Interest rates 'expected to hold'

The Bank of England is expected to keep interest rates on hold on Monday amid uncertain political weather.

Policymakers, who delayed their meeting from last week due to the election, are expected to keep the cost of borrowing at the record low of 0.5%.

Efforts to boost the money supply are also likely to stay at their £200 billion level of quantitative easing (QE).

But the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will have much to consider as they conclude their two-day meeting - not least the affect of a hung Parliament on the outlook for the UK economy. More……..

Please make him stop.

Anyone else getting this crap?

 

Dear Filthy Engineer,

From the bottom of my heart - thank you.

Thank you for voting Conservative on Thursday. Every vote counts and you helped Britain vote for change.

More than that, I want to thank you for fighting and campaigning so hard for the past few weeks. I know how hard every supporter, member and activist worked during this campaign. I know how tough and gruelling it was. I know how tired you all feel now. You'll have blisters from all the pavements you've pounded; paper-cuts from the envelopes you've stuffed; bruised knuckles from the doors you've knocked on.

But I don't want you to doubt for one minute that it has been worth it. First of all, we should be proud not just of how hard we fought, but the way we fought. Our campaign was unremittingly positive and optimistic - and that's just what our country needed.

Second, we should be proud of the results we achieved. We gained more seats than at any election since 1931. We became the largest party in the House of Commons by a considerable margin. And we got two million more votes than Labour - and indeed, more votes than Labour did when they won in 2005. The swing we achieved was massive by historic standards.

By any measure, these are really impressive results and I, the Shadow Cabinet, our MPs old and new, and all our candidates owe each and every one of you a huge thank you.

But however much pride we can take in the enormous advance, we have to accept that we fell short of an overall majority. I know how much you wanted one - I wanted one too. But now we have to work with what we have. As I have been saying these past couple of days, it is vital Britain gets strong, stable and decisive government. The challenges we face - a war in Afghanistan, the debt crisis and an economy that is stuck, deep social problems, political crisis - call for nothing less. So it is in Britain's national interest that the Conservative Party rises to this challenge and works to secure good government for our country.

That's why yesterday, I made a big, open and comprehensive offer to Liberal Democrats. I want - and I believe the country expects - our two parties to work out how we can deliver strong and stable government to tackle Britain's big and urgent problems. Right now, talks are underway. Inevitably, there will be masses of unfounded speculation in the press, but I wanted to tell you my thinking directly, and I hope I'll be able to give you direct updates as we move forward.

So first, I want to make clear that I do not believe any future government should give more powers to Brussels, be weak on immigration or put the country's defences at risk. So we will stand firm on these issues.

But I also believe there are many areas of common ground between us and the Liberal Democrats - such as the need for education reform, building a low-carbon economy, reforming our political system, decentralising power, protecting civil liberties and scrapping ID cards.

There are also areas where I believe we in the Conservative Party can give ground, both in the national interest and in the interests of forging an open and trusting partnership. For example, we want to work with the Liberal Democrats to see how we can afford to reduce taxes on the lowest paid. Of course, we hope to see a similarly constructive approach from the Liberal Democrats - not least on the urgent issue of tackling the deficit.

Inevitably, these negotiations will involve compromise. But that's what working together in the national interest means. I hope we can sort things out as quickly as possible, for the good of the country. But we won't rush into any agreement.

We've got to make sure that anything that results really is the best possible outcome for Britain - that it really is in the national interest. After all, that's what this party has always been about. That's what I'm about. And I know that's what you want, and what the country wants right now too.

Thank you.

 

PS. I voted UKIP

It looks like there could be a pact on the table.

The Libdem front bench team would appear to support Nick Clegg in his talks with the Tories.

Liberal Democrat MPs have endorsed leader Nick Clegg's decision to enter talks with the Conservatives over possible co-operation in forming a new government.

Mr Clegg addressed his senior frontbench team and a meeting of the party's 57 MPs in Westminster and received the "full and complete" support of both groups for his strategy, said Lib Dem negotiator David Laws.

The Liberal Democrat and Conservative negotiation teams are to meet again on Sunday morning at the Cabinet Office to continue talks after it became clear that no party had secured an outright majority in Thursday's General Election.

Get packing Gordon. Otherwise the electorate will have to send in the Bailiffs.

SOURCE

The Knives are coming out.

Now that Gordon has fled to Scotland, his supporters are starting to desert the sinking ship of the Brown government.

A newly re-elected Labour MP has called on Gordon Brown to step down as the party's leader.

Bassetlaw MP John Mann said that Labour would only have influence in the outcome of the current negotiations over the future of the government if Mr Brown agrees to give up the leadership.

And he said that the Prime Minister cost Labour votes in last week's election from people who would otherwise have supported the party's programme.

Mr Mann's comments are the first overt Labour challenge to the Prime Minister's position since the party lost 91 seats and its Commons majority in Thursday's poll.

I suspect there are all sorts of machinations going on behind closed doors. Let's see how long he lasts as leader of the labour party. I'll give him till the end of the month.

Thankyou very much.

I was much heartened by the demise from parliament of Gillian Merron.

I wrote to my MP (Useless lazy fucker) about amending the smoking ban. What I got back was a cut and pasted letter from dear Gillian stating all the wrong and statist untruths about how smoking was going to kill us all.

All in all, she deserved to go for spouting crap derived from focus groups trying to feather their own nests at our expense.

No doubt I expect we will see her on the board of ASH before long.

Will Spain and Portugal be next?

I fear that we might be in for a domino effect in the debt crisis.

Methinks I may have to remove my savings from the Banco Santander.

At least I didn't have anything in Iceland.

My vote

Today I changed my mind.

I've always been a lifelong conservative voter. Not out of habit or because my family have always voted conservative. I've always felt that conservative policies are right for those who want to better themselves and not to be a drain on society.

Today I decided that my MP didn't deserve my vote.

1) He voted strongly for the smoking ban.

2) He voted strongly to remain in Europe.

I wrote to him about both these topics and received patronising replies on the lines of, "I know best".

Therefore Sir John Stanley. Tough shit. I voted UKIP.

Not that my vote will overturn his majority. But at least I felt better.

Shoot out at the Highgate corral.

 

My daughter just phoned. She was on her way back from voting in Highgate (London) when she heard gunshots. The area is cordoned off now. Bearing in mind that this is an area of Guardian Lefties and there is an election in progress. Could it be a mass suicide attempt by the likes of Polly Toynbee and George Monbiot?

These E mails.

I have been bombarded in the last few days by E mails from the Conservative party.

So far I've had William Hague, George Osbourne, David Cameron, and now, Boris. All exhorting me to vote for the Conservative party.

Has anyone else had these?

Dear Filthy Engineer,

This is it. As I write these words Gordon Brown should be teetering on the edge of the political oblivion he so richly deserves.

One shove, one nudge, one tiny prod in the right place - and we will at last be rid of this bankrupt embarrassment of a Labour government. Just one last push and this great country will be spared another five years of Gordon Brown.

We will avoid the drift and dither of a hung parliament. We will give a Conservative government the chance to offer dynamic and energetic government and by tomorrow morning we will begin the work of undoing the damage done by Labour.

Who is there left to administer this final judicious kick to the Labour Party's ample posterior?

It could be you, FE.

If you have yet to vote - and you have five minutes to spare - I urge you and all your family and friends to get down to the polling station and play your part in history.

In an election this tight, your vote could be decisive. The boot's on your foot. For the good of our country - I urge you to use it.

Boris Johnson

Too late Boris. I've already used my X.

Done

I've voted.