Like it or not Ng and his bunch were voted in by the electorate. If you don’t like his views, debate and defeat them with the better argument and alternative – no good sticking your fingers in your ears and going nah nah nah na na

It’s just extraordinary that these candidates have been trained by people who don’t believe in global warming,
//

Oh. I didn’t realise you had to believe in AGW to be appointed to any jobs. When did that happen?

I heard that someone people don’t believe in God, either.

You have to expect a certain level of intelligence and foresight from people, though you don’t always get it.

I recall hearing the broadcaster John Humphries fulminating about not getting to vote in the last election. According to him it was all down to the incompetence of the authorities. However what actually happened was this.

He went into a polling station only to be informed that he could not vote there , as it did not cover the area he lives in – strike one against the authorities as he appeared to think you should be able to vote at any polling station you happen to come across.

The staff at that polling station told him where he should go and he duly went only to be told that he could not cast his vote in person as he was registered as a postal voter – strike two against the authorities as he couldn’t remember being a postal voter though he did remember sending back a form about something or other to do with voting.

He was then advised that he could hand his postal vote into the polling station. However he had lost it or thrown it away so he was effectively disenfranchised as at that time you could not be issued with a postal vote form on the day of the election. All the fault of the authorities of course.

In this election you will, if you are a complete idiot, apply for a postal vote without knowing what you are applying for and then throw your ballot paper away, be able to get a new postal vote form issued to you up until close of poll. I believe this is one of the reasons that returning officers are a bit wary about conducting overnight counts.

What of Iain Dale’s clearly stated (and quite notorious) policy of not linking to blogs/bloggers that are critical of him? He has stated quite clearly in the past that he refuses to do so because he does not want to legitimise them.

How is this in keeping with his current postion that granting Griffin this exposure doesn’t legitimise him?
//

1. Why don’t you ask Dale?

2. It’s Dale’s blog – he can do what the hell he wants on it, and is certainly not answerable to the likes of you, Ireland.

I certainly will not be voting Labour or Tory.

The Speaker has confirmed in writing today that this is another Tall Story from Shropshire. MPs and former Mps have always been allowed to use Commons facilities launched book written by them. It is my fourth launch.

It is a bit hurtful after I had included Daniel in my gallery of parliamentary Icons and Knaves in my book ‘The Unusual Suspect’. The ingrate.

How is this in keeping with his current postion that granting Griffin this exposure doesn’t legitimise him?

Perhaps he will, many politicians lie.

It is revealing any lies that shows what the true character or the politician is.

If the true character of Griffin is anathema to the electorate then he and his party should find it harder to be re-elected.

You don’t paint the turd yellow and call it gold nor should you brush it under the carpet or into a dark corner, it will just fester and make a stink.

Find, reveal and disinfect, is the appropriate response to a turd.

Reveal the truth of politicians and their parties and then leave it upto the electorate.

Freedom of speech must include the freedom to speak collectively.

True, but that isn’t the same as claiming to speak on behalf of others.

A common failing amongst politicians and union leaders.

Small point about democracy: at the next election UKIP will get about 5 or 6 times the number of votes as the SNP but will have no say in the UK Parliament whereas the SNP will have at least 1% say (6 seats). The Libs will have almost as many votes as Labour, but about a fifth as many seats. And the BNP will probably have as many votes as Plaid Cwymru but no seats compared to 3 (hopefully).

If we want a true democracy do we not need to allow the views of those voting for the BNP and UKIP to be heard and addressed? Not that UKIP have similar views to the BNP, just that they’re similarly marginalised parties with a level of support that is unlikely to materialise into seats.

I would not think it is the right thing to do to launch a book for personal gain from a room in the Commons no matter what the rules say.

Are MPs unable to think for themselves.

The general attitude of most MPs falls far short of what should be expected.

” I will go and ask if I am allowed to do this” attitude reminds me of small naughty school children. Can we have some adult MPs.

They probably know the stats as well as you, but in this case I think you are talking apples while they’re talking oranges.

If we think of it as sampling a production line it makes sense.

Check every 100th product; does it pass or fail the test. The 77% seems to be saying that only 77%, of those tested, pass the test of being accurate.

A very low pass rate for most products.

We don’t want to make them outlaws, that will give them a status they don’t deserve.

I fully uinderstand Paul’s position when he says that Griffin will just lie. Yes he probably will try to lie, we will have to hope he is not allowed to get away with it.

Quaint and old fashioned as this may seem, but it was the voters what elected the BNP not PR.

If you were to blame anything, I would suggest that the poor turnout of 34.70% at the Euro elections might be a better bet rather than blaming the system itself.

Let’s not forget that the BNP also have 56 principal local authority councillors plus parish, town and community councillors as well. These were not elected via PR.

Suffice to say i think Danny K has overreacted a tad, as I have already told him.

I’m shocked.

To Paul above. I can assure you the interview is being published. I have just signed it off.

I respect those who think we shouldn’t have done the interview. I don’t respect those who don’t wait to see what the interview says, assuming I have just allowed Griffin to spout his views without challenge.

Mind nobody started a Boycott for me did they i wonder perhaps they agreed Nah!
couldn’t be so..

anyway i digress

I also boycott other Blogs with whom i disagree the problem is they dont seem to notice and if i make a fuss then people being like what they are they will all go and have look to see what the fuss is about..
which is a bit self defeating

PS

Although boycotting Ian dales Blog
i do sometimes have a sneaky peek because I am only human

There’s been a lot of debate in the blogosphere today about the call for a boycott
of the Total Politics Blog Awards, further to the TCF post yesterday. I’ve been out all day, and my TCF colleague Dave has done a great job covering a lot of the stuff on this site and others, so I’ll just follow up wit some comments on what I think are the ain ‘attack lines’ that I’ve seen.

1) Why didn’t we wait to see what was in the interview? (Iain Dale)

Because our protest is about what he represents, not what he says to an interviewer. He will lie.

2) Why didn’t we call for a boycott when the BBC had Nick Griffin on Question Time (Tom Harris)

Because we couldn’t have won that battle. We might not win this one, but there’s a better chance.

3) Isn’t calling for a boycott anti-democratic/against freedom of speech?

No.

We’re simply exercising our democratic right in calling for Total Politics not to publish the interview. We’re not trying to ban the interview; we’re saying that we’re against it bin published, and that if it is published we’ll exercise our democratic right to protest about its publication in as effective a manner as possible.

This is not the same as recourse to the power of the state/law which, for example, banned trade union members from standing/speaking in solidarity

Freedom of speech must include the freedom to speak collectively.

4) Will a boycott be effective?

We don’t know. If we win the argument we win and TP will rethink publication even at his late stage; if we lose, TP will publish it. If Total Politics vote retains its legitimacy in the eyes of anyone who takes any notice, we lose again.

As far as Indy’s point about private landlords is concerned – it’s an offence for a landlord not to be registered. I wonder how many of them get prosecuted.

see http://preview.tinyurl.com/ygdr5wl

Your posting was of concern for asylum seekers – my posting was to point that many Glaswegians are having to live in the same conditions as asylum seekers – and sometime worse.

I don’t want Glaswegians to live in hellish property and “I should hope that any Glaswegian would realise” asylum seekers came to Britain seeking refuge, they got it, they don’t like the free houses we give them, how sad, we gave them sanctuary and now you and they think that is not enough?

Asylum seekers are not allowed to work?, That’s the rule, They can go to another country “and have some small hope of getting one and they have the option of applying for a job vacancy” where they will be allowed to work, our Home Office will gladly foot the bill. In passing, asylum seekers do not have a checkable character or work record background – they are unemployable.

An asylum seeker isn’t expected to live on half benefits. Asylum seekers don’t pay council tax or rent or utility bills nor do they contribute to any of the services which they use. Quite a saving, ask some of our own senior citizens.

If the “poor souls dumped in Springburn” (I assume you are again showing your concern for asylum seekers and not native Glaswegians) “would choose this unless the alternative was unendurable.” By “unendurable” you mean that which asylum seekers are claiming refuge from. Why then, do thousands of asylum seekers whose claims of the “unendurable” have been found to be not proven prefer to stay in hellish accommodation where they are not allowed to work?

I do think there are some measures that could be taken to improve things – for example housing associations could maybe play more of a role in getting tenants onto the register. Though I’d guess that the biggest problem exists in private lets and HMOs. Although the Council is having a hard enough time getting these landlords registered never mind the tenants onto the electoral roll.