political commentator * author * publisher * bookseller * radio presenter * blogger * Conservative candidate * former lobbyist * Jack Russell owner * West Ham United fanatic * Email iain AT iaindale DOT com
Monday, October 01, 2007
Quote of the Day
"What we want from David Cameron on Wednesday is a bit of Donner und Blitzen. No sunshine this year, thank you very much."
i kno i can be a bit of a clot, and whilst getting the gist of the quote, what on earth did they mean? donner & blitzen? must have been a jolly good lunch...hem-hem
...yes, apologies, it came to me as i was doing the dishes after my own jolly good lunch. in my defence i only got a d in german & that was a long, long, time ago.
I'm sure this Inheritance Tax thingy is just going to hoover up the votes of the 94% of people who don't pay it - these imbeciles have learnt nothing in their ten years in the wilderness.
I'm waiting to see who will claim that building more houses will help more people at the housing ladder, while at the same time assuring the squires in the shires that house prices will be maintained, and that the 'green belt' is safe with the Tories.
These people really are amateurs - they just haven't changed their spots at all. I appreciate that leopards can't change their spots, but bloody hell, this lot can't even organise a decent marketing campaign to at least pretend that they have moved with the times.
I did think Cameron was doing well in re-inventing the party - but this conference has proved that he hasn't even scratched the surface.
I find the patronising tone of the English, the poorest people in Europe for learning other languages, and their lack of respect for people for whom English is a second language, demonstrated here from Tories who like to 'show off' that they know a few words in German deeply depressing...
This typifies the 'we are better than you' attitude which pervades the Tory party from top to bottom, and explains why they are totally unable to win elections.
God I am so jealous ..I would love to be there.Inheritance tax is grossly unfair and most of the polulation will be paying it at the present rate.The witless twerp anon 4.28 forgets we are not dead yet although some of the idiots that pop in here would be improved by the experience.
Other child ""Raising the threshold to £1m would help poorer families"...its where it starts now thats the point not where its moved to
This will scare Gordon and this is where we get the benefit of Cameron`s work on softer issues and balance on the NHS and so on. Brown`s bounce will start to deflate soon and then we are in the game.
Anonymous 4:38 - What's patronising about knowing that donner und blitzen means thunder and lightning in German? It's a great phrase and more onomatapoeic than thunder and lightning.
Anonymous 4:20 - "Raising the threshold to £1m would help poorer families".
"Ben Brogan is whipping your ass on this blogging mullarkey"
Two points:
Malarkey, I think.
And the reference to whipping arses is very exciting. Iain's already mentioned the whips and boots and now we've got whipping. Sounds like the full BDSM scene in Blackpool.
Marcia's sending this on the Blackberry whilst I'm giving it the full wellington on the M6. Should be with you shortly. Don't start without us.
Great to see the "impartial" BBC giving first Vince Cable and just now Alistair Darling air time to attack Osborne's proposals as unworkable. Although every comment read out to Darling from the BBC Have Your Say website was in favour and however much Darling waffled it's obvious the proposal is being well received by voters.
What a great start to the Tory fightback. Another few days of this and Brown's lead in the polls will have evaporated.
Then watch as New Labour's bravado and triumphalism disappears under a mountain of hubris and Brown's only window of winning an election closes as the economy deteriorates and Prudence gets the blame.
"Judging by all this anonymous angst on all the Conservative Blogs over this IHT issue I'd say you've hit upon a winner here George old son."
Agreed. I think Osborne has correctly identified that capital taxes are a bigger issue for anyone with net worth over £250,000 than chipping a small amount off income taxes. For many people, their salary may not have risen much above inflation in the last ten years. However, people perceive that the times have been good under Gordon - many people have become far wealthier than they were a decade ago. But this is almost entirely through rising property values. Now they risk losing that new-found wealth to the Government when they die. So Osborne is protecting that gain - protection which Gordon is not offering them.
It doesn’t require Osborne to rubbish the handling of the economy for the past ten years - because that doesn’t ring true. But he is offering to allow people to keep that gain for their families, their friends - whatever. Gordon is going to take a big chunk of it away from them.
Very canny politics. I haven't been a fan of the Boy George, but I think he has played a blinder.
New Tory slogan - "Make a million, keep a million - but only with the Conservatives."
And someone break it gently to anon at the top of the thread - it's October. Damn near Christmas (although maybe with the early present of Gordon's missing majority!)
It's astonishing that the Conservatives didn't latch on until now to the visceral hatred that so many people, particularly older folk who may be more temperamentally inclined to come out and vote, have for "death duties".
So if I meet on the doorstep a potential voter - who is single and not an ex-pat tax payer and does not wait every day for his parents to die... what can I say a Tory government will do for then??
"So if I meet on the doorstep a potential voter - who is single and not an ex-pat tax payer and does not wait every day for his parents to die... what can I say a Tory government will do for then??"
Tell him his other relatives will get all the benefit should he get hit by a bus rather than Govt taking a wad.
"So if I meet on the doorstep a potential voter - who is single and not an ex-pat tax payer and does not wait every day for his parents to die... what can I say a Tory government will do for then??"
How the hell do we know? You don't say who you are, where you are from and what the hell the bloke is doing on your doorstep in the first place.
What we will get is a capitulation. And if Dave-id is in any way commited some kind of pitch to still be leader after the debacle of an election - whether next month. next year, or the year after (as I absolutely favour myself).
Perhaps an admission that 30% more Tories have puked in cabs than Labour? Just to keep Dale's dander up as he is at a low ebb.
Typical. It's only September, and already the Christmas imagery is being deployed
ReplyDeletei kno i can be a bit of a clot, and whilst getting the gist of the quote, what on earth did they mean? donner & blitzen? must have been a jolly good lunch...hem-hem
ReplyDeleteCamp reindeers?
ReplyDeleteI thought DC did the pseudo-green bit in Lappland last year. No one told him Santa's not for real yet?
donner & blitzen = thunder and lightning old chap, unless it is a reference to Santa's reindeer.
ReplyDelete...yes, apologies, it came to me as i was doing the dishes after my own jolly good lunch. in my defence i only got a d in german & that was a long, long, time ago.
ReplyDeleteNot A Sheep - Iain's a German speaker. I believe he, in common with most of us non-German speakers, knows what donner und blitzen means.
ReplyDeletedonner - thunder
ReplyDeleteblitzen - lightning
he must steal the former, and conduct the latter.
And while he is at it, how about some Sturm und Drang ?
ReplyDeleteAlan Douglas
Sadly what he delivers is a Doner Kebab !!
ReplyDeleteHH
Ben Brogan is whipping your ass on this blogging mullarkey..
ReplyDelete... as long as he's not delivering hamster kebab ....
ReplyDelete... and "Sturm und Drang" is vielleicht nicht so good an idee - isn't it what led Mr Hitler to Moskau ... and the Rest is History
Personally, I would recommend that the Tories should follow the advice given by the Oracle to Neo :
"Have some Apple Pie" .... and lots of Cream
No Iain, this is the Qoute of the day.
ReplyDeleteDavid Camera On
"Raising the threshold to £1m would help poorer families".
WHAT planet is this guy actually on.
I'm sure this Inheritance Tax thingy is just going to hoover up the votes of the 94% of people who don't pay it - these imbeciles have learnt nothing in their ten years in the wilderness.
ReplyDeleteI'm waiting to see who will claim that building more houses will help more people at the housing ladder, while at the same time assuring the squires in the shires that house prices will be maintained, and that the 'green belt' is safe with the Tories.
ReplyDeleteThese people really are amateurs - they just haven't changed their spots at all. I appreciate that leopards can't change their spots, but bloody hell, this lot can't even organise a decent marketing campaign to at least pretend that they have moved with the times.
I did think Cameron was doing well in re-inventing the party - but this conference has proved that he hasn't even scratched the surface.
I find the patronising tone of the English, the poorest people in Europe for learning other languages, and their lack of respect for people for whom English is a second language, demonstrated here from Tories who like to 'show off' that they know a few words in German deeply depressing...
ReplyDeleteThis typifies the 'we are better than you' attitude which pervades the Tory party from top to bottom, and explains why they are totally unable to win elections.
God I am so jealous ..I would love to be there.Inheritance tax is grossly unfair and most of the polulation will be paying it at the present rate.The witless twerp anon 4.28 forgets we are not dead yet although some of the idiots that pop in here would be improved by the experience.
ReplyDeleteOther child ""Raising the threshold to £1m would help poorer families"...its where it starts now thats the point not where its moved to
This will scare Gordon and this is where we get the benefit of Cameron`s work on softer issues and balance on the NHS and so on. Brown`s bounce will start to deflate soon and then we are in the game.
Brown reminds me of Nixon ...same shifty paranoia
Anonymous 4:38 - What's patronising about knowing that donner und blitzen means thunder and lightning in German? It's a great phrase and more onomatapoeic than thunder and lightning.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 4:20 - "Raising the threshold to £1m would help poorer families".
Did Cameron really say that?
Judging by all this anonymous angst on all the Conservative Blogs over this IHT issue I'd say you've hit upon a winner here George old son.
ReplyDeleteAnon 4:05
ReplyDelete"Ben Brogan is whipping your ass on this blogging mullarkey"
Two points:
Malarkey, I think.
And the reference to whipping arses is very exciting. Iain's already mentioned the whips and boots and now we've got whipping. Sounds like the full BDSM scene in Blackpool.
Marcia's sending this on the Blackberry whilst I'm giving it the full wellington on the M6. Should be with you shortly. Don't start without us.
Great to see the "impartial" BBC giving first Vince Cable and just now Alistair Darling air time to attack Osborne's proposals as unworkable. Although every comment read out to Darling from the BBC Have Your Say website was in favour and however much Darling waffled it's obvious the proposal is being well received by voters.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great start to the Tory fightback. Another few days of this and Brown's lead in the polls will have evaporated.
ReplyDeleteThen watch as New Labour's bravado and triumphalism disappears under a mountain of hubris and Brown's only window of winning an election closes as the economy deteriorates and Prudence gets the blame.
A scaringly on-message Dale on the PM programme. Give up any hope of him being interesting and edgy ever again..
ReplyDeletetravis,
ReplyDelete"Judging by all this anonymous angst on all the Conservative Blogs over this IHT issue I'd say you've hit upon a winner here George old son."
Agreed. I think Osborne has correctly identified that capital taxes are a bigger issue for anyone with net worth over £250,000 than chipping a small amount off income taxes. For many people, their salary may not have risen much above inflation in the last ten years. However, people perceive that the times have been good under Gordon - many people have become far wealthier than they were a decade ago. But this is almost entirely through rising property values. Now they risk losing that new-found wealth to the Government when they die. So Osborne is protecting that gain - protection which Gordon is not offering them.
It doesn’t require Osborne to rubbish the handling of the economy for the past ten years - because that doesn’t ring true. But he is offering to allow people to keep that gain for their families, their friends - whatever. Gordon is going to take a big chunk of it away from them.
Very canny politics. I haven't been a fan of the Boy George, but I think he has played a blinder.
New Tory slogan - "Make a million, keep a million - but only with the Conservatives."
And someone break it gently to anon at the top of the thread - it's October. Damn near Christmas (although maybe with the early present of Gordon's missing majority!)
ReplyDeleteA LibDem friend of mine (not one of the filthy rich, either) said the other day she would vote Conservative if we drastically reduced inheritance tax.
ReplyDeleteShe will now be voting Conservative.
It's astonishing that the Conservatives didn't latch on until now to the visceral hatred that so many people, particularly older folk who may be more temperamentally inclined to come out and vote, have for "death duties".
ReplyDeleteSo if I meet on the doorstep a potential voter - who is single and not an ex-pat tax payer and does not wait every day for his parents to die... what can I say a Tory government will do for then??
ReplyDelete"So if I meet on the doorstep a potential voter - who is single and not an ex-pat tax payer and does not wait every day for his parents to die... what can I say a Tory government will do for then??"
ReplyDeleteTell him his other relatives will get all the benefit should he get hit by a bus rather than Govt taking a wad.
Great conference so far.
ReplyDeleteWith no nails to bite, Gordo must be getting through twice as many nappies.
Anonymous
ReplyDelete"So if I meet on the doorstep a potential voter - who is single and not an ex-pat tax payer and does not wait every day for his parents to die... what can I say a Tory government will do for then??"
How the hell do we know? You don't say who you are, where you are from and what the hell the bloke is doing on your doorstep in the first place.
What we will get is a capitulation. And if Dave-id is in any way commited some kind of pitch to still be leader after the debacle of an election - whether next month. next year, or the year after (as I absolutely favour myself).
ReplyDeletePerhaps an admission that 30% more Tories have puked in cabs than Labour? Just to keep Dale's dander up as he is at a low ebb.