lefties 7:compare the tory.com

[HerHonesty]

sorry couldnt think of anything else. gideon in charge of the economy..

I'd love some ratafia theyoungvisiter.

Beta - that asterisk on Len's name is very sweet: I was looking for a footnote that said "I do know you're not really Lenin, even though this is a Lefties thread. Just wanted to be clear."

Slightly off-topic but I'm always hugely impressed when people are clued up on the shifting sands of global politics in that kind of detail. I'm only ever aware of the broadest brushstrokes, and always from a very euro-centric perspective. I keep promising myself that I'll start paying attention and then don't. I blame my useless Eng Lit degree, and my constitutional laziness. And the Tories obv.

Did anyone see this - Why has Eton produced so many prime ministers?

Not being paying attention to the discussion tonight. Distracted by nonsense threads and DH.

Not up on economics, tbh.

Apropos bribes and tax evasion. Was speaking to a friend recently and he told the story of a friend who started his own business in Italy. The first year he went to the tax office to hand in his tax return. The guy in the tax office took him aside, patted his arm and said with a wink, "Here in Italy we do not declare all our income".

Still, Vince Cable's response to the question "So, are you looking forward to working with George Osborne" on the news just now has cheered me up no end.

oh, I missed that, Zeph. What did he say?

I heard that, ZD, it was a (rare) moment of humour.

Yes, tax evasion is a huge problem here in Italy, and people who work "in nero", without a contract.

It was more what he didn't say MmeLindt. And the embarrassed laugh.

Ah, will watch out for it later.

Urgh at David M announcing that he is running for the leadership surrounded by his cronies. It does not make you look good, David. It makes you look needy.

Best wishes to your DD

I love this thread. Still immersed in A Place of Greater Safety and have just realised this is the modern equivalent of the cafes and salons of pre-revolutionary France. So maybe instead of ratafia we should be proferring a little vin rouge and being thankful that there's no need for esprit d'escalier here - we can always nip back with another post.

[http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/may/12/david-camerons-clause-iv-moment JOnathan Freedland]] - it all falls into place.

Tho fwiw I think it's a clever Tory adaption rather than a master plan.

sorry

Jonathan Freedland piece

Lol onebat - don't you love how all the right wing journos are moaning "this is shit, it's all part of Labour's plan to make the Tories unelectable for the next decade."

and all the left-wing journos are moaning "this is shit, it's all part of the Tories' secret plan to make Labour unelectable for the next decade"

Basically - everyone thinks this situation is a personal affront to them. Especially the poor old lib demmers.

I suspect DC woudld really have liked to win outright - but would also have been keen to embraceLib Dem policy anyway.

He certainly wanted to be on the middle ground but saying he planned a hung Parliamant is going too far.

Freedland article fits in nicely with what Portillo said re the Lib Dems serving to detoxify the Conservatives. But is Cameron really bright enough to have planned this all along? I agree that it's luck rather than judgement.

ROFL at Jonathan Freedland. It's the mirror image of your argument Onebat. You were suggesting that Libdems were closet tories. JF is suggesting that Tories were closet liberals ... Well they're out now and some of them are proud

Someone (don't remember who but it might have been a LibDem) said on Newsnight last night that the Conservatives have just been modernised overnight. It was said in a rather disparaging way.

If Cameron sounds thrilled about the whole thing it just shows what a good PR man he is. It's designed to sell it to the country as the best of all possible worlds (Panglossian!) but he can't remotely hope to sell it to the party as such.

No, it's the same argument, Quattro, I'm afraid. That's my whole bleedin' problem. I don't see a huge distinction between Lib Con and Con Lib, and neither do they.

I'm a bit out of the loop 'cos I started my chemo today, so trying to catch up but a bit dopey, so apologies if I'm talking shite

Not sure if I've picked up the detail right but a bit at the 5 year fixed term thing with the 55% requirement on VONC.

Happy with the £10k tax band, but they're still raising NI for employees! Fuckers.

Also well pissed off about the budget cuts going ahead anyway.

It seems like the libdems haven't achieved much at all, I suppose the devil is in the detail.