Sky coverage is a bit rubbish without a single decent talking head in sight. ITV has gorgeous George, looking very relaxed and, amazingly, talking sense (needs to wash his hair, though. Perhaps, he’ll shower after Rudd’s humiliation). Let’s face it, Auntie excels at this kind of thing.
And ‘Brexit means Brexit’. Whatever that means. Great necklace, though. Chunky and substantial, just like her views. It made me think she’d be superb in opposition.
I endured the misfortune of attending an ambassors reception with her in Bahrain.
Those were in the days when she was a mere PR harpie who would have attended the opening of an envelope.
Googly eyes, settling into a manic stare of forced interest. Vapid, ignorant, opinionated ignorance, gushing, choc full of empty platitudes. I could go on.
But that’s enough about me.
Tragically I fear she may be overlooked in any reshuffle.
“Googly eyes, settling into a manic stare of forced interest. Vapid, ignorant, opinionated ignorance, gushing, choc full of empty platitudes. I could go on”
That sounds like a lot of voters in Witham. No wonder she did so well.
When she was interviewing Shami Chakrabarti last night I was half-thinking, “This is exactly what a lot of folk last June thought they were banishing from public life forever”
With Mishal it’s those heavy-lidded eyes. She always seems to be giving you “a look”. Maybe she’s just into the cameraman.
I think – serious answer – it’s to do with the closeness of the majority of polling stations to the counts. And it’s become a competition in that region in recent elections. I’m starting to think that it should be in the Olympics.
Certain Marginal constituencies have tellers outside the polling booth, often people who work for a particular party. They ask one voter in every so many (typically 6-8) to let the teller know how they voted. It doesn’t pick up the last hour or so of voting or postal votes.
They choose particular seats, more marginals, but a variety. I think they chose a hundred and thirty odd. Then, polllsters stand outside polling stations and ask thirty-odd thousand people as they emerge from their booths who they voted for.
He’ll still be around. House of Lords for an ex deputy PM. Totally unleashed he might have very interesting things to say if George tries to make a comeback.
Nina is swivelling on her chair in the Media Centre on ITV. The hair is glossy and the talking head can’t be heard. Brilliant. He’s an expert on betting, apparently. Boris 3:1 to be Conservative leader.
And in the death,
As the last few corpses lay rotting on the slimy
Thoroughfare,
The shutters lifted in inches in Temperance Building,
High on Poacher’s Hill.
It all feels like another ‘stuff the establishment telling us what’s good for us’ vote. And a kick back against Brexit. Plus voters punishing May not only for being so poor in the campaign but for having the temerity to call an unnecessary election, putting political self interest above national interest.
So it seems we find ourself probably without a majority government, potentially a Tory leadership campaign, and probabaly another general election in months. Oh and the small matter of Brexit to negotiate. The Tories, with the Referendum and now this election really have screwed both themselves and the country over.
Meantime ITV are caning the Beeb tonight – Tom Bradby much better than Dimbleby and the George and Ed love-in weirdly compelling.
Just flicked to ITV. Nice lady in a blue dress. I’m not sure if it is Ed or not. Really impressed with Nina, her shoes and hair. Let’s look at Twitter and Google. Let’s not.
Rallings and his chum Thrasher were two of my tutors when I studied politics 30 years ago.
Mind you, they obviously weren’t very good at it – I predicted a Tory majority of 100.
ITV giving the BBC a run for their money on ‘bad microphones’ though; at the moment it’s still too early to call.
Also, a strong showing from Nina in the all-important Hossain/Husain face-off, but Mishal still absolutely aceing it according to this viewer’s private pole. POLL, POLL, I MEANT POLL, DAMMIT!!!
I’m quite enjoying ITV too, although there’s some disparaging stuff on Twitter. Basically I shuffle between BBC, ITV and C4. BJ sounding out colleagues already, apparently.
What with the Comey hearing earlier, this is turning into quite a night…
I always said I’d publicly eat a big dish of crow if I was proven wrong about the electoral appeal of Corbyn. I’m happy to do so. I still don’t like the guy or respect his positions on many things, or his intellect, but I’ve got to respect what he seems to be achieving here. No grudging respect or retraction either: I’m happy to be wrong. Wrong is what I was.
He’s doing better than most of us ever imagined he would, but May was done far, far worse. On balance I’d say she’s losing it more than he’s winning it
I’m in a Travelodge and although the Light is snoozing happily beside me I never sleep well in hotels. I just had to try very, very hard not to laugh loud enough to wake her at that one!
As a Sheffield Hallam voter I feel slightly guilty at giving Nick a slight hurry up to his plans for a career change but I still haven’t forgiven him for the “You vote LibDem, you get Tories” years.
Not a good night for Elmos as it seems Big Bird has held Sesame Street South with an increased majority, fending off challenges from Elmo, Burt and The Count.
Was hoping to see the Rudd defeat confirmed but giving in and going to bed. Really hoping for another couple of unexpected Tory losses to prevent the Tory/DUP alliance getting them over the line. But who would have thought the Scots would potentially rescue the Tories? I am beginning to fear the President Trump/Prime Minister Johnson double header that could be coming our way though.
Morning. It’s the point where the clubbers have called it a night at the pubbers are starting to stir.
So then, here’s a fine howd’ydo. Much better than most of us dared hope when the polls closed, but still a real buggers muddle all round. I can’t see how a government can be formed out of this mess, or how how the obvious solution, yet another election pretty soon, could make it any clearer.
Turns out safe and stable May was just as big a gambler as Cameron was when he called the Euro referendum. Is that, just as Brexiters were invisible because they were under represented in parliament, there was a left wing section of the electorate who had been discounted because there hadn’t been a leftist candidate for the top job in a generation?
Well that’s that all sorted out then – we now know where we stand…er…
I am disappointed that Jezza didn’t quite get there but I am feeling surprisingly upbeat even though we have the same PM and the same ruling party. I really think things have changed – this is by no means over.
As with Brexit, we now have the Conservatives in turmoil again. I bet they didn’t even seriously consider a result like this, let alone have a Plan B. It was the UKIP share of the vote that dunnit – a significant % went to Labour – which was unexpected. Also, the young people seeing a manifesto promise that directly benefitted them – they turned up too. I hope that this hung parliament doesn’t put them off. The next election may come around pretty soon and now that Labour have regained some credibility – things may be very different next time.
…and can I just say that I predicted a hung parliament? Yay me!
Well. Her hand has been weakened rather than strengthened. However, with the help of the DUP, she’ll get in her dementia tax. Brexit negotiations next week will be interesting.
I doubt a single Tory MP would follow her into the lobby for that dementia tax proposal now Tiggs. That unforced error cost her any ‘strong and stable’ rep and with it her entire election raison d’etre.
Ah come on, no way is she getting her policy platform now: she has a working majority of 2 even with the DUP, and you think Ken Clarke, Anna Soubry, Sarah Wollaston etc are going to support the dementia tax and so on? Not a chance.
I’m sure there decent Conservatives on the back benches, but when the cabinet consists of a bunch of shady, arrogant, out of touch chancers, sooner or later things will go against you.
Having said that, if Labour had chosen the right Milliband two years ago, this situation would never have arisen.
My constituency? Skipton, where the donkey with a blue rosette applies.
I really don’t know what to say about this result. I am a Labour supporter but I believe Corbyn is a shyte hawk. He has hijacked the Labour Party, should he be happy with this result. Of course he is, he has an ego the size of Jupiter but how would Labour have done with a different person leading them? Who? I must admit I don’t have a clue! However younger voters have voted for the LP in their droves and with them the future lies.
“Corbyn is a shyte hawk.” I don’t know what a shyte hawk is, but I’m sure he’s not.
“He has hyjacked the Labour party.” No he hasn’t. The vast majority of the Labour party support him (although the MPs don’t, but they’re politicians). What he has done is made the Labour Party radically different to the Conservative and Liberal Parties, for a change.
“He has an ego the size of Jupiter.” Daily Mail nonsense. I have never come across such a passionately convinced and principled British politician before.
When both Stephen Hawking and Noam Comsky proclaim him as their first choice, tabloid-level slagging looks a bit “under considered” in comparison.
If my research group (i.e. my daughters) is anything to go by they are outraged by Brexit and firmly blame the Tories. I think that generation was determined to make itself heard this time, and good on them.
The Referendum and now this election.
It’s almost impossible to imagine such pure arrogance and gross incompetence.
By the way, where is that fat, Harrow (or is it Eton?), Oxford (or is it Cambridge?), 60s dodging, piece of puss that is David Cameron? Anyone seen him?
I’m just picturing Dacre and Murdoch’s faces this morning. Talk about a comprehensive rejection of *them*. If they were half as powerful as they’d like to imagine (and as I thought they were), TM would’ve wiped the floor with the remains of the rest of the parties.
That 72% of 18-24 year olds who turned out do not buy tabloids of course. No influence on them.
Supposedly the Tories were going to get their landslide with the help of their much heralded and highly sophisticated and devious use of social media, i.e. Facebook. That went well.
Apparently we are all being manipulated online by dark forces, well not really – except for a disturbed, misguided minority. So, whither the grey vote? Well they whither naturally anyway, year by year. Then another lot get to middle age who want go back to a better time that never was, and so it goes. But then it won’t be the 1950s they want to go back to anymore but their own, later era. Hopefully that’ll help.
It’s all quite encouraging, at least for today, The best UK election since 1997 IMHO. I’m still laughing about it.
This is one of the best things about winning. You can invent an imaginary monster (Six billionaires own the Government! Rupert Murdoch pulls the strings! He wants to kill us all!) and then you can say you’ve slain it.
I’ve always thought it was a bit sneery to assume that ‘other people’ fell for tabloid bias while ‘we’ lapped up every word from our completely unbiased, self-selected social media news sources.
I sort of know what you mean, but I think the right-wing popular press did think that they called the shots. I think Dacre and Murdoch do imagine themselves to be immensely powerful, and I’m very much enjoying the thought of their little cross faces this morning.
I do agree with you that it’s tempting and wrong to think that “they” are dupes and “we” are discriminating and informed. I’m not sneering at the readers of those papers, but I’m having a bloody good sneer at the proprietors and editors, because it’s fun.
Don’t The Sun usually claim to have ‘won’ the election on their own in some form or another? In their own way Murdoch, Dacre et al. convinced me not the vote for the Conservatives (not that it took much convincing) so I would like to take this opportunity fo to thank them for their fair and unbiased coverage over the past eight weeks.
When May called this election I predicted Labour would struggle to get 100 seats.
I was wrong. Very, very wrong.
I still don’t have much time for Corbyn, but I salute his achievement. Indeed, the last figure I saw for vote share was Con 42%, Lab 41%, so it is even closer in terms of popular vote.
Still, ask Hillary Clinton what she thinks of popular vote figures.
Opportunistic rather than cynical, I would say. She was heading into Brexit, Scotland and Northern Ireland were starting to look very tricky, her slim majority could have been under threat from police investigations into 2015 election expenses – with all that I can hardly blame her for calling an election when Corbyn must have made it look like an open goal.
That she led such a disastrous campaign and had no response to Corbyns straight bat tactics (to misplaced my sporting metaphors) is all her own fault. She had the media behind her, started with a huge lead, and blew it. Good.
As for Boris, surely he’s far too divisive a figure? I’m one of those who were glad when it was ‘only’ Theresa May who took over from Cameron, and she’s turned out to be disliked by a large section of the electorate so who knows what they would make of a shambles like Johnson? Amber Rudd had a shocker herself, and only clung on to her seat by hundreds, Philip Hammond is probably too dull, Hunt and Davies are poison … the Conservatives’ best bet would be Ruth Donaldson, who is ineligible as an MSP.
Yes Ruth Davidson is definitely the Conservative star of this election – but for her there would probably be a Labour minority government rather than a Tory one. But she’s not in Parliament so unless they rush her into the Lords (which would look horrendously cynical and mean they have an unelected leader) it can’t be her. It really is hard to see who the next Tory leader (and Prime Minister) is going to be – it’s hard to recall such a poor quality cabinet. I did think Amber Rudd but given her majority and the fact she was so visible in this omnishambles of a campaign she may also be damaged goods. Maybe Sajid Javid?
Baffled by all of this. As a centre-lefty with no confidence in Corbyn I give him the credit for running a competent campaign – against a pathetic one from May – but still think he’s done a lousy day-to-day job as leader of the opposition and would be a complete fuck-up as prime minister.
I’m going to be silly enough to make some predictions:
– A Tory led coalition propped up by the party of Ian Paisley to allow transition to a new Tory leader.
– Who will that be? Hard to guess – I don’t think the MPs will get behind Boris – but could be someone lwith a softer line on Brexit.
– Another general election within a year.
What fun!
Your prediction echoes The Daily Mirror: “The Tories can’t survive for long as a minority government. Even if they made a formal deal with the DUP, a working majority of three is not sustainable.
So it’s more than likely the country will have another election soon. Probably before the year is out.”
We haven’t had an October election for forty years. The end of the academic year and the dispersal of student populations is often factored into micro-calculations about May/June elections. And now voting is quite the thing with the younger set… in some urban constituencies the pieces might be about to be thrown up in the air yet again.
Yeah, I could absolutely imagine youth turnout going up even further in a re-run: the kids will be feeling pretty emboldened now. Which I’m actually delighted about – it never felt right to me that the baby boomers were monopolising things when it’s the millennials who are going to have to live with the consequences. Of course, that’s not the older voters’ fault: they always turned up and the kids didn’t. Really pleased that’s changed, and hope it’s not a flash in the pan.
Am I alone in imagining that when TM walks into Buck House at 12:30, she will be greeted by HM with a little smile and “Well, that went well, didn’t it?”
People (on all sides) who didn’t bother to vote but don’t like the result could be a factor. The fact that the Conservatives are doing deals with the DUP and what that might entail. Plus whatever else happens in politics between now and October.
The earlier comment regarding the gullibility of those reading the pop press compared with the lofty posturings of the enlightened has some merit.
I still, however, feel massively short-changed by the influence of a populist press which evades UK tax, hacks dead children’s phones, lies about Hillsborough, reinforces misogyny and demonises or wilfully misrepresents anyone who constitutes a threat to their cosy little world of entitlement and privilege.
IMHO one of the best things to come from this would be for them to continue to slide out of business.
Corbyn was described as an enemy of the state ………….This state needs all the enemies it can get.
With 7 Sinn Fein MPs abstaining, wouldn’t the majority be, effectively, 7 more than the stats say?
Even so, all it takes is for a small group of Tory MPs to basically hold the PM to ransom on any issue they choose. It was this kind of internal dissention that made John Major’s government and David Cameron’s so shambolic.
If May felt that she couldn’t operate with a majority of 17, how on earth is she going to cope with no majority at all? Now she has the Tarquin-Hyphen-Hyphen nutter faction wanting to bugger swans for sport and she will also somehow need to appease 10 people who have been schooled in the gentle art of diplomacy by Ian Paisley.
I don’t know exactly how it will happen – but something ridiculous will no doubt develop due to this calamitous situation and another election will be called.
If the DUP are thought to be getting away with too much, that could change.
The Norn Iron power sharing agreement between Sinn Féin and the DUP that has ticked along for the past few years is currently broken.
The Westminster government are supposed to be mediating an agreement to get it back on track but now the Conservatives are going into coalition with the DUP, which means they can no longer claim to be impartial.
Oh shit.
Agreed. The only way she can make this work is in effect to go into agreement with Sinn Fein as well by buying them off to avoid them crying foul. I can’t see how this is going to work. The Conservatives really are doing their very best to screw Northern Ireland and the Good Friday agreement first through Brexit and now this. I can only imagine what not only Tony Blair but also John Major must be thinking.
On the other hand, how would JC deal with leading an even more minority government which would, potentially, lose every vote, given the DUP loathe him ?
I thought that this morning when she became the first Tory to speak up and say May must go.
I’m sure she is thinking about it. She has the self-belief and self confidence to do so, even though she was so unloved by students at Birmingham University, she became the first Tory Candidate in years to lose the Students Union Presidency election.
PS there is no workplace anywhere that would not benefit from a few despair.com demotivators being sneaked in while the highly paid help aren’t looking…
Interesting that the Lib Dems pro-Remain party had a rather indifferent night – although they won my constituency – yay! Was the Labour vote a Remoaner strike-back even though Labour now support Brexit and JC never seemed enthused about remaining at the time? If only the “conspiracy of hope” surge had started last year in time for the referendum maybe we wouldn’t be in this current mess….on second thoughts if it had gone the other way then Dave would still be PM….
Remain is a dead duck. Sad but true. It will not happen.
Only a minority of diehards thought it could be reversed. The rest, once they got over their anger and disappointment just wanted the best possible Brexit deal. Corbyn and the Labour Party got that.
Even the Lib-Dems have now got it. You stop flogging the dead horse and find yourself another one if you want to reach your destination.
Most of the people who voted for Brexit (not me) still want out. They have not changed their minds about leaving but are a bit concerned at the ramifications of a hard-Brexit flounce.
They don’t feel the need to vote for UKIP any more, which is good, and quite a few have returned to the Labour Party now that their message has got through to the party.
Domestic concerns were the deciding factor this time. As long as Jeremy Corbyn keeps focus on what people outside his bubble want to vote for and Labour don’t start squabbling amongst themselves again…
Well put. The ‘48%’ is a myth. If this election had shown a massive surge to the Lib Dems then we could say it was about Brexit but as things stand, not so much.
One of the many bizarre things about these events is that we had a Tory remainer against a Labour leaver (or at least a sceptic) and it is the latter who is claiming victory and is being co-opted by such radicals as Goldman Sachs and Gina Miller.
Again – what the actual fuck, as I believe young, remain-inclined people are wont to say…
Just on voting, I was surprised to hear ,from a Scottish lass at a call centre as it happens, that Brits cant vote if not in the country. Is this right?
The British diaspora is huge.
Down here we have compulsory voting and you can vote absentee. I recall casting my vote in Harare. Got to change the notion of “the popular will” quite dramatically.
“casting my vote in Harare” – I thought there was only one way you could vote in Harare. Or was Canberra rather surprised to be inaugurating a new MP for Zanu PF?
Personally I’da voted for Biggie Tembo, god rest him.
Never. No matter how many elections they lose they will always be on. We’re in this fucking mess because the BBC has insisted on giving them the oxygen of publicity.
Of course Nuttall will be off somewhere wrestling alligators and curing cancer, so it’ll probably be old frog-face “reluctantly” thrusting his fizzog at us again. Forever.
Whatever our various views on Conservative, Labour, SNP, and Lib Dems I think we can all agree that the implosion of UKIP is highly entertaining and edifying. It also means we’ll see a lot less of them on Question Time etc. They popped up so frequently because they had getting on for 12% of the vote in the last election, not because the BBC are all secretly Brexit loving nationalists. This time they’re under 2%, around the same level as the Greens. Good riddance to them.
Somebody on another thread said that they get put on because they’re good telly. They have opinions as well, rather than a “line”. There’s always the possibility that one of them will go right off on one and start ranting about darkies and ragheads..
It’s like when they coyly advertise the Brit Awards on TV as “He-he-It’s live!!! ANYTHING can happen!!!” which in practice means somebody saying “fuck” and Sam Fox talking into a dead microphone.
Can’t blame Auntie. Not only do they have to answer to OFCOM – who regulate impartiality on TV across all channels, but also according to their own editorial guidelines (of which there are acres). UKIP’s share of the vote meant the Beeb had to give them airtime. They had the highest vote of all the parties in the 2014 EU elections as well as the 12% in the 2015 parliamentary vote.
Last night may well have seen them off, at least in their current incarnation. Farage continues to hang around like a fart in spacesuit, no doubt getting a second lease of life thanks to Maybot’s ongoing Brexit shambles.
To be fair, it’s a confidence / supply arrangement and not a coalition, so there’s no chance of the DUP enacting any policies which aren’t also Tory ones, and there won’t be any DUP people in offices of government. And an hour or so ago, DUP spokespeople were denying that any arrangement was finalised in any case, but that talks were happening – not sure if that’s changed yet. Plus, even with the DUP in tow the majority is razor thin and super vulnerable.
You have to give May credit for sheer front. She re-entered Downing Street smiling and acting for all the world like she hadn’t just lost a massively risky gamble and destroyed her political authority. And then she claimed an alliance had been agreed with allies who were under no such impression.
She’s put one of those weird Star Trek tunic things on and has gone back into full Painted Robot mode. I’m starting to think that she is just a really weird person – although that’s clearly in the great tradition of British PMs (the last two Labour PMs were beamed directly from the 8th dimension).
I’m not patriotic. Much as I love Britain and living here I tend to the view that my nationality is a matter of legality, and I have no time for those who proclaim theirs as if it was some kind of personal achievement (not that I’m suggesting you’re one of those Twang). That said I’m looking at this odd island with renewed affection, and the fond impression that a lot of what transpired last night was due to a bloody minded decision not to follow the script they had been given. I feel more at home than I have for a while.
That’s interesting, because I don’t think of patriotism and nationality as being the same thing. I agree nationality is a legal thing about where you’re from. Patriotism is about loving your country – which is a relationship rather like with your family – you always love them, even though sometimes they really piss you off. An old fashioned concept and one which is wilfully misunderstood by many I’ll accept. Trouble is it’s become conflated with the nasty side of nationalism, but as I say I think they are quite different. It’s a weirdly English thing – the other Brit nations have no problem with it, and in France, Spain etc it is pretty much ingrained in everyone. But here some people get all cringy and insist they are European or something, whatever that means.
It’s a weirdly “English political left” thing you mean.
Most British people have no trouble being or feeling patriotic. Post-2012 Olympics it’s not even especially bound up with the monarchy or wars any more. It’s only what used to be called the chattering classes who get sniffy about it.
I was astonished in the 90s when I first read Orwell’s observations on this – written in the 30s – and recognised that nothing had changed about the British left’s rejection of patriotism (while uncritically embracing the nationalism, even chauvinism of other countries like Cuba or Palestine) . Internationalism is a good thing in theory but in practice it usually means instinctively hating America and Britain.
The only time socialism has actually had any success in this country was post-war when it was bound up with unaffected patriotism and a relatively fair-minded kind of proto-internationalism. Dennis Potter articulated this patriotism beautifully – as he did so many things – in that last TV interview.
Who was it who said “Patriotism is loving your country, nationalism is hating everyone else’s”.
Also interesting. I guess I’m just not wired that way due to character and environment. I spent my childhood in Glasgow, so consider myself Scottish as well as British and European, though I haven’t lived there for almost 30 years, spent my teens in Wales and all of my adult life in various parts of England. I think this has given me a healthy scepticism of those who have never moved from one place and claim that where they live gives them a unique sense of humour / common sense outlook / universally envied wonderulness. Meanwhile, my family was a bit of a horror show and I haven’t seen them for decades – maybe the belonging thing just isn’t built into me!
The word “patriotism” to me has an aspect of self-pride which I bump against. I love Britain to bits, in all its complicated and messy wonder, like I love my equally complicated and messy family, but being British doesn’t make me *proud*, as if it reflects well on me or something. I’m proud of Britain – mostly – but not proud to be British. If that makes sense.
The analogy of a family is as good as analogies get.
I spend most days thinking England is a backwards, stupid country full of egregious tiny-minded twerps. Yet if anyone from another country offers even the mildest criticism of mine, I start laying into theirs in usually pretty childish terms (“Your president’s fat… your language is stupid… your striped jerseys are naff” etc.)
Similarly my Dad’s an almost bottomlessly annoying bastard, but if you said anything a hundredth as critical as that about him I’d beat you to a pulp with the nearest chair.
Haha, oh I feel you re. the dad thing. Mine drives me fucking MENTAL, and I spend half my life admonishing myself for getting irritated with him and resolving to be nicer with the old bugger. Then I go home for a couple of days and spend them rolling my eyes and taking the piss out of him. (As well as hugging him and having nice conversations and all the good stuff too.) But if anyone else pointed out the things that drive me mad about him, as you say, I’d leap to his defence and enumerate the many many ways in which he’s my absolute hero.
May ran a shockingly bad campaign while Jezza played a blinder.
She’s clearly a control freak and has alienated much of her own party as a result.
JC (he’s not the messiah) basically promised a free cute puppy (with subsidised vet care, natch) to every member of his core constituency while May got tough with hers, quite rightly in my view. She clearly made a colossal political mistake but it’s galling to me that Jezza is basking in a wholly unmerited glow for making wildly unrealistic promises while May is scorned for trying to make a difficult, unpopular but perhaps necessary choice.
The whole – ‘racist, homophobic, misogynist DUP must be opposed’ meme that’s gathering support from the usual suspects on social media sticks in my craw, given that Corbyn, Galloway, Livingstone et al have sucked up for years to all manner of Islamists, Putinites, anti-Semites etc who get a free pass as they’re anti-Western.
Ruth Davidson has absolutely smashed it oot the park in this election. Unprecedented and a welcome correction to SNP hegemony. If it weren’t for Brexit I’d say she’d be a strong contender for UK leader. As it is, I feel she may bide her time.
‘For the many, not the few’ as Jezbollah’s gang had it. Well, last June more people voted for Brexit than have ever voted for anything in the history of this country. As Brendan O’Neill put it:
It has always cracked me up that Momentum types go on about why politics should be ‘for the many, not the few’ while simultaneously sneering at Brexit, which is literally the politics of the many over the few, of the demos and its right to determine Britain’s political affairs over the cliquey technocrats of Brussels. ‘Vote for change! Vote against the elites that look down on you!’, Corbynistas cry. We did. Last June. And you called us fascists. Now things have gone a step further: Corbynistas aren’t only failing to recognise the radical nature of the Brexit rebellion — they’re being called upon by oligarchs and metropolitan moaners to stymie it.
K&C is not all poshos, you know.
Lots of those inconvenient people on minimum wage,(who didn’t previously vote because, let’s face it what was the difference between New Labour and the Tories? Neither of them cared much about your kind) living in stinky flats on littered streets and relying on benefits to pay the rent, foodbanks to feed their kids, while the dealers hover on the corners and not a copper to be seen.
Have a look at a map of the Royal Borough Of Kensington & Chelsea.
How many of them voted? That’s not an accusation,that’s a genuine inquiry. And if not,is it not incumbent on those in that community who do understand the weight of a vote to educate its own citizens? To cajole them an encourage them and teach?
My name is Brian Cameron and I approve this message.👍
Dead right, Mike. And many of the poshos in K&C aren’t eligible to vote anyway: they’re not British citizens.
It’s like when people sneer about Islington because they think it’s all Upper Street wine bars and meeja types. Islington is also Finsbury Park and the estates around Holloway and the Stroud Green Road. The kids who attend Islington’s schools are the second most deprived in the country after Tower Hamlets (or were between 2009-2014 when I worked there). Down by Angel there’s all the Blair and Nick Hornsby types living on Barnsbury Square, but north of Highbury Fields it’s a very different story. That’s the thing about London: it’s a tiny number of the very rich who own their homes living cheek by jowl with huge numbers of the very poor who don’t.
I had a colleague whose wife worked for RBKC’s local authority. She told a very similar story about that borough. It’s not a blue Monopoly square.
Take your point Mike but it’s also undeniable that K&C was until recently the safest of safe Tory seats. I am sceptical about the idea that this unprecedented swing was down solely to the previously non-voting disadvantaged of the area. I think a far more significant factor in constituencies like this and Canterbury (which I’m sure has its less affluent areas too but still…) is that it was a middle-class Remain backlash and that’s fair enough too, if that’s what floats your boat. All part of democracy – the resurgence of which in the last couple of years is one universally good thing to have come out of this ever-changing world in which we’re livin’.
For the first time in living memory there is a genuine sense that every vote counts. Not just this squeaky bum count but North East Fife was won by TWO votes…
Fucking hell everyone’s an amateur Political Correspondent these days aren’t they? I’ll stick to being an amateur Music Journalist and simply say – I’m a Labour member who was a bit unsure of Jezza but I thought he fought an excellent campaign and the Manifesto was in fact a well thought out restatement of Socialist principles – it proposed a genuine alternative to the Tories intent on wiping out public services, the Welfare State and the NHS . It was idealistic, a lot of what was proposed would be tough to deliver but it read like a ‘What if’. I think it resonated with young people in particular who have never known anything other than Tory or New Labour, and it resonated with me as someone who would rather pay a bit more tax so other people get a bit of comfort and joy. It’s called Socialism – you never know, it might catch on.
That’s exactly where I am now, except that instead of being “a bit unsure of Jezza” I was “absolutely convinced he was a stubborn ideologue and useless leader”. I wasn’t alone in that and to be honest he hadn’t done much in 18 months in the job (or 35 years before that) to suggest we were wrong. And even now I’m not sure he will carry that passion and wit he showed in touring the country selling the ‘What ifs’ into the comparatively dull job of providing effective opposition (or even, one day, effective government.).
Some of us have had to get used to being wrong about absolutely bloody everything (Election 15, Brexit, Trump and now this, nearly) and I’m getting monthly deliveries from the Humble Pie shop these days. But we’d be daft to write off some of these as aberrations of democracy built on scaremongering and false promises, and others as a new golden dawn for compassion and sharing. Labour still lost, after all, to a massively inept and divided governing party of seven years, which ran a dreadful campaign with a vacuum for a leader and whose manifesto attacked its core supporters. Now we’re back with two main parties locked to the centre of the political spectrum because they need a majority to get anything done.
But Labour’s manifesto was brilliant (it doesn’t matter that it was undeliverable, none of them were, with Brexit) and they really did engage and excite young people. So yeah, it might catch on. Exciting, isn’t it?
Fair play to you for admitting that actually, Labour didn’t win the election despite everything that’s (often) rightly been said about the government.
Just a point about the ‘socialism might just catch on’ idea. Thing is, it has caught on in many places at different times around the world and has always had to be rejected or revised.
This piece is from a free market think tank (who are not remotely fans of the big government Cameron / May crony capitalism we’ve had in recent years by the way) so many will dismiss it out of hand but it’s hard to argue with I feel.
Many will point to Scandinavia as a model and I don’t disagree in many respects but the thing that they have is a thriving, dynamic private sector that enables the strong social policies they have. They are very far from the 1970s statist vision served up by the likes of Corbynites and, sadly, the SNP.
Why are these people entertained as if they know anything? Isn’t she just a posher Katie Hopkins?
Anything she says should simply be answered, in endless Jeremy Paxman/Michael Howard style, with
Tell us again about the pig’s head, Isabel!!
Tell us again about the pig’s head, Isabel!!
Tell us again about the pig’s head, Isabel!!
She is a crap journalist pedalling the most base views and publishing books full of rumour and gossip on the basis that “the reader can make their own mind up”….rather than, say, “I put in the hours to get proper facts and I can substantiate them”. Not the only one by far, but an excellent example of a vile representative of the press, and why she is allowed on Question Time is beyond me.
Her response to Alistair Campbell’s references to the Mail sums up their ethos neatly – sneering “boring” at him, and then “but it sells, it sells”. The look on her face when Campbell got the closing words – “just stop buying the bloody thing” made watching her earlier arrogant wankery worthwhile.
I feared the worst, having seen what the rags were saying and the way in which to emphasis was on Corbyn and not the programme, but luckily, my sense of the influence of our odious press was overblown.I’m 60 and have a sense of what the papers are saying.
My experience of 6th formers with whom I work, now and in the recent past, is that many of them think newspapers are up their with the 8 track player and the mangle.
Non-dom position protectors will have to find a new way to propogandise.
I think new voices will emerge / develop. Barry Gardiner, Richard Burgon and Angela Rayner look like a good place to start and hopefully others will become apparent.
I’m sure that there are bright sparks within the Tories, but don’t care who they are. I hope they re-cycle the same old busted flushes while tomorrow’s voters are given something they can engage with by Labour.
Jon Snow’s introduction on Channel 4 news last night summed it up nicely. And it’s only when I googled it to find a link that I realised it’s a reference to his Game of Thrones namesake. So I really do nothing.
Tiggerlion says
Well done Newcastle in declaring first.
A safe seat but casting doubt on the exit poll.
Keef says
I suspect the tories might still get an overall majority but hopefully they will have the embarrassment that it is a reduced majority – stupid woman.
chiz says
Who’s staying up for The Amber Rudd Moment (TMFTL) ?
fortuneight says
Already 2 cups of coffee in. Fingers crossed.
Tiggerlion says
What time is that expected? Do you know?
chiz says
2-ish
Moose the Mooche says
That would save TM a reshuffle. She’s been pants.
Tiggerlion says
Sky coverage is a bit rubbish without a single decent talking head in sight. ITV has gorgeous George, looking very relaxed and, amazingly, talking sense (needs to wash his hair, though. Perhaps, he’ll shower after Rudd’s humiliation). Let’s face it, Auntie excels at this kind of thing.
Malc says
George must be licking his lips at the thought of May having a disaster.
Moose the Mooche says
“This isn’t the thumping landslide that me and Dave got for the Tories in 2010 and 2015… er…”
BigJimBob says
Bet he stayed an MP now. He would have had a pop at the leadership
Twang says
Beeb has Emily in a red dress. Just sayin’.
Tiggerlion says
I’ll flick back and check that figure. Must be accurate on election night.
Moose the Mooche says
Mishal’s hair is very glossy isn’t it?
Oh here’s Priti Patel talkin’ about winnin’ and negotiatin’.
Tiggerlion says
And ‘Brexit means Brexit’. Whatever that means. Great necklace, though. Chunky and substantial, just like her views. It made me think she’d be superb in opposition.
Moose the Mooche says
One day she might discover the existence of the letter G. Then the world is hers.
Twang says
Being steadily non sexist, no other candidate has cheekbones like PP.
attackdog says
I endured the misfortune of attending an ambassors reception with her in Bahrain.
Those were in the days when she was a mere PR harpie who would have attended the opening of an envelope.
Googly eyes, settling into a manic stare of forced interest. Vapid, ignorant, opinionated ignorance, gushing, choc full of empty platitudes. I could go on.
But that’s enough about me.
Tragically I fear she may be overlooked in any reshuffle.
Moose the Mooche says
Surely “attendin’ the openin’ of an envelope”
salwarpe says
“Googly eyes, settling into a manic stare of forced interest. Vapid, ignorant, opinionated ignorance, gushing, choc full of empty platitudes. I could go on”
That sounds like a lot of voters in Witham. No wonder she did so well.
Mike_H says
Choice of two late-night kebab shops last time I was in Witham.
Rockin’.
Jeff says
Mishal Husain is utterly stunning, as always her beauty wonderfully amplified by her serenity and underpinned completely by her credibility. *Sighhh*
Sorry, what were we talking about?
Moose the Mooche says
I think I can see your general election.
Jeff says
*adjusts dlessing gown*.
fortuneight says
‘Frighteningly ambitious” according to The Mail.
Malc says
Any ambitious woman would frighten the Mail.
mikethep says
Any woman.
Blue Boy says
And as for an Asian Muslim woman…..
Moose the Mooche says
When she was interviewing Shami Chakrabarti last night I was half-thinking, “This is exactly what a lot of folk last June thought they were banishing from public life forever”
With Mishal it’s those heavy-lidded eyes. She always seems to be giving you “a look”. Maybe she’s just into the cameraman.
Other pitiful sexist dribblings are available.
Sewer Robot says
Rachel wore red on Countdown too, by way of welcoming our new bearded 70s Trotskyist overlords…
Mousey says
Following it all over breakfast here in Oz. After a night listening to the US charades under the covers It’s All Too Much.
Mike_H says
Currently avoiding News websites, TV and Radio.
I’m intending to wait until the morning.
Tiggerlion says
Goodnight then. Sleep well.
Declan says
Titanic struggle beckons. Maybe.
Quite good entertainment anyway.
Moose the Mooche says
What is it with these bloody Geordies? Is it because they want to get to bed early with a tab and a stottie?
Tiggerlion says
If they can count 40-50,000 votes in an hour or so, why can’t every fucker else? Then, we can all go to bed with a tab and a stottie.
Moose the Mooche says
I think – serious answer – it’s to do with the closeness of the majority of polling stations to the counts. And it’s become a competition in that region in recent elections. I’m starting to think that it should be in the Olympics.
Tiggerlion says
Ok. Let’s accept that. Even so, everyone else should be done by 2am except the Outer Hebrides.
Moose the Mooche says
Or count the votes the next day as they do in civilised countries . What’s the blimming hurry? It’s an election, not the bloody Krypton Factor.
Moose the Mooche says
Well once again UKIP’s brilliant showing justifies their permanent seat on Question Time every week forever.
Twang says
How do they do an exit poll? Anyone know?
Bartleby says
Certain Marginal constituencies have tellers outside the polling booth, often people who work for a particular party. They ask one voter in every so many (typically 6-8) to let the teller know how they voted. It doesn’t pick up the last hour or so of voting or postal votes.
Tiggerlion says
They choose particular seats, more marginals, but a variety. I think they chose a hundred and thirty odd. Then, polllsters stand outside polling stations and ask thirty-odd thousand people as they emerge from their booths who they voted for.
I’m not an expert.
Twang says
That explains why I’ve never been asked….I’ve always lived in safe seats.
dai says
I was asked once in Bristol W, it was a 3 way marginal at that time (97)
BigJimBob says
From yr S Yorks correspondent: doesn’t look good for Clegg.
Black Type says
That would be a real shame. I think he’d be a great loss.
Moose the Mooche says
He’ll still be around. House of Lords for an ex deputy PM. Totally unleashed he might have very interesting things to say if George tries to make a comeback.
Tiggerlion says
Nina is swivelling on her chair in the Media Centre on ITV. The hair is glossy and the talking head can’t be heard. Brilliant. He’s an expert on betting, apparently. Boris 3:1 to be Conservative leader.
Twang says
Andrew Marr’s hair is having a similar day to Theresa May.
Alex Salmond could be out. 😢😢😄😄😄😄😄
Moose the Mooche says
I’m not entirely sure the election TV teams should even bother going home tomorrow night.
Could be 1974 again. Which will please a lot of Afterworders.
Mmm. Autobahn.
Tiggerlion says
And in the death,
As the last few corpses lay rotting on the slimy
Thoroughfare,
The shutters lifted in inches in Temperance Building,
High on Poacher’s Hill.
Bartleby says
This ain’t rock’n’roll, this is genocide. Over to you Laura.
Moose the Mooche says
Farron: “I’ll make you a deal…”
Bartleby says
Bozza: “We’ll buy some drugs and watch a band
Then jump in a river holding hands”
Black Type says
Oooh, Jeremy Thorpe! He got off Scott free, y’know…
Moose the Mooche says
That is entirely a matter for him….
Moose the Mooche says
Anyone for a toot and a snore?
dai says
CH 4 has an interesting show with Paxman at the reigns. David Mitchell sending down some amusing asides.
Declan says
True, thanks Dai.
Tiggerlion says
I notice Ed Balls has a massive zit on the side of his head. I bet he was desperate to swap seats.
Moose the Mooche says
Spot the Ball!
Jeff says
Can somebody drive into Jeremy Vine please?
JustB says
Right up his Path To Downing Street…
Moose the Mooche says
In these elections he always puts me in mind of the puppet of the Teacher in Pink Floyd’s The Wall.
Bartleby says
Having a good night so far: BBC fly, Bozza, Jezza, anarchists.
Not having a good night so far: T May, Nick Timothy, the pound, pollsters (again), BBC microphones, Labour moderates, UKIP
chiz says
Good night for foxes too
Moose the Mooche says
And Werrities
Bartleby says
Ding dong!
Tiggerlion says
SNP lose their first seat. Their votes go to Conservatives but the Labour vote stays strong & takes the seat.
Bartleby says
Yes, the SNP unlikely to repeat the 2015 watermark.
Tiggerlion says
Dimbleby has seen it all and remembers everything.
Where are you @bricameron? You are awake?
Blue Boy says
It all feels like another ‘stuff the establishment telling us what’s good for us’ vote. And a kick back against Brexit. Plus voters punishing May not only for being so poor in the campaign but for having the temerity to call an unnecessary election, putting political self interest above national interest.
So it seems we find ourself probably without a majority government, potentially a Tory leadership campaign, and probabaly another general election in months. Oh and the small matter of Brexit to negotiate. The Tories, with the Referendum and now this election really have screwed both themselves and the country over.
Meantime ITV are caning the Beeb tonight – Tom Bradby much better than Dimbleby and the George and Ed love-in weirdly compelling.
Tiggerlion says
Just flicked to ITV. Nice lady in a blue dress. I’m not sure if it is Ed or not. Really impressed with Nina, her shoes and hair. Let’s look at Twitter and Google. Let’s not.
Have to admit, Colin Rallings is excellent.
IanP says
Rallings and his chum Thrasher were two of my tutors when I studied politics 30 years ago.
Mind you, they obviously weren’t very good at it – I predicted a Tory majority of 100.
Jeff says
ITV giving the BBC a run for their money on ‘bad microphones’ though; at the moment it’s still too early to call.
Also, a strong showing from Nina in the all-important Hossain/Husain face-off, but Mishal still absolutely aceing it according to this viewer’s private pole. POLL, POLL, I MEANT POLL, DAMMIT!!!
Malc says
I’m quite enjoying ITV too, although there’s some disparaging stuff on Twitter. Basically I shuffle between BBC, ITV and C4. BJ sounding out colleagues already, apparently.
What with the Comey hearing earlier, this is turning into quite a night…
Tiggerlion says
He’s always fucking sounding out colleagues. George suspects there is a small smile on his face.
Bartleby says
Looks like the ball’s come loose from the back of the scrum once more. I wonder if David Davis fancies his chances again.
Moose the Mooche says
He’s had his nose broken once already – hyuk hyuk hyuk
JustB says
I always said I’d publicly eat a big dish of crow if I was proven wrong about the electoral appeal of Corbyn. I’m happy to do so. I still don’t like the guy or respect his positions on many things, or his intellect, but I’ve got to respect what he seems to be achieving here. No grudging respect or retraction either: I’m happy to be wrong. Wrong is what I was.
chiz says
He’s doing better than most of us ever imagined he would, but May was done far, far worse. On balance I’d say she’s losing it more than he’s winning it
Kid Dynamite says
This. I wish I was German so I could spell schadenfreude correctly.
Kid Dynamite says
However I have studied Greek, so I’ve got ‘hubris’ in the bag
davebigpicture says
I take pleasure from your inability to spell schadenfreude
dai says
Eastern time zone means I can watch until about 5am UK time. This is ASTOUNDING!!
Bartleby says
Brenda from Bristol may be the biggest loser of the evening.
Gatz says
I’m in a Travelodge and although the Light is snoozing happily beside me I never sleep well in hotels. I just had to try very, very hard not to laugh loud enough to wake her at that one!
Lodestone of Wrongness says
Way past my bedtime (one hour on in France) but bloody hell this is looking pretty good (perhaps) ?
Bartleby says
Anyone know what Brexit means anymore? Asking for a friend.
JustB says
Covfefe.
Bartleby says
No doubt the voters of Sheffield Hallam will tell us…
Bartleby says
Oh.
JustB says
Brexit means… oh.
I quite like that.
mikethep says
Asking for a schadenfreund, as somebody said on Twitter.
Tiggerlion says
Nick Clegg has gone.
JustB says
And Vince looks back. Absolute scenes.
chiz says
Shame. I liked Cleggy.
Did you notice the Labour guy tried to make his victory speech before the result was announced?
Twang says
Sad to see Cleggy go but seeing the SNP have a shocker is cheering me up.
Baron Counterpane says
As a Sheffield Hallam voter I feel slightly guilty at giving Nick a slight hurry up to his plans for a career change but I still haven’t forgiven him for the “You vote LibDem, you get Tories” years.
Bartleby says
State of this electorate. Trolls the lot of them. Looks like Scottish Tories imposing a Tory government on England at the moment!
JustB says
Which, even to me, is hilarious.
Jeff says
Right, I’m off to bed now – those garden walls aren’t going to just re-point themselves in the morning, y’know.
G’night all.
bricameron says
I’m sitting with the ‘Fat Lady’.
😜
Tiggerlion says
Is she singing?
bricameron says
No but she’s warming up.
Tiggerlion says
Good to see the Communist League getting 27 votes in Corbyn’s constituency.
Hawkfall says
Still, at least they did better than the Communist GM Vauxhall Conference.
chiz says
3 votes for Bobby ‘Elmo’ Smith in Maidenhead
JustB says
I’ve always liked him.
Hawkfall says
Not a good night for Elmos as it seems Big Bird has held Sesame Street South with an increased majority, fending off challenges from Elmo, Burt and The Count.
Moose the Mooche says
One… two… three votes! Aaa- haa -haa!
Declan says
Monster Raving Loony Party in Islington.
Corbyn won it.
Moose the Mooche says
That’s no way to talk about London Labour List etc
Tiggerlion says
I’m warming to Channel 4. I can’t tell you exactly what I’ve swallowed since 10 pm
Twang says
I just had a nice little nap.
Moose the Mooche says
This is not the place for that, Tiggs!
Moose the Mooche says
Yelling “CHIPPY CHIPS” in the voice of Harry Hill every time Curtice came on delighted Mrs Moose every time.
JustB says
I’ve got to be up in 2 and a bit hours and I’m pretty bloody drunk. Oops.
Black Celebration says
I have stopped even pretending to work here in my NZ office. It’s 2.45pm Friday afternoon and I am the only one who cares.
JustB says
This is honestly hilarious. It’d take a heart of stone, etc etc…
Black Celebration says
That Canterbury result. Blimey.
Moose the Mooche says
I bet Soft Machine were involved.
Paul Wad says
Was hoping to see the Rudd defeat confirmed but giving in and going to bed. Really hoping for another couple of unexpected Tory losses to prevent the Tory/DUP alliance getting them over the line. But who would have thought the Scots would potentially rescue the Tories? I am beginning to fear the President Trump/Prime Minister Johnson double header that could be coming our way though.
Jeff says
Hooray! Just woke up to find that Reading East has gone LAB from CON: 49% of the vote (with a 16% swing), on a turn-out of 73.1%.
Yeehoo, yeehoo!
mikethep says
How did it go in Woodley Butts?
Jeff says
Matt Rodda in Woodley Butts!
I know, you couldn’t make it up!
Gatz says
Morning. It’s the point where the clubbers have called it a night at the pubbers are starting to stir.
So then, here’s a fine howd’ydo. Much better than most of us dared hope when the polls closed, but still a real buggers muddle all round. I can’t see how a government can be formed out of this mess, or how how the obvious solution, yet another election pretty soon, could make it any clearer.
Turns out safe and stable May was just as big a gambler as Cameron was when he called the Euro referendum. Is that, just as Brexiters were invisible because they were under represented in parliament, there was a left wing section of the electorate who had been discounted because there hadn’t been a leftist candidate for the top job in a generation?
badartdog says
Morning. Ha ha ha. What a mess! I love it.
The Tories lost Canterbury!
Can’t find reference to Rudd – did she hang on?
Interesting times.
Black Celebration says
Yes, Rudd hung on by a thread. There were a few of those.
mikethep says
Shame – as some wag said on Twitter, was looking forward to her Great Railway Journeys.
Gary says
Well I’m certainly surprised nay shocked. I expected Labour would win all 650 seats. And then some others. Dang.
Black Celebration says
Well that’s that all sorted out then – we now know where we stand…er…
I am disappointed that Jezza didn’t quite get there but I am feeling surprisingly upbeat even though we have the same PM and the same ruling party. I really think things have changed – this is by no means over.
As with Brexit, we now have the Conservatives in turmoil again. I bet they didn’t even seriously consider a result like this, let alone have a Plan B. It was the UKIP share of the vote that dunnit – a significant % went to Labour – which was unexpected. Also, the young people seeing a manifesto promise that directly benefitted them – they turned up too. I hope that this hung parliament doesn’t put them off. The next election may come around pretty soon and now that Labour have regained some credibility – things may be very different next time.
…and can I just say that I predicted a hung parliament? Yay me!
Gatz says
Congratulations! You win this strong and stable three legged stool with just one leg missing!
Black Celebration says
It’s a milking stool. They only have three legs because the cow has got the udder.
Tony Japanese says
SNP hold North East Fife by two votes. Blimey!
Rob C says
Well, talk about hobbled by hubris. The Blue Meanies have seriously fucked up. Jeremy is no longer the nowhere man.
(ahem).
Tiggerlion says
Well. Her hand has been weakened rather than strengthened. However, with the help of the DUP, she’ll get in her dementia tax. Brexit negotiations next week will be interesting.
Bartleby says
I doubt a single Tory MP would follow her into the lobby for that dementia tax proposal now Tiggs. That unforced error cost her any ‘strong and stable’ rep and with it her entire election raison d’etre.
JustB says
What Barts said.
JustB says
Ah come on, no way is she getting her policy platform now: she has a working majority of 2 even with the DUP, and you think Ken Clarke, Anna Soubry, Sarah Wollaston etc are going to support the dementia tax and so on? Not a chance.
Tiggerlion says
Good news indeed. Wasn’t Ken sounding old last night, without looking it?
Moose the Mooche says
He’d already been up half the night with Coleman Hawkins.
JustB says
Lifelong non-Tory that I am, I’d have Ken as PM in a heartbeat.
Moose the Mooche says
He effectively was during the Major years, while John was preoccupied fighting off the Bastards. And not fighting off Edwina
*shudder*
nogbad says
Any news on how the 14 or 15 people whom Ms May found time to meet, voted ?
One commentator is reporting that they lost almost all of the marginals she visited.
Wenger in, Boris waiting in the wings, …
Let’s hope the Mail falls into the abyss and that’s a decent hat trick.
Onwards and upwards.
Fintinlimbim says
I’m sure there decent Conservatives on the back benches, but when the cabinet consists of a bunch of shady, arrogant, out of touch chancers, sooner or later things will go against you.
Having said that, if Labour had chosen the right Milliband two years ago, this situation would never have arisen.
My constituency? Skipton, where the donkey with a blue rosette applies.
Baron Harkonnen says
I really don’t know what to say about this result. I am a Labour supporter but I believe Corbyn is a shyte hawk. He has hijacked the Labour Party, should he be happy with this result. Of course he is, he has an ego the size of Jupiter but how would Labour have done with a different person leading them? Who? I must admit I don’t have a clue! However younger voters have voted for the LP in their droves and with them the future lies.
Junior Wells says
Surely any political leader needs a very healthy ego to muster the required resilience.
Gary says
“Corbyn is a shyte hawk.” I don’t know what a shyte hawk is, but I’m sure he’s not.
“He has hyjacked the Labour party.” No he hasn’t. The vast majority of the Labour party support him (although the MPs don’t, but they’re politicians). What he has done is made the Labour Party radically different to the Conservative and Liberal Parties, for a change.
“He has an ego the size of Jupiter.” Daily Mail nonsense. I have never come across such a passionately convinced and principled British politician before.
When both Stephen Hawking and Noam Comsky proclaim him as their first choice, tabloid-level slagging looks a bit “under considered” in comparison.
rotherhithe hack says
I think Corbyn found the secret to getting younger people to vote – promise to cancel their student debts.
davebigpicture says
This. Not to mention any parents who have children looking to go to uni within the next few years.
Blue Boy says
If my research group (i.e. my daughters) is anything to go by they are outraged by Brexit and firmly blame the Tories. I think that generation was determined to make itself heard this time, and good on them.
Twang says
“Get free stuff”. It’s a winner!
Moose the Mooche says
Horace Cutler in the Comic Strip’s GLC: “Free drinks… free money!”
deramdaze says
The Referendum and now this election.
It’s almost impossible to imagine such pure arrogance and gross incompetence.
By the way, where is that fat, Harrow (or is it Eton?), Oxford (or is it Cambridge?), 60s dodging, piece of puss that is David Cameron? Anyone seen him?
JustB says
He’s Eton. He’s immensely rich and pretty academically bright, which is how you can tell. Immensely rich dunces go to Harrow. 😉
MC Escher says
Not seen him. Possibly because he retired from politics?
Moose the Mooche says
He was in politics? Coulda fooled me. I thought he was just going around in a suit pretending.
Junior Wells says
Am I right in thinking da youf finally got off their arses and voted?
Moose the Mooche says
Oh dear, that’s not in the script.
JustB says
I’m just picturing Dacre and Murdoch’s faces this morning. Talk about a comprehensive rejection of *them*. If they were half as powerful as they’d like to imagine (and as I thought they were), TM would’ve wiped the floor with the remains of the rest of the parties.
Gary says
According to The Independent, when Murdoch saw the exit poll “he stormed out of the room”.
Moose the Mooche says
Is this the beginning of the end of people being told what to do by the popular press?
The frothing rage of the front pages over the last few months is now looking like the thrashings of a dying beast.
Whether people being told what to do by social media is any improvement I’ve no idea.
Speaking of which: BUY STEPHEN DUFFY RECORDS.
Paul Wad says
I think Duffy’s Done For would be a good song for this morning wouldn’t it?
Diddley Farquar says
That 72% of 18-24 year olds who turned out do not buy tabloids of course. No influence on them.
Supposedly the Tories were going to get their landslide with the help of their much heralded and highly sophisticated and devious use of social media, i.e. Facebook. That went well.
Apparently we are all being manipulated online by dark forces, well not really – except for a disturbed, misguided minority. So, whither the grey vote? Well they whither naturally anyway, year by year. Then another lot get to middle age who want go back to a better time that never was, and so it goes. But then it won’t be the 1950s they want to go back to anymore but their own, later era. Hopefully that’ll help.
It’s all quite encouraging, at least for today, The best UK election since 1997 IMHO. I’m still laughing about it.
anton says
That ended well didn’t it?
chiz says
This is one of the best things about winning. You can invent an imaginary monster (Six billionaires own the Government! Rupert Murdoch pulls the strings! He wants to kill us all!) and then you can say you’ve slain it.
I’ve always thought it was a bit sneery to assume that ‘other people’ fell for tabloid bias while ‘we’ lapped up every word from our completely unbiased, self-selected social media news sources.
Moose the Mooche says
Alright, I mean newspapers thinking they can influence their readers. In practice people do indeed make their own minds up.
Mind you, what on earth is wrong with sneering? At this rate I’ll have no hobbies left.
JustB says
I sort of know what you mean, but I think the right-wing popular press did think that they called the shots. I think Dacre and Murdoch do imagine themselves to be immensely powerful, and I’m very much enjoying the thought of their little cross faces this morning.
I do agree with you that it’s tempting and wrong to think that “they” are dupes and “we” are discriminating and informed. I’m not sneering at the readers of those papers, but I’m having a bloody good sneer at the proprietors and editors, because it’s fun.
Tony Japanese says
Don’t The Sun usually claim to have ‘won’ the election on their own in some form or another? In their own way Murdoch, Dacre et al. convinced me not the vote for the Conservatives (not that it took much convincing) so I would like to take this opportunity fo to thank them for their fair and unbiased coverage over the past eight weeks.
Carl says
When May called this election I predicted Labour would struggle to get 100 seats.
I was wrong. Very, very wrong.
I still don’t have much time for Corbyn, but I salute his achievement. Indeed, the last figure I saw for vote share was Con 42%, Lab 41%, so it is even closer in terms of popular vote.
Still, ask Hillary Clinton what she thinks of popular vote figures.
Kaisfatdad says
This has been one of the most enjoyable AW threads in yonks. The U.K. ought to have general elections more often….
Only joking!
Delighted to see May’s cynical gambit of calling a general election fail so spectacularly.
But I do hope this does not lead to P.M. Boris. A chilling thought.
Gatz says
Opportunistic rather than cynical, I would say. She was heading into Brexit, Scotland and Northern Ireland were starting to look very tricky, her slim majority could have been under threat from police investigations into 2015 election expenses – with all that I can hardly blame her for calling an election when Corbyn must have made it look like an open goal.
That she led such a disastrous campaign and had no response to Corbyns straight bat tactics (to misplaced my sporting metaphors) is all her own fault. She had the media behind her, started with a huge lead, and blew it. Good.
As for Boris, surely he’s far too divisive a figure? I’m one of those who were glad when it was ‘only’ Theresa May who took over from Cameron, and she’s turned out to be disliked by a large section of the electorate so who knows what they would make of a shambles like Johnson? Amber Rudd had a shocker herself, and only clung on to her seat by hundreds, Philip Hammond is probably too dull, Hunt and Davies are poison … the Conservatives’ best bet would be Ruth Donaldson, who is ineligible as an MSP.
Moose the Mooche says
No, it’s got to be Michael Fabricant.
Imagine him having a summit with Trump. Go on.
Blue Boy says
Yes Ruth Davidson is definitely the Conservative star of this election – but for her there would probably be a Labour minority government rather than a Tory one. But she’s not in Parliament so unless they rush her into the Lords (which would look horrendously cynical and mean they have an unelected leader) it can’t be her. It really is hard to see who the next Tory leader (and Prime Minister) is going to be – it’s hard to recall such a poor quality cabinet. I did think Amber Rudd but given her majority and the fact she was so visible in this omnishambles of a campaign she may also be damaged goods. Maybe Sajid Javid?
rotherhithe hack says
Baffled by all of this. As a centre-lefty with no confidence in Corbyn I give him the credit for running a competent campaign – against a pathetic one from May – but still think he’s done a lousy day-to-day job as leader of the opposition and would be a complete fuck-up as prime minister.
I’m going to be silly enough to make some predictions:
– A Tory led coalition propped up by the party of Ian Paisley to allow transition to a new Tory leader.
– Who will that be? Hard to guess – I don’t think the MPs will get behind Boris – but could be someone lwith a softer line on Brexit.
– Another general election within a year.
What fun!
Gary says
Your prediction echoes The Daily Mirror: “The Tories can’t survive for long as a minority government. Even if they made a formal deal with the DUP, a working majority of three is not sustainable.
So it’s more than likely the country will have another election soon. Probably before the year is out.”
Moose the Mooche says
We haven’t had an October election for forty years. The end of the academic year and the dispersal of student populations is often factored into micro-calculations about May/June elections. And now voting is quite the thing with the younger set… in some urban constituencies the pieces might be about to be thrown up in the air yet again.
DOOF-DOOF-DOOF
D-D-D-D-DOOF
JustB says
Yeah, I could absolutely imagine youth turnout going up even further in a re-run: the kids will be feeling pretty emboldened now. Which I’m actually delighted about – it never felt right to me that the baby boomers were monopolising things when it’s the millennials who are going to have to live with the consequences. Of course, that’s not the older voters’ fault: they always turned up and the kids didn’t. Really pleased that’s changed, and hope it’s not a flash in the pan.
Moose the Mooche says
I think Labour would do well to not think if these as nailed on votes for them… another parallel with ’74.
Mike_H says
And Scottish Labour.
Davidg says
Am I alone in imagining that when TM walks into Buck House at 12:30, she will be greeted by HM with a little smile and “Well, that went well, didn’t it?”
Moose the Mooche says
In A Question of Attribution, Alan Bennett has HM say to Anthony Blunt: “Governments come and go… or don’t”
Malc says
Without the local elections going the way they did, would the general election have been called? That must have emboldened TM.
I also wonder how Labour would have done without Diane Abbott from the start.
Tiggerlion says
Yes. Labour foiled by Ruth Davidson & Diane Abbott.
MC Escher says
This talk of an election in October is slightly baffling. Why would it not just return roughly the same results as today’s go?
Mike_H says
People (on all sides) who didn’t bother to vote but don’t like the result could be a factor. The fact that the Conservatives are doing deals with the DUP and what that might entail. Plus whatever else happens in politics between now and October.
nogbad says
The earlier comment regarding the gullibility of those reading the pop press compared with the lofty posturings of the enlightened has some merit.
I still, however, feel massively short-changed by the influence of a populist press which evades UK tax, hacks dead children’s phones, lies about Hillsborough, reinforces misogyny and demonises or wilfully misrepresents anyone who constitutes a threat to their cosy little world of entitlement and privilege.
IMHO one of the best things to come from this would be for them to continue to slide out of business.
Corbyn was described as an enemy of the state ………….This state needs all the enemies it can get.
Black Celebration says
With 7 Sinn Fein MPs abstaining, wouldn’t the majority be, effectively, 7 more than the stats say?
Even so, all it takes is for a small group of Tory MPs to basically hold the PM to ransom on any issue they choose. It was this kind of internal dissention that made John Major’s government and David Cameron’s so shambolic.
If May felt that she couldn’t operate with a majority of 17, how on earth is she going to cope with no majority at all? Now she has the Tarquin-Hyphen-Hyphen nutter faction wanting to bugger swans for sport and she will also somehow need to appease 10 people who have been schooled in the gentle art of diplomacy by Ian Paisley.
I don’t know exactly how it will happen – but something ridiculous will no doubt develop due to this calamitous situation and another election will be called.
MC Escher says
Yep, the number of votes required will be reduced because Sinn Fein don’t take their seats at Westiminster.
Mike_H says
If the DUP are thought to be getting away with too much, that could change.
The Norn Iron power sharing agreement between Sinn Féin and the DUP that has ticked along for the past few years is currently broken.
The Westminster government are supposed to be mediating an agreement to get it back on track but now the Conservatives are going into coalition with the DUP, which means they can no longer claim to be impartial.
Oh shit.
Blue Boy says
Agreed. The only way she can make this work is in effect to go into agreement with Sinn Fein as well by buying them off to avoid them crying foul. I can’t see how this is going to work. The Conservatives really are doing their very best to screw Northern Ireland and the Good Friday agreement first through Brexit and now this. I can only imagine what not only Tony Blair but also John Major must be thinking.
ernietothecentreoftheearth says
On the other hand, how would JC deal with leading an even more minority government which would, potentially, lose every vote, given the DUP loathe him ?
Carl says
Here’s a thought: next Tory leader, Anna Soubry.
I thought that this morning when she became the first Tory to speak up and say May must go.
I’m sure she is thinking about it. She has the self-belief and self confidence to do so, even though she was so unloved by students at Birmingham University, she became the first Tory Candidate in years to lose the Students Union Presidency election.
Though I am going to torpedo my own prediction because while in this interview in the Guardian last year, Soubry conveniently forgets she once joined the Social Democratic Party, once that information comes out, any bid may be sunk.
anton says
self-belief and self-confidence – ah yes
https://despair.com/products/believe-in-yourself
PS there is no workplace anywhere that would not benefit from a few despair.com demotivators being sneaked in while the highly paid help aren’t looking…
https://despair.com/collections/demotivators/products/government
anton says
Interesting that the Lib Dems pro-Remain party had a rather indifferent night – although they won my constituency – yay! Was the Labour vote a Remoaner strike-back even though Labour now support Brexit and JC never seemed enthused about remaining at the time? If only the “conspiracy of hope” surge had started last year in time for the referendum maybe we wouldn’t be in this current mess….on second thoughts if it had gone the other way then Dave would still be PM….
anton says
…you aren’t looking so young yourself.
dai says
Labour support the process of Brexit after a democratic decision in a referendum, they don’t support the idea itself necessarily.
Mike_H says
Remain is a dead duck. Sad but true. It will not happen.
Only a minority of diehards thought it could be reversed. The rest, once they got over their anger and disappointment just wanted the best possible Brexit deal. Corbyn and the Labour Party got that.
Even the Lib-Dems have now got it. You stop flogging the dead horse and find yourself another one if you want to reach your destination.
Most of the people who voted for Brexit (not me) still want out. They have not changed their minds about leaving but are a bit concerned at the ramifications of a hard-Brexit flounce.
They don’t feel the need to vote for UKIP any more, which is good, and quite a few have returned to the Labour Party now that their message has got through to the party.
Domestic concerns were the deciding factor this time. As long as Jeremy Corbyn keeps focus on what people outside his bubble want to vote for and Labour don’t start squabbling amongst themselves again…
DougieJ says
Well put. The ‘48%’ is a myth. If this election had shown a massive surge to the Lib Dems then we could say it was about Brexit but as things stand, not so much.
One of the many bizarre things about these events is that we had a Tory remainer against a Labour leaver (or at least a sceptic) and it is the latter who is claiming victory and is being co-opted by such radicals as Goldman Sachs and Gina Miller.
Again – what the actual fuck, as I believe young, remain-inclined people are wont to say…
Junior Wells says
Just on voting, I was surprised to hear ,from a Scottish lass at a call centre as it happens, that Brits cant vote if not in the country. Is this right?
The British diaspora is huge.
Down here we have compulsory voting and you can vote absentee. I recall casting my vote in Harare. Got to change the notion of “the popular will” quite dramatically.
Moose the Mooche says
“casting my vote in Harare” – I thought there was only one way you could vote in Harare. Or was Canberra rather surprised to be inaugurating a new MP for Zanu PF?
Personally I’da voted for Biggie Tembo, god rest him.
dai says
You can vote from overseas if you meet the criteria. I don’t, been out of UK too long.
bricameron says
Question time tonight should be interesting to say the least. I wonder who’s on the panel?
Twang says
That ghastly Oakeshot person is on.
JustB says
I wonder if UKIP have finally lost their one safe seat: the one on the Question Time panel.
Moose the Mooche says
Never. No matter how many elections they lose they will always be on. We’re in this fucking mess because the BBC has insisted on giving them the oxygen of publicity.
Of course Nuttall will be off somewhere wrestling alligators and curing cancer, so it’ll probably be old frog-face “reluctantly” thrusting his fizzog at us again. Forever.
Blue Boy says
Whatever our various views on Conservative, Labour, SNP, and Lib Dems I think we can all agree that the implosion of UKIP is highly entertaining and edifying. It also means we’ll see a lot less of them on Question Time etc. They popped up so frequently because they had getting on for 12% of the vote in the last election, not because the BBC are all secretly Brexit loving nationalists. This time they’re under 2%, around the same level as the Greens. Good riddance to them.
Kaisfatdad says
Well said Blue Boy! I do hope the same thing happens to the odious Swedish Democrats here.
Moose the Mooche says
Somebody on another thread said that they get put on because they’re good telly. They have opinions as well, rather than a “line”. There’s always the possibility that one of them will go right off on one and start ranting about darkies and ragheads..
It’s like when they coyly advertise the Brit Awards on TV as “He-he-It’s live!!! ANYTHING can happen!!!” which in practice means somebody saying “fuck” and Sam Fox talking into a dead microphone.
fortuneight says
Can’t blame Auntie. Not only do they have to answer to OFCOM – who regulate impartiality on TV across all channels, but also according to their own editorial guidelines (of which there are acres). UKIP’s share of the vote meant the Beeb had to give them airtime. They had the highest vote of all the parties in the 2014 EU elections as well as the 12% in the 2015 parliamentary vote.
Last night may well have seen them off, at least in their current incarnation. Farage continues to hang around like a fart in spacesuit, no doubt getting a second lease of life thanks to Maybot’s ongoing Brexit shambles.
Carl says
Here’s tonight’s panel.
If you ask me, it has a left-wing flavour with no UKIP.
QT Panel, 9th June 2017
count jim moriarty says
Not sure how you can describe a panel with Oakshott and nutjob Grayling as left-wing.
ernietothecentreoftheearth says
They will back, in one guise or another, as and when the government retreats from hard Benefit, as seems likely.
nogbad says
So it’s the Condupes.
Austerity light with a side order of homophobia,rabid nationalism and pro life pontifications.
Forward to the 19th century !
JustB says
To be fair, it’s a confidence / supply arrangement and not a coalition, so there’s no chance of the DUP enacting any policies which aren’t also Tory ones, and there won’t be any DUP people in offices of government. And an hour or so ago, DUP spokespeople were denying that any arrangement was finalised in any case, but that talks were happening – not sure if that’s changed yet. Plus, even with the DUP in tow the majority is razor thin and super vulnerable.
You have to give May credit for sheer front. She re-entered Downing Street smiling and acting for all the world like she hadn’t just lost a massively risky gamble and destroyed her political authority. And then she claimed an alliance had been agreed with allies who were under no such impression.
JustB says
You know what, everyone on social media is using the word coalition. Maybe I’ve misunderstood. Jesus.
Mike_H says
There will be quid pro quo, otherwise what’s the point for the DUP in doing it?
Moose the Mooche says
She’s put one of those weird Star Trek tunic things on and has gone back into full Painted Robot mode. I’m starting to think that she is just a really weird person – although that’s clearly in the great tradition of British PMs (the last two Labour PMs were beamed directly from the 8th dimension).
Twang says
I’m a patriotic cove as it goes but FFS I feel like emigrating at the moment.
Gatz says
I’m not patriotic. Much as I love Britain and living here I tend to the view that my nationality is a matter of legality, and I have no time for those who proclaim theirs as if it was some kind of personal achievement (not that I’m suggesting you’re one of those Twang). That said I’m looking at this odd island with renewed affection, and the fond impression that a lot of what transpired last night was due to a bloody minded decision not to follow the script they had been given. I feel more at home than I have for a while.
Twang says
That’s interesting, because I don’t think of patriotism and nationality as being the same thing. I agree nationality is a legal thing about where you’re from. Patriotism is about loving your country – which is a relationship rather like with your family – you always love them, even though sometimes they really piss you off. An old fashioned concept and one which is wilfully misunderstood by many I’ll accept. Trouble is it’s become conflated with the nasty side of nationalism, but as I say I think they are quite different. It’s a weirdly English thing – the other Brit nations have no problem with it, and in France, Spain etc it is pretty much ingrained in everyone. But here some people get all cringy and insist they are European or something, whatever that means.
Moose the Mooche says
It’s a weirdly “English political left” thing you mean.
Most British people have no trouble being or feeling patriotic. Post-2012 Olympics it’s not even especially bound up with the monarchy or wars any more. It’s only what used to be called the chattering classes who get sniffy about it.
I was astonished in the 90s when I first read Orwell’s observations on this – written in the 30s – and recognised that nothing had changed about the British left’s rejection of patriotism (while uncritically embracing the nationalism, even chauvinism of other countries like Cuba or Palestine) . Internationalism is a good thing in theory but in practice it usually means instinctively hating America and Britain.
The only time socialism has actually had any success in this country was post-war when it was bound up with unaffected patriotism and a relatively fair-minded kind of proto-internationalism. Dennis Potter articulated this patriotism beautifully – as he did so many things – in that last TV interview.
Who was it who said “Patriotism is loving your country, nationalism is hating everyone else’s”.
Jeff says
Indeed, indeed.
*steeples fingers, thoughtfully*
Was it bob_numbers?
Moose the Mooche says
Poor lad. N
Moose the Mooche says
Edith having a “moment” there.
Moose the Mooche says
Poor lad. Nwunder he never came back.
Jeff says
Hmmm.
Peter Beardsley, then?
Moose the Mooche says
I don’t know. But deffo one of the great minds, as you say.
Gatz says
Also interesting. I guess I’m just not wired that way due to character and environment. I spent my childhood in Glasgow, so consider myself Scottish as well as British and European, though I haven’t lived there for almost 30 years, spent my teens in Wales and all of my adult life in various parts of England. I think this has given me a healthy scepticism of those who have never moved from one place and claim that where they live gives them a unique sense of humour / common sense outlook / universally envied wonderulness. Meanwhile, my family was a bit of a horror show and I haven’t seen them for decades – maybe the belonging thing just isn’t built into me!
bricameron says
Exactly how I feel,Gatz.
David Kendal says
Most people who describe themselves as patriots seem to love everything about their own country apart from almost all of the people who live in it.
JustB says
The word “patriotism” to me has an aspect of self-pride which I bump against. I love Britain to bits, in all its complicated and messy wonder, like I love my equally complicated and messy family, but being British doesn’t make me *proud*, as if it reflects well on me or something. I’m proud of Britain – mostly – but not proud to be British. If that makes sense.
Moose the Mooche says
The analogy of a family is as good as analogies get.
I spend most days thinking England is a backwards, stupid country full of egregious tiny-minded twerps. Yet if anyone from another country offers even the mildest criticism of mine, I start laying into theirs in usually pretty childish terms (“Your president’s fat… your language is stupid… your striped jerseys are naff” etc.)
Similarly my Dad’s an almost bottomlessly annoying bastard, but if you said anything a hundredth as critical as that about him I’d beat you to a pulp with the nearest chair.
*grows misty-eyed* Gets yer there, dunnit?
JustB says
Haha, oh I feel you re. the dad thing. Mine drives me fucking MENTAL, and I spend half my life admonishing myself for getting irritated with him and resolving to be nicer with the old bugger. Then I go home for a couple of days and spend them rolling my eyes and taking the piss out of him. (As well as hugging him and having nice conversations and all the good stuff too.) But if anyone else pointed out the things that drive me mad about him, as you say, I’d leap to his defence and enumerate the many many ways in which he’s my absolute hero.
Twang says
My Dad and I fought endlessly when I was a gormless teenager but when he did I was, and am, inconsolable.
JustB says
I adore him, and he knows it because we’re very openly affectionate, but it doesn’t stop us scrapping!
Jeff says
Hee hee, Moose’s dad has no bottom!
*ducks chair*
Moose the Mooche says
If only that were true. My Dad’s bottom is specifically proscribed under the terms of the Geneva Convention.
ruff-diamond says
Why don’t you go and live in Russia if you like it so much! Er…
Gary says
DougieJ says
My thoughts, in no particular order:
May ran a shockingly bad campaign while Jezza played a blinder.
She’s clearly a control freak and has alienated much of her own party as a result.
JC (he’s not the messiah) basically promised a free cute puppy (with subsidised vet care, natch) to every member of his core constituency while May got tough with hers, quite rightly in my view. She clearly made a colossal political mistake but it’s galling to me that Jezza is basking in a wholly unmerited glow for making wildly unrealistic promises while May is scorned for trying to make a difficult, unpopular but perhaps necessary choice.
The whole – ‘racist, homophobic, misogynist DUP must be opposed’ meme that’s gathering support from the usual suspects on social media sticks in my craw, given that Corbyn, Galloway, Livingstone et al have sucked up for years to all manner of Islamists, Putinites, anti-Semites etc who get a free pass as they’re anti-Western.
Ruth Davidson has absolutely smashed it oot the park in this election. Unprecedented and a welcome correction to SNP hegemony. If it weren’t for Brexit I’d say she’d be a strong contender for UK leader. As it is, I feel she may bide her time.
‘For the many, not the few’ as Jezbollah’s gang had it. Well, last June more people voted for Brexit than have ever voted for anything in the history of this country. As Brendan O’Neill put it:
To sum up – ‘interesting times’ alright.
DougieJ says
Kensington has just fallen to Labour – a heartfelt cry from the dispossessed, huddled masses if ever I heard one.
Mike_H says
K&C is not all poshos, you know.
Lots of those inconvenient people on minimum wage,(who didn’t previously vote because, let’s face it what was the difference between New Labour and the Tories? Neither of them cared much about your kind) living in stinky flats on littered streets and relying on benefits to pay the rent, foodbanks to feed their kids, while the dealers hover on the corners and not a copper to be seen.
Have a look at a map of the Royal Borough Of Kensington & Chelsea.
bricameron says
How many of them voted? That’s not an accusation,that’s a genuine inquiry. And if not,is it not incumbent on those in that community who do understand the weight of a vote to educate its own citizens? To cajole them an encourage them and teach?
My name is Brian Cameron and I approve this message.👍
JustB says
Dead right, Mike. And many of the poshos in K&C aren’t eligible to vote anyway: they’re not British citizens.
It’s like when people sneer about Islington because they think it’s all Upper Street wine bars and meeja types. Islington is also Finsbury Park and the estates around Holloway and the Stroud Green Road. The kids who attend Islington’s schools are the second most deprived in the country after Tower Hamlets (or were between 2009-2014 when I worked there). Down by Angel there’s all the Blair and Nick Hornsby types living on Barnsbury Square, but north of Highbury Fields it’s a very different story. That’s the thing about London: it’s a tiny number of the very rich who own their homes living cheek by jowl with huge numbers of the very poor who don’t.
I had a colleague whose wife worked for RBKC’s local authority. She told a very similar story about that borough. It’s not a blue Monopoly square.
Moose the Mooche says
People live in Kensington? I had no idea. I thought it was just a bunch of empty buildings owned by Russian crooks.
DougieJ says
Take your point Mike but it’s also undeniable that K&C was until recently the safest of safe Tory seats. I am sceptical about the idea that this unprecedented swing was down solely to the previously non-voting disadvantaged of the area. I think a far more significant factor in constituencies like this and Canterbury (which I’m sure has its less affluent areas too but still…) is that it was a middle-class Remain backlash and that’s fair enough too, if that’s what floats your boat. All part of democracy – the resurgence of which in the last couple of years is one universally good thing to have come out of this ever-changing world in which we’re livin’.
For the first time in living memory there is a genuine sense that every vote counts. Not just this squeaky bum count but North East Fife was won by TWO votes…
The Good Doctor says
Fucking hell everyone’s an amateur Political Correspondent these days aren’t they? I’ll stick to being an amateur Music Journalist and simply say – I’m a Labour member who was a bit unsure of Jezza but I thought he fought an excellent campaign and the Manifesto was in fact a well thought out restatement of Socialist principles – it proposed a genuine alternative to the Tories intent on wiping out public services, the Welfare State and the NHS . It was idealistic, a lot of what was proposed would be tough to deliver but it read like a ‘What if’. I think it resonated with young people in particular who have never known anything other than Tory or New Labour, and it resonated with me as someone who would rather pay a bit more tax so other people get a bit of comfort and joy. It’s called Socialism – you never know, it might catch on.
chiz says
That’s exactly where I am now, except that instead of being “a bit unsure of Jezza” I was “absolutely convinced he was a stubborn ideologue and useless leader”. I wasn’t alone in that and to be honest he hadn’t done much in 18 months in the job (or 35 years before that) to suggest we were wrong. And even now I’m not sure he will carry that passion and wit he showed in touring the country selling the ‘What ifs’ into the comparatively dull job of providing effective opposition (or even, one day, effective government.).
Some of us have had to get used to being wrong about absolutely bloody everything (Election 15, Brexit, Trump and now this, nearly) and I’m getting monthly deliveries from the Humble Pie shop these days. But we’d be daft to write off some of these as aberrations of democracy built on scaremongering and false promises, and others as a new golden dawn for compassion and sharing. Labour still lost, after all, to a massively inept and divided governing party of seven years, which ran a dreadful campaign with a vacuum for a leader and whose manifesto attacked its core supporters. Now we’re back with two main parties locked to the centre of the political spectrum because they need a majority to get anything done.
But Labour’s manifesto was brilliant (it doesn’t matter that it was undeliverable, none of them were, with Brexit) and they really did engage and excite young people. So yeah, it might catch on. Exciting, isn’t it?
DougieJ says
Fair play to you for admitting that actually, Labour didn’t win the election despite everything that’s (often) rightly been said about the government.
Just a point about the ‘socialism might just catch on’ idea. Thing is, it has caught on in many places at different times around the world and has always had to be rejected or revised.
This piece is from a free market think tank (who are not remotely fans of the big government Cameron / May crony capitalism we’ve had in recent years by the way) so many will dismiss it out of hand but it’s hard to argue with I feel.
Many will point to Scandinavia as a model and I don’t disagree in many respects but the thing that they have is a thriving, dynamic private sector that enables the strong social policies they have. They are very far from the 1970s statist vision served up by the likes of Corbynites and, sadly, the SNP.
bricameron says
What a clusterfuck!
Where’s that Daenerys Targaryen and her Dragons?
Moose the Mooche says
…. not everyone approves. She’s got her knockers.
deramdaze says
Yikes, you weren’t wrong about Isabel Oakeshott.
At one point I thought they’d invited Sarah B’stard onto the Question Time panel!
fortuneight says
Yes – everything the Daily Mail stands for sown up in one poisonous, patronising sack.
Moose the Mooche says
Why are these people entertained as if they know anything? Isn’t she just a posher Katie Hopkins?
Anything she says should simply be answered, in endless Jeremy Paxman/Michael Howard style, with
Tell us again about the pig’s head, Isabel!!
Tell us again about the pig’s head, Isabel!!
Tell us again about the pig’s head, Isabel!!
…ad infinitum.
Twang says
She is a crap journalist pedalling the most base views and publishing books full of rumour and gossip on the basis that “the reader can make their own mind up”….rather than, say, “I put in the hours to get proper facts and I can substantiate them”. Not the only one by far, but an excellent example of a vile representative of the press, and why she is allowed on Question Time is beyond me.
Moose the Mooche says
Opinions => good telly.
Facts, research, rigour… soooo boring.
fortuneight says
Her response to Alistair Campbell’s references to the Mail sums up their ethos neatly – sneering “boring” at him, and then “but it sells, it sells”. The look on her face when Campbell got the closing words – “just stop buying the bloody thing” made watching her earlier arrogant wankery worthwhile.
Marwood says
Just checked for a definition of ‘pyrrhic victory’. Search came back with a photo of Theresa May.
DougieJ says
Fair point 🙂
Kaisfatdad says
Hilarious, Marwood!
nogbad says
I feared the worst, having seen what the rags were saying and the way in which to emphasis was on Corbyn and not the programme, but luckily, my sense of the influence of our odious press was overblown.I’m 60 and have a sense of what the papers are saying.
My experience of 6th formers with whom I work, now and in the recent past, is that many of them think newspapers are up their with the 8 track player and the mangle.
Non-dom position protectors will have to find a new way to propogandise.
I think new voices will emerge / develop. Barry Gardiner, Richard Burgon and Angela Rayner look like a good place to start and hopefully others will become apparent.
I’m sure that there are bright sparks within the Tories, but don’t care who they are. I hope they re-cycle the same old busted flushes while tomorrow’s voters are given something they can engage with by Labour.
Interesting times indeed !
Blue Boy says
Jon Snow’s introduction on Channel 4 news last night summed it up nicely. And it’s only when I googled it to find a link that I realised it’s a reference to his Game of Thrones namesake. So I really do nothing.
https://mobile.twitter.com/Channel4News/status/873246413240643585
Moose the Mooche says
Some NuLab types, even Mandelson, are being incredibly gracious. Some are not.
Here is that giant of politics, Chris Leslie – one of the geniuses who gave us the great Labour victories of 2010 and 2015.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40231738
Kaisfatdad says
King Pyrrhus of Epirus went down in the history books because of his “victory” in which he lost most of his troops and his best commanders.
Ne ego si iterum eodem modo uicero, sine ullo milite Epirum reuertar.
Another such victory and I come back to Epirus alone. (Thankyou Wiki)
Will the PM’s victory be similarly remembered?
A May Ballsup?
A MayPoll dance?
Ne ego si iterum eodem modo uicero, sine ullo milite Via Downing reuertar?
hubert rawlinson says
The Mayfly belongs to the order Ephemeroptera.
Ephemeral means of course:
Lasting for a very short time.
When a friend a Tory ( a researcher for a Tory MP) says that he is attending T May’s drinks leaving party. I think her days may be numbered.
Moose the Mooche says
I give May 31 days.
Kaisfatdad says
31 days? Is that calculation based on a May poll ?
Jeff says
“I’m leading a May-DUP government”.