The Politics Thread

[Lord Kangana]

FNARR.

[Montreal Wanderer]

I don't really understand why the vote counting seems so slow in the UK. We pretty much know the results here within an hour of the polls closing (sometimes we have to stay up to midnight because British Columbia is three hours behind us). For your election it must now be about 3.00 am and less than 200 seats are declared. Right now Labour has 111 seats to the Conservatives 90, and it looks like a disaster for May. My prediction for this election seems about as accurate as the pronouncements I made concerning Brexit and the US election. My crystal ball seems to have croaked.

[Hoboh]

Hung Parliament, who'd have thunk it?

Some lessons to be learned from this result.

Take on the late 50 somethings at your peril, if you ain't Margret thatcher, don't pretend to be, when you campaign you must engage the electorate, sound bites ain't enough.

Labour still have a hell of a long way to go to form even the basic majority government, Corbyn's done well though, a few credible shadow cabinet members and he might just make it although age and his past will be a large stumbling block against him personally, I suppose it depends upon who McCluskey foists on the labour party.

Maybe a few seats more but the Lib Dem credibility was shot to pieces by Clegg and will take years to rebuild.

The greens are still a minor, minor fringe party and the thought of returning to a horse and cart does not appeal to many.

Finally, the Scottish Hag... gis might realise now that shouting her fat mouth off and impersonating a nodding donkey at every opportunity belting out Scotland the brave and William Wallace was right, does not quite square with all the electorate, if she spent more time delivering good government and service to the Scottish folk for a few years they may just listen.

See you all again on this topic in 18 months, Merkel must be pissing herself.

[Lord Kangana]

I presume it's the youth vote not the older end of the spectrum that swung this, no?

[Hoboh]

I presume it's the youth vote not the older end of the spectrum that swung this, no?

I don't think it was although the turnout was good you would have had to have had a hell of a lot of young ones out to swing that sort of result, time will tell but I think May's Dementia tax, even though back tracked on, made a few older ones think.

[Lord Kangana]

Interestingly, the dementia tax was quite a clever way of redistributing wealth from south to norrh. But people saw the headline and that was that.

[Hoboh]

Interestingly, the dementia tax was quite a clever way of redistributing wealth from south to norrh. But people saw the headline and that was that.

Didn't go down well in London did it?

[Lord Kangana]

That was mainly a reaction to Disaster May's cack handed approach to the referendum result.

[Hoboh]

That was mainly a reaction to Disaster May's cack handed approach to the referendum result.

Or other parts of the South were property prices inflate peoples wealth to a point that does not reflect disposable income.

[Worthy4England]

Well it was certainly more interesting than I thought.

For me, it's bugger all change, just that they'll work with the DUP. I do wonder if Corbyn could ever get to an actual majority.

I think May's vote showed that she's anything but strong and stable and capable of doing anything but hiding and showing opportunism.

Will be interesting to see if Hobes contention that it was about the dementia tax and the doddery owd farts or higher turn outs in snowflakes as LK suggested.

No one has reported that Charlie the Cartoon Cat's vote held up extremely well...

[Harry Genshaw]

Remarkable performance by Corbyn. Despite a hostile media and even folk on here deriding him and his supporters as a cult, he's made Labour look fit to govern again. As good a night as I could have expected

[Dr Hotdog]

Credit where it's due, I thought Corbyn was mad to go along with the election but he ran a very good campaign. Imagine how much stronger Labour would be if they had a more cohesive front bench behind him. Instead he's dealt with I don't know how many cabinet reshuffles due to coups and votes of no confidence and the distraction of having to win another leadership battle against Owen Smith. Give the man some due, he's galvanised the political process, engaged with people instead of hiding behind soundbites and refusing interviews. Yes there's been hiccups during live interviews (we're only human) but overall he's been the strong and stable one. It's been a very positive campaign and it's been reflected in the polls. I guess not all the UKIP voters slimed their way back to the tory mother slug, some of them went to Labour. Funny old world.

I have zero sympathy for Theresa May. She called the election hoping to seize on a weak Labour and it's back fired drastically. Boris Johnson's majority has been slashed. Amber Rudd held on by a few hundred. The likes of Corbyn and Abbott's majorities increased hugely. Gutted that Phillip Davies hung on to Shipley. He is a dangerous man. Miffed that Zac Goldsmith got back in after he reverted to dirty tactics in the race to become London Mayor ahead of Khan last year.

See you in October for Round 2...?

[BWFC_Insane]

Well it was certainly more interesting than I thought.

For me, it's bugger all change, just that they'll work with the DUP. I do wonder if Corbyn could ever get to an actual majority.

I think May's vote showed that she's anything but strong and stable and capable of doing anything but hiding and showing opportunism.

Will be interesting to see if Hobes contention that it was about the dementia tax and the doddery owd farts or higher turn outs in snowflakes as LK suggested.

No one has reported that Charlie the Cartoon Cat's vote held up extremely well...

I think it is a pretty big change. They may work with the DUP, but even then the majority is tiny. They are now accountable. They may even feel the need for a further election. In fact I can't see us going more than 2 years without one. Arguably maybe even a few months.

May is a busted flush in her party and outside of it. And will have to go either now or a few months down the line.

And I've got to say, Corbyn, despite my clear incorrect reading of the situation, I got it so, so wrong, has re-established socialism in mainstream politics. I don't think he personally can win an election. But I think he can hand over the mandate to someone else who is more acceptable in a year or so, who can now genuinely challenge for running the country on that basis. It isn't the political revolution Corbyn's supporters hoped for, not immediately, but it is the start of a sea change.

[Prufrock]

I'm still laughing.

Two unelectable leaders and they both lost. Fair play to Corbyn for outperforming expectations, but this is clear evidence he is unelectable. Against the worst campaign I've ever seen fought and he still lost. Did about as well as Gordon Brown who resigned. Don't think we'll be seeing that though.

Labour gains look to be a combination of young voters in the cities enthused by Corbyn, and old voters in the north for whom the fundamental objection to the Tories dies hard.

[Worthy4England]

Yeah - not expressed myself well, there. There hasn't really been a change in that Tory+DUP still equals a majority. There's no real set of maths that put anyone else in power which is where I was coming from with "no real change"...I don't see anyone else making a minority government. That said it is a lot narrower and with not everyone in agreement with the Tory Brexiteers around the "shape of Brexit", that will probably be an important differential.

So I'm with you, in that I think there will be another election, sooner rather than later. May could mathematically soldier through for 5 years, but with Brexit negotiations, that's going to be difficult.

On the coalition point, we're told time and again that this would be bad for the country - mainly by the right wing, who will be on their second coalition (or working agreement - coalition by another name), this decade.

The point you make about Corbyn's ability to kick-on from here rather than stand still is an interesting one. What I heard through the election, sometimes from dyed in the wool Tories, was that Corbyn was more genuine than May by a country mile (not "I'd vote for their policies" but more genuine), will be interesting to see if this is his high water mark or a kick-on step. Her credibility is shot.

[Worthy4England]

I wonder who UKIP's new leader will be...

[BWFC_Insane]

Yeah - not expressed myself well, there. There hasn't really been a change in that Tory+DUP still equals a majority. There's no real set of maths that put anyone else in power which is where I was coming from with "no real change"...I don't see anyone else making a minority government. That said it is a lot narrower and with not everyone in agreement with the Tory Brexiteers around the "shape of Brexit", that will probably be an important differential.

So I'm with you, in that I think there will be another election, sooner rather than later. May could mathematically soldier through for 5 years, but with Brexit negotiations, that's going to be difficult.

On the coalition point, we're told time and again that this would be bad for the country - mainly by the right wing, who will be on their second coalition (or working agreement - coalition by another name), this decade.

The point you make about Corbyn's ability to kick-on from here rather than stand still is an interesting one. What I heard through the election, sometimes from dyed in the wool Tories, was that Corbyn was more genuine than May by a country mile (not "I'd vote for their policies" but more genuine), will be interesting to see if this is his high water mark or a kick-on step. Her credibility is shot.

He can't lead through another election - in my view. He has done a job. But must pass it on. Ideally in a year or so.

The result has shown that you can stand on that mandate and get a significant proportion of the popular vote. Were Corbyn less controversial personally (or perceived as such) then who knows...

All in all it was a stupendously good result considering May when calling the election a few weeks back had a 20 point lead and a 50 seat majority was considered a very poor result.

[Worthy4England]

Maybe. I think if people voted based on him being "genuine" rather than an ability to deliver the manifesto in its entirety, then that becomes difficult to replace. You might gain some "moderates" but lose some people persuaded because he was more radical.

If they voted for the manifesto, that's a little easier, but in either eventuality, I don't see it as an easier decision for Labour than the Tories from here...

[Worthy4England]

That was like the Madness song...

I am hiding in my car...
It looks like a Jaguar...

Managed to get across Horseguards without a u-turn...

[Lord Kangana]

I wonder who UKIP's new leader will be...

F*cking Farage is circling again. Better the devil you know.