The Ashcroft effect

Not a ‘head scratcher’

Scotland, Labour’s powerbase, must be cast out of the Union.
Not through the result of their own perpetual griping on whether they wish to stay or not, but as the product of a ‘Union wide’ referendum on whether WE wish to keep Scotland in.

Reconfigure the Union, then that will enable us to reconfigure Westminster. Simples.
.

…’it will be thanks to the sterling work he has done’…

So the dismal record of the Labour Administrations of the past near-thirteen years, and the mendacious Prime Ministers which have headed those Administrations will have nothing to do with the fact that previous Labour voters will be going elsewhere?

This Government is losing. Cameron is nowhere near winning. It’s not the same thing.

Sorry Ben, I’m with the two previous posters.

It’s really rather insulting you know, to presume that the Earl of Ashtray, or whoever, a millionaire aristocrat, can find a form of words that would make me vote one way or the other.

Cameron won’t have won this election, nearly as much as Flash Gordon will have lost it. The performance of this government should have the Opposition 20 points ahead, at least.

However, mule-ish adherence to ‘green’ twaddle, affecting to be some sort of bleeding heart liberal and trying to be all things to all men, has left Cameron stumbling badly. If Ashcroft had anything to do with this disastrous volte face by the Conservatives, he is responsible for the exposure of the Tories to ’snatching disaster from the jaws of victory’.

Go figure Ben – you’re too close to the Westminster village.

The so called conservative party are a dreadful bunch Of snobs and cronies.
David Cameron isnt popular amoungst a large number of tories.
The so called class was is totally relevant to David Cameron , Because he got his job through privilege, not ability.

I suspect the “UKIP effect” will more than offset any Ashcroft gains. For every seat that Ashcroft targets and wins, there will be another where the loss of just a few hundred votes to smaller parties (particularly UKIP) will allow the Labour candidate to keep their expense claims flowing.

Overall, I do believe Cameron will do well enough to secure a majority, but it won’t be anything like 40 and may well be measured in single digits.

The reason the Tory lead is so weak is the Opposition are so weak.
When the ridiculous Dave insists that homosexuality should be regarded as “normal” he is losing thousands of votes and credibility points. Not just from a small number of homophobes but from the offence against common sense.
If it was “normal” then as many people would sleep with members of the same sex as members of the other.
They dont – plainly by a factor of 9:1, therefore hetero is “Normal” and homo isn’t. Therefore Dave has offended common-sense. quid pro quo
In my view let people choose for themselves but do not traduce natural inclinations with cod sociology.
And above all if you intend to win an election do not p+ss away votes on getting attention from a few socialists with proclivities 90% do not choose.

Dave should be got rid of now.

bear88,
Very well put, I quite agree. Just as an aside, I wonder if this will get David Dee back? if only for a good dig at Ashcroft. He never could resist.

@Mickypee
Perhaps the “DD” will get a look in if enough people with backbone say they want a Conservative leader -
not a Leader writer for the Grauniad !

I can’t wait to see the back of Brown but Benedict’s article reads as though Ashcroft is the effective proprietor of the Conservative Party, has recruited his management team and invested in his priority areas in the hope of succeeding in taking ownership of UK PLC. Ironic that it was Cameron who wrote the Conservative 2005 manifesto which Ashcroft thought was out of touch and Ashcroft thought that calling Blair a “liar” was more negative to the Tories than Labour – I doubt if that proved to be correct in 2005 and I am sure that it certainly wouldn’t be the case now.

Read your column and I do hope you are right as we are doomed otherwise. However, the evidence is against you. The Tory faithful thought they had elected their version of Blair. In fact he turns out to be a Blair light whose experience is zero and whose only achievement is getting elected Tory Leader.

He promised to maintain Labour spending for two years. He should have know at the time that that was a very unwise promise as we were sinking deeper into debt every day. However, he did not revert until just about every dimwit could see that it was most unwise. He did react to the expenses scandal quickly but, if he thought it was as bad as he implied, why hadn’t he already taken some action? Policy, such as it is, is generally close to Labour and appears to be led by focus groups who peer only into a rear view mirror. A toff from Eton he appears to consider all selective schools to be elitist. He broke his “cast iron guarantee” so shows he is not to be trusted. If, as it appears, his argument is that the situation has changed (the constitution has been ratified by all) that just shows that, like New Labour, he doesn’t think his policies or promises through.

The only reason to vote for him is that he is not Gordon but will the result be significantly different? Of course he is not the only one who is not Gordon.

I really do hope you and Ashcroft are right but that is all it is, hope.