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Post by SeanBroseley on Mar 21, 2004 22:43:54 GMT 1
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Post by Deleted on Mar 21, 2004 23:00:09 GMT 1
So the rumours go Sean.
He hopped out of Wednesday's budget debate with a 'stomach problem' but rumours are rife that he's living it up large again.
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Post by texmexshrew on Mar 21, 2004 23:18:51 GMT 1
I have a mate who works in the deputy PMs office.....gimme a day or so & I'll try and find out whats going on!!! ;D
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Post by SeanBroseley on Mar 21, 2004 23:39:18 GMT 1
He hopped out of Wednesday's budget debate with a 'stomach problem'. So a kebab afterwards as well then.
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Post by wiganshrew2 on Mar 21, 2004 23:46:47 GMT 1
Hmmm! I hadn't heard about his drink problems!
He isn't as good as "Paddy Pantsdown", anyway, is he? ( I know He had problems - but he was a good Lib-Dem leader, I reckon!)
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2004 11:48:56 GMT 1
The Lib Dems up to a few months ago looked like they'd sweep up at the General Election as they are the one party, that whilst nobody is particularly passionate about, they ain't done much wrong yet (I wouldn't trust them with my remote control, never mind my vote, but there you go).
But they've lost a lot of steam since the Blair/Howard debates have sparked up a little (people going back to their natural party) and if the rumours increase a bit more, then there'll be even more votes lost.
A 50-100 seat victory for Labour at the next election?
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Post by wiganshrew2 on Mar 22, 2004 12:38:47 GMT 1
To be honest, I think they will probably be an outbreak of apathy come the next election.
People are disillusioned with the Blair Government, yet anyone who remembers Mrs Thatcher (or who has had bad experiences of Tory councillors!!) would certainly not vote Tory.
Not many are impressed by Lib-Dem policies, rumours or no rumours.
What is it that happens if few voters turn out? A victory for the current Government? Or a hung parliament?
I'd vote for a leader with integrity and sincerity who had a genuine vocation to serve the country and to govern in a way that would do the most people the most good. The only person I have been at all impressed with , in the post Conservative years, was John Smith- and he died.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2004 12:46:19 GMT 1
I'd have thought that due to Iraq, and the new Tory leader, turnout will be up slightly from last time but who knows? A lot of water to go under the bridge, although the Mirror was reporting an OCtober election yesterday.
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Post by EX TORY BOY on Mar 22, 2004 13:47:43 GMT 1
Not defending the current incumbents of the Conservative party and definitely not the local council but enough one-sided comments on Mrs T. A strong leader prepared to give the country the medicine it required to sort out its many problems regardless of the popularity of the actions. The country would be in a far worse state today if she had not been PM. Sure, the medicine was painful for some people and hence her unpopularity with many but the wider benefits are plain to see.
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Post by NeathShrew on Mar 22, 2004 15:08:27 GMT 1
Not a great choice then!
The Labour Government who lied through their teeth about Iraq so that they could invade and steal all their oil; Or the Tories, who would have lied through their teeth about Iraq so that they could invade and steal all their oil - but they'd lied too many times before and got booted out of office; Or the Lib Dems who told us that the others were lying but then joined in when the lies got the war vote through Parliament.
All 3 in the pay of big business and the USA. Try Respect - the Left Wing Coalition recently formed so that we'll have at least one honest party in future elections. You may or may not like all their policies, but at least they won't be trying to boost the profits of multinational corporations at the expense of other people's lives.
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Post by OldGit on Mar 22, 2004 15:32:46 GMT 1
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Post by wiganshrew2 on Mar 22, 2004 16:10:14 GMT 1
On 22nd March EX-TORY BOY said:
"Not defending the current incumbents of the Conservative party and definitely not the local council but enough one-sided comments on Mrs T. A strong leader prepared to give the country the medicine it required to sort out its many problems regardless of the popularity of the actions. The country would be in a far worse state today if she had not been PM. Sure, the medicine was painful for some people and hence her unpopularity with many but the wider benefits are plain to see."
I see your point with regard to the fact that the unions were out of control, and putting their own interests before the needs of the public. (I was then in full-time teaching, in the State Sector- and always disagreed with strike action by public-sector workers.)
However, have you considered that many people who are more suited to manual work- or would prefer it, are now being forced into the Benefit system because Mrs T. went too far in order to punish the Unions, and destroyed much of our manufacturing industries and the mining industry.
Also she created an ethos of work before the well-being of individuals or familes. Having worked through the 80s and 90s, I noticed that, post-Mrs T, bosses were never ever satisfied with anything you did. You were never able to work long enough or hard enough. (They worked themselves until they were ill, too.)
One Head I worked for would give us about three weeks work to do in ten days and then, if we didn't manage to complete, she'd raise her eyebrows, give you a withering look and say , "Oh- but I TOLD you ten days ago!"
If you said you'd been up until 1am finishibg work, she'd say she was ALWAYS up till 2am..etc.. (She had to retire early with a heart condition! Her family was well- fed-up- her husband was always threatening to divorce her!)
That's just an illustration- I know it's the same in many workplaces.
That was the legacy of Mrs T.
Yes- the Unions were out of control and it needed putting right- but people can do a perfectly good job without neglecting families and making themselves ill. That 's what Mrs T and employers who a lead fro her don't understand.
Life needs to be balanced.
But, whatever party is in power, things will never be right unless people starting caring as much for ohers as they do for themselves.
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Post by Red Blue and Amber on Mar 22, 2004 18:50:51 GMT 1
No doubt that Labour will win next time my guess is 50-70 majority I wouldnt be surprised if lib dems lose seats and if in the next parliament we see the long delayed tory revival like it or not as Prescott said there not dead just sleeping
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Post by robspaceman1 on Mar 22, 2004 20:12:44 GMT 1
i simply cant believe the bad press that kennedy gets. the poor man has cleary been VERY ill and DESPITE this he still gave a very impressive speech when anyone else in the country would be off work in bed watching supermarket sweep with a flannel on their head. give the bloke a break! all this alleged hoo-hah about his private life is irrelevant to politics and is cooked up by a press who are frightened of the strength of the libdems, and serves to detract from the fact that the libdems are the only party who: 1. are willing to tell it how it is and not hide behind lies like new labour or right wing extremism like the tories. 2. offer a credible alternative to the failures of new labour 3. continue to poll over 25% which is the highest mid-term rating for a third party since the days of the SDP. also it's not easy being in charge of a party who's policies are continuously stolen by its competitors and passed off as their own: for example new labour are now talking about a local income tax to replace council tax (1st mooted by the libdems over 5 years ago). it's a very sad injustice of our political system that ensures the third party is continuously under-represented at westminster yet DESPITE this the libdems are continuing to grow. i thoroughly recommend reading charles kennedy's 'the future of politics' for a radical and exciting vision of what life could be like in this country if only the great british public could be bothered to do something different and shock-horror deviate from the cliched and tired labour-tory norm. [here endeth the liberal lesson ]
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Post by Manc Shot on Mar 23, 2004 15:33:00 GMT 1
Has he got the bottle to lead his party?? Or can he Stay OFF the bottle??? p**s-Head
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