Not his best performance, but Cameron's emphasis on growth is welcome

John

When will you guys cover the Hadley Centre scandal? See wattsupwiththat.com

Billericay Dave

Ipsos-MORI/Observer 6 point lead
ICM/Guardian 13 point lead
Both posted on the same day yet all the talk is of a fall in tory lead funny how the same paper group only wants to shout about one poll !!!

Tankus

I am utterly astounded that none of the rest of the media have picked up on the telegraph story.
_________________________________________
"Iraq report: Secret papers reveal blunders and concealment"
The reports disclose that:
Tony Blair, the former prime minister, misled MPs and the public throughout 2002 when he claimed that Britain’s objective was “disarmament, not regime change”
The need to conceal this from Parliament and all but “very small numbers” of officials “constrained” the planning process. The result was a “rushed”operation “lacking in coherence and resources”
Operations were so under-resourced that some troops went into action with only five bullets each. Others had to deploy to war on civilian airlines, taking their equipment as hand luggage. Some troops had weapons confiscated by airport security.
Commanders reported that the Army’s main radio system “tended to drop out at around noon each day because of the heat”. One described the supply chain as “absolutely appalling”, saying: “I know for a fact that there was one container full of skis in the desert.”
___________________________________________
And so on and on

There has to be accountability for this , with very harsh punishments for the culpable

Irene

I thought he did quite well actually.
The MORI poll seems a little strange, at odds with the other two that were taken at the same time which both showed a clear lead for the Tories.
I wonder why they decided to publish it today, they have had it for nearly 10 days?
Very strange....

Ross J Warren

His promise of an “emergency budget” and his insistence that we must get the economy up and running, are to be welcomed. I also note and agree that he has given away far more policy directions than most oppositions have in our long democratic history. Of course the silly Mori poll may have undermined him today , but I note that Mori has never been the most reliable of polling companies and is called “old pink” by a few people I know well.

Moraymint

" ... narrowing of the Tory lead to six points in one poll ..."

Reinforces my views that (a) a sizeable proportion of the British public has not the faintest idea just what a mess the Labour Party has made of the economy (which never ceases to amaze me) and (b) the Tories neither understand the nature, scope and scale of the problem nor have a clue how to tackle it (which is desperate).

Our political class is proving itself to be an homogenous, rudderless and wholly untrustworthy bunch of characters and, moreover, where the political party supposedly destined for government is shunned by over 60% of the electorate.

I feel disgusted at the political and socio-economic shambles that defines the past 10 years; worse, I am becoming increasingly horrified at the prospect of the next 5 years as the General Election inches ever closer.

Who on earth is going to get us out of this predicament? Whoever it is had better show their hand soon or the downward slide will become inexorable. The money markets will destroy us next year if we're not careful.

Irene

Tankus - Agreed.

egh

1. Surely Cameron knows that polls manipulate and are manipulated? So why would he believe what they say? What does he gain by pretending that he does?

2. Cameron said on the Marr show that he is against 'an in out referendum' on euroland. If he cared about democracy and freedom in this country, or about gathering votes, surely he would take the opposite view? Surely he knows that once this issue is addressed, then we can begin to address his red herrings?

3. Cameron prefers foreigners on the lists of candidates he imposes on the British electorate: he says we need to learn to understand them. Oh. MPs aren't supposed to represent the electorate, then?

So, given these indicators, mightn't Cameron seem concerned to control and manipulate the electorate rather than to respond to the people, their preferences and their needs? Should we perhaps approach everything he says and does in light of that possibility? And vote accordingly?

And - if he wants to win an unstuffed ballot - why does he ignore the obvious fact that his PR front is a load of garbage in a transparent bag?

3.

Robin Guenier

John (11:07AM) is right: the "Hadley Centre scandal" is important. Leaked emails indicate that scientists at the heart of the "climate change" issue exhibit political activism, arrogance, intolerance of dissent and personal interest – illustrated by apparent attempts to frustrate the FOIA process, avoid outside scrutiny, influence peer review and ensure the world is getting the "correct" message, all of which suggest at least the likelihood of bias in their handling of the science itself. "The fight against climate change" is being used, inter alia, to impose massive burdens on our already shattered economy and threatens parts of our most beautiful countryside. Surely this story deserves proper attention by the mainstream media? Yet it seems not to be mentioned anywhere this morning.

Holly ......

You are doing it again.
Lets CONCENTRATE on what Labour has ACTUALLY done to the country...Fraser next week maybe you could do a piece in the NOTW about the REALITY of what is to come considering the MASSIVE debt we have.
SPELL it out to people what HAS to be done to bring it down and the consequences if we don't.How much it will cost the mr average etc,etc,etc.Options available for cuts/tax risers,pro's & con's on each party's strategies....you know, the kind of stuff YOU LOT ARE NOT TELLING US.
Just an idea.

Bill (Scotland)

(b) the Tories neither understand the nature, scope and scale of the problem nor have a clue how to tackle it (which is desperate).

- that might be true, but I doubt it. Remember they have to get elected first and the British public has become so addicted to the 'easy life' under a spendthrift Labour government whose motto seems (even now) to be 'spend, spend, spen'. My gues is that post-election, if the Conservatives get elected (which I fervently hope for), the emergency budget he mentions will happen within 50 days will be exceedingly harsh, because it has to be; if he shows all his cards before the election he is unlikely to win within a working majority. Cameron/Osborne are going to become very unpopular very quickly and I'm sure he knows this - if he survives, things will be better in a few years time, but of course by then leftie-types (stuck in their Socialist Walter Mitty world of fantasy economics) will have started to create the myth that he has 'ruined' the economy, just as happened to Thatcher as the painful medicine she prescribed in the early years started to bear fruit and the economy showed real growth for the first time in many years.

Five more years of Labour is too awful to contemplate!

TrevorsDen

It was published later to make it appear that it was carried out later. it is meant to imply a change in the lead rather than get mixed up in all the other polls showing the lead remaining steady.
MORI rely of only including those 100% certain to vote. others 'fiddle' their data differently and are not as wayward in their swings.

The Hadley CRU leaks are devastating. The BBC will find this difficult to report because they are complicit. The Info Commissioner seems to have advised on how to get round the FoI law and the integrity of warming sceptics used as an excuse to withhold info.

Lest anyone ever had any doubts - global warming is a huge scam.

Verity

I quoted Cameron yesterday, elsewhere on these pages, out of The Telegraph last year, as having said that as we can learn so much from immigrants, it would be better if we tried to integrate with them rather than the other way round.

There is no way that any party that has this greedy-for-power, ambitious beyond his intellectual means, son of a bitch as leader, or indeed holding any official position in it, will get my vote.

Sally Chatterjee

It's easy to promise growth but it's hard to deliver. Government doesn't control growth. Steps can be taken to improve growth but these are small, even if their compound effect over time is very powerful. It's fine to aim for these long term changes but I hope this isn't the emergence of an unwillingness to tackle the debt issue.

Dennis Churchill

Cameron’s weakness, which is causing the Conservatives not to be recording a potential landslide, despite Labour’s assistance, is he is too much part of the political class. This means he is out of touch with the vast majority of the electorate.
The selection farces that are going on at the moment show just how bad this is. No one outside the political class supports parachuting in candidates that fit “diversity” criteria.
Cameron should watch he does not trigger Independents standing in places such as Suffolk and Norfolk as they could take the local party, officially or unofficially, with them.

Robin Guenier

TrevorsDen goes too far in suggesting the Hadley CRU leaks expose global warming as “a huge scam”: so far as I can see, they provide no direct evidence of deliberate or fraudulent deception regarding the science itself. But they do raise questions about the objectivity, prejudices and motivation of some of the key scientists involved. Given the importance of the subject, that surely warrants mainstream media investigation?

Watt Tyler

Climategate, as it is being called. These hacks here won't touch it with a barge pole.

All the environmental correspondents in the papers and TV have the Climate-Hoaxers as their authoritative sources. They are complicit in this. This will be swept under the carpet like Neathergate.

The only thing to do is to put them out of business.

Verity

Egh – Yes. He’s in training for porking down once he gets his feet under the top table in Brussels. I loathe him.
Robin Guenier – Yes. This is a huge story and it’s not getting any play because all the top politicians across the board are in on the scam.
Cameron was forced to give an official public apology to Westminster for grandstanding and posing about among the poppies with his personal photographer on Memorial Sunday. He makes me sick – seeking publicity on the backs of war dead who gave their lives for this country. I’d rather vote for the BNP than this cheap, phony “patriot”. They, at least have respect for the war dead. Cameron thinks they’re a stepping stone. A prop.

He has now descended to the point where I loathe him equally with Tony Blair.

chrisg

Of course the Labour Party no doubt will get all excited thinking that this is the start of a comeback. Me, personally, wouldn't get all that excited about it, opinion poll boosts come and go, for all parties. The real poll that matters is the election.

John Richardson

Bill (Scotland).
If you re-read your posting from the perspective of a 'New' Labour Political Class Parasite, then you see our National problem/crisis.
A temporary Liberal, ineffectual, PC, Cameron (still called 'Conservative')gang in Office is their dream scenario.
They stand back and using the liberal media , just tell lies for a few years.
Then, they inherit the ashes in a
de-democratised European 'region'.
Having poisoned the body politic, the progressives now need to put a desiccated 'Con' Government in while chickens roost for a while.

Only massive abstentions, huge votes for UKIP/BNP/Independents, along with a campaign demanding an in/out referendum can alter the above course.

Or a meteorite strike.....

Vulture

When are the Camerloons going to admit that their man is an out-of-touch millionaire toff whose only job has been a PR puffball for a third rate TV company? (The poppy business was a typically bungled PR stunt - just like his bicycle/limousine or husky driving blunder). Problem is : we are where we are and the empty vessal that is Custard-faced Dave is the only hope of shifting the utterly ruinous Bruin. But don't expect he'll be any good : he's hopeless, and has nil traction in the places where the Tories need to win big: the north and Midlands.

Verity

Custard-face-with-a-mouth-like-a-hen's-arse, to marry two of Vulture's descriptions of Cameron.

Re PR stunts that, frankly, screamed "PR STUNT!!!", I can point to two more.

1. Standing, smiling for the camera holding a brand new paint brush, clearly only just removed from its plastic jacket, up to a wall with grafitti on it.

This was supposed to signal how very deeply Dave feels about grafitti. And that was the first and last time he demonstrated awareness of this problem.

2. The staged stolen bike, with Cameron, plus a photographer, with great good fortune, on hand, looking at the spot where his bike had been parked and scratching his head. I wonder if he reported the "theft" to the police?

Verity

PS - Vulture writes: "But don't expect he'll be any good : he's hopeless,". That is true. Even in PR, his chosen calling at which he imagines he is so ept, he just doesn't have the touch.

There is no appetite for him in the country at large.

Hysteria

MorayM, Verity et al - yes - I share the erm - lack of complete confidence in TeamDave.....but forced to choose between Labour and Tory (as a purely binary choice) my X would go with Dave - lesser of two weavils and all that.....(Verity - I know you dont share than view)

But what is the SOLUTION to the problem? UKIP are a one trick pony, BNP are a far left party. Where is the libertarian/national voice to be heard? LPUK? useful for a protest vote perhaps but are not in any way a serious party (yet).

Actually perhaps the party system is the problem, and we should all go vote for independants?

Finally - do I buy me an AK and head to the hils?

strapworld

Have had a delightful day with my family. My eldest son was out last night, after his game, with his team mates. All from different walks of lives. Management, Factory workers, Plumbers, etc. They were talking about Brown and Cameron and all said that they would be voting for the BNP. They are sick of Brown and cannot trust Cameron. All said they believe that the BNP is the only party speaking up for them!

My other son then told me he had voted for the BNP in the local elections and would be supporting them again. He said that most of his friends and acquaintances were of the same opinion as those expressed by his brother!

Cameron a leader? Do not make me laugh! Verity is so right about that man's character. So so Weak and will say and do anything for power.

A Blair Tribute Act without the charisma.

The BNP may not achieve a member of Parliament but their share of the vote will rise spectacularly.

Ukip? they are a joke. Just look at the UTube of the would be party leaders and ask yourself could you follow any of those chancers? A totally wasted vote.

General Zod

Verity, you are hysterical.

JONNY

Sorry Denis Churchill you have got it the wrong way round.
Every poll, including yesterday's bad one, puts Cameron way ahead of the Conservative Party (yesterday's bad one especially).
Without him we'd be down into the 28-32 league. Far worse than now.
Okay.

quadratus

The Hadley Centre has been relocated to the Ne(a) regions

cmp

These comments show how shallow support is for Cameron. One bad opinion poll is all it takes.

I've some sympathy for PR Dave though, New Lab has taken spin to a new level, if you wish to win power now yuo'll need to swim in the swamp with the Brown turd.

quadratus

[Transmission Correction]
The Hadley centre has been relocated to The Ne(a)ther Regions?

Moraymint

Hysteria

"... Where is the libertarian/national voice to be heard?"

Dan Hannan.

Dennis Churchill

Jonny
The Conservative/Cameron polls are distorted because Conservative strategy is centred on Cameron. How many members of the Shadow cabinet could an average voter name or recognise from a photograph?
The marketing of our politics has become very “Presidential” now we have talk of US style debates.
Cameron will be ahead of the party because he is setting the image for the party as a whole.
We look like replacing someone who had an undistinguished career as a barrister for someone who had an undistinguished career in P.R.
I forgot Brown—an undistinguished career as a history lecturer and T.V producer?

JONNY

With people like you around Dennis Churchill, I start wondering if the Conservative Party is worth saving.
I don't think you understand how it still stinks in so many people's nostrils.

JONNY

'son of a bitch' eh
Are we watching a cowboy movie?

Andrew Richardson

What interested me about the Marr interview was that when Marr offered Cameron a gentle leading question - would he have a great repeal bill - he ducked the question. Now why wouild Cameron do that?. It strikes me as an election winner. Or are we Tory Coffee bloggers so out of touch with the rest of the voting public who are of course toying still with giving us a hung parliament.

Hysteria

minty - good point re Hannan - but I see him more as the intellect and power behind the thone

Dennis Churchill

Jonny
I not sure what you mean by “people like you…”
The political class in general :“…stinks in so many people's nostrils.” By mimicking the ideology of Labour and the Liberals the Conservative Party contaminates itself with the same stench.
The electorate does not want more of the same sociobabble, it wants policies that work and a sense that they are being represented by people who hold and understand the values of the majority of British people.

Verity

Hysteria writes: "Finally - do I buy me an AK and head to the hills?"

You live in Texas! If you don't already have a gun, shame on you!! Go out and buy one right now! If I could own a gun, I'd go with the Glock. Nice little piece.

Verity

BTW, is anyone else sick to death of Kennedyesque, posed shots of Cameron looking thoughtful?

Verity

Hysteria, I don't agree. I'm with Minty. Hannan has charisma. People without charisma don't become overnight sensations on American political TV shows.

J

This Isn't The Britain We Fought For Say The 'Unknown Warriors' of WW2.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1229643/This-isnt-Britain-fought-say-unknown-warriors-WWII.html