Meenzer

Learn some respect around here you little fecker, you and your "68" posts Quality not quantity, Mr. 717.

aye - used to have more hands than a Hindu Idol I pray to Ganesha you'll extend that to the current LibDems and not just the Liberals of old. Given the accuracy of your F1 predictions, a blanket condemnation of all things yellow and birdy should just about confirm Clegg as PM.

Nice of you to mention that, actually. One of my pet hates among politicians is the use of the word "fudge". It comes up a lot in party polliticks and for all it's primarily a Tory thing - Cameron even stuck it in his recent panic-ridden rant about how voting Lib Dem would create "uncertainty, fudge and division" - it's by no means limited to old Etonians. Anyway, I admit it's a thoroughly irrational hatred, I just think the word sounds utterly posh-boy and out of touch with how normal people actually speak. Really sets my teeth on edge. Normal service may resume.

It has been over on UK Polling Report. Keep up, old media. In all seriousness, it's an interesting point indeed, but it needs Clegg to have a good second debate too. Insofar as anyone'll be watching it since it's on Sky News. Maybe "it needs Clegg to have a good mainstream media response to the second debate too" would be more accurate.

Which it broadly is, since it's based on house values. For all that's worth since the damage done by Brown's happy pyramid scheme.

Yeah, you get a single person discount but that's all. We strung out my better half's "stoodent" status for longer than we should have done for precisely that purpose , but then there were no elections here as they only do the council every four years unlike in Newcastle.

This is where Clegg will have to be careful in the foreign policy debate, what with being Euro-friendly and a former MEP himself - but he's made a point of saying he believes in the concept but thinks it's far too bloated and inefficient (and frankly even the biggest Europhile would agree with that), plus having seen its workings from the inside puts him in a better position to judge that than the others. If he can get that point across without Cameron making it look like he wants Britain to bend over and take a bit of Helmut, I shall be a happy bunny. Meanwhile, someone just reminded me of this from a few years ago: (EDIT: That embedding isn't working for me. Just in case: )

That would require the assumption that councils have any kind of functioning communications between their various departments. But I can understand why people think that way, obviously.

Speaking of which, I think today's the last day to register, so be sure to encourage anyone around you to do so if necessary folks. As long as they're planning on voting the right way.

I think "well meaning but slightly mad" sums up the nature of our country perfectly. Clegg for PM!

People lining up outside the polling station to vote again and again and again?

Mainz have had a good first season back in the top flight. Secured safety relatively easily, now sitting pretty in 10th. St. Pauli have been flirting with promotion from the 2. Liga all season - currently in 2nd but apparently determined to throw it away still. Fingers crossed. But frankly who gives a flying one about second teams on a night like this.

Spot on, sweet tit.

I have money on us to win. Sorry everybody.

I agree with LeazesMag. Frame that phrase A momentous day for British politics.

I agree with LeazesMag.

That'll likely be him, aye. Or at least he'd developed one when I last saw him at Christmas (appropriately enough). I think it's a very Lib Dem way of having a second mid-life crisis.

You might think those two are particularly random for a christian political party....but the leader of the party is an ex-producer of stars such as Sinita and 5 Star. A homophobe who wrote "So Macho". It's precious.

All else being equal, Labour should hold it comfortably enough. Although I suppose there's a rather ironic possibility that the Lib Dems taking votes from Labour could let the BNP in. I think the locals are clued up enough to know how best to vote tactically though. Even if they don't get an MP though, I reckon the BNP will have some pretty big local council scalps to boast about come May 7th.

Respect, I think? I know it's a simplified map but I think Barking (the BNP target) would still be further out...

Just don't mention the war!

The Clegg bubble will probably burst soon enough. The first debate was always going to be his strongest suit - the element of surprise/newness, plus floating voters are more likely to trust the Lib Dems on matters of domestic policy than the positions on Europe and the economy that he's going to have to outline at the next two debates. (Although he does still have their opposition to Iraq in the face of Labour/Tory enthusiasm to fall back on, I suppose.) On the other hand, it's unprecedented for the third party to be ahead/level in the polls this close to a general election, so if they can properly harness that mood swing and keep it buoyant through the other side of this coming weekend, say, then who knows. I think it's more down to Cameron and his team though. If they can get their act together, there's still a very decent chance the Tories will be the biggest party after the election. If not, then Lib-Lab looks inevitable - although I do wonder if Clegg really wants to tie his colours to the mast of "another five years of Brown" quite so readily, as it could ruin a lot of the goodwill the Lib Dems will have gained during the campaign, particularly by painting themselves as the alternative to Brown...