Local Elections

Labour and Conservatives are pretty much aligned atm as regards to economic and fiscal policy. Both are in favour of privatising the NHS and refusing to take public utilities such as Gas, Electric, Water, Transport etc into public ownership.
Our votes are mostly meaningless unless you are happy with the status quo.
 
Kip said:
Labour must be disappointed at only reaching similar levels to what they achieved under Corbyn. There's talk of Starmer having to resign if he gets a FPN and then the whole Left/Centre thing will start again and there just isn't time to go through all of that before the next election.

Labour also securing London while not making headway in the (real) country just reinforces that they are now the party of the affluent middle-class which must be worrying for them as that doesn't win elections - they will need a strong Midlands and Northern return at the General Election as they can't rely on the South-East outside of the capital.

For the Tories, it's a wake-up call but it's an expected wake-up call and it looks like they just about got away with it. Most of the Labour gains were from NOC and winning Harrow from Labour negates one of the so-called 'symbolic' London councils although what's symbolic about Barnet I have no idea.

Finally, it looks like the nationalist parties - Sinn Fein, SNP and Plaid Cymru - made gains which says to me these parties have a core 'shock troops' of voters who will always vote for them even if you dangle their cat over a canal. Those who are willing to change their vote - Tory to LibDem, Labour to Green - need to be wary of these people. They're the true nutters of British politics, not those voting for mainstream parties.
Click to expand...
A third of the electorate live in London. What's unreal about it?
 
foggy said:
100%. Scotland is entirely SNP and you can't take away a 10th of the electorate - more with NI - and expect majority governments. Our system encourages coalitions and more people including inside Labour HQ should cotton on to that fact. I have no problem with it. Couldn't even a decently well run Labour win every election with SNP? They probably vote together on 90% of issues that aren't on independence anyway.
Click to expand...
Only problem with that the SNP are a one issue party so unless you give them another referendum they won't form any coalition with anybody they'll just hold Labour to Blackmail to give them their wish.

So in my opinion unless they get another vote and lose again going into bed with the SNP will never happen.
 
poolseasider said:
Only problem with that the SNP are a one issue party so unless you give them another referendum they won't form any coalition with anybody they'll just hold Labour to Blackmail to give them their wish.

So in my opinion unless they get another vote and lose again going into bed with the SNP will never happen.
Click to expand...
But you could still just be a minority government and know you're gonna win a lot of votes in the commons with SNP basically a centre left party. But even then I suppose there's opportunity for SNP to pull some chicanery.

I really just don't see majority government as the be all and end all goal anymore. Just get more MPs than the Tories - which they are almost certainly on course to do pretty easily - and nearly all other minority parties are pretty natural bedfollows. Plaid Cyrmu and SNP are more left. Lib Dems just going to oppose whoever is in power so that's more flip-floppy, but as long as you're the largest single party you're all fine.

It's not very ambitious, you're probably not nationalising rail or making bold advancements in a green economy, but ** hell just anything other than another 5 years of this.
 
foggy said:
But you could still just be a minority government and know you're gonna win a lot of votes in the commons with SNP basically a centre left party. But even then I suppose there's opportunity for SNP to pull some chicanery.

I really just don't see majority government as the be all and end all goal anymore. Just get more MPs than the Tories - which they are almost certainly on course to do pretty easily - and nearly all other minority parties are pretty natural bedfollows. Plaid Cyrmu and SNP are more left. Lib Dems just going to oppose whoever is in power so that's more flip-floppy, but as long as you're the largest single party you're all fine.

It's not very ambitious, you're probably not nationalising rail or making bold advancements in a green economy, but ** hell just anything other than another 5 years of this.
Click to expand...
Like I posted above it's PR for me because not sure this coalition thing would work it didn't with Libs and Cons and when you have SNP,Plaid Cyrmu,Greens etc their demands are going to be the only thing on the table.
I repeat SNP won't go into power with anyone unless you give them a vote if they win then that's the coalition stuffed and they'd vote against Labours policies until they get their way.
 
Last edited:
Kip said:
Labour must be disappointed at only reaching similar levels to what they achieved under Corbyn. There's talk of Starmer having to resign if he gets a FPN and then the whole Left/Centre thing will start again and there just isn't time to go through all of that before the next election.

Labour also securing London while not making headway in the (real) country just reinforces that they are now the party of the affluent middle-class which must be worrying for them as that doesn't win elections - they will need a strong Midlands and Northern return at the General Election as they can't rely on the South-East outside of the capital.

For the Tories, it's a wake-up call but it's an expected wake-up call and it looks like they just about got away with it. Most of the Labour gains were from NOC and winning Harrow from Labour negates one of the so-called 'symbolic' London councils although what's symbolic about Barnet I have no idea.

Finally, it looks like the nationalist parties - Sinn Fein, SNP and Plaid Cymru - made gains which says to me these parties have a core 'shock troops' of voters who will always vote for them even if you dangle their cat over a canal. Those who are willing to change their vote - Tory to LibDem, Labour to Green - need to be wary of these people. They're the true nutters of British politics, not those voting for mainstream parties.
Click to expand...
Tories lose over 500 Council seats and it's a disaster for Labour.

And the MMS is in the hands of the Left.😉

Go figure.
 
poolseasider said:
Like I posted above it's PR for me because not sure this coalition thing would work it didn't with Libs and Cons and when you have SNP,Plaid Cyrmu,Greens etc their demands are going to be the only thing on the table.
I repeat SNP won't go into power with anyone unless you give them a vote if they win then that's the coalition stuffed and they'd vote against Labours policies until they get their way.
Click to expand...
Why would the Tories bring in PR when they benefit the most from the current system?

And PR will guarantee hung parliaments.
 
Wizaard said:
Tories lose over 500 Council seats and it's a disaster for Labour.

And the MMS is in the hands of the Left.😉

Go figure.
Click to expand...
It's not a disaster - no-one is saying it's a disaster. It is disappointing though at this stage of the electoral cycle.
 
Kip said:
Labour must be disappointed at only reaching similar levels to what they achieved under Corbyn. There's talk of Starmer having to resign if he gets a FPN and then the whole Left/Centre thing will start again and there just isn't time to go through all of that before the next election.

Labour also securing London while not making headway in the (real) country just reinforces that they are now the party of the affluent middle-class which must be worrying for them as that doesn't win elections - they will need a strong Midlands and Northern return at the General Election as they can't rely on the South-East outside of the capital.

For the Tories, it's a wake-up call but it's an expected wake-up call and it looks like they just about got away with it. Most of the Labour gains were from NOC and winning Harrow from Labour negates one of the so-called 'symbolic' London councils although what's symbolic about Barnet I have no idea.

Finally, it looks like the nationalist parties - Sinn Fein, SNP and Plaid Cymru - made gains which says to me these parties have a core 'shock troops' of voters who will always vote for them even if you dangle their cat over a canal. Those who are willing to change their vote - Tory to LibDem, Labour to Green - need to be wary of these people. They're the true nutters of British politics, not those voting for mainstream parties.
Click to expand...
The characterisation by the right that London is not ‘real’ and full of metropolitan elites, whilst ignoring the struggling millions that do live there, is probably one of the main reasons why so few voted for the tories the other day.
 
Last edited:
Wizaard said:
Why would the Tories bring in PR when they benefit the most from the current system?

And PR will guarantee hung parliaments.
Click to expand...
Which is the single best thing that could happen to the country.

50 years of coalition government would force the career politicians to cooperate and devise the most successful outcome for the country instead of feathering their own pockets and the pockets of their donors. They may even be replaced by well meaning people.

What on earth could be wrong with a coalition government that actually got voted for by the majority of people in the country.

A British government has not had more than 50% of the vote for more than 85 years.
 
Foolweary said:
Which is the single best thing that could happen to the country.

50 years of coalition government would force the career politicians to cooperate and devise the most successful outcome for the country instead of feathering their own pockets and the pockets of their donors. They may even be replaced by well meaning people.

What on earth could be wrong with a coalition government that actually got voted for by the majority of people in the country.
Click to expand...

Foolweary said:
A British government has not had more than 50% of the vote for more than 85 years.
Click to expand...
Don't disagree. Vested interests means it won't happen.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top