2015 UK Election

[all new Phil]

I wish David C would SHUT is dam mouth about that stupid note " we have no money left" Crumbs its clear he sweeped the 1964 TORY note to the incoming labour government, saying the same thing...

But like it or not, it's the justification for the whole narrative of the last parliament.

Yet when the tories left office in 1964 there left the country with no money, its pot calling the kettle black. Maybe we should have never saved the banks.

But what has 1964 got to do with the last government? It hasn't had any impact on any of the policies or spending decisions. Your point is, as ever, completely irrelevant.

[barcode]

But like it or not, it's the justification for the whole narrative of the last parliament.

Yet when the tories left office in 1964 there left the country with no money, its pot calling the kettle black. Maybe we should have never saved the banks.

But what has 1964 got to do with the last government? It hasn't had any impact on any of the policies or spending decisions. Your point is, as ever, completely irrelevant.

OK then, David C can pull out a piece of paper and blame the Labour government for all the problems from 5 years ago, but it wont wash away all the broken promises and lies he made: VAT rise, doubling of the debt, getting rid of the defict within 5 years.

Labour did not spend all the money, it did not leave nothing in the cupbroads. UK debt in 2007 was around 43% the same as 1997, THEN the crash happened. How much was spent on the bank? whos to blame for that? David C has taken debt from 70% - 90% he cant blame anyone else...

[Gavin Scott]

OK then, David C can pull out a piece of paper and blame the Labour government for all the problems from 5 years ago, but it wont wash away all the broken promises and lies he made: VAT rise, doubling of the debt, getting rid of the defict within 5 years.

Labour did not spend all the money, it did not leave nothing in the cupbroads. UK debt in 2007 was around 43% the same as 1997, THEN the crash happened. How much was spent on the bank? whos to blame for that? David C has taken debt from 70% - 90% he cant blame anyone else...

Within months of the last election result Labour had conceded the argument about the cause of the global financial meltdown. Phil is right - some puerile note written by a junior minister became the narrative through its existence and a lack of defence from the outgoing government.

While chumps like me were on here arguing the facts about reckless investment bankers and collateralised debt obligations, Labour were sitting in a Commons bar drinking brandy, occasionally rising to vote with the government for some of the worst parts of its programme.

The first time I've heard them attempt to defend themselves in 5 years was last night in his TV solo interview - Ed answering, "No, we didn't overspend".

"You...I have to be blunt..." says the man in the audience, "are just lying", and is greeted by a round of applause.

"Well I'm obviously not going to convince you", says Ed, giving up.

And I gave up a long time ago.

If Labour had any fight in them they traded it long ago for the promise of a clutch of potential swing voters where the overwhelming super-objective was to be seen to be 'fiscally prudent', whether or not austerity shows itself to be successful and in spite of significant harm brought about by the worst of it. The hypocrisy was rank - voting with the government for a further welfare cap and then complaining about falling living standards. It has reached dizzying heights in Scotland with Jim Murphy claiming Labour are the "party to end austerity" before being taken apart by every passing journalist and politically literate viewer over the contrary statements expressed by Ed Balls and Chuka Umunna.

Having allowed themselves to be painted into a corner as the party of reckless finance, Labour are too terrified to do the thing that dozens of financial analysts are now suggesting - to slacken off austerity and inject some real money into the economy, reducing the speed of deficit reduction. The downgrading of our AAA status barely had an impact on the cost of borrowing because investors know Britain will pay in the slightly longer run.

Anyway, tonight Ed cut his own throat by saying he'd rather not take office if he had to be propped up by SNP support. He's gambling everything on the hope of gaining a working majority; his judgement showing itself to be as poor here as in most other matters.

RIP Labour.

[Gavin Scott]

Incidentally, I'm not sure some of our non-Scottish members have had the pleasure of the full-on Jimbo experience.

Tonight, as Sally Magnusson of Reporting Scotland makes a dogged but ultimately unsuccessful effort to get a straight answer on just about anything out of Labour’s regional branch manager, just observe the delirium of relief on his face as the end draws near and the desperate evasion is over forever.

For additional points, keep track of how many minutes he talks over his interviewer in an unsuccessful attempt to hypnotise us.

[Square Eyes]

Of course no party should be ruling out working with anyone before the electorate have spoken. If it is the will of the electorate then they should be open to collaboration and consensus to form stable government.

Totally disingenuous and disrespectful to the electorate to say otherwise.

[robschneider]

Ding-dong the witch is dead and all that.

[all new Phil]

I've said it before but the Labour Party is an absolute mess. The only reason they're still polling reasonably well is the lack of an alternative - with the exception of in Scotland. The success of the SNP shows, I think, that Labour would be annihilated if a similar party were to exist elsewhere in the UK.

I thought the Greens could potentially be that alternative, but they're not taken seriously enough just yet. Much the same as the SNP, I don't necessarily agree with their politics, but I admire their belief in it.

[WillPS]

I've said it before but the Labour Party is an absolute mess. The only reason they're still polling reasonably well is the lack of an alternative - with the exception of in Scotland. The success of the SNP shows, I think, that Labour would be annihilated if a similar party were to exist elsewhere in the UK.

I thought the Greens could potentially be that alternative, but they're not taken seriously enough just yet. Much the same as the SNP, I don't necessarily agree with their politics, but I admire their belief in it.

I agree with you that Labour does not seem like a party at ease with itself. On one hand you have comments from Reeves which pretty much demonise those dependent on benefits, yet on the other side you have the headline campaign message of scrapping the bedroom tax.

There are also too many ghosts lingering around from the New Labour "days of boom and bust are over" era too. (Edited to add that I don't think Ed Miliband is one of these ghosts.)

I'm voting Green (safe in the knowledge that my constituency will return a comfortable Labour majority, as it has done every time) in the hope that at the next general election they become a viable option. I wouldn't hesitate to vote for the SNP if they changed their remit and expanded to England.

[robschneider]

I think you're right. I hated the Blair years but at least he had strong leadership qualities, and the party had a vision. I didn't agree with that vision but at least it had some foundations, so I could respect it.

At the moment they just appear unelectable and haven't got their ducks in a row.

As for an "English" alternative party, there was a time where UKIP could have been that party but they seem to have lost complete momentum since the European elections a year ago.

I wonder with politics becoming even more fragmented than it was in 2010, if there'll be another AV referendum this decade?

[all new Phil]

As for an "English" alternative party, there was a time where UKIP could have been that party but they seem to have lost complete momentum since the European elections a year ago.

Nah - UKIP will never get the momentum and support from outside their already quite narrow base that they would need to become a bigger player.

[robschneider]

A fair point. An alternative left-wing party, however, would probably seriously hurt Labour. The Greens will be one to watch over this next term.