General Election - June 8th

A good thought process Mark but I'm still backing a larger majority for the Tories at the GE, the UKIP vote returning to them will in my opinion be more than enough to see Mrs May through, at least that's what I'm hoping

Anything that shops the juggernaut hurtling over the cliff is good for me.

Unlike some here I don't want a "strong" Government.

I cannot think of anything more un-British than wishing for "strong Government".

I wish those who say that they want "strong Government" would read some British and European history.

The Conservatives would have had a large majority were the General Election to have been held on the same day as the local and mayoral elections. Then Mrs May would have been justified in using the term "snap election"; in fact it's anything but. Her appearance on the One Show with its "boy jobs and girl jobs" was cringe-worthy whilst her refusal to participate in tonight's Leaders' Debate is sheer arrogance; Corby has changed his mind and is taking part, why not May? The Conservative Battle Bus doesn't even mention the party name except in very small letters: it's a mobile advertisement for that one woman. And guess how much generous Mrs May intends to spend per child per day on her pledged free school breakfast for primary school children? Would you believe just 7p?! That would provide either half a boiled egg or one slice of bread with 12 baked beans or 37.5 cornflakes and 100ml of semi-skimmed milk; generous, huh? That pledge will have lost her the very people she claims to be wanting to help - the just-about-coping. The big banks and other corporate interests the Tories are beholden too have instructed May to stick two fingers up at the two key demographic groups that could have assured her re-election.

There is a bright side to all this, for me at least. Corbyn's promised scrapping of the earnings threshold means that OAPs like me can bring our non-EU wives into Britain. And my pension will be protected as will my winter fuel allowance and bus pass.

I am sure you will get your wish - plus all the disadvantages that go with it.

In what way is it "un-British" to wish for "strong government"? It may be un-Lib Dem but un-British??

The Financial Times is endorsing the Conservatives:

"This publication stands for a liberal agenda: a small state, free trade, free markets and social justice. Neither Mrs May nor Mr Corbyn stands four-square behind these principles. Neither has offered tax and spending plans that are credible, given the short-term risks facing the economy. [...]

The alternative to Mrs May is worse. Mr Corbyn is a fringe figure who has spent his entire political career in opposition — to his own Labour leadership. Despite his recent media makeover, he is a pacifist relic of the 1970s, in hock to the trade unions, with no grip on economic issues. It is no accident that the arrival of Mr Corbyn and his hard-left supporters in mainstream politics has coincided with a revival of anti-Semitism and misogyny. Labour’s team are unfit for government, let alone the delicate Brexit talks. The Liberal Democrats have failed to make an impact with their pledge of a second EU referendum. […]

Faced with such uncertainty at home and abroad, Mrs May is the safer bet.​

Deeply un-British. We don't have a tradition of authoritarian rule here.

Ask yourself how far Max Moseley's parents got..

I see JC has changed his mind and is now appearing in tonight's BBC live debate, he is obviously now making a big deal out of Mays no show.

I wish May had decided to debate, it could have worked in her favour.

I think one can draw a distinction between "strong" and "authoritarian". One could describe Churchill, Atlee, Walpole, Lloyd George and Disraeli as being strong premiers but none of them were truly authoritarian.

I rather think a government headed by Comrade Corbyn will be authoritarian. But not strong. He will, for example, invite the Argentine and Spanish governments to assume sovereignty over the Falklands and Gibraltar against the wishes of Falkland Islanders, Gibraltarians and the Crown. That's authoritarian.

She sent her clone.

https://www.ft.com/content/f1435a8e-372b-11e7-bce4-9023f8c0fd2e

And what a waste of time the supposed debate was, a shouting match would be more accurate, now we know why May kept away

A complete waste of time, like a load of kids squabbling in the playground.

We've told you before about posting that type of link Andrew, I'm not subscribing to the Times to read the article

Paywall alert!

It will be far better having treaties that are once again negotiated by our people, for our best interests.

He would have just posted the title if that was his intention surely to God.

And by Googling the title text you can bypass the paywall and read the article.

I've moved on now I don't want to read it

759 treaties to be negotiated it is, keep somebody busy for a while.

Amber Rudd - her clone?! Hardly, dear boy, her brother Roland is a Corbynista! And then there's the Squeaker, a Conservative MP whose wife is a member of the Labour Party and has demonstrated bias towards Labour throughout his Speakership.

Five minutes chat over a beer, (or 759 beers) .

But then there's the paperwork, meetings, reports and politics...

I thought the SNP, the Greens and the LibDems walked away with that.

I look forward to learning from the Tories here exactly how a woman who is too scared to debate with other politicians on TV can be expected to achieve a brilliant result in negotiations with the EU.