UK - PM to announce 6 May general election

[dirtydog]

PM to announce 6 May general election

The three main party leaders will go head-to-head live on television

Gordon Brown will announce on Tuesday morning that the general election will, as expected, be held on 6 May, BBC political editor Nick Robinson says.

The prime minister will go to Buckingham Palace to ask the Queen to dissolve Parliament.

On returning from the Palace he will formally confirm the date and make a speech in Downing Street in which he will dub the election "the big choice".

The economy, taxation and public services will be key battlegrounds.

The campaign will also feature, for the first time, live television debates between the three main party leaders.

It will be the first time that Mr Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg have led their respective parties into a general election.

We are in for most unpredictable, most dramatic and most exciting election in many years - I can't wait
Nick Robinson



Nick Robinson's blog

On returning from the Palace, Mr Brown is expected to say: "The people have fought too hard to get Britain on the road to recovery to allow anybody to take us back to the road to recession."

He will outline "three big challenges" facing the country - securing the recovery, protecting front-line services whilst halving the deficit, and renewing politics.

At about the same time, Mr Cameron will make a speech in which he is expected to say the Tories are fighting for "the Great Ignored".

"We're fighting this election for the Great Ignored - young, old, rich, poor, black, white, gay, straight.

"They start businesses, operate factories, teach our children, clean the streets, grow our food and keep us healthy - keep us safe. They work hard, pay their taxes, obey the law," he will say.

more here

[Thetyim]

Why no option for pouring blood over 10 Downing Street ?

[Mr Brown]

This should be interesting

Gordon Brown calls 6 May general election


Mr Brown left Downing Street for a meeting with the Queen

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has confirmed that the UK general election will be held on 6 May.
Flanked by his entire cabinet, Mr Brown said it was the "least well-kept secret of recent years".
He said he would seek a "clear" mandate to continue the economic recovery and urged voters not to put it "at risk".
But David Cameron said the Conservative Party offered a "fresh start", while Lib Dem Nick Clegg said only his party offered "real change".
'Road to recovery'
Mr Brown made the announcement outside Downing Street, after a 20-minute meeting with the Queen at Buckingham Palace to seek the dissolution of Parliament.
The prime minister - who faces his first election as Labour leader - said he wanted a "clear and straightforward mandate" to continue the work of economic recovery.
He said he would be travelling the country telling voters: "Britain is on the road to recovery and nothing we do should put that recovery at risk."
And he added: "We will not allow 13 years of investment and reform in our public services, to build up the future of these great services, to be put at risk."
He also paid tribute to the "courage" of the armed forces in Afghanistan and said Labour would "support them in every way", and would produce a plan to make politics more transparent and accountable.
We are in for most unpredictable, most dramatic and most exciting election in many years - I can't wait


Nick Robinson



Nick Robinson's blog
Live coverage: Text and video

Mr Brown stressed his ordinary upbringing and said Labour would "fight for fairness at all times".
Mr Brown said: "We will say to the British people: 'Our cause is your cause'," before adding: "Let's go to it."
But Mr Cameron said he offered a "modern Conservative alternative" and his party offered "hope, optimism and change" and a "fresh start".
'Something different'
He criticised 13 years of Labour's "big government" and said it was time for the Tories' "big society" instead, adding: "If we win this election, there will be real change."
Describing it as the "most important general election for a generation", he urged activists to tell voters: "Let's get off this road to ruin and instead get on the path to prosperity and progress."

Cameron welcomes election plan

Lib Dem leader Mr Clegg told reporters earlier on Tuesday the election campaign would not be a "two-horse race" between the two biggest parties, and people were "crying out for something different".
"All bets are off," he said.
"This is a choice now between the old politics of the two old parties and something new, something different, which the Liberal Democrats offer."
It will be the first time that all three have led their respective parties into a general election - none were party leaders at the last one in 2005.
Hung Parliament
It will also be the first campaign to feature live television debates between the three main party leaders.
The whole cabinet is to start campaigning immediately and the shadow cabinet is also poised to fan out across the country.
The three main parties - along with a host of other smaller parties - will be fighting for 650 seats, four more than currently exist because of constituency boundary changes.
To secure an overall majority, a party must win at least 326. If no party succeeds in doing so, the result will be a hung Parliament.
ANALYSIS
Ross Hawkins
BBC political correspondent

Much of the substantial discussion in the coming weeks will centre on policies for taxing the public, and spending their money.
Recent debate has centred on the government's plan to put up National Insurance next year, and the Conservative policy of blocking much of the rise.
Journalists will press politicians for more detail on whether their sums add up, and where spending cuts will come.
These debates will be picked over in huge detail. Few will have the time to follow every twist. But at the heart of each one will be the fight to appear credible on the economy.
Battlegrounds drawn
Clegg: Not a two-horse race

After 13 years in power, Labour enters the election with a notional majority of 48 seats, meaning that a loss of 24 seats would see them lose their overall majority.
Whatever the result, the make-up of the House of Commons will change significantly following the election, with 144 MPs so far having announced that they will stand down.
Opinion polls timed to coincide with the announcement all suggest a Conservative lead over Labour, by differing margins.
An ICM survey for the Guardian indicates the Tory lead has dropped to just four points, with the Conservatives on 37%, Labour on 33% and the Lib Dems on 21%.
However a YouGov poll in the Sun and another by Opinium for the Daily Express suggest the Tories have opened up a 10% lead - the margin David Cameron is likely to need in order to win an outright majority on 6 May. The Sun has the Tories on 41%, Labour on 31% and the Lib Dems on 18%. The Express reports a 39/29/17 split.

[buriramboy]

At last only 1 more month of Labour thank fok.

[Mr Brown]

And the potential of 5 years of Conservative; fuck that.

[crazy dog]

Anything is better than Gormless Gordon, the worst PM I can remember, and there have been a few shite ones in the last 50 years!

[Mr Lick]

I agree that there is a need to change the government of the day who have been quite appalling during the past decade.

The problem is that another party will inherit the incredible debt that the current one has caused.

Nothing much will change, other than a rise in taxes to cover the massive debt.

As long as UK politicians have a policy of towing the party line and not their consciences, in order to manouvre themselves into a better paid and improved position within the party, the general public are doomed.

Politicans themselves acknowledge that they may only serve a term of 5 years as a member of the ruling party and during those short years they will do their damnest to attempt to improve their personal lives, not necessarily the lives of the country's citizens.

The Labour Party under Blair and Brown has been guilty of many maleficent acts and IMO the nation will be well rid, but i can recall using similar remarks in 2005 well after the Blair admnistration had kindly started a war in the middle east. (I'm not sure who were the biggest buffoons at the time, him or the public for re-electing him).

[buriramboy]

And the potential of 5 years of Conservative; fuck that.

Best of a bad bunch by a long way.

[Butterfly]

don't forget to vote for BNP, the best party ever

[buriramboy]

don't forget to vote for BNP, the best party ever

I prefer UKIP these days after Nigel Farage speech at the European parliament last month, FAF.

[crippen]

don't forget to vote for BNP, the best party ever

I prefer UKIP these days after Nigel Farage speech at the European parliament last month, FAF.

Nigel was on HIGNFY this week. They gave him some stick.(On pirate bay now)

[Begbie]

As long as UK politicians have a policy of towing the party line and not their consciences, in order to manouvre themselves into a better paid and improved position within the party, the general public are doomed.

It's become fairly clear that the only policy these wankers have is lining their pockets. Labour have had plenty of time to attempt to fix the damage of the Thatcher disaster but lacked the mental aptitude for the job. Labour and Tory, same same but no different. Uncle Tom getting turfed out might teach him a bit of humility.

[pompeybloke]

Hoping for a 'hanged' Parliament.

[Begbie]

^Well I understand some are being done for fraud but it's not a capital offense.

[deathstardan]

Does anybody know what I need to do to vote in the election here in Bangers? I presume I can.

I think the Conservatives may need all they help they can get...

[Norton]

Tory lead has dropped to just four points, with the Conservatives on 37%, Labour on 33% and the Lib Dems on 21%.

A coalition between Conservatives and Liberal Dems will be interesting.

[Belepheron]

"We're fighting this election for the Great Ignored - young, old, rich, poor, black, white, gay, straight.

"And after all you tossers have voted us in we'll fcuking ignore you again just the lot before us, and those before them and those before them..........."

Which is one of the reasons why I'll ignore them although the chances of them doing any canvassing around the back alleys of Quan Hai is pretty remote.

Fcuk all this middle of the road crap, let's have a good old fascist dictatorship. Get some of these hand wringing liberals out in front of a firing squad, "last cigarette?"
Oh no we can't do that, smoking is bad for health.

Get the police armed and in brown shirts out in the city centers waiting for the binge drinking yobbos to emerge at closing time. See how they like it seeing their blood mixing with the piss and puke in the gutters.

What's missing from British politics is a hate figure. I hated Maggie Thatcher but at least she had some character that provoked a reaction. Nowadays they are all escapees from Madame Tussauds, all the character of a blancmange and about as much spine.

John Prescott was one of the last of the good guys. At least he drove Jaguars and could swing a tasy right hook.

[Butterfly]

it seems that the political landscape in the UK is quite fucked

Labour, Conservatives, BNP

not much of a choice, is it ?

I still think Labour will win, the others are way too dysfunctional. They could do more damage, if that's even possible

[Butterfly]

Labour have had plenty of time to attempt to fix the damage of the Thatcher disaster but lacked the mental aptitude for the job.

to be honest, after the nuclear strikes of the Thatcher era, the damage was beyond repairable, too late to do anything. Having no industry left is frankly a catastrophe. Too much effort at this stage to change the game.

[superman]

A coalition between Conservatives and Liberal Dems will be interesting.

It'll never happen, Conservatives to win convincingly.

[Norton]

Admit I know little of Brit politics but the way the polls are showing now sure looks like a coalition in the offing.

The good news is we won't have to suffer a 2 year barrage of mad vows disease like we do in the US.

[superman]

A coalition between Conservatives and Liberal Dems will be interesting.

I'm sure it would be. But I'm a great believer in proportional representation rather than that.

[slackula]

Does anybody know what I need to do to vote in the election here in Bangers? I presume I can.

Not if you have lived abroad for a few years; you are automatically disenfranchised by HMG, but you still have to grovel to them when you want a passport renewal or any other sort of help from the embassy.

[buriramboy]

A coalition between Conservatives and Liberal Dems will be interesting.

I'm sure it would be. But I'm a great believer in proportional representation rather than that.

PR would be a disaster for Britain, you'd have a lab/lib coalition for eternity.

[Norton]

Not if you have lived abroad for a few years

They don't have absentee ballots at the Embassy for Brits abroad?