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May 2011 Election


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Split loyalties: Ruper Murdoch's Tory-supporting Sun backs Alex Salmond's SNP

A couple of things here. First of all this is the lamest attempt to link the Tories and the SNP yet. Secondly, the sneering reference to "the English" is the sort of lazy attempt to play on anti English prejudice that the SNP are accused of. Thirdly, you've "seen" Labour's manifesto? Did you just look at the cover? Was it pretty? Did you read it? Fourthly, you think Iain Gray is best for Scotland? I mean what the f**k? Oh, and finally, remind me, who in Scotland owns the Daily Record?

As if they have read the manifesto! 500 monkeys batteering away on typewriters would bang out a better manifesto than this bunch of gravy train withdrawal junkies.

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The Daily Record epitomises the whole "voted Labour all my life" attitude. They haven't read the manifesto; it could have been filled with racist bile for all they know.

But it's a catch-22 situation: they won't change their views because they're scared of losing readers, but the readers won't change their views because "their" paper still supports Labour.

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Another example of the Record playing the 'fear the Tories' card to rouse their Labour-voting core.

The Daily Record is obviously going to back the Labour manifesto, but how anyone can look at it and actually believe it is beyond me. Just how, given the cuts to the budget, are we meant to reinstate the GARL? Moreover, eliminating youth unemployment? don't make me laugh. I can only assume some kind of manipulation of figures would be involved, because that really is a ridiculous thing to put forward. It's an admirable goal, but one I'd have to say is nigh on impossible. It's a desperate, populist pledge.

Apparently Salmond pledged an extra £1Bn for the NHS and I really have my doubts as to where that's going to come from, but it's a far more feasible pledge than ending youth unemployment.

I was planing to vote for the Labour candidate (as she happens to be my incumbent MSP) on the constituency paper because I don't perceive that she's doing a bad job. She's certainly more visible round the constituency than Brown, that's for sure. However, I can't bring myself to validate that idiot Gray, so that won't be happening. I dislike the SNP and won't be voting for them either, but I can't take the only feasible alternative to them seriously.

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Unlike the Record, i decided to have a quick swatch at the manifesto

I'll do the same when the SNP release theirs next week.

My first thought is that they don't really 'get it', as it were. It's like they are aware of the problems and challenges in Scottish society but are lacking the creative spark, the incisive intelligence to see beyond the surface detail. It reads to me like a manifesto taking populist measures to tackle the symptoms of the problems, rather than having a clear vision on how to address the underlying causes. Take the apprentice pledge in there, it's a nice idea, but hamstrung if it isn't put in place alongside a clear idea of how the country's industry will advance and expand to accomadate those apprentices.

It's like they can see the problems clearly enough in isolation, and try to solve each one in isolation without trying to ocnstruct an over-arching narrative of how it all fits together, and consequently lacks any notion of how to tackle the deeper lying problems

At it's best, it makes vague pronouncements about consulting on greater co-operative control of capital, and it's section on renewable energy and a 'greener scotland' reads like the last SNP press release on the issue. The Living wage and NCS are both good ideas, hand me downs from the 2010GE, but vague in how you can possibly make them work, I cans ee how you would do one just now, but not both and it'll need a lot of prodding of private industry to make the lving wage worth the hassle.

At it's worst, like on knife crime, it's a fucking disaster. Reactionary bullshit without appropriate thought haven been given to how the legal and prison systems work. A throw back to New labour's authoritarian greatest hits, and a blow to anyone hoping for an enlightened justice system not predicted on bloody minded retribution, but on a rational system of rehabilitation, and addressing the deeper social issues at work.

Again, these are jumbled first thoughts, when the SNP one comes out, I think I might try to put some of the main points side by side to provide a relief of the two, perhaps the likes of XBL would be interested in helping out, we could then have a skeleton of each manifesto's policies to compare and contrast.

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Again, these are jumbled first thoughts, when the SNP one comes out, I think I might try to put some of the main points side by side to provide a relief of the two, perhaps the likes of XBL would be interested in helping out, we could then have a skeleton of each manifesto's policies to compare and contrast.

It'll be interesting to see how much similarity there is between the two, because at first glance (and I haven't read the manifesto itself), there isn't much difference in the big policies, except for the fact that Labour appear to have done several last second about faces. And you're spot on about knife crime. Did you see the discussion we had on here about Andy Kerr's performance on Newsnicht? He let it slip that actually, it wasn't mandatory, and judges would have discretion in exceptional cases. But that it was mandatory. But judges had discretion over sentences (longer, shorter, etc.), but 6 months was mandatory. At which point I think Gordon Brewer just gave up in disbelief.

And incredibly, GARL will be brought back. I mean on the face of it, I like the idea of a rail link, but its going to be funded entirely by existing budgets. Apparently. And the tram project, which LABOUR RAILROADED THROUGH, will not get another penny, and its all the fault of the Lib Dems and SNP. To me, it just would have made more sense to get one of them sorted out, not turn both into a mess. :blink:

But I haven't read the manifesto itself yet, just all the various reaction.

Oh, and apparently, they're going to create 250,000 jobs. current unemployment figure: 225,000 (I think). At least they're thinking ahead. Thats basically full employment, plus some immigration! So they're not just going to abolish youth unemployment, they're going to abolish unemployment full stop!

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Is it too early to turn our minds towards the rules for an election night drinking game? :ph34r:

(And being the unimaginative sod that I am, I'll leave it to others to come up with suggestions <_<)

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Is it too early to turn our minds towards the rules for an election night drinking game? :ph34r:

(And being the unimaginative sod that I am, I'll leave it to others to come up with suggestions <_<)

-too close to call. drink.

-there's no hiding it this is a bad result for us. drink.

-the boat from arran, nearly sinks. drink

-the previous fiasco with the machines counting referred to as a 'fiasco'. drink.

-first to declare races. with school kids involved. drink.

-this is a message to the condemn government in Westminster. drink.

- its not a defeat. they haven't got a majority of seats. drink.

I'm sure we can come up with others.

edit: Iain grey goes 'giggity' live on tv. consume a keg.

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-too close to call. drink.

-there's no hiding it this is a bad result for us. drink.

-the boat from arran, nearly sinks. drink

-the previous fiasco with the machines counting referred to as a 'fiasco'. drink.

-first to declare races. with school kids involved. drink.

-this is a message to the condemn government in Westminster. drink.

- its not a defeat. they haven't got a majority of seats. drink.

I'm sure we can come up with others.

edit: Iain grey goes 'giggity' live on tv. consume a keg.

- A pint in a oner for every attractive candidate who wins a seat.

- A drink for every time the swingometer fails to work.

- Two drinks for every vacuous celebrity who gets asked for their meaningless opinion; if the last Westminster election is anything to go by, you'll be shitfaced within an hour.

- A drink for every time Kirsty Wark's panel discussion degenerates into a ridiculous slagging match when nothing gets discussed.

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Looks like Salmond was trying to make sure none of this got out before the election all the same.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...litics-13013774

Oh dear.

To be honest, its a story about nothing, and its not even the document that is apparently so shocking. Basically, they are saying that the OLD SNP policy, which got shelved wouldn't work. Which presumably is why it got shelved. As the article says there, its entirely academic.

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To be honest, its a story about nothing, and its not even the document that is apparently so shocking. Basically, they are saying that the OLD SNP policy, which got shelved wouldn't work. Which presumably is why it got shelved. As the article says there, its entirely academic.

As far as I'm aware it's not even going to be in the forthcoming manifesto, so less of an explosive, more of a damp squib. Like Mr Gra(e)y.

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As far as I'm aware it's not even going to be in the forthcoming manifesto, so less of an explosive, more of a damp squib. Like Mr Gra(e)y.

"2007 Manifesto Committment shelved due to economic conditions, minority government, and lack of adequate powers". Its not the catchiest of headlines!

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To be honest, its a story about nothing, and its not even the document that is apparently so shocking. Basically, they are saying that the OLD SNP policy, which got shelved wouldn't work. Which presumably is why it got shelved. As the article says there, its entirely academic.

Yes. I guess this is why the court injunctions were taken out by Salmond. Because he wasn't bothered.dry.gif

It was a bit of a flagship policy of the SNP and it looks like a total f**k up. If this is the sort of debacle to be expected when the SNP actually get allowed to raise their own taxes then it looks like they have managed to shadow Labours economic incompetance as well as most of their other shite policies.

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As far as I'm aware it's not even going to be in the forthcoming manifesto, so less of an explosive, more of a damp squib. Like Mr Gra(e)y.

Let's hope not. It looks like a badly worked out uncosted heap of shit.

And all this in spite of the SNP telling us all for years that they HAD fully costed it. How many of their other policies are uncosted bollocks?

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Let's hope not. It looks like a badly worked out uncosted heap of shit.

And all this in spite of the SNP telling us all for years that they HAD fully costed it. How many of their other policies are uncosted bollocks?

Hunners.

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Yes. I guess this is why the court injunctions were taken out by Salmond. Because he wasn't bothered.dry.gif

It was a bit of a flagship policy of the SNP and it looks like a total f**k up. If this is the sort of debacle to be expected when the SNP actually get allowed to raise their own taxes then it looks like they have managed to shadow Labours economic incompetance as well as most of their other shite policies.

Actually, the injunctions were taken out over something completely different I believe. You know, their new policy ideas, rather than the ones from 2007. Why do you think it is a bad thing that the SNP changed their mind about something that wouldn't provide value for money? Would you prefer it if they had tried to go ahead with it anyway? :blink:

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And all this in spite of the SNP telling us all for years that they HAD fully costed it. How many of their other policies are uncosted bollocks?

Oh dear, you're not joining Dickson and voting Labour to save the Union are you? :lol:

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