General election

Metaphorically speaking, the champagne corks would have been popping at CCHQ following the horrible attack in Manchester as May had simply been catastrophically bad on Monday. The interview with Andrew Neil was embarrassing as was the earlier press conference and you can see why her handlers are stage managing everything and doing their level best to keep her away from unplanned questions and the public. Banning questions from Sky News because they aren't willing to toe the party line? Absolutely ridiculous that they can get away with this. I knew May was useless but never realised she was quite that bad.

The terror attack leaves her able to get away from the car crash of her campaigning over the past week and to look Prime Ministerial up until the election. She won't face any awkward questions for several days and anything she says (pre-prepared statements, of course, where she can sound 'strong and stable') will be reported by all the media with anything said by Corbyn, Farron et al just an afterthought echoing what May has already said.

I always thought the Tories would win this election given their huge initial lead in the polls but I reckon without the attack, they might well have collapsed to a hung parliament or worse as people belatedly began to realise that the Emperor has no clothes. However, I think this will win it for them - May's Falklands moment, so to speak. Expect the drop in the polls to level off and the 'critical' terror threat to remain in place for at least a few months after the election just so the timing doesn't look too suspicious. God help us all when she begins her attempts at negotiating the Brexit deal as the EU negotiators have seen how she folds like a pack of cards under the slightest pressure.

Truth be told, it doesn't look to me as though May is dealing at all well with the pressure of the campaign (not to mention the pressure of trying to defend a say-nothing, completely uncosted and ill thought out manifesto). The squirming and the facial expressions in the Neil interview were pretty uncomfortable to watch as was her body-language, though the content-free responses which ignored the questions were just what we've come to expect from the Maybot.

Quoted from Maringer

Metaphorically speaking, the champagne corks would have been popping at CCHQ following the horrible attack in Manchester as May had simply been catastrophically bad on Monday. The interview with Andrew Neil was embarrassing as was the earlier press conference and you can see why her handlers are stage managing everything and doing their level best to keep her away from unplanned questions and the public. Banning questions from Sky News because they aren't willing to toe the party line? Absolutely ridiculous that they can get away with this. I knew May was useless but never realised she was quite that bad.

The terror attack leaves her able to get away from the car crash of her campaigning over the past week and to look Prime Ministerial up until the election. She won't face any awkward questions for several days and anything she says (pre-prepared statements, of course, where she can sound 'strong and stable') will be reported by all the media with anything said by Corbyn, Farron et al just an afterthought echoing what May has already said.

I always thought the Tories would win this election given their huge initial lead in the polls but I reckon without the attack, they might well have collapsed to a hung parliament or worse as people belatedly began to realise that the Emperor has no clothes. However, I think this will win it for them - May's Falklands moment, so to speak. Expect the drop in the polls to level off and the 'critical' terror threat to remain in place for at least a few months after the election just so the timing doesn't look too suspicious. God help us all when she begins her attempts at negotiating the Brexit deal as the EU negotiators have seen how she folds like a pack of cards under the slightest pressure.

Truth be told, it doesn't look to me as though May is dealing at all well with the pressure of the campaign (not to mention the pressure of trying to defend a say-nothing, completely uncosted and ill thought out manifesto). The squirming and the facial expressions in the Neil interview were pretty uncomfortable to watch as was her body-language, though the content-free responses which ignored the questions were just what we've come to expect from the Maybot.

agreed maringer. the only thing i'd argue against that is that we thought that the jo cox murder would seal it for us remainers, but look how that turned out, so maybe all is not lost, especially if the debate turned to the underfunding of the police and the prevent strategy plus the cuts in armed officers etc

Labour need to be banging the cuts to the police drum very loudly over the next few weeks to have a chance now. Critical threat level won't remain longer than a few days as forza said. It's very strange to call it in the aftermath of an attack unless there is some very conclusive evidence that an attack is likely. I have a feeling there is something they're not telling us but I'm not ruling out it being used as a politcal tool after advice from a group of people who are more likely to want a Tory PM than a Labour one.

I wonder if they think the bomber wasn't capable of producing the device himself and therefore had at least one accomplice? Reportedly very difficult to produce a functioning and powerful bomb even if you follow the various jihadi guides available around the internet. The 7/7 attacks were in enclosed spaces and this is why they caused so much damage. I suppose it might just be the case that the crowds were so dense in this attack that the level of casualties was so high. Really sick to pick on an event packed with little girls.

Anyway, OT. Let's hope they get the accomplice(s) soon, if he/they exist.

In a normal country searching questions would be asked about cuts to police (Labour should prioritise finding footage of her speech where she accused the Police Fed. of scaremongering about cuts from a couple of years ago) and her patent failure to reduce immigration over six years. This is not a normal country though alas...

Expect Lynton Crosby to be banging the 'Corbyn is a terrorist sympathiser' drum.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Expect Lynton Crosby to be banging the 'Corbyn is a terrorist sympathiser' drum.

He is a despicable human being.

I agree with everything Maringer said and just had this vision of Thatcher in that tank milking it for all it was worth, with the Westlands scandal smouldering away in the background. May is Thatcher lite but this bombing has given them the break they needed. illegitimates!

It is only  a Conservative government  that will clamp down on the terrorist,

Labour under Corbyn will only want to talk to them.

Let's give those terrorists a severe clamping down. Always works.

These people (terrorists) don't want to talk, us westerners are irrelevant to them.