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Post by froome on Oct 26, 2014 19:15:24 GMT
One could almost think that the Conservative Party are actually trying to lose both this by election and the next general election. You want Miliband PM, you have him mate. Tories like me will emigrate, 'recent' Labour voters will 'go forth and multiply', and leave you to your dreams of absolutist purism in politics. And yes I ken well ye're not a member of UKIP any more, but still your call. No one in politics is perfect, not David Cameron, but also not as you know (but most of your ex-colleagues haven't fathomed) the Ever-Pint-Supping Dear Leader & crew either. But Miliband's chance of living up to perfect? Slim. Non aligned? ![???](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/huh.png)
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john07
Labour & Co-operative
Posts: 15,094
Member is Online
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Post by john07 on Oct 26, 2014 19:28:00 GMT
You want Miliband PM, you have him mate. Tories like me will emigrate, 'recent' Labour voters will 'go forth and multiply', and leave you to your dreams of absolutist purism in politics. And yes I ken well ye're not a member of UKIP any more, but still your call. No one in politics is perfect, not David Cameron, but also not as you know (but most of your ex-colleagues haven't fathomed) the Ever-Pint-Supping Dear Leader & crew either. But Miliband's chance of living up to perfect? Slim. Non aligned? ![???](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/huh.png) He can't make his mind up between the Official Tories and the Privisional Tories.
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maxque
Non-Aligned
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Post by maxque on Oct 26, 2014 22:00:36 GMT
You want Miliband PM, you have him mate. Tories like me will emigrate, 'recent' Labour voters will 'go forth and multiply', and leave you to your dreams of absolutist purism in politics. And yes I ken well ye're not a member of UKIP any more, but still your call. No one in politics is perfect, not David Cameron, but also not as you know (but most of your ex-colleagues haven't fathomed) the Ever-Pint-Supping Dear Leader & crew either. But Miliband's chance of living up to perfect? Slim. Non aligned? ![???](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/huh.png) He probably waits than a party picks up his idea of half-votes for non-UK born voters.
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Post by Merseymike on Oct 27, 2014 1:37:34 GMT
One could almost think that the Conservative Party are actually trying to lose both this by election and the next general election. You want Miliband PM, you have him mate. Tories like me will emigrate, 'recent' Labour voters will 'go forth and multiply', and leave you to your dreams of absolutist purism in politics. And yes I ken well ye're not a member of UKIP any more, but still your call. No one in politics is perfect, not David Cameron, but also not as you know (but most of your ex-colleagues haven't fathomed) the Ever-Pint-Supping Dear Leader & crew either. But Miliband's chance of living up to perfect? Slim. Is that a promise?
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neilm
Non-Aligned
Posts: 25,023
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Post by neilm on Oct 27, 2014 1:46:09 GMT
Who is this Mike Barker, does he really have an MBE and what was he doing in Northern Ireland?
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Post by Tangent on Oct 27, 2014 7:18:35 GMT
Who is this Mike Barker, does he really have an MBE and what was he doing in Northern Ireland? He was in NI as part of HM Forces, he did receive an MBE, and he is credited with developing the wheelbarrow robot. But he seems to have entered the Prince of Wales' Own Regiment of Green Inkers since then. His main objective in recent years has been to badger various organs of government into defusing the explosives on board SS Richard Montgomery single-handedly.
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neilm
Non-Aligned
Posts: 25,023
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Post by neilm on Oct 27, 2014 7:43:59 GMT
Thanks. What's the betting his leaflets will refer to the wreck with dire warnings of massive flooding along the North Kent coast if it isn't sorted out pronto.
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Pimpernal
Forum Regular
A left-wing agenda within a right-wing framework...
Posts: 2,871
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Post by Pimpernal on Oct 27, 2014 7:53:22 GMT
His main objective in recent years has been to badger various organs of government into defusing the explosives on board SS Richard Montgomery single-handedly. Well he can bog off - that's OUR local concern - a local issue for local people. We'll do the badgering if badgering is to be done, we don't need to no Johnny Medwayite poking around our bombship!
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neilm
Non-Aligned
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Post by neilm on Oct 27, 2014 12:30:41 GMT
I don't think anyone wants someone to do any poking around it at all!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2014 16:10:57 GMT
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Post by Andrew_S on Oct 28, 2014 20:11:34 GMT
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Post by gwynthegriff on Oct 28, 2014 21:07:30 GMT
Thank goodness the Conservatives aren't running the country or doing anything important like that ..... ![::)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/eyesroll.png)
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Post by Andrew_S on Oct 30, 2014 12:26:53 GMT
Martin Kettle in the Guardian: "If you know your postwar political history, the conclusion is pretty obvious. To get a Labour government, you have to win Rochester and Strood. It is one of the seats in Kent – like Dartford and Dover – that help to make the difference between Labour general election victory and general election defeat. Without wins in the marginals in such counties as Kent, Berkshire, Essex and Hertfordshire, you don’t get Labour governments."www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/29/miliband-point-of-no-return-rochester-come-out-fighting
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Post by Merseymike on Oct 30, 2014 18:12:20 GMT
Simply not true. It may have been in the 60's but it isn't now.
This was an example of a seat which swung wildly away from us last time hence it's 125th position on the target list.
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Post by La Fontaine on Oct 30, 2014 18:26:49 GMT
Simply not true. It may have been in the 60's but it isn't now. This was an example of a seat which swung wildly away from us last time hence it's 125th position on the target list. Yes, dramatic but exaggerated article. Just to take one opposite example, Tynemouth, long a Tory safe seat, is now safely Labour. It is all part of the general weakening of Labour in the south and the Tories in the north. However, Labour should be challenging in by-elections in seats it would not expect to win in the general election.
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Sibboleth
Labour
'Sit on my finger, sing in my ear, O littleblood.'
Posts: 15,568
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Post by Sibboleth on Oct 30, 2014 18:34:09 GMT
The constituency was only created in 1983. Before then Rochester - Strood town included - was paired with Chatham (i.e. the best of the Medway Towns for Labour) and was indeed a critical marginal; it changed hands five times between 1950 and 1979. It was actually better for Labour in the 50s than the 60s, but this might just have been because of a personal vote for Arthur Bottomley. The Hoo peninsula and Cuxton/Halling were in the Gravesend seat at the time.
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Post by justin124 on Oct 30, 2014 19:28:15 GMT
Actually the seat has only existed since 2010.
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Post by thirdchill on Oct 30, 2014 19:41:36 GMT
Think Merseymike is correct in this, it's now one of those seats where labour would need a large majority at a GE to win it.
However labour's vote shouldn't look like it's going to decrease at a by-election. Clacton and Bradford West were special cases but labour's vote should not be dropping here at a by-election, and there is a possibility it might do so.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 30, 2014 20:04:47 GMT
Actually the seat has only existed since 2010. I think we can say that the pre-2010 Medway is a pretty clear direct descendant.
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Oct 30, 2014 21:12:32 GMT
Now- who will come bottom of the vote? The PSP? The PBP? The WD40?
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