Support NeoGAF

[Mindwipe]

The Clegg thing was unique, 'Cleggmania' was a phenomenon. Can't see people with 'I agree with Ed' t-shirts after tonight.

Some "Shut up and let them talk Kay Burley" ones might do okay though.

 

[Texar]

Labour's campaign motto - 'who cares'

 

[Miles Quaritch]

On a side note, have the Conservatives not actually detailed where the additional 10 billion in welfare cuts will come? Do they plan to?

While they haven't said, it will probably come from disability benefits. They've cut housing and unemployment benefits as much as they can (although I have no doubt they'd be happy with cutting further, but you can't get £10b out of just those) and with their complete reluctance to cut pensions or cut anything related to the elderly in any way, there's really only one group left...

 

[QuicheFontaine]

Actually, it can - opinion poll headlines are rounded to the nearest figure, if you look at the tables you can see the precise figures. Of course, they're totally useless because the margin of error is about six times as large as the degree of precision, but hey.

I'm having flashbacks to my college physics lessons where the teacher explained the difference between 'accuracy' and 'precision'.

I can't really remember what that difference is, merely that there is a difference ¯\_(&#12484_/¯

 

[Volotaire]

I'm having flashbacks to my college physics lessons where the teacher explained the difference between 'accuracy' and 'precision'.

I can't really remember what that difference is, merely that there is a difference ¯\_(&#12484_/¯

Accuracy is how close the stated value is to the true value. Precision relates to the interval of the instrument you use. Repeated experiments which gain the same value are precise.

 

[ReplacementPelican]

Finally had time to catch-up on last night's coverage and God damn I must say it annoyed me how personal Paxman's attacks were on Miliband, it was pretty outrageous I thought and it's probably better to ask about policy than just say 'people don't like you' 'a guy on the tube told me...' and 'I prefer your brother'.

 

[dapperbandit]

I think I should update the rules today.

I was going to suggest Put Aside the Rhetoric as an alternative OT title if it's not final

 

[JonathanEx]

Finally had time to catch-up on last night's coverage and God damn I must say it annoyed me how personal Paxman's attacks were on Miliband, it was pretty outrageous I thought and it's probably better to ask about policy than just say 'people don't like you' 'a guy on the tube told me...' and 'I prefer your brother'.

I think to a degree though it's not worth getting annoyed about. Those are the issues people have with Miliband - those should be brought up. People's issues with him tend to be more personal vs Cameron's, which are more on policy. I think there's justification in those focuses in interviews then - and plus it gives him opportunity to challenge those views.

 

[CyclopsRock]

I don't even mean beating the other side in terms of having a bigger percentage of the vote, I mean having enough seats to be able to get a successful Queen's Speech carried. At a push, whichever side is larger from Con/LD/UKIP/DUP or Labour/SNP/SDLP/Plaid/Greens/Alliance/Lady Hermon/George Galloway forms government. Potentially room for a few of those votes to go missing - the SDLP and Alliance might abstain from a VoNC - but they don't matter too much. When you remove the Irish seats and the independents, that's Con/LD/UKIP vs Labour/SNP/Plaid/Greens.

The SNP, Plaid, and the Greens don't take seats off the Conservatives - the SNP might take 1 off the Conservatives in Dumfriesshire, but that's about it. The SNP stand to gain a few more seats from the Liberal Democrats - about 10. Plaid and the Greens still no help here. However, to form a Labour government, Labour needs to get seats from the 'right' bloc into the 'left' bloc, and as it happens, they're basically going to have to do all the leg-work because the other 'left' bloc parties don't compete against the Conservatives/Lib Dems. So yeah, Ed Miliband causing a 0.5% boost in the opinion polls that nets him an extra 7 seats would incredibly valuable even at this stage and might make the difference.

Ok - you've convinced me!

-------

In other news...

Callum Jones ‏@CallumIJones 19m19 minutes ago

2.6m watched last night's interviews on C4 and Sky (overnight estimate). 9.4m tuned into first ITV debate in 2010

 

[CyclopsRock]

Finally had time to catch-up on last night's coverage and God damn I must say it annoyed me how personal Paxman's attacks were on Miliband, it was pretty outrageous I thought and it's probably better to ask about policy than just say 'people don't like you' 'a guy on the tube told me...' and 'I prefer your brother'.

It was outrageous, but only because of how ineffective it was. In the end Ed came across well, Paxo looked like a bully and Ed was entirely let off the hook on some his his poorer decisions re: policy announcements (ie capping energy bills and whatnot). IMO Paxo's personal line of questioning was the best thing that could happen to Ed.

 

[Jezbollah]

But this perception is fabricated by the media and perpetuated by incompetents, so j struggle to see how it's a problem?

Opinions are a great thing arent they?

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

Finally had time to catch-up on last night's coverage and God damn I must say it annoyed me how personal Paxman's attacks were on Miliband, it was pretty outrageous I thought and it's probably better to ask about policy than just say 'people don't like you' 'a guy on the tube told me...' and 'I prefer your brother'.

The ironic thing is that miliband is so incredibly weak on policy that it ended up giving him a far easier time of it then he should have had

really wish the bbc had hosted this, they could have gotten andrew neil to run things

 

[Mr Git]

Just watching the Paxman debate now - this is excellent. He's on form.

Edit: Just got on to audience questions. Fuck me. You have an opportunity to put Cameron on the spot about anything, it could be public sector pay freeze despite MPs' pay rise or that ludicrous official secrets act bullshit and you ask him what he thinks Miliband's qualities are. This fucking country. People are cunts.

 

[Miles X]

What a truly shit line up. Hope Ed doesn't get in tho, so voting Conservative.

 

[kmag]

Just watching the Paxman debate now - this is excellent. He's on form.

Edit: Just got on to audience questions. Fuck me. You have an opportunity to put Cameron on the spot about anything, it could be public sector pay freeze despite MPs' pay rise or that ludicrous official secrets act bullshit and you ask him what he thinks Miliband's qualities are. This fucking country. People are cunts.

Paxman missed a couple of opportunities to turn flubs into full blown gaffes, a few at the start with Miliband where he was rocking and rolling with the policy questions, but the most egregious was Cameron's inability to recall the current deficit, Cameron could recall (I'm sure he knows) and made a joke about being sure Paxman was about to tell him. Paxman should have left him hanging instead of providing the number.

 

[Nicktendo86]

Lol

Is Ed Miliband tough enough to take questions after his speech this morning? HELL NO, we've just been told he won't be taking any

The hell yes thing is turning I to quite the meme

 

[Mr Git]

Paxman missed a couple of opportunities to turn flubs into full blown gaffes, a few at the start with Miliband where he was rocking and rolling with the policy questions, but the most egregious was Cameron's inability to recall the current deficit, Cameron could recall (I'm sure he knows) and made a joke about being sure Paxman was about to tell him. Paxman should have left him hanging instead of providing the number.

Yeah I did notice that. He was sharp enough to probe good questions but didn't really follow them through. I've a feeling he'd toned down his usual style - either by his own decision or by the broadcasters. Haven't got to Miliband yet, just shaking my head at some of these audience questions. "If you could re-do a thing as Prime Minster what would it be" Jesus fucking Christ. It's like a school assembly.

 

[Hasney]

Lol



The hell yes thing is turning I to quite the meme

Milliband 3:16 says I just whipped your ass.

Still totally undecided on how I'm going to vote.

 

[Chemical Rampancy]

Opinions are a great thing arent they?

Really good to see conservatives like yourself completely rattled in recent days. You have all been hiding under the mental blanket of 'Oh Ed can't win because (weak leader/intellectual/foreign scene/putin/etc' for the past six months, and now that you're all being forced to face the reality of the general election it's clear to see that the already low party confidence with regards to gaining a majority has utterly collapsed.

 

[Jezbollah]

Really good to see conservatives like yourself completely rattled in recent days. You have all been hiding under the mental blanket of 'Oh Ed can't win because (weak leader/intellectual/foreign scene/putin/etc' for the past six months, and now that you're all being forced to face the reality of the general election it's clear to see that the already low party confidence with regards to gaining a majority has utterly collapsed.

You know what they say about assumptions, don't you?

 

[Chemical Rampancy]

You know what they say about assumptions, don't you?

Yes agreed, hence why I didn't assume that he wasn't a Conservative.

 

[Deleted member 231381]

If we had more of a two party system, then FPTP's strengths would be more useful. But we don't even have a three party system now. We've got a bunch of parties with a good level of support, and so we should reform the system to reflect people's choices better.

Even under a more strict two-party system, FPTP still sucks. Attlee lost to Churchill in 1951 despite having more votes, because the Conservatives did slightly better in marginals as the Labour vote was geographically concentrated in industrial areas. As a result, the greatest Prime Minister of the 20th century was forced out of office.

 

[CyclopsRock]

Really good to see conservatives like yourself completely rattled in recent days. You have all been hiding under the mental blanket of 'Oh Ed can't win because (weak leader/intellectual/foreign scene/putin/etc' for the past six months, and now that you're all being forced to face the reality of the general election it's clear to see that the already low party confidence with regards to gaining a majority has utterly collapsed.

Heh. I don't recognise your username from UK Poligaf but if you want to take a gander at the last, roughly, year or so of the thread, you'll see the "conservatives" over there have never thought Ed can't win. The most optimistic - like me - hoped for a Tory minority at best.

 

[Mr Git]

Oh man, Miliband's tough guy thing had me howling.

https://youtu.be/CECtFqpBxnw?t=1h7m31s

 

[Wrestlemania]

https://davidhencke.wordpress.com/2...-attempt-to-unseat-a-great-reforming-speaker/

Hague is such a cunt.

 

[FortuneFaded]

Must maintain eye contact at all times with Paxman:
https://youtu.be/CECtFqpBxnw?t=58m8s

 

[Jezbollah]

Yes agreed, hence why I didn't assume that he wasn't a Conservative.

I'd love for you to explain to me my own political leanings after a few posts.

Honestly, please try. I'd like to see this magical talent.

 

[Nicktendo86]

Sorry if already posted, interesting article this morning. NHS satisfaction at second highest ever and, by and large, Tory plans seem to be working.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/gen...ut-the-Tories-are-not-getting-the-credit.html

 

[Mr Git]

Must maintain eye contact at all times with Paxman:
https://youtu.be/CECtFqpBxnw?t=58m8s

Hahahaha.

The election choices are terrible.

Tory plans seem to be working.

Said no one who works for the NHS.

 

[DBT85]

Hahahaha.

The election choices are terrible.



Said no one who works for the NHS.

The 3 nurses I know very well (ex wife, sister in law best friend) would say that little has changed for them in thus parliament. There is huge waste and inefficiency everywhere and it's been there for years.

 

[SKINNER!]

Dat Leanne Wood is a fox! She gets my vote and I'm not even Welsh.

 

[benjipwns]

Here's another quiz thing for the parties: https://uk.isidewith.com/political-quiz

 

[Miles Quaritch]

Sorry if already posted, interesting article this morning. NHS satisfaction at second highest ever and, by and large, Tory plans seem to be working.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/gen...ut-the-Tories-are-not-getting-the-credit.html

The Telegraph in a pro Tory story? I'm positively stunned by this shocking development.

On a more serious note, where's the link to the actual survey?

 

[CyclopsRock]

The Telegraph in a pro Tory story? I'm positively stunned by this shocking development.

On a more serious note, where's the link to the actual survey?

Well I don't think the Telegraph polled themselves.

Here's the survey, anyway:

http://www.bsa.natcen.ac.uk/?_ga=1.11892532.1236980617.1427465699

In other news, here's the predictions from a bunch of "leading academics" (Not sure how they're defining that). Quite a spread:

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

Here's another quiz thing for the parties: https://uk.isidewith.com/political-quiz

Gave it a bash:

Social
I side with Liberal Democrats on most social issues

Healthcare
I side with Green on most healthcare issues

Transportation
I side with Conservatives on most transportation issues

Education
I side with Conservatives on most education issues

Foreign Policy
I side with Labour on most foreign policy issues

Immigration
I side with Labour on most immigration issues

the Economy
I side with UK Independence on most economic issues

Domestic Policy
I side with Green on most domestic policy issues

the Environment
I side with Liberal Democrats on most environmental issues


Was surprised about the ukip one, turns out they're the only party who want to "prosecute people who avoid paying taxes by hiding money in foreign bank accounts"

 

[Par Score]

In other news, here's the predictions from a bunch of "leading academics" (Not sure how they're defining that). Quite a spread:

Here's that data in graph form, as well as a link to the explanation:



There are now so many separate groups of election forecasters that we have election forecaster forecasters taking averages of election forecasts (which are themselves based on averages of polls combined with various amounts of tea-leaf reading). I love it.

 

[TM94]

It's going to be devastating when those vile Tories get in again.

God I hate everything that party stands for.

 

[benjipwns]

Was surprised about the ukip one, turns out they're the only party who want to "prosecute people who avoid paying taxes by hiding money in foreign bank accounts"

That may just be a current information thing, only ones to have it in their manifesto for example while other parties it's just individual MPs who support it. For the longer U.S. elections they tried to update and provide more choices as the campaign went on as issues came up and changed. So the exact % could change but the Party order was usually the same.

 

[Deleted member 231381]

Well I don't think the Telegraph polled themselves.

Here's the survey, anyway:

http://www.bsa.natcen.ac.uk/?_ga=1.11892532.1236980617.1427465699

In other news, here's the predictions from a bunch of "leading academics" (Not sure how they're defining that). Quite a spread:

They also left out Martin Baxter's model. Poor bastard, he's been in this game 20 years and all, but all these computer whizzes with their .svg images and whatnot and suddenly he's overlooked.

 

[benjipwns]

Labour and the Conservatives are just rude, giving the finger like that.

LD wanna rock.

 

[QuicheFontaine]

No one takes you seriously without an infographic these days.

Incidentally, I took that quiz and got 86% UKIP followed by 80% Lib Dem.

Erm....

 

[Deleted member 231381]

Labour and the Conservatives are just rude, giving the finger like that.

LD wanna rock.

UKIP convinced they're Spiderman.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

That may just be a current information thing, only ones to have it in their manifesto for example while other parties it's just individual MPs who support it. For the longer U.S. elections they tried to update and provide more choices as the campaign went on as issues came up and changed. So the exact % could change but the Party order was usually the same.

Not entirely sure where they're getting their information from though:

Foreign Aid
Somewhat Important to me
Should the UK increase or decrease foreign aid spending? learn more
You and Labour: Regardless, we should not give aid to countries advanced enough to have nuclear and space programs
Conservatives and UK Independence's similar answer: Decrease

David Cameron pushed through the 0.7% at the end of last year. Did he come out against it recently?

 

[Deleted member 231381]

No one takes you seriously without an infographic these days.

Incidentally, I took that quiz and got 86% UKIP followed by 80% Lib Dem.

Erm....

87% Labour, 87% Greens, 86% Lib Dems, 32% Conservatives, 17% UKIP.

So uh... well, it's nice to see my options are left open.

 

[pashmilla]

87% Labour, 87% Greens, 86% Lib Dems, 32% Conservatives, 17% UKIP.

So uh... well, it's nice to see my options are left open.

I got 97% Labour, 97% Plaid Cymru (dafuq), 97% Lib Dems, 94% Green, 62% Tories and 46% UKIP. I'm clearly a bleeding heart socialist who should fuck off to the Continong.

 

[QuicheFontaine]

87% Labour, 87% Greens, 86% Lib Dems, 32% Conservatives, 17% UKIP.

So uh... well, it's nice to see my options are left open.

Pfft, we all know how you're going to vote Crab! And since you're in South Wales (if memory serves?) you're probably voting for a winner.

I'd like to vote for a winner, just one time ;_;

 

[industrian]

As I'm in Australia right now I'll be calling my dad to tell him to vote SNP. Even though my dad is a conservative he respects the voting process and will do so for me - as he has done for me in every election since 2010.

My constituency is normally a safe Liberal Democrat seat with the Tories being in second place. Ye olde classic rural area with a sizeable student population situation. Apparently (and predictably) the Lib Dems support base has completely collapsed and it looks like the SNP has stepped into their shoes. At this point I'd call it for the Tories, but hopefully there'll be a significant turnout in Scotland as there was in the referendum.

Who Should I Vote For?

As much as I'm inclined to say "anyone except the big three and UKIP", I respect the choices of people as long as they have done the research, done the soul searching, and are choosing what they believe to be the right thing.

If you're undecided about voting, here's a good site to get you started:

https://uk.isidewith.com/political-quiz

Edit: I see that this link has already been posted.

 

[Deleted member 231381]

Pfft, we all know how you're going to vote Crab! And since you're in South Wales (if memory serves?) you're probably voting for a winner.

I'd like to vote for a winner, just one time ;_;

I'm from south Wales, but I'll be voting Labour in Oxford East as I'll be resident there at the time of the election and frankly it's a closer to marginal than my home-seat which is super safe, something like a 25% margin. I'd probably vote Green in my home-seat, though.

 

[industrian]

Oh I missed this part of your post. The other thing that INFURIATES me is Jim Murphy et al basically lying and saying that a vote for the SNP (or Greens or what have you) is a vote for the Tories.

You make it sound like this is something new. This is exactly the same messaging Labour have used since the SNP got big in the late 90s.

Labour have not had a single positive message in Scotland for as long as I can remember. It's either "vote for us or the Tories get in" or "awww we're just a wee country, we cannae afford what the SNP want". The SNP decked Labour in Scotland back in 2011, and their generally good job in governing Scotland combined with people finally realising that this is not their grandfather's Labour party has delivered the knockout blow.

We should not be scared into voting Labour just because of the threat of a Tory majority. The English will take care of that.

Mansion Tax! Property charge! Big Hoose levy!

GETTIN PISHED WATCHIN THE FITBA!!

 

[Musha_Soturi]

I'm from south Wales, but I'll be voting Labour in Oxford East as I'll be resident there at the time of the election and frankly it's a closer to marginal than my home-seat which is super safe, something like a 25% margin. I'd probably vote Green in my home-seat, though.

Me too, which part?