General News Discussion

[fred quimby]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-19868327

[fred quimby]

of course he has a chance. The electorate are fucking stupid, and not bothered by something like that.

[TheGayTent]

A labour government has never been corrupt?

[The Nal]

http://www.bbc.co.uk...-herts-19868327

[kaosmark2]

I don't... and have never expressed that opinion... I support unemployment benefits.

[kaosmark2]

Well I backed it up with examples... Can you do the same ?

[eFestivals]

Trying to be fair to the guy.... He seems to have been successful in London...

Even thought everyone laughed at him, his Boris bike scheme has been really successful for example... Other than the question environmental issues, his ideas of airport expansion make more sense than expanding Heathrow further....

his London record is awful.

The bike scheme has failed to get close to what Boris said it would.

He want Boris island cos it'll be his legacy, not because it makes any sense. It doesn't.

He's corrupt.

He's quite happy to be involved in criminal schemes if its supporting his mates.

He's smarter than the buffoon act might suggest, but not by much.

[eFestivals]

A labour government has never been corrupt?

Power corrupts.

But aside from the last lot of closest tories who were corrupt from top to bottom - because they're tories - it's normally the case that labour party members enter parliament with the best intentions while tory party members enter only to further their own interests.

Obourne the other day clearly laid out how it is: taxing his mates is considered 'unworkable', but the same 'unworkable' premise is never applied to any other ideas, despite many of them having been proven unworkable time and time again (each time the tories do their best to take us back to the victorian age).

[TheGayTent]

Isn't the London cycle scheme borrowed from the Parisian model?

The idea that Boris or Ken dreamt up the notion is laughable in itself

[TheGayTent]

You were doing so well with your first point.

[TheGayTent]

Labour governments get just as stupid and corrupt, they just start with less offensive policies.

[The Nal]

Isn't the London cycle scheme borrowed from the Parisian model?

Edited October 9, 2012 by The Nal

[TheGayTent]

I've never noticed Amsterdam having one - just looks like every one owns (a very old) one!

[TheGayTent]

well Amsterdam had them in the 60's... where do you start? who invented the bicycle?

It was Ken's idea to have it in London. Ken lives in London and uses the buses and tube to get around so he understands what might help, more than some twat like Boris who's just in this for his career

Edited October 9, 2012 by TheGayTent

[Ed209]

can someone explain to me the logistics of Boris taking the tories into the next election anyway.

He surely needs a constituency first? he needs a Tory seat to come available and then win the bielection. Who ultimately decides who runs at bielections? Cameron?

Edited October 9, 2012 by Ed209

[TheGayTent]

Could see Boris being put up to stand in Twickenham...

[eFestivals]

can someone explain to me the logistics of Boris taking the tories into the next election anyway.

He surely needs a constituency first? he needs a Tory seat to come available and then win the bielection. Who ultimately decides who runs at bielections? Cameron?

there's supposedly around 5 sitting MPs who are happy to resign so Boris can have it.

While I think it might be the case that the party leader can force candidates onto a local tory club, it's probably the case that just about all local tory clubs would kick off if he blocked a tory as popular as Boris.

[zahidf]

He won't lead the Tories into the next election.

I think he'll run in 2015 as doing 'two jobs'. If Cameron fails to win, then he'll make his move then

[Ed209]

Could see Boris being put up to stand in Twickenham...

[TheGayTent]

If they're to win outright they need to re-take traditional Tory seats. Which Twickenham is. It'd take a big swing to oust Cable but not anything too amazing. Who better to do it than Boris?

Another blue seat for Cameron with the added bonus of getting rid of that pesky Cable...

[eFestivals]

Another blue seat for Cameron with the added bonus of getting rid of that pesky Cable...

yup, it's defo a pesky for the tories to have someone keep coming up with much better ideas than they've got.

[kaosmark2]

Actually no... Some people obviously are getting far more than they need... Some people are not getting what they need... Balance it up I say...

[TheGayTent]

yup, it's defo a pesky for the tories to have someone keep coming up with much better ideas than they've got.

[kaosmark2]

So anyone who comes to a different conclusion to you is an idiot ?

[eFestivals]

After all, Vince makes so many gaffes, he often takes the heat away from their own!

oh, Vince is far from perfect, but at least he has some fair and reasonable ideas - at least, much fairer and much more reasonable than any tory idea.

For example, he's suggested that the banks should be broken up, as the govt paid-for report recommended. The tories say no, and also say to do nothing about what wrecked the economy in the first place for at least 7 more years (by which time they're hoping everyone has forgotten about it).

And, for example, a more fair and equitable property tax (whether a wealth tax or re-banding the council tax or bringing back the rates or a local income tax). Again, the tories say no, branding that idea "unworkable" but of course saying that is nothing to do with them having set it up like it is to enrich themselves in the first place.

And meanwhile the tories have no other ideas for properly taxing the rich, tho they say they will do with something they haven't yet thought up. But they have thought up to cut £10bn from the uncutable without that being "unworkable", because they're clever like that.