Senate The UK Politics discussion

Yes, yes, you do and yes, you probably can.

 

Luxury.

What makes you think we'll be let back in? What makes you think the EU will still exist by then? Do you think Theresa May, who revoked 37 UK nationals of their citizenship so the US could murder them, who condemns pesky human rights lawyers, who presides over a party intent on revoking our human rights, is not interested in pushing her own evil agenda?

 

The idea of European integration is hardly a new one...it'll come up again.

Revoking human rights? Pffft. You've got nothing on our Republicans.

 

Well at least you've GOT a republic.

 

OH happy day!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38178486

• Zac Goldsmith, Independent - 18,638
• Howling Laud Hope, The Official Monster Raving Loony Party - 184
• Maharaja Jammu and Kashmir, One Love Party - 67
• Sarah Olney, Liberal Democrats - 20,510
• David Powell - 32
• Dominic Francis Stockford, Christian Peoples Alliance - 164
• Fiona Natasha Syms, Independent - 173
• Christian Wolmar, Labour Party - 1,515

A victory for Team Decency in 2016! We got one! GO TEAM DECENCY!

 

Good for LibDems. Needed more now than ever.

lol @ Labour too.

 

A pseudonym for Ankit Love, apparently.
http://www.oneloveparty.eu/

It was a safe(ish) tory seat, Ender Sai
http://ukpollingreport.co.uk/2015guide/richmondpark/

 

I know. I am just happy to see the lib dems get a much needed shot in the arm (when you lose liberals, you acutely feel it politically) and also, lol @ Labour

 

2010:
Con: 29461
Lab: 2979
LDem: 25370


2016:
Zac: 18,638 (-37%)
LAB: 1,015 (-66%)
LDEM: 20,589 (-19%)

Welllll I suppose statistically Labour don't come out too well, but it is a very small sample.

 

The Economist: it signals a crippling defeat of Labour most of all:

http://www.economist.com/blogs/bage...iesshouldbemostworriedbytherichmondparkresult

 

We're witnessing a realignment of the British political system. The LibDems are inheriting New Labour's legacy. They are switching positions with Labour as the second and third parties.

 

Any chance this could nix possibility of a general election any time soon?

 

Libdems just elected their ninth MP.

Good luck with your prediction, but in the meantime, lol.

 

If Labour keeps straying from the centre, the LibDems would be wise to capitalise.

 

True, but that's different from saying the LibDems are inheriting New Labour's legacy. I admire the LibDems and wouldn't wish the principle-abandoning aspect of that on them anyway. Growing from 8 to 9 MPs in a by-election is a small but significant step in the right direction (which is left, of course), but all the wild predictions based on this one result are quite silly. It's a good result for the LDs, for anti-racism, and for our coalition of treasonous Article 50 traitors, but it's not indicative of much beyond the attitudes of a minority of people in Richmond Park.It's not good evidence for Labour's collapse, or LibDems imminent landslide victory.

 

Are you a supporter of the Liberal Democrats V-2?

 

What is it with the Old Etonians losing their jobs in 2016?

Bet he wishes he hadn't flounced out over Heathrow now!

Re. thje Lib-Dems. THis does show they are back in business as opposed to being a "none of the above" protest vote but I wouldn't put it's significance any further than that. Richmond is about as REMAIN as you'll get and although Zac won a big majority in 2015, from 1997 to 2010 it was Lib-Dem so it's a seat where the Lib's typically do well.

Now, if the Lib-Dems were to win next weeks by election in LEAVE Sleaford that really would set the cat amongst the pigeons... As would a UKIP win of course.

 

Conceded. I thought I recalled polling averages that showed a sharp Labour decline and similar LibDem incline - it must have been another European polling average. I still think that Labour is at long-term risk of being too far from the centre, and that the LibDems may have an opportunity to capitalise (maybe just to the extent as to being a de-facto coalition).

 

ShaneP - I've voted for them at different times and for different reasons (protest, best of a corrupt bunch in council elections, etc). I side with them on a number of issues and I admire their attempts at reforming British politics, but I'm not registered with them (or any other party) and I don't vote for them habitually. I admire their willingness to enter coalition (which I think is the best way to use our parliamentary system), I just think they sided with the wrong party. I think the voting public was utterly insane to punish them over the tories.

DarthPhilosopher - I said before that the LibDems stand to gain a lot of Remainer votes since they stated they'd try to block Order 66, but it can't win them a majority. A coalition between LD, SNP and Labour would be the best hope for us all IMO, that or any coalition that keeps Con/UKIP out.

I don't think Labour is too far to the left, they are a bit out of touch in various ways but ultimately their ideological position remains sound. Internationalism (solidarity with international workers, that is), wealth redistribution, nationalisation of public transport, protection of the NHS, protection of the welfare state, spend our way out of recession, invest more heavily in R&D, focus more on climate change... I don't think that's really out of whack with what the general public thinks. The recent focus on liberal techno utopian fads is not connecting, and the PLP joining in with the media to constantly mock Corbyn still isn't helping, but I think the hard left narrative is a bit of a red herring.

Corbyn isn't media savvy, that's problem number one. He's a genuinely great communicator in his own realm, but get him to compose a soundbite or stick him in front of a tv camera and he looks shambolic. This is a simple problem that could be solved with training and rehearsal, but the PLP and its creeps, cronies and underlings don't seem to want to fix it. If he could engage the media while in his natural habitat (town halls, rallies, debates, etc) that would also serve to communicate what it is that makes him appealing.

Polls being what they are, and appearances of reality depicted in mainstream media being what they are, all bets are off anyway.

 

Say slightly_unhinged, don't suppose you've got any way of seeing any glimmer of positivity in the ongoing, gigantic clusterfrell that is the May-hem administration's approach of going for rock hard brexit and screw the consequences?

 

Isn't that basically what Donald Tusk said? That a soft Brexit is basically a contradiction in terms?

 

That might be a better way to do it. Shock and then build rather than dragging out the pain.

 

Then you're not seeing the sheer amount of chaos it'd cause, there'd only be rubble to build with.

What they currently seem to be hell-bent on is:

• Screwing over the City as a financial centre
• Screwing up national residency rights, both for EU nationals here and Brits abroad
• Totally wrecking the 50-60% of trade we do with the EU and all the businesses that rely upon it and adding further damage by withdrawing from the customs union
• Likely blowing up the Good Friday agreement for good measure

There is nothing sane or conservative about any of this, it is absolute suicidal stupidity.

A competant Opposition should be having a field day every day on this but we don't have one of those either.

 

What is UKIP actually for these days? Like, surely their polling numbers must be going down the toilet as their primary aim has largely been achieved and the Tories are adopting many of their policies?