Being a chav isn't just about the dress sense or music or the fashion, it's also about the intelect of the person and the attitude. It's easy to go around shouting the odds and calling everything chavy nowadays, like I said before, I think it's a term people are using too loosely.
I just read about Brown's comments caught on tape. He's probably done for now. I kinda feel sorry for him because he was just unlucky enough to get caught on tape. It's not as if all politicians don't have a whine about the people they meet sometimes. Remember someone threw an egg at John Prescott and he punched him in the face? That was excellent.
I'm getting tired of this election race now - none of the parties shout at me that i really support their views as it's clear no matter who goes in, we're bound to get higher taxes, no say on EU membership/the Euro and little change with immigration and law & order. As usual, it feels like a vote for a lesser of 2/3 evils.
No matter how the debates went, no matter who says/promises what, i'm just going to vote Tory because a) i want/NEED that cretin Brown out (Labour promised and lied when offering a refurrendum on Europe previously, plus they are bloody useless leaders) and b) Lib Dems are too soft on crime and too easily swayed towards Europe (which i think is a mistake in it's current, non-elected form).
Those t.v. debates did nothing but take up schedule space that could have been used to show some quality repeats of Top Gear, in my opinion.
Politicians' words are about as worthless as chocolate fire-guards.
The big day tomorrow then. It still looks - on all forecasts - to be a very tight election, so close that even political experts cannot predict this one with any kind of confidence.
I will say one last time that I believe every single eligible voter out there should go and vote. There have been elections past won by just TWO votes... imagine if your own parliamentary seat was won by just the ONE vote, and imagine that a majority in the House of Commons was decided by a single seat (it really is this close; polling companies are stumped and their own official Margins of Error confer the majority from Conservative to Hung Parliament territory by whichever boundary you look at). If this situation happened, could you live with yourself having just let your worst choice into government?
This situation is obviously hypothetical and highly improbable. But if every single person votes, they can have no doubts as to their own conscience.
So go out tomorrow, walk ten minutes to your nearest Polling Station and put a nice big cross in your most favoured candidate. And be happy knowing that - whatever the result - you have at least had your say.
I also urge everyone to go out and vote (I am just about to go out myself to do so!). A hung parliament is the last thing we need at the moment.
@Marko: I think exactly the same. Its the referendum on EU thats really annoyed me with labour amongst other things. Whoever gets in, I expect more of the same though, I just want Gordon and New Labour out.
To anyone who voted Conservative and isn't a member of big business, the city, and married - you have my sympathies. For anyone who swallowed the instinctual, tribal ideal of an independant UK when our neighbouring countries on this little globe are now banded together in the EU and stronger for it in cooperation - a strength the Tories' manifesto (read it, and read it all) intends to cut us away from - my sympathies. Finally, anyone who thinks that a party founded on silver-spoon Etonians will be better for you, the everyman, than even the shoddy, hateful Labour, you really have my sympathies. I think it's a shame most of all for those who voted Tory as a tactic to get Gordon Brown out - a vote for a party that wasn't really about that party's policies at all.
Anyway, we'll wait and see. Labour are terrible but have at least kept our heads above the water in a tough time for the whole globe; the Conservative masnifesto has some startingly dangerous decisions in it based on old ideals ill-fitted for this modern, progressive age.
Congratulations on the Green Party's first ever MP. May it be the first of many.
Such a disappointing night for Lib Dem. My local Liberal MP lost to the Labour candidate, who has been dis-owned by his own local Labour party for a 'dirty tricks' campaign, cheated on his wife during the election run-up (leaving her a single mum with two kids) and was the one who invited Gordon Brown to the infamous 'Bigot' interview. And he still won. Absolutely unbelievable, proof once and for all that Rochdalians are fucking stupid.
As for the wider country, an expected result really; the New Conservative's proving that even with a wildly unpopular, unelected PM, they still couldn't force him out (not the proper way anyway).
Rob Rule:
You're talking about the Conservative party from 20-years ago. The "new" Conservatives are far more moderate, and virtually indistinguishable from Labour on policy.
Matt Boothman:
Hate to say I told you so, but...
People were never going to vote for the LibDems. They like (and think it more socially acceptable to like) the LibDems, but they vote with their heads, not their hearts. It's like the "Shy Tory Effect", or the "Bradley Effect" (Was I the only one who thought that had something to do with Bradley from S-Club 7 being black?).
Anyway, big swings from LibDem to Tory down here, although the overall votes were very close:
St Ives (my constituency) - LibDem Hold, but 10.4% swing towards Con, and very close.
Camborne & Redruth - Con gain from LibDem, but just 66 votes in it!
Truro & Falmouth - Con gain from LibDem, but again less than 500 votes between them.
Fortunately, it looks like Brown will be gone. He could still technically do some kind of a deal with the LibDems to stay in, but I think there'd be riots if he did. Serving two terms without ever being elected is just taking the piss - especially when you f@$k everything up as badly as he has.
btw: You'll be happy to know I did vote in the end (just happened to be walking past the polling station anyway). Still voted Tory though, just to spite you
I just wish I could have voted for that guy standing behind Gordon Brown, with his fist up...
Anyone who left it until 9pm to vote, after polls have been open since 7am, is a dumbass in my opinion. It's probably just as well people like that didn't get to vote.
This is not meant to be offensive but how old are you Rob? Perhaps when I was fresh out of school I held perhaps somewhat similar views. Brown may not have been to Eaton, but I am pretty confident he was redbrick educated (like myself, on a side note I am now doing my third degree after working in what industry was left). I meet a lot of "Ruperts" at Uni, and a lot of them are labour as well (probably just to spite their dad! ). I may accuse them of talking out of their arses (and I have done), but I do not hold their upbringing against them. Oh and before you ask, I have got my postgrad degrees (place and funding) on my work and results, not Daddy's money. I have a strong Brummie accent, how do you think I feel with these people ?
You have my deepest sympathies if you honestly believe the Labour party is competent in running the economy or any fiscal policy. The Labour party members are not bad people personally, they mean well but they are generally just incompetent in running a business. Wilson, Callaghan and Brown have all brought our countries economy to its knees or did your teachers skip over this part of history in favour of only telling you about Maggie shutting the pits and the poll tax?
Why has the UK:
* Took the longest to show any form of growth from our recession (in the G20)
* A record decline in manufacturing since records began in 1980 (ONS time series QTPI and QVYR)
* A quadrupled national debt compared to 97 (HM treasury) and highest budget deficit of any developed country at 11.4 of GDP (IMF)
* Sold the gold reserves (in a very bad manner/process)
* Have record inactivity in the labour market since records began in 1971 (ONS labour market stats)
* It goes on...
I guess this is "keeping our heads above the water" ? God help us if we did 'badly'!
It really annoys me that an alleged socialist government has destroyed pretty much a whole generations pensions (the first thing Brown did in 97 was the 5bn tax on them), let our motor industry collapse and to top it off they have accelerated the gap between the poor and the rich, with the poorest households (bottom 20%) income falling consecutively for 3 years (DWP Households below average income 07/08 ), whilst our child poverty rate is one of the worst in the developed EU nations.
I fail to see how being out of the EU is a tribal instinct? I guess Greece, Spain and Portugual being on the brink of collapse (or have collapsed) are glistening examples of why we should jump in head first and also adopt the Euro. Discussions about Greece pulling out and reverting to the Drachma (such that they have their own control over their currency, i.e. let them print more to help ease their debt) are afoot. I having nothing against Europeans, I just believe each country needs to control its own economy.
Do not get me wrong, Labour have done some good things. Minimum wage, winter fuel allowance for the elderly, tax credits and I think they did the free TV license for elderly too, but I still think a FAR better job could be done. To be honest the party I think the British public needs is none of the main ones, but a mix between old school labour and the conservatives (i.e. peoples interests at heart, whilst keeping the country afloat). Unfortunately such a party does not exist.
Oh and for the record I have generally voted Conservative at Generals/MP level (I did vote Tory ), and whoever does the best job for the local community for the council elections (usually labour, the labour councillor around here does do a good job so he gets my vote). A lot of people are so hung up on stereotypes and hate of the other side its Labour/Labour or Con/Con on Election Day.
The wavering between parties is such now that to talk of elections past, and records from twenty years ago is fairly redundant. The Labour Party effectively became a new party in the mid-90s; since then they've been pretty liberal (with a small l) towards the banks, the markets and big business. It's funny Hagar how you say what we need is "a mix between old school labour and the conservatives"... because that is exactly what New Labour is! It was specifically set out to be just that; capitalism with a conscience. You will say 'Labour has failed because of its socialist leanings'. I will say 'Labour failed in spite of them'. That's just down to viewpoint in the end.
I don't think Brown's done a disastrous job though, all in all. We have, in my view, been sheltered from most of the effects of the recession. He did however fail in ending the boom and bust, as he called it. We still have a massively skewed economic model where billions of pounds are been gambled and traded away at the top, whilst some kids want for a few quid here and there at the bottom. That's not socialism.
I do not see how any Conservative can really criticise Brown's financial control of Britain's economy. For 90% of it they have been squarely behind it. Even now, the numbers between Brown and Cameron's financial plans are minuscule. New Labour has much more in common with the government of Margaret Thatcher than it does with the policies of Michael Foot.
All this though leaves me with a sense of dread for the future; there are no socialist parties in the Government. Each party has blundered stupidly towards the middle and are almost sitting on top of each other.
And just a point about Brown having never been elected as Prime Minister; nobody has ever been elected as Prime Minister. This is not America. You vote for a constituency candidate, and then those candidates decide between them who should lead.
Originally Posted by Sketchy Rob Rule:
You're talking about the Conservative party from 20-years ago. The "new" Conservatives are far more moderate, and virtually indistinguishable from Labour on policy.
Nope, I'm talking about the Conservatives today. Also they are, quite obviously, still two very distinguishable parties.
In address to hagar; I'm far too posh for my own good, and have, to my moderate shame, indulged in far too much on all things socio, from the political theory of the Ancient Grecian foundings to the economics, philosophy and politic of modern society, centred of course mostly on here in the UK. This isn't really about our credentials and qualifications, though, or our similar ages - it's just an opinion thing. I believe my opinion is informed and that you disagree doesn't mean yours is any less so.
Holding an upbringing against someone is obviously wrong and and has the implication of inverse snobbery on my part; that's not my concern. My concern is Cameron, not his upbringing - an upbringing that encourages a modus operandi that in this case, I believe Cameron operates by. If you closely read my post, you will see that I do not support Labour or even consider them competent, merely that I think they have a safer manifesto than the Tories do and thus would be safer in the position to deal with the economy than the Tories.
And not to needlessly correct you on an irrelevant point, but the University of Edinburgh isn't part of the civic university movement.
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Edited by Sketchy
). I may accuse them of talking out of their arses (and I have done), but I do not hold their upbringing against them. Oh and before you ask, I have got my postgrad degrees (place and funding) on my work and results, not Daddy's money. I have a strong Brummie accent, how do you think I feel with these people ?