UK GENERAL ELECTION 2017

Vandenburg · Futures level

UK GENERAL ELECTION 2017

indiana · Tennis legend

It's a very quiet tennis week, at least until the Fed Cup, so guess Theresa giving us something of a little interest, though can be dangerous asking the people anything these days.

It's Plaid Cymru by the way.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Conscientious objector ???

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

I am going to vote Remain.

Vandenburg · Futures level

I really do think if Lib Dems and Labour did some sort of pact, where they did not stand in each others targers seats, they could do some real damage to the Tories.

indiana · Tennis legend

Like the Lib Dems are going to enter any pact with a Corbyn Labour party. Err not, whatever the theory on the possible arithmetic.

Should be a time of great opportunity for the Lib Dems, but they have a slight problem at the top - ie. who's there leader again ?

Vandenburg · Futures level

I do not mean any kind of going into power, I mean pacts regarding marginal seats. Eg, A seat the lib dems are trying to take from the Tories, labour could not stand, and the reverse.

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Given that the result is a foregone conclusion, the election is going to be very interesting for many other reasons. There are a lot of sub plots going on.

Labour: How far will they fall ? Jeremy Corbyn is quite simply unelectable. I have seen at least 10 Labour MPs interviewed on the news today and I have yet to see one of them back him as a leader they want to follow.

UKIP: Is it now irrelevant ? It wasn't only a single policy party, it was also a one man party and with Farage gone, they could also fall back dramatically. Having said that, I have just heard that Farage is talking about standing again. He does like putting himself in the limelight, doesn't he.

Lib Dems: They have the biggest chance of making progress as a protest party against Brexit. Will it be enough to make any difference ? No, but it will be interesting to see how many additional seats they pick up. But as Indiana says, Mr Farron does not inspire confidence.

SNP: They will see this as another Scottish independence preview vote. They will likely sweep the board again in Scotland, but the English will get extremely tired of hearing Nicola Sturgeon's voice.

For me, the next election in 5 years time will be a lot more interesting. I am still convinced that the UK will not a deal on Brexit. The 27 countries of Europe will argue amongst themselves, failing to reach agreement and no deal with the UK will be reached. It won't. in my opinion, be the fault of Theresa May or the Tory party, but they will get the blame anyway. A new Labour leader for the next election, might see an opportunity.

Personally, I think we should all move to Chesterfield and vote for Toby Perkins.

indiana · Tennis legend

Many Scots are also long getting fed up of Nicola Sturgeon's voice. And she had recently been acting a bit like Nicola, Queen of Scots with "Scots" want this and that and many folk point out that she and the SNP don't speak for anything like all Scots. They did after all lose the clearly largely SNP led independance referendum and polls suggest the majority don't even want another one, let alone will vote yes in it.

Yes, the SNP will generally sweep the board, but may fall back a bit from their almost total first past the post wipeout of last time.

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:
Many Scots are also long getting fed up of Nicola Sturgeon's voice. And she had recently been acting a bit like Nicola, Queen of Scots with "Scots" want this and that and many folk point out that she and the SNP don't speak for anything like all Scots. They did after all lose the clearly largely SNP led independance referendum and polls suggest the majority don't even want another one, let alone will vote yes in it.

Yes, the SNP will generally sweep the board, but may fall back a bit from their almost total first past the post wipeout of last time.

One thing I can't understand is the SNP's insistence that another independence vote must take place BEFORE Brexit is completed. They want it in the last few months of the two year period as they believe that most of the negotiating will have been done but the process not finalized. Why ? Do they believe that they will then be able to stay in the EU because they will then be an independent country ?

It won't work like that. Even if the Scots vote YES in a referendum, the constitutional process will take so long that Brexit will still be done and dusted long before Scotland actually becomes independent, so they will have to leave the EU along with the rest of the UK and then apply to rejoin at a later date. So why not wait until after Brexit is complete ? Either way, they will have to leave and rejoin.

I suggest that her real motive is to get the independence vote at such time when the UK government is still too busy with Brexit to organise a coordinated "Better Together" campaign and therefore increase her chances of a Yes vote. And she has the nerve of accusing Theresa May of manipulating politics for the benefit of her own party.

indiana · Tennis legend

Bob, she's actually conceded that one and has moved to asap after the conclusion of Brexit negotiations, talking about the second half of 2019 assuming the 2 year negotiation framework is kept to ( which may be a bit of an assumption ). She wishes no chance for anything then to remain / become particularly settled before Scots go for another vote.

Maybe thinks this concession makes her look reasonable, when I think even she knew always knew that mixing an independence campaign and vote with Brexit negotiations was never really on.

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

indiana wrote:
Bob, she's actually conceded that one and has moved to asap after the conclusion of Brexit negotiations, talking about the second half of 2019 assuming the 2 year negotiation framework is kept to ( which may be a bit of an assumption ). She wishes no chance for anything then to remain / become particularly settled before Scots go for another vote.

Maybe thinks this concession makes her look reasonable, when I think even she knew always knew that mixing an independence campaign and vote with Brexit negotiations was never really on.

OK. Didn't realize that.

paulisi · Tennis legend

Strange decision, but in the current state of play, there is only one winner and by an increased majority.
UKIP is falling apart and the Tories in particular should capitalise. The Lib Dems should pick up votes from labour given their pro European stance.
SNP should still dominate in Scotland, but with fewer seats and smaller majorities.

Jaggy1876 · Grand Slam Champion

It's a clever move by May for lots of reasons. The disaster that is The Labour Party means she will increase the majority in England even in light of Brexit. I think this has a lot to do with World Politics and everything happening with Trump, Russia, North Korea and Syria. I see this as a mandate for The Tories to push on with an aggressive Foreign Policy in this regard but I also expect a continuation of Social Welfare and would expect more cuts in benefits for the sick and underprivileged along with assistance to the high earners in British Business, a softener for Brexit with true Tory greed values. The more I think about it I have respect, it's actually a masterstroke as the Tories will be able to almost disguise their policies to the majority that even vote for them because of everything else happening.

With regards Scotland and what I've said above, we actually have a chance to kick out all Tory MPs which would delight me as the odious Mundell squeezed in by only 798 votes. We have a chance of being Tory-free. Sadly their share of the vote will increase as the Unionists have their vote. I can see it now as being some sort of misleading celebration by Ruth Davidson when it actual fact it's not Tory policy that will get votes but the Union. I know a few folk who have admitted voting Tory for this reason which is shameful really but that's the reality. That's the reason they called themselves Scottish Conservative and UNIONIST Party. They should really highlight this it's clever marketing. Again I have to say Ruth Davidson although I think her attitudes and policies are disgusting, she is a very capable politician and therefore very dangerous. The problem with UK politics at the moment is that the best politicians currently are the ones that are able to come across like this. It's a scary time.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Yes, tactically the conservatives continue to play a blinder. Scotland for them is an irrelevance as long as it's not voting Labour. Without Scotland Labour is unelectable, the fact that Labour have also fragmented in the south is a Brucie bonus for the current government. How did Labour manage to entrap themselves in the type of rhetoric normally the preserve of Israeli and Palestinian skirmishing is beyond me, admittedly mutual respect is very important but when refurbishing a house you need to make sure you have got the roof on before worrying too much about the garden.

American politics now overtly resembles 'House of Cards" meets "VEEP". "Homeland" is almost unwatchable because it so closely resembles reality as played out online and in the mainstream media. Scarely the value of controlling and spinning any and everybit of information out there far outweighs development and implementation of sustainable long term policy until the balance of power is so distorted that reform can be driven through without debate.

A big win in June will allow the conservatives to implement swinging reforms of health and social care with the responsibility for funding it falling on the individual as opposed to the state. People who voted for Brexit on an economic and ideological platform not underpinned by racism and or xenophobia will be aligned with this reality however those for whom it was a knee jerk reaction or merely a protest vote I don't feel understood quite where this was going and for the most part will have disinfranchised themselves. I don't think most people understand that this election is all about securing an increased majority to drive through Brexit in its purist form and the opposition not well enough organised to influence the electorate to oppose it.

Tactically this election has already been won, admittedly there are some vaguely interesting sub plots but they are just that and will have little or no impact on the balance of power which will be firmly skewed to the right. Indeed I feel the conservative political strategists have been so successful in understanding how to align themselves with those most influential in the mainstream media to manipulate the way in which policy is portrayed (with an opposition in such disarray) that we may see another conservative government elected after the next term has finished.

The foundations have been laid for a predictable next 7-8 years of implementation of conservative policy, what will be fascinating is watching how the landscape of opposition evolves to counter this, will it be meaningful and electable or all about protest and creating instability. Testing times.

-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Wednesday 19th of April 2017 03:19:02 AM