The General Election Thread

[SWP's back]

I have a feeling that the outcome is going to be a bit different to what we have been led to believe it will be.

Whilst Labour won't have an outright majority I think they will have the most seats in Parliament and will rue the day they got so involved in the Scottish devolution debate which will cost them dearly in the number of seats they will lose.Had they kept Scotland's seats they would have had an overall majority.

I think the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are going to be spanked and left feeling very sheepish once the public has had its say.

Nope. Not a chance Labour will have more seats than the Tories.

Mind if I quote you?

 

[SWP's back]

It only takes little or no imagination to foresee what a Labour government would mean.

Rocketing council tax and TV tax as Labour gives generous pay rises to its core voter base to keep them loyal.

Pay freezes and job losses for most other people.

A spending and borrowing binge leading to economic chaos.

Sorry I can't be as witty as you'd like Prestwich Blue, but it's hard to generate humour from such a prospect.

Since when did Westminster set council tax rates?
And have you thought of how you were able to amass your huge personal fortune with no public servants being in any way involved?

I'm not sure urmston is worth quoting.

He's the Katie Hopkins of Bluemoon.

Except I probably wouldn't fuck him.

 

[BigJoe#1]

I have a feeling that the outcome is going to be a bit different to what we have been led to believe it will be.

Whilst Labour won't have an outright majority I think they will have the most seats in Parliament and will rue the day they got so involved in the Scottish devolution debate which will cost them dearly in the number of seats they will lose.Had they kept Scotland's seats they would have had an overall majority.

I think the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats are going to be spanked and left feeling very sheepish once the public has had its say.

Nope. Not a chance Labour will have more seats than the Tories.

Mind if I quote you?

No problem....

 

[hilts]

My history degree has taught me that PR is very dangerous as combined with a bad recession it led to the rise of National Socialism and ultimately was a main cause of WWII.

Having said that, the current system is totally Labour-biased due to the boundaries issue. And speaking of national socialists it will be a travesty of democracy if the SNP have anything of a say on English issues.

Simple solution to 'the boundaries issue' , adopt Labour's proposal to redraw the boundaries in line with the number of people of voting age as recorded in the 2011 census.
Agreed?

No it is still a nonsense way to elect a government

 

[kas_tippler]

crucial 5 years coming up for me, out of education, in the job market, preferably landing a role within big business in London to get the opportunity to climb the wages ladder.

I just get the feeling a Labour, or Labour/SNP government will stifle all that.

The Blair government didn't.

They just wasted billions of pounds!

 

[Damocles]

crucial 5 years coming up for me, out of education, in the job market, preferably landing a role within big business in London to get the opportunity to climb the wages ladder.

I just get the feeling a Labour, or Labour/SNP government will stifle all that.

The Blair government didn't.

A fine example of a Conservative light Government

True, but the Blair Government could be seen as a causal factor in the rise of the SNP.

The polls in Scotland by those voting for the SNP are saying that they feel that they are the only representation they have ideologically. Scotland is a left socialist country and England is a right leaning conservative country. The reinvention of Labour in the early/mid 90s into a more centrist party did increase their competitiveness in England but also had the problem of alienating those on the left.

Essentially though New Labour took for granted the votes of Scotland in their calculations or thought that as a country it would move more centrist over time. The polls since 1997 seem to show that Scotland will only move centrist if they are pulled in that way by a Labour leader that they support - Blair was charismatic enough, Brown was one of their own. In 2015 Miliband isn't ideologically compatible with them, isn't charismatic enough to pull it off via charm and has real competition for votes from a proper left wing party who they trust to do as they say. The SNP delivered the referendum that they promised that they would AND they are politically where Scotland wants them to be. It would take an Obama level of charismatic leader to have overturned them. When Cleggamania was running wild in 2010, Scotland saw a left winger that was closer to them and many thought that Scotland would be the Lib Dem home ground from then on.

Unfortunately, the Lib Dems committed the exact same mistake as Blair did - they moved themselves more to the centre when they combined to form the coalition Government which again alienated Scots political position.

It's also why a Con-SNP coalition as some have suggested is suicide for the SNP to the point where they may as well just hand Labour the seats back now. Lab-SNP is the best outcome for the left as they are ideologically on the same page on many issues and the SNP will move Labour away from the centre and back towards its left wing roots. Unfortunately this will mean that they are competing with Labour on their own ground in any future election but they should see little loss if they were the ones who brought Labour away from the centrist positions it has attempted to occupy since 1995.

With UKIP splitting the Tory vote in many marginal seats, a formation of a Lib-Lab-SNP alliance should be seen as good and sensible politics for those parties to deal with the inevitable fall of UKIP and integration back into the Tories over the next 5-10 years

 

[SWP's back]

Remember when Kinnock whooped the torys arses in 92?
[video]http://youtu.be/7TOgB3Smvro[/video] we're alright!!!!!!

I can still taste the tears.

It's like reading the rag cafe Champions thread from April 2012.

 

[law74]

We're heading for a hung parliament and we'll have to vote again in 6 months or 6 weeks.
British politics is fooked beyond repair unless we get proportional representation.

No reason why we can't have a working minority government.
If PR was brought in, what would them happen to independent candidates (or the votes of about 1500000 citizens of Northern Ireland?
It would also increase the pressure on MP's to toe the party line rather than voting as they feel best meets the requirements of their employers (currently the cconstituents)

 

[SWP's back]

Kas_tippler is another one who has made little or no sensible contribution to this thread but has been very intent on being a troll. It hasn't gone unnoticed.

If your definition of troll is someone that doesn't agree with you then you are correct Colin.

Had a bad week or something?

 

[Damocles]

People just don't seem to listen to the Scots which is what got us here in the first place:

Speaking to ITV's The Agenda, Ms Sturgeon said: "Scotland does accept the outcome of the referendum...The election on May 7 is not about independence.

"If you vote for the SNP you are not voting for independence you are not even voting for another independence referendum. You are voting to make Scotland's voice heard in that system that has so often in the past tended to side-line and ignore Scotland.

She added: "As the leader of the SNP I am saying very clearly to people that voting SNP in this election is not voting for another independence referendum.

Yet they are still being characterised as a nationalist vote which couldn't be further from the truth. The polls don't say that, their campaign strategy doesn't say that and their leaders don't say that. the only people who do are the English press.

 

[Damocles]

Kas_tippler is another one who has made little or no sensible contribution to this thread but has been very intent on being a troll. It hasn't gone unnoticed.

If your definition of troll is someone that doesn't agree with you then you are correct Colin.

Had a bad week or something?

More than a few mods have been following this thread and we have several trolls on it that are either being dealt with or will probably be dealt with if they continue after the election.

 

[hilts]

The Blair government didn't.

A fine example of a Conservative light Government

True, but the Blair Government could be seen as a causal factor in the rise of the SNP.

The polls in Scotland by those voting for the SNP are saying that they feel that they are the only representation they have ideologically. Scotland is a left socialist country and England is a right leaning conservative country. The reinvention of Labour in the early/mid 90s into a more centrist party did increase their competitiveness in England but also had the problem of alienating those on the left.

Essentially though New Labour took for granted the votes of Scotland in their calculations or thought that as a country it would move more centrist over time. The polls since 1997 seem to show that Scotland will only move centrist if they are pulled in that way by a Labour leader that they support - Blair was charismatic enough, Brown was one of their own. In 2015 Miliband isn't ideologically compatible with them, isn't charismatic enough to pull it off via charm and has real competition for votes from a proper left wing party who they trust to do as they say. The SNP delivered the referendum that they promised that they would AND they are politically where Scotland wants them to be. It would take an Obama level of charismatic leader to have overturned them. When Cleggamania was running wild in 2010, Scotland saw a left winger that was closer to them and many thought that Scotland would be the Lib Dem home ground from then on.

Unfortunately, the Lib Dems committed the exact same mistake as Blair did - they moved themselves more to the centre when they combined to form the coalition Government which again alienated Scots political position.

It's also why a Con-SNP coalition as some have suggested is suicide for the SNP to the point where they may as well just hand Labour the seats back now. Lab-SNP is the best outcome for the left as they are ideologically on the same page on many issues and the SNP will move Labour away from the centre and back towards its left wing roots. Unfortunately this will mean that they are competing with Labour on their own ground in any future election but they should see little loss if they were the ones who brought Labour away from the centrist positions it has attempted to occupy since 1995.

With UKIP splitting the Tory vote in many marginal seats, a formation of a Lib-Lab-SNP alliance should be seen as good and sensible politics for those parties to deal with the inevitable fall of UKIP and integration back into the Tories over the next 5-10 years

Life would have been a lot easier if the scots hadn't bottled it in the referendum

 

[SWP's back]

My history degree has taught me that PR is very dangerous as combined with a bad recession it led to the rise of National Socialism and ultimately was a main cause of WWII.

Having said that, the current system is totally Labour-biased due to the boundaries issue. And speaking of national socialists it will be a travesty of democracy if the SNP have anything of a say on English issues.

How do you work that out?

The Tories and Labour are both forecast to get 32-36 % but the Tories will end up with 30+ more seats than Labour.

..... Just asking?

Hang on. I thought you'd just said Labour would get the most seats?

 

[Johnsonontheleft]

Maybe they should change their name Damo to avoid confusion?

 

[Johnsonontheleft]

Hmmmmmmmm I wonder why Scotland is a generally left-wing, socialist country?

 

[kas_tippler]

Kas_tippler is another one who has made little or no sensible contribution to this thread but has been very intent on being a troll. It hasn't gone unnoticed.

If your definition of troll is someone that doesn't agree with you then you are correct Colin.

Had a bad week or something?

More than a few mods have been following this thread and we have several trolls on it that are either being dealt with or will probably be dealt with if they continue after the election.

Its your opinion, i don't agree with it but I'd defend you're right to it. Calling someone 'an obnoxious c***' is a bit naughty but I didn't complain. I'm still waiting a reply on my point yesterday.

 

[SWP's back]

People just don't seem to listen to the Scots which is what got us here in the first place:

Speaking to ITV's The Agenda, Ms Sturgeon said: "Scotland does accept the outcome of the referendum...The election on May 7 is not about independence.

"If you vote for the SNP you are not voting for independence you are not even voting for another independence referendum. You are voting to make Scotland's voice heard in that system that has so often in the past tended to side-line and ignore Scotland.

She added: "As the leader of the SNP I am saying very clearly to people that voting SNP in this election is not voting for another independence referendum.

Yet they are still being characterised as a nationalist vote which couldn't be further from the truth. The polls don't say that, their campaign strategy doesn't say that and their leaders don't say that. the only people who do are the English press.

You ignored my reply on how much say Scotland should get in who governs the UK as they are hugely overweight at present (and I don't just mean fat).

 

[Johnsonontheleft]

Charlie Brooker's Election Wipe is on at 9pm tonight. On immigration:

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W90buvgQ-Mk&feature=youtu.be[/video]

He's a left-wing **** so expect a thinly-veiled attack on UKIP throughout.

 

[BigJoe#1]

My history degree has taught me that PR is very dangerous as combined with a bad recession it led to the rise of National Socialism and ultimately was a main cause of WWII.

Having said that, the current system is totally Labour-biased due to the boundaries issue. And speaking of national socialists it will be a travesty of democracy if the SNP have anything of a say on English issues.

How do you work that out?

The Tories and Labour are both forecast to get 32-36 % but the Tories will end up with 30+ more seats than Labour.

..... Just asking?

Hang on. I thought you'd just said Labour would get the most seats?

Totally different question SWP..... I think Labour could well get more seats.

Johnsonontheleft says that the boundary system currently benefits Labour, I was asking how he came to that conclusion, nothing to do with my comment.

 

[SWP's back]

Kas_tippler is another one who has made little or no sensible contribution to this thread but has been very intent on being a troll. It hasn't gone unnoticed.

If your definition of troll is someone that doesn't agree with you then you are correct Colin.

Had a bad week or something?

More than a few mods have been following this thread and we have several trolls on it that are either being dealt with or will probably be dealt with if they continue after the election.

I wondered why I hadn't seen rascal since his pissed up ramble a few nights back.