The UK election thread

[Twiglet]

John Smith died in 'somewhat mysterious circumstances'? He had a heart attack at his flat.

That's exactly whats in wiki... odd, the memory can play tricks, and I hadn't referenced any source beyond my memory of events at the time. You're quite right Now I will have to go invent a conspiracy theory to cover my trail.

edit.

Ahhh.. after some further digging, I found out I am confusing Smiths death with that of Robin Cook, the ex foreign secretary who served under Blair and did indeed die under what some consider dubious circumstances:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Cook#Death

[Rum]

John Smith died in 'somewhat mysterious circumstances'? He had a heart attack at his flat.

That's exactly whats in wiki... odd, the memory can play tricks, and I hadn't referenced any source beyond my memory of events at the time. You're quite right Now I will have to go invent a conspiracy theory to cover my trail.

edit.

Ahhh.. after some further digging, I found out I am confusing Smiths death with that of Robin Cook, the ex foreign secretary who served under Blair and did indeed die under what some consider dubious circumstances:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Cook#Death

Cook died of a heart attack too. After climbing a big fuck off mountain. The post mortem confirmed it.

You really *are* looking for a conspiracy aren't you!?

[Twiglet]

Cook died of a heart attack too. After climbing a big fuck off mountain. The post mortem confirmed it.

You really *are* looking for a conspiracy aren't you!?

Oh there was quite some talk at the time of Cooks death, and a good number of them are still filling up the web today. I love a good big fat question mark as much as anyone, but for what it's worth, I expect Blairs rise to power was due to nothing more sinister than personal charisma and sustained through that and creating a media sensitive power vacuum.

I remember a Spitting Image mock up of Star Wars prior to the election, with Blair as Luke Skywalker, and upon confronting Vader, Vader spoke in Thatchers voice "but Tony, I AM your Father.." proved rather prophetic over the years.

[Rum]

Cook died of a heart attack too. After climbing a big fuck off mountain. The post mortem confirmed it.

You really *are* looking for a conspiracy aren't you!?

Oh there was quite some talk at the time of Cooks death, and a good number of them are still filling up the web today. I love a good big fat question mark as much as anyone, but for what it's worth, I expect Blairs rise to power was due to nothing more sinister than personal charisma and sustained through that and creating a media sensitive power vacuum.

I remember a Spitting Image mock up of Star Wars prior to the election, with Blair as Luke Skywalker, and upon confionting Vader, Vader spoke in Thatchers voice "but Tony, I AM your Father.." proved rather prophetic over the years.

Are people seriously suggesting Cook might have been assassinated because he opposed Blair's Iraq 'adventure' and quit?

[Twiglet]

Are people seriously suggesting Cook might have been assassinated because he opposed Blair's Iraq 'adventure' and quit?

For sure, some people are, don't make me google it!!

iirc the central argument of the conspiracy involved how a high profile politician could have been wandering alone, or why help took so long to reach him, coupled with the usual "was he given this or that drug to induce a heart attack" sort of thing... the usual....

Oh alright then, I googled it, because I am weak.....

http://shaphan.typepad.com/blog/2006/05 ... about.html

quite a hoot if you have 5 minutes of your life you don't mind not getting back

Plenty more where that came from.

[Rum]

Are people seriously suggesting Cook might have been assassinated because he opposed Blair's Iraq 'adventure' and quit?

For sure, some people are, don't make me google it!!

iirc the central argument of the conspiracy involved how a high profile politician could have been wandering alone, or why help took so long to reach him, coupled with the usual "was he given this or that drug to induce a heart attack" sort of thing... the usual....

Oh alright then, I googled it, because I am weak.....

http://shaphan.typepad.com/blog/2006/05 ... about.html

quite a hoot if you have 5 minutes of your life you don't mind not getting back

Plenty more where that came from.

Well I took a look and it very much falls into the category of 'we can't be sure there *isn't* an alien base on the dark side of the moon!

His wife was with him too, which I don't think the article mentions!

[Twiglet]

Well I took a look and it very much falls into the category of 'we can't be sure there *isn't* an alien base on the dark side of the moon!

His wife was with him too, which I don't think the article mentions!

I think it very unlikely too, however, there are precedents for political assassinations, and Cook was certainly privy to the inner workings and thoughts of the Labour government during the build up to the invasion, and subsequently distanced himself from policy decisions in a very public manner. It's unfair to equate the possibility of a poltically motivated assassination with the extistence of alien bases. Vested interests could certainly have flagged Cook as a target. Unlikely, certainly, but not beyond the realms of possibility.

[Rum]

Well I took a look and it very much falls into the category of 'we can't be sure there *isn't* an alien base on the dark side of the moon!

His wife was with him too, which I don't think the article mentions!

I think it very unlikely too, however, there are precedents for political assassinations, and Cook was certainly privy to the inner workings and thoughts of the Labour government during the build up to the invasion, and subsequently distanced himself from policy decisions in a very public manner. It's unfair to equate the possibility of a poltically motivated assassination with the extistence of alien bases. Vested interests could certainly have flagged Cook as a target. Unlikely, certainly, but not beyond the realms of possibility.

Indeed, as is the likelihood of an alien base on the dark side of the moon!

However I take your point. Having said that I suspect we are talking about a vanishingly small possibility.

[RuleBritannia]

Well I took a look and it very much falls into the category of 'we can't be sure there *isn't* an alien base on the dark side of the moon!

His wife was with him too, which I don't think the article mentions!

I think it very unlikely too, however, there are precedents for political assassinations, and Cook was certainly privy to the inner workings and thoughts of the Labour government during the build up to the invasion, and subsequently distanced himself from policy decisions in a very public manner. It's unfair to equate the possibility of a poltically motivated assassination with the extistence of alien bases. Vested interests could certainly have flagged Cook as a target. Unlikely, certainly, but not beyond the realms of possibility.

But there's no reason to believe it (or anything) without hard evidence, a "possibility" is not evidence or a reason.

[Rum]

Getting back to the OP, I took a look on the BBC web site which has a really useful section - here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/election ... efault.stm

I looked up my constituency as I am considering switching from Labour to the Lib Dems (it would be a first as a lifetime labour supporter!).

However I see this area has been labour almost forever and with a big majority, so I have to ask myself if I did vote LD, would I be wasting my vote?

[Twiglet]

But there's no reason to believe it (or anything) without hard evidence, a "possibility" is not evidence or a reason.

I never explained that my one of my favourite forum hobbies is to get trapped into defending a position I never said I believed to be true in the first place, for the sheer enjoyment of inviting people to pedantically split hairs over the difference between what is possible, plausible or just plain alien bases?

I guess I didn't.

Not that either of you directly suggested I defend such a position, merely implicated me in a rather cunning way to see whether I might bite.

Such is destiny, to be sweetly baited on a chatty throwaway line innocuously embedded in a diatribe, at the expense of my faulty memory.......

*laments*

[Rum]

I never explained that my one of my favourite forum hobbies is to get trapped into defending a position I never said I believed to be true in the first place, for the sheer enjoyment of inviting people to pedantically split hairs over the difference between what is possible, plausible or just plain alien bases?

I guess I didn't.

Not that either of you directly suggested I defend such a position, merely implicated me in a rather cunning way to see whether I might bite.

Such is destiny, to be sweetly baited on a chatty throwaway line innocuously embedded in a diatribe, at the expense of my faulty memory.......

*laments*

You are wrong! I backed off because I could see you were wavering and I knew why!

[RuleBritannia]

However I see this area has been labour almost forever and with a big majority, so I have to ask myself if I did vote LD, would I be wasting my vote?

Or maybe you're wasting your vote voting for a party that's almost guaranteed to win. How may people think "What's the point in not voting Labour if they're going to win?", it's a self fulfilling prophecy.

[hackenslash]

John Smith died in 'somewhat mysterious circumstances'? He had a heart attack at his flat.

Smith would have been an exceptional PM.

[RuleBritannia]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/ ... 614235.stm

George Osborne says Tories will 'consider gay marriage'

The Tories would be "very happy" to consider same-sex marriage if elected, George Osborne has told gay activists.

The shadow chancellor met gay rights leaders including Peter Tatchell ahead of a protest outside Conservative campaign HQ by equality campaigners.

I'm gonna have to call bullshit here, "very happy to consider same-sex marriage" means absolutely nothing, it's not a policy, it's not a promise, it's barely even a statement.