Reply to: Cameron to say sorry.

[minestrone]

It's ironic that the Tory-hating Scottish National Party and their voters will help see a Conservative victory by splitting the Labour vote.

In a twist it is the Conservatives that back up the SNP in the Scottish parliament, they pretty much got the SNP budgets through, nobody would have seen that coming.

They both hate labour more than they hate each other and they seem to work together with that.

The SNP will not do that well in a Westminster election.

[GreenerGrass]

Brown's secret weapon is public spending, specifically employment in the public sector.

The recession has so far hit the country hardest in the south because most people work in the private sector here. Up north, where people vote for Labour, many people work in the public sector for their council or quango or whatever -- some areas of Britain have public spending levels higher than communist Soviet Union! We all know the party has to end at some point, and there will be mass public sector redundancies, but will anyone vote for their own demise?

Cameron will do it immediately in the early years to get the pain out the way. Hundreds of thousands of people, mainly in the north, will be binned. They will no longer be working as 5-a-day fruit and veg diversity coordinators for Middlesbrough council; they will be on the dole.

Gordon will do it slowly and by the back door, with "early retirement" and privatisation of services (followed swiftly by lay-offs). Sod the economy.

If you worked as a social equality manager in Birmingham who would you vote for?

Good points. I don't underestimate the level of public sector votes for Labour away from the south east.

It's ironic that the Tory-hating Scottish National Party and their voters will help see a Conservative victory by splitting the Labour vote.

[swamp]

Brown's secret weapon is public spending, specifically employment in the public sector.

The recession has so far hit the country hardest in the south because most people work in the private sector here. Up north, where people vote for Labour, many people work in the public sector for their council or quango or whatever -- some areas of Britain have public spending levels higher than communist Soviet Union! We all know the party has to end at some point, and there will be mass public sector redundancies, but will anyone vote for their own demise?

Cameron will do it immediately in the early years to get the pain out the way. Hundreds of thousands of people, mainly in the north, will be binned. They will no longer be working as 5-a-day fruit and veg diversity coordinators for Middlesbrough council; they will be on the dole.

Gordon will do it slowly and by the back door, with "early retirement" and privatisation of services (followed swiftly by lay-offs). Sod the economy.

If you worked as a social equality manager in Birmingham who would you vote for?

[minestrone]

Not sure the Tory Party are looking towards the Central Scottish Belt to underpin their challenge at the next General Election. Good job really.

I stay in East Ren which was considered the safest Tory seat in Britain, Alan Stewart MP then attacks an M74 eco warrior with a bat right in front of the press, his son gets a .22 out of the back of his jaguar and starts shooting the crusties, Stewart then gets sectioned and placed into dykebar mental hospital with booze psychosis, when he is in the priory drying out he has an affair with some slapper which is placed all over the press. No surprise labour take the seat for the first time ever.

Look after the pennies and all that, as much as I hate new labour Jim Murphy is actually doing a good job. They shut off Eastwood mains road and the shops really suffered, he actually came down and spoke to the shopkeepers and asked the council to drop the rates for them. There are few MPs that would do that.

When it comes to local issues in the most exclusive area of Scotland Labour has done more.

[SantaClaus]

DC should resign and let maggie take over. Even gaga she is ten times the man he is.

Where will we find a leader who will take the tough decisions that need to be taken?

I agree. Vote Maggie and senile dementure!!!

If Ronald Ray Gun can be president...

[shaunbhoy]

In Glasgow, even if you had tattooed your face purple, if you were to admit to voting Tory you would be described as 'that Tory bastard'. I know only 2 other people who openly admit to voting Tory in this town. The party are totally hated and so is anyone associated with them, if labour were to put up a monkey with a red rosette (and god they have tried ) it would still win a seat.

Not sure the Tory Party are looking towards the Central Scottish Belt to underpin their challenge at the next General Election. Good job really.

[minestrone]

In Glasgow, even if you had tattooed your face purple, if you were to admit to voting Tory you would be described as 'that Tory bastard'. I know only 2 other people who openly admit to voting Tory in this town. The party are totally hated and so is anyone associated with them, if labour were to put up a monkey with a red rosette (and god they have tried ) it would still win a seat.

[centurian]

Totally, it's genius from Cameron.
I have still never actually met ANYONE who admitted to voting for Labour in the last general election. I have no idea how they are in power.

Even the working class people that used to automatically vote for them now realise they have been betrayed.
I guess it is just public sector workers, but even they will become disgruntled when they stop getting pay rises and final salary pension schemes have to be abolished.

Back in 1991 after 12 years of Tory rule, no-one would admit to voting Conservative in the coming general election.

None of the people I knew said they were going to vote for Major. Every single opinion poll had predicted a Labour victory.

Yet in 92, Major won the election, with a small, but workable majority (although that majority did diminish during the course of the administration).

It was called the "shy Tory voter". I think pollsters now factor this into their opinion polls and "adjust" some reponses to compensate for the fact that people are not telling them the truth.

[HairyArsedBloke]

You either live in a very strong Tory constituency or have a decidedly aberrant peer group. That is, if you make a habit of asking people which way they voted... I don't know who any of my friends voted for and I don't really care.

It's not just him. I live in a very working class part of London and all the locals hate nuLieBore too.

[d000hg]

I have still never actually met ANYONE who admitted to voting for Labour in the last general election.

You either live in a very strong Tory constituency or have a decidedly aberrant peer group. That is, if you make a habit of asking people which way they voted... I don't know who any of my friends voted for and I don't really care.

[spongebob]

So if he had been doing his job properly Cameron should have been doing what Labour were actually accusing him of - planning Tory cuts. Is that what he's saying?

Imagine Labour supporters banging on about all those poor nurses, teachers and policemen on the dole...

[GreenerGrass]

He's only apologising for something that everyone knows isn't his fault, to get Brown to admit it was his fault.

Totally, it's genius from Cameron.
I have still never actually met ANYONE who admitted to voting for Labour in the last general election. I have no idea how they are in power.

Even the working class people that used to automatically vote for them now realise they have been betrayed.
I guess it is just public sector workers, but even they will become disgruntled when they stop getting pay rises and final salary pension schemes have to be abolished.

[centurian]

He's only apologising for something that everyone knows isn't his fault, to get Brown to admit it was his fault.

Its a political tactic (no surprise there) but I don't suppose it will be successful.

I can't see Lab staying in at the next erection, but maybe there will be some catastrophe at the last minute that Brown will be able to claim credit for.

Like eliquant said above, Cameron needs to raise his profile - no idea how though.

I blame mandelson.

There is a risk because it allows the government to say "see - this means they wouldn't have done anything different".

But on the flip-side, people already know that. The Tories aren't ahead because they had/have better policies - but because they want to punish the government for their incompetance (an important facet of democracy).


I find it hard to understand why politicians fail to appologise for something that everyone knows is their fault. If Gordon Brown were to admit he was a child molester, serial killer or KGB agent, then it would certainly cost him some votes.

But his failure as an economic genius has already been "priced in" - he won't lose many more votes than he already has - and might actually gain a few for his frankness.

I suppose in Gordon's case though, it cuts to his whole reputation. Take away the 10 years of boom (which he would have to admit was a giant illusion) and what does have left on his CV.

[HairyArsedBloke]

....I can't see Lab staying in at the next erection,...

That is why there is a danger of there not being another one.

[Grinder]

He's only apologising for something that everyone knows isn't his fault, to get Brown to admit it was his fault.

Its a political tactic (no surprise there) but I don't suppose it will be successful.

I can't see Lab staying in at the next erection, but maybe there will be some catastrophe at the last minute that Brown will be able to claim credit for.

Like eliquant said above, Cameron needs to raise his profile - no idea how though.

I blame mandelson.