Election Day/Night

[Strontium]

With regards the Lib Dems, and SD can confirm this, I think they have to pass a motion from all their members to go into another coalition.

 

I believe it's not the entire membership, just conference voting reps (of which I am one) who get to vote. They would convene a special conference, like last time.

 

It's all academic anyway, as it's seemed for some time that the numbers don't really support a coalition with us this time round, nor was there much appetite among the membership for one anyway. So long as coalitions are going to be characterised as one party "getting into bed with" another, I don't think our democracy is mature enough for them (mature in tone, I mean... obviously, it's one of the oldest democracies in the world). That is likely due to the fact that we lack proportional representation.

[Jairzinho]

If Labour campaigns as an anti-austerity party the SNP doesn't clean up in Scotland. If the people don't feel abandoned by Labour then they don't turn to a nationalist party.

 

Same reason some people will vote Green instead of Labour, and even the same reason some people vote UKIP instead of Labour. Not everyone is looking through all the intricacies, or possible repercussions, they just think "If you're not arsed about us, then fuck off".

 

That is the fault of the Labour Party. 

[Neil G]

No one is saying Labour haven't been shite. Bottom line is it's either a Tory led government or a Labour led one. The votes for the SNP have achieved nothing if the exit poll is correct.

Correct, but it doesn't mean the SNP have fucked things up for Labour. If the seats they won were the difference between Labour being the largest party and not then I'd agree with you, but Labour would still be nearly 20 behind the Tories even if they won every single one of them.

[Pureblood]

Looking at the collapse in the Lib Dem vote in the few seats we have seen so far, it looks like this coalition has killed them. It will take a long time for that vote to recover in my opinion.

 

Every cloud. 

[Oh Buoy]

Labour 5.

[Sugar Ape]

Correct, but it doesn't mean the SNP have fucked things up for Labour. If the seats they won were the difference between Labour being the largest party and not then I'd agree with you, but Labour would still be nearly 20 behind the Tories even if they won every single one of them.

It would be fucking close. just a 5 seat swing to Labour would change things massively. Like I said in a previous post, they've basically campaigned on vote SNP get Labour which might be good if it works, but if it doesn't you've just weakened Labour and got nothing in return.

 

Which is fine if you think there is no difference between Labour and the Tories but I don't.

[Anny Road]

Dont think the lib dems can survive in their current form after this.

[Neil G]

I believe it's not the entire membership, just conference voting reps (of which I am one) who get to vote. They would convene a special conference, like last time.It's all academic anyway, as it's seemed for some time that the numbers don't really support a coalition with us this time round, nor was there much appetite among the membership for one anyway. So long as coalitions are going to be characterised as one party "getting into bed with" another, I don't think our democracy is mature enough for them (mature in tone, I mean... obviously, it's one of the oldest democracies in the world). That is likely due to the fact that we lack proportional representation.

Exit poll says otherwise tonight. Surely on the cards again, no? And if not, is there any chance you'd vote down the Queen's Speech?

[Sugar Ape]

Clegg to go even if he remains as an MP?

[Anny Road]

Clegg to go even if he remains as an MP?

Got to. Along ith Alexander, Cable etc.

 

 

 

 

Il say it again on laptop and my 'doubleyou' key doesn't functuion

[Sugar Ape]

Got to. Along ith Alexander, Cable etc.

Got to take small pleasures where you can. Hope Mcvey goes too.

[Sugar Ape]

Some pollster nerd on the BBC saying he wouldn't rule out a Tory majority. Christ.

[Strontium]

Exit poll says otherwise tonight. Surely on the cards again, no? And if not, is there any chance you'd vote down the Queen's Speech?

 

You need a certain number of seats really to be effective as a junior partner in a coalition. Even 50 odd last time was pushing it, by any measure those MPs punched above their weight (the perception may be different), but they were spread pretty thinly though the departments; there are naturally limits to what you can do when outnumbered 6 to 1.

[Anny Road]

Toff called Tristran Hunt standing in Stoke tells me all I need to kno about Labour

[Vincent Vega]

I agree with some of what of Rapey is saying, the rise of the SNP has massively damaged Labour, not just in Scotland but in England too, because it has changed a lot of votes that may have been destined for UKIP to Tory as people have bought in to the right wing press line of vote UKIP get SNP. A lot of people have in England have been very concerned at the thought of a Labour party having to buy off the SNP to prop up their government.

[Pureblood]

You need a certain number of seats really to be effective as a junior partner in a coalition. Even 50 odd last time was pushing it, by any measure those MPs punched above their weight (the perception may be different), but they were spread pretty thinly though the departments; there are naturally limits to what you can do when outnumbered 6 to 1.

 

You can bend over and take it up the holy hole from all six.  

[clangers]

If Labour campaigns as an anti-austerity party the SNP doesn't clean up in Scotland. If the people don't feel abandoned by Labour then they don't turn to a nationalist party.

 

Same reason some people will vote Green instead of Labour, and even the same reason some people vote UKIP instead of Labour. Not everyone is looking through all the intricacies, or possible repercussions, they just think "If you're not arsed about us, then fuck off".

 

That is the fault of the Labour Party. 

 

There's a lot of truth in that, post NuLabour Milliband needed to take the party more to the left if only to position itself as anti-austerity party.

 

What's clear is that England is overall a Tory country and that Labour has previously relied on it's 'UK' support including Scotland and Wales to form governments. Labour were warned in the late nineties about the possible consequence of devolution in that it would lead them to effectively ending up a minority English party.

 

Even allowing for a nationalist vote here Milliband has been disastrous, his 'minimal' strategy of going for 35% if the forecasts are right will lead to him returning a Labour party smaller than the one left behind by Gordon Brown in 2010.

[Nelly-Szoboszlai]

I wonder how these 7 or 8 Lib Dem MP's are going to protect our freedoms now, the bloody troopers.

[Anny Road]

This trying to compare UKIP ith the SNP in political outlook and nationism is bollocks

[Strontium]

You can bend over and take it up the holy hole from all six.

 

As I was saying about immaturity...

[clangers]

Some pollster nerd on the BBC saying he wouldn't rule out a Tory majority. Christ.

I know, astonishing, I'm dropping out and going to spend the next 5 years in an isolated caravan deep in the woods.

 

It's possible that the exit poll has underestimated the Tory vote by about 2%.

[Sugar Ape]

Clearly the fact that the collapse in the lib Dem vote has gone directly to the Tories and UKIP is also a massive and unexpected problem.

[Pureblood]

As I was saying about immaturity...

 

Here's hoping the chickens come home to roost for your lot.  Cluck, cluck.

 

Where's my Jack Daniels...

 

*chicken flappy arms*

[Pureblood]

When does Clegg lose his seat?  ETA?  

[Nelly-Szoboszlai]

Recount in Vince Cable's constituency.

 

Calls for leadership election from within the Lib Dem's now too.

 

Absolutely monumental collapse.