Britain - The Official Thread

  • Thread starter Ross
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How will you vote in the 2024 UK General Election?

  • Conservative Party

    Votes: 2 6.9%

  • Green Party

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Labour Party

    Votes: 14 48.3%

  • Liberal Democrats

    Votes: 2 6.9%

  • Other (Wales/Scotland/Northern Ireland)

    Votes: 1 3.4%

  • Other Independents

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Other Parties

    Votes: 2 6.9%

  • Spoiled Ballot

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Will Not/Cannot Vote

    Votes: 8 27.6%
  • Total voters
    29
  • Poll closed .
Parliamentary systems still confuse my brain so somebody explain to me this: How the heck do you vote for the party leaders themselves? What if your favorite party's has an idiot leader? How do you guarantee that a party doesn't simply soak up your votes but then choose a leader that they want rather than what the people were aiming for?
 
Keef
Parliamentary systems still confuse my brain so somebody explain to me this: How the heck do you vote for the party leaders themselves?
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You don't.
Keef
What if your favorite party's has an idiot leader?
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Most of them do :lol:
Keef
How do you guarantee that a party doesn't simply soak up your votes but then choose a leader that they want rather than what the people were aiming for?
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You don't. Neither the current Prime Minister nor his predecessor have ever faced a General Election as their party leader before.
 
Keef
Parliamentary systems still confuse my brain
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They can gerrymander the country just as much as you do but instead of explicitly voting for Joseph Biden or Donald Trump, you're essentially voting for Democratic Party or Republican Party rather than for those parties' chosen leaders.
 
Just seems like there is so much potential for the party to stab their voters in the back.

For example, back when our Democratic party was choosing candidates back in 2019/2020, the race was basically Biden (old and not doing great) and Sanders (old and doing well). Ultimately, because most Democrats in America are fairly moderate, Biden won the primary, although most people under about 35 voted for Sanders. If we voted for the party instead, and the party chose Sanders, about 2/3 of Democrats would've been pissed.

How does your system deal with voters who feel disenfranchised? Have there ever been examples where a party may have strong support in an election but choose a leader that their voters actually hate?
 
Keef
How does your system deal with voters who feel disenfranchised?
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It doesn't. First Past The Post is an awful system in a constituency-based, parliamentary system.

Keef
Have there ever been examples where a party may have strong support in an election but choose a leader that their voters actually hate?
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A real case - Labour in 2007. Tony Blair still had enough charm to win the election for Labour but then due to a gentleman's agreement he stepped down as leader and Gordon Brown became Prime Minister. Everyone knew it was going to happen but people still hated it.

An echo chambered case - pretty much all Tory governments since 2015. They've won handily enough at the polling stations in three elections but every Prime Minister they've had has been an idiot, a liar or a lying idiot. Despite their electoral success, their street popularity is horrendous but that depends on your social circle.
 
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Keef
How does your system deal with voters who feel disenfranchised? Have there ever been examples where a party may have strong support in an election but choose a leader that their voters actually hate?
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We're not quite as two-party as the US is, even if we haven't had anyone other than Torys or Labour in 102 years. A strong showing from a third or even forth party, as i imagine we'll get this time around, is usually a good show of hands that tactical voting has been in play and the big two's chosen leaders aren't so popular.

Those who would normally vote Tory, but dislike Sunak, will go either Reform or LibDem. Those that normal vote Labour but dislike Starmer, will go either Green or LibDem.
 
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There’s
TheCracker
We're not quite as two-party as the US is, even if we haven't had anyone other than Torys or Labour in 102 years. A strong showing from a third or even forth party, as i imagine we'll get this time around, is usually a good show of hands that tactical voting has been in play and the big two's chosen leaders aren't so popular.

Those who would noemaly vote Tory, but dislike Sunak, will go either Reform or LibDem. Those that normal vote Labour but dislike Starmer, will go either Green or LibDem.
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There’s also a fairly significant crossover from Labour to Reform. The right-wing “working class”, gradually drifting from 80s/90s Labour via Boris’ Red Wall to Farage.
 
Barra333
What are the drinking triggers?
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It could get very messy.

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I will never forget watching the 1992 UK General Election with some friends. My mate ended up barfing in the front garden of his mate's house after downing some "House of Commons" whisky straight from the bottle when it became apparent that Labour were going to lose. Of course we all laughed at him, and then he uttered the immortal line: "I'm not sick because of the whisky, I'm sick of the Tories!" - what an absolute fanny :lol:. Incidentally, the "House of Commons" whisky belonged to my mate's friend's mother, who went on to become a Labour MP herself.

He was - at the time - an out-an-out socialist and Labour supporter... he even named his first child Keir :lol:. He used to get pelters from some of my other friends, however, as he was practically the definition of a champagne socialist, as he lived in one of the most salubrious parts of Edinburgh. Since then, however, he has switched allegiance to the SNP and even stood for selection as an MP, but didn't get selected.

Funnily enough, two of my high school teachers stood for election that night - both of them were my Modern Studies teacher at some point, Robin Harper (Green, though moved to Labour just a few weeks ago), and Graham Sutherland (SNP).
 
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Touring Mars
It could get very messy.

Funnily enough, two of my high school teachers stood for election that night - both of them were my Modern Studies teacher at some point, Robin Harper (Green, though moved to Labour just a few weeks ago), and Graham Sutherland (SNP).
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I was up at my dads over the weekend and we were talking politics, as you do. He lives in what has always been a firm tory ward, York Outer (his MP was in the year above me at school!) - but according to the electoral calculus website there's now a 94% chance of that seat shifting to Labour. Where my mum is, Harrogate where i grew up, its been tory for a fairly long time, although it was LibDem when i was still at home, has a 82% chance of going to the Libs. Where i am now, Sheffield Central, is a Labour stronghold and is set to stay that way even though the much-loved previous MP is stepping down and a largely unknown Labour candidate is running. Even the Greens are predicted to gain 32% of the votes.

There's going to be some big scalps taken come Friday morning.
 
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Touring Mars
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It could get very messy.
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Do not attempt this without an ambulance on standby. From The Times (quoting a More In Common poll, who are consistently the most optimistic about Tory chances!)

The cabinet ministers predicted to lose their seats include Jeremy Hunt, Grant Shapps, Alex Chalk, David TC Davies, Simon Hart, Victoria Prentis, Johnny Mercer and Michael Tomlinson
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Me to my boss Friday morning

Drunk GIF
 
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So The Sun has flipped its long-standing allegiance to the Torys to supporting Labour.

Of course, being a Murdoch rag it's only allegiance is with whomever is in power and can benefit them the most. It doesn't want to be seen to be supporting the side that loses.

Naturally, its actually flip-flopping and sitting on the fence until the winner is announced, with prominent adverts for Reform and Labour and loads of 'Bring back Boris' articles and pro-Farage guff.
 
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For me the most interesting result isn't if Labour wins (that's all but a forgone conclusion now), but if the Lib Dems manage to get more seats than the Tories and form the official opposition.

While it's unlikely, it's not out of the question, and the benefits of being the official opposition will strengthen the Lib Dems and further damage the Tories (and force then into obscurity for decades potentially).
 
As much as i'd like to see the Tories decimated, as they deserve to be, my fear is that it would only open the door further for Reform to get a broader foothold. Or perhaps worse, Johnson getting leadership again with his cult of MAGA-lite followers.
 
I'm going to have to find a stream of this election somewhere. Not sure if BBC will be showing it in the US and I don't think I get an international version of CNN. Maybe BritBox gives me access to Channel 4 or Sky News or something.

Edit: Peakcock gives me Sky News. Great, I have to get the worst streaming service ever just to watch a furrin election.
 
Hmm, I didn't know Peacock covered blood sports, but there you go.

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TheCracker
As much as i'd like to see the Tories decimated, as they deserve to be, my fear is that it would only open the door further for Reform to get a broader foothold. Or perhaps worse, Johnson getting leadership again with his cult of MAGA-lite followers.
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Yes, I reckon if the Tories get a serious whipping and everyone picks up votes from them, they may be weakened sufficiently to resort to some kind of deal with Reform with Fartage in a senior role, if not party leader.
 
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Touring Mars
Hmm, I didn't know Peacock covered blood sports, but there you go.

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Yes, I reckon if the Tories get a serious whipping and everyone picks up votes from them, they may be weakened sufficiently to resort to some kind of deal with Reform with Fartage in a senior role, if not party leader.
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Yes, it's Farage that is the danger
 
Hmmm... Election predictions based on nothing but gut feeling.

Tories: Bye bye. We lent you our vote and now we want it back.

Labour: Here are the keys, get to work and make it good. There will be a honeymoon period, but it will be short.

Greens: Turning brown.

Lib Dems: Sorry, I haven't heard of them.

SNP: Might get a bit of a fright, might not. Bring Sturgeon back.

Count Binface: One day all this will be yours.
 
Okay Britain, today’s the day, let’s not screw this up. A once-in-a-generation chance to bathe in salty gammon tears.

If not for yourselves, do it for Larry.

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13 years of living with Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss and Sunak. Doesn’t the old boy deserve a change after so many years of service in such horrid conditions?
 
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