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"Gove" and "Militant" appear in same sentence, shock.

Mr Gove named PCS boss Mark Serwotka and Unite's Len McCluskey and Andrew Murray as people for whom "militant is a badge that fits"

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk.edgesuite.net/standard/politics/article-24015158-gove-accuses-unions-of-an-attack-on-families.do

Good to see that the excuses for losing have already been prepared.

One can choose to remain silent and perhaps be thought a fool, or comment prematurely and remove all doubt..

Tosh. You’re correct in saying that by-elections are not a particular good indicator of how people might vote in a general election, but the Tory lie about Labour causing the global meltdown is losing credence, even with a Tory economist:-
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/ramesh-patel/growth-cameron-austerity_b_2007552.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

If you followed YouGov polls you would see that the Tory lead over Labour in so-called ‘economic competence’ is shrinking all the time, as Osborne’s policies unravel. Hardly surprising; I can’t find one example in the world of where austerity has worked.

Labour and their core supporters (as endlessly demonstrated here) spend so much time and effort focused on hating the Tories

blueturando. Maybe that’s because it’s the Tories who are in power at the moment and they’re doing some hateful things, especially to the disabled and other genuine benefit claimants. The duty of the opposition is to oppose, it’s all Cameron ever did (apart from promising to restore foxhunting and cut IHT, mainly in favour of millionaires). Whatever Labour says in 2012 may be out of date by 2015.

Labour manage to out do them on weakness and likeability.

In your dreams! A year ago, people were questioning whether Ed Miliband would still be Labour leader by now, but they don’t any longer. He’s taken the lead on a number of issues and regularly slaughters Cameron at PMQT, who nearly always lapses into a red-faced temper tantrum. One of the main characteristics of this government is its incompetence – the omnishambles – and if that isn’t weakness, what is!
http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2012/10/pmqs-sketch-miliband-gives-up-on-songs-of-dispraise-and-attacks-cameron-on-competence/

I’m not sure how you can claim that any of the Tories are more ‘likeable’ than Labour politicians. You’ve suggested before that Ed Balls may not be popular, but Osborne certainly isn’t. Yesterday’s Ipsos MORI poll had the party leader satisfaction ratings as Miliband minus 12, Cameron minus 29 and Clegg minus 45.

So far Labour have an 8-10% lead in the polls, which is to be expected mid term…..Does any one really expect the sitting government (lets just say the Tories) to win a mid term by election in the midst of a recession??

Apparently we’re not in a recession any longer, and during the years 1997-2005, Labour was regularly ahead in the opinion polls and did not lose a single by-election to the Tories.

They could be in for a shock (see 1992 for example)

The next election will be nothing like 1992. Then the Tories were defending a majority of 101 and lost 40 seats. Now they don’t even start with a majority. In 1992 Major, in his first election as leader, lied his way back into power by a promise to “cut taxes year on year” before proceeding to do just the opposite. Do you really think anyone will ever believe a word that Cameron says again, after all his broken promises?

No ruling party in modern times has ever increased its percentage of the vote in the subsequent election, and that’s not likely to change any time soon. I think you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who didn’t vote Tory in 2010 switching to them next time. Only 11% of Tories polled at their recent conference thought they had a chance of winning in 2015. The biggest danger for Labour at the next election would be losing over 40 seats at Westminster if the Scots vote for independence.

but the Tory lie about Labour causing the global meltdown is losing credence, even with a Tory economist:-

Not even the Tories have blamed Labour for the global meltdown, they blamed Labour for not protecting its citizens from the effects of the global meltdown and for not saving for a rainy day.

blueturando wrote:Red.......Come on be serious!!!! Does any one really expect the sitting government ( lets just say the Tories) to win a mid term by election in the midst of a recession??!!!
Not even the most loyal of Tory supporters would expect to win that one. Winning Corby will be like getting 3 numbers up on the Lottery....Nice, but it sure ain't the jackpot or life changing.

On a another note, I am delighted many of you Labour people think you have the next GE in the bag already. It will make things easier for the Tories when you actually have to come up with some serious policies following your 'No' to every spending cut put forward. Most of the general public are not that stupid, although I expect you would like them to be

Your asking the wrong person blue according to the Tory MPs (Thursday H.O.C) they are expecting their candidate to win Corby, to the extent they were boasting and you do not have to say "just let say the Tories".

We do not think that we have the next G.E in the bag, but we also think if the incompetent Tory gov't and a lot of hard work with honest policies MAY win the Labour Party the next G.E, as to No to every cut there is two reasons for this cutting too fast to deep Labour always has said that they would do the cuts over two terms of Parliament as for the cuts to the police Labour said they could afford 12% but the Tories cut them by 20%. They must have expected a song and dance from the UK public when they handed over 49% of OUR NHS to the private sector plus cut there budget by 20% and do not give me the fcuking SPIN about that the amount of NHS staff who have lost their jobs speaks volumes.