'Wings Over TalkHearts' Politics Thread

[shaun.lawson]

Corbyn: good with audience, OK with Paxman other than on foreign policy and especially the Falklands, where his views are/were beyond belief.

May: average with audience, in trouble with Paxman until she won the audience around late on with all the Brexit stuff. Which will see her home in the end.

Paxman: rude, offensive, obnoxious, and ridiculous. A caricature of a once great interviewer. Should be put out to pasture forthwith.

[Mr A]

No, but we should be entitled to the government an entire country wants.  

Or in Scotland's case, the government it desperately doesn't want.

Scotland does not vote as a block.

At these elections the SNP will get close but under 50% of the vote and the Tories, labour and the lib dems (and a few green) will share the rest.

There is no government Scotland desperately doesn't want.

If we were independent that SNP vote will probably half. There will be conservative governments in an independent Scotland.

[shaun.lawson]

Scotland does not vote as a block.

At these elections the SNP will get close but under 50% of the vote and the Tories, labour and the lib dems (and a few green) will share the rest.

There is no government Scotland desperately doesn't want.

If we were independent that SNP vote will probably half. There will be conservative governments in an independent Scotland.

Yes. In Scotland, if the Tories finish 2nd and close the gap to, say, 10 points or so on the SNP, the "but we hate the Tories" argument really starts to fade.

But surely your final sentence should read: "There would be Conservative governments in an independent Scotland", Mags?

[Billy Butcher]

Scotland does not vote as a block.

At these elections the SNP will get close but under 50% of the vote and the Tories, labour and the lib dems (and a few green) will share the rest.

There is no government Scotland desperately doesn't want.

If we were independent that SNP vote will probably half. There will be conservative governments in an independent Scotland.

It's FPTP. Isn't really relevant how many vote for the losing side as their vote is worthless

And whether you like it or not, in the current system, Scotland has outright rejected the Tories at every opportunity for 20+ years.

Scotland may not vote as a block FOR a particular party, but history seems to indicate they vote as almost a unilateral block AGAINST something.

Consistently the Tories have managed one seat in a country of 59 seats. Seeing as you mentioned percentages - high water mark for Conservatives at the polls since 97? 16.7%. The eternally irrelevant Lib Dems have got a higher percentage twice in that time. Votes for the Conservative party since 1997? 2,070,057. For Labour? 5,696,889. For the SNP? 3,443,953.

There is a government that 83.3% doesn't want (and that's being kind to the Tories.

There may well be Conservative governments in the future, but to see Scotland voting for Conservatives in big numbers (a 25% share of the vote) you have to go back 25 years when politics in Scotland was a 2 party system. The last time a Conservative movement (not a single party, a group of two) won the most votes at an election was 1955.

You could argue that those days are gone, and an independent Scotland wouldn't hold general elections under FPTP so you wouldn't see the glory days of 25% Conservative vote at the polls, because the vote would be spread more equally. I'd say that without the Independence issue, the Conservatives won't be able to tale advantage of being the 'Unionist' side and will have to get people on side with their actual politics, which could be an issue. Again - it could go either way, last Scottish elections has Conservatives as the opposition, but would that continue post-independence? Debatable.

We can go on and on - the fact you have to realise is that there isn't some supressed Tory vote in Scotland that is a silent majority and will one day rise up from the ashes left in 1959. It just doesn't exist.

[Cheeky Gnando’s]

There is no government Scotland desperately does not want - a meaningless and unmeasurable statement, but 85% of the Scottish electorate voted against the current majority government

[Mr A]

Ah, wee Franco can't resist his wee #MagsBad posts. Just sees the poster and posts without engaging his brain. Sad.

[shaun.lawson]

Corbyn on R4 Woman's Hour with Emma Bennett, this morning.

[shaun.lawson]

Audio of this disaster here.

https://order-order.com/2017/05/30/corby...mans-hour/

[Bill Cosby]

Not sure it's that much of an issue. I'd rather he logged on and got an accurate figure than just plucked one out of thin air.

People forget figures all the time.

[Mr A]

It's all about perception and trust that they have a clue what they are talking about.

They consistently struggle to get their message across on these things. The polls suggest that doesn't really matter though so it isn't a big deal.

[CritchSmile]

Best just to stick to lines like "strong and stable", No deal better than a bad deal", "the money will come from a stronger economy" etc....

[Picards Forehead]

Audio of this disaster here.

https://order-order.com/2017/05/30/corby...mans-hour/

It's not great but its hardly a disaster   as others have said I would rather he went to check the figure than spraff something made up like Diane Abbott did

[Walter Sobchak]

Vote for us and we will sort it out after the election = okay.

We have figures, let me check on my iPad = disaster.

[Mr A]

Vote for us and we will sort it out after the election = okay.

We have figures, let me check on my iPad = disaster.

A lot of it is down to these interviewers wanting publicity - they want audio of their interview to go viral.

'I'm the guy that embarrassed xMP'.

He should know the figure but double checking it isn't, or shouldn't be, a disaster.

[Walter Sobchak]

Yeah that's correct. The entire style of interview - harangue and don't let them complete a sentence - is pretty tired.

[Big Physical Acey]

Nothing wrong with saying words to the effect of "I don't have the answer this second, let me find it for you".

[Mr A]

It'd be different if there were no figures in the manifesto or nothing had been announced. But the figures are there - whether they are accurate or realistic or not is another matter.

[PHOODLE-OUt]

Wasn't JC that came off looking bad there 

[PHOODLE-OUt]

Audio of this disaster here.

https://order-order.com/2017/05/30/corby...mans-hour/

spends his time on Guido Fawkes' disgusting website. 

[Picards Forehead]