Labour and older voters for the Conservatives, while the middle-aged are split – and so far there is little sign of much switching between the two.”
Ipsos MORI interviewed 1,012 adults across GB by telephone from March 2 to 7. Data are weighted. Details at www.ipsos-mori.com
For the record, I have a very small amount of money on John Hickenlooper, who fails the "young insurgent" test, but passes the "very silly name" test.
He's won twice as Governor in a swing state, and has executive experience.
Why not?
That's the kind of profile I've been thinking could do well. I think would potentially be up against Trump who, at 74, would be seeking to be the oldest person ever elected to the office). It really is time the next generation came through.
Odds do not favour the Democrats beating Trump, he is a first time President whose party has also had only 1 term in the White House and could steamroller over a younger candidate.
In fact the last candidate to beat a 1 term President after only 4 years of his party out of the Oval Office was Reagan in 1980 who was 69 and had narrowly lost the 1976 GOP primaries to Ford who then went on to lose narrowly Carter. On that basis Sanders might be the Democrats best bet given his narrow 2016 prinary loss to Hillary and her narrow general election loss to Trump
Sanders would be a disastrous choice. He appeals to a certain demographic but it's not one you can build an election-winning strategy around. he might be able to win back votes in the Rust Belt, playing to disenchantment with the establishment but he'll not win centrist independents. He's also far too easy for Trump to label as Commie Sanders. and I'm not sure that his campaigning style is as good as some have given him credit for - granted, it's similar to Trump's in sticking to a narrow core message, and Trump's worked, but that was down to a large extent to chance.
And that 'chance' was called Hillary: a thoroughly useless campaigner with more baggage than Terminal 5, who Trump only just beat. Any half-decent Democrat ought to be able to win back the White House against a man who has regularly plumbed new depths of unpopularity. But Sanders isn't half-decent; he's a one-trick pony. He'll also be 79 come polling day in 2020.
No Sanders would not be a disastrous choice. He appeals to voters in the Upper Midwest and rustbelt where he won most of the primaries in 2016 and which Democrats have to win back to win the EC and the Presidency. It is not centrist independents on the coast the Democrats need, Hillary won the popular vote in 2016 remember, it is blue collar Democrats in the rustbelt who voted for Trump in 2016.
Biden would be the best choice for the Democrats but if not him Sanders would certainly be far better than the likes of Gilibrand, Warren, Harris and Booker. Given Trump is also in his 70s the age of Sanders and Biden in 2020 is largely irrelevant
The survey finds the two main parties running neck-and-neck at 43 per cent for the Conservatives and 42 for Labour.
However, Sir Vince Cable’s Liberal Democrats have slumped to just six per cent on the eve of their annual spring conference this weekend.
And Ukip, which last week ousted Henry Bolton as leader, has been reduced to two per cent.
Theresa May’s ratings have risen slightly over recent weeks while Jeremy Corbyn’s have dipped.
Some 41 per cent are “satisfied” with Mrs May, which is up three points since January, while 52 per cent are dissatisfied, which is down three points.
For Mr Corbyn, 37 per cent say he is doing well, which is down a point, and 52 per cent badly, up three.
Gideon Skinner, of Ipsos MORI, said: “The two main parties continue to dominate, even though neither has been able to build a clear lead.
“Both rely on distinct blocs for their support – young people for Labour and older voters for the Conservatives, while the middle-aged are split – and so far there is little sign of much switching between the two.”
Ipsos MORI interviewed 1,012 adults across GB by telephone from March 2 to 7. Data are weighted. Details at www.ipsos-mori.com
The survey finds the two main parties running neck-and-neck at 43 per cent for the Conservatives and 42 for Labour.
However, Sir Vince Cable’s Liberal Democrats have slumped to just six per cent on the eve of their annual spring conference this weekend.
And Ukip, which last week ousted Henry Bolton as leader, has been reduced to two per cent.
Theresa May’s ratings have risen slightly over recent weeks while Jeremy Corbyn’s have dipped.
Some 41 per cent are “satisfied” with Mrs May, which is up three points since January, while 52 per cent are dissatisfied, which is down three points.
For Mr Corbyn, 37 per cent say he is doing well, which is down a point, and 52 per cent badly, up three.
Gideon Skinner, of Ipsos MORI, said: “The two main parties continue to dominate, even though neither has been able to build a clear lead.
“Both rely on distinct blocs for their support – young people for Labour and older voters for the Conservatives, while the middle-aged are split – and so far there is little sign of much switching between the two.”
Ipsos MORI interviewed 1,012 adults across GB by telephone from March 2 to 7. Data are weighted. Details at www.ipsos-mori.com
For the record, I have a very small amount of money on John Hickenlooper, who fails the "young insurgent" test, but passes the "very silly name" test.
He's won twice as Governor in a swing state, and has executive experience.
Why not?
That's the kind of profile I've been thinking could do well. I think would potentially be up against Trump who, at 74, would be seeking to be the oldest person ever elected to the office). It really is time the next generation came through.
Odds do not favour the Democrats beating Trump, he is a first time President whose party has also had only 1 term in the White House and could steamroller over a younger candidate.
In fact the last candidate to beat a 1 term President after only 4 years of his party out of the Oval Office was Reagan in 1980 who was 69 and had narrowly lost the 1976 GOP primaries to Ford who then went on to lose narrowly Carter. On that basis Sanders might be the Democrats best bet given his narrow 2016 prinary loss to Hillary and her narrow general election loss to Trump
Sanders would be a disastrous choice. He appeals to a certain demographic but it's not one you can build an election-winning strategy around. he might be able to win back votes in the Rust Belt, playing to disenchantment with the establishment but he'll not win centrist independents. He's also far too easy for Trump to label as Commie Sanders. and I'm not sure that his campaigning style is as good as some have given him credit for - granted, it's similar to Trump's in sticking to a narrow core message, and Trump's worked, but that was down to a large extent to chance.
And that 'chance' was called Hillary: a thoroughly useless campaigner with more baggage than Terminal 5, who Trump only just beat. Any half-decent Democrat ought to be able to win back the White House against a man who has regularly plumbed new depths of unpopularity. But Sanders isn't half-decent; he's a one-trick pony. He'll also be 79 come polling day in 2020.
No Sanders would not be a disastrous choice. He appeals to voters in the Upper Midwest and rustbelt where he won most of the primaries in 2016 and which Democrats have to win back to win the EC and the Presidency. It is not centrist independents on the coast the Democrats need, Hillary won the popular vote in 2016 remember, it is blue collar Democrats in the rustbelt who voted for Trump in 2016.
Biden would be the best choice for the Democrats but if not him Sanders would certainly be far better than the likes of Gilibrand, Warren, Harris and Booker. Given Trump is also in his 70s the age of Sanders and Biden in 2020 is largely irrelevant
The survey finds the two main parties running neck-and-neck at 43 per cent for the Conservatives and 42 for Labour.
However, Sir Vince Cable’s Liberal Democrats have slumped to just six per cent on the eve of their annual spring conference this weekend.
And Ukip, which last week ousted Henry Bolton as leader, has been reduced to two per cent.
Theresa May’s ratings have risen slightly over recent weeks while Jeremy Corbyn’s have dipped.
Some 41 per cent are “satisfied” with Mrs May, which is up three points since January, while 52 per cent are dissatisfied, which is down three points.
For Mr Corbyn, 37 per cent say he is doing well, which is down a point, and 52 per cent badly, up three.
Gideon Skinner, of Ipsos MORI, said: “The two main parties continue to dominate, even though neither has been able to build a clear lead.
“Both rely on distinct blocs for their support – young people for Labour and older voters for the Conservatives, while the middle-aged are split – and so far there is little sign of much switching between the two.”
Ipsos MORI interviewed 1,012 adults across GB by telephone from March 2 to 7. Data are weighted. Details at www.ipsos-mori.com
The minor parties getting further squeezed by the LDs and Tories. The Tories still matching their 2017 voteshare and Labour on their highest voteshare now since 1997
For the record, I have a very small amount of money on John Hickenlooper, who fails the "young insurgent" test, but passes the "very silly name" test.
He's won twice as Governor in a swing state, and has executive experience.
Why not?
That's the kind of profile I've been thinking could do well. I think would potentially be up against Trump who, at 74, would be seeking to be the oldest person ever elected to the office). It really is time the next generation came through.
Odds do not favour the Democrats beating Trump, he is a first time President whose party has also had only 1 term in the White House and could steamroller over a younger candidate.
In fact the last candidate to beat a 1 term President after only 4 years of his party out of the Oval Office was Reagan in 1980 who was 69 and had narrowly lost the 1976 GOP primaries to Ford who then went on to lose narrowly Carter. On that basis Sanders might be the Democrats best bet given his narrow 2016 prinary loss to Hillary and her narrow general election loss to Trump
Sanders would be a disastrous choice. He appeals to a certain demographic ilar to Trump's in sticking to a narrow core message, and Trump's worked, but that was down to a large extent to chance.
And that 'chance' was called Hillary: a thoroughly useless campaigner with more baggage than Terminal 5, who Trump only just beat. Any half-decent Democrat ought to be able to win back the White House against a man who has regularly plumbed new depths of unpopularity. But Sanders isn't half-decent; he's a one-trick pony. He'll also be 79 come polling day in 2020.
No Sanders would not be a disastrous choice. He appeals to voters in the Upper Midwest and rustbelt where he won most of the primaries in 2016 and which Democrats have to win back to win the EC and the Presidency. It is not centrist independents on the coast the Democrats need, Hillary won the popular vote in 2016 remember, it is blue collar Democrats in the rustbelt who voted for Trump in 2016.
Biden would be the best choice for the Democrats but if not him Sanders would certainly be far better than the likes of Gilibrand, Warren, Harris and Booker. Given Trump is also in his 70s the age of Sanders and Biden in 2020 is largely irrelevant
Biden-Kennedy joint ticket.
Possibly, with Biden handing over to Kennedy in 2024.
However I stil think Democratic primary voters will go for either Sanders or Warren
The survey finds the two main parties running neck-and-neck at 43 per cent for the Conservatives and 42 for Labour.
However, Sir Vince Cable’s Liberal Democrats have slumped to just six per cent on the eve of their annual spring conference this weekend.
And Ukip, which last week ousted Henry Bolton as leader, has been reduced to two per cent.
Theresa May’s ratings have risen slightly over recent weeks while Jeremy Corbyn’s have dipped.
Some 41 per cent are “satisfied” with Mrs May, which is up three points since January, while 52 per cent are dissatisfied, which is down three points.
For Mr Corbyn, 37 per cent say he is doing well, which is down a point, and 52 per cent badly, up three.
Gideon Skinner, of Ipsos MORI, said: “The two main parties continue to dominate, even though neither has been able to build a clear lead.
“Both rely on distinct blocs for their support – young people for Labour and older voters for the Conservatives, while the middle-aged are split – and so far there is little sign of much switching between the two.”
Ipsos MORI interviewed 1,012 adults across GB by telephone from March 2 to 7. Data are weighted. Details at www.ipsos-mori.com
When was the last time the lib who’s manages to get any media attention? Even Britain first have had more column inches than them over the past few months!
When was the last time the lib who’s manages to get any media attention? Even Britain first have had more column inches than them over the past few months!
Tim Farron when he was tying himself in knots over gay sex.
When was the last time the lib who’s manages to get any media attention? Even Britain first have had more column inches than them over the past few months!
Tim Farron when he was tying himself in knots over gay sex.
I genuinely forget from time to time that vince cable is actually now their leader. He is totally invisible.
The survey finds the two main parties running neck-and-neck at 43 per cent for the Conservatives and 42 for Labour.
However, Sir Vince Cable’s Liberal Democrats have slumped to just six per cent on the eve of their annual spring conference this weekend.
And Ukip, which last week ousted Henry Bolton as leader, has been reduced to two per cent.
Theresa May’s ratings have risen slightly over recent weeks while Jeremy Corbyn’s have dipped.
Some 41 per cent are “satisfied” with Mrs May, which is up three points since January, while 52 per cent are dissatisfied, which is down three points.
For Mr Corbyn, 37 per cent say he is doing well, which is down a point, and 52 per cent badly, up three.
Gideon Skinner, of Ipsos MORI, said: “The two main parties continue to dominate, even though neither has been able to build a clear lead.
“Both rely on distinct blocs for their support – young people for Labour and older voters for the Conservatives, while the middle-aged are split – and so far there is little sign of much switching between the two.”
Ipsos MORI interviewed 1,012 adults across GB by telephone from March 2 to 7. Data are weighted. Details at www.ipsos-mori.com
For those who worry that Labour would introduce capital controls (Cyclefree, maybe Foxy and Southam), this may be worth a read as it explicitly rules them out:
< Now you can't pick them up without having every piece of news reported purely through a blatantly Europhile prism.
(snip)
Reading the EU threads on this site isn't much better. Almost every one is written by a Remainer, even if the comments are more balanced.
What do you expect? The vast majority of professional people voted Remain. The Leavers on here are part of a pretty small demographic. Perhaps you should start a campaign to get fishermen, black cab drivers, steelworkers and dustbinmen to write articles for the national press....that's the only way to correct the Remain bias.
The AB split was 57:43 according to Ashcroft. That's the same split as the graduate vote. I dislike semantic games, but that doesn't strike me as a 'vast majority'. It was the under 25s who were overwhelmingly Remainers.
In terms of the alleged bias, the UK (if I can anthropomorphise an entire nation) has, over the last 25 years, reached a local economic optimum. There's no economic case for Brexit, unless you wish to drill down to sectoral advantages (e.g. fishing will probably benefit). However, for every winner (yay! fishermen!) there are more losers (who'd be in UK motor manufacturing?).
What's becoming clearer is that the long term economic effects are likely to be muted. A slight diminuition in the rate of economic growth and so forth. That highlights the disadvantages of these high level macro-economic measures.
If the 2030 UK Brexit economy is (say) 24% larger rather than 26% appears to be something of a wash (linearly, it's a drag of 0.04% per quarter), I doubt very much if the UK will still be the #5 global car exporter. It's more likely that the GVA growth will continue in the SE and London, while the NE/NW become relatively poorer (plus ca change etc).
Both sides talk past each other. Not helped, of course, by inflammatory language on both sides ('xenophobes' versus 'traitors').
The consistent increase in manufacturing since the referendum does not support your thesis. And today JCB have announced that they are taking on 600 more staff to meet "unprecedented" demand (guess no one's told them that construction is in the doldrums either).
Our economy will be buffeted one way and the other by various events and decisions over the next 12 years. I do not believe myself that at the end of the period anyone will even be putting Brexit on the list of things that made a difference.
Funnily enough I agree with you about the pro-Brexit case not being made. I like my ideas to be challenged, at least on a Devil's Advocate basis. Even if I don't change my mind on the balance, I would know the downsides to my plan and am happy to accept them. However the Devil struggles to make a case for leaving the EU. People who know what they are talking about all seem to be Remainers, or sceptics of all parties. After millions of words expended, I have to accept there probably aren't any practical benefits to leaving the EU. That sucks at the intellectual level. As well as the crapitude of the whole enterprise of course.
The difficulty for the pro-brexit case remains that either you have to say that brexit of any kind is fabulous, which just sounds mad, or go all in on some given flavour of brexit and run the risk that that turns out not to be what we get, whereupon you have to change horses rather publicly. The only thing which will fully vindicate Leave is if the EU goes tits up in the next 5-10 years - a non-zero possibility, and one which it should be possible to consider without silly claims about schadenfreude being made.
Good point about the EU going tits up. A number of people, with justification, will be feeling very smug in that eventuality. A couple of issues with that line though. Firstly it probably won't happen soon (although the possibility is well above zero). Secondly the EU going tits up isn't an objectively good outcome for us. It's just that we would better off out first.
I don't think you have to say Brexit of any kind is fabulous. You just have to be somewhat informed on what is realistic given the various agendas of the parties. If the arrangement doesn't already exist in a similar form somewhere else, it's unlikely to happen.
When was the last time the lib who’s manages to get any media attention? Even Britain first have had more column inches than them over the past few months!
Layla Moran was on The Daily Politics on Tuesday campaigning for the right for boys to wear skirts at school.
Personally, I never wore a skirt until I went to university...
< Now you can't pick them up without having every piece of news reported purely through a blatantly Europhile prism.
(snip)
Reading the EU threads on this site isn't much better. Almost every one is written by a Remainer, even if the comments are more balanced.
What do you expect? The vast majority of professional people voted Remain. The Leavers on here are part of a pretty small demographic. Perhaps you should start a campaign to get fishermen, black cab drivers, steelworkers and dustbinmen to write articles for the national press....that's the only way to correct the Remain bias.
The AB split was 57:43 according to Ashcroft. That's the same split as the graduate vote. I dislike semantic games, but that doesn't strike me as a 'vast majority'. It was the under 25s who were overwhelmingly Remainers.
In terms of the alleged bias, the UK (if I can anthropomorphise an entire nation) has, over the last 25 years, reached a local economic optimum. There's no economic case for Brexit, unless you wish to drill down to sectoral advantages (e.g. fishing will probably benefit). However, for every winner (yay! fishermen!) there are more losers (who'd be in UK motor manufacturing?).
What's becoming clearer is that the long term economic effects are likely to be muted. A slight diminuition in the rate of economic growth and so forth. That highlights the disadvantages of these high level macro-economic measures.
If the 2030 UK Brexit economy is (say) 24% larger rather than 26% appears to be something of a wash (linearly, it's a drag of 0.04% per quarter), I doubt very much if the UK will still be the #5 global car exporter. It's more likely that the GVA growth will continue in the SE and London, while the NE/NW become relatively poorer (plus ca change etc).
Both sides talk past each other. Not helped, of course, by inflammatory language on both sides ('xenophobes' versus 'traitors').
I do not believe myself that at the end of the period anyone will even be putting Brexit on the list of things that made a difference.
Just as now economists are removing 'joining the EEC" as a thing that made a difference....
< Now you can't pick them up without having every piece of news reported purely through a blatantly Europhile prism.
(snip)
Reading the EU threads on this site isn't much better. Almost every one is written by a Remainer, even if the comments are more balanced.
What do you expect? The vast majority of professional people voted Remain. The Leavers on here are part of a pretty small demographic. Perhaps you should start a campaign to get fishermen, black cab drivers, steelworkers and dustbinmen to write articles for the national press....that's the only way to correct the Remain bias.
The AB split was 57:43 according to Ashcroft. That's the same split as the graduate vote. I dislike semantic games, but that doesn't strike me as a 'vast majority'. It was the under 25s who were overwhelmingly Remainers.
In terms of the alleged bias, the UK (if I can anthropomorphise an entire nation) has, over the last 25 years, reached a local economic optimum. There's no economic case for Brexit, unless you wish to drill down to sectoral advantages (e.g. fishing will probably benefit). However, for every winner (yay! fishermen!) there are more losers (who'd be in UK motor manufacturing?).
What's becoming clearer is that the long term economic effects are likely to be muted. A slight diminuition in the rate of economic growth and so forth. That highlights the disadvantages of these high level macro-economic measures.
If the 2030 UK Brexit economy is (say) 24% larger rather than 26% appears to be something of a wash (linearly, it's a drag of 0.04% per quarter), I doubt very much if the UK will still be the #5 global car exporter. It's more likely that the GVA growth will continue in the SE and London, while the NE/NW become relatively poorer (plus ca change etc).
Both sides talk past each other. Not helped, of course, by inflammatory language on both sides ('xenophobes' versus 'traitors').
The consistent increase in manufacturing since the referendum does not support your thesis. And today JCB have announced that they are taking on 600 more staff to meet "unprecedented" demand (guess no one's told them that construction is in the doldrums either).
Our economy will be buffeted one way and the other by various events and decisions over the next 12 years. I do not believe myself that at the end of the period anyone will even be putting Brexit on the list of things that made a difference.
I could have written more, but I thought I'd spare the board .
I broadly agree. Just that the shape of the UK economy will be different directly as a result of Brexit. Not necessarily better or worse, just different.
Mr. L, as I wrote in my recent review, it does suffer a little from being 1984 to The Prince's Animal Farm. Still well worth a read though (and much better than 1984).
Mr. F, precisely Machiavelli's point. If you harm someone, you should do so to such an extent they're incapable of retaliating.
Both sides talk past each other. Not helped, of course, by inflammatory language on both sides ('xenophobes' versus 'traitors').
Leavers need to come to terms with the xenophobic lies that they sheltered behind. Bleating that the language to describe them is inflammatory is a bit rich when they were happy to profit from them.
The survey finds the two main parties running neck-and-neck at 43 per cent for the Conservatives and 42 for Labour.
However, Sir Vince Cable’s Liberal Democrats have slumped to just six per cent on the eve of their annual spring conference this weekend.
And Ukip, which last week ousted Henry Bolton as leader, has been reduced to two per cent.
Theresa May’s ratings have risen slightly over recent weeks while Jeremy Corbyn’s have dipped.
Some 41 per cent are “satisfied” with Mrs May, which is up three points since January, while 52 per cent are dissatisfied, which is down three points.
For Mr Corbyn, 37 per cent say he is doing well, which is down a point, and 52 per cent badly, up three.
Gideon Skinner, of Ipsos MORI, said: “The two main parties continue to dominate, even though neither has been able to build a clear lead.
“Both rely on distinct blocs for their support – young people for Labour and older voters for the Conservatives, while the middle-aged are split – and so far there is little sign of much switching between the two.”
Ipsos MORI interviewed 1,012 adults across GB by telephone from March 2 to 7. Data are weighted. Details at www.ipsos-mori.com
When was the last time the lib who’s manages to get any media attention? Even Britain first have had more column inches than them over the past few months!
Layla Moran was on The Daily Politics on Tuesday campaigning for the right for boys to wear skirts at school.
Personally, I never wore a skirt until I went to university...
This site says that kilts were worn in Scottish schools in the 20th.C and older boys preferred them to shorts
Both sides talk past each other. Not helped, of course, by inflammatory language on both sides ('xenophobes' versus 'traitors').
Leavers need to come to terms with the xenophobic lies that they sheltered behind. Bleating that the language to describe them is inflammatory is a bit rich when they were happy to profit from them.
I don't feel the need to come to terms with anything. Well, perhaps the realisation of my inevitable mortality. Nothing else.
Both sides talk past each other. Not helped, of course, by inflammatory language on both sides ('xenophobes' versus 'traitors').
Leavers need to come to terms with the xenophobic lies that they sheltered behind. Bleating that the language to describe them is inflammatory is a bit rich when they were happy to profit from them.
I don't feel the need to come to terms with anything. Well, perhaps the realisation of my inevitable mortality. Nothing else.
Its not Leavers who're having trouble "coming to terms"....
Both sides talk past each other. Not helped, of course, by inflammatory language on both sides ('xenophobes' versus 'traitors').
Leavers need to come to terms with the xenophobic lies that they sheltered behind. Bleating that the language to describe them is inflammatory is a bit rich when they were happy to profit from them.
Both sides talk past each other. Not helped, of course, by inflammatory language on both sides ('xenophobes' versus 'traitors').
Leavers need to come to terms with the xenophobic lies that they sheltered behind. Bleating that the language to describe them is inflammatory is a bit rich when they were happy to profit from them.
I don't feel the need to come to terms with anything. Well, perhaps the realisation of my inevitable mortality. Nothing else.
Its not Leavers who're having trouble "coming to terms"....
I always enjoy the irony of Mr Meeks bleating about 'bleating'. A small and petty pleasure, perhaps.
FWIW on average and subject to electing a Corbyn led government , I expect the UK to outperform the EZ over the next 12 years. The reasons I would give are:
1. Demographics. Our very high level of immigration may have caused a number of issues but it has undoubtedly made us a "young" country compared to the EU average with a growing population. 2. Services, including software, will continue to form an ever larger part of the world economy. Although the US has a clear lead in this we are pretty close to second. 3. London. London has critical mass and a dynamism that nowhere else in Europe gets close to. I expect it to continue to grow quickly and drag up our overall average. 4. The internet is dominated by English. This means that even the less skilled of our workforce have a competitive advantage compared with similarly skilled individuals in Europe. As the internet forms a larger part of the economy this should help. 5. Slightly more contentiously, I think that the work that needs to be done to properly integrate the EZ will prove a drag on growth within it with some problems, such as Italy and Greece, proving very resistant to treatment.
It may well be pointed out that all of these factors would have applied if we had opted to remain and that may well be right. I am not expecting any economic dividend from Brexit just as I am not expecting any material deficit. If our politicians can fix some of our problems in education, infrastructure, housing, savings etc we might do better still but that is probably asking too much of our very limited political class.
When was the last time the lib who’s manages to get any media attention? Even Britain first have had more column inches than them over the past few months!
Tim Farron when he was tying himself in knots over gay sex.
I genuinely forget from time to time that vince cable is actually now their leader. He is totally invisible.
I was thinking exactly the same. Have any polls been done to the effect of 'who is the leader of paty x, y, z'? My hunch is that far fewer people know Vince Cable is in charge than knew it was Tim Farron. Even I don't know who's currently nominally in charge of UKIP, or, indeed, the Green Party, come to that.
For the record, I have a very small amount of money on John Hickenlooper, who fails the "young insurgent" test, but passes the "very silly name" test.
He's won twice as Governor in a swing state, and has executive experience.
Why not?
I really liked Richard Ojeda (pretty high marks on the weird name test without being off the scale) you linked to the other day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqsa0c8lHv0
If he wins and goes to Congress he could become a national figure fairly quickly. The Democrats really need something different and a lot more authentic to take on Trump. And, in my opinion, Warren is just more of the same.
VP nest time (but one)?
Small state w/o a regional influence
Small state that is deep red Republican all but in voting tradition. The trend is all red-shift. No prospect of it becoming more Democrat in the foreseeable future, so it is extremely hard to see what WV adds to a Dem ticket.
When was the last time the lib who’s manages to get any media attention? Even Britain first have had more column inches than them over the past few months!
Layla Moran was on The Daily Politics on Tuesday campaigning for the right for boys to wear skirts at school.
Personally, I never wore a skirt until I went to university...
This site says that kilts were worn in Scottish schools in the 20th.C and older boys preferred them to shorts
When I was at boarding school in the 1970s we had to wear kilts all day Sunday. You got used to it. My wife was at school in Oban in the late 60s, early 70s and kilts were commonplace.
Both sides talk past each other. Not helped, of course, by inflammatory language on both sides ('xenophobes' versus 'traitors').
Leavers need to come to terms with the xenophobic lies that they sheltered behind. Bleating that the language to describe them is inflammatory is a bit rich when they were happy to profit from them.
Both sides talk past each other. Not helped, of course, by inflammatory language on both sides ('xenophobes' versus 'traitors').
Leavers need to come to terms with the xenophobic lies that they sheltered behind. Bleating that the language to describe them is inflammatory is a bit rich when they were happy to profit from them.
I don't feel the need to come to terms with anything. Well, perhaps the realisation of my inevitable mortality. Nothing else.
Its not Leavers who're having trouble "coming to terms"....
I always enjoy the irony of Mr Meeks bleating about 'bleating'. A small and petty pleasure, perhaps.
Not sure if any of you have seen Star Trek: Discovery on Netflix yet, let alone enjoyed it (I did, BTW!)
Of course in the Star Trek "Mirror Universe", we don't have an EU and a referendum about Britain leaving it.
What we have instead is the Brexit Empire, "a fascistic culture described as oppressive, racist and xenophobic, predicated on an unconditional hatred and rejection of anything and everything "other"." Despite covering the entire continent of Europe (not just the EU27 of our universe), The Empire is the antithesis of the EU in every way.
Heroically standing up to the Brexit Empire are Emmanuel Macron of the French Resistance, and Angela Merkel of the German Resistance, along with Ambassadors Barnier and Juncker, who collectively coordinate efforts by Resistance cells all over Europe, with the eventual aim of restoring Freedom to all the occupied nations.
Key among the Brexit Empire personnel include Captain Michael Burnham Smithson, Admiral Anna Soubry and Commissar Nick Clegg. But who is the head honcho of the Brexit Empire in this Mirror Universe? Who might be turned on by all this oppression, racism and xenophobia in an alternate dimension?
Easy: our very own Alastair Meeks.
Sorry, make that - Emperor Alastair Meeks Augustus Hungaricus Centaurius, Father of the Motherland, Overlord of France, Dominus of Germany, Rex Hispania.
Anyway, just for a bit of harmless fun - most of you probably have no idea what I mean by "mirror universe". But remember, "Context is for Kings"
Both sides talk past each other. Not helped, of course, by inflammatory language on both sides ('xenophobes' versus 'traitors').
Leavers need to come to terms with the xenophobic lies that they sheltered behind. Bleating that the language to describe them is inflammatory is a bit rich when they were happy to profit from them.
Sanders would be a disastrous choice. He appeals to a certain demographic but it's not one you can build an election-winning strategy around. he might be able to win back votes in the Rust Belt, playing to disenchantment with the establishment but he'll not win centrist independents. He's also far too easy for Trump to label as Commie Sanders. and I'm not sure that his campaigning style is as good as some have given him credit for - granted, it's similar to Trump's in sticking to a narrow core message, and Trump's worked, but that was down to a large extent to chance.
And that 'chance' was called Hillary: a thoroughly useless campaigner with more baggage than Terminal 5, who Trump only just beat. Any half-decent Democrat ought to be able to win back the White House against a man who has regularly plumbed new depths of unpopularity. But Sanders isn't half-decent; he's a one-trick pony. He'll also be 79 come polling day in 2020.
Bernie Sanders was an impressive Mayor of Burlington*. Admittedly small-scale compared with the USA, but he completely transformed the place with old-fashioned administrative competence. But as Hillary Clinton and assorted Republican challengers found out against Donald Trump, a record of competence doesn't always help you.
* Which is why Sanders gets the support of Vermonters, even those not of his political persuasion.
When was the last time the lib who’s manages to get any media attention? Even Britain first have had more column inches than them over the past few months!
Layla Moran was on The Daily Politics on Tuesday campaigning for the right for boys to wear skirts at school.
Personally, I never wore a skirt until I went to university...
Wasn't that Jo Swinson?
Not that I have a problem with it, but would prefer that uniform policy was set by the head teacher.
When was the last time the lib who’s manages to get any media attention? Even Britain first have had more column inches than them over the past few months!
Layla Moran was on The Daily Politics on Tuesday campaigning for the right for boys to wear skirts at school.
Personally, I never wore a skirt until I went to university...
Wasn't that Jo Swinson?
Not that I have a problem with it, but would prefer that uniform policy was set by the head teacher.
No, it was Moran. I referred to her as "next LD Leader" on Tuesday only because some on here had been talking up her prospects.
It's not 25 powers out of 111 at issue, but 24 out of 155 - not sure that will fool many people in Scotland.
The expected big items are there - farming support, GMO regulation, animal health/welfare, fisheries powers not already exercised, competition law etc.
Comments
"Compared with December 2017, manufacturing output in January 2018 was estimated to have increased by 0.1%; this was the ninth consecutive period of growth and is the first time this has occurred since records began in February 1968."
The march of the makers was somewhat delayed but seems to have started in 2017.
Frank Herbert also pinched this idea for the start of Dune. “A beginning is a very delicate time."
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/mar/09/flyer-beware-ryanair-to-sell-tickets-with-brexit-caveat?CMP=twt_gu&__twitter_impression=true
One of my favourite Machiavelli quotes is that men must be pampered or annihilated. Although he was mostly referring to powerful individuals who could be a threat, that also tallies perfectly with the folly of the Samnites at the Caudine Forks (cited explicitly in Discourses) where they had a Roman army at their mercy. An elder Samnite advised that the Romans be allowed to go free and good relations to ensue, or for them to be obliterated utterly. Instead, the Samnites humiliated the Romans by making them march under a yoke as a sign of submission. Needless to say, the Samnites lost the war.
The survey finds the two main parties running neck-and-neck at 43 per cent for the Conservatives and 42 for Labour.
However, Sir Vince Cable’s Liberal Democrats have slumped to just six per cent on the eve of their annual spring conference this weekend.
And Ukip, which last week ousted Henry Bolton as leader, has been reduced to two per cent.
Theresa May’s ratings have risen slightly over recent weeks while Jeremy Corbyn’s have dipped.
Some 41 per cent are “satisfied” with Mrs May, which is up three points since January, while 52 per cent are dissatisfied, which is down three points.
For Mr Corbyn, 37 per cent say he is doing well, which is down a point, and 52 per cent badly, up three.
Gideon Skinner, of Ipsos MORI, said: “The two main parties continue to dominate, even though neither has been able to build a clear lead.
“Both rely on distinct blocs for their support – young people for Labour and older voters for the Conservatives, while the middle-aged are split – and so far there is little sign of much switching between the two.”
Ipsos MORI interviewed 1,012 adults across GB by telephone from March 2 to 7. Data are weighted. Details at www.ipsos-mori.com
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/spring-statement-2018-blow-for-philip-hammond-as-half-of-britons-think-economy-will-go-downhill-this-a3785946.html
It is never 'sound' to isolate yourself from as wide a range of views as possible even if you disagree with them.
I do not in any way agree with the political position of the Guardian on most matters but think it is the best newspaper in the current crop. And of course it is always wise to know what the opposition is thinking.
In terms of the alleged bias, the UK (if I can anthropomorphise an entire nation) has, over the last 25 years, reached a local economic optimum. There's no economic case for Brexit, unless you wish to drill down to sectoral advantages (e.g. fishing will probably benefit). However, for every winner (yay! fishermen!) there are more losers (who'd be in UK motor manufacturing?).
What's becoming clearer is that the long term economic effects are likely to be muted. A slight diminuition in the rate of economic growth and so forth. That highlights the disadvantages of these high level macro-economic measures.
If the 2030 UK Brexit economy is (say) 24% larger rather than 26% appears to be something of a wash (linearly, it's a drag of 0.04% per quarter), I doubt very much if the UK will still be the #5 global car exporter. It's more likely that the GVA growth will continue in the SE and London, while the NE/NW become relatively poorer (plus ca change etc).
Both sides talk past each other. Not helped, of course, by inflammatory language on both sides ('xenophobes' versus 'traitors').
Both (of course you will have to ask them) are absolutely sure Brexit is going to be fantastic and was the right thing to do, but neither has any idea of what it will look like, come the day.
Biden would be the best choice for the Democrats but if not him Sanders would certainly be far better than the likes of Gilibrand, Warren, Harris and Booker. Given Trump is also in his 70s the age of Sanders and Biden in 2020 is largely irrelevant
However I stil think Democratic primary voters will go for either Sanders or Warren
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scorpion_and_the_Frog
I really don't know what I think will happen in May (other than the destruction of UKIP)
https://labourlist.org/2018/03/jonathan-reynolds-business-has-nothing-to-fear-and-much-to-gain-from-a-labour-government/
Our economy will be buffeted one way and the other by various events and decisions over the next 12 years. I do not believe myself that at the end of the period anyone will even be putting Brexit on the list of things that made a difference.
https://twitter.com/George_Osborne/status/972074821659095040
I don't think you have to say Brexit of any kind is fabulous. You just have to be somewhat informed on what is realistic given the various agendas of the parties. If the arrangement doesn't already exist in a similar form somewhere else, it's unlikely to happen.
Personally, I never wore a skirt until I went to university...
I broadly agree. Just that the shape of the UK economy will be different directly as a result of Brexit. Not necessarily better or worse, just different.
Mr. F, precisely Machiavelli's point. If you harm someone, you should do so to such an extent they're incapable of retaliating.
http://histclo.com/schun/gar/kilt/su-kilts9001s.html
https://twitter.com/seanjonesqc/status/970836856593108992?s=21
1. Demographics. Our very high level of immigration may have caused a number of issues but it has undoubtedly made us a "young" country compared to the EU average with a growing population.
2. Services, including software, will continue to form an ever larger part of the world economy. Although the US has a clear lead in this we are pretty close to second.
3. London. London has critical mass and a dynamism that nowhere else in Europe gets close to. I expect it to continue to grow quickly and drag up our overall average.
4. The internet is dominated by English. This means that even the less skilled of our workforce have a competitive advantage compared with similarly skilled individuals in Europe. As the internet forms a larger part of the economy this should help.
5. Slightly more contentiously, I think that the work that needs to be done to properly integrate the EZ will prove a drag on growth within it with some problems, such as Italy and Greece, proving very resistant to treatment.
It may well be pointed out that all of these factors would have applied if we had opted to remain and that may well be right. I am not expecting any economic dividend from Brexit just as I am not expecting any material deficit. If our politicians can fix some of our problems in education, infrastructure, housing, savings etc we might do better still but that is probably asking too much of our very limited political class.
https://twitter.com/NCPoliticsUK/status/972083472570507265
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2018/03/08/one-year-brexit-boris-johnson-discusses-uks-withdrawal-eu-exclusive/
Even I don't know who's currently nominally in charge of UKIP, or, indeed, the Green Party, come to that.
Are we ready to call Peak Corbz?
Of course in the Star Trek "Mirror Universe", we don't have an EU and a referendum about Britain leaving it.
What we have instead is the Brexit Empire, "a fascistic culture described as oppressive, racist and xenophobic, predicated on an unconditional hatred and rejection of anything and everything "other"." Despite covering the entire continent of Europe (not just the EU27 of our universe), The Empire is the antithesis of the EU in every way.
Heroically standing up to the Brexit Empire are Emmanuel Macron of the French Resistance, and Angela Merkel of the German Resistance, along with Ambassadors Barnier and Juncker, who collectively coordinate efforts by Resistance cells all over Europe, with the eventual aim of restoring Freedom to all the occupied nations.
Key among the Brexit Empire personnel include Captain Michael Burnham Smithson, Admiral Anna Soubry and Commissar Nick Clegg. But who is the head honcho of the Brexit Empire in this Mirror Universe? Who might be turned on by all this oppression, racism and xenophobia in an alternate dimension?
Easy: our very own Alastair Meeks.
Sorry, make that - Emperor Alastair Meeks Augustus Hungaricus Centaurius, Father of the Motherland, Overlord of France, Dominus of Germany, Rex Hispania.
Anyway, just for a bit of harmless fun - most of you probably have no idea what I mean by "mirror universe". But remember, "Context is for Kings"
* Which is why Sanders gets the support of Vermonters, even those not of his political persuasion.
Not that I have a problem with it, but would prefer that uniform policy was set by the head teacher.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-43343716
It's not 25 powers out of 111 at issue, but 24 out of 155 - not sure that will fool many people in Scotland.
The expected big items are there - farming support, GMO regulation, animal health/welfare, fisheries powers not already exercised, competition law etc.
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