It's surprising how Michael Gove can sound so patronisingly out of touch even when saying the words "every six minutes a child dies of starvation".

Bit mean of you, Sarg. The poor man was born that way. I dare say he even sounded patronisingly out of touch when saying "I do" at his own wedding. We shouldn't judge people because of the way they speak.

Can't help but get the impression that this is a self-congratulatory message about how humanitarian Conservatives are as using the famine as a means to do so. "Everybody in this broadcast has donated to East Africa appeal, the government has given X million pounds, etc, etc". The opening of it was absolutely ridiculous. You can't have a serious appeal message while trying to be humorous about the absurdity of political broadcasts. If they wanted to do an authentic appeal, they should have dropped it from an overt connection with the Conservative Party.

I have to disagree, Putin. These broadcasts are given specific slots in the UK broadcast media explicity for party political broadcasts. Even if the Conservatives didn't mention themselves it would be obvious that they were behind it. The only difference being it would look far more devious and dishonest. By being open and obvious about it being a political broadcast they are admitting they have an ulteria motive. The message itself still does some good. Thinking about it, I don't see how this is any worse than when a large company donate money or time to charities.

Why wouldn't they negotiate a bipartisan agreement in which both Labour and Tory members would appear in both slots? That would make it less cynical.

A nice idea, but as the Lib Dems and Labour couldn't even negotiate a bipartisan agreement to keep the Tories out of power (which is pretty much their lifetime goal) I can't help but feel the chances of Labour negotiating anything with anyone is pretty much nil. I would ask if you at least prefer this kind of poltitical broadcast to the politics of fear that dominate the traditional Conservative adds?

It would also help if the Conservatives weren't busy crushing charitable organizations in the UK while giving tax cuts to corporations. But I digress.

There are giving more international aid than any other British government, and that in the middle of an ecomonic crisis and against the wishes of many of their less palatable supporters. Credit where credit's due...

Sure, I guess.

The Conservatives are also making a difference on the ground in Africa. Check out this video: http://youtu.be/Fkz-iYkbPqs

I think it's a bit of a shame that people are so cynical - efforts like these are genuine attempts to make a difference, and shouldn't be denigrated just because they are organised by a political party. If Labour or the Lib Dems did the same, I'd be first to congratulate them. And yes, before you ask, I do work closely with many of the Conservative MPs in these videos!

"I dare say he even sounded patronisingly out of touch when saying "I do" at his own wedding. We shouldn't judge people because of the way they speak."

Funny, he probably did. My comment was a jesting one though - and I certainly don't judge people by the WAY they speak or their accent.

"Why wouldn't they negotiate a bipartisan agreement in which both Labour and Tory members would appear in both slots? That would make it less cynical." -Putin33

Exactly.

"the Lib Dems and Labour couldn't even negotiate a bipartisan agreement to keep the Tories out of power (which is pretty much their lifetime goal) I can't help but feel the chances of Labour negotiating anything with anyone is pretty much nil." -Octavious

This is unfair. It wasn't numerically possible for the Lib Dems and Labour to enter into a coalition and of the four options available at the time when forming the new government it would have been by far the least popular.

@ Sarg

I know the coment was a jesting one, but that doesn't stop it being cruel :p. As for not judging people via they way they speak or accents etc, I am truly impressed if you don't. I do it all the time without thinking, and find not doing so rather difficult.

@ Sarg II
"This is unfair. It wasn't numerically possible for the Lib Dems and Labour to enter into a coalition and of the four options available at the time when forming the new government it would have been by far the least popular. "

If that is true then why did Nick Clegg spend the best part of a week trying his best to do exactly that?

Er..what? Octavious, my memory is a bit fuzzy but I remember Clegg blocking negotiations between Darling & Cable on a Lib-Lab coalition, and then the Liberals making all sorts of ridiculous demands like immediate spending cuts and an AV system passed by parliament.

His attitude towards Labour was made plain as day in his recent party conference speech. The guy is another Blair-like crypto-Tory. He wants nothing to do with Labour and never did.

Labour/LibDem would require support of smaller parties to achieve majority.

@ Putin

"His attitude towards Labour was made plain as day in his recent party conference speech"

Call me a bluff old traditionalist, but I don't think it's really the done thing for the leaders of the party(ies) in government to make a big show of being best friends with the opposition. What exactly where you expecting him to say?

Other liberal leaders were at least mildly critical of the Tories. Clegg was all anti-Labour and provided not even the mildest apology for the ruthless policies of the Coalition. Clegg said that Labour should "never be trusted again" with the economy and that the unions "bought" the party (which is absurd, Miliband is hardly pro-union). Does that sound like leaving the door open for future cooperation? Or is this more Cleggish doublespeak, like that bs pledge to abolish tuition fees?

It was also a bit of hilarity when he said Lib Dems "took the lead" in taking on Murdoch. What? Since when was Tom Watson a Liberal?

"I know the coment was a jesting one, but that doesn't stop it being cruel :p. As for not judging people via they way they speak or accents etc, I am truly impressed if you don't. I do it all the time without thinking, and find not doing so rather difficult."

My whole life I have grown up in different parts of the world, hearing different accents and ways of speaking. My accent and tone of voice is non-typical and so I through first hand experience know not to judge people on this.

I endeavor to limit my inherent judgmental human nature as stringently as I can but you are correct in saying that this is a difficult task. It is easy and natural to make snap judgements about others - but we can do our best not to make them and if we do to cast doubt on them immediately afterwards.

Putin33, if I may, where are you from/where do you live?

The Lib Dems have built their entire party around the concept of promising whatever they like in the safety of knowing they'd never have to deliver on them. That's why you got ridiculous situations such as the Lib Dems in one part of the country sounding completely different to Lib Dems in another part of the country (one of the main reasons why I left them, in fact) .Suddenly finding themselves with some real power came as quite a shock, and exposed a lot of their doublespeak for what it was.

Yes, the door to future cooperation after this parliament is wide open, as far as the Lib Dems are concerned. There will be a cull of Clegg and his supporters, and once again the Lib Dem chameleon will change its colours. Whether the voters will let them get away with it is another matter

I have no sympathy for plummy sounding Oxbridge types like Michael Gove. The guy is Scottish and his accent seems to change ala Tim Pawlenty. I think he can help how he speaks.

Putin33 why did you ignore my question?

You were a Lib Dem?? I'm shocked.

I am from upstate New York (fingerlakes/Lake Ontario area) and currently live in Columbus, OH.

Im shocked you are from upstate New York and aren't a "we pay for you darkies in the city" Republican

A scary thought, isn't it?

Still, we all make mistakes. One day I woke up and finally saw the light. It is my great hope that Sarg will eventually do the same ;)

Thanks for that crude stereotype, Santa, especially considering the proportion of "darkies" in major upstate cities is as large or larger than in that arrogant, self-important citadel of finance capital.

tell me that the sentiment isn't prominent in upstate New York

Putin33's sentiments aren't prominent anywhere.

There are a lot of legitimate grievances upstate has with NYC, that have nothing to do with race, and have much more to do with the fact that our cities are dying because we have a rust belt economy with a state political class dominated by people who don't have any sympathy or knowledge of rust belt concerns. It's NYC that has been bitching about propping up the perennially stagnant upstate economy, not the other way around. Since the little job growth we've had in the past couple of decades is due to government jobs.

I'm from upstate NY as well, and I have to side with Putin here. My hometown of about 22,000 is 25% black and 15% hispanic (roughly). It really depends where you are. In the richer areas, like Dutchess County (besides Poughkeepsie) there will be less African Americans. In the poorer areas, like Ulster and Orange counties, there will be more (Kingston, Newburgh, Middleton, etc.) Its only in the extremely rural areas that in my experience there are less African Americans.

Also "darkies"? Really now?

I was just up in central new york and 2 people complained about how they were funding New York Cities social programs and such complaints are commonplace from what I have heard. It might go both ways, but it certainly isn't the City doing all the belly-aching.

Right, NYC legislators pretty much run the government. People who aren't from NYC pretty much don't have a chance. On the flipside, NYC provides a disproportional part of the state budget. But so much corruption and dysfunctional politics stems from NYC.

SC - those are probably people who don't want social programs, period. I know there are *lots* of people in my area on food stamps, medicare, medicaid, etc, etc. Yes, a lot of money goes to NYC social programs, but that's because there's so many people there!

The actual term used was "I pay your taxes"

and lastly, obviously I wasn't seriously implying that is what everyone thinks in upstate new york. I was making a stereotype which I know exists, which I thought was funny because Putin is so different.

There are increasingly a lot of lefties hanging around Syracuse and Rochester. But I'm gone so it's irrelevant.