The Evening Standard are getting hot under the collar because David Cameron said of our Lib Dem opponents
"We'll be fighting for the same votes. I hope that will be done in a slightly more friendly manner than it has in the past."
Joe Murphy, the Standard's Political Editor, seems to have read this as DC hinting that the Conservatives would pull their punches, I see it rather differently. Having seen the
campaigning techniques used by Lib Dems in By-Elections in the recent past I believe that this is more of a message to the Lib Dems not to make it personal or nasty. The partners in the coalition are going to have to learn how to campaign against each other without causing irreparable damage to the government.
The result on the 14th of January will be interesting but so will the weeks leading up to it.
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10 comments:
For crying out loud you are meant to be working together.
Its a coalition Government. Stop sniping at each other constantly trying to make a point and get on with the business of governing.
Be Statesman like.
How did your recent reference to a Lib Dem as a 'dick' fit into this? And does this mean that the Lib Dems should not mention your campaign against the closure of Queen
Mary's under the previous government, which you then let shut once elected?
Another good point made above.
Friendlier elections, not when you call Simon Hughes a "dick".
Not being very friendly there are we Mr not so Cleverly?
Anyone in any doubt check:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11019105
You are famous at last, just for all the wrong reasons.
Just read the above by the friendly society.
Its interesting to note the de-selection of a Labour MP for being rude to the elderly.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/scotland/8610934.stm
De-selecting, now there is an idea...
Oldham is not a fight between Conservatives and Lib Dems, it is a fight between Labour and the Lib Dems who lost by just over 100 votes to a liar who deliberately smeared his candidate.
It is worth remembering which party is the one whose candidate was banned from being an MP for the dirty way he won the election. Some comments by Lib Dems and Conservatives may hurt their opponents, but neither are as nasty as Labour were in Oldham.
It would be quite amusing if the Conservatives worked hard to secure as many votes as possible, resulting as it would in a Labour victory. Lib Dems are excellent at by-elections but never before have they been in government - should be interesting.
And I'm sure James reference to Simon as a dick was only meant in the friendliest of terms and would be happy to see such a description of the Conservative candidate in Oldham.
Excellent point made above by Jimmy.
How about it James C.
Lets call the conservative candidate for Oldham a Dick? Or are we at last going to be quite.
Unlikely I think, its incredibly hard to get a Conservative to apologize, you have to remove their duck house and moats first.
"David Cameron limited his claims to mortgage interest payments and utility bills. He will repay almost £1,000 claimed on his expenses, including £680 for repairs to his home. He also paid off a loan on his London house after he took out a taxpayer-funded £350,000 mortgage on his designated second home."
Can we all apply for a taxpayer funded £350 000 mortgage, or do you have to be a Tory boy millionaire?
I'm quite apolitical when it comes to councillors, have come across good people from all sides who are not weighed down by dogma. Lodon Assembly Members? If they disappeared tomorrow what difference would we notice?
Anyway the issue here is about a person who has misled constituents about just about the most serious local issue going and is compromised. He won't even tell us what he's going to do about it other than accuse those concerned as being 'obsessive'. Replace James with another Tory if you have to but he no longer deserves an elected role.
Fair campaigning techniques.
Its informative to note that you called Simon Hughes a Dick.
Not very adult, I cannot really show my children posts such as that.
In the end it was about what everybody expected, including the fact that a 'friendly' campaign means allowing your share of the vote to halve.
The only noticable nasty campaigning was Jack Straw's carefully timed intervention to win back their White voters, knowing that they were never going to win back their Muslim supporters after Phil Willis' disgraceful lies at the last election (and with a Jewish candidate).
And it appears that MPACs invite to Debbie Abrahams to a debate was somehow lost in the post - I wonder what the truth is here, it is difficult to tell when dealing with two groups of fundamentalist liars.
This election wasn't mentioned on here after the result.
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