NJS

I'd be astonished if Carver isn't appointed tbh. Probably after a token "we tried but just couldn't get anyone over the line".

Cyprus is in the EU.

Ukip will die after the referendum if it happens. And you do realise that the gap doesn't mean they have to win 92 don't you? 47 isn't a mountain.

To paraphrase the prison officer in McVicar - there's no puffs in the IRA.

As I said, the temperature would be an issue for me. Having rediscovered a love of beach holidays to an extent, I enjoy high 20s broaching low 30s as you can still get around. High 30s, broaching 40s is very sapping and limiting IMO. It may be slightly cooler than that in September but there's still a chance of the extremes.

Do you really think the union link is still a problem? I get the idea that people think they're anti aspiration whatever the fuck that means but I honestly don't think that's union based.

Too hot this time of year and you have to be able to turn a blind eye to the culture (the attitude to women and their treatment of non-white foreigners).

Just reading withdrawing from ECHR negates the Good Friday agreement and the Scottish parliament act.

There's no way Cameron's paymasters will sanction an EU exit.

I finished S2 and started S3 this weekend at home. I know what the major plot lines are for the rest of the whole show and with semi-hindsight I can see the limitations even given the quality so far. I can see him living a "normal" life under the noses of his colleagues working for a little while but 8 whole years is taking the piss and I can see it becoming (more) unbelieveable. Still love it so far though - I mentioned the bloke out of District 9 being a fave character of mine for being the only person I've seen who swears more than me but it looks like Deb could be my ideal woman.

Scrapping the Human Rights act and reintroducing May's snooper's charters which makes recording of all phone call details, browsing and download histories mandatory for ISPs with unfettered GCHQ access have already been mooted. Get your lubricant ready.

Random thoughts: Well apart from my first chat of the day at work which involved a cunt who was glad "the socialists" had been kept out as they would have wasted all the money again on paying benefits which caused the financial crisis last time (and the fucker actually works in banking!), I had some almost constructive discussions. We have a few young lads/graduates on our team and they agreed that firstly the result unfortunately means the prospect of electoral reform is a non-starter and secondly another thing I'd like to see - the use of much more technology (online voting etc) will have to wait again. I agree with the recent posts that Labour are in a complete quandry - I'd like to see a much more radical approach but one thing Kinnock (and Mako) got right was that principle without power is pointless. I almost like Mako's suggestion of a stealth Blairite campaign with a radical agenda but that was almost what I thought was happening this time. I do think Milliband was a factor - as with Foot an obviously decent bloke was just completed unsuited to inspiring shallow cretins - trouble is I don't see an inspiring candidate for leader at the moment. I also disagree with Mako that the greens and UKIP had no affect on Labour - I think there were a few seats - not enough admittedley - where they did affect the result - Ed Balls' for a start. It's sad that the best hope now is to rely on Tory self-destruct over Europe - that's what happned post 92 and I think his promise of a referendum might be Cameron's undoing.

Runs a divisive campaign decrying the Scots then says he wants a united kingdom. Shameless. Also a shout out to the people who voted liberal last time, didn't like what they did, and punished them by voting Tory.

Strange that the polls were so wrong pre vote which means a shit load of people are ashamed to say they are going to vote Tory but then do so. "Of course I care about other people" while ticking the box marked "Me, me, me".

I see the Guardian projection has a 273 seat tie - would be funny as fuck if Cameron "loses" by a single seat. (I still expect them to win the most seats really).

The deficit has nothing to do with tory austerity - its ideological destruction of the welfare state.

I agree to some extent but the Tories are nowhere near the centre. They might have seemed that way in opposition pre 2010 but the vicious attacks on the poor and pandering to extreme rich interests show their true colours. Stupid thing is as others have said if you ask people what they think of policies, they approve "left wing" ones to a huge extent but still are reluctant to vote for parties with those policies. This shows the huge influence of the media IMO.

But as I said above, the liberals want to now be seen as "dead centre" rather than left leaning. This may well play well with Tories who think they have a conscience but if they're more than willing to join with the Tories, I will never trust them.

Any response as to why your 2m extra jobs haven't restored tax receipt levels to pre-crisis levels ct?

That's always been my problem with PR to be honest - Clegg and worse having power disproportionate to their support. Like last time clegg insisting that brown step down as leader as a condition for talks - how the fuck is that up to him?

I think all of the Westminster elite thought that once the referendum finished, they'd forget about it and go back to voting labour which is easier to cope with for both parties.

Thing is its hard to sell social justice and collectivism in the face of demonization of the unions and the lower classes in general and 35 years of thatcherite individualism.

Problem is that despite projection models probably getting better, I remember 92 when a very small margin of error into the polls gave the Tories enough - another 10 or 15 seats would probably see them home. One thing that gives me a bit of hope is that London which has quite a few marginals seems a bit out of step with national polling.

I see it as a combination of upbringing and experience. I'm proud that my parents were socialists and that certain my rubbed off on me but alluding to what Gemmill just said, I find it incomprehensible that anyone who's lived in the NE for any of the last 35 years can have anything but contempt for the Tories. Of course I don't think that necessarily means you should support labour especially the blairite version but pro-tory is beyond the pale. It might be somewhere in the politics thread but I do think people like ct have this strange attitude that being Tory signifies "progression" through the classes which is something the bitch thrived on but I don't get it. Talking to a few people over the last week or so I do think following your parents voting history is a bit on the wain with most trying to make "informed" choices which is good. Of course if that choice is Tory it still makes them cunts.

Kevin Scott - mute as a post and never wanted it.