General election 2010 UK

[S<Chowdhury]

As Gordon Brown formally announced the dissolution of parliament, the Prime Minister claimed that the Conservatives could not be trusted with the economy.

However, David Cameron said the public had a choice between a “fresh start” under his leadership, offering the country a vision of “hope and optimism” rather than five more years under Mr Brown.

The contrasting tone of the party leaders’ messages was used by George Osborne, the shadow chancellor, to set the scene for the fight ahead in the closest election campaign for almost 20 years. “Britain wants change but it’s going to be a big, hard-fought election,” said Mr Osborne.

“The battle is going to be between hope and fear – hope that the change that the Conservatives can bring can get our economy off its back and the fear of a Labour Government that will throw all sorts of scare stories at us.”

Mr Brown visited the Queen at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday to ask her to dissolve parliament with an election to be held on May 6.

Calling the poll the “most important election for a generation”, Mr Cameron broke with convention by making his opening election speech minutes before Mr Brown had formally announced the start of the campaign.

The Tory leader said: “If you vote Conservative, you are voting for hope, you are voting for optimism, you are voting for change, you are voting for the fresh start this country — our country — so badly needs.”

Mr Brown, who had pointedly assembled his Cabinet colleagues behind him outside No 10, then made his plea for Labour to be given an historic fourth term. In what will be seen as an acknowledgement of his unpopularity with voters, he said: “I am not a team of one.”

The Prime Minister, who is leading his party into an election for the first time, said: “Britain is on the road to recovery and nothing we do should put that recovery at risk.

“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.”

Mr Brown recalled the action he had taken to tackle the financial crisis in 2008, suggesting that the Tories could not be trusted in a similar situation. “There will be many big challenges and many big decisions to make over the next few months upon which our future success depends,” he said.

Mr Brown also boasted about his “ordinary middle-class” background, a remark that will undoubtedly be seen as an attack on Mr Cameron’s “privileged” background. “I will never forget the values — doing the right thing, doing your duty, taking responsibility, working hard — that my parents instilled in me,” he said.

Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, said the election would not be a “two-horse race” and his party had a genuine chance of significantly influencing the outcome.

Immediately after their speeches, Mr Brown, Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg set out on the campaign trail.

The Prime Minister visited Kent and Essex, while the Tory leader met volunteers in Birmingham and Leeds.

Mr Cameron, 43, declared himself “daunted yet excited” by the start of the campaign. He is aware of the scale of the challenge facing him if he wants to become the first Tory Prime Minister since John Major and the youngest premier since Lord Liverpool in 1812.

To win a majority, the Conservatives have to achieve the biggest electoral swing in the party’s history, 6.9 per cent. Overall, they have to win an extra 117 seats. However, the party has been buoyed by the impact of their pledge to reverse Labour’s planned rise in National Insurance contributions and is preparing to release a new list of leading businessmen backing the policy.

Among them will be Bob Wigley, a former banker who has written a review of the City’s competitiveness for Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London; Tim Steiner, the chief executive of Ocado and Nick Robertson, the founder of the online fashion retailer Asos.com.

In a speech to party supporters in Leeds last night, Mr Cameron warned that Labour would fight on its experience of government. “We all experienced their experience,” he said. “We were there when they doubled the national debt, when they brought in 178 tax rises, we were there for record youth unemployment. We were there when they sold the gold.

“We shouldn’t have to put up with what we’ve got. Britain deserves so much better than what we’ve got today.”

Today, the three party leaders will clash in a final Prime Minister’s Questions session in the Commons before Parliament is dissolved next Monday and the election campaign begins in earnest.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/elec...-and-fear.html

[Supreme]

Political leaders have headed off on the campaign trail after Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced the UK general election would be held on 6 May.

He said he would seek a "clear" mandate to continue the "road to recovery", as Labour bids for a fourth term.

David Cameron, whose Conservative Party has been ahead in the polls, said they offered "hope" and a "fresh start".

Nick Clegg, leader of the UK's third biggest party the Liberal Democrats, said only they offered "real change".

Shortly after announcing the date at Downing Street, Mr Brown boarded a train and headed to Kent to meet voters at a supermarket in Rochester.

Mr Cameron headed to a hospital in Edgbaston, Birmingham, before addressing a rally in Leeds while Mr Clegg met young people in Watford.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politi...10/8603591.stm

So, it's official. It's the first time I'm able to vote, and I'm voting Liberal Democrat. Although, I'm beginning to hate the Tories with every passing day.

[Uthman]

Thread approved, but please provide a source for the article as soon as possible. Thanks. :)

[Supreme]

I would assume it's the Guardian, judging by the font of 'voting intentions'.

Amirite?

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[S<Chowdhury]

I would assume it's the Guardian, judging by the font of 'voting intentions'.

Amirite?

Yeah your right about the pie chart that was copied from the Guardian but the article itself was from the Daily Telegraph

[S<Chowdhury]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politi...10/8603591.stm

So, it's official. It's the first time I'm able to vote, and I'm voting Liberal Democrat. Although, I'm beginning to hate the Tories with every passing day.

Congrats ^ But voting Liberal Democrats Oh Come On ! I hate the Tories alot sooo I'll be voting Labour !!!!

[S<Chowdhury]

General Election 2010 as it happens Live Blog

[tango92]

in my consituency its always close between lib dem and labour and lib dem usually win, so im voting labour this year cause we cannot have tories gaining a majority. just because i heard something about them putting uni fees up, plus my dad hates them

[Uthman]

I think the Liberal Democrat's six-year plan to abolish tuition fees is...interesting.

[Supreme]

Congrats ^ But voting Liberal Democrats Oh Come On ! I hate the Tories alot sooo I'll be voting Labour !!!!

To be honest, I hate the Tories so much I'm tempted to vote Labour. But my principles tell me to vote Lib Dem... either way, with a hung Parliament looking likely, we may just see some Lib Dems in government.

David "call me Dave" Cameron talks like a weasling public school boy. "Dave" recognizes that because the British public are so inbred, mentally deficient and ignorant it doesn’t matter what policies he has and as such, he has none. What matters is that he is perceived as being cool. I heard they were planning on running the campaign under the slogan '**** off out of the country if you're not a rich white', although this was changed at the last minute due to cultural insensitivity.

[Amadeus85]

Is a person called lord Oliver Cromwell takes part in elections this year?

[Trumble]

I live in a Conservative and Lib Dem marginal, and despite thinking their leader is an idiot (which is equally true in both cases) will vote Lib Dem to keep the Tories out. Unlike many of you, I suspect I'm old enough to remember the nightmare that was the Thatcher era, the dole queues that came with it, and the divided society it bred on the basis of greed.

The Tories haven't changed, it's still "steal from the poor to give to the rich". Already they are planning a so-called 'people's bonus' in flogging off bank shares; what that actually means is selling what everybody owns to the relative few who can afford to buy into the action and sell the shares on to institutional investors to make a fast buck. The only decent policy they have is scrapping the identity card nonsense, but then the Lib Dems will do that as well.

[Supreme]

Labour have hit back over criticism of their plans to raise National Insurance as Conservative leader David Cameron says they are looking "very rattled".

It comes after 13 more business leaders backed Tory plans to curb the rise.

Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling said Tory plans were based on "fantasy" savings. The Lib Dems said Mr Cameron's plans would require a VAT "bombshell".

Mr Cameron said it was the NI rise not Tory plans to make £6bn of "efficiency savings" which threatened the recovery.

In Thursday's other election developments:

* Actor Sir Michael Caine joined David Cameron as he outlined Conservative plans for a "national citizen service".
* Nick Clegg and ex-leader Charles Kennedy launched the Lib Dem Scottish campaign in Glasgow
* Plaid Cymru leader Ieuan Wyn Jones launched his party's campaign in Anglesey
* Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey announced he would stand in South Antrim
* Parliament sat for the last time ahead of being dissolved, with the Lib Dems complaining that Labour and the Tories colluded to water down bills

On the day Labour's National Executive Committee finalised details of the party's election manifesto, Mr Brown, Mr Darling and Business Secretary Lord Mandelson launched their press conference counter-attack on the Tories.

The Tories nonsensical plans have won the favour of yet more leaders incensed by the promise of no NI increase, although as usual, David 'Call me Dave' Cameron is trying to decieve people into believeing he has a single credible policy!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politi...10/8608535.stm