The Official UK Election Thread! 6th May it is!

[Lothian]

I just got back from a local debate that was at least partially on science.

I've come to the opinion that my MP David Tredinnick is not a vapid moron who has no understanding of how anything works.

He's a vile lying disgusting piece of filth who happens to be a vapid moron who has no understanding of how anything works.

I am not surprised. From wiki

He is a supporter of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), speaking in Parliament on homeopathy (making claims for its effectiveness chiropractic and the influence of the Moon on blood clotting)
It emerged in 2009 that he tried to claim the £125 cost of attending a course on "intimate relationships" through his Parliamentary expenses. He was also found to have used expenses to purchase astrology software, claiming it was for a debate on alternative medicine

but sometimes it is good to confirm these things yourself.

 

[dudalb]

I haven't heard the actual discussion he had with the woman, but since some of it was about Eastern Europeans coming over here and Taking our Jobs and turning Rochdale into a Third World country I would not be in the least bit surprised if describing her as a bigot was not far off the mark.

Manna from heaven for the likes of the BNP though (and, well, everyone, really, but especially them because they can now say "See? We're the only party that understands you, the others are just pretending!")

I still like comment about how the BNP is a good example of ingratitude since it was the emigrants from India and Pakistan that finally gave the English decent food to eat......

 

[Rolfe]

My mother's postal voting paperwork arrived this morning. She was very insistent I fill it all in for her to get it back by return of post.

"Put the cross in the bottom box."
"How did you know the SNP candidate was bottom of the list?"
"It's alphabetical, isn't it? The Tory is above."

She's right. 93 and partially sighted, but marbles all present and correct.

Rolfe.

 

[MarkCorrigan]

I am not surprised. From wiki
but sometimes it is good to confirm these things yourself.

He believes that double and triple blind experimentation isn't the best method to use to test if a treatment works, he thinks that the scientific community rejection of unproven alternative medicine is partly based on racial prejudice and he thinks that homoeopathy should be given to HIV and AIDS patients.

He's inhuman scum.

 

[andyandy]

I just got back from a local debate that was at least partially on science.

I've come to the opinion that my MP David Tredinnick is not a vapid moron who has no understanding of how anything works.

He's a vile lying disgusting piece of filth who happens to be a vapid moron who has no understanding of how anything works.

he's got your vote then?

 

[MarkCorrigan]

he's got your vote then?

I actually thought about this, and came to the conclusion that the only way he would get my vote is if the Lib Dem, Labour and Science party candidates all die before the 6th and they aren't replaced.

Seriously. Only when it's between him, UKIP, the BNP and the English Democrats would I consider it. I'd be more likely to not vote.

 

[Reginald]

I wonder when the BBC are going to stop running this story. Talk about overkill.

They even had Max Clifford on there, to say....nothing, no one had contacted him.

It's a pretty sad day when questions about 160 billion quids worth of deficit get buried under some over opinionated old lady's 15 (I wish) Minutes of fame.

Brown was a dick, but she is milking this, as soon as I saw the Sky reporter "leading" her comments with his questions I knew she was going to bite.

All she has to do is pop her head out the door and say "I accept his apology" OR "I don't accept his apology". Simple.

Pathetic.

 

[Reginald]

...and why hasn't Dave called for an immediate public enquiry into old peoples feelings or something?

 

[dudalb]

In any country on earth with a free press, when a major political figure in an election campaign makes a gaffe as big as the one that Brown made, it is gonna dominate the news.
And Brown made a beaut, as good as any US politician could have made.

 

[Rolfe]

I actually thought about this, and came to the conclusion that the only way he would get my vote is if the Lib Dem, Labour and Science party candidates all die before the 6th and they aren't replaced.

Seriously. Only when it's between him, UKIP, the BNP and the English Democrats would I consider it. I'd be more likely to not vote.

Sheesh! In your position, I'd spoil my paper. (I mean, if the three candidates you mention dropped dead.) It might be different if UKIP, the BNP and the English Democrats (who they?) had any chance of winning, but as it is - I couldn't put a cross against that!

Rolfe.

 

[Rolfe]

In any country on earth with a free press, when a major political figure in an election campaign makes a gaffe as big as the one that Brown made, it is gonna dominate the news.
And Brown made a beaut, as good as any US politician could have made.

I just saw the full horror of it. It was worse than I realised from the radio and internet reports. She actually didn't say anything at all outrageous. It's not something I'd have said, but she's an old lady, and she lives in a particular set of circumstances, and she spoke about what she was concerned about. To the leader of the party she said she'd supported all her life. She didn't rant, and she didn't even push the issue.

Brown seemed to feel the interview had been counterproductive. He was wrong, he came over perfectly well in the official on-air part. But then he blew it, by falling into an elephant trap he should have been drilled in his sleep to beware of. He despises a loyal voter who trusted him enough to tell him what really concerned her.

He can apologise, but the damage is done. He can't unsay it. Whatamaroon.

I don't care if the old lady is milking it or not. She's probably not rich. She may have got the idea she can make some money out of this. I don't blame her. If she feels sufficiently betrayed to make that a higher priority than pulling Gordon Brown's backside out of the fire, I can see where she's coming from.

Rolfe.

 

[Reginald]

I could see where she was coming from (at the start). But this could go the same way as the war letter.

That might explain why if you look at the press atm, the BBC are running it continuously, the Guardian have a LOT of articles and discussions but the Mail, Telegraph and Times seem to have less.

Maybe they are afraid of "outrage" turning into sympathy.

Either way he was still a fool. Even my kids know to shut up when it's important they do so.

 

[Undesired Walrus]

I just saw the full horror of it. It was worse than I realised from the radio and internet reports. She actually didn't say anything at all outrageous.

You wouldn't find it bigoted if someone said they felt they were 'living in a third world country'?

 

[Undesired Walrus]

It was top story on CNN!

 

[Rolfe]

You wouldn't find it bigoted if someone said they felt they were 'living in a third world country'?

I don't like what she said, but I don't think it was anything she had no right to say if that was her opinion. If it has been some foam-flecked BNP rant, it would have been different, maybe, but it so obviously wasn't.

Rolfe.

 

[Matthew Best]

"You can't say anything about the immigrants because you're saying that you're... all these Eastern Europeans what are coming in, where are they flocking from?"

 

[Undesired Walrus]

Let me put it this way. Gordon Brown talks about immigration and says that the area he is in looks like a third world country.

It's not justified that the newspapers call him a bigot?

 

[Rolfe]

Did I say it was completely unjustified to regard her as bigoted? I said she didn't say anything outrageous. No foam-flecked rants or anything like that. She was an ordinary voter. Gordon Brown is the PM. He's supposed to hold himself to higher standards than that.

Rolfe.

 

[Undesired Walrus]

You honestly think that no politician has ever said something like that in private?

 

[Puppycow]

I just saw the full horror of it. It was worse than I realised from the radio and internet reports. She actually didn't say anything at all outrageous. It's not something I'd have said, but she's an old lady, and she lives in a particular set of circumstances, and she spoke about what she was concerned about. To the leader of the party she said she'd supported all her life. She didn't rant, and she didn't even push the issue.

Brown seemed to feel the interview had been counterproductive. He was wrong, he came over perfectly well in the official on-air part. But then he blew it, by falling into an elephant trap he should have been drilled in his sleep to beware of. He despises a loyal voter who trusted him enough to tell him what really concerned her.

He can apologise, but the damage is done. He can't unsay it. Whatamaroon.

I don't care if the old lady is milking it or not. She's probably not rich. She may have got the idea she can make some money out of this. I don't blame her. If she feels sufficiently betrayed to make that a higher priority than pulling Gordon Brown's backside out of the fire, I can see where she's coming from.

Rolfe.

American presidential elections have turned on less.

I still remember the big deal that was made of a silly picture of Mike Dukakis in a tank, and JFK is said to have won because he wore a dark suit for his television debate while Nixon wore a grey one that didn't look good on TV (of course we'll never really know how much difference those things made).

This is a much bigger deal. It's probably worse than Howard Dean's scream or George Romney saying he was brainwashed, gaffes that had them laughed out of the race. Of course this is different because Brown is not running for president, but still.