For an irreverent liveblog of the great SkyNews foreign policy debate, from a man who has forgotten more about foreign policy than they will ever know, I will be liveblogging here with my mate Haward.
Opening observation. The bookies including SkyBet, PaddyPower and Ladbrokes, are offering odds on words which will be used. Here are some of the odds from Ladbrokes:
Trident 1/20
Obama 1/5
Helicopters 1/5
Hung Parliament 1/4
Volcanic Ash 4/7
Ahmadinejad evens
Chilcot 5/4
http://sports.ladbrokes.com/en-gb/Politics-c110000037
There are dozens of these keywords you can bet on between the various bookies. Nowhere in the betting is the word “Palestine” being even considered. Says it all, really.
Excellent. I, having finished a brutal essay, will be kicking back and playing the election debates drinking game.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=109379545765588
Reasons to be Cheerful (Part1)
A blast from the past to empower Nick (hasn’t he done well)
PM prepares to face party amid Tory poll surge – By Jim Pickard
Financial Times
Published: September 18 2008 04:54
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/48efdbd8-8509-11dd-b148-0000779fd18c.html?nclick_check=1
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Gordon Brown will face the annual Labour conference with public support for the opposition Conservatives at 52 per cent ?” its highest for two decades ?” according to a poll published on Wednesday.
As the prime minister struggled to reassert his authority in the face of a backbench rebellion there was no solace in the Ipsos Mori survey putting support for Labour at 24 per cent.
The Tories, with a lead of 28 points over Labour, have the backing of more than half of potential voters for the first time since 1988, just after Lady Thatcher won her third term.
There was also bad news for the Liberal Democrats, whose support has slipped from 16 per cent to 12 per cent. The survey was undertaken over the weekend, before Wenesday’s speech by leader Nick Clegg, amid coverage of the party’s new tax-cutting platform.
Nick is different – his party refused to vote for destruction – we must hit the low forties in the post debate polls – good luck Nick
“I will be liveblogging here”
What, you mean we’re supposed to be watching the telly and keeping our eye on your blog at the same time? There is footy on you know. Hmph.
It’s not footy, its the Europa cup or something. I would have said it was the old UEFA cup, but nowadays all the teams who would have gotten into that are in the Champions League, so it is more like the old Anglia Double Glazing pre-season friendly bollocks.
Can any of them even pronounce Ahmadinejad? I should have thought “Iran” or, better still, “Iranuclearthreat” would be a safer bet.
I have just put my life savings on Cameron saying “fucknut”
p.s. I am mad
Polls indicate the electorate might actually prefer a hung parliament, but this is probably because the average voter doesn’t appreciate the difference between ‘hung’ and ‘hanged’.
Craig,
Here’s an interesting conspiracy theory one for you…
Most overseas voters have effectively been disenfranchised by the shutdown of UK airspace, resulting in postal ballot papers not arriving in places like Hong Kong (where I am based) in time for them to be returned. The local consulate says “sorry – nothing we can do – rules are rules”.
The vast majority of overseas voters are almost certainly Conservatives (I’m not, I should hasten to add – I subscribe to the “I don’t pay tax there and never intend to return there, so why should I have a vote?” school of thought.)
I can see why the Government wasn’t exactly rushing to lift the ban.
“The world needs to be reassured that international humanitarian law is not applied and enforced in a racist and selective way against Asian and African tyrants only. Imperial politicians from the West who destroy millions of lives should not, any more, be immune from justice.”…
http://tinyurl.com/23ewrxz