UK Elections 2010 - Page 6

This kid is awesome, and not just because he told The Sun to do one.

Looking at the long term and as much as I hate to see it, I think the Con-Lib coalition would be a good thing. Labour still has a pretty strong foothold and was far from wiped out, they can sit back and take the time to find a decent new leader and watch while the new government introcduce a raft of very unpopular (but necessary) cuts and policies, welcome the disaffected Lib Dem supporters and MP's with open arms and wait for the inevitable falling out between the hardcore supporters of both of the parties. The only thing I'm worried about is imbeciles like George Osbourne being in charge of the economy for the next couple of years, hopefully Cable can give him a kick up the arse.

That's the lib-labs screwing up their chances for re-election in the inevitable re-election in 6 months then.

Later Brown, don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.

Question is: is there anywhere for the brains to drain...?

Looking at the votes, why the hell do you guys even bother with a three-party system? As long as Labor and the Lib Dems split the vote, the Tories have a clear shot at winning, even though they only get about 35% of the vote! If the two main liberal parties could agree to a unified party the conservatives would be eternally screwed. Instead, you guys let 'em run the fucking country even though they only speak for a small number of its people.

If this goes the way it looks to be going your questions will be answered, Stormin. A Lib/Lab coalition makes a ton more sense than any other option at this point, whatever the Conservatives might say.

That's only really happened once in recent memory, in 1992. Fact is Labour until the 1992 defeat were the left wing socialist party in the UK and their base is still broadly socialist, they moved more centrally when Smith and moreso when Blair took over.

Most countries have more than a two party system. Also this is the first time the political system in years has had to give the Liberal Dems some attention. Most of the time they are ignored, so talk of "progressive coalitions" has really only just become a topic of real decision.

Alastair Campbell gives Sky News a verbal black eye.

Fabulous. Campbell's an odious shit but this is just delightful.

The full video is well worth a watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gkHwU4DRA8

Hilariously unprofessional display from Boulton. Kind of sad to see british news openly degenerating to the kind of partisan depths we're usually smirking at the US media for plumbing, though.

Sounds increasingly like an unlikely Lib/Con alliance is on the agenda. I wonder if this turn wouldn't actually be a blessing in disguise for Labour in the long run if bitterness over this vote-Clegg-get-Cameron twist drove some Lib Dem support towards labour, especially if they're able to successfully regroup under a fresh leader like Milliband or someone.

Never gonna happen but I'd love it if a condition of the alliance was that Cameron had to step down as leader, just because I can't stand that twat.

Yeah, this could turn out quite well for Labour, a very strong minority, the probable implosion of the Lib Dems and their support and they can promote themselves as the only progressive party.

I didn't vote Lib Dem but I'm willing to bet their voters are pretty pissed off about this?

And there he goes.

Agree with the people who think a Tory-Lib coalition is good for Labour and bad for the Lib Dems.

I'd love it for the Lib's to pull out now, see how long you last then Dave...

This is also encouraging;

"This is a very, very fragile state of affairs. I would be amazed if there wasn't another general election within a year," says Simon Jenkins, of the Guardian. He tells the BBC that David Cameron's legislative plans will be "horrifically curtailed" by the need to keep the Lib Dems on side, but even if the Tory leader does bend over backwards, he adds: "I just don't think the Liberal Democrats will stay with him for very long."

Prime Minister Cameron. Sweet, keening Christ on a bike. It's just fucking depressing.

Yeah, if this has any kind of significant future then I'm a bicycle riding french dairy cow called Lydia.

That settles it, I'm killing my parents, cashing in their life insurance and fleeing the country.

Someone remind me to delete this message before the inquest begins.

I welcome our new Conservative overlords by cancelling my return flight to London in September.

These guys can't be as bad as the Bushies, can they?

People lined the fucking streets applauding Cameron into Downing Street
Prepare for savage cuts, worsening public services, and a general sense of disillusionment, people.

So explain to this Canadian: what were the Lib Dem's options, here, exactly? I mean, did they literally HAVE to make a coalition with someone? Or could they have sat back and said "no"? Because over here you don't need to form a "coalition", you can just rule with a minority (which obviously makes it hard to get certain things done...)

Same here, didn't have to join a coalition- would probably have meant another election in short order, but as an independent party I have no idea how this ends well for them.

Facebook and Twitter full of very pissed off Lib Dem voters, they are fucked....Alastair Campbell tweets, "Gone to pub with wonderful Labour Party staff! Already recruited three Lib Dem voters to the Party"

I'm struck by the dignity and humility of Brown's exit speech.

As my friend just said to me, "George Osborne confirmed as Chancellor. heir to 17th baronetcy and family fortune of over £1billion, Oxford educated, never had a job in his life, consistently wrong about the economy, tried to get illegal donation from russian oligarch, flipped his second home, still owes £55,000 in expenses".

This what I'm most worried about, Christ on a shitting bike.

I just wanted to say that I was watching CNN's live coverage of this, and it was pretty odd how the American anchor was looking down his nose at Britain. The American guy, Rick Sanchez, was joined by a Brit reporter whose name escapes me, and Sanchez spent the entire broadcast criticizing this entire process. When Cameron's motorcade was approaching Downing Street, some paparazzi ran right up to the car and snapped photos. Sanchez was aghast, crying "If this was AMERICA, a photog wouldn't get within 100 yards of that car! What is going on in Britain?" He criticized Britain for not closing the roads for the new PM, and he said it in such a condescending manner that I was legit shocked. Then, when Cameron's wife got out of the car, Sanchez kept going on about how hot and young she was. I found it to be pretty off-putting, but maybe that's just me.

I'm sure I could read through the previous 5 pages, but seeing how I'm an extraordinarily lazy man, can one of our British brethren gimme a quick rundown on what's so wrong with Cameron? Is it just the fact that he's more conservative than those you would prefer? I havent had time to follow all the UK election business, so the extent of my knowledge on him is that Michael Caine was voting for him...and I only got that from having his interview with Charlie Rose on as background noise the other week.

Officially, the libdems did not have to join a coalition but because the tories did not get a majority Gordon Brown did not have to quit as PM, he could have stayed on and achieved nothing, however he would have eventually lost a no confidence vote forcing him to resign, whereupon the queen would ask Cameron to be PM of a minority gvt - which of course would be next to useless as labour and the lib-dems would veto ANYTHING they tried to do.

It's shit but this genuinely is the best possible outcome at the moment.

The other thing you have to remember is; it isn't the american way of doing things where it's power at all costs (unless you're cameron) you have to decide what's genuinely better for the country and going down with a bit of class will keep your supporters.

Brown knows that falling on his sword is the best way to make sure labour get back in when the re-election rolls around in the next 12 months. Clegg knows this too as he's about to become a massive pain in Cameron's ass- that - I'm convinced is the deal they secretly brokered before the tory deal.

The big loser, unfortunately is Clegg because getting into bed with Cameron will destroy his support - Expect him to be replaced when Cameron goes.

The other positive out of this is that Cameron doesn't have the war-chest to bribe the electorate with tax cuts etc instead he has to come in and slash public services etc. which will make him as popular as a dead rat in a tampon factory.

William Hague as foreign secretary. God help you.

The main reason why Cameron is so despised, so hated is that he is the most American style politician, his party is the most American-style party and his agenda is so ridiculously elitist, right wing and "Republican (GOP)" in style that many people would rather leave the country than live under his yoke of fucking over poor people and public services to finance tax breaks and bail-outs for billionaires.

Feel free to look down at our system, we sure as shit do when your dog and pony show rolls around.

I appreciate your candour Miss Quinn - we're kinda used to US "news" shows doing the old "more democratic than thou" bit, it's a system, it's far from perfect - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I'm sure we can all appreciate that.

Okay, I couldn't have been the only one to notice that Cameron is the same age as JFK was when he was elected. The Sun must have mentioned that at some point, right?

So because no one got a clear majority, there will be another election within a year, correct?

Not automatically. But don't be surprised.

As you should...it kinda sucks over here.

I blame this whole fucking mess on the release of Harry Brown.

It sucks everywhere dude. It's just more raw in the UK as we've just had our "Bush 2000" moment.

Jesus what a clusterfuck. I weep for the country I called home for a year...

Sanchez is the biggest piece of shit of all motherfucking time. Not only is he the worst reporter imaginable--prior to being an anchor, he was the correspondent Jon Stewart had a field day with all the time because he did shit like drink clearly polluted water to demonstrate it was polluted and wore a stun belt to prove stun belts hurt--and not only is he like the motherfucking Platonic form of a douchebag motherfucker who clearly thinks he's smarter than he is, but he's also a horrible, horrible human being.

Prior to joining CNN--when he was just a big regional star in fucking Florida--he got drunk and ran over a guy. He then attempted to dissuade people from calling the cops and fled the scene when that failed. Somehow, he then managed to successfully avoid an alcohol test and fought the guy's family in court over civil damages when he died from his injuries.

Rick Sanchez is one of the few people who make me question whether or not I really do reject the idea of a literal Hell.

And here I just thought that he was unprofessional!

I mean, I could see an anchor expressing concerns over safety measures. I love Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer, and I'm sure they would have questioned how people could just run right up to the car of the Prime Minister, but the way that Sanchez said it made him come across as a stereotypical arrogant American who thinks that all other countries are beneath the good ol' USA. It just kills me when people rep my country like that, especially since I literally just got back from a trip to London for a friend's wedding. I love the shit out of my country, but I don't have to shit on others to prove it.

Do they realise our Government doesn't allow any old mentalist to roam the streets armed to the teeth? From the sound of it, that guy wouldn't have a clue.

Have there been any details released on the agreement for fixed-term parliaments? Because we may be guaranteed 5 years of this shit.

Honestly, I don't normally get into politics on here because the majority view is left-wing, and I know better than to provoke unwinnable debates...but seriously, this is absolute baloney.

David Cameron is not despised. If he were, he wouldn't have led a party to the largest vote share. Secondly, the current Conservative party policies are not elitist - not elitist when it advocates improvement of state education and the NHS, encouraging entrepreneurism and reducing the tax burden on businesses, which are after the principal source of employment in the country. Also, any comparison with the American system, party or politics is completely spurious. Of course, of the three parties there will be a greater proportion of "employers" versus "employees" than in the other principal party, but the idea that this translates into evangelical right wing, oil industry lobbying, militantly anti-government policy themes is just bullshit.

What really gets me is that people constantly lambast the Tories from a self-righteous point of view predicated on their reaction to the actions of a certain group of people over a generation ago. If that logic were to have been consistently applied in 1997. Labour would have been defined as the Loony Left and wouldn't have enjoyed 13 years of power, and the revolution in British politics away from two militant wings beating the shit out of each other towards debates over the centre ground would never have happened.

I'm a Tory. I'm not a cunt. I give a shit about people. I expect people to take responsibility for themselves to the best of their abilities and will help them if they need it. I represent a majority of the Tory grassroots base - I know this because I was out campaigning, knocking on doors and talking with them.

So, please, for the love of reason, drop the prejudice and narrow minded crap.

That's great. Why the blanket cap on immigration, though? And the alignment with some of the worst rightwing parties in Europe? And the continued evasiveness when it comes to cuts? And the lack of commitment to the child tax credit system, which allows me, a guy working 50 hours a week, to have a home with my wife and children? I'm not a bum. I work damn hard. The system is there to support people like me. Why can't Cameron commit to it? As for schools and the NHS - Cameron advocated "improvement" in the most vague way possible, whilst refusing to rule out serious budget cuts to those areas. Don't play these shell games.

I'm sorry, but hearing Cameron, a man who's been gifted every opportunity and job role he's ever had in his life on a silver platter, stand on the steps of number 10 and lecture the public about "less entitlement and more responsibility", is disgusting. You can peddle the "we care about people/we're different to the old party/we're not elitist" line all you want, but when there's shit like this that Rusty posted:

How in fuck can you sit there with a straight face and say that this isn't "jobs for the boys"?

A look into the future?

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion...d-1962318.html

Oh sweet jesus.

Yep. And that's a council he's proud of.

Yep, him and 37% of the voters nationwide are happy with shit like that.

Better to be dead outright than caught in a seemingly endless coma where spikes on the LCD only engender false hope.

In my experience, the range of emotions expressed towards Cameron runs from "disgruntled acceptance" to "that man can suck the back of my balls."

His plans for Here didn't exactly endear him to me either. It's emblematic of the wider "Northern Ireland is important to us, when it suits us and the redheaded stepchild/whipping-boy when it's not" attitude that aggravates me so much in the British Media.

Having said that, I don't dislike Cameron as much as I do Unionist politicians (like Sir Reg Empey of the Ulster Unionists) from Here who threw their lot in with the Tories and tried to mollycuddle Cameron's "yeah, your little Province is gonna get the worst of our cuts" wrath in the leadup to the Election. Reg must really have wanted to take that Tory whip to try to spin a positive out of that.

Welcome to the debate, you took your fucking time tory boy. I notice you didn't pitch in until your boy was PM...

Firstly, lots of people despise David Cameron, partly because he's a greasy piece of shit and partly because of he marks a return to power of oxbridge royalty. I'm sure people have their own reasons for hating him (and they're about to get a lot more reasons in the next few months). Here are some other reasons:

Perhaps David Cameron isn't elitist - however he is fifth cousin, twice removed of the Queen, educated at Eton, married to a Baroness and from a long line of millionaire bankers. And once he met a black man.

he has built alliances with right wing euro-skeptic european parties making his euro-friendly stance hypocritical.

Pro-life

Pro-fox hunting

Wishes to withdraw from the 1951 geneva convention on refugees.

Supported and still supports the war on iraq.

Idolizes thatcher AND Blair.

he rides a bike to work, which is followed by a jag (or 2) with his stuff in.

These are some of the reasons I (and more than half the voting public) hate David Cameron.

(I do apologise for the use of so many links to the Telegraph and the Mail, however i expect they are more the kind of papers you read and trust than perhaps the more lefty rags.)

However, the thing that bugs me the most is the way he, like the tories have always been, like the Republicans are is in bed with rupert murdoch and therefore Fox News. The fact that the BBC now stands on the edge of oblivion.

we can all pledge to improve education and the NHS, Cameron's been rather vague on how he's going to do it when in the next breath he promises nothing but spending cuts.
Perhaps with a BACK TO BASICS program of Victorian Education

Be under no illusions, sir, the main reason the tories got so many votes was because people were done with Brown and the main reason the tories did not get a majority was because of a)the memory of 1979-1997 and b) David Cameron.

The Republicans only call for smaller government when they aren't in power - something the conservatives do too.

The Republicans are the party of tax cuts and spending cuts - tories too.

The Republicans are frequently accused of racism and elitism - check.

I understand your position, many people do support the tories as they don't feel any affinity with other parties, some like to hear anti-scrounger rhetoric and some are utter, utter cunts. I was brought up very Conservative (I have had counsellors and prospective MPs in my immediate family) but i've never been able to bring myself to vote for them.

Your guy won. Well done, now go celebrate the dawning of a new golden era of wealth protection. Don't start lording it over people who can't stomach the tories and now have it thrust down our throats. Sir, in short, don't be a bad winner and I also caution you in your support of David Cameron - god willing he'll be out on his ass and into the lords within a year.

Your response, sir?

27 cabinet positions, four given to women. What an absolutely pathetic figure.

Man, I don't like Cameron or the Tories either but was this kind of tone really necessary? This is the kind of pointless hostility towards different points of view that leads to the signature chud echo chamber effect.

I think to an extent he has a point: the Tories haven't been in power for a long time and this new ConLib arrangement is a somewhat unknown quantity. At this point I'd rather see this new government judged on what they actually do or don't do rather than relentlessly shouted down in knee-jerk fashion just because they're the Tories. I mean it's hardly as if New Labour spent the last 13 years as tireless bastions of left wing ideology. If they do a terrible job then when the time comes Labour should be in a fine position to win power back, if they organise themselves and earn it.

This is amazing...

The outcome in Britain was always going to antagonize a significant portion of the population.

I suspect, and with no data to back this up, that the traditional frames of reference have moved - NewLab is proof of that. But not enough to distance themselves wholly from the archetypes of the parties: Dennis Skinner for Labour, and Cameron for the Conservatives. Their bases, and interests, are different. That's neither right nor wrong, it's a reflection of the party political system. No party is going to satisfy all of sections of society, and nor should it.
The inherent tension between the Left and the Right is a necessary component of the political system.

Personally, I believe that a significant number of the MPs are self serving, apolitical and close to amoral (yes, James Purnell, I am looking at you). I also believe that there are enough truly public service minded MPs to keep the system working - Skinner springs to mind, as does Frank Field.

And yes, I'm a Telegraph reader; I went to public school. I didn't vote Tory, and I find a lot to respect and admire in the Labour, and LibDem parties. (I go SNP)