Woot

There's been much talk on here of those Labour ministers we loathe but is there anyone in Labour that we could respect as leader? Straw? Balls? Harman? Who else?

So true. The literature I've received from all parties bar Labour has outlined what they stand for and what they intend to do locally as well as nationally. Labour's leaflet by contract just shouts 'vote Labour to keep the Tories out!' Clearly I won't be voting for a candidate unable to express a reasonable argument!

Indeed - quite frightening really. I do wonder also whether those too young to remember a less controlling Government are even aware of how constricted our interventionist, surveillance society has become? I did the anti-Tory \ poll tax \ anti-apartheid \ CND \ anti-nuke marches in the 80s: I truly wonder whether we would be allowed to now! DestroyBrown - I had wondered where CO went... nice to see you didn't stay away too long

It was certainly raised in the debate last week and part of his response was to promote the idea of shared and part ownership. This can only prop up an unrealistically priced market. Why should Brits not have the same access to a whole home that those in other countries do? I'll not be voting for any party that touts this as a solution.

Hi AJ - hope the knee is going well. Similar experience for my father recently: the administrative hoops that they had to go through were extreme - lots of paperwork, with resultant charts on corridor walls, when a little more attention to simply keeping the wards clean and patients fed and watered would have been nice. Helping an elderly shopper who had fallen yesterday, I waited with her for 1hour and 45 mins for an ambulance - apparently they were busy. I understand that they have to prioritize, but in this region we have not seen much of the hailed NHS improvement that others speak of - the vast amount of money seems to have fattened the bureaucrats, not the front line staff.

The Belfast Agreement was signed in May of 1998. John Major opened the talks with the IRA when he took office in 1990 leading to the Downing Street Declaration in 1993 and a ceasefire in 1994. He did the groundwork for the Good Friday \ Belfast Agreement until he left office in 1997. Mo Mowlam was a fabulous woman who demonstrated real guts and integrity in her finalizing of the Good Friday Agreement, however she didn't become Northern Ireland Secretary until after the 1997 election. So in fairness, whilst she knocks spots off the other women in the Labour party (and was clearly there for ability not positive discrimination), Labour cannot take full credit for this process which had been nurtured for several years under the previous government. This is precisely why I mentioned her and John Major together in my earlier post - credit where it's due!

That was Mo Mowlam and John Major - Labour just put the cherry on top and took the credit. No. Positive discrimination is undermining for all involved. Far better that people are placed on their merit, not according to their genitalia or skin colour. And look at the women who have been appointed in this way - Jaqui Smith, Hazel Blears, Diane Abbott, Yvette Cooper, Caroline Flint, Barbara Follett, Harriet Harman etc. A simple recognition of genuine value on a level playing field (no nepotism, play on connections etc) would serve us far better. Positive discrimination simply sets people up for failure by appointing them for the wrong reasons to work that is beyond their capability (see Jaqui Smith and Hazel Blears), and is insulting to those who are truly deserving of the job. Speaking as a woman that is... Hunting never happened on Sundays. Not been here long, have you. I think you'll find, if you hang around a while, that many here are disgruntled because they are hard working, well motivated and keep finding their best efforts being completely shafted by an overly interventionist government. Just look at the housing bubble, pensions, Britain's gold reserve, 4,500 new criminal offenses, massive social security support etc... We now have more admin staff than beds in the NHS. This is representative of Labour's approach - throw vast quantities of money at a problem without attention to appropriate targeting and utilization. See their IT projects for further examples. As with Northern Ireland, they just walked in for the final curtain and to pick up and credit going free. I'm not a Tory and clearly Labour have had some achievements in the past 13 years, but let's give credit where it's due. Whether the achievements they have made sit evenly in the scales when weighed against the damage they have done would make an interesting debate.

This is what worries me about shared- and part-ownership though. None of the three main parties, if they support this fractional house purchase, will ever actually allow prices to revert to norm. We know Labour's position on this and in last night's debate Cameron was speaking of part-ownership in glowing terms because it allowed anyone to 'get a foot on the first rung of the property ladder'. Frankly the whole thing terrifies me.

I've only just tuned in... has Gordon lost it yet? Is he going to cope with the pressure - I'd like to see him have a hissy fit! And have Cameron or Clegg said 'bigot' yet??!

Balls, Mandelslime, Harman or Straw - what a fantastic array of opportunity for us voters

Wouldn't that be yummy - just before Gordo takes to the stage on his personal strength of 'The Economy' (frankly I'd be surprised if he could even spell Economy ). Anyone going to open a book on how many times he says 'global'? The big question though is will Cameron and Clegg actually call him on is record - will they throw the book at him?

Will he make this kind of claim without any rationale to support it? And isn't this at direct variance with he speech in Cardiff about causing high house prices and decrying the low house prices\high availability in the US? Is he smoking crack?

Actually, you've just proven his point - you have chosen to hear what you wanted to just like Brown. He is saying that being anti-Labour does not make you a Tory... I agree: I will vote for 'anyone but Brown' since he is incompetent at best. Have a look at votematch.com - many on here have done so and are far from being Tories, but even further from supporting Labour.

Thanks for the link TMT Better though than that lying scumbag Brown - so full of his own deluded self-importance, trying to convince us that he saved the world by getting Europe and American to buy into his cunning plan. Just awful. Desperate. Kick him, now.

I can't get to it - can you post the url pls?

BULLSH!T B!NGO !!! I WIN! Lock in the recovery Global global global etc etc Brown also keeps on interrupting - the witless chav has no manners! New girl - named Bethlehem - now questioning: she's been here for 13 years and wants to know what they intend to do about the immigration problem!? Bit new on the block to be asking that, surely.

He keeps on saying "I think "name here" is really asking..." - again, how completely arrogant: this is what I loathe about the man - his assumption that he knows best; it was demonstrated in his breach of promise re a referendum and it is demonstrated every time he rephrases somebody else's question - as though he knows better than they do what they are asking! Utterly repugnant arrogant self-delusion. (He really does make me bloody angry )

Hey SirStirling - why so blue?

sky news bbc parliament

Succinctly put - can you get a place in the audience?!

Gordon Brown is as repulsive as ever - his enormously patronizing comment to Clegg and Cameron about squabbling like his little boys at bathtime was not in the least bit amusing, rather Brown appeared disrespectful and disgusting. He is doing his appalling giggle at the others when he disagrees with them too - how can he possibly believe this is in any way appealing or casts him in any kind of favourable light? Vile, vile, vile. Clearly he has been coached to try and play the elder statesman but simply doesn't have the character, integrity or gravitas to pull it off.

Interesting series of charts here explaining graphically why the market cannot sustain itself. I particularly liked this one: ...and this one: ...and this one, entitled 'Housing Price Bubbles were greater abroad and have farther to fall'. Gives an interesting context for Eire and UK housing:

Brown's slurping up to Nick Clegg is truly nauseating... evidently Nicky is Gordy's new best friend (whether Clegg likes it or not). Anyone else note the moment when Brown asked Clegg if he agreed on a particular point, Clegg said 'No', Brown followed through with "What Nick really believes is...": I could not believe the monumental arrogance of the man who can't take No for an answer. Loathsome scumbag...

Brown is going to guarantee more spending on police, on education and on health care, and keeps challenging Cameron as to how he will commit to spending in these areas... where exactly is Gordo going to get the money for this? Is he going back to his magical money printer again? BTW did anyone else choke at the arrogance of Brown stating that it was necessary to raise the standard of the debate! Pompous f()ckwit!! Like he was operating as such a lofty level!

Some will never recover from his betrayal - those who have lost pensions and will live the rest of their lives in penury, those who are and will remain priced out of the housing market, those (and we've seen some on here) who have been unable to afford to have children, those whose children will be cursed with the fruit of Brown's 'mistakes'; and yet he doesn't realise this... he thinks an admission and a trivial apology is sufficient to buy favour with those whose lives he has destroyed. His lack of perspicacity is as frightening as his lack of business accumen, or human empathy - and he should be made to pay for his destructive intransigence where in his arrogance he ignored the wisdom and advice of those far better equipped to make the decisions. The papers today speak of the anger and mistrust of voters being the hardest challenge for politicians now - so it damn well should be.