Political post warning

[Dorset Gooner]

Anyone else think that Ed has thrown away any chance Labour had of winning the next election with his attempt at going back to state control? All very morally correct but it simply won't work.
The problem for the country is the opposition is a pile of crap so odds on for another coalition.

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

No it isn't.

[Dorset Gooner]

can't & won't happen of course

[Classic Jorge]

If you mean freezing energy prices, it's polled incredibly well and seems to be the boldest thing a party has done for twenty years.

Whether it will actually work in practice is another matter but it was incredibly silly to sell off our energy infrastructure in the first place.

[Camp Freddie]

[Mc Gooner]

Did it fück :yikes:

[Camp Freddie]

[Camp Freddie]

[Mc Gooner]

I thought the general consensus was that public servants couldn't run a bath

[Camp Freddie]

[Classic Jorge]

It's far from a pure market. One could argue it's a cartel, and with plenty of evidence to back it up.

The question needs to be asked, does it actually work at the moment? And, given the profits of the energy companies and the skyrocketing bills we're all paying, you'd struggle to say it does.

[Ashberto]

I'd rather they didn't control me too much, but natural monopolies is one area where a mixed economy can have a useful role. We don't have a choice of gas pipes or electicity lines into our homes to chose from, so market forces cannot operate in the usual way.

[Camp Freddie]

...Don't see anyone arguing for the privatisation of the armed services...

[Mc Gooner]

[Classic Jorge]

In theory there's more choice but if it's a choice between ****, **** and more **** what choice is that?

[Dorset Gooner]

before any freeze. Will saving £10 a month for 2 years really make a difference to people? Wasn't Ed the energy minster responsible for the green taxes that these companies have to factor in?

[Classic Jorge]

If they did try to ramp up their whole pricing structure I think offgen would have a fair old case to remove their licences.

[Mc Gooner]

Profiteering in the private sector as providers in how they charge customers and profiteering by private sector suppliers when the providers are in the public sector. e.g suppliers to the MoD, NHS

We as taxpayers or consumers ultimately get shafted whichever way it is done

[Berni]

[Classic Jorge]

I think the key advantage with public over private is that you can actually do it well, if you so choose.

As Yoda said, "Control, you must have control".

Wise little muppet imo

[Peter]

[Peter]

[Ashberto]

ethical dimension (if that phrase is still permissable).

[Classic Jorge]

How'd you feel about the whole thing, P?

Are we seeing the genuine genesis of a credible political leader, one who's not bound by the old presentational confines and is keen to govern in the interests of the people he'd hope to represent?

Or is he just a spasticky, wallace and grommit faced personality vacuum?

[Hillary]

[Peter]

This is getting a little confusing :-)

[Hillary]

[Classic Jorge]

[Peter]

My hunch is that they are trying to shift the debate at a time where there is an opportunity to do so. The fear is thst economic recovery will see us slip back into a period of tory domination and thatcher-like assumptions about how people should be treated.

If i was advising the party i would be writing off this election. There are certainly grounds for re-introducing forms of public ownership in several areas. The start of the debate is always going to involve alarmist nonsense from sections of the press.

[Berni]

'Red Ed' rhetoric is going to get ramped up good and proper. And, while that will play below the line in 'Comment Macht Frei', it will go down elsewhere like an electoral sh*t sandwich that everyone in the Labour party will have to nibble on for a fair few years yet.

Huzzah!

[Classic Jorge]

I'd like to think the whole 'Red' business isnt as much of a radioactive stereotype as it was.

It does seem to be the same group of people voting as 25 years ago though.

[Classic Jorge]

Cant disagree, you could see it in the faces of the people behind him that they didnt really believe it either.

That said, surely they could have picked 25 people from the labour membership that didnt look like such massive c**ts, did you see them?

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

[Berni]

they've got any chance whatsoever of winning. They go left to rally the troops and secure their core voters. It's a damage limitation exercise, essentially.

[Mc Gooner]

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQPbcBZQur49uQZenYBd-0oSd5JCRh6pbkhf7ZB-ebkOPCVutUncQ

[Classic Jorge]

[Berni]

seem to think. Single-issue parties generally get a shoeing at general elections.

[Peter]

Fighting a pretty safe seat. Plenty of party planning is looking at lining up the next campaign.

The current Communications side is hopeless which explains the skewed message. That will change after a poor election.

[Mc Gooner]

[Classic Jorge]

[Hillary]

whether the Lib Dems can recover enough to force another coalition.

And can I even be arsed to vote this time?

[Classic Jorge]

Cant see any other reason for voluntarily going to liverpool.

David & Yvette 2020?

[Classic Jorge]

[Peter]

But the guy who does it is finished. The next guy gets the rewards.

I think the party had a great platform in these few years but they wasted it. Still dont really understand how Ed won that election. The brother was the better bet

[Berni]

[pjlincs]

markets so a tad tricky to control. Profit margins could be capped but that has operational service and future investment issues. Am also expecting power companies to detail how much customers pay in "green taxes" that the utilities collect on behalf of the government. Who was energy minister when these were first established? Clue: initials EM.

[Peter]

A few too many indiscretions in the past. Nothing the rest of you havent done i'm sure but the sorts of things that dont play well for a politician :-)

Liverpool is just to help friends and family. Easy win but plenty of work.

[Peter]

Single issue lobbies should always focus on that.

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

[Peter]

[Ashberto]

notice that they are all hollowed-out relics with practically no activist or membership support at all. At this point a minor party might cash in.

[Berni]

The ones who vote usually get it about right. It's only when a government's been around too long and they get bored that they can get a bit unreliable.

[Berni]

[Sir Charlie of Nicholas]

http://blogs.independent.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/attlee-460x276.jpg