09-06-2017, 09:15
(09-06-2017, 07:28)St Charles Owl Wrote: Well, that was unexpected!!! Unprecedented would be a good word for what we have seen in this election. The collapse of the UKIP vote, and the Tories picking up most of that vote meant their actual vote was up yet they lost seats?? Labour were never looking like doing enough to win but boy have they played the role of spoiler superbly in th end. Very disappointing night for the SNP, currently down 21 seats and the loss of two Major figures as well as falling below 40% of the Scottish vote!! The Tories picked up 12 of those seats and Labour picked up 6, not bad for parties who were supposed to be finished in Scotland!! Independence vote has surely just been swept out into the North Sea, lets see if the tide will return it to shore!!
Now we get into really tricky territory, what will happen now?? May surely can't stay and I can't see any party joining with them except the NI parties. On the other side, can't see all the parties coming together to form a differnt coalition either. So do we get a minority government or do we get another election?? Very interesting times ahead!!
Basically, the Tories went UKIP-lite thinking they could hoover up votes in England and add to their existing support. But it doesn't work like that. In moving right they were always going to haemorrhage young/liberal/entrepreneur/Remainer support to the Lib Dems, and in turn, I think a lot of leftish Lib Dems went Labour, along with some Kippers who just don't trust the Tories on stuff like the NHS. Plus, credit where it's due, Corbyn seems to have pulled out a big youth vote in places where it mattered.
So where does this leave us? More than likely with a Tory govt propped up by the DUP. A Tory government enabled, you'll note, by a significant number of Scottish constituencies. And this after weeks and weeks of us hearing on this very thread about "the English will give us this", and "the English will give us that".
Time for some looking in the mirror, maybe? Some consideration that the problem doesn't just lie in one country? The idea that (shock, horror!) class conflict may transcend borders and boundaries?
But rest assured, I won't hold my breath on that front.
"I would rather spend a holiday in Tuscany than in the Black Country, but if I were compelled to choose between living in West Bromwich or Florence, I should make straight for West Bromwich." - J.B. Priestley