Sunday 23 March 2014

THINGS AREN'T LOOKING GOOD FOR LABOUR OR THE LIBERALS

Two interesting polls on UK voting intentions today:


From the Sun/YouGov poll:

Labour 37
Conservatives 36
Ukip 11
Lib Dems 9

That would give Labour a majority of 8.

From the Mail on Sunday/Survation poll:

Labour 35
Conservatives 34
Ukip 15
Lib Dems 9


That would give Labour a majority of 4.

Neither these majorities is workable in the long term by anything but the most skilled politician with his party behind him 100%. That's hardly a description of Miliband.

Four years into a government of Tory Spivs and their lapdogs, this is an untenable position for Labour and I'm imagining, utterly unrepresentative of Scotland's view.

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And bad news for the Scottish Secretary:


THOSE favouring Scottish independence ended up comfortably outnumbering those backing the union following a two-hour debate at the Althing in Tingwall Hall in Shetland on Saturday night.

Debating the motion “The time is right for Scottish independence” were SNP list MSP Mike Mackenzie and Scottish secretary Alistair Carmichael.

At the outset the 150-strong audience were almost split down the middle, with 58 backing independence and 57 preferring to remain within the UK, while 31 were undecided.

Come the night’s end, a sizeable swing had seen the number favouring independence rise to 70 while support for the union fell to 48, leaving 22 still to make up their minds.


Mackenzie and Carmichael were backed, respectively, by local SNP activist Danus Skene while the No team had to rely on  the Conservatives’ Perthshire-based European election hopeful Dr Ian Duncan.

And all this in an island we were told would want to become part of England if Scotland broke away.
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And some good news about the EU membership:


European expert Graham Avery has confirmed that the European Union would be strengthened by Scotland’s continued membership after a Yes vote – which he describes as a “common sense” position.

Mr Avery, an honorary Director-General of the European Commission and senior adviser at the European Policy Centre in Brussels, made clear that Scotland’s continued membership of the EU will enhance the EU’s position on the international stage – and that the EU’s attitude towards Scotland would be one of “pragmatic acceptance”.


Mr Avery has also confirmed that it would be “common sense” for Scotland to maintain its EU membership from day one of independence – as advocated by the Scottish Government.
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Yep... that sums him up!

14 comments:

  1. You do wonder when there will be a penny drop moment for the likes of Carmichael and co. His message isn't a convincing one. It must be difficult for to start from a starting point of "No" and continue to be negative. More "No" for the sake of "No"

    Let's add some more "No" and for good measure feed in some more "No" with a sprinkling of "No"

    They end up sounding like Ian Paisley and would you like to be compared to him? Carmichael is Paisley light. Murphy is Paisley light and Lamont is simply Paisley on speed. Sad.

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    1. Paisley on speed LOL LOL LOL

      I don;t envy selling this union of half fed kids, people being killed off because they are sick and therefore a drain on Osborne's finances, doctors warning (in England) that the NHS is disappearing and GPs will be a thing of the past; debt at totally unmanageable levels; a population wanting to leave the EU pretty much regardless of the consequences; a situation where pensions are almost unpayable and where the retirement age will simply have to go up and up to 80 (but of course only one in a hundred is capable of any kind of work by that age) and where the rest of the world is laughing at you trying to play with big man with mad Vlad... while the Chinese premier visits France and Germany and two small European countries and gives you a miss.

      Hard sell I'd say...

      Specially when no one believes that it is going to get any better for the next 20 or 30 years... and probably not even then.

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    2. Ermine is what drives the LibDems and always did no matter what they say to the electorate to get elected.

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    3. The Noble Lord Carmichael of Althing?

      I'd sooner cut my throat than accept one of these honours that everyone knows you've paid for, whether it is with hard cash, like so many of the Tory peers, or by selling out on everything you stand for like the Liberals...

      ...or worse still like Labour, gagging to join something that has been in your manifesto to abolish for over 100 years.

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  2. I wonder how much longer the great debater that is Alistair Carmichael can withstand the constant earse kicking he gets at these debates he attends to put forward the NO campaign's "arguments." Come to think about it has his earse recovered yet from the kicking it received from Nicola Sturgeon yet? LOL

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    1. The thing is it doesn't even take the redoubtable Ms Sturgeon to beat him.

      No. I don;t think he will recover from that.

      He was brought in to replace someone who couldn't whip Ms Sturgeon's ass (Mr Moore), and he did even worse than him when it cam to his turn.

      I bet Clegg gave him a good dressing down about that.

      He's finished but it's far too late to replace him. They should have left Moore to get on with it. He wan't much good, but he was a sight better than this muppet.

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  3. Re that first picture:

    He wouldn't be done with our pride, him or his successor would find something else to steal as well, his type will never stop.

    And a quote that seems really appropriate for the current "devo-X" proposals floating around:

    “And where is this analysis?”
    “That,” replyed Hardin, “is the interesting thing. The analysis was the most difficult of the three by all odds. When Holk, after two days of steady work, succeeded in eliminating meaningless statements, vauge gibberish, useless qualification–in short, all the goo and dribble–he found he had nothing left. Everything cancelled out.”
    “Lord Dorwin, gentlemen, in five days of discussion didn’t say one damned thing, and said it so you never noticed. There are the assurances you had from your precious Empire.”

    Change the names, and it could reality.

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    1. It more or less is reality, Illy.

      Most of what Lamont said and what was contained in their so-called Red Paper or devo nada proposals was, when bioled down, totally meaningless.

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  4. Yip read the Shetland result over on Wings, that's great news, it just proves that when people get to hear both sides of the argument they end up doing the right think and decide to vote yes. I really really hope that result sticks in Alistair Carmichael's throat the Judas deserves it.

    As for Lamont or Sarwar, if I hear them say that old Labour are back and that they want social justice, one more time I think I'll throw up, not only that but they're throwing Keir Hardie's name about all over the place, I mean not one idiot in SLAB could've laced Keir Hardie's boots, SLAB are a party of lying clowns.

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    1. Time after time people having heard the arguments on both sides, old or young, islands or central belt are on the side of yes.

      The trouble is that because the press is biased and the BBC and STV are unionist they are not getting the chance to hear.

      Too few people know about Wings, Bella, Scot Gores Pop, Grumpy, Bateman and Fazzledown to name but a few blogs that are making a great effort on our behalf.

      I totally agree with you about the quality of the current SLab crop. Keir Hardie was a game changer, and an intellectual giant. Johann Lamont is a minnow, in every way. She doesn't even understand her oqwn policies.

      All their socialist they are suddenly starting to talk doesn't fit with the policies they are proposing.

      Prescription charges, harder than the Tories on Welfare, something for nothing.

      Keir Hardie? It's more like Tom Harris and right wing Tory.

      Hardie must be spinning in his grave.

      If they came out with just ONE socialist policy they would be finished in the south of England and that's what matters to them.

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  5. Tris

    Things certainly appear to be shifting to the yes side in recent weeks. It will be interesting to see how the UK government fight back and they will. I don't think they have much more to throw but no doubt they do. Wouldn't be surprised to hear the return of troops from Germany being delayed and some questions being raised about the legality of the Edinburgh agreement, we will need strong minds and hearts plus the media will really go for it now I think. Of topic but Lamonts comment on Alex Salmond not having children was a new low even for her, if that doesn't turn Labour voters nothing will.

    Bruce

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    1. Well maybe I'm a glass half empty kind of person, but I'm wary of being too enthusiastic about a few opinion polls.

      I really believe that when Cameron said that he would do ANYTHING... he meant it (well anything except engage with the First Minister who would roast his ass.

      But if it means a war, or killing off someone, I don';t think they will stop for a second tog et what they want.

      Eton boys aren't used to being thwarted by plebs like the jocks. They hate us. But they want our money and they want the extra 5 million people (it all helps make them look bigger) and the storage space for the dangerous weapons.

      Most of all they don't want to be humiliated by part of their country (as they see it|) leaving because Britain is so crap.

      I dunno what they will do, but the Brits play dirty. They will do something.

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  6. Come the day and the secret ballot then free people will vote in the direction they freely choose.
    people the free people say and do many things under the watchful eye of aggressive extremist nats easier to make a pretense of conforming rather than risk insult and public denigration by the snp/nats

    We all remember the shy tory voters you know always said they
    did not support her and yet in a secret ballot gave her massive support.

    who can blame the shy no voter better nod and wave to the yes boys
    as opposed to having them hounding you and your family to kingdom come.
    Come that secret ballot away from snp/nat intimidation and then
    free people will make a free choice and it wont please the snp or
    there extremist supporters.

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    1. I'd have thought that even though you are lucky enough to leave this place behind you and sail off into the sun, you'd care enough to vote for independence that you'll never have to live with, and vote for a Scotland that won't ever have Atos or their likes...

      But... whatever... I hope me and Spooks will get an invitation....

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