ChatterBank17 mins ago
What are Labour's chances now?
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Taking into account Ed Miliband's performance at Labour's conference, has he tolled the death knell on Labour's chances of getting back into government?
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Labour have not so much an uphill, as vertical struggle to regain the trust of the electorate after their disasterous handling of the nation last time round.
If Ed thinks that stating the obvious - we got it wrong / I'm not Tony Blair etc. etc. is going to change the national perception of the Party as a bunch of self-serving lying morons, then he is either naive in the extreme, or possessed with an unhealthy sense of optimism and forgivemenss, neither of which are appropriate in a Party Leader.
They need to get rid of Ed who is yet another diasterous choice of leader. It's one thing for Blair and Brown to stab each other in the back foir their own ambitions - but a man who would do it to his own brother????
The Alliance - if it is intact at the next election, will romp home, not because it is best for government, and for the country, but because there is not a sniff of a credible alternative.
Labour have not so much an uphill, as vertical struggle to regain the trust of the electorate after their disasterous handling of the nation last time round.
If Ed thinks that stating the obvious - we got it wrong / I'm not Tony Blair etc. etc. is going to change the national perception of the Party as a bunch of self-serving lying morons, then he is either naive in the extreme, or possessed with an unhealthy sense of optimism and forgivemenss, neither of which are appropriate in a Party Leader.
They need to get rid of Ed who is yet another diasterous choice of leader. It's one thing for Blair and Brown to stab each other in the back foir their own ambitions - but a man who would do it to his own brother????
The Alliance - if it is intact at the next election, will romp home, not because it is best for government, and for the country, but because there is not a sniff of a credible alternative.
Having watched some of Ed's speech, and it didn't need the I am not Tony Blair, or Brown note, that made him sound even more pleading and whiny. He may be his own man, but that hasn't made him a credible alternative to the coalition, nor indeed can i see that for a long time to come. But the British electorate are somewhat fickle, with short memories, so who knows.
"Labour have not so much an uphill, as vertical struggle to regain the trust of the electorate after their disasterous handling of the nation last time round."
If it was perceived as that disastrous by the electorate, then how come there wasn't a Tory landslide at the last election?
(I'm not arguing in favour of, or against Labour, I'm just pointing out that clearly, a very large part of the electorate still favoured them).
If it was perceived as that disastrous by the electorate, then how come there wasn't a Tory landslide at the last election?
(I'm not arguing in favour of, or against Labour, I'm just pointing out that clearly, a very large part of the electorate still favoured them).
It's just like the Lib Dems were in the years whan they had no chance - they said all sorts of rubbish because they knew they'd never have to put it into practice.
They'll probably sack Mr Millibean and get someone credible before the next election.
They don't want to come up with any real policies yet, because Mr Camergoon would pinch them, perhaps?
They'll probably sack Mr Millibean and get someone credible before the next election.
They don't want to come up with any real policies yet, because Mr Camergoon would pinch them, perhaps?
This is Labour - the wilderness years (part 2). Ed is playing the caretaker role until they lose the next election, get rid of him and then brother David steps in to rescue them.
By the time the election after that comes around (7 years?) people will have forgotten how shockingly useless Gordon Brown was, not to say sick of years of austerity and Labour will have a chance of getting back in.
By the time the election after that comes around (7 years?) people will have forgotten how shockingly useless Gordon Brown was, not to say sick of years of austerity and Labour will have a chance of getting back in.
Labour doesn't have to win on their own . No opposition does . Governments lose. Labour lost and the coalition got in . The electorate were fed up with Labour but they were not impressed with the opposition either and if we had an election tomorrow we would end up with another coalition of some sort.
Labour admits it made a mess of the economy , crime , immigration and the EU . It's too early to judge the coalition on the economy but on the other three they are also useless . Cameron talks tough but that's all it is talk. Nick is running rings round him.
Labour admits it made a mess of the economy , crime , immigration and the EU . It's too early to judge the coalition on the economy but on the other three they are also useless . Cameron talks tough but that's all it is talk. Nick is running rings round him.
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Ed is a loser he is like a whiney schoolboy. And the stunt they played by allowing the 16 year old on the podium didn't work. The boy's parents are well off by all accounts. They need to have a clean sweep of all their MP's. Coupled with the fact that sleazy millionaire Blair's TV programme showed us what their brand of socialism is all about.
I thought he did rather well in his speech.
I don't think any of us here are in much of a position to talk, as we are all plainly heavily biased one way or the other. We all know that the questioner is not exactly left wing, and comments such as "a bunch of self-serving lying morons", "pathetic leader like Miliband" etc. etc. don't exactly set the tone for a reasoned debate.
We really need the opinions of the politically uncommitted to be able to tell one way or the other and we also need to give it time. There probably won't be another election for another 3 years.
I think Miliband has some very good ideas (and one or too not so good) but of course, it was all delivered in a whiny voice, wasn't it so that's no good :-) (Plummy old Etonian presumably ok then!)
I don't think any of us here are in much of a position to talk, as we are all plainly heavily biased one way or the other. We all know that the questioner is not exactly left wing, and comments such as "a bunch of self-serving lying morons", "pathetic leader like Miliband" etc. etc. don't exactly set the tone for a reasoned debate.
We really need the opinions of the politically uncommitted to be able to tell one way or the other and we also need to give it time. There probably won't be another election for another 3 years.
I think Miliband has some very good ideas (and one or too not so good) but of course, it was all delivered in a whiny voice, wasn't it so that's no good :-) (Plummy old Etonian presumably ok then!)
Yes,
He's a new leader with all to play for.
What the polls are actually showing is that there is a strong disillusionment with all of the parties.
If there was an election today there would be anothe hung parliament.
The way Osbourne is messing up the economy and Camerons continual U-turns mean I don't think they have a hope in hell of minning a majority next time.
The nail in the coffin will be their failure to perform a clean withdrawall from Afghanistan - Something like the Americans fleeing Vietnam will kill him at the polls
He's a new leader with all to play for.
What the polls are actually showing is that there is a strong disillusionment with all of the parties.
If there was an election today there would be anothe hung parliament.
The way Osbourne is messing up the economy and Camerons continual U-turns mean I don't think they have a hope in hell of minning a majority next time.
The nail in the coffin will be their failure to perform a clean withdrawall from Afghanistan - Something like the Americans fleeing Vietnam will kill him at the polls
There's a bit of an "elephant in the room" issue with democratic politics: one thing which is kind of obvious but no politician likes to mention, which is that the majority of the voting public - of all political shades and especially none - are plain stupid. It's one of the reasons why these conferences are important to the party leaders as, apart from ralliying the troops for battles ahead, it's one of their main chances to put themselves as well as their policies (or in the case of an opposition party several years from an election their ideas) mainly, to people who nornally don't take much interest in politics.
It's generally reckoned that Nick Clegg last week simply didn't bother trying to speak to the "general public" as he realises that he's roundly despised (fairly or otherwise) by all sides no matter what he says. Miliband in contrast was desperate to put himself across to the public in a "this is who I am" bid, which is a little cringeworthy and cheesy but sadly, probably, necessary. And to address the issue even of Labour supporters who have never heard of him (tho arguably that says more about them than it does about him).
The sad fact is that, no matter what you say, generally people don't listen - that is until the feel that it's "time for a change". And plainly we are not at that stage yet, for most people.
It's generally reckoned that Nick Clegg last week simply didn't bother trying to speak to the "general public" as he realises that he's roundly despised (fairly or otherwise) by all sides no matter what he says. Miliband in contrast was desperate to put himself across to the public in a "this is who I am" bid, which is a little cringeworthy and cheesy but sadly, probably, necessary. And to address the issue even of Labour supporters who have never heard of him (tho arguably that says more about them than it does about him).
The sad fact is that, no matter what you say, generally people don't listen - that is until the feel that it's "time for a change". And plainly we are not at that stage yet, for most people.