The Politics Thread

[Prufrock]

Hobo liked Clegg but not the whimpish politics he has to stand on he should say what would replace trident to defend us.

remind me exactly how Trident IS defending us?

We haven't been invaded since we had it?

We haven't been invaded since I was born. Since any of us were born. We haven't been invaded since Leicester City football club existed, or since America was discovered, or since the year wasn't 1066. I'm not sure any of them are consequential however. NATO has them, USA has them, if we got rid of it people aren't suddenly going to think oh look now we can Nuke the UK.

[Prufrock]

Hobo liked Clegg but not the whimpish politics he has to stand on he should say what would replace trident to defend us.

Contribute to some sort of NATO fund I'm guessing, maybe pay USA a little rent or something, who knows.


You guys have said most of the things I took from it. DC strikes me as trying to be all Obama on us and doing it rather badly. It's almost like he wants to say 'It's our time'. I didn't like the whole 'Joe the Plumber' in the US debates and I didn't care for it tonight either.

Clegg was going to benefit from this, although I did chuckle when he brought out the 4,000 pages from Whitehall statistic with great glee, having already been beaten to it a minute earlier.

Indeed, kept banging on about how we need change without ever saying how. All he seemed to have was cutting money from the deficit, without saying how, and refusing to guarentee it wouldn't come from the important stuff, anecdotes about black chaps he'd met, and properly rubbish comparisons between the country and small businesses.

[Worthy4England]

Hobo liked Clegg but not the whimpish politics he has to stand on he should say what would replace trident to defend us.

remind me exactly how Trident IS defending us?

We haven't been invaded since we had it?

We haven't been invaded since I was born. Since any of us were born. We haven't been invaded since Leicester City football club existed, or since America was discovered, or since the year wasn't 1066. I'm not sure any of them are consequential however. NATO has them, USA has them, if we got rid of it people aren't suddenly going to think oh look now we can Nuke the UK.

Yes, but if we're going to have a nuclear war, we need to have a red button of our own to press - otherwise it'll be a terrible let down.

[Prufrock]

Hobo liked Clegg but not the whimpish politics he has to stand on he should say what would replace trident to defend us.

remind me exactly how Trident IS defending us?

We haven't been invaded since we had it?

We haven't been invaded since I was born. Since any of us were born. We haven't been invaded since Leicester City football club existed, or since America was discovered, or since the year wasn't 1066. I'm not sure any of them are consequential however. NATO has them, USA has them, if we got rid of it people aren't suddenly going to think oh look now we can Nuke the UK.

Yes, but if we're going to have a nuclear war, we need to have a red button of our own to press - otherwise it'll be a terrible let down.

That is true. It would be a bit of an anti-climax.

[thebish]

Hobo liked Clegg but not the whimpish politics he has to stand on he should say what would replace trident to defend us.

remind me exactly how Trident IS defending us?

We haven't been invaded since we had it?

we haven't been invaded since Windows XP was launched - but I wouldn't credit Windows XP with that....

the concurrence of two events or facts does not imply a connection.

(ahh - I see Pru made the same point! oops!)

ok - WHO is Trident defending us from?

[Bruce Rioja]

Clegg won hands down. He did try and talk policies and the cost of them (even though I don't agree with some of them).

Cameron came across as way more personable than Brown, but the anecdotes and ducking on substantive responses didn't do him any favours. Don't think he did as well as he would have wanted.

Brown was not good - but marginally better than I thought he might have been.

Either way, none of them told me anything to make me think any differently

I'd say that that's pretty much my take on it too, Worthy. Only, I thought that after Brown had made a bit of a cock of himself by referencing poster campaigns once, he wouldn't have gone on to try and bring the subject up again.

[Prufrock]

Clegg won hands down. He did try and talk policies and the cost of them (even though I don't agree with some of them).

Cameron came across as way more personable than Brown, but the anecdotes and ducking on substantive responses didn't do him any favours. Don't think he did as well as he would have wanted.

Brown was not good - but marginally better than I thought he might have been.

Either way, none of them told me anything to make me think any differently

I'd say that that's pretty much my take on it too, Worthy. Only, I thought that after Brown had made a bit of a cock of himself by referencing poster campaigns once, he wouldn't have gone on to try and bring the subject up again.

Been told he has got to seem funny and likeable hasn't he? Which is silly, coz it's irellevant, and he's REALLY bad at it. There was a clip of him on the news where he was asked two trivial throwaway questions and his answers to both made no sense as answers to those questions. He's not very good at interacting with people. He'd be rubbish to have a pint with, as would all of them incidentally.

[thebish]

Clegg won hands down. He did try and talk policies and the cost of them (even though I don't agree with some of them).

Cameron came across as way more personable than Brown, but the anecdotes and ducking on substantive responses didn't do him any favours. Don't think he did as well as he would have wanted.

Brown was not good - but marginally better than I thought he might have been.

Either way, none of them told me anything to make me think any differently

I'd say that that's pretty much my take on it too, Worthy. Only, I thought that after Brown had made a bit of a cock of himself by referencing poster campaigns once, he wouldn't have gone on to try and bring the subject up again.

Been told he has got to seem funny and likeable hasn't he? Which is silly, coz it's irellevant, and he's REALLY bad at it. There was a clip of him on the news where he was asked two trivial throwaway questions and his answers to both made no sense as answers to those questions. He's not very good at interacting with people. He'd be rubbish to have a pint with, as would all of them incidentally.

Cameron would leave a slimy silvery trail up the side of your beer glass.... <shudder>

[Worthy4England]

Clegg won hands down. He did try and talk policies and the cost of them (even though I don't agree with some of them).

Cameron came across as way more personable than Brown, but the anecdotes and ducking on substantive responses didn't do him any favours. Don't think he did as well as he would have wanted.

Brown was not good - but marginally better than I thought he might have been.

Either way, none of them told me anything to make me think any differently

I'd say that that's pretty much my take on it too, Worthy. Only, I thought that after Brown had made a bit of a cock of himself by referencing poster campaigns once, he wouldn't have gone on to try and bring the subject up again.

Indeed - you probably woudn't want to see a stand up set from Brown.

Then again, you probably wouldn't want to meet a black man with Cameron or read the same 4,000 page e-mails as Clegg.

[thebish]

did anyone else watch newsnight?

how crap was that??

they had a loooooooooong section that was filled with:

1. the reactions of a "carefully selected" focus group of 36 people who pressed buttons to make a wormy line on the screen go up and down depending on whether they liked what was being said (I suppose - mildly informative - no approval at all, for instance, for any of the pally anecdotes.)

2. reading out dozens of moronic tweets from internet morons

3. reading out moronic comments on the BBC election forum from more random internet morons

4. dislaying word clouds of everything the leaders had said which were supposed to give a flavour of what each leader finds important (the more you say it - the bigger the word) - but the biggest and prominent words were words like "from" and he concluded "well - I suppose those are the words you would find in any speech."

I don't want Newsnight to appeal to Noddy - there are not THAT many programmes that discuss the issues seriously - why should EVERY election program have to appeal to a 4 year old?

[William the White]

Clegg was good seemed to be most comfortable but
He does not seem like the guy who would tell the Argies to get their bag fat ass off the Falklands type of guy.

Mr C was a bit too wooden and needs to relax a bit more and watch the patronising bits a little, put a bit more substance in there.

Brown? Solid like a petrified tree stump! why not be bold Gordon and say you stand by your record of achievement so far? You are proud aren't you?

Hobo liked Clegg but not the whimpish politics he has to stand on he should say what would replace trident to defend us.

I know these wimps, what are they like?... Hobo wants trident to sort out afghanistan and iraq and camels in africa ( )... And, given it's hobo, probably chewing gum on the streets, paedophiles and the-latest-daily-mail-obsession...

Hobo, why do you reckon that these Germans, or Italians, or Spaniards, or Luxembourgeois don't feel undefended by not havin nuclear weapons?

That said, I'd like to encourage you towards a vote for clegg's party in Bolton NE, I think you should fall in love with him, and convince all your friends and family... Go, hobo...

[Worthy4England]

did anyone else watch newsnight?

how crap was that??

they had a loooooooooong section that was filled with:

1. the reactions of a "carefully selected" focus group of 36 people who pressed buttons to make a wormy line on the screen go up and down depending on whether they liked what was being said (I suppose - mildly informative - no approval at all, for instance, for any of the pally anecdotes.)

2. reading out dozens of moronic tweets from internet morons

3. reading out moronic comments on the BBC election forum from more random internet morons

4. dislaying word clouds of everything the leaders had said which were supposed to give a flavour of what each leader finds important (the more you say it - the bigger the word) - but the biggest and prominent words were words like "from" and he concluded "well - I suppose those are the words you would find in any speech."

I don't want Newsnight to appeal to Noddy - there are not THAT many programmes that discuss the issues seriously - why should EVERY election program have to appeal to a 4 year old?

I had the misfortune to watch that too...I will never get that 45 minutes of my life back (or however long it was)

[Athers]

I didn't watch Newsnight after, but the 'worm' is apparently Australian and the 'word cloud' is American.

Did 'Quango' appear in Camerons? Or was it just TAX ON JOBS in huge letters across the middle?

[Bruce Rioja]

Cameron would leave a slimy silvery trail up the side of your beer glass.... <shudder>

Now then, how long ago is it that Spitting Image were cracking that one re: Kenneth Baker?

[thebish]

here's summat I don't get about Tory policy..

they are supposed to have as a central plank more localism - handing down power and decision making locally - small government etc...

yet.. they have announced (seemingly arbitrarily) this big policy that ALL cancer drugs - regardless of NICE recommendations about cost-effectiveness over other treatments - will be available to anyone who wants them.

now... what if an area has a much bigger preponderance of alzheimers patients - and locally they want to skew the budget towards alzheimers treatment - but can't because all of the budget is taken up with cancer drugs on demand? who wins - big government or localism?

anyone who proposes "small government" and "localism" should be BANNED from ever using the phrase "post code lottery" (as Cameron does with startling regularity considering that he is supposed to support small governemnt and local decisions over priorities.)

[thebish]

Cameron would leave a slimy silvery trail up the side of your beer glass.... <shudder>

Now then, how long ago is it that Spitting Image were cracking that one re: Kenneth Baker?

reincarnated!

[Prufrock]

here's summat I don't get about Tory policy..

they are supposed to have as a central plank more localism - handing down power and decision making locally - small government etc...

yet.. they have announced (seemingly arbitrarily) this big policy that ALL cancer drugs - regardless of NICE recommendations about cost-effectiveness over other treatments - will be available to anyone who wants them.

now... what if an area has a much bigger preponderance of alzheimers patients - and locally they want to skew the budget towards alzheimers treatment - but can't because all of the budget is taken up with cancer drugs on demand? who wins - big government or localism?

anyone who proposes "small government" and "localism" should be BANNED from ever using the phrase "post code lottery" (as Cameron does with startling regularity considering that he is supposed to support small governemnt and local decisions over priorities.)

I'm still not quite getting how you can cut £6billion and lower taxes without something major being affected. I thought Clegg nailed him pretty well on the waste thing. It's not that easy, if waste was that easy to eradicate, surely, by now, people would have.

[Bruce Rioja]

did anyone else watch newsnight?

To be honest - I purposely avoided all other 'serious' programmes afterwards and watched Buzzcocks instead.

[ratbert]

Not a game changer. Clegg won by being himself and distinctive, whilst Cameron and Brown threw the same tired lines about NI and public services at each other like they were trapped in an every-ten-minutes version of Groundhog Day.

"I agree with Nick" by both Cambo and Gordo suggests theres only one vote they're interested in post-May 6.

[Prufrock]

Not a game changer. Clegg won by being himself and distinctive, whilst Cameron and Brown threw the same tired lines about NI and public services at each other like they were trapped in an every-ten-minutes version of Groundhog Day.

"I agree with Nick" by both Cambo and Gordo suggests theres only one vote they're interested in post-May 6.

Indeed.