# Blair calls British election for 5/5/05 **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 5, 2005, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blair-calls-british-election-for-5-5-05/297830 "2005-04-05T13:08:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blair-calls-british-election-for-5-5-05/297830/61 "2005-04-09T12:55:36Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Cite? On exactly which day did this headline appear? > > A search of the Daily Mail Website turns up nothing. Do you hear that whooshing sound? It’s more like a collage of a week’s splash headlines. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blair-calls-british-election-for-5-5-05/297830/62 "2005-04-09T13:01:09Z")
As for ID cards, it’s definitely neither Left nor Right, it’s Statist - it is indeed all about control. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blair-calls-british-election-for-5-5-05/297830/63 "2005-04-09T15:21:22Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Do you hear that whooshing sound? It’s more like a collage of a week’s splash headlines. I have great difficultly believing you: it’s easy to say ‘Whoosh’ after you’ve been caught out. It sounded more like a typical socialist mud-sling. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blair-calls-british-election-for-5-5-05/297830/64 "2005-04-09T15:53:40Z")
> [@owlstretchingtime](#): > > Nope - it’s a leftie thing I guess that explains why Ireland’s right wing Minister for Justice plans to introduce ID cards, and why _all_ the objections to them have come from the left. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blair-calls-british-election-for-5-5-05/297830/65 "2005-04-09T16:52:14Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Cite? On exactly which day did this headline appear? **Every** day. Sorry, perhaps ‘Typical’ wasn’t the word. More like ‘Identikit’. Basically every Daily Mail front page headline falls into four categories; -Someone is going to ruin the value of your home or put your mortgage up! -The government is going to raise tax rates to 110%! -Foreigners and scroungers are taking over the country! -Criminals are running amok and no-one cares! And the following lead paragraph makes it clear it’s looney left wingers that are to blame. They used to have five categories of headline, but both the Queen Mum and Diana are dead now. ID cards, btw, are neither a leftie or rightie thing. They are a ‘government gone mad and think they can do the hell they like’ thing. Any flavour of government would come around to thinking them a great idea given half the chance, because they are all about controlling citizens and making governments life easier. But by the same mechanism they supress people’s rights, and governments aren’t elected to make _their_ job easier. Just one more reason Tony’s not getting my vote. ---
**Author:** ![Avenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de0a6/32.png) [@Avenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avenger)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2005, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blair-calls-british-election-for-5-5-05/297830/66 "2005-04-09T21:03:56Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > I have great difficultly believing you: it’s easy to say ‘Whoosh’ after you’ve been caught out. It sounded more like a typical socialist mud-sling. What? It was obviously not a description of a specific headline. Btw, the Daily Mail is online now? ---
**Author:** ![SentientMeat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SentientMeat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SentientMeat)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blair-calls-british-election-for-5-5-05/297830/67 "2005-04-11T09:31:22Z")
I took part in my first ever ICM poll on Saturday: yes _I’m_ the bloke who votes Green - you finally found him! I would’ve stood myself, for a laugh, but it’s quite expensive and I think I might have had to temporarily give up my job - maybe next time. ID cards are an **autoritarian** thing, socialism is an **economic** thing. Authoritarian governments can be economically left (Stalin) or right (Pinochet) wing: the BNP are actually economically _left_ of _both_ main parties, but so are the Greens. I honestly couldn’t tell you where the Conservatives are on the [Political Compass](http://www.politicalcompass.org/) _at all_ these days, although the Compass places them North East of Labour (_ie._ more authoritarian and economically rightist). ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blair-calls-british-election-for-5-5-05/297830/68 "2005-04-11T21:26:16Z")
It’s a sort of typical _Daily Mail_ headline - kind of spoof thing _Private Eye_ would print. The spoof _Sun_ headline _‘Kill An Argie And Win A Metro’_ was one of theirs as well. ID cards have been toyed with by the Conservatives for years - and Labour was always furiously against it. Now they’ve both turned around 180 degrees. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blair-calls-british-election-for-5-5-05/297830/69 "2005-04-12T12:45:01Z")
There was a competeition a few years ago on how the various papers would have covered the Christmas story. From memory the winners were: FT: Shepherds’ action affects wool futures Mail: Unmarried migrant gives birth Guardian: Judean homelessness problem grows, Tories to blame. Sun: No-sex mum in baby Shocka! ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blair-calls-british-election-for-5-5-05/297830/70 "2005-04-14T10:14:43Z")
As well as the political compass, both Brits and other nationals may be interested in this questionnaire - Brits as a means of confirming/challenging their voting intentions, everyone else for some insight into British politics. It seemed to work for me - confirming my intention to vote Lib Dem, but suprising me by how far my stance now takes me from Labour, for whom I’ve voted in previous elections. The questionnaire ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blair-calls-british-election-for-5-5-05/297830/71 "2005-04-14T10:22:13Z")
According to that, I’m not entirely uninclined to vote for UKIP. Apart from that, it got things right! ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blair-calls-british-election-for-5-5-05/297830/72 "2005-04-14T10:38:09Z")
Not British but aware of the issues. I got -11 Labour -29 Conservative +44 Lib Dem +10 UKIP :wally +20 Green ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blair-calls-british-election-for-5-5-05/297830/73 "2005-04-14T11:36:23Z")
I’m not sure, but I think the UKIP thing may stem from answers about the EU/Euro. If you’re cautiously against them, or even neutral, that might give you a positive score for them, because to that extent you agree, even if it’s for completely different, non-rabid reasons. They do explain the scoring on the site, but not in such detail that you can predict it question by question. ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blair-calls-british-election-for-5-5-05/297830/74 "2005-04-14T11:46:06Z")
My results; Labour 10 Conservative -38 Liberal Democrat 42 UK Independence Party -1 Green 17 Guess that’s me sorted then… Though I’m amazed that my UKIP rating is so high at -1. They’ve definitely got something wrong there. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blair-calls-british-election-for-5-5-05/297830/75 "2005-04-14T11:53:57Z")
They had me as quite neutral - which certainly isn’t the case. What’s wrong is that there isn’t a weighting - some of those issues are definite deal-makers and breakers (eg europe and Euro for me), others much less important. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blair-calls-british-election-for-5-5-05/297830/76 "2005-04-14T12:15:12Z")
> [@amrussell](#): > > I’m not sure, but I think the UKIP thing may stem from answers about the EU/Euro. If you’re cautiously against them, or even neutral, that might give you a positive score for them, because to that extent you agree, even if it’s for completely different, non-rabid reasons. They do explain the scoring on the site, but not in such detail that you can predict it question by question. My answers to the Europe and immigration questions certainly won’t have given any positive points to UKIP! I guess what’s biasing that result is that, as with all fringe parties, they can promise more pensions, lower taxes, blah blah blah, without any of it adding up. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blair-calls-british-election-for-5-5-05/297830/77 "2005-04-14T12:53:44Z")
> [@owlstretchingtime](#): > > They had me as quite neutral - which certainly isn’t the case. What’s wrong is that there isn’t a weighting - some of those issues are definite deal-makers and breakers (eg europe and Euro for me), others much less important. Well, not that I’m necessarily married to the quiz but: There are two types of weighting - how important the issue is to you, and how big a gap there is between parties. For the first, it’s up to you to weight it by using the full range of voting options: if you don’t care about something, don’t be afraid to be neutral. Alternatively, if this rather than a mix of ‘Agree’ and ‘Disagree’ was your strategy, you might want to come off the fence a little. For the second, they have in fact weighted the answers as explained in the page dealing with scoring. Basically, there’s usually a spread of between -6 and 6 but for key issues it’s -9 to 9 and others its -3 to 3. (See [http://www.whoshouldyouvotefor.com/scoring.php](http://www.whoshouldyouvotefor.com/scoring.php)). Alternatively, it might suggest that other parties policies are not as distant from yours as you might think. (On preview) **GorrilaMan** , I suspect that’s exactly it - they’ve got one plank (insert your own joke here), and aside from that will be as opportunistic as they can be. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blair-calls-british-election-for-5-5-05/297830.md?page=3)