Free Republic

...With less than a month to go in the campaign, and heading into the first of three leaders debates, the Tories have moved ahead of their rivals with the support of 35.4 per cent of voters, according to the Ekos poll conducted for Montreal’s La Presse newspaper.... “If (the Conservatives) keep those numbers up they’re very close to a majority — if not there already,” said pollster Frank Graves. “The numbers are about as good as we had for the final weekend of polling (in the 2011 election) when they achieved their majority.”... Trudeau’s Liberals have committed to infrastructure spending...

<p>British Prime Minister David Cameron and his Tory party all but vanquished the opposing Labor Party and proved pre-election polls wrong with a resounding election triumph he called "the sweetest victory of all."</p> <p>Fueled by a landslide in Scotland, Cameron and the Tories left opponents on the right and left in tatters. The Labour Party lost 24 seats in Parliament according to early returns, and party leader Ed Miliband resigned from his role. Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg resigned after acknowledging a "cruel and punishing defeat," in which his left-of-center part suffered its worst-ever defeat - dropping from 57 seats to just 8. On the right, UK Independence Party Leader Nigel Farage, a thorn in Cameron's side, failed to win a seat.</p>

David Cameron's second term as British Prime Minister was confirmed Friday after his Conservative Party won enough seats to form a working majority in the 650-member House of Commons. Shortly before noon Friday, London time, the Conservatives, or Tories, had won 324 seats to 229 It would be the first time the Conservatives had won a parliamentary majority since 1992. Cameron is the first Conservative Prime Minister to win re-election since Margaret Thatcher.

:: Follow the election results live on skynews.com, our mobile apps and on Sky News TV from 10pm. Voters are going to the polls across the country to decide who will form the next government. Polling stations opened at 7am and close at 10pm in the United Kingdom's 650 constituencies.

A BBC radio presenter vented his anger on air after losing his slot on a mid-Morning show because he is engaged to a Conservative MP standing for re-election. John Darvall proposed to Bristol North West MP Charlotte Leslie on Christmas Day, two months after the pair began dating having first met on his show four years ago, the Bath Chronicle reports.Having kept the decision quiet, the twice-divorced presenter revealed his anger during a phone in regarding the BBC’s decision to fire controversial presenter Jeremy Clarkson.

TORONTO - Here's the story: Toronto's new mayor is John Tory. As the polls predicted, the frontrunner cruised to victory on Monday night defeating Olivia Chow and Doug Ford in the race for the city's top job. The Tory win caps off a 10-month long campaign and sets the stage for a much quieter Toronto City Hall after Mayor Rob Ford's turbulent reign.

Nigel Farage was heading for a breakthrough in local and European elections on Thursday, as early results suggested that the UK Independence party leader’s prediction of a political “earthquake” might be borne out. Mr Farage was hopeful that Ukip would win the European elections, the party’s first victory in a nationwide poll, leaving big questions for the leaders of each of the three traditional parties over how they deal with the populist insurgency. Ukip delivers blow to Labour in the north Angry voters turn to anti-politics of Ukip Mainstream braced for Farage In depth European elections 2014 Cameron to mount...

David Bishop, a candidate in Brentwood South, Essex, apologised after retweeting messages, including one that claimed Islam was the religion of rape. "I have let myself and my party down," Mr Bishop said in a statement. It comes after a UKIP council candidate, who tweeted that Islam was "evil", was suspended from the party. 'Real offence' Mr Bishop, who is also a DJ in the Brentwood area, retweeted one message on 13 April that read: "How CAN a gay guy keep a straight face?" In another message, retweeted on April 27 - two days after Mr Bishop was named as a Conservative council candidate...

The Tory revolt over Europe took a dramatic turn last night after senior Conservative David Davis called on the Government to open talks with Brussels on quitting the EU. Former Tory chairman Mr. Davis tore into David Cameron, accusing him of making a mess of his pledge to win back powers from the EU. “Scaremongers” who said Britain would collapse if it decided to go it alone were talking nonsense, said Mr Davis. Quitting the EU would be like a “revolution” and would boost UK jobs, wages, world power, arts and prestige, he added. Significantly, his intervention comes days after...

A TYCOON MP dubbed the “Tory Barack Obama” has tried to gag The Sun. Adam Afriyie, 47 — at the centre of plot rumours against David Cameron — hit the roof as we researched his finances. The multi-millionaire, who owns two homes worth a combined £11.25million, even got lawyers to rush to the Press Complaints Commission just for us asking questions and BEFORE we printed a word.

David Cameron has been given a clear demand from the Conservative Party’s grass roots to drop his controversial plans to legalize same-sex marriage in an eve-of-conference poll. The survey of Tory constituency chairmen, seen by The Sunday Telegraph, finds that 71 percent think the proposal—which the Prime Minister has pledged will be law by 2015—should be abandoned. Nearly half the chairmen claim their local parties have lost members as a result of the plans, while only three percent say they have gained membership. …

When he became Tory leader seven years ago, the youthful and telegenic David Cameron pledged to transform the blue-rinse image of his party and boost its membership by attracting thousands of young, ethnic and gay members. In doing so, he would destroy forever the Tories’ reputation as the ‘nasty party’ as these new ‘inclusive’ members joined the 300,000 activists whose average age was 64 ‘I was elected Leader of the Conservative Party on a mandate to change and modernise the party,’ he said. ‘I want to increase membership. I want to see a broader base. I want to see a...

Homeschooling families will soon be forbidden from teaching that homosexual sex is sinful as part of their schooling program, according to the government of Alberta, Canada. Under the province’s Education Act, homeschoolers and religious schools will be banned from “disrespecting” people’s differences, Alberta Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk’s office told LifeSiteNews just last week. “Whatever the nature of schooling – homeschool, private school, Catholic school – we do not tolerate disrespect for differences,” said Donna McColl, Lukaszuk’s assistant director of communications. “You can affirm the family’s ideology in your family life, you just can’t do it as part of your educational...

TORONTO - Rookie PC candidate George Lepp says he's embarrassed that a photo of his family jewels was posted on his campaign Twitter account for about 20 minutes before it was quickly unzipped. Alan Sakach, communications director for the Ontario Conservatives, said the photo was inadvertently taken by Lepp's BlackBerry when it was in his front pocket. The photo was posted after someone took it from the candidate for the riding of Niagara Falls, Ont., according to Sakach. "He is pretty upset and embarrassed," Sakach said of a photo that was posted on Lepp's account Sunday. "It was removed as...

“To be born an Englishman,” Cecil Rhodes once claimed, “is to win first prize in the lottery of life.” These days, Mark Steyn says the prize goes to Americans, and whenever I think of Westminster, I can’t help thinking he might be on to something. Our supposedly centre-Right Government supports a plethora of Left-liberal causes (such as EU membership and global warming taxes) and favours a Big Society where – for unclear reasons – government is also big. Across the Pond, however, the Republican-dominated House of Representatives is flowing over with radicalism, voting only last Wednesday to abolish ObamaCare. So...

Here’s a typical headline from the Associated Press today: “Debt turmoil, contagion fears sweep Europe.” Yikes. Yesterday it was Greece: they’re in debt to the tune of $175 billion. Now that may seem like small potatoes in the age of Barack “the sky’s the limit” Obama. But keep in mind that there only about 11 million Greeks. ..snip.. Of course, Greece will never pay back this money. In the time-honored custom of Third World nations across the globe, it will default. But now it looks like the habit may be catching. Yesterday it was Greece, today it is Ireland —...

He had earlier dismissed Twitter as a forum for ‘glib comment’. And Tory councillor Gareth Compton might now be wishing he had given somewhat more thought to his own posts on the social networking website. For after an ‘ill-conceived attempt at humour’ in which he allegedly called for a Muslim journalist to be stoned to death, Mr Compton has been arrested and bailed, suspended from his party, accused of ‘incitement to murder’ and branded a racist. The 38-year-old barrister had been reacting to a radio show ­featuring newspaper columnist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown discussing David Cameron’s visit to China. Mrs Alibhai-Brown, 60,...

UKIP Leader Nigel Farage today reacted with disdain when he read the Government's draft EU Bill. "This piece of paper gives the country no protection at all," he said. "Only last weekend William Hague told us that there was no prospect of a referendum on Europe, despite this bill, because his Government would never sign Britain up to anything that would need one. "Now we learn that the Government reserves the right to decide what is, and what isn't a transfer of sovereignty, and even then it will take a vote in the House of Commons to offer a referendum....

"David Cameron says he is 'exasperated' and 'furious' with the way in which he has no power other than to capitulate to bullying from European Courts," said UKIP Leading Spokesman Nigel Farage. "Well he must at last be sharing the rage of the British people who are fed up with being dictated to by people like him and his close friends in Brussels. "As far as anybody can see the fact that he may allow rapists and murderers to vote is a direct consequence of Britain's acceptance of the Lisbon Treaty, which put the European Convention on Human Rights and...

David Cameron has launched his "big society" drive to empower communities, describing it as his "great passion".. In a speech in Liverpool, the prime minister said groups should be able to run post offices, libraries, transport services and shape housing projects. Also announcing plans to use dormant bank accounts to fund projects, Mr Cameron said the concept would be a "big advance for people power". -snip- As well as encouraging greater volunteering and philanthropy, Mr Cameron confirmed plans to use funds stuck in dormant bank and building society accounts to enable "some of the most dynamic" charities, social enterprises and...