UK election

[Drone]

The devil will be in the detail regarding the fuel allowance. Whether it will be a banded incremental deduction or an 'all or none' above/below a certain income who knows?

I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if the means testing process is a balls-up, means-testing isn't easy, unlike the doling out of flat rate universal benefits. But in my view universal Poll Benefits are as unfair as universal Poll Taxes: the former gives to those who don't need it and the latter takes from those who can't afford it

As I understand it the proposed 'death tax' as some have chosen to call it will ensure that 100K of a property's value will be protected. Anyway, isn't the liquidation of parents' estate in the form of inheritance a nice bonus rather than a right?

The words 'pledge' and 'promise' are chucked around like confetti in election manifestos. I've long realised they're no more than wish-lists and ideas

[archie]

Any party that continues to use Jeremy Hunt (James Naughtie got it right) in any ministerial position simply has to be opposed. Far from offering strong and stable leadership, May takes the line of least resistance and has got multiple splinters from referendum fence-sitting. Her refusal to submit to public scrutiny and repetition of 'Brexit means Brexit' makes one wonder if she's really a series 3000 mechanoid. She's obviously not up to being a 4000 like Kryten. John Major without the charisma.

[brendanr]

John Major without the charisma.

Ouch!

[Warbler]

She's a prudish grey old lady who belongs in the 1950's and borrows an authoritarian streak from Cromwell. She actually wants to censor the internet now so that she deccides what we're allowed to look at on-line. She has zero flair and imagination and the charisma of the office cold water dispenser. Someone obviously told her once to wear some zany shoes in a desperate attempt to inject some personality and colour into her mortal form. This idea that she's a dedicated follower of fashion that she's tried pedalling is equally farcical. She had a sheltered upbringing as a vicars daughter in some safe little retreat in southern England before going onto Oxford. No one has found any remotely interesting back story to her. She was probably a boring prude when she was a teenager too

[gigilo]

http://www.itv.com/news/2017-05-20/l...mpaign-poster/

[Drone]

Further to my ramblings above, this article from Will Hutton is of interest:

https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...are-any-fairer

[archie]

As far as the Tory pensioner policies are concerned, the main problem is that there is no detail so it's impossible to say whether or not any money will be saved.

Means testing the winter fuel allowance - I've no problem with this in principle but the cost of means testing could well exceed the amount saved and history shows that, if it's moved to a benefit that has to be claimed, it will be the poorer pensioners (ie the ones who need it most) who won't claim out of a misplaced sense of pride.

Ending the triple lock on state pensions - I've also got no problem with this in principle because the triple lock has raised the average pension from 16% of average wage to 25% and could be said to have achieved its purpose. However, the state pension was changed radically a couple of years ago and I'd say that any changes to the lock should probably only apply to pensions paid under the new system.

The changes to paying for social care are by far the most significant and could affect future generations quite badly. That said, someone has to pay for social care. Again, my problem is that there is so little detail and there is at least a chance that the charges could be circumvented by going for equity release.

https://www.tactical2017.com/

[Grasshopper]

http://www.itv.com/news/2017-05-20/l...mpaign-poster/

I'd bet good money that's not the only photo of Farage sporting a pearl-necklace, that's out there.

[Warbler]

A strange thought struck me today

How would Ed Miliband have got on against Theresa May?

The more this campaign drags on, the more and more turgid she comes across as. She ducks out of debates, and only does set pieces with handpicked party members. She ain't a great campaigner, and looking at the polling, Labours manifesto has seemingly gone down better than the Tories seriously uninspiring effort. She is of course lucky to have run into Corbyn and his coterie, but Miliband had a little bit more about him, and he himself was perhaps unlucky to run into the oil slick that was David Cameron. Compared to May at least, Miliband looks positively dynamic.

[Euronymous]

Do you think David Miliband would have won an Election Warbs?

[Warbler]

Instead of Ed? No, but I think he'd have held the Tories to no overall control, and potentially stayed on as leader. Such an arrangement would have cast a huge question mark over Brexit as it would have broken any coalition that the Tories would have been relying on if David Miliband had denied them the 12 seats they needed to get a majority.

Now in fairness the Liberals had always supported a referendum, so would have had to go along with that bit. There's no way they could have remained in government with a pro-leave Tory partner though, so we'd still be having this election. I honestly think May is beatable, I don't think she's very good at all, but if Labour were given a blank sheet of paper and asked to design a team more incapable of doing so, then they wouldn't be far short of what they've got

Having said that, there are aspects of the manifesto I really quite like (and a few areas and personnel who scare me to death).

It's highly likely that David Miliband wouldn't be on a left wing agenda though, Ed was always more likely to embrace that, (it is of course mildly amusing that Theresa May has now adopted his idea of an energy bill cap which they chastised him for at the last election). If David Miliband were leader today, I'd think there's a fair chance he could beat May, not least of all because she'd be carrying the carnage of the way that her government broke up. I think it unlikely that she'd get a working majority, and I suspect we'd be looking at a Lib/ Lab pact with the SNP's role up in the air

[Desperate Dan]

May`s social care policy now descending into absolute chaos...."strong and stable" my arse. Dread to think what an absolute shambles the Brexit negotiations will turn out to be. But at least foxhunting will return!

[Flagship uberalles]

May`s social care policy now descending into absolute chaos...."strong and stable" my arse. Dread to think what an absolute shambles the Brexit negotiations will turn out to be. But at least foxhunting will return!

And our passports will be blue.

What a time to be alive.

[archie]

U-turn or U-bend? Could she really be a busted flush?

[Desperate Dan]

Be interesting to see how the dreadful Daily Mail spins it.

[G-G]

She's struggling to give an answer on BBC1 now

[Desperate Dan]

She will probably still win the election but her "strong and stable" nonsense has been exposed for the nonsense it is. She`s become a figure of ridicule overnight. "Weak and wobbly" as Michael Crick described her.

[Dave G]

This would be an even bigger own goal than her predecessor managed with his Brexit own goal. Wouldn't you just laugh for the rest of the year if she completely misread the situation and managed to lose control of Westminster. Could it be that Corbyn has been pulling the wool over everyones eyes all this time while biding his time? We can but hope she does indeed implode in 3 weeks time.

[Neal1962]

Mrs May bangs on about how this election is all about Brexit. Does that mean that 'ordinary, hard-working families' (and how condescending is that oft-used phrase, by the way) who are remainers should vote LibDem?

Brexit will happen in March of 2019, regardless of whom in power. It's just a question of how?
Although I voted to leave, and think May will win the coming election, I can't vote for her because of the so-called Dementia Tax. Which means either Labour or Lib-Dems.

[moehat]

I was, as a remainer, going to vote LibDem to thank them for representing me for the past 11 months. However, I was very impressed with Corbyns speech today and will now, as usual, vote Labour. My daughter, who is a teacher, says that her job is becoming impossible due to the constant cuts and, as a family [even my son, who usually isn't interested in politics] we are all voting Labour. Anything is better than May, Johnson, Gove, Hunt and Rees Mogg. How can anyone honestly believe that Rees Mogg represents anyone other than himself and his posh friends?