UK Election - Live Thread.

[Bigun]

Nigel Farage says he will reenter the political scene. We will see what that means.
 

That can only be a good thing IMHO!

[Bigun]

They sure did yesterday. Sorry if the remark was offensive.

If so, that explains a lot and no offense was perceived or taken.

[dfwgator]

So what? Young voters generally don't turn out anywhere.

Unless it involves voting for President.    They stay away in droves in midterms.

[EC]

Turnout was 68.7% - not too shabby. Not the highest since WW2 - that were 71% in 1997, but not low by any stretch.

No surprise the UDP aligning with the Conservtives - Corbyn's long time and vocal support of the IRA and dislike of Brexit just bit him on the arse there. It's not a stable coallition, but it'll work for a while.

Ya think? What about this?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed-term_Parliaments_Act_2011

That sets the maximum term for a Parliament as 5 years (it's a legal recognition of a long term tradition). There is no minimum term. In theory, May could call a new election the second she recieves the Queen's assent to serve as PM.

[EC]

Kensington count set to resume
Posted at 18:05

Counting in Kensington - the only seat yet to be declared - is due to resume shortly.

The first count last night is understood to have given Labour victory by about 50 votes.

There was then a recount, but it was abandoned at 06:00 BST when discrepancies were found and because staff were too exhausted to continue.

Counting will now resume, after a 12-hour pause in the process. Labour is hoping to snatch the central London seat for the first time in its history.

Per BBC.

[dfwgator]

Turnout was 68.7% - not too shabby. Not the highest since WW2 - that were 71% in 1997, but not low by any stretch.

No surprise the UDP aligning with the Conservtives - Corbyn's long time and vocal support of the IRA and dislike of Brexit just bit him on the arse there. It's not a stable coallition, but it'll work for a while.

That sets the maximum term for a Parliament as 5 years (it's a legal recognition of a long term tradition). There is no minimum term. In theory, May could call a new election the second she recieves the Queen's assent to serve as PM.

May should step down and let someone more capable do the job.

[EC]

May should step down and let someone more capable do the job.

Maybe so. Can't think of anyone suitable to replace her though - the Tories are going through their own thin patch as far as leadership talent is concerned. The ones most likely to mount a leadership challenge she's keeping on in their cabinet posts. Makes them less likely to rock the boat.

[Bigun]

May should step down and let someone more capable do the job.

I don't think so!

[Oceander]

May really miscalculated here. 

[EC]

Meh - I'd have done the same. Been equally wrong, too, but I'd have made exactly the same call given the circumstances 8 weeks ago.

[Bigun]

Meh - I'd have done the same. Been equally wrong, too, but I'd have made exactly the same call given the circumstances 8 weeks ago.

Yep!  No doubt! She had little choice but to do what she did!

[Wingnut]

Meh - I'd have done the same. Been equally wrong, too, but I'd have made exactly the same call given the circumstances 8 weeks ago.

If you want to go down the rabbit hole of Conspiracies....  Maybe Corbyn in some way aided the London Jihadis to help his party stick it to May...   

[Frank Cannon]

May should step down and let someone more capable do the job.

Maybe Francis Urquhart is available?

[EC]

If you want to go down the rabbit hole of Conspiracies....  Maybe Corbyn in some way aided the London Jihadis to help his party stick it to May...   

He did.

He's leader of the party and setter of policies and priorities. He's extremely anti terror legislation, anti war, and pro immigrant. If you were a higher up in ISIS, who would you want leading a nation that keeps killing your fighters?

I do assume having two terror attacks prior to the election, with one a mere three days before, is NOT happenstance or "bad luck."

[Oceander]

He did.

He's leader of the party and setter of policies and priorities. He's extremely anti terror legislation, anti war, and pro immigrant. If you were a higher up in ISIS, who would you want leading a nation that keeps killing your fighters?

I do assume having two terror attacks prior to the election, with one a mere three days before, is NOT happenstance or "bad luck."

So perhaps part of May's poor judgment was not preparing for that. 

[txradioguy]

Maybe so. Can't think of anyone suitable to replace her though - the Tories are going through their own thin patch as far as leadership talent is concerned. The ones most likely to mount a leadership challenge she's keeping on in their cabinet posts. Makes them less likely to rock the boat.

Bookies are laying odds that Boris will replace her by years end.

[kevindavis007]

So perhaps part of May's poor judgment was not preparing for that.

nor she was prepared for the election.

[Bigun]

84% of voters backed parties committed to leaving EU

http://www.westmonster.com/84-of-voters-backed-parties-committed-to-leaving-eu/

[Oceander]

Bookies are laying odds that Boris will replace her by years end.

The same bookies that laid odds for a conservative majority?

[truth_seeker]

The result: UK Conservatives will form coalition with Northern Ireland's DUP, to reach majority and govern accordingly.

Northern Ireland's interest is in "soft Brexit," regarding their relations with the ROI ie. mutually beneficial trade.

Who are the DUP and will they demand a soft Brexit to prop up the Tories?

By Laura Hughes,  Political Correspondent  10 June 2017 • 5:14pm

good article, at link

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/10/dup-will-demand-soft-brexit-prop-tories/

[Oceander]

Soft Brexit more or less means mostly on the EU's terms.  May appears to be a textbook example of hubris: by aiming so hard to improve her majority to get a hard Brexit, she will end up with the worst of a soft Brexit, unless through some miracle the Conservatives can pick a new leader and call another round of snap elections they can actually win.   

[EC]

A suitable article to finish the thread with:


Theresa May was just 786 votes away from winning a general election majority

It’s not been a great week for Theresa May – but what may (or may not) make her feel better is that the Tories would have held onto their majority if they’d had just 786 more votes in their favour.

Theresa May called the snap election in order to strengthen her 12-seat majority, and give her party the mandate it needed to push through difficult reforms needed for a so-called ‘hard Brexit’.

However, the plan ultimately backfired, leaving the party eight seats short of the 326 it needed for an overall majority on Friday morning.

In a number of seats, the Tories lost by fewer than a hundred votes. In Kensington for example – a famous Tory stronghold – they lost their control to Labour by just 20 votes.

If the country has to return to the polls soon, these are the seats the Tories will really need to target.

More: http://metro.co.uk/2017/06/12/theresa-may-was-just-786-votes-away-from-winning-a-general-election-majority-6703457/

[Sanguine]

So, just as here, sometimes the left is better at getting the voters out.  Too bad.