UK Elections
- Thread starter Albie
- Start date
Ardius
Trooper
Invader said:
Nope, you are simply posted a poll card with your name and address on it (plus details of how to vote, where your nearest polling station is, etc). You then hand it in at the polling station and they check it off the list.
I've voted and it capped off a good day in my exams. I fear though that the Tories do appear to have a quite likely chance of getting in power.
Dr. Eddies Wingman
Brighter than thousand_suns
Quoting The Guardian's live coverage: - As Lord Ashdown said earlier, "the country has spoken - but we don't know what they've said".
Looks like you lot are in for a hung parliament then. Does this mean the new government will be short-lived and that a new election will be coming up within a year or so?
Looks like you lot are in for a hung parliament then. Does this mean the new government will be short-lived and that a new election will be coming up within a year or so?
It sounds like turnout was higher than expected, and they weren't ready for it. Which is a fucking sad thing to hear.
A hung parliament, and Cameron has already asked Clegg to join him in governing. This should be really, really interesting.
A hung parliament, and Cameron has already asked Clegg to join him in governing. This should be really, really interesting.
Ardius
Trooper
Seems people reckon at the moment the Conservatives aren't approaching the Lib Dems seriously enough and that Labour will offer more. Its fairly obvious Labour is a better match because their policies line up better. But we shall see what happens, Clegg appears to be quite open-minded about it.
I'm glad we managed to achieve hung parliament though, it means Labour and Conservatives have to compromise even if Lib Dem didn't do well at all (though they did get quite a vote count).
I'm glad we managed to achieve hung parliament though, it means Labour and Conservatives have to compromise even if Lib Dem didn't do well at all (though they did get quite a vote count).
Well, that's why the LDP wants to change how elections work - and I honestly don't blame them, given that they can have 80% of Labour's vote but 33% of the seat total.
Clegg is in an interesting spot. He's the kingmaker right now.
Clegg is in an interesting spot. He's the kingmaker right now.
Albie
Keeping an open eye on the Weeping Angels.
In reality, the only thing that will makes sense is a Tory/Lib Dem coalition. I know there is a big "any thing but the Tories" mentality, but as a journalist (I forget his name) on TV this morning said: "If you hug a chimney sweep, you end up dirty." Gordon Browns Labour could quite possibly damage the Lib Dems and Nick Clegg. We have to face it, the electorate does not want Brown as PM any more and the possible replacement, Harriet Harmen, would be even less popular. We also need to face the fact that a Lib Dem/Labour coalition would still not be enough to form a majority government. And even after their worst showing in an election since Michael Foot was their leader, if Labour still wants to cling on to power, they will need to work with the Lib Dems and a whole load of smaller parties (that is possibly unlikely to include the Northern Ireland Unionist parties) - and that could potentially be a complete mess.
There actually is common ground between the Tories and the Lib Dems and I don't believe that the be all-end all deal breaker will be complete electoral reform. I think there may be a referendum on that.
Come Monday morning, I predict that David Cameron will be in No 10.
As for the way the voting was conducted in a lot constituencies with people been turned away - even though they turned up in good time - I made a comment to work colleagues after the 2001 election that the next one will be made online. Had that been put in action for this, the turnout would have been massive. And it's quite simple: you will have a choice to do a postal vote, by proxy, in a polling station (all three are in place) or on the internet. If you choose the internet, each person will be given a unique code to vote with - quite simple, really - and away you vote. The internet voting can be done from the beginning of the week and close on the Thursday of polling day at 10pm. I would hazard a guess that 95% of those turned away this week would have used this method. And eventually as we all get more used to technology, the paper and postal votes will diminish and results will be announced so bloody quick that the overall result will be known within a few hours, rather than something like 20 odd hours after the polling stations close.
One thing that did make me smile was that when the exit polls were announced on Sky, BBC and ITV (this year, they all combined data to try to be more accurate), every political guest on each station rejected them. They could not believe the Lib Dems vote was that small and the Tory vote should be higher as well. It turned out that the exit polls was pretty much spot on.
Another was Labours spin on the whole result. It got a little embarrassing to see them constantly telling us that the public did not reject them, but the public completely rejected the Tories. Seriously, to turn round the majority that Labour had was a massive task for any party and coupled with the fact that they increased their share of seats by more than in any election since the 1930's, I don't think it was that bad.
There actually is common ground between the Tories and the Lib Dems and I don't believe that the be all-end all deal breaker will be complete electoral reform. I think there may be a referendum on that.
Come Monday morning, I predict that David Cameron will be in No 10.
As for the way the voting was conducted in a lot constituencies with people been turned away - even though they turned up in good time - I made a comment to work colleagues after the 2001 election that the next one will be made online. Had that been put in action for this, the turnout would have been massive. And it's quite simple: you will have a choice to do a postal vote, by proxy, in a polling station (all three are in place) or on the internet. If you choose the internet, each person will be given a unique code to vote with - quite simple, really - and away you vote. The internet voting can be done from the beginning of the week and close on the Thursday of polling day at 10pm. I would hazard a guess that 95% of those turned away this week would have used this method. And eventually as we all get more used to technology, the paper and postal votes will diminish and results will be announced so bloody quick that the overall result will be known within a few hours, rather than something like 20 odd hours after the polling stations close.
One thing that did make me smile was that when the exit polls were announced on Sky, BBC and ITV (this year, they all combined data to try to be more accurate), every political guest on each station rejected them. They could not believe the Lib Dems vote was that small and the Tory vote should be higher as well. It turned out that the exit polls was pretty much spot on.
Another was Labours spin on the whole result. It got a little embarrassing to see them constantly telling us that the public did not reject them, but the public completely rejected the Tories. Seriously, to turn round the majority that Labour had was a massive task for any party and coupled with the fact that they increased their share of seats by more than in any election since the 1930's, I don't think it was that bad.
Forostar
Ancient Mariner
A coalition? Duh. I hear that conservative forces in England pronounce the word like it's something disgusting. And that journalists call other countries to get more info on the subject. 
Many people who got excited about Clegg (who is the biggest loser of these elections), since the public debates, didn't dare to vote for him when they entered the polling stations.
Many people who got excited about Clegg (who is the biggest loser of these elections), since the public debates, didn't dare to vote for him when they entered the polling stations.
Ardius
Trooper
Forostar said:
Not true. The number of votes for each party suggest Clegg kept the momentum. Its just that it was spread across the country rather than focussed in constituencies.
If we had 300 seats or so rather than 650, perhaps this would have been reflected better (or of course with proportional representation). Spending cuts, how about cutting down the number of MPs? Probably the most difficult thing to pass ever
.
Albie
Keeping an open eye on the Weeping Angels.
Simply because we are not used to it. We've been under either Tory or Labour rule for generations and generations. We had a brief coalition in the 70's but that was a big mistake, and the last coalition we had that was successful was during Churchill's reign.Forostar said:
But hold fire here, Gordon Brown has quit and will leave by September. Does this change things? Indeed it does.
Yet in Canada, we have had many minority governments. It is going to be an interesting couple years. And given the rise in power of the LDP, it could be indicative of the future, much as minority government in Canada has been.
Albie
Keeping an open eye on the Weeping Angels.
One can just imagine what was said:
[Alastair Campbell] The Tories must not get into power.
[Gordon Brown] Yes.
[AC] The Lib Dem/Tory coalition is getting more of a reality.
[GB] Yes.
[AC] You don't get on too well with Nick Clegg, and whilst you are the Labour leader and PM, they may not talk with us.
[GB] Yes.
[AC] For that to happen, you must step aside.
[GB] Yes.
[AC] Tell the people it's for the good of the nation, or something like that.
[GB] Yes.
I will stand by the fact that a Lib Dem/Tory coalition is the most sensible outcome to this - and there is genuinely quite a few of us Brits that are quite intrigued by this. It will, as some have put it, reign in some of the right-wing Tory policies and make them more central than what they have tried to become under Cameron.
And I still stand by the idea that if the Lib Dems side with Labour, it could damage both of them.
What this whole election has given us is the division of the Tory vote within the UK. Had England got it's own Parliament and this was the result of an election for it, the Tories would have won by a landslide. One may rather cynically concur that the only reason England has not got devolved powers is that Labour may struggle to win such elections, but that's another story.
[Alastair Campbell] The Tories must not get into power.
[Gordon Brown] Yes.
[AC] The Lib Dem/Tory coalition is getting more of a reality.
[GB] Yes.
[AC] You don't get on too well with Nick Clegg, and whilst you are the Labour leader and PM, they may not talk with us.
[GB] Yes.
[AC] For that to happen, you must step aside.
[GB] Yes.
[AC] Tell the people it's for the good of the nation, or something like that.
[GB] Yes.
I will stand by the fact that a Lib Dem/Tory coalition is the most sensible outcome to this - and there is genuinely quite a few of us Brits that are quite intrigued by this. It will, as some have put it, reign in some of the right-wing Tory policies and make them more central than what they have tried to become under Cameron.
And I still stand by the idea that if the Lib Dems side with Labour, it could damage both of them.
What this whole election has given us is the division of the Tory vote within the UK. Had England got it's own Parliament and this was the result of an election for it, the Tories would have won by a landslide. One may rather cynically concur that the only reason England has not got devolved powers is that Labour may struggle to win such elections, but that's another story.