General election 'starting gun fired'

MartinPMartinP Posts: 31,358
Forum Member
✭✭✭
The Conservatives say they are "firing the starting gun" for May's general election after launching their first campaign poster. Prime Minister David Cameron said the alternatives offered by the other parties would be "disastrous".

The new Conservative poster - with the slogan Let's Stay on the Road to a Stronger Economy - shows a road stretching out through countryside, and will appear on billboards across the country. Launching it in Halifax, West Yorkshire, Mr Cameron said it would be "the most important election for a generation".

He said: "What is absolutely crucial is to win this forthcoming election because it is so important that we stay on the road to a stronger economy." During a visit to Lib Dem Business Secretary Vince Cable's Twickenham constituency, Chancellor George Osborne said he was "firing the starting gun" of the general election race and said Labour's economic plans would lead to "chaos".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30658056

And we're off! Doesn't really seem like almost 5 years since the coalition came to power. It's going to be quite a long tough campaign I feel, not as bad as the year-old US election thank goodness but expect plenty of ups and downs, silly pictures, daft slogans, weird hand gestures and hyperbole from all sides.

Does Labour have the stomach for the fight? Can Ed be normal? Will the Lib Dems implode? Will any more Tories defect to UKIP? Will UKIP have more than 2 policies?

Should be an interesting few months!
«134

Comments

  • InspirationInspiration Posts: 62,694
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    I see Labour folks on twitter are already making their own versions of the poster and mocking it.. suggesting it's a road to a mansion etc etc etc etc. What they seem to not realise is by doing this they're simply keeping it in the collective consciousness and giving it oxygen. Ed Miliband's kitchen table has already been forgotten about. If Labour spent more time coming up with their own ideas and posters and less time attacking Cameron and mounting class warfare they might actually start to pull out a lead.
  • taurus_67taurus_67 Posts: 6,930
    Forum Member
    I'm sure I read a report from the Office of Budget Responsibility that claimed the Tories planned road to continued economic recovery was based on the public spending more money by taking on more debt ( that they may or may not be able to afford) . Well thanks for all your help George!
  • deptfordbakerdeptfordbaker Posts: 22,368
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I found two months of Christmas adverts on television put me right off Christmas this year, so I'm not sure how I will feel after four months of general election political advertising.
  • MesostimMesostim Posts: 52,864
    Forum Member
    MartinP wrote: »

    Does Labour have the stomach for the fight?

    Oh no... they'll probably simply not bother running at all...
  • Doctor_WibbleDoctor_Wibble Posts: 26,580
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    ... I'm not sure how I will feel after four months of general election political advertising.
    Along with the rest of the country, probably sympathetic towards the ambitions of a certain Mr.Fawkes!
  • alfamalealfamale Posts: 10,309
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Quite a slick image, wonder how much that cost them and who created it. Although to me it relies heavily on everyday folk with little interest in politics not understanding what the deficit is. After all if a Chief Exec took over a company losing £150bn a year and 5 years later said "We're only losing £75bn a year now" we'd all slate him & he certainly wouldn't advertise this fact on a poster.
  • AnnsyreAnnsyre Posts: 109,476
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭✭
    Labour will run a brilliant campaign using clips from all of Miliband's excellent speeches, including the one he made at Conference spelling out his ideas on immigration and the economy and clips of him going out and about meeting ordinary people and doing ordinary things like eating sandwiches.
  • MeepersMeepers Posts: 5,502
    Forum Member
    Chris Leslie is surely the most stupid politician of all time to get smug about the next government starting with an £80bn deficit.

    How much exactly did his party leave the government in 2010/
  • MeepersMeepers Posts: 5,502
    Forum Member
    Annsyre wrote: »
    Labour will run a brilliant campaign using clips from all of Miliband's excellent speeches.

    The first general election to never show the official opposition?
  • TassiumTassium Posts: 31,639
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    The problem for the Conservatives is what they have done over the last 5 years is not what most people wanted them to do.

    So talk of "more of the same" is only going to appeal to the core support. And maybe not even them judging by the polls at the moment.

    As for Labour, they've really got nothing to sell. And are reliant on the Conservatives losing the election, which is highly likely.
  • David TeeDavid Tee Posts: 22,833
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Tassium wrote: »
    The problem for the Conservatives is what they have done over the last 5 years is not what most people wanted them to do.

    So talk of "more of the same" is only going to appeal to the core support. And maybe not even them judging by the polls at the moment.

    As for Labour, they've really got nothing to sell. And are reliant on the Conservatives losing the election, which is highly likely.

    So if a huge increase in jobs, rebalancing the economy from the public to the private sector, low inflation, continued low interest rates, the fastest growing economy in the G7, tackling benefits and halving the deficit aren't what most people wanted them to do - what did most people want? (A link would be nice...)
  • MesostimMesostim Posts: 52,864
    Forum Member
    Annsyre wrote: »
    Labour will run a brilliant campaign using clips from all of Miliband's excellent speeches, including the one he made at Conference spelling out his ideas on immigration and the economy and clips of him going out and about meeting ordinary people and doing ordinary things like eating sandwiches.

    You should sign up to help the Conservative campaign... you clearly are brilliantly original :)
  • SoppyfanSoppyfan Posts: 29,911
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    The five months are going to be extreme and chaotic at Westminster.
  • TassiumTassium Posts: 31,639
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    David Tee wrote: »
    So if a huge increase in jobs, rebalancing the economy from the public to the private sector, low inflation, continued low interest rates, the fastest growing economy in the G7, tackling benefits and halving the deficit aren't what most people wanted them to do - what did most people want? (A link would be nice...)

    Sorry I have no link, only an insight into human behaviour.

    What people wanted is for things to be better for them and their family. Specifically more money in their own pockets (not shareholders). And better work/life balance.

    The things you have listed mean nothing to most people.
  • jenziejenzie Posts: 20,821
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    it started MONTHS ago so whatever
  • MartinPMartinP Posts: 31,358
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    jenzie wrote: »
    it started MONTHS ago so whatever

    It started in May 2010 here ;-)
  • MeepersMeepers Posts: 5,502
    Forum Member
    Tassium wrote: »
    Sorry I have no link, only an insight into human behaviour.

    What people wanted is for things to be better for them and their family. Specifically more money in their own pockets (not shareholders). And better work/life balance.

    The things you have listed mean nothing to most people.

    So having a job, keeping the prices of things they buying go up, the rate of interest on their mortgage low, avoiding mass unemployment like France, Spain and Greece. Means nothing to most people?

    Seriously?
  • AnnsyreAnnsyre Posts: 109,476
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭✭
    Tassium wrote: »
    The problem for the Conservatives is what they have done over the last 5 years is not what most people wanted them to do.

    So talk of "more of the same" is only going to appeal to the core support. And maybe not even them judging by the polls at the moment.

    As for Labour, they've really got nothing to sell. And are reliant on the Conservatives losing the election, which is highly likely.

    The coalition has increased the tax allowance so people are keeping more of the money that they have earned

    It has brought unemployment down

    Inflation is at an all time low

    Wages have started rising

    Council tax has been frozen for many

    The UK economy is doing far better than those in Europe
  • David TeeDavid Tee Posts: 22,833
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Meepers wrote: »
    So having a job, keeping the prices of things they buying go up, the rate of interest on their mortgage low, avoiding mass unemployment like France, Spain and Greece. Means nothing to most people?

    Seriously?

    Apparently so.

    Insight is a wonderful thing.
  • AnnsyreAnnsyre Posts: 109,476
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭✭
    Tassium wrote: »
    Sorry I have no link, only an insight into human behaviour.

    What people wanted is for things to be better for them and their family. Specifically more money in their own pockets (not shareholders). And better work/life balance.

    The things you have listed mean nothing to most people.

    People are taking more home in wages due to the increase in the tax allowance.
  • Billy_ValueBilly_Value Posts: 22,919
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    did they actually fire a gun?
  • AnnsyreAnnsyre Posts: 109,476
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭✭
    did they actually fire a gun?

    No, they send out vehicles with poster hoardings.
  • EnnerjeeEnnerjee Posts: 5,131
    Forum Member
    I found two months of Christmas adverts on television put me right off Christmas this year, so I'm not sure how I will feel after four months of general election political advertising.

    I succeed in avoiding most TV and radio advertising by making a conscious decision not to watch or hear the.

    I'd do the same if I were you.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,180
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    It's a road to disaster and they're being driven by selfish ideology. I hope this is one election that money doesn't buy, as we already know the Tories will be the biggest spenders - no surprises there.

    It's a referendum on public services coming up because more smash and grab ideological cuts are in store and anyone who says otherwise doesn't have a leg to stand on after the recent OBR report that highlighted the level of cuts to public services we can expect under Tory plans. And If they're as good as sticking to their plans as they have been then we can surely expect worse than what they're saying now because their only solution is ever more austerity and we know it will be the most disadvantaged that are affected the worst and demonised to boot, and we know who they'll be doing more favours for and what that will mean for equal opportunities and the environment among other things.
  • OLD HIPPY GUYOLD HIPPY GUY Posts: 28,199
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    It started back when the Tory press began their campaign of smears and downright lies against the Labour party as we came up to the one year to go mark last May,
    With little bits of lies and disinformation such as.....

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2592977/Labours-poll-chiefs-war-Senior-party-figures-fall-ratings-tumble.html
    Published: 00:44, 31 March 2014
    Labour's poll chiefs go to war... on each other: Senior party figures fall out after ratings tumble
    haha all those months ago and apparently Labour's poll ratings were beginning to "tumble" a "tumble" I am certain the Tories would swap them for right now.
    Split after one poll showed Labour’s lead over Tories has been squeezed
    Mr Dugher is said to have threatened to quit over the 'safety first' approach

    So we were meant to believe that the Labour party was going to war on each other over ONE poll result, and not forgetting the good "is said to have" cop out, it's up there with "sources close to", and "we can reveal" and "a Labour MP who wishes to remain anonymous told us that" and other ways of saying "we have made this up and it is complete BS"
    CHECK IT OUT.
    Mr Dugher is said to have threatened to quit over the ‘safety first’ approach favoured by Labour leader Ed Miliband, which relies on Ukip votes drifting to the Tories, and warned he was being ‘shut out’ by Mr Alexander.

    He is understood to have told Mr Miliband: ‘Douglas is totally bloody impossible. Everybody says it. You have got to do something about him.’

    Mr Balls is believed to have snubbed Mr Alexander at a crisis meeting chaired by the Labour leader, who insiders said was too weak to intervene.

    Meanwhile the party’s election guru - Arnie Graf, who mentored Barack Obama, was also said to have been sacked and sent back to the US - although Mr Alexander insisted he was still working for Labour.
    I mean and this is "said to be" a newspaper, "sources close to it have informed me that in fact it is a computer generated propaganda machine run by one lunatic living in his mums basement, Unfortunately the editor was unavailable for comment on this shocking revelation"

    and from there we "progressed" onto being told that, as a split second image of Miliband mid chew showed him "pulling a funny face" then he was obviously not fit to run the country, and this vital debate is still raging months later.

    after that we were informed that any moment now a senior Labour MP was going to defect to Ukip, yip........ any........ moment.......... now...... and that was back in early September,
    I forget which is the only party to lose any MPs to Ukip?

    not to mention lots of voters (Yes I know some Labour voters too) supporters, backers and millionaire funders? would it be the one that insists on telling us (via it's media chums) that Labour have lost more to Ukip than they have?

    lies disinformation smoke and mirrors, it started a LONG time before yesterday.

    and then it was an imminent leadership challenge to Miliband, as lots of Labour MPs were unhappy with his leadership, (although the Tory press only actually managed to name one and even he fell short of saying that EM should go)
    lies disinformation smoke and mirrors,

    and then we had "Labour campaigners ORDERED to avoid talking about immigration" which was 100% true, except for the bit where they hadn't been ordered at all and had actually been "advised" how to tackle the issue of immigration if it comes up on the doorsteps, something all political parties do about all issues prior to an election campaign,
    lies disinformation smoke and mirrors,

    and then it was "ALL Labour MPs think that northerners are stupid says Labour MP" AGAIN 100% true, except for the part where it says that a Labour MP said that all Labour MPs think that northerners are stupid,
    he was actually talking about ALL MPs from ALL parties having little or no experience of life outside of politics, and that some people (it certainly isn't confined only to MPs) have this bigoted view that having a northern accent means you are 'thick' something I have encountered myself many times, and usually coming from those who come from south of Watford, not ALL of them of course, in fact only a tiny minority of the one's I have met,

    the only people who seem to think anyone is 'stupid' are the people who write this made up crap and expect people to believe it without question,

    sadly it seems there are no shortage of those around,
Sign In or Register to comment.