[Archived] The General Election 2015

[Gav]

Interesting to read that ousted MP's such as Ed Balls receive almost 90k to leave office.

In Balls case 33k resettlement allowance and 53k to close his office.

Not bad work if you can get it.....

[thenodrog]

Interesting to read that ousted MP's such as Ed Balls receive almost 90k to leave office.

In Balls case 33k resettlement allowance and 53k to close his office.

Not bad work if you can get it.....

Presumably Ed Balls will be offered the next 'safe' Labour seat that comes up due to death / disability / scandal etc. If so then will he need to open an office etc and if so will he give a %age of this money back do you think Gav?

tbh thats one stupid effin question isn't it?

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

If the Labour Party wants any chance of being electable in five years time, then there will have to be a bit more deep thinking than blaming the (supposedly) right wing media ... and some would say that the left wing bias of the BBC more than makes up for a section of the written press.

The BBC is scrutinized more than any other media for political bias. It possibly appears left wing - because the majority of other media is so right wing.

You have to remember that early in the campaign there were lots of complaints about the air time the BBC gave Nigel Farage - hardly left wing.

[Jock]

The BBC is scrutinized more than any other media for political bias. It possibly appears left wing - because the majority of other media is so right wing.

You have to remember that early in the campaign there were lots of complaints about the air time the BBC gave Nigel Farage - hardly left wing.

Can't watch Trotsky Question Time. Time to get rid of the BBC. So glad I don't buy a licence. I wish they'd stop writing to me though about being investigated. Last time a TV licence goon came to my door I invited him in to have a look around. He declined, mind you I was naked.

[Biddy]

Amazing how the Bank of England held off cutting the UK growth forecast from 2.9% to 2.5% until after the election. hmmm.

[yoda]

Amazing how the Bank of England held off cutting the UK growth forecast from 2.9% to 2.5% until after the election. hmmm.

What are you trying to say ?

[thenodrog]

Amazing how the Bank of England held off cutting the UK growth forecast from 2.9% to 2.5% until after the election. hmmm.

But on the other hand this has just been announced......... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32719779

hmmmm.

[jim mk2]

Amazing how the Bank of England held off cutting the UK growth forecast from 2.9% to 2.5% until after the election. hmmm.

Talking of right wing bias, confirmation of the BBC's stance towards the Conservatives during the election.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/13/bbc-labour-election

[Sandiway Blue]

Talking of right wing bias, confirmation of the BBC's stance towards the Conservatives during the election.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/13/bbc-labour-election

You're joking right? Good job the Guardian isn't politically biased against any particular party.....

Oh hang on a minute...

[yoda]

Talking of right wing bias, confirmation of the BBC's stance towards the Conservatives during the election.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/13/bbc-labour-election

Can't see any confirmation there, only Tom Baldwin having a general whinge.

His view that the beeb is Tory because they recruit spin doctors from them is funny, that line is a bit like the old inefficient corporations promoting union activists, did that make the corporations labour in principle ?

[Al]

Jim. For every article from the Guardian you could easily find the opposite from the Express or the Mail. You are quoting a very biased paper and the quotes are meaningless. You lost. Live with it.

[jim mk2]

Not convinced ? I've pointed out before that the senior political reporting team at the BBC have connections to the Tory party. It's also irrefutable that the constant attacks from right-wing media over perceived left-wing bias at the BBC have cowed the corporation into taking a right wing line

Here's an independent study by Cardiff university academics - and this was 2 years ago before the BBC took another lurch to the right during the election.

http://theconversation.com/hard-evidence-how-biased-is-the-bbc-17028

The truth is the BBC bends towards whichever govt is in power because its funding depends on a friendly administration . For the past 5 years that govt has been to the right.

[Sandiway Blue]

Not convinced ? I've pointed out before that the senior political reporting team at the BBC have connections to the Tory party. It's also irrefutable that the constant attacks from right-wing media over perceived left-wing bias at the BBC have cowed the corporation into taking a right wing line

Here's an independent study by Cardiff university academics - and this was 2 years ago before the BBC took another lurch to the right during the election.

http://theconversation.com/hard-evidence-how-biased-is-the-bbc-17028

The truth is the BBC bends towards whichever govt is in power because its funding depends on a friendly administration . For the past 5 years that govt has been to the

Hardly independent Jim....http://www.civitas.org.uk/press/PRprebble.html

the final paragraph pouring cold water on the claims:

Conclusion

These are charges of the utmost gravity, given that the BBC has relied on this Cardiff department to provide ‘impartial’ analyses of its news and current affairs output over a number of years, and Cardiff’s work has been central to its processes of internal review on at least two occasions. This paper shows that the academics have made basic data-gathering errors, seriously misrepresented some of their data and used it to reach inadequate and highly questionable conclusions. Elements of their approach also create doubts about the department’s neutrality, and seriously question the overall validity of its research procedures. The BBC Trustees have relied on this data to claim that the Corporation’s EU coverage properly complies with statutory requirements. They are wrong to have done so, and this raises grave doubts about their competence in meeting their regulatory obligations.

[Audax]

An interesting website is the "Biased BBC" website: http://biasedbbc.org/

They've been around for years, so the web masters have lost a bit of the impetus that made them take up their cause but it's interesting to read some of their takes.

[Salgado Is Still A Hero]

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/thousands-call-north-england-become-9248178

[yoda]

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/thousands-call-north-england-become-9248178

I like this line

"“The north of England should join the newly independent Scotland and regain control over its own destiny."

obviously written by an inebriated Jock

[jim mk2]

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/thousands-call-north-england-become-9248178

Excellent idea. Like Scotland, the Conservative party has no mandate to govern in the north of England.

Look at the list of Cameron's new Tory Cabinet and ministers below - apart from 4 Midlands and one northern minister (Gideon in leafy Cheshire), the whole lot are from the south.

Tories destroyed the northern economy 30 years ago since when the national economy has been run for the benefit of London and the south. The appointment of that lot won't make it any better.

Nicola Sturgeon, prime minister of North Britain.

Prime minister: David Cameron, Witney, Oxon

Chancellor of the Exchequer: George Osborne, Tatton, Cheshire

Home Secretary: Theresa May, Maidenhead, Berks

Foreign Secretary: Philip Hammond, Runnymede and Weybridge, Surrey

Work and Pensions: Iain Duncan Smith, Chingford and Woodford Green, Essex

Defence: Michael Fallon, Sevenaoks, Kent

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster: Oliver Letwin, West Dorset

Health: Jeremy Hunt South west Surrey

Chief Whip: Mark Harper Forest of Dean, Gloucs

Leader of the House of Commons: Chris Grayling Epsom and Ewell, Surrey

Justice: Michael Gove, Surrey Heath

Education: Nicky Morgan. Loughborough, Leics

Environment: Liz Truss South West Norfolk

International Development: Justine Greening, Putney, SW London

Energy and Climate Change Secretary: Amber Rudd, Hastings and Rye, Sussex

Employment Minister (attending Cabinet): Priti Patel, Witham, Essex

Culture Secretary: John Whittingdale, Maldon and Chelmsford East, Essex

Minister for Small Business: Anna Soubry, Broxtowe, Notts

Business Secretary: Sajid Javid, Bromsgrove, Worcs

Communities Secretary: Greg Clark, Tunbridge Wells, Kent

Cabinet Office minister and Paymaster General: Matthew Hancock, West Suffolk

Transport: Patrick McLoughlin Derbyshire Dales

Party chairman: Lord Feldman of Elstree (Herts)

Deputy party chairman: Robert Halfon Harlow, Essex

[Sandiway Blue]

Excellent idea. Like Scotland, the Conservative party has no mandate to govern in the north of England.

Look at the list of Cameron's new Tory Cabinet and ministers below - apart from 4 Midlands and one northern minister (Gideon in leafy Cheshire), the whole lot are from the south.

Tories destroyed the northern economy 30 years ago since when the national economy has been run for the benefit of London and the south. The appointment of that lot won't make it any better.

Nicola Sturgeon, prime minister of North Britain.

Hang on,weren't Labour in power for 13 years? They never did anything for the North either!

For all the nasty things that 'The nasty party' did why didn't Labour reverse any of them when they had the chance?

[yoda]

Excellent idea. Like Scotland, the Conservative party has no mandate to govern in the north of England.

Look at the list of Cameron's new Tory Cabinet and ministers below - apart from 4 Midlands and one northern minister (Gideon in leafy Cheshire), the whole lot are from the south.

Tories destroyed the northern economy 30 years ago since when the national economy has been run for the benefit of London and the south. The appointment of that lot won't make it any better.

Nicola Sturgeon, prime minister of North Britain.

Prime minister: David Cameron, Witney, Oxon

Chancellor of the Exchequer: George Osborne, Tatton, Cheshire

Home Secretary: Theresa May, Maidenhead, Berks

Foreign Secretary: Philip Hammond, Runnymede and Weybridge, Surrey

Work and Pensions: Iain Duncan Smith, Chingford and Woodford Green, Essex

Defence: Michael Fallon, Sevenaoks, Kent

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster: Oliver Letwin, West Dorset

Health: Jeremy Hunt South west Surrey

Chief Whip: Mark Harper Forest of Dean, Gloucs

Leader of the House of Commons: Chris Grayling Epsom and Ewell, Surrey

Justice: Michael Gove, Surrey Heath

Education: Nicky Morgan. Loughborough, Leics

Environment: Liz Truss South West Norfolk

International Development: Justine Greening, Putney, SW London

Energy and Climate Change Secretary: Amber Rudd, Hastings and Rye, Sussex

Employment Minister (attending Cabinet): Priti Patel, Witham, Essex

Culture Secretary: John Whittingdale, Maldon and Chelmsford East, Essex

Minister for Small Business: Anna Soubry, Broxtowe, Notts

Business Secretary: Sajid Javid, Bromsgrove, Worcs

Communities Secretary: Greg Clark, Tunbridge Wells, Kent

Cabinet Office minister and Paymaster General: Matthew Hancock, West Suffolk

Transport: Patrick McLoughlin Derbyshire Dales

Party chairman: Lord Feldman of Elstree (Herts)

Deputy party chairman: Robert Halfon Harlow, Essex

Did someone else write your signature ?

[thenodrog]

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/thousands-call-north-england-become-9248178

Turkeys and christmas. Osborne's going to chuck much input into his 'northern power house' policy.

To think.... Not all that long ago Jim would have had his head on a spike at the Tower for such treasonable comment.

[K-Hod]

The Northern 'Powerhouse' is just lip service, I assumed that the petition to join with Scotland was a bit of fun, surprised anyone's taking it so seriously tbh.

[jim mk2]

The "northern powerhouse" means nothing unless it is backed with serious government money - and I mean the sort of tens of billions that have been lavished on London's economy.

I suspect it was just a slogan invented by Osborne for the purposes of the election and will now be quietly forgotten along with his "march of the makers" and rebalanced economy" from a few years ago. Meanwhile he will continue to do what he does best - cutting money and services for the sick and disabled while rewarding the richest with tax cuts.

[K-Hod]

As you say, until we see the kinds of figures spent on London spent on other areas of the country it's simply lip service.

[Al]

The Northern 'Powerhouse' is just lip service, I assumed that the petition to join with Scotland was a bit of fun, surprised anyone's taking it so seriously tbh.

I sincerely hope so. The day that that lipless bitch has authority in England is the time to emigrate.

[thenodrog]

The "northern powerhouse" means nothing unless it is backed with serious government money - and I mean the sort of tens of billions that have been lavished on London's economy.

I suspect it was just a slogan invented by Osborne for the purposes of the election and will now be quietly forgotten along with his "march of the makers" and rebalanced economy" from a few years ago. Meanwhile he will continue to do what he does best - cutting money and services for the sick and disabled while rewarding the richest with tax cuts.

The Northern 'Powerhouse' is just lip service, I assumed that the petition to join with Scotland was a bit of fun, surprised anyone's taking it so seriously tbh.

Hope you can take this a little more seriously K-Hod.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-32726171

Osborne..............

The "old model" of running everything from London is "broken" and has unbalanced the economy, he will add. A Cities Devolution Bill will be in the Queen's Speech later this month. Speaking in Manchester, the chancellor is expected to say that trying to run everything in the country from London has "made people feel remote from the decisions that affect their lives. "It's not good for our prosperity or our democracy."

You two will no doubt be pleased because he is addressing your major criticism directly. I realise actions speak louder than words but if George Osborne does exactly as he says then by taking notice of the nation and the North in particular will ensure they win the next election as well.

btw more (imo dark) mutterings toward cutting the SNP the slack line they will undoubtedly hang themselves with. Lambs to the slaughter? There aren't many of them granted but my sympathies are heading toward the scottish conservatives.