UK General Election - May 7th 2015

[Joe Republic]

^ Farage endorsed AV during the 2011 referendum.

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2011/05/farage-av-is-the-thin-of-the-wedge-thats-why-we-support-it/

[Zinneke]

Is Galloway heading for another Labour counter-attack in a GE or can he redo what he did in Bethnall Green? Who is the likely candidate to replace him?

[ChrisDR68]

^ Farage endorsed AV during the 2011 referendum.

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2011/05/farage-av-is-the-thin-of-the-wedge-thats-why-we-support-it/

AV isn't a proportional system though. In fact in some ways it's FPTP on speed as it can easily result in an already one sided result being even more one sided

The Lib Dems were foolish to agree to a referendum on AV in 2010 (as well as foolish to agree to a number of essentially Tory policies in key areas at the same time... although that's a whole other discussion ).

I remember at the time William Hague told the Libs it was the Tories final offer on this issue and they could take it or leave it. In hindsight they should have called the Tories bluff as they were in quite a strong negotiating position at the time and insisted on a more proportional system being offered on the referendum ballot paper.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I think by this point its clear that we can just say that 'The LibDems were foolish' and leave it at that...

[Phony Moderate]

The Political Compass has published its 2015 UK party chart and analysis: http://www.politicalcompass.org/uk2015

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LOL

[Serenity Now]

The Political Compass has published its 2015 UK party chart and analysis: http://www.politicalcompass.org/uk2015

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LOL

Their UK party charts are preposterous, to say the least.

[You kip if you want to...]

The Political Compass has published its 2015 UK party chart and analysis: http://www.politicalcompass.org/uk2015

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LOL

AHA. That's bordering on offensive.

[EPG]

Is Galloway heading for another Labour counter-attack in a GE or can he redo what he did in Bethnall Green? Who is the likely candidate to replace him?

There is little information about Bradford West abroad, though there are lots of Yorkshire delegates here whou might know.

[morgieb]

The Political Compass has published its 2015 UK party chart and analysis: http://www.politicalcompass.org/uk2015

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LOL

hahahahahahahahh

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

The Political Compass has published its 2015 UK party chart and analysis: http://www.politicalcompass.org/uk2015

Highlight:

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LOL

Their UK party charts are preposterous, to say the least.

What are you saying that Labour was more left-wing under Foot than it was under Harold Wilson? (They actually think that 1983 labour was to the right of a decade previous)

I do like the implied insult to Labour voters. 'Bloody plebs don't know what is good for them' Such tolerant lefties the Compass crew.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Is Galloway heading for another Labour counter-attack in a GE or can he redo what he did in Bethnall Green? Who is the likely candidate to replace him?

There is little information about Bradford West abroad, though there are lots of Yorkshire delegates here whou might know.

You wouldn't just need to be from Yorkshire (or even Bradford) to know, you'd need to be from the Mirpuri Pakistani community in Bradford...

[doktorb]

I think by this point its clear that we can just say that 'The LibDems were foolish' and leave it at that...

Providing stable government when the country needed it, not foolish

[SNJ1985]

^ Farage endorsed AV during the 2011 referendum.

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2011/05/farage-av-is-the-thin-of-the-wedge-thats-why-we-support-it/

Ah, thanks.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Galloway won the election openly condemning such tribalist politics. He might even have attracted white middle class votes from that stance. I imagine Labour have learned their lesson.

Ahahaha, yeah, right. What he actually did (and quite brilliantly) was use clan politics while also loudly condemning it. In his own very, very specific way he may actually be a genius (e.g. he claimed to be a better Muslim than his (Muslim) opponent despite not actually being a Muslim. It was a devastatingly successful personal attack).

[EPG]

Look at the man's M.O., touring the country looking for hotspots - he would be dangerous if he were, like Farage, less obviously repulsive.

[ChrisDR68]

It's amazing Gorgeous George has had any sort of career in politics after this episode in the presence of a certain late Iraqi leader

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIy_GmvUElE

He also comes across a slightly mad and very angry on shows like Question Time. A bit of a nutter? Hmm... yes I think so

[Phony Moderate]

Ipsos-MORI:

Labour - 36% (+2)
Tories - 34% (+1)
UKIP - 9% (-2)
Greens - 7% (-1)
Lib Dems - 6% (-2)

So UKIP may be showing signs of decline, but it doesn't seem to be helping the Tories.

[You kip if you want to...]

Ipsos-MORI:

Labour - 36% (+2)
Tories - 34% (+1)
UKIP - 9% (-2)
Greens - 7% (-1)
Lib Dems - 6% (-2)

So UKIP may be showing signs of decline, but it doesn't seem to be helping the Tories.

One poll. No one else is showing this.

Still no maj for Labour though.

[Gary J]

Presumably if Lib Dem pressure in 2010 had got a PR referendum, it would have faced exactly the same Tory misrepresentation as the AV referendum did. At least there is still the remote chance that at some future date PR will re-emerge on to the agenda, which would have been prevented if a PR referendum had been lost.

[You kip if you want to...]

Presumably if Lib Dem pressure in 2010 had got a PR referendum, it would have faced exactly the same Tory misrepresentation as the AV referendum did. At least there is still the remote chance that at some future date PR will re-emerge on to the agenda, which would have been prevented if a PR referendum had been lost.

AV was lost because it was too complicated a system and it looked desperately self serving on the part of the LibDems.

[ChrisDR68]

Presumably if Lib Dem pressure in 2010 had got a PR referendum, it would have faced exactly the same Tory misrepresentation as the AV referendum did. At least there is still the remote chance that at some future date PR will re-emerge on to the agenda, which would have been prevented if a PR referendum had been lost.

PR for Westminster elections is probably inevitable given the ongoing decline in the Tories' and Labour's vote share. That decline generally makes hung parliaments more likely and as all the smaller parties are in favour of it the two big parties will come under ever increasing pressure to adopt it as a condition of their support in a potential coalition government.

My prediction is we'll have FPTP for the next three UK general elections then some form of PR thereafter (with probably something similar to the system used to elect the Scottish parliament).

[Gary J]

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AV is much simpler than any system of PR. The pro AV campaign probably failed to explain it adequately. It also failed to provide an emotional case for why people should support it (ie the Tory fat cats do not like it, so it must be good).

If the AV system was perceived as self serving for Lib Dems, then the anti-AV campaign did succeed in making an emotional case against the change.

In fact many Lib Dems were distinctly lukewarm about AV because it was an inadequate move towards change/fair votes, which would have provided minimal benefit at best and might have been less favourable to the party than FPTP in other circumstances. Certainly AV would have been less favourable to the Lib Dems than any form of PR.

However in an environment where there are multiple medium sized parties, an argument based on antipathy to any one of them is less likely to be persuasive than if there was only one which seemed likely to benefit. If we continue to have a series of inconclusive elections then electoral reform may eventually come back on the agenda.

[doktorb]

Presumably if Lib Dem pressure in 2010 had got a PR referendum, it would have faced exactly the same Tory misrepresentation as the AV referendum did. At least there is still the remote chance that at some future date PR will re-emerge on to the agenda, which would have been prevented if a PR referendum had been lost.

AV was lost because it was too complicated a system and it looked desperately self serving on the part of the LibDems.

AV was lost because of self serving media manipulation and a spineless, bitter, timid Labour Party. There is nothing complicated about AV. There is nothing duplicitous or suspicious about it.

I can never, ever, forgive Labour for their role in killing off constitutional reform.

[DL]

Ipsos-MORI:

Labour - 36% (+2)
Tories - 34% (+1)
UKIP - 9% (-2)
Greens - 7% (-1)
Lib Dems - 6% (-2)

So UKIP may be showing signs of decline, but it doesn't seem to be helping the Tories.

One poll. No one else is showing this.

Still no maj for Labour though.

Actually a lot of recent polls have shown UKIP declining bit by bit...some of that would be anti-Tory voters going back to Labour

[Filuwaúrdjan]

AV was lost because of self serving media manipulation and a spineless, bitter, timid Labour Party. There is nothing complicated about AV. There is nothing duplicitous or suspicious about it.

I can never, ever, forgive Labour for their role in killing off constitutional reform.

lol