General Election 2015

[Madejski]

I'm just shocked how accurate the exit poll was. I thought that there was no way that the exit polls could be so different to all of the pre-election opinion polls, but in fact the difference was even greater.

 

[Modernist]

Tory Majority
A bunch of Turkey's voting for Christmas.

People will regret what they did yesterday.

 

[TractorBoys]

No.

Judgement based over last 5 years.

Fantastic.

/thread.

 

[Ellis]

Clegg could have gone down as one of the best constitutional reformers if he had the backbone and political nous to push through proportional representation, or indeed any alternative voting system, and an elected upper house. Instead he leaves as a patsy who didn't know what mattered and what didn't. He was a terrible politician who didn't know how to play his hand. I feel sorry for the likes of Lord Ashdown who built the Liberal Democrats only for someone to singlehandedly dismantle all that hard work after five years of incompetence.

 

[Mustard]

No.

Judgement based over last 5 years.

Fantastic.

/thread.

There seems to be a lot of scaremongering about the 'evil' Conservatives about. As somebody who was one the fence until a few days ago, funnily enough I didn't vote Tory because I hate poor, disabled and homeless people, I did so because I believe Labour would take us up shit creek without a paddle making things much worse for those they purport to help in the long run.

 

[Pagnell]

I'm genuinely baffled that anyone can call a Tory majority 'fantastic' after the last five years. I know it's all about personal values and I can even understand why some people would prefer the Tories to going back to Labour but, even taking that into account, it's not a word I can envision anyone using right now.

 

[Cheese & Biscuits]

Tory Majority
A bunch of Turkey's voting for Christmas.

People will regret what they did yesterday.

I'm as disappointed as anyone but I'm not sure there will be much regret. I think most people who vote Tory do so with the knowledge of what they're voting for. I don't agree with what they stand for but they have won fair and square.

I just hope we have a solid opposition to push back for the next 5 years and build to the next GE.

 

[Benji]

Al Murray REFUSES to resign after FUKP fail win a single seat.

 

[Pagnell]

So Miliband, Farage and Clegg now quit. Cameron fucking loving it.

Big political changes over the next five years.

 

[TheArtfulDodger]

Pretty devastating night all told, the polls were way off.

I take solace from the fact Cameron will have a tiny minority which could crumble at any stage, I'm hoping the SNP will prove completely obdurate and try to break up the country, which would destroy Cameron completely. As for Labour, feel a bit for Miliband, I don't think he was even remotely to left on most things but he never managed to rid himself from the 'fear of Scotland' that the Tories slandered him with. I hope this government is brought down, or else it's going to be a horrid 5 years for a lot of peopl

 

[Ellis]

Personally I just hope that the Conservatives do a Major round 2 and eat themselves within over the In/Out referendum throw in what could be a very fierce opposition in SNP and Labour probably baying for blood after this election.

 

[Pagnell]

Small consolation but if the Tories of 10-15 years ago can come back from the wilderness, then Labour can too. They have some difficult decisions to make though.

 

[TheArtfulDodger]

There seems to be a lot of scaremongering about the 'evil' Conservatives about. As somebody who was one the fence until a few days ago, funnily enough I didn't vote Tory because I hate poor, disabled and homeless people, I did so because I believe Labour would take us up shit creek without a paddle making things much worse for those they purport to help in the long run.

Justify it anyway you want, you're a Tory bellend at the end of the day.

 

[Stee]

There seems to be a lot of scaremongering about the 'evil' Conservatives about

Agreed, I don't really understand it to be honest. While I also would not use the word 'fantastic' to describe the Cons re-election I already said I think it is the right decision.

If the Cons are so evil, so bad and so definitely going to ruin everything why are so many people voting for them? Millions more than voting for Labour for that matter...

Whoever gets in you end up with some people who are not happy thats just the way of it I am afraid, it cannot be denied that we have steadily recovered under the last government, one that was handed a total mess by the last Labour government. You don't change course when driving away from disaster folks!

 

[blade1889]

Personally I just hope that the Conservatives do a Major round 2 and eat themselves within over the In/Out referendum throw in what could be a very fierce opposition in SNP and Labour probably baying for blood after this election.

Could happen but labour/SNP will not be rivalling the Tories. The Tories will be fighting with them to keep us in the EU, they've made it pretty clear they don't want out of Europe.

Could easily see the Tories pissing off Scotland so much a new referendum on independence is forced through. No idea how mind but could see it happening and that would destroy them Imo.

 

[Tilbury]

There seems to be a lot of scaremongering about the 'evil' Conservatives about. As somebody who was one the fence until a few days ago, funnily enough I didn't vote Tory because I hate poor, disabled and homeless people, I did so because I believe Labour would take us up shit creek without a paddle making things much worse for those they purport to help in the long run.

You may not but the party you voted for sure does.

 

[Ellis]

Could happen but labour/SNP will not be rivalling the Tories. The Tories will be fighting with them to keep us in the EU, they've made it pretty clear they don't want out of Europe.

Could easily see the Tories pissing off Scotland so much a new referendum on independence is forced through. No idea how mind but could see it happening and that would destroy them Imo.

Apologies, I meant a very vocal opposition in general against the Conservatives. With such a weak majority and an active opposition I'm sure there could be the potential of the govt. being defeated a few times with perhaps the more moderate Cons rebelling or at least cause enough damage to make Cameron's life a bit harder. We could potentially see that Cameron finds it harder to govern on a small majority with the full power of the Conservatives in play rather than a solid majority with a formal coalition agreement we saw in 2010.

I half expect that an EU referendum will never see light of day. Though due to our Fixed Term Parliaments Act no matter what happens it's going to last a full 5 years without doubt.

 

[Murphy]

I'm probably not as clued up as a lot of you chaps here on Politics, but from a personal point of view I fail to see how a Conservative majority is a particularly good thing. The impression I get, is that this is a party that doesn't care about me or people from a similar background to me, and in the next 5 years they're going to do sod all that will benefit me. If you feel they care about you, then fair enough I suppose.

But this is a party that has seen a ridiculous rise in foodbanks, a rise in homelessness and a rise in A&E waiting times - all of which are for me personally, massive, massive things. I firmly believe from everything I've read and seen that they want to continue to privatise parts of the NHS, which again surely cannot be a good thing. Other things like an increase in free schools I don't agree with, and the housing situation in London in particular is becoming a running joke. How can you justify the 'growth' of business in London if it means removing what is at the core of London itself, the families from diverse backgrounds who can no longer afford to live there. What's there alternative? Affordable housing? Yeah, maybe, but not where they currently live, the heart is being ripped out of these communities and it's just wrong. Would Labour have done the same? I don't personally know, but I'm willing to bet the Tories will crack on with it far quicker. London isn't a place where people live anymore, it's a business district with everything being ripped apart inside it, which probably goes to show why Labour do quite well in these places.

I get the impression it's pull the ladder up jack and sod the rest. And I know I've pretty much rambled there, but as a first time voter I'm so fucking frustrated.

 

[blade1889]

Apologies, I meant a very vocal opposition in general against the Conservatives. With such a weak majority and an active opposition I'm sure there could be the potential of the govt. being defeated a few times with perhaps the more moderate Cons rebelling or at least cause enough damage to make Cameron's life a bit harder. We could potentially see that Cameron finds it harder to govern on a small majority with the full power of the Conservatives in play rather than a solid majority with a formal coalition agreement we saw in 2010.

I half expect that an EU referendum will never see light of day.

It would surely kill any future reelection campaign if they didn't have a referendum? Such a massive talking point to simply ignore!?

I see what you mean re the slim minority. But hopefully the likes of DUP will prop up support for more moderate issues.

 

[Pliny Harris]

It would surely kill any future reelection campaign if they didn't have a referendum? Such a massive talking point to simply ignore!?

I see what you mean re the slim minority. But hopefully the likes of DUP will prop up support for more moderate issues.

The DUP would potentially prop up a few less moderate issues too...

 

[Ellis]

It would surely kill any future reelection campaign if they didn't have a referendum? Such a massive talking point to simply ignore!?

I see what you mean re the slim minority. But hopefully the likes of DUP will prop up support for more moderate issues.

I guess it would depend how they have to push it through, if it has to be ratified in Parliament it could perhaps get a little messy. Granted I don't know the composition of the Conservative party's MPs and how strongly they feel on an EU referendum but even with the DUP providing those 8 extra members, it wouldn't take much to overrule it. Of course it definitely depends on whether the Conservative rebels feel it would be worth upsetting the apple cart to such a severe level and how shrewd the opposition are.

Whilst I half expect it, I definitely don't mean to say that it is very likely to happen, just there is almost certainly an outside chance, especially if Cameron is having a torrid time controlling his party that he might lose discipline. Pragmatically and evaluating this on paper EUphiles on the Conservative benches would have to bite their tongue and hope they win the referendum but party politics knows no bounds in internally destroying itself despite the greater good of turning away to keep your party electable when it comes to the polls.

 

[Alty]

I'm genuinely baffled that anyone can call a Tory majority 'fantastic' after the last five years. I know it's all about personal values and I can even understand why some people would prefer the Tories to going back to Labour but, even taking that into account, it's not a word I can envision anyone using right now.

A lot of people a) like the idea of less taxation, b) have got into a tizz about "scroungers" and c) buy into the idea that Labour wrecked the economy and the Tories are fixing it.

I find it all rather frustrating but the Tories had a pretty clear message about their "long-term economic plan" and "fairness". It's not hard to see how they did well.

 

[Alty]

Don't forget the UUP, folks. They have 2 MPs now and traditionally they're very close to the Tories. Used to share the whip.

 

[blade1889]

The DUP would potentially prop up a few less moderate issues too...

I doubt they'd even need to be propped up.

The initial point was that a minority government could fail, the DUP could prevent that (whom I know very little of other than they were willing to support the Cons). Not saying I agree with their policies that I know little about, just that they could prevent the slim majority failing.

 

[Cheese & Biscuits]

If the Cons are so evil, so bad and so definitely going to ruin everything why are so many people voting for them?

Some people agree with the policies. Things like the bedroom tax have huge support even though I find it abhorrent. Others just won't have any real idea about the effects some of their policies have on the poorer elements of society because they have no visibility of it.

There's also a huge element of selfishness in voting (not saying it's necessarily a bad thing) so whilst large parts of the country are "well off", they just don't care what happens at the other end of the scale.

I don't like what they have done or plan to do but that's my decision. I find them nasty, as do others. Some think they best represent their own interests. Such is life.

 

[Stee]

I totally get where you are coming from here but I don't see a better way to get around the problem sadly! If there was aparty that could make everyone happy I am sure we would all be voting for them. We don't live in a perfect world, I really do not believe that Labour would result in a more prosperous Britain but then as righty mentioned above I am not having to go to a food bank and live on the bread line like others are.

I don't think labelling one of the 11 odd million that voted them in as 'bellends' contributes much to the conversation much though, if the next 5 years do not see an improvement and Labour can get themselves a charismatic new leader then they can make a proper challenge to retake control but as it is more people think the current Con lot are the ones to take us forwards and I happen to agree.

The problems lie a lot deeper than the name of the party that leads the government, we have too many people and not enough jobs and all the wealth being collected by the few at the top, I don't think this would change much if Labour got into power either. If they want to funnel money from one area and feed it into another you end up with unhappy people wherever they funnel it from, the figures are sketchy at best for all the parties. I voted Con but I wonder where they will find the £8b they pledged for the NHS for example.

 

[Cardsfan]

I totally get where you are coming from here but I don't see a better way to get around the problem sadly! If there was aparty that could make everyone happy I am sure we would all be voting for them. We don't live in a perfect world, I really do not believe that Labour would result in a more prosperous Britain but then as righty mentioned above I am not having to go to a food bank and live on the bread line like others are.

I don't think labelling one of the 11 odd million that voted them in as 'bellends' contributes much to the conversation much though, if the next 5 years do not see an improvement and Labour can get themselves a charismatic new leader then they can make a proper challenge to retake control but as it is more people think the current Con lot are the ones to take us forwards and I happen to agree.

The problems lie a lot deeper than the name of the party that leads the government, we have too many people and not enough jobs and all the wealth being collected by the few at the top, I don't think this would change much if Labour got into power either. If they want to funnel money from one area and feed it into another you end up with unhappy people wherever they funnel it from, the figures are sketchy at best for all the parties. I voted Con but I wonder where they will find the £8b they pledged for the NHS for example.

Me personally, I do feel sorry for those earning 150k+ a year having a bit of extra tax taken away from their salary. Makes the idea of the poorest in this country relying on food banks quite minute in comparison doesn't it.

 

[Alty]

Harriet Harman stepping down as Labour Deputy Leader. I hope to God that means stepping back from the frontline rather than preparation for a leadership bid.

 

[S2_Blade]

I have no complaints about Tories been in charge for next 5 years, they have done ok past 5 years and of course borrowed a few ideas off Lib Dems who were always going to suffer last night, they could have just stayed in middle and voted either way but they wanted the job titles and now they must pay for that decision.

Labour need a leader who can really give Cameron a real challenge in debates but also has the ability to get the people on labour's side.

Lib Dem i hope with a new leader can start to repair the damage and become a real different party again compared to the big two.

SNP fair play to them for hammering Labour in Scotland and as for UKIP will they just fade away now ?

 

[TheArtfulDodger]

I totally get where you are coming from here but I don't see a better way to get around the problem sadly! If there was aparty that could make everyone happy I am sure we would all be voting for them. We don't live in a perfect world, I really do not believe that Labour would result in a more prosperous Britain but then as righty mentioned above I am not having to go to a food bank and live on the bread line like others are.

I don't think labelling one of the 11 odd million that voted them in as 'bellends' contributes much to the conversation much though, if the next 5 years do not see an improvement and Labour can get themselves a charismatic new leader then they can make a proper challenge to retake control but as it is more people think the current Con lot are the ones to take us forwards and I happen to agree.

The problems lie a lot deeper than the name of the party that leads the government, we have too many people and not enough jobs and all the wealth being collected by the few at the top, I don't think this would change much if Labour got into power either. If they want to funnel money from one area and feed it into another you end up with unhappy people wherever they funnel it from, the figures are sketchy at best for all the parties. I voted Con but I wonder where they will find the £8b they pledged for the NHS for example.

Sorry, but this isn't a football game where we can all shake hands at the end. This about core values and how you treat fellow people within your society. The Conservatives very clearly do value the votes of the wealthy over those of the poorest, value cutting tax and benefit payments, extolling private business profit over an NHS which is collectively run and collectively responsible. If you share the values of the Conservative party, you are quite simply a bellend, it couldn't more obvious, it's like Glasgow Rangers fans...unpleasant people, without exception.

One other thing I'd say, the geographic divide could not be starker. The Northern cities are Labour, but the South is increasingly Tory, even London didn't move much for Labour. Can we have an SNP type party for the North? Labour aren't representing us well enough and the North and South are rapidly becoming different places altogether, the Northern cities have a lot more in common with the SNP politics than the Tory south.