zomgbbqftw
Banned
Break even.
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UK PoliGAF thread of tell me about the rabbits again, Dave.
- Thread starter Chinner
- Start date
Break even.
Not too bad then. Wonder how they sold that to the Arabs.
zomgbbqftw
Banned
If anything they should be selling for more. What the government want is the whole idea that "taxpayer owned RBS" should work in the national interest. By selling a third to an outside investor it makes investing in RBS a safer prospect as there is a much smaller chance of outside interference from the government.
fizzelopeguss
Banned
i worked on a house once that was literally next door to a motorway AND an electricity pylon. If there was ever a worse spot in england that'd have to be it...infact i wouldn't be surprised if there was a secret burial ground/ toxic waste dumb nearby just to pile on the pain.
Government fuck them over, they bought and demolished the houses in direct path of the roadway and offered double glazing to the rest....
Im sure he's relieved that something so innocuous has distracted the media from the far more serious Cruddas-gate.
J Tourettes
Banned
I'm loving the sound of the new European working directives.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/mar/29/uk-back-in-recession-oecd
more success stories from osborne's brilliant economic policies
more success stories from osborne's brilliant economic policies
who didn't see this coming? the next bad news will be a credit downgrade from one of the big credit agencies. we're already on negative watch with most of them.
who didn't see this coming? the next bad news will be a credit downgrade from one of the big credit agencies. we're already on negative watch with most of them.
well, presumably not the tories if they believe that giving tax cuts to corporations and millionaires is effective at promoting growth
killer_clank
Member
ugh, this government is unimaginably dire. There's almost nothing good to say about anything they've done. The economy was even improving slightly when they got in, big challenges obviously but it feels like they've made it so much worse. You can't even defend it by saying it's a worldwide crisis anymore when other countries are doing far better, even ones in the eurozone.
except those who have gone for extreme austerity as we have.
the government won't be turning around, so we best get used to more bad news and a very long and protracted recession with a credit downgrade coming in the summer.
killer_clank
Member
Hopefully it won't end that badly but I the fact is any government that rules over stagnation, high unemployment, horrendous inflation and just general despair like this one has has been a failure and has to go. Thankfully the polls have been horrendous for them recently. Nothing they're doing makes it seem as if they have any idea how to fix any of the problems facing them.
i'm not as hopeful. all the signs point to a downgrade, the chancellor shouldn't have put so much emphasis on keeping the triple a rating. both france and the united states have done fine since a downgrade.
a downgrade wouldn't have hurt us if we had some growth and a good economic plan. we have neither, it's all privatise or cut and slash. the private sector hasn't stepped in to fill the unemployment gap. we're basically screwed.
No, we are not and I don't appreciate this kind of crystal ball bullshit in what is normally a sensible thread.
OECD are just another think tank, as fallible as any other, not 3 weeks ago Mervyn King was saying we would dodge a recession, fact is no one has a fucking clue and pretending otherwise just makes you look like a fool.
Fundamentals in the private sector are actually improving, wage freezes are on the decline, unemployment is still all over the place but we have a strong social safety net.
I am not defending Osbourne and co at all, but talking down the economy has gotten old since it's all the media / ill educated people have done for the last 4 years. Shit I remember the crap people on forums were spewing back in late 2008, if you believed them we would all be living in mud huts by now.
OECD are just another think tank, as fallible as any other, not 3 weeks ago Mervyn King was saying we would dodge a recession, fact is no one has a fucking clue and pretending otherwise just makes you look like a fool.
Fundamentals in the private sector are actually improving, wage freezes are on the decline, unemployment is still all over the place but we have a strong social safety net.
I am not defending Osbourne and co at all, but talking down the economy has gotten old since it's all the media / ill educated people have done for the last 4 years. Shit I remember the crap people on forums were spewing back in late 2008, if you believed them we would all be living in mud huts by now.
killer_clank
Member
i'm not as hopeful. all the signs point to a downgrade, the chancellor shouldn't have put so much emphasis on keeping the triple a rating. both france and the united states have done fine since a downgrade.
a downgrade wouldn't have hurt us if we had some growth and a good economic plan. we have neither, it's all privatise or cut and slash. the private sector hasn't stepped in to fill the unemployment gap. we're basically screwed.
totally agree. Osborne keeps going on with the AAA spiel, when countries with only AA ratings are growing much better. His entire economic plan is pretty much in tatters at this point.
oh, right. so we should stop pointing out that osborne's plan is shit and hasn't worked because that's all that anyone's been saying. even though it's true. gotcha.
Not at all, but hyperbolic claims and guesses stated as certainty's are not the same thing. Put words in my mouth all you like though.
killer_clank
Member
There's a quite interesting By-Election going on tonight. "Gorgeous" George Galloway has been running in Bradford West and rumours suggest he's doing quite well, what with the large Muslim community there and his interesting campaigning style. Labour have a slight majority here at the last election, so that combined with a low turnout might just mean he has a chance...
http://labourlist.org/2012/03/bradford-west-by-election-liveblog/
http://labourlist.org/2012/03/bradford-west-by-election-liveblog/
Well, clearly economic forecasting is not an exact art. But to segue from that to some kind of defense of the shit state of the economy is bizarre. The economy is doing crap (by some measures, worse than the UK did in the Great Depression), and it's largely Osborne & co.'s fault. Yeah, Europe tanking didn't help. But it really just highlighted what a bad state the UK economy is in, considering how much better France and Germany are doing than the UK now.
A recent update:
23.14: Have just heard from someone in Bradford. Not good at all was their message. That sounds very ominous indeed. Theres now a very real chance that Labour could lose this by-election.
killer_clank
Member
Sounds like his postal votes are looking good.
Galloway...oh god his campaigning is fucking bizarre, he's literally pretending to be a muslim. It's just wrong. There's targeting a demographic and then there's what he's doing. If he gets, say 80% of the muslims in West Bradford and the white vote gets split then he might actually win. How bizarre.
May I remind people that the only people who had worse attendance rates in the house than Galloway were the speaker (due to a technicality about what "attendance" is), Sinn Fein MPs who don't take their seats due to their beliefs about the UK and 2 MPs that died early in office.
May I remind people that the only people who had worse attendance rates in the house than Galloway were the speaker (due to a technicality about what "attendance" is), Sinn Fein MPs who don't take their seats due to their beliefs about the UK and 2 MPs that died early in office.
killer_clank
Member
Yup, he's an opportunistic prick. Just look at this letter.
Truly insane and probably slanderous.
zomgbbqftw
Banned
Oh dear. Only Ed Miliband could snatch a defeat like this from the jaws of victory. If Labour lose this it completely destroys the anti-government narrative that is dominating the news cycles. A shock loss to George Galloway would be very bad for Labour and completely take the heat of the Tory party.
killer_clank
Member
This constituency has demographic factors that really play into Galloway's narrative. Would be bad for Ed but not catastrophic IMO, given that it's not the sort of thing that would be replicated nationally. Labour are still doing well in national polls.
And apparently given the fuel/pasty tax/cashforcam debacle, rumours are UKIP might be 3rd. Apparently Sky News are calling it for Galloway.
killer_clank
Member
jesus. Is anyone voting for him aware of this classic Galloway moment?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1NIuCt72bU
getting beaten by george galloway is embarrassing, but i sincerely doubt that it's going to be that bad for labour after horsegate, nhsgate, cash-for-dinnersgate and pastygate, not to mention that budget
having said that, the media is an incredible circus so who knows
having said that, the media is an incredible circus so who knows
zomgbbqftw
Banned
It doesn't matter about the national picture. This is a massive shock. Respect were 250/1 last week. Tories will be third and even if they aren't it can be painted as a loss because of the bad political environment for them. For Labour they have a national 10 point lead and still managed to lose to a political hasbeen.
Either way, this clears the 24h news agenda for tomorrow, and after that the narrative will change. The cash for access stuff will be off completely, the pasty stuff will get a passing mention and the fuel stuff will rumble on until there is a ballot/strike.
Just to be clear - I hope Galloway wins because:
- I want the news to be full of his face tomorrow so retards stop panic buying petrol
- I like political oddities
- It will highlight how shite Labour are in opposition and might spark rumblings in the backbenches/David Miliband supporters
- I hate how Labour keep going on about how they've "won every by-election" since the election when they've all been Labour safe seats
- I want the news to be full of his face tomorrow so retards stop panic buying petrol
- I like political oddities
- It will highlight how shite Labour are in opposition and might spark rumblings in the backbenches/David Miliband supporters
- I hate how Labour keep going on about how they've "won every by-election" since the election when they've all been Labour safe seats
retarded? you mean hilarious.
killer_clank
Member
amazing.
zomgbbqftw
Banned
I don't know about that now, with the terrible week the government have had Labour could get a shock victory. Stuff like the cash for access stuff makes for bad reading, but it also gives Dave a bad image. I have a bet on that Dave won't be leading the Tories into the next election.
I don't see Dave losing his place, he's the most popular of the main 3 party leaders (YouGov) and there isn't anyone screaming to replace him.
All of this could play into the hands of the Lib Dems though. Siphoning off fiscal/moderate conservatives from the Tories seems like the way to go now they've lost the student/naive vote.
All of this could play into the hands of the Lib Dems though. Siphoning off fiscal/moderate conservatives from the Tories seems like the way to go now they've lost the student/naive vote.
killer_clank
Member
Galloway has claimed victory on Twitter. In a constituency that has dire youth unemployment, will George Galloway spend lots of time in his constituency helping them? Or just going on about the middle east all the time?
https://twitter.com/#!/georgegalloway
https://twitter.com/#!/georgegalloway
He's such a cunt
zomgbbqftw
Banned
Galloway 1st. Labour 2nd. Cons (distant) 3rd. Lib Dems 4th. UKIP 5th. Green (close) 6th. ( @BritainVotes)
killer_clank
Member
The Lib Dems have been lucky to even be 4th...
zomgbbqftw
Banned
With a 37% swing from Lab > Respect it is a bit sensational.
killer_clank
Member
2nd highest ever I believe. Highest was 44% in 1983, by Simon Hughes in Bermondsey.
let's get real. it's no 1992 or 1997.
it's 'sensational' only inasmuch as a crackpot like galloway can win a safe labour seat in a by election by pretending to be a muslim.