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| Tory co-chairman claimed Obama sent pollster to UK to stop Miliband, book says; Lord Feldman made claim about pollster Jim Messina in election night victory speech, say authors Philip Cowley and Dennis Kav | |
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| Topic Started: Dec 16 2015, 09:53 AM (81 Views) | |
| skwirked | Dec 16 2015, 09:53 AM Post #1 |
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On Enforced Vacation
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http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/dec/16/tory-co-chairman-claimed-obama-sent-pollster-to-uk-to-stop-miliband-book-says Lord Feldman’s remarks are described in a new book on the 2015 election by two academics, Philip Cowley and Dennis Kavanagh. . . . The claim is made in a footnote in The British General Election of 2015, but the authors say they have double sourced Feldman’s remarks that Messina was sent to help the Conservatives with Obama’s “explicit approval”. Messina’s expertise was in identifying segments of voters, especially those most likely to respond to a central narrative built around economic security. In 2014, Labour hired its own adviser from the Obama campaign team, David Axelrod, but for whatever reason he failed to have the same impact for the Miliband campaign. According to the book, Messina was also important in identifying Miliband’s unfitness for office. Conservative post-election analysis revealed that across its key seats, more than 80% of people who thought Miliband was not fit for office voted Conservative in the end, suggesting he was critical to the result. The book also discloses that Russell Brand had decided and told the Labour campaign that he would back Miliband before he interviewed the Labour leader, even though the Labour campaign team pretended during the election that his endorsement depended on Miliband’s answers to the questions posed by Brand in the interview. Vexatious Tory giblets or a sound, final kick in the face for Milipede?If this is true, the next election could already be sealed. |
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| Steve K | Dec 16 2015, 10:38 AM Post #2 |
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Once and future cynic
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Well it's not exactly news as they both talked about it the day after the election http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/british-elections-jim-messina-david-axelrod-117759 (well the news of Russell Brand/labour dishonesty was new but that's small beer) What this really shows is what Blair showed time after time: listen to the people through focus groups. And surely that is good as long as ultimately it's the ballot box that decides who is more in touch with the whole electorate. Cameron ran an OK campaign but Miliband ran a car crash one and in the end it was his woeful inability to lead that done for him. The lass from Scotland showed them both how it should be done. |
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| Affa | Dec 16 2015, 10:42 AM Post #3 |
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Senior Member
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Just confirmation, if any were needed, that the Establishment looks after itself first, its backers and their interests second, and the electorate somewhere further down the priorities after Bilderberg group members. |
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| skwirked | Dec 16 2015, 10:43 AM Post #4 |
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On Enforced Vacation
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Agree about Sturgeon. But you miss the point: the accusation is that Obama SENT Messina to 'get the job done' and the implication is that Axelrod - for whatever reason - didn't do very well. All rather sus and from a sus Tory source.. |
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| Steve K | Dec 16 2015, 10:46 AM Post #5 |
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Once and future cynic
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How on earth do you make that extrapolation? All these pollsters do is ask people what policies and qualities in politicians do they most want to see and then tell their sponsoring parties where they need to change tack. Why would you not want parties to follow the wishes of the electorate? |
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| Steve K | Dec 16 2015, 10:53 AM Post #6 |
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Once and future cynic
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Well there's been a long tradition that US presidents want to see stability in UK politics so undoubtedly Obama would have wanted Messina to help Cameron and not blocked him being hired in 2013 But Messina was hired, there was no gift using USA money. That would have been wrong http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-23551323 Now if you could show it was a Tory plant that said to Miliband "just cuddle up to Brand", "have Ed Balls as shadow chancellor"or "please have this photoshoot with a large stone" then you'd have a scandal. But seems they were all own goals. |
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| Rich | Dec 16 2015, 11:33 AM Post #7 |
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Senior Member
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Ed Milliband needed no help from anyone to lose the election, in this respect he was ultra efficient, as were those that stood by him and now snipe from the shadows. |
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| AndyK | Dec 16 2015, 01:36 PM Post #8 |
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Senior Member
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They also want the UK in the EU. The Conservatives were the worse bet on that score. |
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| Affa | Dec 16 2015, 01:53 PM Post #9 |
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Senior Member
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Only the worse bet if you believe their declared scepticism is real scepticism. As the Party of business, and business being wholly pro-EU it doesn't take much thought to work out which it is. EU scepticism collects a lot of fence sitters - people that think that voting Tory will lessen the EU influence. |
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| AndyK | Dec 16 2015, 01:57 PM Post #10 |
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Senior Member
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Yes that is an oddity, that the party of business also houses the majority of the Eurosceptics. Still Labour were not offering a referendum, so in that respect, the were less risky than the Conservatives. |
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| Steve K | Dec 16 2015, 07:58 PM Post #11 |
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Once and future cynic
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Maybe but it'd be preposterous to say the UK in the EU was Obama's #1 priority Way down the list compared to intel and military co-operation |
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| skwirked | Dec 16 2015, 07:59 PM Post #12 |
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On Enforced Vacation
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Milipede was a joke, not even a funny one. You may feel the same about Corbyn but I honestly believe he tries his best and wants the best for the British people. ... That is noble and laudable surely. I don't see why his ideas are "cuba without the sun". Everything is upside down, the Tories are being referred to as progressive reformers FFS! |
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| Rich | Dec 16 2015, 08:07 PM Post #13 |
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Senior Member
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Did you see/listen to PMQ's today, Mr Corbyn asked the PM 4 questions regarding the NHS and on 4 occasions the PM proved Mr Corbyn wrong....I wonder who it is that provides Corbyn with data before he asks the questions. And you believe that he means well? it would seem that he leaves himself wide open to scorn. |
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![]](http://z5.ifrm.com/static/1/pip_r.png)
Vexatious Tory giblets or a sound, final kick in the face for Milipede?



8:27 AM Jul 11