It’s clear that everyone feels like they are paying more tax, maybe because of council tax. If they are, it must be because their wages are up, or they smoke a lot.
Maybe folk are confusing huge payments to banks for the mortgage with paying tax to the government. If they borrowed from Northern Rock, they’re about right.

I am genuinely interested to know what people here think of the explanation given at the link below regarding why the opinion polls are so far out when it comes to the support received by the minor parties:

http://sirjohnbull.blogspot.com/2008/05/you-having-giraffe-gov.html

This blogger is primarily interested in the BNP, but exactly the same arguments must apply to all the other small parties. Also, although he concentrates on YouGov, I note that the Populus poll published on 6/5 was equally off the mark when it came to the ‘others’.

Peter Cairns is probably right when he says the SNP make up 3% of the 10/11% who say they will vote for ‘others’ and I guess that Plaid Cymru make up another 1% but that still leaves 6/7% floating around somewhere half of whom may not have a home to go to on the day but who will still be inclined to do their civic duty.

Scotland is unique in British politics. Why? Because there is a stable four party system in Scotland. Why is there a stable four party system? Because unlike England, Scotland has an extra political axis. You see, England operates on a left-right axis. Theoretically, the Labour party is on the left, the Tories are on the right, and the Liberals are somewhere in the middle. Scotland, however, has the traditional left-right axis *and* a constitutional axis. This extra axis makes room for more parties, and creates a political situation different to that in England.

We see a similar situation in Canada, with three parties on the left-right axis, and Bloc Quebecois filling room on the constitutional axis.

Even if you ignore the constitutional axis, your claims that Scotland isn’t unique in British politics doesn’t square with your assertion that the SNP is replacing Labour in Scotland as the party of the left. If this is the case, then surely that is unique. After all, there is no place in England where the SNP is the party of anything, not even the left.

The SNP unfortunately will become the dominant left leaning party in Scotland at the expense of Labour – the Tories will become the 2nd party in Scotland at the expense of the Liberals and anti independence voters.

Tories in Scotland never went anywhere – they were just a sleeping giant waiting to wake up . The same applies to England and Wales at the moment , the giant has woken. They are the oldest political party in the world – too many people wrote them off in the last 11 years – it’s coming back to haunt them now.

Newcastle city centre is now dominated by Liberals – not that the Tories are extinct at all / the city centre should be Labour , but it is’nt ! The Tories are fully aware that they need to get deep into old Labour heartland as Labour did in the old Tory heartland in 1997 – they are making massive inroads , council seats in areas of the North East were falling like 9 pins to the Tories recently / areas like Washington , Chester-le-Street , Hartlepool , North Tyneside , Sunderland , Bishop Auckland , York , Durham – the Tories are seen in the North East as no longer the rich mans party , but the only escape from Labour beaurocracy and mismanagement in local and national government – that’s why my predictions have been so accurate , i have been listening to what’s been happening in my own area which was previously regarded as safe Labour territory.

The Tories held their last conference in Gateshead – they know what they are doing.