Killer Punch

[Bazile]

Now that the election campaign is fully up and running and the various parties are busy trying to score points against each other - do you think anyone has a ' killer blow / revelation ' in their back pocket , ready to to reveal near the end of campaigning to influence the general public ?

Or , would it be more likely that the press will run a damaging story ?

Has there been any instances of this in the past ?

[anneasquith]

i think we are due another ' kitchen' interview soon.

[DTCwordfan]

Yes the disclosure this morning about Ed being a naughty boy, his wife revealing this - front page of the DT.

[ToraToraTora]

Maybe but I can't see what at the moment, there is sometimes a killer poster like the famous "Labour isn't working" poster in 1979.

[Bazile]

Not quite the thing i was thinking of anneasquith

It's curious though isn't it - why do these politicians think that posing with a lamb/baby / making a sandwich in their kitchen is going to somehow influence the general public .

I just think - what a ****

[baza]

TTT, neither is unemployment, sorry, it's an old joke.

[mushroom25]

//"Labour isn't working"//

it's true that with the winter of discontent just ending and 1.5m on the dole, labour wasn't working. but i wonder if they'd used that slogan if they had the foresight to see that Thatcher's monetarist policies would do to that figure - "maggie's club" had 3m members by 1982.

[ludwig]

// Has there been any instances of this in the past ? //

Yes. Back in the 90s Labour under Kinnock were odds on to beat John Major, when right at the last moment they issued the killer suicide blow on themselves by deciding to hold a victory celebration before the election had actually taken place.

The sheer arrogance of it, coupled with the disturbing site of Kinnock, Hattersley, Prescott etc disco dancing, high fiving and group hugging prompted all the floating voters to rush out and vote Tory, causing a shock defeat for Kinnock.

[Prudie]

Bazile - sadly I think they do it because in fact they know these sort of happy family poses do in fact influence some voters. It's been done for years.

[Svejk]

[ToraToraTora]

Yes, I remember that Ludwig, what plonker came up with that idea, glad they did though, Kinnichio would have been a disaster.

[ludwig]

^ That's the one Svejk. Disturbing scenes. I was a committed Labour voter at the time, and remember being incredibly angry that they'd managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by being such tw4ts.

[mushroom25]

it wasn't just that sheffield rally though ludwig - don't forget the little matter of jennifer's ear. if you're going to embellish a story about the health service, be sure that the subject of your story isn't related to an opposition activist....

[ludwig]

// don't forget the little matter of jennifer's ear //

Sorry, I don't remember that one. I'll probably be able to google 'Jennifer's ear' though.

[ToraToraTora]

presumably you still voted for them though ludwig.

[ToraToraTora]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_Jennifer%27s_Ear

[ludwig]

// presumably you still voted for them though ludwig. //

Absolutely. This was a time when I didn't have a penny to my name, had never had to do a decent day's work in my life, and was pretty clueless about most things, so obviously I was Labour all the way.

[Svejk]

No shame, there, Ludwig. Everyone supports Labour till they grow up.

[jno]

I don't think people care much about politicians' kitchens - unless they're paid for by the public. A big expenses scandal could hit party leaders but I'd be amazed if this happened, they've had years to clean up their act.

They used to say the only thing that could hurt some politicians was being found in bed with a live man or a dead woman. And live men aren't a problem any more.

[jno]

Kinnichio would have been a disaster

Thank heavens for John Major and the £30 billion Black Wednesday, eh? Not a disaster at all!

[mushroom25]

is this 2015's version of the labour party suicide note?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2015-32249753