The General Election - Who Are You Voting For?

[marbelladave]

A quite brilliant example of just how removed from 'ordinary' people our politicians, particularly those in government, are.

He deals with some of her concerns with the usual meaningless platitudes but simply does not deal with her 'difficult' questions on immigration, benefits and government debt.

Instead of robustly defending his position, pointing out that immigration is by and large good for the country, that foreign 'benefit scroungers' are a relatively minor problem and that he is dealing with the debt issues, he retreats into bland statements and platitudes so as not to lose her vote.

The level of contempt for the average voter, who like many of us talk in straightforward language rather than the politically correct code of the political classes, is quite breathtaking.

[l444ry]

Does it warrant nearly 15 mins of the half hour main BBC News and people reckon it's biased towards Labour?

What a testament to the media that one day after the Institute of Fiscal Studies report warning of the most devastating cuts since the second world war, it should discover an even bigger story. When we are a nation in rags, with a skeleton NHS feeding powdered egg to the patients who somehow survive the 10-year waiting lists, and our terminally unemployed children ask us: "Did the news media just clear the schedules when they found about the IFS report?", we will be able to say: "No, but they did the next day when the prime minster was overheard slagging off a woman from Rochdale. Now sling another chair leg on the fire and shut up."

Were one of the news channels to represent the day's sequence of events in graphic form, they should depict an animated Gordon Brown laying a giant turd, upon which a biblical swarm of flies promptly descend. The flies represent the media.

As always, Sky's Kay Burley asked the big questions, inquiring of Lord Mandelson: "Do you think Gordon Brown will give us our microphone back?"

[FoxyPV]

As always, Sky's Kay Burley asked the big questions, inquiring of Lord Mandelson: "Do you think Gordon Brown will give us our microphone back?"

Legend - devastates Peter Andre by more or less saying to him "That new bloke is going to steal your kids away from you" then sneering at him when he cries and now this.

It's a wonder Sky have a news channel at all.

[Daggers]

It's a wonder Sky have a news channel at all.

People buy the Sun.

[Head Honcho]

A quite brilliant example of just how removed from 'ordinary' people our politicians, particularly those in government, are.

He deals with some of her concerns with the usual meaningless platitudes but simply does not deal with her 'difficult' questions on immigration, benefits and government debt.

Instead of robustly defending his position, pointing out that immigration is by and large good for the country, that foreign 'benefit scroungers' are a relatively minor problem and that he is dealing with the debt issues, he retreats into bland statements and platitudes so as not to lose her vote.

The level of contempt for the average voter, who like many of us talk in straightforward language rather than the politically correct code of the political classes, is quite breathtaking.

Sorry did I miss something here?

So the lady wasn't a bigot, is that what you're getting at?

She has a right to have her say and he quite rightly told everybody what he thought of her.

Stupid old bag, typical council worker moaning about her pension when in fact they have the best working class pensions in the land.

[FoxyPV]

People buy the Sun.

Bafflingly, some people get The Star for their news!

[dandannieldanok]

Sorry did I miss something here?

So the lady wasn't a bigot, is that what you're getting at?

She has a right to have her say and he quite rightly told everybody what he thought of her.

Stupid old bag, typical council worker moaning about her pension when in fact they have the best working class pensions in the land.

Agreed, although the electorate won't see it this way unfortunately.

[marbelladave]

Sorry did I miss something here?

So the lady wasn't a bigot, is that what you're getting at?

She has a right to have her say and he quite rightly told everybody what he thought of her.

Stupid old bag, typical council worker moaning about her pension when in fact they have the best working class pensions in the land.

Whether she is or is not a bigot is beside the point.

It is the shear two faced hipocrisy of saying one thing to her face and another behind her back.

It is the complete and total contempt shown for the voters by our political classes that I am commenting on. He arranged the meeting with her, the least he could have done is answered her questions instead of (mostly) fudging the answers and beating a retreat when it became clear that his patronising comments about her family did not have the desired effect.

She may (or may not) have had reasonable concerns but he did nothing to find out what these concerns were and whether they were real or simply unjustified 'moaning' as you put it.

Yet more ammunition for the BNP, 'the government is not listening to ordinary people'.

On today's evidence that is irrefutable.

[Flynny]

It is the shear two faced hipocrisy of saying one thing to her face and another behind her back.

I'm sorry but I do this all the time and I'm sure I'd do it much more were I a politician. Not voting Labour, but this is all a bit ridiculous, though very funny.

The Leader's debates have been more policy orientated than I ever imagined and Brown, and Clegg, and even to an extent Cameron (though with reservations) have all spoken during those debates about what they believe the EU gives to Britain, which is just as thorny an issue with the electorate.

If Brown doesn't have time to talk some tiresome old bird out of whatever nonsense she happens to think then whatever; if he has to break down everyone he meets intellectually then he's going to end up spending the rest of the electoral haggling with twats in one constituency.

[Guest]

I'm sorry but I do this all the time and I'm sure I'd do it much more were I a politician. Not voting Labour, but this is all a bit ridiculous, though very funny.

Everybody does it of course, the problem is that after recent events people seem to want a greater level of honesty from ministers. In a somewhat comical fashion I guess he must've gained some credibility amongst those who found it refreshingly honest, all of which and probably more was lost when he spent the rest of the day grovelling and backtracking.

Now not only does he seem dishonest and two faced, but further distanced from the people that he and his party claim to represent.

[lou]

People buy the Sun.

I bought 2 copies this morning..................................

had run out of old newspapers for puppy training and at 20p each they seemed highly suitable to be pooped on - needless to say I didnt bother reading any of it first!

[marbelladave]

I'm sorry but I do this all the time and I'm sure I'd do it much more were I a politician. Not voting Labour, but this is all a bit ridiculous, though very funny.

The Leader's debates have been more policy orientated than I ever imagined and Brown, and Clegg, and even to an extent Cameron (though with reservations) have all spoken during those debates about what they believe the EU gives to Britain, which is just as thorny an issue with the electorate.

If Brown doesn't have time to talk some tiresome old bird out of whatever nonsense she happens to think then whatever; if he has to break down everyone he meets intellectually then he's going to end up spending the rest of the electoral haggling with twats in one constituency.

Once again you are missing the point!

The meeting (with the 'tiresome old bird') was arranged by the Labour party, a solid Labour voter who they assumed would give them decent copy, when she went 'off message' he was knocked off balance he became extremely patronising and got out as quickly as he could.

If Brown 'doesn't have the time' or is not going to make the effort, why arrange the meeting in the first place?

It is simply another, in this case widely reported, example of a politician who has simply no idea what ordinary voters think and has absolutly no idea how to engage with them.

I agree that the incident is pretty funny, but the breathtaking arrogance that lies behind such incidents is not!

[Dr The Singh]

Once again you are missing the point!

The meeting (with the 'tiresome old bird') was arranged by the Labour party, a solid Labour voter who they assumed would give them decent copy, when she went 'off message' he was knocked off balance he became extremely patronising and got out as quickly as he could.

If Brown 'doesn't have the time' or is not going to make the effort, why arrange the meeting in the first place?

It is simply another, in this case widely reported, example of a politician who has simply no idea what ordinary voters think and has absolutly no idea how to engage with them.

I agree that the incident is pretty funny, but the breathtaking arrogance that lies behind such incidents is not!

It shows how out of touch he is with society, and it shows that he isn't really a people's person. The old bag was entitled to her opinion and so is Gordon, but for Gordon to say he was sorry after, it shows how 2 faced he is. If he stuck by his guns and gave a warranted reason for calling her a bigot, i would have alot of respect for it, and so would anyone else.

Maybe Gordon should speak to one of his own party, Councillor Colin(Ultra), then he would know what a real biggot is!!!!

[l444ry]

By way of balance with regards to politicians in public, unlike Sky and ITV, I’d like to bring you this video by the team behind the thick of it.

[FoxyPV]

By way of balance with regards to politicians in public, unlike Sky and ITV, I’d like to bring you this video by the team behind the thick of it.

Brilliant - who says history doesn't repeat itself?

"the sort of scum who actually like football" -

The sad thing is the same mistake is going to be made again - style over substance.

[Benji]

Students in Birmingham just given Clegg a bit of a grilling, hope he wasn't wearing a microphone when he got in the car

[lcfcadam]

For any football fan worth his salt, there shouldn't even be a decision to make:

Liberal Democrats back return of 'safe' standing in Premier League stadia

[Guest]

For any football fan worth his salt, there shouldn't even be a decision to make:

Liberal Democrats back return of 'safe' standing in Premier League stadia

For anybody of voting age worth their salt, they should base that vote upon more than a single issue

[Fosse Boy]

For any football fan worth his salt, there shouldn't even be a decision to make:

Liberal Democrats back return of 'safe' standing in Premier League stadia

No that that's the only reason I'm voting Lib Dem mind, I'm not (quite) that shallow.

[Guest]

Just received a Barnet Lib Dem campaign leaflet, apparently about 80% of their campaign pledge is that they're not Conservatives

[lcfcadam]

For anybody of voting age worth their salt, they should base that vote upon more than a single issue

For anybody of literate, intelligent writing age, they should be able to detect slight sarcasm in a messageboard post

But anyway, Lib Dem is really starting to look like the only way to go. Labour appear to be gonners (not a good thing IMO, I think of the three Brown is probably the best person to lead the country into the near future) and the Conservatives are led by a complete willy puller, which permeates through to many of the Tory MP's and means their old ideology is still very much evident today.

And given that the BNP is the only other option in South Leics outside the big 3...

[Ford Super Sunday]

Nick Clegg will be at De Montfort University from 9:30am tomorrow morning

[lildave3]

I buy a Sun every morning. Fuck you all.

[Daggers]

I buy a Sun every morning. Fuck you all.

How could you tell what we'd written without pictures of tits?

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

How can anyone call the Sun a newspaper! It's just a rag.