shurlock

No Jamie, she didn't say islamic extremism. She said islamist extremism, the latter she called a "perversion of Islam". She then banged on about military and policing solutions being inadequate in isolation and emphasising the need to win hearts and minds. Pretty much what Soggy has been arguing. What are you cooking for lunch?

Improve surveillance? Sounds like circular, mom-and-apple pie to me, as if the highly respected intelligence services aren't already stretching every sinew to do this. The key question is how are you going to improve surveillance. If the country wants stronger surveillance, then it needs to back it up with resources. What are the figures? It takes 25-30 people to keep somebody under surveillance 24/7. If that is what the country wants, it needs to have an honest debate, not pontificate abstractly and assume you can have something for nothing. As to deportations and schools, France has taken a hardline to deporting suspected terrorists just in the same way as it promotes secular state education - it seemingly has not made much difference.

What do you already know Baldrick?

Another cunning plan.

The Met is having to find £1bn in savings - the cuts are very real pal. Whether it comes through staff or depleted resources, it affects delivery capacity.

The stabbing in Vauxhall is unrelated to this incident - just another Saturday night in sarf London.

Maidstone next.

Reports of a third incident in Vauxhall.

Disgusting, if true.

Tbf he seemed a bit clueless - on his timing the gunfire would have taken place around 10-10.15, with police arriving afterwards. Reports of subsequent gunfire, though suggestions it came from the police.

Anyone confirmed the gunfire?

stay classy

Wes Mini Me

I meant in relation to negotiating Brexit. Not sure how much of a majority the Tories will win, though am highly sceptical of the polls that predict a close race - as if younger voters are going to come out in force.

Yep look forward to seeing the Tories have to eat their own cooking.

Wasnt it KGB spy, Farage who anticipating a remain win was alleging conspiracies and electoral shenanigans? Your image as a dim kipper is reinforced, pal, if you don't think the leave campaign would have been whining had it lost the referendum. Btw were you one of the many voters who thought MI5 was conspiring with the government to stop Brexit

Because the Tories pride themselves on their discipline, competence and realism. That Labour is perceived a shambles is nothing new and already baked into the price. If anything, people are partly revising that assessment as Corbyn is outperforming what were very low expectations.

It's anything but academic: the statement is potentially another straitjacket at a time of uncertainty when HM Treasury needs as much flexibility to manage the economy as possible. Hammond was sensible and adult enough to acknowledge this reality. The Tories will win on Thursday. But politically it only adds to the appearance of incompetence, indiscipline and confusion in the Tory party, damaging its credibility to govern -whether in terms of implementing its domestic agenda or dealing with third parties i.e. the EU. It will have electoral consequences down the line.

Glad you agree that party is sending out mixed messages as you seem to eager to change the subject. You get the politicians you deserve. Couldnt be truer with you, little fella

Not revisiting old ground and getting into the economics with a 5-year old. Today's desperate and opportunistic statement from Fallon is all over the place and at odds with the Tory Manifesto - so much so that a party spokesman had to 'clarify' things. https://www.ft.com/content/b595f038-4846-11e7-a3f4-c742b9791d43 So yes, mixed messages aplenty but not surprised you missed it as it seems a daily occurrence for the Tories.

More Tory shambles and mixed messages over policy - this time, over income tax. Shame that Hammond is seemingly being sidelined. Was the only adult in the room in what is a pîss-poor Cabinet.

Or was it FR-10?

Iain Dale looked like he was going to cry.

Wrong. Because a country could launch a devastating nuclear second strike even after absorbing a massive first strike, nuclear weapons are, in Colin Powell's words, "useless". More important, in the context of a security threat, is the ability to escalate upto the point of using nuclear weapons. That depends on having more conventional weapons which can practically and credibly be used. Note that the threat of punishment is most credible when it is seen as proportionate to the seriousness of the offence which means having carrots and sticks appropriate for different levels of escalation. Thomas Schelling made this point years ago, though doubt he was in mind of the liver-shot halfwits in the QT audience. As CB Fry says no PM in their lifetime is going to press the red button. A damning verdict of our democracy and public debate if this becomes some kind of gotcha moment. No doubt it will be for the swivel-eyeds who, baying for an answer to a mindboggling hypothetical, only end up trivialising the issue. There are much better things to grill and take Corbyn to task over. Thought the audience was out of its depth tonight -with the exception of Neil, the experts (Paxman etc) haven't fared much better.