Comments on: Conservatives remain ahead in latest ICM poll

By: Sally C

Sally C — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 20:59:22 +0000

Peter Cairns is right. The Tories may have lost Scotland electorally, but they are still conservative with a small c. They are attatched to the Union, however much trouble it causes them.
Trad. Tories have a rather romantic idealism about the past and the preservation of certain entities that is wider than vote share. Union Jack underpants and all that.

By: Nick Keene

Nick Keene — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:31:53 +0000

Am I the only person here who thinks that the Lib Dem leadership election has had about as much impact on the public consciousness as the result of the Coca Cola league match between Leicester and Burnley last Saturday? Maybe tonight’s duel on question time will change all that but I would’nt bet on it. I am reminded of the rather cruel cartoon in the “Times” at the start of the campaign which depicted the two candidates both saying in unison that “not even I know who I am!”.
A pity in a way as it less than clear where these two men would stand in the event of a hung parliament.I am told that if elected that Nick Clegg could be the most right wing leader the Libs have had in decades but that does’nt mean he would take the risky step of propping up a Tory government. Jeremy Thorpe tried to do that in 1974 when Ted Heath offered him the post of Foreign Secretary but Thorpe could’nt carry his troops with him. Mind you saying that nobody could possibly have carried the late Cyril Smith anywhere.

By: wolf

wolf — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 17:48:54 +0000

I suspect English voters havent much thought about the WLQ. I would say that if Scottish and Welsh MP’s do something that makes English voters poorer that’s when the thinking will start, especially if the government made a shift to the left economically.

By: John T

John T — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 16:49:09 +0000

Peter – that’s a completely different question; mine was to do with the hurry to remove Scottish voters from the equation – one of the consequences of deliberation over the (mis)leading WLQ. I’m happy to continue elsewhere!

By: John T

John T — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 16:42:27 +0000

Cameron’s recent speech about more local accountability re council tax capping seems designed to attract LibDem waverers. Also, the co-operative schools approach has a whiff of “power to the locals” that LibDem policies have been about. The polls following the leadership election will be very interesting.