UK General Election - Labour Wins

[Ankaris]

<!--emo&<_<--><img src='http://definecynical.mancubus.net/forum ... ns/dry.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='dry.gif' /><!--endemo--> <br><br>That is all.

[The_Sparrow_]

Judging by <a href='http://www.digitalronin.f2s.com/politic ... eright.php' target='_blank'>this</a> it wouldn't have made much difference if they lost.

[Like_D00D]

I thought it was, "If anyone needs me, I'll be in the tub." ?<br>

[Ankaris]

Not if it's Simpsons you're quoting <!--emo&:P--><img src='http://definecynical.mancubus.net/forum ... tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo-->

[Richard K Niner]

<!--QuoteBegin-Ankaris+May 8 2005, 04:26 PM--> <table border='0' align='center' width='95%' ><tr><td class='quotetop'><b>Quote:</b> (Ankaris @ May 8 2005, 04:26 PM)</td></tr><tr><td class='quotebody'> Not if it's Simpsons you're quoting <!--emo&:P--><img src='http://definecynical.mancubus.net/forum ... tongue.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tongue.gif' /><!--endemo--><!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table> <!--QuoteEEnd--><br>The same also holds true for Mr. Simpson (<a href='http://www.livejournal.com/users/rain_l ... 0#t3431320' target='_blank'>See for yourself</a>)

[Archaemic]

I don't know much about non-American politics, but does this mean that the UK equivalent of an American Republican was elected?

[Ankaris]

Honestly?<br><br>I'm not particularily sure where any of the parties lie on the issues normally focused on in American politics.<br><br>My personal experience of Labour government so far has been:<br><br>More taxes for my parents<br>Student grants becoming student loans<br>Deadlock of the NI peace process<br>Medical problems that have taken 4 years to clear up semi-satisfactorily.<br><br>Taking the country into an unnecessary war under false pretences *great, even more money lost that could go into better things*<br><br>And last, but by no means least...<br><br>Forcing my 50-year old dad to take a role as a security / police advisor in Iraq, which, JOY OF JOYS, has already resulted in his convoy being rocketed once (everyone was fine, thankfully).<br><br>So you might be able to see why I dislike the idea of more Labour.

[Paul.Power]

Well, things have changed a lot since 1972 (see the second graph). Blame Thatcher for that. Her "greed is good" policies sent the Conservative party way right (check the difference between the 1972 and 1982 positions of the blue dots). By moulding a new generation of selfish, greedy Britons, she made it nigh-on impossible for the Labour party to get anywhere. So, under New Labour and the aegis of Tony Blair from 1994 onwards, they moved way to the right as well. The hope was they'd do a better job than the Tories (nickname for the Conservative party). The jury's still out on that one, AFAIC.<br><br>New Labour isn't as right-wing as the Republican party though. TBH, I don't think the current Tory party are as right-wing as the American neocons.<br><br>It's interesting to see the changes in seats, though:<br><br>Labour: 413 to 356 (-47)<br>Conservative: 166 to 197 (+31)<br>Lib Dem: 52 to 62 (+10)<br>Other*: 27 to 30 (+3)<br><br>One seat left to be declared (postponed due to death of one of the candidates)<br><br>(*Includes the SNP, Plaid Cymru, the four Northern Ireland parties and three Independent seats)<br><br>In my own constituency (Cambridge) I was very pleased to take part in a massive swing from Labour to the Lib Dems to change the seat.<br><br>It's very frustrating that the Lib Dems got around 20% of the vote, yet only around 10% of the seats, whereas Labour got around 35% of the vote, but over half the seats (The Tories got around a third of the vote and around a third of the seats).<br><br>It would also have been interesting if the result in Blanaeu Gwent had been replicated across other Labour heartlands (typically former industrial areas crippled by Thatcherism). The 2001 Labour MP for this constituency was due to be replaced by a new one, hand-picked by New Labour. So he stood as an Independent and achieved a massive swing to wipe out Labour's majority in the seat. Bear in mind this was supposed to be the safest seat in Wales, with something like 70% of those who voted voting Labour in 2001.<br><br>A useful "three-colour-map" comparison of the 2005 and 2001 results exists <br><a href='http://www.qwghlm.co.uk/projects/electionmap/' target='_blank'>here</a>.<br><br>EDIT: For the record, % shares of vote:<br><br>Lab: 40.7% to 35.2% (-5.5%)<br>Con: 31.7% to 32.3% (+0.6%)<br>LD: 18.3% to 22.0% (+3.7%)<br>Oth: 9.3% to 10.5% (+1.2%)

[Gizensha]

And because of what Paul pointed out, it has been commented by some political analysists that everyone lost and everyone won in this election.<br><br>Incidently, as far as I'm concerend, the best PM we've had in my lifetime is John Major. Who was a Tory.<br><br>But then, the only three we've had is Major, Blair and Thatcher (and I tend to consider Blair to be the political reincarnation of Thatcher, especially in what it appears to be his attitude to parliament - Under thatcher we went towards a weaker hybrid between presidential and parliamentary democracy. Major tried to undo this change, due to the fundamental flaws, Blair has been turning the balance back towards thatcherism.)<br><br>...Personally I want the Greens to get in, but that's never going to happen really, and they didn't even have a candidate in my constituancy. So I voted for the UK's third major party...<br><br>Then again I was voting in a Labour stronghold of a seat. (result was a 3.1% swing to the lib dems; meaning Labour came first with 20k votes, Tories second with 15k and Lib Dems third with 5k. In case you're wondering, that's the Blackpool North constituancy).<br>