Will this be Camerons wake up call

[youngmafbog]

or will the arrogance continue, blaming it on mid term blues?

http://news.sky.com/s...ies-face-major-defeat

I suspect he gave up listening to the people years ago, why else refuse us a referendum on Europe?

Either that or he thinks we are all stupid. He reminds me more and more of Tony Blair as each day goes by.

[jake-the-peg]

Oh dear

Now why would a Tory grandee like Ashcroft comission a poll that shows how badly Cameron is doing and then release it to the press?

Hmm!

Sounds to me like the early rumblings of a leadership contest on the horizon!

[Gromit]

No, this will not be Cameron's wake up call, and very little can be taken from the result.

The seat had been Labour's before the election and she only had a small lead of less than 2,000. With the Government under performing, I wouldn't expect the Conservatives to hold the seat.

More interesting will be whether the Lib/Dems lose their deposit.

[WELSHYORKIE]

1 by-election result is not going to worry Cameron - especially in a marginal seat

[Canary42]

Cameron and Osborne are deliberately making things very bad for the first four years of tenure so that in the final year they can reverse some of this and make large "improvements" to woo the short-memoried voters. The odd lost by-election (especially in a marginal seat) is neither here nor there.

[New Judge]

"...why else refuse us a referendum on Europe? "

Er... it might have something to do with the expected outcome, youngmaf!

Strangely the prospect of the electorate having a say on our relationship with (if not our membership of ) the EU is being dangled tantalisingly before us once again. Not until after the next election, you understand. But nonetheless the faint prospect of a say.

The biggest mistake Mr Cameron made was forming the Coalition in 2010. As I have said before, the Conservatives should have formed a minority government, suffered a defeat or two in the Commons and called a fresh election (which they would have won). Instead the country is saddled with a ridiculous government in thrall to the LibDems who seem to be calling the tune on just about every major issue.

[pdq1]

What no more love-ins with Angela Merkel. When you see them there posing for a group EU photo they know they're amongst equals with similar problems to share. Out of the EU we would stand in isolation having to make our own decisions and would be too much for one person to bare.

Anyway the US has told us we are too small fry to deal with alone and they now prefer to deal with a larger bloc like the EU. Blair tried to go it alone ignoring other EU members and sucking up to Geo Bush but look where that got us.

[New Judge]

There are countries in the world apart from the USA, pdq, many of whom would make ideal trading partners. Many of them are, in fact, in the EU and despite popular myth they would still continue to trade with us if we left the EU.

[pdq1]

I'm sure your right NJ and how our politicians would like it. As we slowly drift away from the US in defence matters by teaming up with France on Armies and aircraft carriers there are those in government who like Blair want to be subserviant to the US who think they have influence across the pond. The US are very jealous of their hold on arms technology and we may be denied the latest weaponry if we changed our allegiences.

There are still those who say we have to make a choice between the EU and the US. I just hope that if we left the EU we felt the need to be closer to the US....they don't want or need us!