The Politics Thread

[Athers]

Rochdale turned out to be a Labour hold then, bigots.

Story of the night - everyone disappointed?

[Lord Kangana]

Delighted. None of them has a mandate. They might have to start doing their job and serve the best interests of the country.

[thebish]

Bish - will you accept a grovelling admission of mistake on the Lib Dem question?!

like you said mummy - I've had the benefit of watching the lib dems promise much and deliver nothing many times... you're still young and idealistic (it'll wear off)!

[thebish]

here's what I think should happen now...

Labour should hang on for a bit

while they do - axe brown and elect milliband or Johnson

do a deal with the lib dems (who will then refuse an alliance with the tories)

then (as brown resigns) allow the tories to cobble some ramshackle piss-pot govt together

eventually force a second election

stand as a lib/lab coalition with a milliband/clegg/cable dream-ticket formally on a platform of election reform (surely everyone now concedes our system is wank?)

[thebish]

wisest words I heard all night came from David Mitchell on the channel 4 alternative election programme..

what if we wake up to a hung parliament and there is a week of wrangling and we are essentially ungoverned for a week - and everything is fine!

[ratbert]

here's what I think should happen now...

Labour should hang on for a bit

while they do - axe brown and elect milliband or Johnson

do a deal with the lib dems (who will then refuse an alliance with the tories)

then (as brown resigns) allow the tories to cobble some ramshackle piss-pot govt together

eventually force a second election

stand as a lib/lab coalition with a milliband/clegg/cabler dream-ticket formally on a platform of election reform (surely everyone now concedes our system is wank?)

Labour will hang on a bit, but the horse-trading will be furious. Depends whether the lure of electoral reform from Labour is stronger for Clegg than his mantra of the party with the largest number of seats having the right to try first.

Nick might try and insist Gordon goes but then what happens? You can't have a leadership election in these circumstances as a precondition for government (unless Brown stays party leader whilst another member of the Labour cabinet becomes PM, which is consitutionally possible, albeit this is a dodgy option).

If this fails to come off, then it points to Tory minority/Tory-Ulster Unionist alliance next - except whether the voters accept a NI party part-dictating terms to the rest of the country is also dodgy.

There'll certainly be a second election sooner than we think. And that could end up being even more confusing.

[Little Green Man]

There'll certainly be a second election sooner than we think. And that could end up being even more confusing.

Better bloody not be. The electorate have dealt the cards and the politicians should chuffing well get on with it otherwise it's likely their collective stock will drop even further (if that's possible).

[Little Green Man]

Delighted to see a few pillocks getting the boot tonight - Robinson, Smith and Opik. Shame Balls and Blears didn't follow suit.

You can add George Galloway to that list now.

[Tombwfc]

Delighted. None of them has a mandate. They might have to start doing their job and serve the best interests of the country.

Agreed, I think it was the best option all round, not to mention probably the fairest.

[CAPSLOCK]

I would like the Tories to keep their heads down

6-12 months of Lib/Labs and the calls for another Election will be just too great

Tory landslide

[chester white]

Rochdale turned out to be a Labour hold then, bigots.

Story of the night - everyone disappointed?

Actually turned out to be a Labour gain

[Lord Kangana]

I would like the Tories to keep their heads down

6-12 months of Lib/Labs and the calls for another Election will be just too great

Tory landslide

Surely after 13 years of such spectacular mismanagement, if that was ever going to happen, it would be now?

[TANGODANCER]

Went to vote at 4-15 yesterday at Farnworth Cricket Club. The activity was frantic, two people coming out as we got there, me, the wife and the dog, then six people descending on the place as we left. They wouldn't let the dog vote unfortunately.

[CAPSLOCK]

I would like the Tories to keep their heads down

6-12 months of Lib/Labs and the calls for another Election will be just too great

Tory landslide

Surely after 13 years of such spectacular mismanagement, if that was ever going to happen, it would be now?

Mother is going to have to dish out the medicine now

It's been delayed for a while

The kiddies won't like the taste

Whoever is in, is going to get it in the neck

[Bruce Rioja]

Jeremy Vine - what an absoulte wanker. Stop pretending that you're Peter Snow!

[Little Green Man]

Jeremy Vine - what an absoulte wanker. Stop pretending that you're Peter Snow!

Not dressed up as a cowboy this time then?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... -fire.html

[TANGODANCER]

Jeremy Vine - what an absoulte wanker. Stop pretending that you're Peter Snow!

He did a spell chairing "Eggheads" whilst Dermot Murnaghan (sp) was away. Came across as a right smarmy know-all git. Guess he was just being himself.

[ratbert]

Don't listen to Jeremy Vine's R2 show then if you don't like him. His brother is comedian Tim Vine, trivia fans.

[ratbert]

There'll certainly be a second election sooner than we think. And that could end up being even more confusing.

Better bloody not be. The electorate have dealt the cards and the politicians should chuffing well get on with it otherwise it's likely their collective stock will drop even further (if that's possible).

Depends if there's enough call for electoral reform. After the mass lockouts last night, momentum might start building.

[thebish]

Rochdale turned out to be a Labour hold then, bigots.

Story of the night - everyone disappointed?

Actually turned out to be a Labour gain

not sure it was an actual gain - but they did increase their vote...