I guess that no one opened a post on UK's local elections.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/05/04/europe/boris.php

As always, I'm a rookie in this issue but it seems that conservatives are well positioned to return to government again after the Blair's years.

Another thing that I want to highlight is the big transfer of seats between Labours and Conservatives "...Labour lost 331 seats over all, and the Conservative opposition gained 256...". In my opinion, pretty impressive.

Much as it was hoped people would vote on local issues, I don't think they did. The abolition of the 10p rate was a very bad idea, and the main reason that the Tories took so much in the north.
As to the economy, most of its problems are not things that Brown has control over, they're to do with the global credit crunch.
I don't think there's really a great deal of reform that can be done (by either party) to massively improve Britain. But people will blame the government.
And there is always the fatigue factor: people have had Labour for 11 years now, they're tired of them. I think that it's very likely that the Tories will win the next election, unless Brown pulls a John Major. But when Major won in 1992 it's because people thought Labour would screw up the economy. I don't think that people will think the Tories will do that. So at the next election, I predict Cameron will be in.

You're probably right. Blair was able to present the party in such a way as to make it appealing to everyone. He had the charisma and the PR ability to win elections. Brown doesn't. This does mean that if he wins, it'll be because people like his policies, rather than are captivated by his charisma, a more honest way, but definitely much less likely.

Okay, when Labour came into power, they (by which I mean Gordon Brown) brought in a 10% tax band, between about £4000 and I think about £17000 income a year. So the poor paid less taxes (before then, that band was at the 20+ rate). I'm not sure about the exact numbers. But anyway, that was the lowest tax band, then above that you paid 22%, up to about £35000 a year, after that you paid 40%. But recently, Gordon Brown lowered the 22% rate to 20% but abolished the 10% rate, so from about £5000 to about £35000 (I think) you pay 20% income tax. So all the low-paid workers pay more tax. Now, he also raised benefits for low-paid parents and others who get income support, and is raising the minimum wage, but if you're a normal, childless, low-paid worker, you're paying a few hundred more pounds of tax a year, maybe a thousand. However, middle-class proffesionals are paying a bit less tax. So to most people, it looked like Gordon Brown was trying to buy middle-class votes at the expense of the working class, by abolishing a policy that he himself brought in 11 years ago. It's a very un-Labour policy. So as you can imagine, many Labour back-benchers, as old socialists and trade unionists, were very unhappy about this. And the Conservatives, who of course present themselves as a low-tax party, have been going around saying to working class people that Brown is raising their taxes. I note that the Tories have said that, if elected, they aren't promising to change the rates back... they wouldn't want to raise middle-class taxes, now would they!

Well it's probably because Labour has shifted its policies so much to the right under Blair's leadership that there's not much of a distinction between Labour and conservatives. Electing Cameron would just help bring a change and a bit of a fresh air.

Thanks for the English Polysci 101 course Oz

He's very good isn't he.  Even if I don't always see it his way, I still want him.










for my own forum...of course...what did you think I meant....

Gordon Brown is a worker.  Does not enjoy delegating, he is a workaholic. 

IMO he is working his way through his master plan and has a million things balanced simultaneously.  He is interested in getting through those and serving the country. 

Spin is not his priority at this time IMO.

He is not like Blair and he knows it.  He is relying on his work to sway voters, which it will not the way things are going.  But I think he will make more of an effort closer to the time when he needs to and that is what I am waiting to see.  Despite lacking charisma, he is capable and hugely experienced and will have some idea of how to go about things.  It will be very interesting to observe how he approaches it.  Assuming that he has not completely lost control of his situation already...lol...and is still master of his fate.

He did not inherit an economy...he was overseeing the economy all along from his post as Chancellor.  He is not responsible for the world crisis, but could be held to account for the UK economy as no one but himself has had power over it since Blair came into power.

Boris Johnson, aka that mouthy nutcase, will take over from Ken Livingstone.  But Livingstone was hardly in favour with the Labour Party...he's been an outsider and regarded as a loose canon with them many times.