Britain - The Official Thread

[TenEightyOne]

Lib Dem gains, huh. People are pretty quick to forget getting screwed so lang as their Brexit wounds are being nursed.

That was two leaders and one government ago... and it seems like yesterday's result may have been driven by a far more recent screwing.

 

[m8h3r]

Surprised not to see anything on the Local Elections here yet.

I had a bit of a Twitter moan about this. The Local Elections are about a zillion times more important than by-elections or the GE. You get a chance to vote for the people who will represent your local handful of streets to your council. It affects your day-to-day life - shops, roads, schools, infrastructure, housing, projects in your town - way more than your MP, or parliament, does. They can influence the bigger things, but with 75,000 constituents to represent (or oppose, in the case of our MP), the day-to-day stuff falls through the cracks. Your local councillors represent 10,000 of you, and if they don't actually live in the same place you do, they're not far away (I think three miles is the limit).

Despite that, our ten candidates (for three councillor roles) were absolutely anonymous. I did eventually manage to find out - there was almost no campaigning that I'm aware of - who they were and what they were campaigning on. The three Conservatives wanted to talk about the steel works and airport which aren't in our ward. The three Labours also wanted to talk about the steel works which isn't in our ward, but also how they couldn't stop the housing development that was in our ward which is odd as they held 29 of the 59 council seats. The three Lib Dems also wanted to talk about stopping the housing development in our ward, which is odd as they held the ward and 11 of the 59 council seats - so a development went ahead despite a two-thirds majority of councillors claiming to be against it. They also wanted to say that any vote other than one for them was a waste, as only they could stop Labour from winning. That left an independent candidate, whose position was that everything was bad and kept asking why nothing had been done about it. Not exactly telling me how you're going to help there.

Anyway, we're not the only place doing our local election. There's 248 councils (of 343) holding elections for 8,800 council seats.

Rather unsurprisingly, there seems to have been a Brexit backlash. The Conservatives seem to be taking the biggest kicking of all, losing 500 seats and 17 councils so far. Labour's losses seem smaller - 75 seats and 1 council (net) - but their vote share is hugely down even where they've held seats. Lib Dems seem to be gaining most, with twice as many seats and four times as many councils as before. Greens are up in seats by 500%, but no councils.

The main story seems to be the gains of Independent candidates. There's a gain of one council, and more than 200 councillors to 350. Councils with no overall control are up nine, to 26, so far too.

The media can't seem to make its mind up as to what's going on. There certainly seems to be a sliding scale from most-Brexity (UKIP, 80% losses) to least-Brexity (Green, 500% gains), with the least Brexity main party (Lib Dem, 200% gains) gaining most and the most Brexity main party (Conservative, 30% losses) losing most... but Labour recently came out for a second referendum and are losing seats and vote share hand over fist.

There's also the rise of the independents and the increase in NOC councils, which to me more suggests a general fed-up-of-politicians-ness - Lib Dem and Green are traditional protest votes after all.

Turnout is about the usual 35% too.

Apparently my area wasn't due one this year. Ignoring the fact that it went bankrupt and I think that alone means we should be allowed to vote on it.

 

[MatskiMonk]

Apparently my area wasn't due one this year. Ignoring the fact that it went bankrupt and I think that alone means we should be allowed to vote on it.

Since I'm in a similar situation, I assume you mean one of the Northamptonshire areas due to be merged together next year? Since we're broke, and due to be changing everything next year anyway I guess they decided not to bother.

 

[m8h3r]

Since I'm in a similar situation, I assume you mean one of the Northamptonshire areas due to be merged together next year? Since we're broke, and due to be changing everything next year anyway I guess they decided not to bother.

Yeah I'm Rushden myself, area is pretty messed up right now.

 

[Lizard]

Well the poll is rigged and recorded me as saying something other than I did..

Still. I am utterly confused by 2 things.
1. The public vote for anti brexit parties and May puts out a message that it's clear that the public want her to get on with delivering brexit.

2. The media are claiming that since Labour won't commit to a second vote that Farage is going to win the EU hands down. Farage has always offered the exact opposite to a second vote, a hard brexit. The voters aren't going to go 'well labour won't let us remain so lets vote for a hard brexit'.

 

[Sprite]

Surprised not to see anything on the Local Elections here yet.

I had a bit of a Twitter moan about this. The Local Elections are about a zillion times more important than by-elections or the GE. You get a chance to vote for the people who will represent your local handful of streets to your council. It affects your day-to-day life - shops, roads, schools, infrastructure, housing, projects in your town - way more than your MP, or parliament, does. They can influence the bigger things, but with 75,000 constituents to represent (or oppose, in the case of our MP), the day-to-day stuff falls through the cracks. Your local councillors represent 10,000 of you, and if they don't actually live in the same place you do, they're not far away (I think three miles is the limit).

Despite that, our ten candidates (for three councillor roles) were absolutely anonymous. I did eventually manage to find out - there was almost no campaigning that I'm aware of - who they were and what they were campaigning on. The three Conservatives wanted to talk about the steel works and airport which aren't in our ward. The three Labours also wanted to talk about the steel works which isn't in our ward, but also how they couldn't stop the housing development that was in our ward which is odd as they held 29 of the 59 council seats. The three Lib Dems also wanted to talk about stopping the housing development in our ward, which is odd as they held the ward and 11 of the 59 council seats - so a development went ahead despite a two-thirds majority of councillors claiming to be against it. They also wanted to say that any vote other than one for them was a waste, as only they could stop Labour from winning. That left an independent candidate, whose position was that everything was bad and kept asking why nothing had been done about it. Not exactly telling me how you're going to help there.

Anyway, we're not the only place doing our local election. There's 248 councils (of 343) holding elections for 8,800 council seats.

Rather unsurprisingly, there seems to have been a Brexit backlash. The Conservatives seem to be taking the biggest kicking of all, losing 500 seats and 17 councils so far. Labour's losses seem smaller - 75 seats and 1 council (net) - but their vote share is hugely down even where they've held seats. Lib Dems seem to be gaining most, with twice as many seats and four times as many councils as before. Greens are up in seats by 500%, but no councils.

The main story seems to be the gains of Independent candidates. There's a gain of one council, and more than 200 councillors to 350. Councils with no overall control are up nine, to 26, so far too.

The media can't seem to make its mind up as to what's going on. There certainly seems to be a sliding scale from most-Brexity (UKIP, 80% losses) to least-Brexity (Green, 500% gains), with the least Brexity main party (Lib Dem, 200% gains) gaining most and the most Brexity main party (Conservative, 30% losses) losing most... but Labour recently came out for a second referendum and are losing seats and vote share hand over fist.

There's also the rise of the independents and the increase in NOC councils, which to me more suggests a general fed-up-of-politicians-ness - Lib Dem and Green are traditional protest votes after all.

Turnout is about the usual 35% too.

Turnout for my area was at 32% and the Conservatives held their spot.

This time around however the Gent who got in runs the local Fruit & Veg shop and wants big changes to the high street. I’m hoping he’ll help tidy up the now rather scruffy looking shops and help get the village/small town back up and running. Whether he will or not is a different matter.

I didn’t vote this time around (I usually make a point of doing my local election) due to being busy with health related things.

The main district held its Labour seat. Not sure why as they’ve sold the city and it’s boroughs down the river.

 

[baldgye]

I’ve been looking at candidates for the EU election... no idea who to vote for...

 

[Daz555]

I'll likely vote Lib Dem but really just any of the parties who are in favour of putting the Brexit deal to a referendum are good for me.

 

[baldgye]

I'll likely vote Lib Dem but really just any of the parties who are in favour of putting the Brexit deal to a referendum are good for me.

LibDems have so many issues though... maybe Greens? But then Greens have problems... then there are a bunch of independent options usually either for or against Brexit, do I give them a vote, or is that just a wasted vote? What about Labour's spin-off party?

 

[MatskiMonk]

I'm honestly not sure what people think they should, or will be voting on, tangibly.

I could vote for any of them at this point.

 

[Lizard]

LibDems have so many issues though... maybe Greens? But then Greens have problems... then there are a bunch of independent options usually either for or against Brexit, do I give them a vote, or is that just a wasted vote? What about Labour's spin-off party?

Labour spin off is basically going back to Blair's ideas.

 

[Tired Tyres]

LibDems have so many issues though... maybe Greens? But then Greens have problems... then there are a bunch of independent options usually either for or against Brexit, do I give them a vote, or is that just a wasted vote? What about Labour's spin-off party?

Liberal Democrat. it's proportional representation anyway so there's no such thing as a wasted vote.

I'm biased though. I am a Liberal Democrat.

If remainers voted for them it would create a mandate to remain in the EU. If the vote goes to a spread of parties that won't happen.

The leave camp will, presumably, vote exclusively for the single policy parties.

 

[baldgye]

Liberal Democrat. it's proportional representation anyway so there's no such thing as a wasted vote.

I'm biased though. I am a Liberal Democrat.

If remainers voted for them it would create a mandate to remain in the EU. If the vote goes to a spread of parties that won't happen.

The leave camp will, presumably, vote exclusively for the single policy parties.

Well, there are several independent single policy remain candidates too... but I agree the main parties have ****ed about so much it’s difficult to know which one of them to support.


Like, I'm kinda leaning towards the Greens, but nothing in their manifesto explicitly says anything about Brexit other than;

After Brexit, the euro-zone will represent close to four-fifths of EU citizens and more than four-fifths of the economy. Our proposals for the future of the monetary union apply to the euro-zone countries. The euro-zone must have a fiscal capacity which is also open to non-euro-zone Member States, and its members must be able to resort to coordination and solidarity mechanisms. Such tools, as euro-bonds, supporting future-oriented and sustainable investments should be conditioned to social and economic criteria.

 

[Famine]

Quite surprised that there's no mention of the American actress and British squaddie's baby in here yet. Archie Harrison (Harry's son... really?) Mountbatten Windsor...

... and Danny Baker's already been fired by the BBC about it.

 

[baldgye]

... and Danny Baker's already been fired by the BBC about it.

To be fair, even he realises how dumb his joke was.

In a following tweet, he added: "Would have used same stupid pic for any other Royal birth or Boris Johnson kid or even one of my own. It's a funny image. (Though not of course in that context.) Enormous mistake, for sure. Grotesque.

"Anyway, here's to ya Archie, Sorry mate."

To be fair I'm glad that so few people on here care that it hasn't been mentioned, while I'm fairly pro-royals I barely care about the birth of children in my own family so I can't really logic out why people care so much about even airs the throne being born...

 

[MatskiMonk]

Quite surprised that there's no mention of the American actress and British squaddie's baby in here yet. Archie Harrison (Harry's son... really?) Mountbatten Windsor...

... and Danny Baker's already been fired by the BBC about it.

Is Harry's middle name Jameson?

 

[baldgye]

Liberal Democrat. it's proportional representation anyway so there's no such thing as a wasted vote.

I'm biased though. I am a Liberal Democrat.

If remainers voted for them it would create a mandate to remain in the EU. If the vote goes to a spread of parties that won't happen.

The leave camp will, presumably, vote exclusively for the single policy parties.

Reading the LibDems manifesto it seems to be pretty single minded, which is fine. But I don't know if I can actually trust them.. given that their leader and deputy leader failed to even turn up to vote against Brexit in Parliament due to being in a meeting about how to prevent Brexit...



Also someone called Tommy Robinson is standing in my area for MEP...

 

[Famine]

To be fair, even he realises how dumb his joke was.

Indeed, but it's not a great look for a famous (and real) football fan to say he didn't think of the racial implications of representing a child of a mixed-race mother as a primate. If anywhere is still the home of directing monkey noises at black people, it's football grounds. Perhaps he is - laudably - so blind to race he forgot Meghan Sussex's* heritage.

To be fair I'm glad that so few people on here care that it hasn't been mentioned, while I'm fairly pro-royals I barely care about the birth of children in my own family so I can't really logic out why people care so much about even airs the throne being born...

For Archie to become the Monarch there'd need to be some King Ralph crap going down. He's not even a prince - because Harry is the younger son of the heir of the Monarch, so Archie is not in direct line of succession. The Sussexes* had the option of giving him a title, from one of Harry's collection that's inferior to Duke, but didn't.

Is Harry's middle name Jameson?

Ouch



*What is her surname now anyway?

 

[baldgye]

For Archie to become the Monarch there'd need to be some King Ralph crap going down.

oh yeah I was talking about the other Royal offspring (and the insane news coverage that got), Williams kid; Mark or whatever it is.

 

[polysmut]

Perhaps he is - laudably - so blind to race he forgot Meghan Sussex's* heritage.

That's what I thought had happened. I only remembered when I read the BBC article. Though he probably pays more attention to the royal family than I do if he's Tweeting about them.

Williams kid; Mark or whatever it is.

I seem to remember it's George. I could be wrong.

 

[Touring Mars]

I did this test:

https://uk.isidewith.com/political-quiz

... and got 85% Lib Dem, 84% Labour, 83% SNP, 52% Conservative and 43% UKIP...

I expected to come out as Lib Dem, but didn't think it would be quite so close with the other left-of-centre parties.

 

[TheCracker]

Quite surprised that there's no mention of the American actress and British squaddie's baby in here yet. Archie Harrison (Harry's son... really?) Mountbatten Windsor...

I'm gutted by the news. I had £20 on Tyrone DeShawn Mountbatten Windsor.

 

[baldgye]

I did this test:

https://uk.isidewith.com/political-quiz

... and got 85% Lib Dem, 84% Labour, 83% SNP, 52% Conservative and 43% UKIP...

I expected to come out as Lib Dem, but didn't think it would be quite so close with the other left-of-centre parties.

I got;
95% LibDem
91% Labour
91% Green
63% Tory

and worryingly 43% UKIP



EDIT: Apparently I'm a lefty centrist, I guess that makes sense? Not sure that really helps me decide which party to vote for in the upcoming EU elections tho

 

[Touring Mars]

43% must be effectively zero in this test!

 

[baldgye]

43% must be effectively zero in this test!

I think it's because UKIP are kind all over the place...

Like I apparently agree with UKIP that we shouldn't have National Service and that we should have same sex marriage...

 

[UKMikey]

92% Lib Dem, 92% Green, 89% Labour, 47% Kipper, 40% Cons.

The following question scared me until I realised that when they say "UK disagree" they mean UKIP, not the whole of the UK.

 

[MatskiMonk]

That's about what I expected.

 

[MatskiMonk]

If remainers voted for them it would create a mandate to remain in the EU.

This is what's really puzzling me about this election. Maybe it's because I don't know enough about it, but I can't see how this vote can achieve this. Sure, it's a barometer of public opinion, but less so than the actual referendum on it, and no better of an excuse to call it off than the governments had at numerous points so far.

 

[MaxAttack]

Lib Dems on my telly, waving flags on the beach and trying to speak for me, second referendum etc.

Please can they stop implying I am a racist/fascist for not wanting to be part of the German Dominion and have my tax money handed to Turkish Ottoman roleplayers who want to commit human violations.

i just wanna stop seeing fishermen chuck their catch and struggle to feed their families. Superstates are bad, titanic bureaucracies even worse. The more being a liberal is equated to being a remainer, the more appealing the right seems.

 

[TenEightyOne]

not wanting to be part of the German Dominion

I quite agree, I can't stand Britain's Royal Family either.