Election Day Thread

marko

It seems like the Lib Dems have got absolutely trounced in the Islington council elections.

To paraphrase their signs 'Liberal Democrats not winning here!'

This is now the second election in a row where this has happened. Can anyone shed any light on why? It is related to the Emirates Stadium or are there are reasons?

graeme

Agree with ShuanG, plus no one voted for Brown anyway, so it'll have been a double Labour stitch up. Minority Tory govt. for two years, then all back to the polls to check who's got a plan. What a shambles. Libs, get into bed with Tory, knock one out while no one's looking, then enjoying the sunshine.

Liz

The other problem with 'anyone but the Tories' is that the nationalists would presumably press for full devolution, which Labour wouldn't have because of their electoral strength in Wales and Scotland (Tories would have a massive majority in an English Assembly). If Clegg folds on electoral reform and deals with the Tories, it might be the last time I vote for them.

andy

I think you can knock the 'unelected Prime Minister' stuff on the head. Whoever ends up running the country will not have won an election.

Ali

If the LibDems do a deal with the Torys I will not vote LibDem in the October Election or when it happens. Horsey wil end up back in Labour hands as I am sure I am not the only one.

Duncan

It seems that Liberal Stroud Green is not ready for PR.

Siolae

The LibDem Federal Executive, which represents the party members, is meeting in London tomorrow to discuss what to do next. The Purple People have called a flash mobilisation for 5pm in central London to give them the same message we gave to Nick Clegg yesterday - No sell out on fair votes for all. Follow this twitter feed for info on assembly point: @takeback2010 Spread the word - we need to keep the pressure on. Hope to see you
there. Wear purple to show your support.
Take Back Parliament www.takebackparliament.com
There is also a larger demo at Parliament Square next Saturday.

Ali

Not when it is suggested by the LibDems that the Tories can’t win here !

andy

The Purple People?

graeme

The name got me excited.

andy

I can't find a thing about them online. I could only find this biography of their head bod, Pam Giddy, in the well-known handbook of revolutionary foment, Debretts: <http://www.debretts.com/people/biographies/browse/g/20596/Pam+GIDDY.aspx>; Can anyone enlighten me?

Arkady

What, the purple people? Isn't it just referring to takebackparliament, which is a coalition of various pro-reform groups? They've adopted purple as a nod to the suffragettes.

ActionVerb

Brown's resigned. Presumably a LibDem requirement for coalition talks.

So then, the Millibands, Balls and Johnson?

Siolae

Yeah, sorry, the purple is as Arkady says. Its takebackparliament using the hung parliament to put pressure on for proper electoral reform so that votes have equal weight. Purple is the movement's colour. However I kind of like being a purple person as I have never been blue, red isn't what it used to be and I just can't bring myself to be yellow.

Ali

seems like GB was wearing apurple tie at Tea Time yesterday

nick_m

Clegg's dilemma is that with the tories they alienate their voters (such as the SG.orgsters above) and with labour they risk the label 'coalition of the losers'. However, the latter will just be a media perception, whereas the former is a reality. We don't vote for a PM in this country, we vote for parties and they chose the PM and the government based on a parliamentary majority. The LDs need to stick to their guns and go for the best deal on PR. This would be a rainbow coalition of labour, LDs and the nationalists - and there is nothing constitutionally wrong or illegitimate in it. If they could hold it together, it would demonstrate that pluralist politics can work in this country.

nick_m

Oh, and this is amusing: <

Ali

Scottish Nose Pickers have been ruled out by wee Dougie

andy

I still think what I said will happen.

graeme

<blockquote>It leaves a bad taste in the mouth that any two parties in the UK could claim to be working in the national interest while trying to form a pact against the party with the most votes and the most seats. No matter what your politics, that's two-fingers to the majority of the electorate. Shameless.</blockquote>am talking bollocks, apols.

andy

@graeme Lib and Lab together got 52% of the vote, so that's a majority of the electorate, isn't it?

graeme

Ah ok, I have done my sums wrong. Fair play.

andy

But more important than share of the votes is share of the seats. Lib + Lab might have got over 50% of the votes, but together they have less than 50% of the seats, so I still can't see how they can scrape together a working majority. Build your own coalition here: <http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0b7f0b60-5902-11df-90da-00144feab49a.html>;

Arkady

Labour seems to be imploding. Lib Dems have little choice now. Fair play to Clegg, he's played an absolute blinder by forcing the Tories hand on AV, which Labour probably don't have the discipline to do anyway. Sounds like the Tories have agreed to the £10,000 income tax line too. I wonder whether Labour are making a mistake by going into 'splendid opposition' rather than being able to actually make a difference by compromising. Only time will tell. A

nick_m

May turn out to be labour's best move. Lib-tory pact won't last long.

graeme

Yes agree, Labour will do better in opposition for a spell as andy said a few days ago, rethink their policies and come back stronger in 5 years (or 6 months). The idea that they (or maybe it was just Brown) are bad losers will be forgotten and they can act like a serious political force again rather than the rats in a sack they've been for the last 2 years.

Arkady

It's anyone's guess, but I'm not so sure about the inherent instability of the Tory-Lib pact. If they do the deal right it will be for a fixed period based on fixed criteria. Looks like we'll know tonight.

andy

@graeme apologising for talking bollocks on this site is setting a very dangerous precedent.

andy

If Clegg has done a deal that sees Osborne thrown under a bus, it will (almost) all be worth it.

Ali

Hornsey & Woodgreen wil become a marginal seat again