General Election

[SydneyRover]

Shapps gone ............. woo hooo

[SydneyRover]

Thumping win for Corbyn

[normal rules]

My prediction for Reform pre-exit poll was 3 seats. I still think I'll be closer than the exit poll.

Over 4 million votes for reform. Considerably more than the Lib Dem’s. 14.3% of the overall vote.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

My prediction for Reform pre-exit poll was 3 seats. I still think I'll be closer than the exit poll.

Over 4 million votes for reform. Considerably more than the Lib Dem’s. 14.3% of the overall vote.

Cue years of campaigning from him on changing the voting system.  I think this election adds a bit of weight to the argument for reform and the greens, but there's no easy system is there?

[DonnyOsmond]

What's the predictions for how well reform will do. I think it will be a pleasant surprise, more than the current predictions of between 5 and 10 million votes and between 5 and 10 seats.

Doesn't look like that's gonna happen Tony mate.

[KeithMyath]

Absolutely shocked that here in Cornwall, which is Tory through and through, has now not one Tory MP.

[DonnyOsmond]

Labour looking like they've won with less votes than in 2019. Tories with about half of what they got in 2019.

[ncRover]

SNP in the mud. Love to see it

[normal rules]

What's the predictions for how well reform will do. I think it will be a pleasant surprise, more than the current predictions of between 5 and 10 million votes and between 5 and 10 seats.

Doesn't look like that's gonna happen Tony mate.

Look much closer at the results. Have a look at some humberside seats, and many in Lincolnshire. Reform have stripped thousands of votes from the tories in many constituencies.
Look at the 2 Barnsley seats.
The seats in and around Stoke.
Newcastle and the north east.
In fact much of the red wall.
The tories are finished, and probably for many years.
But Let’s see what happens after this labour govt. because if they are perceived to have f**ked things up, like the tories have, in a few years time, then uk politics will be in for big reform. Because there is now a third movement patiently waiting in the wings. Who have come from literally no where to get the third biggest overall vote.

[SydneyRover]

jees nr labour haven't been sworn in yet

[normal rules]

jees nr labour haven't been sworn in yet

And for the record I wish them luck. They are going to need it. I am not a labour voter but I want this country to succeed and prosper.
I think I can see what going to unfold over the next few years though.
My advice to starmer is get a grip of the boat situation. Number one priority.
You will then garner support from the populist movement that is gaining traction across the country. Fail to do so. And you will fail, no matter what else you achieve.
Love or loathe farage he has the ability to tap into the minds of people in this country. He knows what people want to hear and want to see happen. This has been the immigration election. And labours term in office will be judged on their ability to tackle it more than anything else.

[SydneyRover]

And for the record again, I (and probably others) would have preferred the tories to run the country better, nobody in their right mind wanted what they did.

[ncRover]

We have to remember that people vote tactically in certain seats. Vote share % isn’t necessarily a more accurate representation of how popular certain parties are compared to seats won.

Brilliant result for the Lib Dems, which I think is being overlooked on here.

[IDM]

jees nr labour haven't been sworn in yet

And for the record I wish them luck. They are going to need it. I am not a labour voter but I want this country to succeed and prosper.
I think I can see what going to unfold over the next few years though.
My advice to starmer is get a grip of the boat situation. Number one priority.
You will then garner support from the populist movement that is gaining traction across the country. Fail to do so. And you will fail, no matter what else you achieve.
Love or loathe farage he has the ability to tap into the minds of people in this country. He knows what people want to hear and want to see happen. This has been the immigration election. And labours term in office will be judged on their ability to tackle it more than anything else.

Not for me, couldn’t disagree more. 

It’s about getting a stronger economy, so that everything else that needs to be done, is affordable - including fixing the “boats” issue.

[KeithMyath]

Very True

A lot of seats that Lib dem won were not contested at all by Labour, as was the case here in North Cornwall. So Lib dem got my vote. I would say a large % of lib dem voters were tactical so hard to gauge what would have been the Labour vote share if that had not been the case. I saw on some of the stats that in held labour seats, labour lost a lot of votes to Reform, so it's not all one way.

We have to remember that people vote tactically in certain seats. Vote share % isn’t necessarily an accurate idea of how popular certain parties are.

Brilliant result for the Lib Dems, which I think is being overlooked on here.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

We have to remember that people vote tactically in certain seats. Vote share % isn’t necessarily a more accurate representation of how popular certain parties are compared to seats won.

Brilliant result for the Lib Dems, which I think is being overlooked on here.

The Lib Dems have played a blinder, less votes than reform yet 15 times the seat number is incredible.

Never did I expect to see a huge majority on less than 34% vote share.  Farage will have a field day with this.  A lot of labour voters wanted PR etc in tory governments, one assumes that has changed this morning.  I think the changing face of UK politics means change on voting is closer (but not likely).

[IDM]

Did anyone else see Robert Buckland (Con) speak after losing his seat last night (Swindon) - one of the first to declare a result.

I don't know much of the man, but from how he spoke, and also how his victorious Labour opponent spoke of him, he came across as a genuine passionate man dedicated to serving his constituents and therefore his country.  He seems to have integrity in spades, far more than most of the headlining Tories we have seen in recent months/years.

Had they had more of his ilk in leading positions in recent times, they would probably still be in government today.

[KeithMyath]

Pretty sure he voted against same sex marriage more than a few times.

Did anyone else see Robert Buckland (Con) speak after losing his seat last night (Swindon) - one of the first to declare a result.

I don't know much of the man, but from how he spoke, and also how his victorious Labour opponent spoke of him, he came across as a genuine passionate man dedicated to serving his constituents and therefore his country.  He seems to have integrity in spades, far more than most of the headlining Tories we have seen in recent months/years.

Had they had more of his ilk in leading positions in recent times, they would probably still be in government today.

[Copps is Magic]

I really can't stand our political voting system. Greens get 2 million votes only 4 seats, Reform get double that only 4 seats, Lib Dems 3.5 million ... 71 seats.

[Mike_F]

As a Lib Dem member I'm absolutely delighted with the number of seats we've gained. I also wholeheartedly agree that percentage of the vote isn't an accurate yardstick to measure the "will of the people." The election was fought with a full and focused understanding of how the electoral system currently works. For example there was a huge push from the Leeds Lib Dems to support the campaign in Harrogate and Knaresborough with very little focus on seats in Leeds. It worked and we returned a thumping majority in what had been a Tory stronghold. I, on the other hand wanted to see the back of Andrea Jenkyns in my constituency so I contributed to a big win for Labour. I know many, many Lib Dem supporters will have made similar decisions so our vote share across the board will have been significantly depressed in favour of picking up votes where they really counted.

In the interest of democracy I would still be in favour of electoral reform whether that's AV or PR, both have their merits in terms of delivering the government that most people would find acceptable/most representative/least controversial.

What the LD's have done here is build a strong platform to influence voting in the HoC and hold the two bigger parties to account with one eye on building form this base to credibly challenge for the official opposition spot at the next GE. It's absolutely VITAL that the parliamentary party are seen to be absolutely beyond reproach in terms of standing by the manifesto promises and fighting for the issues on which the seats were gained. Any hint whatsoever of hypocrisy or duplicity would be ruinous at a time when the party and its membership has worked so hard to put the disaster that was Nick Clegg firmly in the history books.

[South West Rover]

Pretty sure he voted against same sex marriage more than a few times.

Did anyone else see Robert Buckland (Con) speak after losing his seat last night (Swindon) - one of the first to declare a result.

I don't know much of the man, but from how he spoke, and also how his victorious Labour opponent spoke of him, he came across as a genuine passionate man dedicated to serving his constituents and therefore his country.  He seems to have integrity in spades, far more than most of the headlining Tories we have seen in recent months/years.

Had they had more of his ilk in leading positions in recent times, they would probably still be in government today.

Are you saying that it's not possible for someone to be passionate, dedicated and possess integrity if their views don't align with yours then?

[IDM]

I really can't stand our political voting system. Greens get 2 million votes only 4 seats, Reform get double that only 4 seats, Lib Dems 3.5 million ... 71 seats.

I'm in favour of PR but there's difficulties implementing it.  If (notionally) Labour won 60% of the seats individually, but with only 40% of the total votes, then only 2/3 of those seats would end up with a Labour MP.  That's not fair on the remaining third.?

I've an idea.  Vote in constituencies as now, but use PR to work out how power is shared in Parliament.

Say for example, Labour wins 60% seats with 40% of the vote, then each Labour MP's parliamentary vote is worth 2/3 of a vote.

Say Greens have 1% of seats with 10% of the vote, each MP has a vote worth 10 votes.

Lib Dems have 10% seats with 10% votes, MPs vote =1 each, etc etc for each party.

This means each constituency has an MP it voted for, who can speak out in Parliament and represent his/her constituents as now.

Of course, unless a party won 50% or more of the vote, it would be more difficult to pass their laws, so there wold need to be more reasoned debate, flexibility, and compromise in Parliament.  Or alliances formed with other parties - either temporary for each issue, or formally as in a coalition.  In the case of the latter you get some ministers from a minority party.

This would give the likes of the Greens much more of a say in government policy, and the majority party would need to accommodate the others' views to a greater extent they do now.

Complicated, yes.  Workable, I dunno, but surely fairer than what we have now?

And voting should be compulsory.

[IDM]

Pretty sure he voted against same sex marriage more than a few times.

Did anyone else see Robert Buckland (Con) speak after losing his seat last night (Swindon) - one of the first to declare a result.

I don't know much of the man, but from how he spoke, and also how his victorious Labour opponent spoke of him, he came across as a genuine passionate man dedicated to serving his constituents and therefore his country.  He seems to have integrity in spades, far more than most of the headlining Tories we have seen in recent months/years.

Had they had more of his ilk in leading positions in recent times, they would probably still be in government today.

You don't have to agree with a person's opinions and beliefs to accept that they are genuine in what they believe in, and that they act with integrity.  There's often a lot of respect and even friendship between MPs of differing parties, despite their political differences.

[Mike_F]

I'm torn on compulsory voting. While I think that universal suffrage is a hard-won privilege, forcing people to vote by law could skew the political process unfavourably. To a degree, those who vote now do so because they have taken an interest and should know broadly what they're voting for. If you made everyone vote you'd end up with a lot of votes being cast for very spurious reasons.

I know two people in my extended family who aren't the most active voters but have shared opinions along the lines of:

Person 1:
- They should never have got rid of Boris, at least he had a bit of personality.

Person 2:
- I voted for David Cameron (she didn't; she voted for the Tory MP in her constituency) because he's dishy so if I have to see someone on the TV all the time I'd rather it be him than that scruffy Corbyn bloke.
- Rishi is the right man for the job. He's so rich that he's obviously not in it for the money, he must really care about people.

 

[danumdon]

Pretty sure he voted against same sex marriage more than a few times.

Did anyone else see Robert Buckland (Con) speak after losing his seat last night (Swindon) - one of the first to declare a result.

I don't know much of the man, but from how he spoke, and also how his victorious Labour opponent spoke of him, he came across as a genuine passionate man dedicated to serving his constituents and therefore his country.  He seems to have integrity in spades, far more than most of the headlining Tories we have seen in recent months/years.

Had they had more of his ilk in leading positions in recent times, they would probably still be in government today.

You don't have to agree with a person's opinions and beliefs to accept that they are genuine in what they believe in, and that they act with integrity.  There's often a lot of respect and even friendship between MPs of differing parties, despite their political differences.

This in spades. I believe a great many people (including many on here) have completely lost sight of this.

In effect a great many MP's have not acted with integrity and respect and have had their due desserts handed to them on a plate. You have to feel for the ones who have lost their seat due to the pathetic and disgraceful attitude of some leading members from their party. This includes MP's from all parties.

With Labour now in power the spotlight will be turned up to max on their members, it will be interesting to see what happens because if Starmer has been forthright on anything its his adherence to demonstrating a respectful figure in public and demanding it from his members. If things go well , especially right from the start it would stand Labour in good stead for later when some issues may arise.

It would be great to see an end to the "celebrity culture crap" from certain quarters, aided and abetted by a voracious press. We just want our legislators to get on with a massive job, keep their heads down and let their policy's and actions do their talking, that's probably asking for a great deal but if they can keep this in mind we stand a better chance of progress.

Lets see some decisive and transformative action, that this country has long been waiting for.

[Pancho Regan]

Did anyone else see Robert Buckland (Con) speak after losing his seat last night (Swindon) - one of the first to declare a result.

I don't know much of the man, but from how he spoke, and also how his victorious Labour opponent spoke of him, he came across as a genuine passionate man dedicated to serving his constituents and therefore his country.  He seems to have integrity in spades, far more than most of the headlining Tories we have seen in recent months/years.

Had they had more of his ilk in leading positions in recent times, they would probably still be in government today.

Yes I saw that IDM, and it struck me the same way it did you.
I was very impressed by Robert Buckland and the incoming Labour candidate Heidi Alexander. He was gracious in defeat and she was humble in victory.

If only poiltics could be done like this.

[ChrisBx]

Did anyone else see Robert Buckland (Con) speak after losing his seat last night (Swindon) - one of the first to declare a result.

I don't know much of the man, but from how he spoke, and also how his victorious Labour opponent spoke of him, he came across as a genuine passionate man dedicated to serving his constituents and therefore his country.  He seems to have integrity in spades, far more than most of the headlining Tories we have seen in recent months/years.

Had they had more of his ilk in leading positions in recent times, they would probably still be in government today.

Yes I saw that IDM, and it struck me the same way it did you.
I was very impressed by Robert Buckland and the incoming Labour candidate Heidi Alexander. He was gracious in defeat and she was humble in victory.

If only poiltics could be done like this.

His fingerprints are all over the damage the Tories caused to the justice system. Good speech but good riddance.

[IDM]

Did anyone else see Robert Buckland (Con) speak after losing his seat last night (Swindon) - one of the first to declare a result.

I don't know much of the man, but from how he spoke, and also how his victorious Labour opponent spoke of him, he came across as a genuine passionate man dedicated to serving his constituents and therefore his country.  He seems to have integrity in spades, far more than most of the headlining Tories we have seen in recent months/years.

Had they had more of his ilk in leading positions in recent times, they would probably still be in government today.

Yes I saw that IDM, and it struck me the same way it did you.
I was very impressed by Robert Buckland and the incoming Labour candidate Heidi Alexander. He was gracious in defeat and she was humble in victory.

If only poiltics could be done like this.

His fingerprints are all over the damage the Tories caused to the justice system. Good speech but good riddance.

If he was that bad, why was his opponent so magnanimous in her victory speech.?  She could have only praised her own team, and damned him with silence.

[MachoMadness]

Good speech from Starmer, to be fair. Let's hope he can back it up.

[DonnyOsmond]

Hopefully today is the end of culture wars, we can be more tolerant to people. We'll hopefully be more cooperative and respectful to other nations.