The UK General Election

[Kili01]

Just tuned in to the BBC to watch the results of the vote coming in. It looks like a disasterous situation not just for the fortunes of Theresa May and the Conservative Party, but for the country, following a poor showing by Theresa May in the run up to the Election. Jeremy Corbin has done surprisingky well, but he has pulled the usual socialist trick of promising to spend, spend, spend huge amounts of tax payers money and to increase taxes for the wealthy and for businesses.
This has disasterous implications for our country, people have short memories about the financial sistuation that the last Labour government left our country in.what will happen to the BREXIT negotiations should Corbyn win?

Dee

[cyprusgrump]

Just tuned in to the BBC to watch the results of the vote coming in. It looks like a disasterous situation not just for the fortunes of Theresa May and the Conservative Party, but for the country, following a poor showing by Theresa May in the run up to the Election. Jeremy Corbin has done surprisingky well, but he has pulled the usual socialist trick of promising to spend, spend, spend huge amounts of tax payers money and to increase taxes for the wealthy and for businesses.
This has disasterous implications for our country, people have short memories about the financial sistuation that the last Labour government left our country in.what will happen to the BREXIT negotiations should Corbyn win?

Dee

Agreed.

Frightening times for those of us with good memories and who don'e feel joy at the prospect of their loved ones in the UK suffering.

Reference negotiations, I think all bets are off until the final votes are in...

[Royal]

Six months ago I considered Theresa May to be a safe pair of hands to deliver Brexit.

I was wrong.

She has run an election campaign centred purely on herself and was found seriously lacking in areas where her record as Home Secretary was constantly being used against her - especially in the areas of immigration and police numbers. She has not been helped by George Osborne who has been sniping from the offices of the London Evening Standard and a svelte tongued Jeremy Corbyn who has promised to sell his soul to the devil for a spell in No 10.

Theresa May has ducked and dived almost all the big questions set before her. When interviewed she has always started off by saying "I'm very clear that..." and goes on to be very unclear and even obtuse.

For the last 30 years we have had career politicians in Parliament. Individuals who know nothing about either running industry or serving the country in the Armed Forces or in any other capacity. They go straight from university with their second class degrees in politics into jobs as political researchers and then into the front line. We are now seeing the effect of that. One in 3 people do not trust any politicians. God help us.

The only comfort I can take from the election result is the loss of SNP seats. To use the words of 'Flower of Scotland' the Scottish electorate, in respect of Nicola Sturgeon have "sent her homeward, tae think again..."

[cyprusgrump]

Six months ago I considered Theresa May to be a safe pair of hands to deliver Brexit.

I was wrong.

She has run an election campaign centred purely on herself and was found seriously lacking in areas where her record as Home Secretary was constantly being used against her - especially in the areas of immigration and police numbers. She has not been helped by George Osborne who has been sniping from the offices of the London Evening Standard and a svelte tongued Jeremy Corbyn who has promised to sell his soul to the devil for a spell in No 10.

Theresa May has ducked and dived almost all the big questions set before her. When interviewed she has always started off by saying "I'm very clear that..." and goes on to be very unclear and even obtuse.

For the last 30 years we have had career politicians in Parliament. Individuals who know nothing about either running industry or serving the country in the Armed Forces or in any other capacity. They go straight from university with their second class degrees in politics into jobs as political researchers and then into the front line. We are now seeing the effect of that. One in 3 people do not trust any politicians. God help us.

The only comfort I can take from the election result is the loss of SNP seats. To use the words of 'Flower of Scotland' the Scottish electorate, in respect of Nicola Sturgeon have "sent her homeward, tae think again..."

Agree with that - kudos for admitting you were wrong.

May (like Cameron) has been forced into the position of needing a coalition by the simple process of not offering the electorate policies that they want.

[Dominic]

Not only that, but they need to learn that negative campaigning is a severe voter turnoff.

[cyprusgrump]

Not only that, but they need to learn that negative campaigning is a severe voter turnoff.

Yes, "they are worse than us" (from both sides) isn't a very convincing message....

[PhotoLady]

Pulling an election because you need to prove you have the people behind you will always come back and bite you in the bum, especially if you cannot sound like you mean what you say and have no conviction in being able to carry it off.

She spent most of the last few weeks ducking and diving questions looking like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

The results all hung on the postal votes of those who weren't in a position to change their minds when they realised Theresa May wasn't all she was cracked up to be....

[WHL]

I got a feeling the dementia tax cost her votes, and Labours promise on no tuition fees won them alot of votes, If Labour get in, their barmy promise's of dishing money out here there and everywear,if carried out would bring the UK to the same level as Greece.

[cyprusgrump]

I got a feeling the dementia tax cost her votes, and Labours promise on no tuition fees won them alot of votes, If Labour get in, their barmy promise's of dishing money out here there and everywear,if carried out would bring the UK to the same level as Greece.

Yes, what a barmy thing to include in the manifesto! No need!

And then, after two terrorist attacks, instead of promising to clamp down on Islamists, promising to clamp down on people that say nasty things about Islamists on the Interwebz...

[WHL]

Take your pick the next PM ..Corbyn or Boris.. God help the UK.

[Royal]

Back to the polls in 12 months.

It seems the only viable option - but sooner than 12 months.

Corbyn will never be able to put a credible coalition together. May could, with DUP and UUP help, form a minority government. However, having declared that returning her to power with an increased majority would strengthen her negotiating hand in Europe, she is very badly damaged - maybe fatally so. Unfortunately, there is simply no natural successor waiting in the wings to take the helm. Certainly not Boris.

What an extraordinary pickle.

[Devil]

Back to the polls in 12 months.

As that lady on TV said, 'What again?' I don't think the electorate want or need another vote. It has been shown that we need a government of national unity, without Teresa Maybe.

[cyprusgrump]

Back to the polls in 12 months.

It seems the only viable option - but sooner than 12 months.

Corbyn will never be able to put a credible coalition together. May could, with DUP and UUP help, form a minority government. However, having declared that returning her to power with an increased majority would strengthen her negotiating hand in Europe, she is very badly damaged - maybe fatally so. Unfortunately, there is simply no natural successor waiting in the wings to take the helm. Certainly not Boris.

What an extraordinary pickle.

We live in very interesting times!

I'm not sure May can hold on to her job - after putting a coalition together.

I think an election in less that 12 months too.

They could of course try to force through the boundary changes (which Cameron should have done) which would give them ~40 Labour seats.

It is indeed and extraordinary pickle!

[PeteandSylvi]

I suspect that Mrs May underestimated the effects of social networking. Many groups have been working hard to convince young people to vote and they may have been successful. Most of these groups have leanings to the left which is an influence. I also think that any inexperienced person would tend to vote against any party that are not content with rather than for the party with the right policies for them. This would be a big influence given that most of the social network comment that I saw was negative towards the Conservatives and positive towards Labour. Once in this mindset a rational examination of any manifesto would not take place.

This is the Catch-22 of encouraging younger, inexperienced voters and why I would hate the voting age to be lowered further.

Pete

[PeteandSylvi]

I must say that as much as I detest Corbyn and his principles, I can't help admiring his ability to come from being a rank outsider to lead his party into a position where, in theory, he could become Prime Minister of the country in a party that was not elected.

A peculiar quirk of our democracy that out-trumps Trump!

Pete

[ApusApus]

Quite .............. but Corbyn as PM is a scary concept!


Shane

[cyprusgrump]

I must say that as much as I detest Corbyn and his principles, I can't help admiring his ability to come from being a rank outsider to lead his party into a position where, in theory, he could become Prime Minister of the country in a party that was not elected.

A peculiar quirk of our democracy that out-trumps Trump!

Pete

Yes, quite amazing really.

In a (rather perverse) way, I'd like him to.

He'd then have to deliver on his promises of 'free stuff for everybody'. Not good for the country but it would educate the younger voters (and those too ignorant to see the socialism has never worked) to the realities of his economic plans.

[Dominic]

In a (rather perverse) way, I'd like him to.

He'd then have to deliver on his promises of 'free stuff for everybody'. Not good for the country but it would educate the younger voters (and those too ignorant to see the socialism has never worked) to the realities of his economic plans.

Please note, I am not laughing because I disagree with you. I am laughing because it is exactly the sort of thing that HiC says about Brexit.

[cyprusgrump]

In a (rather perverse) way, I'd like him to.

He'd then have to deliver on his promises of 'free stuff for everybody'. Not good for the country but it would educate the younger voters (and those too ignorant to see the socialism has never worked) to the realities of his economic plans.

Please note, I am not laughing because I disagree with you. I am laughing because it is exactly the sort of thing that HiC says about Brexit.

He probably would...

But Brexit has never happened before and there are plenty of successful countries outside of the EU.

Socialism on the other hand has been tried over and over and always fails... look at the disaster that is Venezuela as the most recent example.

[PeteandSylvi]

I don't agree that socialism has always failed. Communism - yes, but there are many successful socialist countries. It all depends on which definition of Socialism you wish to apply and the extent to which the country applies it.

Pete