2015 UK Election

Critique · Mon 20 Apr, 2015 15.31

Considering people rarely update their Twitter bios, I've been quite impressed to see that all MPs I've seen have changed their bios to reflect that they are now just candidates for the job, with those who had 'MP' in their @username either removing it or stating in their bio how they are not an MP and that they made the account when they were. Is there some sort of rule that means you have to stop referring to yourself as the MP for a constituency after the dissolution of Parliament, other than obviously stopping if you lose the seat!

robschneider · Mon 20 Apr, 2015 15.38

Yes - now Parliament is dissolved there are techincally no MPs.

WillPS · Mon 20 Apr, 2015 15.43

Critique wrote:Considering people rarely update their Twitter bios, I've been quite impressed to see that all MPs I've seen have changed their bios to reflect that they are now just candidates for the job, with those who had 'MP' in their @username either removing it or stating in their bio how they are not an MP and that they made the account when they were. Is there some sort of rule that means you have to stop referring to yourself as the MP for a constituency after the dissolution of Parliament, other than obviously stopping if you lose the seat!

Yes:

House of Commons

When Parliament is dissolved, every seat in the House of Commons becomes vacant. All business in the House comes to an end. There are no Members of Parliament. MPs revert to being members of the public and lose privileges associated with being a Member of Parliament.

MPs are allowed access to Parliament for just a few days in which to remove papers from their offices. The facilities that the House provides for MPs in Westminster during a Parliament are no longer available to them from 5pm on the day of dissolution.

Until a new Parliament is elected, there are no MPs. Those who wish to be MPs again must stand again as candidates for election.

http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/elec ... ssolution/

barcode · Mon 20 Apr, 2015 17.55

Back on the campaign trail:

* http://bet2015.co.uk/
* http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2015-31712045

When it comes to UKIP, there seems to be only one point behide, at North and south Thanet, great Yarmouth Boston and Skeggy. castle point and Great Grimsby

When it comes to the Scottish Tories will lose there only seat BUT may pick up the next day by 1%. And the SNP will pick up most of the seats. Somehow SNP are on to win the Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath seats yet Cowdenbeath half voted for a labour MSP in 2011. I do wonder if SNP can pick the seat next door - Dunfermline and West Fife, since the trouble SNP had over the Bill Walker.

Square Eyes · Mon 20 Apr, 2015 19.02

To me as a casual observer, the Tory campaign is a shambles. Just feels directionless. Is it even a campaign ? Yet the polls seem to be starting to favour them. Maybe the non-campaign is the plan or the Labour / SNP rhetoric is resonating.

barcode · Mon 20 Apr, 2015 20.37

Square Eyes wrote:To me as a casual observer, the Tory campaign is a shambles. Just feels directionless. Is it even a campaign ? Yet the polls seem to be starting to favour them. Maybe the non-campaign is the plan or the Labour / SNP rhetoric is resonating.

I'm not to sure The tories are actually moving ahead, the poll of polls have not really moved for weeks and the out of the last seven polls its 50 -50 Spilt to the bigger party.

Alexia · Mon 20 Apr, 2015 20.52

Square Eyes wrote:To me as a casual observer, the Tory campaign is a shambles. Just feels directionless. Is it even a campaign ? Yet the polls seem to be starting to favour them. Maybe the non-campaign is the plan or the Labour / SNP rhetoric is resonating.

Anthony Wells has it:

Populus: 34 32 15 9 4
ICM: 32 34 11 10 5
Ashcroft: 30 34 13 10 4

So, as usual, it's anyone's guess.

Alexia · Mon 20 Apr, 2015 22.43

YouGov tonight.

CON 34%, LAB 35%, LD 7%, UKIP 13%, GRN 5%

Philip · Tue 21 Apr, 2015 00.23

Square Eyes wrote:To me as a casual observer, the Tory campaign is a shambles. Just feels directionless. Is it even a campaign ? Yet the polls seem to be starting to favour them. Maybe the non-campaign is the plan or the Labour / SNP rhetoric is resonating.

When you think about it, it's a little strange how the Conservatives didn't win the last election. 13 years of Labour in power, the country in a recession, the negativity surrounding Gordon Brown - but their campaign just wasn't as strong as it could have been. I feel it's the same this time round. Yes, vote Conservative to keep a Labour/SNP coalition out - but there should be bigger reasons than that. What about their track record in government, how they successfully ran the first coalition since the Second World War?

They're trying to be all things to all people, and the message isn't clear.

WillPS · Tue 21 Apr, 2015 09.05

Philip wrote:
Square Eyes wrote:To me as a casual observer, the Tory campaign is a shambles. Just feels directionless. Is it even a campaign ? Yet the polls seem to be starting to favour them. Maybe the non-campaign is the plan or the Labour / SNP rhetoric is resonating.
When you think about it, it's a little strange how the Conservatives didn't win the last election. 13 years of Labour in power, the country in a recession, the negativity surrounding Gordon Brown - but their campaign just wasn't as strong as it could have been. I feel it's the same this time round. Yes, vote Conservative to keep a Labour/SNP coalition out - but there should be bigger reasons than that. What about their track record in government, how they successfully ran the first coalition since the Second World War?

They're trying to be all things to all people, and the message isn't clear.

The overall trend is downward for them:

Just like John Lewis, they are ultimately doomed.

barcode · Tue 21 Apr, 2015 09.56

I think this is a good enough place to highlight this again:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... l-election