General Election 2015 - chat, predictions, results and post election discussion

[co-op]

Also I get the impression he's not well-liked either by activists or MPs

He's a total careerist and not anywhere near as smart as he thinks. He only got into Parliament because he was running against the odious Steve Reed for the Labour candidacy in Streatham and Reed (who has a gift for pissing people off) pissed what's left of the local Labour Party off even more than before by acting as though it was a coronation. Chuka got lucky, or more likely he's just got a careerists nose for an opportunity. He's the grandson of a High Court Judge, went to private schools and has said he'd send his children to the same. His main asset is having a few drops of African blood so he can make all his upper-middle class chums feel excitingly non-racist.

I'm not a fan.

 

[elbows]

I don't think Boris will pick up a leadership role until after he's quit being mayor, otherwise it'd be a bit of a piss take (not necessarily beyond him, but I think his current employers wouldn't look on it favourably).

The Evening Standard looked into these sorts of possibilities in February:

http://www.standard.co.uk/comment/c...-mean-an-early-mayoral-election-10049225.html

£18 million cost to taxpayer if he quits as mayor before November 5th (if he quits with less than 6 months till next mayoral election then the statutory deputy steps in to finish the term, otherwise there has to be a by-election).

 

[Spanky Longhorn]

Chukka is definitely seen as a contender for Labour leadership, but largely by himself.

 

[gosub]

Chukka is definitely seen as a contender for Labour leadership, but largely by himself.

He was on QT against Farage months back , can't remember what it was about but Farage said X had happened that week in the Commons Chukka said 'I was there, it didn't' a quick look at hansard on the night, Farage was right. Bullshitting like that would catch up with him quite quickly in a leadership contest

 

[Flanflinger]

Someone could make a fortune marketing those.

 

[Sue]

So far I've had two election leaflets through the post (Labour and Tory). Three through the door (Green, WRP, TUSC) which are all for the wrong consituency -- can only assume I live right on the border. I've seen a couple of Green posters up, one Labour leaflet someone's stuck in their window and that's absolutely it. Assume since they weigh the Labour vote round here, no-one can be arsed.

 

[Brixton Hatter]

Anything about their stance on wanking at work?

Lol, a mysterious absence of detail on their policy around defence - and particularly hand to gland combat

 

[Dogsauce]

We've had a WRP leaflet at my girlfriend's flat, for Hackney South & Shoreditch, which isn't her constituency.

Haven't been back to my house for six weeks, I'll probably have a stack waiting for me, although I don't usually get many as it's an ultra-safe labour seat.

 

[free spirit]

As campaign manager, how did you manage to spend your entire campaign budget two weeks before the general election actually takes place?

that would be down to not having a lot in the first place, plus a cunning plan to just go for it and hope that by going for it the campaign was able to motivate either the party or members to chip more money in as they saw that we were actually in with a chance of doing better than just keeping our deposit.

We've now had extra funding from central party for the last bit after we pointed out that Leeds Uni had just polled the highest out of 20 universities surveyed in the country for the Green vote, which put us on around 9% just from the student vote alone, so maybe they ought to help us fund the last couple of weeks of the campaign, and we should get another boost from a crowd funder campaign too.

There is some method behind my madness, mostly based around just going for it and trusting that people will be more likely to join in with a campaign they see has some serious momentum, which is what's happening.

 

[free spirit]

In England the greens are not close to achieving that sort of grass roots momentum

60,000 members in England and wales now, pretty much 50,000 of which have joined in the last year.

how much momentum would a grass roots movement need to have before you considered it worthwhile people actually voting for them as opposed to labour?

 

[butchersapron]

60,000 members in England and wales now, pretty much 50,000 of which have joined in the last year.

how much momentum would a grass roots movement need to have before you considered it worthwhile people actually voting for them as opposed to labour?

As much as last time when you sold the exact same shit in the lib-dem guise. Purple surge. Fuck off.

 

[J Ed]

that would be down to not having a lot in the first place, plus a cunning plan to just go for it and hope that by going for it the campaign was able to motivate either the party or members to chip more money in as they saw that we were actually in with a chance of doing better than just keeping our deposit.

We've now had extra funding from central party for the last bit after we pointed out that Leeds Uni had just polled the highest out of 20 universities surveyed in the country for the Green vote, which put us on around 9% just from the student vote alone, so maybe they ought to help us fund the last couple of weeks of the campaign, and we should get another boost from a crowd funder campaign too.

There is some method behind my madness, mostly based around just going for it and trusting that people will be more likely to join in with a campaign they see has some serious momentum, which is what's happening.

As a Green Party organiser how often do you hear things from Green Party members about, or attitudes towards, working-class people which make you feel uncomfortable? I only ask because I do not seek out or know very many Green Party members but the few that I have known take very little time in displaying bigoted issues in this respect, this always disappoints me because often they seem to match my own beliefs (or act as if they do) on a number of issues. I would think that as someone who organises Green Party members you must have this experience quite often unless things in Leeds are very different to Sheffield.

 

[butchersapron]

that would be down to not having a lot in the first place, plus a cunning plan to just go for it and hope that by going for it the campaign was able to motivate either the party or members to chip more money in as they saw that we were actually in with a chance of doing better than just keeping our deposit.

We've now had extra funding from central party for the last bit after we pointed out that Leeds Uni had just polled the highest out of 20 universities surveyed in the country for the Green vote, which put us on around 9% just from the student vote alone, so maybe they ought to help us fund the last couple of weeks of the campaign, and we should get another boost from a crowd funder campaign too.

There is some method behind my madness, mostly based around just going for it and trusting that people will be more likely to join in with a campaign they see has some serious momentum, which is what's happening.

You spent all the money 14 days before the election? A school boy error - and your defence is that you didn't have more? Bin-men everywhere, tremble.

I spent all the money. I can get more though, trust me.

 

[butchersapron]

Manager cunt

 

[free spirit]

As a Green Party organiser how often do you hear things from Green Party members about, or attitudes towards, working-class people which make you feel uncomfortable? I only ask because I do not seek out or know very many Green Party members but the few that I have known take very little time in displaying bigoted issues in this respect, this always disappoints me because often they seem to match my own beliefs (or act as if they do) on a number of issues. I would think that as someone who organises Green Party members you must have this experience quite often unless things in Leeds are very different to Sheffield.

can't really say that I've heard anything like that that I can think of.

One thing to bear in mind is that the old guard of the green party are now vastly outnumbered by new recruits who're almsot exclusively coming in from at least an anti-austerity agenda, with a fair number of left wingers from the labour party and other left parties joining, but mainly lots of people who've never been involved in a party in their lives before.

I'm not saying I've not had any issues within the party, I have, but mainly over campaign methods, and how ambitious we should be with the campaign etc.

I did put in a serious objection to the manifesto gdp growth assumptions, as they didn't match up with the idea of stimulating the economy via spending. I didn't entirely get what I wanted, but the final figures actually were adjusted upward to make them at least a bit less wrongheaded. After seeing that the party really does take internal democracy seriously, and is open to discussion and changing things, I decided to stick with it as the policies make sense even if the figures didn't really, and that's an argument that can be had after the election.

 

[free spirit]

You spent all the money 14 days before the election? A school boy error - and your defence is that you didn't have more? Bin-men everywhere, tremble.

I spent all the money. I can get more though, trust me.

so what would you have done then? Just stuck with the existing budget, play safe, have lots of volunteers but no campaign materials for them to distribute?

One way we have a chance of running a proper campaign that just might achieve something, the other way we may as well not bother.

anyway this is pointless isn't it.

 

[butchersapron]

so what would you have done then? Just stuck with the existing budget, play safe, have lots of volunteers but no campaign materials for them to distribute?

One way we have a chance of running a proper campaign that just might achieve something, the other way we may as well not bother.

anyway this is pointless isn't it.

Fucking right it is.

 

[free spirit]

As much as last time when you sold the exact same shit in the lib-dem guise. Purple surge. Fuck off.

I actually did learn from that.

Before getting involved I sat the candidate down and grilled him on his personal positions on a range of stuff, but mainly what his position was on neoliberal economics, austerity and the zero growth and positive money crap that's crept into a strain of green party thinking and policies.

I liked the answers given, and the hustings talks I've seen from him so far have been pretty much spot on.

I've no doubt there are green party candidates around the country who fit your stereotypes of them, but I'm not campaigning for them.

 

[butchersapron]

I actually did learn from that.

Before getting involved I sat the candidate down and grilled him on his personal positions on a range of stuff, but mainly what his position was on neoliberal economics, austerity and the zero growth and positive money crap that's crept into a strain of green party thinking and policies.

I liked the answers given, and the hustings talks I've seen from him so far have been pretty much spot on.

I've no doubt there are green party candidates around the country who fit your stereotypes of them, but I'm not campaigning for them.

You grilled the candidate who was in place months before you joined the party? Alan sugar shit. I sat him down. Look at yourself. You spent all the money 14 days before the election - you left no room to manouvere.I bet the agent loves the professionalism that you brought. You spent all the money you silly cunt.

 

[butchersapron]

Oh yeah,i forgot about the important two weeks. The two weeks before that, fuck me we were hot.

What did you learn from your lib-dem leadership again?

 

[Sue]

We've had a WRP leaflet at my girlfriend's flat, for Hackney South & Shoreditch, which isn't her constituency.

Haven't been back to my house for six weeks, I'll probably have a stack waiting for me, although I don't usually get many as it's an ultra-safe labour seat.

Likewise, in HN&SN and getting leaflets for HS&S. Still, after the revolution, there will no longer be these petty distinctions, Comrade.

 

[free spirit]

You grilled the candidate who was in place months before you joined the party? Alan sugar shit. I sat him down. Look at yourself. You spent all the money 14 days before the election - you left no room to manouvere.I bet the agent loves the professionalism that you brought. You spent all the money you silly cunt.

what would be the point in having loads of money in the bank now?

What we have is tens of thousands of leaflets, newspapers, posters, posterboards etc. in place and being distributed and a campaign that has gained a lot of momentum by campaigning hard for months before the election not just in the last 2 weeks.

On top of that we're now raising additional funds to do more if we can, but we'll already have distributed 3000 posters, and over 100,000 leaflets / newspapers across the constituency without that additional funding for the last push.

Now, that's the level of campaigning I'm pulling together, sorry if it doesn't meet with you approval.

 

[butchersapron]

But no money to react to anything that happens in the key weeks. Clown. Sheds of stuff that'll get binned mind. Keep the recyclers busy.

You're begging on the internet for money. Because the manager spent it all too quickly. Fuck off.

 

[butchersapron]

Now, that's the level of campaigning I'm pulling together, sorry if it doesn't meet with you approval.

 

[free spirit]

brilliant response. Next time I'm after some campaigning advice I'll be sure to think of you, you obviously have so much to offer.

 

[butchersapron]

brilliant response. Next time I'm after some campaigning advice I'll be sure to think of you, you obviously have so much to offer.

Hang on, next time you need someone to laugh at your a)managerial pretentions and b) the effect of the former -then you will call me? Sounds a deal.

 

[Dogsauce]

Likewise, in HN&SN and getting leaflets for HS&S. Still, after the revolution, there will no longer be these petty distinctions, Comrade.

The boundary here does actually run through her building (one wing of the block in each constituency), so it's kind of understandable (although the entrances and letterboxes are at separate ends).

 

[redsquirrel]

I would think that as someone who organises Green Party members you must have this experience quite often unless things in Leeds are very different to Sheffield.

Considering that (as JTG mentioned the other day) Leeds Greens got into bed with the yellow scum and Tories I doubt it.

 

[free spirit]

Considering that (as JTG mentioned the other day) Leeds Greens got into bed with the yellow scum and Tories I doubt it.

10 years ago when the vast majority of the current membership weren't members, and voluntarily walked out of that arrangement after a couple of years over policy issues.

5 years ago the Green councillors supported a minority labour council on a confidence and supply basis for a year, in preference to a potential contiuation of the libdem, tory coalition, yet that bit seems to get conveniently forgotten.

The situation now is that the Green Party conference committed the party not to go into coalition with anyone in government, not to support any austerity budget, and the leadership has explicitly stated that they won't prop up a conservative government in any way.

I'm not really sure what more the Greens could do to make it clear that they aren't about to do a lib dems and jump into bed with the tories to satisfy a lust for a ministerial position.

 

[redsquirrel]

Well not employ scab labour could be a start.