pap

Save your energies for glorious revolution, comrade

The Labour Party spent a lot of money during their period in office, and made some grievous errors during their time in charge - most notably going to war. That said, a significant proportion of the country's debt is down to bailing out the financial system. If the Conservatives were in power when that storm hit, would their response really have been any different? We've got to see parties of all colours in Government lately, and none of them have impressed. Perhaps that accounts for the low turnout we saw in yesterday's elections.

It wouldn't. All the mainstream parties are pretty much offering the same limited number of morsels on their political platter. It is a tired old menu which needs radical changes, and after running out of ideas in its 13 years of power, the outgoing Labour government would have been the last group of people you'd have expected to deliver radical change.

So you're going for style over substance then? Sadly, you're not alone. It's been that way since politics entered the television age, which is probably why we have so few top politicians of any conviction. Ed does come across as nerdy, but it's not really him that's the problem. It's us. We value the wrong things in our politicians, thus we have the crap that we have now. Winston Churchill tops many polls for Britain's best ever Prime Minister. Do you think he'd have a sniff at electability in this airbrushed day and age?

I'm not going to sit here and pretend that Cameron has had no foreign policy success. On the face of it, Libya looks like it was a good intervention, so credit where it's due, TDD. He did well there. That's about the only success I can point to. Everything else has been an unmitigated disaster. He bottled the EU question, and even though the EU veto looked good, it was ultimately toothless. The entire government seems to have been in bed with the Murdochs since 2006, hiring people like Andy Coulson and helping NewsCorp with their BSkyB takeover. He showed absolutely no leadership during the worst civil disturbances the country has seen in decades, preferring to extend his vacation rather than get home and do his job. Highest unemployment levels for decades, the country is back in recession and still going over budget. I don't think Cameron is doing a good job at all. Seems that the electorate is in agreement.

Innit? I think there's a touch of sticking up for our own here. Certainly isn't the first time we've done it (remember the interest in the Louise Woodward case) and we aren't the only people who carry that sort of bias (the Americans with Amanda Knox). I get the distinct impression that people representing the McCanns have tried to portray the Portuguese authorities as bumbling and backward, and to a large extent, they've succeeded. If this had happened on British soil, I wonder if people would shift from the commonly held starting position.

He's not an idiot. I'll agree that his nasal speaking style can be bloody grating, but his job would be to run the country, not narrate audiobooks.

He hasn't done too badly - certainly better than Hague did at a similar point after the first New Labour landslide. Why don't you think he'd represent us well internationally?

I visited Southampton last year when it was being run by the Tories. Filth overflowing on the streets due to Royston's hardball with public sector workers. Needless to say, wasn't impressed.

Listening to the Today Programme. It has not been a great night for the Coalition. Worst election results ever for the Lib Dems, apparently. Fewer than 3000 councillors left nationally.

JackanorySFC - the official report from the Portuguese indicates no conclusion to the case. That means they have no firm evidence to reach a satisfactory conclusion. That doesn't automatically mean that Madeleine was abducted by a sick pervert, as you suggest. It means they don't know what happened, and that's all it means. I ask again, what proof do you have for your statements. It's okay if you don't answer. It's rhetorical. Like the British and Portuguese authorities, you have none. So we're left with an open verdict, not conclusive proof which Madeleine is alive and well, which is a notion that the McCanns are very keen on promoting, be it through possible sightings or computer reconstructions. In nearly every other case of this kind, we'd assume the worst after this period of time and the story would have faded from the headlines. For the sake of argument, let's start with the hypothesis that at least one of the McCanns was complicit in Madeleine's death and that both covered it up. How do events look then? Oddly enough, they actually start to make sense. You could argue that Kate McCann refused to answer any questions because she wasn't confident that she would survive any cross-examination. You could argue that the tireless campaigning is a narcissistic guilt trip, or that the continuing mantra that Maddy is alive is a good way to raise the question over whether there was ever a murder in the first place. All it takes is a different starting position. You are starting from the exact opposite position. That's fair enough. History may prove one of those positions correct. I hope for all their sakes that you are correct. You can lay the conspiracy stuff on as thick as you like, but I'm not alone in thinking that there is something wrong here. As for Shannon Matthews, it was a thoroughly disgusting episode from start to finish.

I change my vote all the time, so perhaps not. Anyway, the mayoral election wasn't FPTP

Is there any proof that a sick pervert stole a child from a hotel room?

It's not holier than thou. It's called common sense. Would you leave 3 kids under the age of 4 alone while you were out eating/drinking with friends? Especially if you have loads of other options?

Or something else entirely. Let's not forget that the McCanns were suspects in Madeleine's disappearance. Why did Kate McCann refuse to answer 48 questions when prompted by the Portuguese police? How come they've set the likes of Carter Ruck against people who claim they are responsible, notably the chief Portuguese investigator?

The resort they were staying at had child-care facilities. 15 Euros an hour.

As you know, I grew up on a council estate. I can think of a couple of mothers on the estate who routinely left their kids to fend for themselves while they f**ked off out on the ****, but that is really about it, and they were definitely not well-regarded.

Yes, I really am able to say that. I'm a bit flabbergasted that you even have to ask the question.

Dunno. You may be right, but a lot has changed on the electoral landscape since we last went to the polls. Crap budget, government riven with corruption, rising unemployment and still in recession.

There's absolutely no way I would have left my kids unattended at that age, definitely not to go out drinking. With the sort of money the McCanns had at their disposal, there was absolutely no reason for them to leave their kids alone either. When my kids were young, we got babysitters whenever we were going out. If we couldn't get/afford a babysitter, we didn't go out. Irrespective of anything else they may or may not have done, they put their own interests ahead of their kids - with tragic consequences.

It's going to be interesting to see who comes away with what, but I'm looking forward to seeing the popular vote. I think both Lib Dems and Tories are going to get a bloody nose, with the Labour/UKIP vote share increasing significantly.

Today is election day. I have already been out and done my democratic duty, and got to vote for a local councillor and the directly elected Mayor of Liverpool. Anyone else voting today? Any predictions?

Precisely. Lambo is "Saints fit"

While I agree that it'll likely never happen, I don't think Rickie for England is mental. His stats have been off the charts this year, the best player in the Football League. He has scored and created goals consistently through the season. Last year, we were all wondering if he'd even make the grade in the Championship. No one is in any doubt now. Ok, he hasn't played at Premier League or international level, but he's fitter than ever, in the best form of his life and seems incapable of missing penalty kicks. Gamble? Defo. Mental? Possibly, but I'd back Rickie to continue what he's been doing - exceed everyone's expectations by a country mile.