At this rate I'd almost not mind having a recession from next month's figures.

Yeah, this poll has the Lib Dems at 16%... I'd imagine this poll is a slight rogue, and Labour probably are still just about ahead really, but the Budget does seem to have been surprisingly well-received...

 

It is probably a combination of things

 

Cameron's statesmanship over Libya

The petrol price cut

The UK feelgood factor - nice weather at the moment, people (not me) excited about the royal wedding, the iPad2/3DS being launched today

 

But the fact that Labour is behind in the polls at the peak of the tough times means they have a mountain to climb when things pick up which they will

It is probably a combination of things

 

Cameron's statesmanship over Libya

The petrol price cut

The UK feelgood factor - nice weather at the moment, people (not me) excited about the royal wedding, the iPad2/3DS being launched today

 

But the fact that Labour is behind in the polls at the peak of the tough times means they have a mountain to climb when things pick up which they will

 

If by pick up you mean inflation and unemployment rising, I think that will work in Labour's favour :P

It is probably a combination of things

 

Cameron's statesmanship over Libya

The petrol price cut

The UK feelgood factor - nice weather at the moment, people (not me) excited about the royal wedding, the iPad2/3DS being launched today

 

But the fact that Labour is behind in the polls at the peak of the tough times means they have a mountain to climb when things pick up which they will

 

LMAO, you think THIS is the peak of the tough times?! It's barely even started yet. Most of the cuts and tax changes don't kick in til April.

If by pick up you mean inflation and unemployment rising, I think that will work in Labour's favour :P

 

The bad times have probably more or less peaked tbh, inflation will hover around 4-5% in the forseeable future and unemployment FELL last month (if you consider people claiming JSA as the benchmark which I do and JSA claimant fell by 10,000 ) so I think that things are bottoming out now and soon heading for improvement.

 

Around 1-2million people will have bought 3DS (£200) and/or iPad 2 (£380-650) today so there is still plenty of money out there and it is being spent.

The bad times have probably more or less peaked tbh, inflation will hover around 4-5% in the forseeable future and unemployment FELL last month (if you consider people claiming JSA as the benchmark which I do and JSA claimant fell by 10,000 ) so I think that things are bottoming out now and soon heading for improvement.

 

Around 1-2million people will have bought 3DS (£200) and/or iPad 2 (£380-650) today so there is still plenty of money out there and it is being spent.

Around 1-2 million people who can afford these things don't exactly represent the majority of people in the country well. And you are aware you can't claim JSA forever? That figure in conjunction with the ILO index of unemployment (the benchmark as considered by pretty much every government for the last thirty years) going up probably more reflects an increase in long-term unemployment.

Around 1-2 million people who can afford these things don't exactly represent the majority of people in the country well. And you are aware you can't claim JSA forever? That figure in conjunction with the ILO index of unemployment (the benchmark as considered by pretty much every government for the last thirty years) going up probably more reflects an increase in long-term unemployment.

 

There are 2 types of JSA from my understanding, there is income based and there is contribution based so once the fixed term is up for one then they will just be transferred over to the other :unsure: they would both show up in the unemployment figures. It used to be a scam of Labour to encourage people on JSA to move to incapacity benefit to manipulate the figures but that is being cracked down on now so this 10,000 drop is reliable.

 

I have never claimed a benefit in the UK so can't with total accuracy comment on the benefit system but my understanding is that the above is the case.

The other one isn't a type of Jobseekers', and it isn't Incapacity Benefit either.

I think Cameron's lead is going to increase quite significantly this weekend

 

There is going to be a massive riot on the streets of Central London today with left wing anarchists smashing up everything in sight, Miliband is speaking at the demo so when the riots kick off which they will then people and the right wing press will associate Miliband with the thugs and it will damage Labour in the polls.

 

This is going to be the poll tax riots all over again -_-

I think Cameron's lead is going to increase quite significantly this weekend

 

There is going to be a massive riot on the streets of Central London today with left wing anarchists smashing up everything in sight, Miliband is speaking at the demo so when the riots kick off which they will then people and the right wing press will associate Miliband with the thugs and it will damage Labour in the polls.

 

This is going to be the poll tax riots all over again -_-

 

Left wing anarchists? My 58 year old Guardian-reading neighbour is going down there! It's more on a line with the Iraq war protests, a mainstream resistance to a vastly unpopular government decision.

Left wing anarchists? My 58 year old Guardian-reading neighbour is going down there! It's more on a line with the Iraq war protests, a mainstream resistance to a vastly unpopular government decision.

 

No doubt a lot of people will be going there today with good intentions, the vast majority, as did a lot of students last year but a minority will certainly be violent today even the police are expecting it. It will be the usual Class War/Socialist Worker rent-a-mob picking a fight with the police and smashing up banks/branches of Vodafone and giving the event all the wrong headlines.

 

Same with the students last year, a violent minority torpedoed their own cause and lost all public sympathy for the cause thus undoing the good intentions of the majority, same will happen today and Miliband attending the event is a very bad PR move for him.

No doubt a lot of people will be going there today with good intentions, the vast majority, as did a lot of students last year but a minority will certainly be violent today even the police are expecting it. It will be the usual Class War/Socialist Worker rent-a-mob picking a fight with the police and smashing up banks/branches of Vodafone and giving the event all the wrong headlines.

 

Same with the students last year, a violent minority torpedoed their own cause and lost all public sympathy for the cause thus undoing the good intentions of the majority, same will happen today and Miliband attending the event is a very bad PR move for him.

 

I think you're wide of the mark, those kind of ideas are distinctly outdated. Of course there will be an unpleasant minority but that's inevitable.

I think you're wide of the mark, those kind of ideas are distinctly outdated. Of course there will be an unpleasant minority but that's inevitable.

 

But will the news and newspaper headlines be about the peaceful 95% or the violent 5% ? we both know the answer to that. People remember the student protests purely for the violence when it was probably 5% of students being violent and the violent minority is what will be remembered after today not the cause or the well meaning majority.

 

Miliband has been badly advised with regards to attending this event.

Edited March 26, 201114 yr by Valley Pub

I think Cameron's lead is going to increase quite significantly this weekend

 

There is going to be a massive riot on the streets of Central London today with left wing anarchists smashing up everything in sight, Miliband is speaking at the demo so when the riots kick off which they will then people and the right wing press will associate Miliband with the thugs and it will damage Labour in the polls.

 

This is going to be the poll tax riots all over again -_-

 

Why on earth would a riot benefit CAMERON? A loss of control in the capital city reflects awfully on the government of the day - it makes them look like they haven't got a grip. You mention the poll tax riots - they're what FINISHED Thatcher. There was significant movement to Labour in the polls in the aftermath of the tuition fees protests too.

Why on earth would a riot benefit CAMERON? A loss of control in the capital city reflects awfully on the government of the day - it makes them look like they haven't got a grip. You mention the poll tax riots - they're what FINISHED Thatcher. There was significant movement to Labour in the polls in the aftermath of the tuition fees protests too.

 

The right wing media will be full of 'Left Wing Thugs On The Rampage In London" in the papers tomorrow.

 

Any violence today and Labour will be on the receiving end of the backlash, people will blame 'lefties' whether the blame is deserved or not.

The right wing media will be full of 'Left Wing Thugs On The Rampage In London" in the papers tomorrow.

 

Any violence today and Labour will be on the receiving end of the backlash, people will blame 'lefties' whether the blame is deserved or not.

 

So you think this protest is going to buck the long-held trend that violent protests always impact badly on the government...?

So you think this protest is going to buck the long-held trend that violent protests always impact badly on the government...?

 

It depends on the public mood, the public mood was strongly against the poll tax, the public mood was strongly against students, the public mood seems to be that the cuts while unpleasant are necessary to get the public finances in order.

 

I don't detect great backlash against the cuts so any violence will backfire on the left.

 

 

The right wing media will be full of 'Left Wing Thugs On The Rampage In London" in the papers tomorrow.

 

Any violence today and Labour will be on the receiving end of the backlash, people will blame 'lefties' whether the blame is deserved or not.

Unfortunately, I think you just might be right here.

It depends on the public mood, the public mood was strongly against the poll tax, the public mood was strongly against students, the public mood seems to be that the cuts while unpleasant are necessary to get the public finances in order.

 

I don't detect great backlash against the cuts so any violence will backfire on the left.

 

The fact that Labour had stormed ahead in polls up to the last week or so when other factors started coming into play suggests that public are very much opposed to the cuts... maybe not to the same degree as they oppose the tuition fees hike, but still predominantly against.

The fact that Labour had stormed ahead in polls up to the last week or so when other factors started coming into play suggests that public are very much opposed to the cuts... maybe not to the same degree as they oppose the tuition fees hike, but still predominantly against.

 

I don't think the public at large opposed the tuition fee hike, if they did at first they certainly didn't oppose it after the riots.

 

I am not anti student one bit but subsidising 1-2m people to go to university was and is simply unaffordable and that was why I was in favour of keeping fees and I think the public at large was of the opinion that it was unaffordable too.

 

I could see where the students were coming from but having free further education for 1-2million people would cost billions and the money simply wasn't and isn't there and the public realised that.

 

By my calculations paying the fees of 1.5m students over 3 years would cost over £40 BILLION over that time

Edited March 26, 201114 yr by Valley Pub