Lib Dems playing games - again

[cjmUK]

Following on from the mischevious (and deceitful) leaftletting campaigns in the news, the Lib Dems have been using party workers to pose as policemen (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/wales/8642853.stm) and nurses in promotional material.

Not a big deal, you say? Well if the policemen are so supportive of Lib Dem policies, why can't they simply get a real plod on camera? If they have spent so much time talking to and engaging with nurses, why don't they just get some real nurses to on camera?

The real issue is that it demonstrates that the Lib Dems have learnt Blair's style-over-substance lesson, and are more concerned with putting on appearances than maintaining their integrity.


Leaflet rows:
"On the ground, their campaigning is consistently more unscrupulous and poisonous than the other parties" (http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/andrewgilligan/100035918/lib-dems-integrity-can-be-such-a-dirty-business/)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/england/8628676.stm
http://www.suttonguardian.co.uk/news/4415075.Lib_Dem_election_leaflets_reported_to_poli ce_accused_of_misleading_public/

[system7]

Smear leaflets, and completely bogus "True-life" stories are part and parcel of electioneering.

I think all 3 parties have been guilty of it this time round. I am thinking of the way the Tory press laid into political donations into Nick Clegg's bank account. I recall Gordon Brown deflecting a question form David Cameron about scurrilous Labour leaflets.

It is standard fare by the media to unearth love affairs, youthful cannabis smoking and the like. I'd rather the parties talked about the big issues. Alas, the EEC, the Euro, immigration and welfare benefits and pensions, and even our involvement in Afghanistan are subjects Politicians are avoiding in this election.

Meantime, the old photo technique known as the Frankenstein Flash where the flash unit is placed underneath the camera to make an unappealing image of political opponents is still also standard fare...Love it! :D

http://img641.imageshack.us/img641/5438/boriskarloff.jpg (http://img641.imageshack.us/i/boriskarloff.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

[cjmUK]

There is a difference between showing guile, and being deceitful.

Sure, put a positive spin on your arguments and an a negative spin on your rivals. But what the Lib Dems appear to be doing way more than any other party is spreading outright lies about their rivals, and worst of all, producing literature that a) looks like it might come from their rivals, or b) that appear to be from neutral sources (ie. public bodies and government agencies).

Money going into Cleggs bank account is shady as ****, but if you want to accept his explanation that is up to you - but if you think that a) the press shouldn't report it or b) Labour and the Tories shouldn't ask question then you are living on a different planet. That's hard electioneering, not deceit and trickery.

[system7]

People forget this, but there was a time, long ago, say 1500 and before, when central government and taxation was almost non-existent. Most of the good architecture was built in an age without planning permission too. :)

Personally I'd be happy if politicians and their "Big Ideas" got the **** out of our hair. But some folks believe everything has to be centrally planned. :huh:

I tend to vote for the party of least governance. Then, I hope, I can get on with my life.

It is my view that salvation and enlightenment is a personal path. Apart from your parents giving you a head start, it's really up to you what you do with your life. :D

[cjmUK]

Why don't you form your own Medieval Party and free us all from the tyranny of central government - as far as protest votes would go, it would beat voting Lib Dem or UKIP. :thumbs:

[codemonkey]

We need to change to an anarcho-syndicalist commune. We take it in turns to be a sort of executive officer for the week...

...but all the decisions of that officer have to be ratified at a special bi-weekly meeting...

...by a simple majority in the case of purely internal affairs...

...but by a two thirds majority in the case of...

etc etc

:D

EDIT : Bonus points for naming the film

[system7]

My Medieval Party would be the Cathars, who are still alive and well in a certain place in the South of Europe. I have met Cathar scholars who have filled me in on the details. These people had the audacity to suggest you could meet God personally without putting a penny in the plate of the Catholic Church. Naturally, the Catholic Church attempted to violently exterminate them in the Albigensian Crusades. The slaughter of 20,000 women and children at Beziers in 1209 still moves me to tears. Most people feel it led to the Protestant reformation.

In Minerve, in the South of France, still survives a magnificent monument to the Cathars, who nearly rewrote the history of Planet Earth. I have seen this and felt its power:

http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/8239/catharcrossminerve.jpg (http://img696.imageshack.us/i/catharcrossminerve.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)

Enjoy! :)

[Mungo]

We need to change to an anarcho-syndicalist commune. We take it in turns to be a sort of executive officer for the week...

...but all the decisions of that officer have to be ratified at a special bi-weekly meeting...

...by a simple majority in the case of purely internal affairs...

...but by a two thirds majority in the case of...

etc etc

:D

EDIT : Bonus points for naming the film

This is Monty Python, surely... Holy Grail i believe :rolleye:

Help Help! I'm being repressed!



I think you should look at your local MP's standing... not their parties. Vote for the one who you think will do the best job representing your area in Government

[system7]

This is Monty Python, surely... Holy Grail i believe :rolleye:

Help Help! I'm being repressed!

I think you should look at your local MP's standing... not their parties. Vote for the one who you think will do the best job representing your area in Government

Grasshopper, I fear you miss the point. :huh:

A man point finger at the moon.

DON'T look at the finger. :eek:

Or you miss the moon and all the heavenly glory...:)

[PMM]

In answer to the thread starter..

That's the advertising / media world heck even Novatech have staff posing as shoppers in there adverts ;)

Its so common to get a joe bloggs from xyz moddelling / casting agent in 5 mins to do a media shoot than going through the red tape to get to use the real thing.

I don't condone it but it seems the media way these days.

[system7]

Well, my friends, excellent Prime Minister debate tonight on BBC1, primarily on the economy. :thumbs:

Don't know what you made of it all. I was struck by the similarity of all the positions. :)

No axe to grind on how you vote. I have made my position clear, along with the economics underlying that point of view. The main thing is to get involved, IMO. :cool:

Let me give you a fairly radical bit of help on this. From the teachings of Don Juan:


Before you embark on any path ask the question: Does this path have a heart? If the answer is no, you will know it, and then you must choose another path.

The trouble is nobody asks the question; and when a man finally realizes that he has taken a path without a heart, the path is ready to kill him. At that point very few men can stop to deliberate, and leave the path. A path without a heart is never enjoyable. You have to work hard even to take it.

On the other hand, a path with heart is easy; it does not make you work at liking it.

Good luck, and goodnight! :D

[Lorem-Ipsum]

Well, my friends, excellent Prime Minister debate tonight on BBC1, primarily on the economy. :thumbs:

It was very interesting, especially about the way they think of the advantages children get,

To summarize:

Brown: All children must get the same opportunities.

Cameron: Children must get opportunities at a level that they can make use of.

Clegg: Lul wut?????


Personally I agreed with Cameron throughout the debate.

[system7]

I was rather shocked that Gordon Brown conceded that the Tories and Liberals (It's gotta be time we stopped calling them the Lib Dems...) would work together after the election.

But for all that, it wouldn't be a bad thing to get some electoral reform at last...;)

Yes, I think Cameron won that leg. :thumbs:

[cjmUK]

Apparently the Tories and Labour are of the opinion that Clegg all but lied when pressed on the Euro...

He said that he would only take the country into the Euro if the economic conditions were right and the country votes to join in a referendum, if we ever get around to one.

The reality is that his manifesto states categorically that they want to join the Euro... the Lib Dem have stated for years that they intend to, yet today - on live TV - they are effectively saying 'What Euro?'.

[system7]

Given the crisis in Greece and the downgrading of Spain's credit rating, we hardly qualify to join the Euro anyway at 12% budget deficit. It's now a dead duck as far as Britain is concerned. :huh:

Fahgeddaboudid. :D