to be fair i think all politicians do that on these interviews that are going to be little soundbites for a news story. There was an article in i think the guardian that said these types of interviews are very common. But to do it in the build up to an election and on a key policy on live tv is very poor. No wonder the spin doctor on the other end pulled the plug!
Yesterday, we had one party discussing Britain's role in the world and how, where and whether we should partner with allies to ensure the world is a better, safer place. And we had one party concentrating on how and whether we should dig our heels in and prevent MPs from some parts of the UK voting on issues effecting other parts.
In a snapshot, this is why Miliband is winning the campaign against Cameron.
Bbc poll of polls has the Tories one percent up on Labour. Add in their standard polling day pick up and it is a bit premature to say he is winning.
pretty sure we'll have a tory-lib dem government again. Things won't change too much until the election and the incumbent always gets first crack at forming a government anyway.
Right now I think that would be a fair and decent outcome to this situation
I do find all the Miliband man-love a bit strange. But surely the real triumph of Labour's campaign has been keeping the man who they'd have as Chancellor of the Exchequer hidden under a blanket.
Who is going to say that Balls is statesmanlike or has the economic credentials to run the country? I'm not defending Osborne but blooming heck, surely Balls is a worse option? He comes across as a gurning buffoon. And its quite an important job.
This thread has talked about Attlee and Churchill .
I wonder how they would have coped under a media spotlight like today ? Maybe someone would have described one of them in such unflattering terms .
Unfortunately how a politician presents themselves is as important as their credentials to do the job. This is why it is no coincidence that the 3 main Party leaders are all professional politicians who are media savvy and were previously SPADS.
Well said mutley re milliband. At least he has the balls to front an audience not like dodgy dave.
The tory bias media have always hammered oppostion leaders remember kinnock he got it in the neck from newspapers , whose editors got knighthoods and gongs from the equally distasteful thatcher after elections.
Cant see much changing whoever wins except the vulnerable getting another bashing.
Yesterday, we had one party discussing Britain's role in the world and how, where and whether we should partner with allies to ensure the world is a better, safer place. And we had one party concentrating on how and whether we should dig our heels in and prevent MPs from some parts of the UK voting on issues effecting other parts.
In a snapshot, this is why Miliband is winning the campaign against Cameron.
Bbc poll of polls has the Tories one percent up on Labour. Add in their standard polling day pick up and it is a bit premature to say he is winning.
pretty sure we'll have a tory-lib dem government again. Things won't change too much until the election and the incumbent always gets first crack at forming a government anyway.
Not sure that even if the Tories are the largest party which I think they will be that the Lib Dems will have enough seats to form a meaningful coalition with. I can see the Tories being the biggest party but Labour forming the government propped up by SNP without a formal coalition.
Yesterday, we had one party discussing Britain's role in the world and how, where and whether we should partner with allies to ensure the world is a better, safer place. And we had one party concentrating on how and whether we should dig our heels in and prevent MPs from some parts of the UK voting on issues effecting other parts.
In a snapshot, this is why Miliband is winning the campaign against Cameron.
Bbc poll of polls has the Tories one percent up on Labour. Add in their standard polling day pick up and it is a bit premature to say he is winning.
pretty sure we'll have a tory-lib dem government again. Things won't change too much until the election and the incumbent always gets first crack at forming a government anyway.
Not sure that even if the Tories are the largest party which I think they will be that the Lib Dems will have enough seats to form a meaningful coalition with. I can see the Tories being the biggest party but Labour forming the government propped up by SNP without a formal coalition.
labour forming a minority government would require cameron to be unable to form a coalition/minority with anyone. Which i doubt will be the case to be honest, the lib dems might be enough and even then there's ukip on top of that. Then Dave would go to the queen to tell her to call up eddie to form a government. There's a lot of ifs and buts for there to be a labour/snp government.
Yesterday, we had one party discussing Britain's role in the world and how, where and whether we should partner with allies to ensure the world is a better, safer place. And we had one party concentrating on how and whether we should dig our heels in and prevent MPs from some parts of the UK voting on issues effecting other parts.
In a snapshot, this is why Miliband is winning the campaign against Cameron.
Bbc poll of polls has the Tories one percent up on Labour. Add in their standard polling day pick up and it is a bit premature to say he is winning.
pretty sure we'll have a tory-lib dem government again. Things won't change too much until the election and the incumbent always gets first crack at forming a government anyway.
Not sure that even if the Tories are the largest party which I think they will be that the Lib Dems will have enough seats to form a meaningful coalition with. I can see the Tories being the biggest party but Labour forming the government propped up by SNP without a formal coalition.
IF the Tories are the largest party but they are blocked by Salmond, Sturgeon and the raving looney party then outside of all the chavs (and Millwall fans) dancing on the streets because 'austerity' had ended - the rest of the nation will be cursing a vote for Labour letting the anti UK party closer to government whilst the decent folk get the hell out of a country that will be spinning down the proverbial shitter.
Yesterday, we had one party discussing Britain's role in the world and how, where and whether we should partner with allies to ensure the world is a better, safer place. And we had one party concentrating on how and whether we should dig our heels in and prevent MPs from some parts of the UK voting on issues effecting other parts.
In a snapshot, this is why Miliband is winning the campaign against Cameron.
Bbc poll of polls has the Tories one percent up on Labour. Add in their standard polling day pick up and it is a bit premature to say he is winning.
pretty sure we'll have a tory-lib dem government again. Things won't change too much until the election and the incumbent always gets first crack at forming a government anyway.
Not sure that even if the Tories are the largest party which I think they will be that the Lib Dems will have enough seats to form a meaningful coalition with. I can see the Tories being the biggest party but Labour forming the government propped up by SNP without a formal coalition.
IF the Tories are the largest party but they are blocked by Salmond, Sturgeon and the raving looney party then outside of all the chavs (and Millwall fans) dancing on the streets because 'austerity' had ended - the rest of the nation will be cursing a vote for Labour letting the anti UK party closer to government whilst the decent folk get the hell out of a country that will be spinning down the proverbial shitter.
I couldn't disagree with you more. I am polishing my dancing shoes as I write.
Theres a lot of tory support here and one thing that baffles me about this election and how wonderful some of you think cameron is... If you believe opinion polls why arnt they miles ahead.
Yesterday, we had one party discussing Britain's role in the world and how, where and whether we should partner with allies to ensure the world is a better, safer place. And we had one party concentrating on how and whether we should dig our heels in and prevent MPs from some parts of the UK voting on issues effecting other parts.
In a snapshot, this is why Miliband is winning the campaign against Cameron.
Bbc poll of polls has the Tories one percent up on Labour. Add in their standard polling day pick up and it is a bit premature to say he is winning.
pretty sure we'll have a tory-lib dem government again. Things won't change too much until the election and the incumbent always gets first crack at forming a government anyway.
Not sure that even if the Tories are the largest party which I think they will be that the Lib Dems will have enough seats to form a meaningful coalition with. I can see the Tories being the biggest party but Labour forming the government propped up by SNP without a formal coalition.
IF the Tories are the largest party but they are blocked by Salmond, Sturgeon and the raving looney party then outside of all the chavs (and Millwall fans) dancing on the streets because 'austerity' had ended - the rest of the nation will be cursing a vote for Labour letting the anti UK party closer to government whilst the decent folk get the hell out of a country that will be spinning down the proverbial shitter.
I couldn't disagree with you more. I am polishing my dancing shoes as I write.
Ah, I was wondering why you had been quite sympathetic to the spanners on the relegation thread
Yesterday, we had one party discussing Britain's role in the world and how, where and whether we should partner with allies to ensure the world is a better, safer place. And we had one party concentrating on how and whether we should dig our heels in and prevent MPs from some parts of the UK voting on issues effecting other parts.
In a snapshot, this is why Miliband is winning the campaign against Cameron.
Bbc poll of polls has the Tories one percent up on Labour. Add in their standard polling day pick up and it is a bit premature to say he is winning.
pretty sure we'll have a tory-lib dem government again. Things won't change too much until the election and the incumbent always gets first crack at forming a government anyway.
Not sure that even if the Tories are the largest party which I think they will be that the Lib Dems will have enough seats to form a meaningful coalition with. I can see the Tories being the biggest party but Labour forming the government propped up by SNP without a formal coalition.
IF the Tories are the largest party but they are blocked by Salmond, Sturgeon and the raving looney party then outside of all the chavs (and Millwall fans) dancing on the streets because 'austerity' had ended - the rest of the nation will be cursing a vote for Labour letting the anti UK party closer to government whilst the decent folk get the hell out of a country that will be spinning down the proverbial shitter.
I couldn't disagree with you more. I am polishing my dancing shoes as I write.
Ah, I was wondering why you had been quite sympathetic to the spanners on the relegation thread
Well he's either that or a chav according to you...
Twirp. In a party full of twirps led by a complete Burke that haven't got the first clue on how to run this country. One thing I am completely certain of ,in the midst of all the confusion,is that I will not be voting labour. And I am probably what you would call a 'Labour man'.
From the figures Conservative and Liberal Democrats combined won't get a majority, nor Labour and the Scottish and Welsh nationalists, even with the SDLP in NI. It looks inevitable that no one group will hold sway, the bit I'm not sure of, with the five year Parliament Law is how easy it will be to hold another election soon. Whoever kind of takes charge for one or two years will either grow in credibility, or lose it altogether and the next election will be more definite. The Conservatives, with a minority government, plan to slash and burn for a little while, and then get chucked out soonish probably if they do, a poisoned chalice for them. It doesn't surprise me that David Cameron and co seem very unenthusiastic during this campaign, and it is probably getting too late to influence voter intentions unless there is a bombshell moment about to happen.
Theres a lot of tory support here and one thing that baffles me about this election and how wonderful some of you think cameron is... If you believe opinion polls why arnt they miles ahead.
because cameron is suprisingly incompetent at anything media related... for some one who was a communications director as well!
He should've wiped the floor at the last election, labour were broken and gordon brown has the charisma of a dead fish. Anyone with a bit of flair or charisma as leader would've walked off with a majority in 2010. That's why nick clegg did so well, because he at least as a bit of those two traits.
Theres a lot of tory support here and one thing that baffles me about this election and how wonderful some of you think cameron is... If you believe opinion polls why arnt they miles ahead.
because cameron is suprisingly incompetent at anything media related... for some one who was a communications director as well!
He should've wiped the floor at the last election, labour were broken and gordon brown has the charisma of a dead fish. Anyone with a bit of flair or charisma as leader would've walked off with a majority in 2010. That's why nick clegg did so well, because he at least as a bit of those two traits.
Your comments re Gordon Brown are because you don't like him. He is still quite a political beast north of the border.
Theres a lot of tory support here and one thing that baffles me about this election and how wonderful some of you think cameron is... If you believe opinion polls why arnt they miles ahead.
because cameron is suprisingly incompetent at anything media related... for some one who was a communications director as well!
He should've wiped the floor at the last election, labour were broken and gordon brown has the charisma of a dead fish. Anyone with a bit of flair or charisma as leader would've walked off with a majority in 2010. That's why nick clegg did so well, because he at least as a bit of those two traits.
Your comments re Gordon Brown are because you don't like him. He is still quite a political beast north of the border.
and labour are doing amazing up there aren't they?
you can't seriously suggest brown has any charisma? It's probably the main reason blair was always the preferred leader of the labour party. Blair might have been a serial liar, but the reason he was a liar was because he had the charisma to convince people.
Why are the Tories - and their supporters - getting themselves so worked up at the prospect of MPs from all over the UK having a say on things that impact the whole of the UK? Surely, if we have a first-past-the-post democracy (as the Tories - and some others - have supported for decades), one possibility is that the Tories will get too few seats to form a Government. And, if that happens, what's wrong with British people living north of the border, electing British MPs to sit in the UK Parliament in Westminster and delivering government in their constituents' interest?
I still can't believe that Churchill led us through our toughest hours and then promptly got voted out for a Labour majority government.
I often hear people state this surprise at his rejection but if you look at the history of the Labour/Trade Union movements throughout Europe for the previous 50 or so years it is obvious he would be rejected. Fairer societies, better working conditions, access to basic health and education, better living conditions, basic civil rights were all things that were being fought for and slowly won by the Labour/Trade Union movement. These rights and freedoms didn't just happen, willingly ceded by the ruling elite that still controlled most of Europe. Churchill was a staunch enemy of the working class movement. You can look at his involvement in the 1926 General Strike and read some of the comments attributed to him to see evidence of this. This was only 19 years before the 1945 election. A significant part of the population in the UK at the time could never forget or forgive his actions during this strike just as a significant part of the current population in the UK will never be able to forgive or forget Thatcher for her actions 30 odd years ago.
The other myth that should not be allowed to go unchallenged on this point is, despite attempts by media outlets such as the Daily Mail and The Sun to portray it otherwise, millions of working class men willingly went to war against Hitler and the Nazis as much to defend the freedoms and rights won by the Labour/Trade Union movements throughout Europe over the previous 50 years as anything else.
Might have something to do with the fact that they are actively against being part of the UK. The country they would be influencing the governing of.
Nobody in their sane mind down here would want the SNP involved. Even if it is to get Labour in power and get one over the 'rich bastards' in the country.
Even I would rather a Labour majority government than a Tory one propped up by UKIP.
That's the problem with some Labour supporters. Their hate of anyone Tory / rich toffs / successful people overrides anything.
Might have something to do with the fact that they are actively against being part of the UK. The country they would be influencing the governing of.
Nobody in their sane mind down here would want the SNP involved. Even if it is to get Labour in power and get one over the 'rich bastards' in the country.
Even I would rather a Labour majority government than a Tory one propped up by UKIP.
That's the problem with some Labour supporters. Their hate of anyone Tory / rich toffs / successful people overrides anything.
The way some people are stirring up anti-Scottish feelings, from their ivory towers in Westminster, is appalling though.
I will be totally honest, I don't really care who represents Paisley & Renfrewshire North; Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale; or Cumbernauld, Kilsyth & Kirkintilloch East, as long as each of the MPs works first for his/her constituency and second for the good of the whole of the UK.
I would *prefer* that these constituencies - and others - are *not* served by SNP members. But if that's how those constituents vote, then that's what happens.
The Scottish electorate has voted to remain in the Union. And, so long as SNP (or any other party) MPs work for both their constituents and their country (the UK), then why can't the Tories accept that, in some (large) parts of the country, their promises and record are hated so much, that people will want to govern the country in a different way?
Constituents in Falkirk, Paisley and Stirling are as entitled to have full representation as constituents in Witney, Doncaster and Sheffield.
The SNP may want to leave the UK but their constituents, in general, do not. There are even a lot of SNP voters who do not want to leave the UK.
Putting the SNP to one side, surely if the country is going to invest in one region, Scotland is a good place to invest. Lots of clever people and decent sized cities. The area desperately needs inward migration, which could alleviate some of the pressures in the southeast. And Scotland is not a significant drain so there will be a return on investment.
Investment in the north of England would also be good
In the interest of transparency, my vote is in a Scottish constituency but I wont be voting as I dont live there any more. I dont have any ties to the place, just lived there for a few years.
If someone gets a First in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford; and then an MPA, studying Economics at Harvard, you would expect him or her to be extremely well qualified to be Chancellor of the Exchequer.
So why are on Earth are Tories so vehemently opposed to Ed Balls?
Comments
Right now I think that would be a fair and decent outcome to this situation
I wonder how they would have coped under a media spotlight like today ? Maybe someone would have described one of them in such unflattering terms .
Unfortunately how a politician presents themselves is as important as their credentials to do the job. This is why it is no coincidence that the 3 main Party leaders are all professional politicians who are media savvy and were previously SPADS.
The tory bias media have always hammered oppostion leaders remember kinnock he got it in the neck from newspapers , whose editors got knighthoods and gongs from the equally distasteful thatcher after elections.
Cant see much changing whoever wins except the vulnerable getting another bashing.
Good article and a different persepective on a hung parliament from Armando Ianucci, about how a minority government might work.
One thing I am completely certain of ,in the midst of all the confusion,is that I will not be voting labour. And I am probably what you would call a 'Labour man'.
It looks inevitable that no one group will hold sway, the bit I'm not sure of, with the five year Parliament Law is how easy it will be to hold another election soon.
Whoever kind of takes charge for one or two years will either grow in credibility, or lose it altogether and the next election will be more definite.
The Conservatives, with a minority government, plan to slash and burn for a little while, and then get chucked out soonish probably if they do, a poisoned chalice for them.
It doesn't surprise me that David Cameron and co seem very unenthusiastic during this campaign, and it is probably getting too late to influence voter intentions unless there is a bombshell moment about to happen.
He should've wiped the floor at the last election, labour were broken and gordon brown has the charisma of a dead fish. Anyone with a bit of flair or charisma as leader would've walked off with a majority in 2010. That's why nick clegg did so well, because he at least as a bit of those two traits.
you can't seriously suggest brown has any charisma? It's probably the main reason blair was always the preferred leader of the labour party. Blair might have been a serial liar, but the reason he was a liar was because he had the charisma to convince people.
The other myth that should not be allowed to go unchallenged on this point is, despite attempts by media outlets such as the Daily Mail and The Sun to portray it otherwise, millions of working class men willingly went to war against Hitler and the Nazis as much to defend the freedoms and rights won by the Labour/Trade Union movements throughout Europe over the previous 50 years as anything else.
Might have something to do with the fact that they are actively against being part of the UK. The country they would be influencing the governing of.
Nobody in their sane mind down here would want the SNP involved. Even if it is to get Labour in power and get one over the 'rich bastards' in the country.
Even I would rather a Labour majority government than a Tory one propped up by UKIP.
That's the problem with some Labour supporters. Their hate of anyone Tory / rich toffs / successful people overrides anything.
(I know you said 'some')
I will be totally honest, I don't really care who represents Paisley & Renfrewshire North; Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale; or Cumbernauld, Kilsyth & Kirkintilloch East, as long as each of the MPs works first for his/her constituency and second for the good of the whole of the UK.
I would *prefer* that these constituencies - and others - are *not* served by SNP members. But if that's how those constituents vote, then that's what happens.
The Scottish electorate has voted to remain in the Union. And, so long as SNP (or any other party) MPs work for both their constituents and their country (the UK), then why can't the Tories accept that, in some (large) parts of the country, their promises and record are hated so much, that people will want to govern the country in a different way?
Constituents in Falkirk, Paisley and Stirling are as entitled to have full representation as constituents in Witney, Doncaster and Sheffield.
Putting the SNP to one side, surely if the country is going to invest in one region, Scotland is a good place to invest. Lots of clever people and decent sized cities. The area desperately needs inward migration, which could alleviate some of the pressures in the southeast. And Scotland is not a significant drain so there will be a return on investment.
Investment in the north of England would also be good
In the interest of transparency, my vote is in a Scottish constituency but I wont be voting as I dont live there any more. I dont have any ties to the place, just lived there for a few years.
So why are on Earth are Tories so vehemently opposed to Ed Balls?