Tonight's seven~horse TV debate. Place your bets.

[MGJohn]

Had a look round the various on-line bookies sites. This will put a tad more interest in the show for some tonight. So who's your favourite/worst performer and what will be the most frequently used "spin" word or quote. Place your bets .


Here's the range of opportunities ...

General Election - 7 Way Leaders Debate - All Markets

Bet until : 02 Apr -20:00 UK

7 Way Live TV Debate Winner (by ComRes instant reaction poll)

Predict the leader that is voted the best performer in the ComRes instant reaction poll on the televised leaders’ debate (screened 2nd April 2015)

6/4 Nigel Farage

10/3 David Cameron

10/3 Ed Miliband

7/1 Nicola Sturgeon

9/1 Nick Clegg

14/1 Leanne Wood

20/1 Natalie Bennett

7 Way Live TV Debate Worst Rated (by ComRes instant reaction poll)

Predict the leader that is voted the worst performer in the ComRes instant reaction poll on the televised leaders’ debate

2/1 Natalie Bennett

3/1 Leanne Wood

7/2 Nick Clegg

7/1 Nicola Sturgeon

9/1 Ed Miliband

10/1 David Cameron

12/1 Nigel Farage

=====================================================

==

Will the following phrases/words be spoken by any of the party leaders during the debate?

To be Said at Anytime
Odds ~ Selection

1/100 Deficit

1/50 Zero Hours

1/6 Food Banks

1/6 The British People

1/5 Bedroom Tax

1/4 Living Wage

1/4 Ed Balls

1/3 Alex Salmond

1/2 In out Referendum

1/2 Hard Working Families

4/6 Northern Powerhouse

1/2 Australian Points System

EVS Tough Decisions

5/6 We inherited

2/1 Running Scared

3/1 All in it together

3/1 David Milliband

3/1 Jeremy Paxman

3/1 You Can't Trust the Tories

4/1 I agree with Nick

4/1 Two Kitchens

4/1 Twitter

4/1 Facebook

5/1 Not up to the Job

5/1 Pull up the Drawbridge

6/1 Hell Yes

6/1 Tony Blair

7/1 North London Geek

8/1 Labour's Economic Mess

8/1 Hell No

10/1 Are you Alright Ed

16/1 There's no money left

=========================

Tough decisions must have a chance and maybe good value at Evens ...

[MGJohn]

Hoofy said:

Oakey said:

Those are some of the sttest named horses of any Grand National ever.

That's the problem with the first past the post system (FPTP)...

Plus, never a Steward's Enquiry or immediate disqualification for failing to keep a straight course on May 7th either.

The two phrases I was going to have a few quid on have both shortened. In one case halved since post one earlier. Someone has had a few quid on them ... so had a few small bets on several phrases and will listen for any ... well why not. Helps to pass the time.

Two rank outsiders are 10-1 "Are You Alright Ed" and 16-1 "There's no money left". I wonder if anyone has the balls to somehow dare include "Are you alright Ed" ....

[MGJohn]

Strangely, no odds offered for Rochdale or anything Rochdale related ....

Some of the responses on this and other N,P & E threads have been very amusing and also deadly accurate.

Keep it up folks.

"Are you alright Ed" still a tempting 10 to 1... No that's the odds not nearly time for lunch ..

[MGJohn]

Art0ir said:

Yougov:

Sturgeon 28%
Farage 20%
Cameron 18%
Miliband 14.5%
Clegg 10%

YouGov = Fix.

[MGJohn]

Magog said:

Foppo said:

Whichever party or coalition wins this next election the cuts will be big.And it won't be the rich who will be paying the cost.Milliband already admitted to first year cuts won't change if he wins.

The females on the panel made most sense. Farage lost it in my opinion nasty boy.

Lord knows why he said the HIV thing, it wasn't necessary for him to make his point. Though some of what he says on the NHS makes sense, such as facing difficult choices with an ageing population, recouping some of the £2 billion from foreign patients is just a small part of the story when the organisation costs £100 billion+ a year to run, it's not a panacea.

He mentioned that HIV hot potato as part of the costings and the impact of migrants within our NATIONAL Health Service rather than International Health Service. NHS Migrants be they pregnant females or sickly folks with little hope of decent care in their own country go where their chances of help or even cure are best.

In our pc-riddled over-balanced world of UK media he should have chosen his words more carefully ... sick people migrate here for very simple reasons... Contrary to what some would have you believe, it is not Rocket Science.

Of the three females in the line up, annoyingly chopsy strident Sturgeon is a known quantity but I was rather surprised at how well the Plaid Cymru lady shaped up and performed in such a hostile environment.

Shouty lady in the audience Victoria Prosser now being interviewed on SKYnews... she obtained the publicity she set out to do. Making some valid points but none of which I and millions of others are not already aware of.

[MGJohn]

The Polls :~

The huge variations in the results on the seven who participated tonight must be a good pointer as to how accurate or inaccurate those preparing GE voting trends Polls can be relied on.

That must surely give some reassurance of their validity to some come May 7th whilst at the same time an undermining worry for others that none can be relied on.

There's only one Poll worth a damn.

[MGJohn]

SKY's highly rated Kay Burley disappoints me in the post debate feedback show currently showing. Posing questions and making statements as though her opinions are gospel. Maybe she is only acting to whatever instructions are in her ear piece. Even so, well down in my estimation now. Sky have more able females available in their line up.

[MGJohn]

mybrainhurts said:

Just lately, I have a recurring nightmare.

I'm locked in a room with Bennett. She's naked, dancing round me, throwing flowers at me and asking to tie my kangaroo down.

Be very afraid that your boomerang may come back ... Twang

We need more immigrants apparently.

[MGJohn]

Scuffers said:

Cupramax said:

speedy_thrills said:

Scuffers said:

its the National Health Service, NOT INTERNATIONAL.

Apparently 26% of doctors and 14% of NHS clinical staff are not British. What a massive bunch of foreign spongers.

Yeah, but whos money's paying for it...

and what does that have to do with it unless your suggesting they all have AIDS too?


one of the reasons we need so many migrants in the NHS is that our own trained staff are leaving to work in Aus/US/UAE/etc where they are paid much better with better conditions.

If only it was really that simple. Our NHS managed very well, maybe even far better in the past without a high percentage of non-UK born people. That is immigrants call them what you will. Maybe the odd nurse with an Irish accent who may have been from NI for all I know. Here I speak from direct personal experience. It was a long time ago though.

Yet again, this "Our NHS could not survive without foreign staff" is a huge red herring merely deflecting from the real issue that as a Nation we fail and look like continuing to fail to train or develop our own folks to do these essential jobs. Why do we do so much self-inflicted stuff.

Immigrants: If things are so very bad in their land of origin, why not stay there and improve things there.

Foreign aid: Back when Geldof asked to pay some fking money to Band aid to feed those poor starving folks, this household sent a few hundred quid. Quite a lot back then. Back then it did not occur to me that all that did was feed them regaining strength to produce more children. So the situation is exacerbated thus becoming even more of a problem. On reflection, I would have preferred to have sent the equivalent of that money in Contraceptives, Drugs and "how to" instructions. That way there would be more chance for things to improve in those less fortunate areas.

The people are the only ones who can sort their problems out. They may need help and guidance but throwing shed loads of money at them clearly is never going to be the effective answer.

When I was very small boy, I listened to my then frail and very aged grand mother on my mother's side who described how things were when she was a little girl ... using words like Workhouse and other such niceties. She had ten children and some did not see their first birthday. So how did this Nation not only survive things like that but went on to hugely improve the environment is just about every way for the nation ... as a whole. No Government did that. The people did it by using their brains, inventing and making things and working hard.

Nowhere near as bad as that today certainly but, it is rather worse than those we entrust to the Nation's well being would have you and I believe with their figures and spin. Only the people can really improve things and what I saw on the TV tonight convinces me even more that is the only answer. Trouble is there's a flaw in that scenario and thereafter come May 7th, we shall see that problem materialise... it is this :~

The Government Always Gets In!

Only the people can truly improve things. Always provided they have it in them. There's the rub as far too many are quick to point the finger of blame in any direction or anywhere except where it rightly belongs.

[MGJohn]

jonah35 said:

It's all well and good saying that a £10 minimum wage is good but businesses will crumble and/or not employ them, or employ fewer people so unemployment will go up.

Support businesses first.

This I've highlighted is something which makes my blood boil. Typical clueless thinking of Red Ed and those of similar mindset who have never actually had to earn a living as opposed to having a well paid job.

Red Ed and his predecessors have created many Public sector non-jobs for life and guess who picks up the tab for those and related final salary pensions and pension lump sums.

Too much of "The Taxpayer will provide" mindset.

I recently retired after fifty one years of employment. I earned a living working in both the Private Sector ( Mainly ); self-employed running my own business and some years in the Public Sector. The latter being a real eyeopener and the experience changed my voting habits for the rest of my life.

Even though my instincts are basically conservative, in the past I have mainly voted Labour. That is very unlikely to happen again. All things considered, including the threat that in so doing I will enable the dreaded "Two Eds" to form a Government, so be it. I will most definitely vote UK Independence Party and the devil take the hindmost.

It is the only way for those like me who are very angry at the way things have "progressed" in recent decades to send the message that things must change. Otherwise it's the same old...Meet the new boss, same as .....

Rearrange into a well known ...

Doomed are we...

[MGJohn]

spaximus said:

It would be easy to stop health Tourism from outside the EU. Make every airline, every train operator every shipping company liable for any passenger who travels with them without medical insurance liable.
Make it a compulsory requirement and you can be sure Ryan air etc would check every detail.

The other thing to look at for the NHS. Require every nurse or Doctor who has trained to be contracted for 10 years to remain in the NHS.
At the moment my daughter is a newly qualified Doctor, they are being encouraged to go to Australia for higher wages and a better life work balance. If she went, there is no requirement to pay back the training she has received at all. So all the money invested we lose. So we attract Doctors and nurses for abroad so we can fill the holes they leave.

Who is doing this encouraging?

Would she qualify under the Australian points system?

....

If as we are told many UK Health Staff trained at taxpayers' expense at every level seek their fortunes abroad, then something like a tied ten year NHS contract could be seen as a fair payback. We are also told staff leave the NHS and go to agencies who supply the same staff to again work within the NHS at hugely inflated costs.

Nice little earners for many again at UK taxpayers' expense.

Still, as you were. Nothing done. Not my fault. Blame lay elsewhere. I'm alright jack. Throw wider the doors. All are welcome. UK taxpayers will provide.

[MGJohn]

968 said:

Yes, they were, so from inception the NHS required immigrants to ensure it ran effectively. Given that the whole health economy and population has increased massively from that time, the reliance on immigrants has continued. The previous poster is not reflecting reality or indeed what actually happened with the NHS from the start.

"To ensure" you say. More like typical lazy, poor UK management quick-fix decisions without ever considering the wider longer term harmful implications and resulting problems. Maybe you are one of those who sincerely believe there is no alternative. There are always alternatives.

Just because something is in place for some time does not mean it is or was the correct course of action. The levels of immigrant workers in the NHS years ago was nowhere near the levels in more recent times. Short sighted quick fixes are rarely the best answer.

NHS Health Tourists:~

We are the mugs of the world and the ROTW know it and form queues to come and take costly and harmful advantage. I picked up my son from Terminal 5 Heathrow a while back and was surprised to see so many waddling females heavily pregnant arriving. That was just one fifteen minute visit. Tip of the Iceberg. There is no control and without control, things will never get better no matter what those we entrust to the UK's well being would have you believe.

No good burying our heads in the sand and hope these ever increasing problems all go away. They wont. These things need to be addressed urgently. In fact they will worsen. The ROTW know our long term fate is both assured and deserved and will continue to take full advantage unless we as a Nation as a whole take effective measures to change things double sharpish.

[MGJohn]

clockworks said:

... but a Tory/UKIP coalition seems like the best option this time around.

Personally, I think that a Boris/Farage double act would be a good thing in 5 years time.

Hardly worse than any of the current possible outcomes.

I shall be voting UKIP for the first time in my life. If that means as some would have us believe that will allow the hoirrific Two Eds scenario access to Downing Street, so be it!

What really was interestying to see in the aftermath of last night's seven sided TV debate was the huge variation in the results of various Polls. One TV report showed that Nigel Farage was voted the most effective and least effective speaker! Other polls showed permutate any 4 from seven as the top three.... hiow much of a reliable indicator are those polls ... no chance.

With that in mind, just maybe the GE Polls so far have provided data just as unreliable. I suspect many folks for various reasons, are loath to reveal where their vote will go come May 7th. TV folks stopping people and asking how they will vote showed a high proportion who were not prepared to say where their vote will go. Where those reticent folks finally place their Xs could torpedo all the data gathered on the polls so far.

[MGJohn]

BGARK said:

I was working with a Romanian colleague today who has no clue about the elections or politics within the UK.

For a bit of fun I sent him this link have a go at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/general-election-2...

The result.. 75% UKIP.

His comments when chatting about some of his own values, nothing instigated by me he very clearly said that if it was up to him he wouldn't have let half the idiots he knows into this country!

Funny you say that, I have two long standing immigrant friends both who my wife and I have known for at least twenty years. A lady who is Polish and a gent from the Caribbean. Talking to them, both agree immigration has gone beyond control in the UK. The Polish friend is frequently used by the local Police for interpretation jobs as many here cannot speak a word of English ... or, maybe pretend not too when nicked.

More recently, I was removing a Turbocharger unit from a car in a breaker yard. Working on the cars each side of me were two guys both of Eastern European origin. Two different countries. How do I know this? I asked them when both asked me if they could borrow a tool from me and I helped. Jokingly I told both not to leave the country before returning my tool. One told me he has no respect of the other lazy so-and-so because of their country of origin.

Only in the UK....

Yuz cudnee mek eet oop.

[MGJohn]

Chicken Chaser said:

We need a party who will point that out and address it, not complain that foreigners are our main problem.

Not the main problem but a big problem none the less. Unless it is as you say, specifically addressed, it will only get bigger along with other associated problems. It is something many people are increasingly more angry about and will show that come the GE. On May 7th, I am convinced the Nation will send a largely unexpected hard message to those we have entrusted the Nation's well being to for far too long. Due to their short sighted pc-riddled handling of far too many things they have mainly failed to deliver. Thereby creating many of these self-inflicted problems.

Avidly consume their incessantly positively presented figures and statistics supporting their stance on these things if you desire. I much rather than consume that same old regurgitated stuff, prefer to rely on the evidence of my own ears and eyes.

[MGJohn]

irocfan said:

MGJohn said:

Chicken Chaser said:

We need a party who will point that out and address it, not complain that foreigners are our main problem.

Not the main problem but a big problem none the less. Unless it is as you say, specifically addressed, it will only get bigger along with other associated problems. It is something many people are increasingly more angry about and will show that come the GE. On May 7th, I am convinced the Nation will send a largely unexpected hard message to those we have entrusted the Nation's well being to for far too long. Due to their short sighted pc-riddled handling of far too many things they have mainly failed to deliver. Thereby creating many of these self-inflicted problems.

Avidly consume their incessantly positively presented figures and statistics supporting their stance on these things if you desire. I much rather than consume that same old regurgitated stuff, prefer to rely on the evidence of my own ears and eyes.

dude if you're hinting that UKIP will have a large increase in MPs I guarantee you that they won't. I'll go as far as to say if they get 10 seats it will be the biggest shock since Churchill lost the '45 election - probably bigger. In fact if they even double their current number it would count a resounding success. If we're desperately unlucky the greenies will get 1 extra possibly 2. The 2 big boys will again dominate

I did not hint that. The message will still be there though.

Sadly dood, your closing remark no doubt will be 100% accurate.

[MGJohn]

Chicken Chaser said:

Mr Whippy said:

The EU project is doomed to failure .......

You're talking about the middle class with poor lifestyles. I'm talking about the feckless underclass which out breeds your average working/lower middle. They have no income, no savings and yet still expect the state to provide them with enough money for 20 a day, alcohol and a 50 inch TV with sky in their rent free council houses. There are too many of them who generation after generation have taken without giving anything. They know no different.

Much the way I see things. Have I got it wrong?

Maybe over the years, the Two Eds outfit have deliberately supported that state funded "out breeding class" who if they bother to vote, have bred more Labour voters... Stands to reason ... Bonus. Figures ? ... or, not.

The Government and not the taxpayer will always provide... yeah ... right.

All so very depressing and come May 7th, will that depression lift? ... Fat chance ..

[MGJohn]

RYH64E said:

Mr Whippy said:

I agree, but the thing with domestic piss takers is they have a vote, but they also have money in savings, pensions, and income... so in the future they CAN pay for their excessive health care needs... not to mention they've probably paid in for their entire lives up until that point so are somewhat entitled to this care, albeit a bit wasteful and silly to provide.

You would probably be surprised how many working people have no money, no savings, no assets and no pension. Listening to some of the people at work talking about their finances is scary, when they say they're got no money they mean just that, nothing.

I wouldn't be surprised. Not now. Tell you why.

Yes, just like you, until I retired a few years ago, I was sometimes surprised to hear colleagues discussing their personal finance problems. Mind you, they somehow managed to have a newish BMW on near crippling monthly payment schemes and at least one foreign holiday each year. Always ran out of money by week three each month.

Even career professionals would be in trouble if an unexpected bill for merely a few hundred cropped up. Nice car they didn't really need and holidays each year though.

Then some accuse me of being lucky having paid off a once hefty mortgage and I actually own my cars. Yeah ... pure luck.

[MGJohn]

Northern Munkee said:

TankRizzo said:

.
Ballsy move from Miliband to rule out the coalition with the SNP. Oof, stick that up you Nicola.

No it isn't "the British people have spoken and I must accept and respect that decision and so now I enter negotiation with...."
.

So very true. I cannot visualise that ever happening except when it happens... I can't spell gobbledygook ...

Tonight's five way discussion was a disappointment. Maybe that audience was a bit too BBC "random"...

[MGJohn]

Good grief. Just seen Kevin Maguire talking unbiased sense on the BBC! First for everything I suppose..