General election results 2015

[french frank]

As it's clear people do want to discuss this, feel free …

[teamsaint]

some good news from the carnage.....King Arthur Pendragon saved his deposit in Salisbury.

Very disappointed that Southampton Itchen went Blue, but of course it was gerrymandered by putting parts of Swaything , which is a part of the city,including estates and the University, into Romsey, which of course is miles away and true blue.

[pastoralguy]

The SNP did well.

[MrGongGong]

A really sad day indeed

A 'victory' for sale interest and the city but precious little for the rest
HOW do you convince people to accept lies ?

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/politics/politics-headlines/voters-surrender-to-their-inner-bastard-2015050898124

[french frank]

The SNP did well.

:laugh: (forgot we don't have smileys)

Sturgeon says this does NOT reopen the question of Scottish independence - but for how long?

[pastoralguy]

:laugh: (forgot we don't have smileys)

Sturgeon says this does NOT reopen the question of Scottish independence - but for how long?

I reckon half an hour.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I'm just depressed. Frau A suggested we move to Scotland.

[antongould]

Sunderland posted the quickest results by a country mile and voted very sensibly ......... Should surely replace London as the capital?

[french frank]

But it's more interesting why what 'shouldn't' have happened, did happen. And what the ramifications for democracy really are. Dismissing a large part of the electorate as naive, gullible, stupid etc (in contrast to ourselves who are clear-sighted and intelligent), even that has repercussions.

[gurnemanz]

I'm just depressed. Frau A suggested we move to Scotland.

I never really fancied living in a one-party state. My "Frau" grew up in East Germany. We now live in a one-party county..

[french frank]

Well, that's the final result come in: 329 seats, fewer than 326 needed. With the pressure now being from the Tory rank-and-file whose votes are needed.

[Dave2002]

Sturgeon says this does NOT reopen the question of Scottish independence - but for how long?

Probably not very long. This could give Cameron a real headache. Compared with previous landslide elections - both Conservative and Labour - hopefully the margins will at least mean that some of the loonier policies won't emerge or be acted upon. I just wish we didn't have to wait another 5 years - in my mind 4 years is long enough for us to have to put up with any politicians without a re-affirmation of any electoral backing, and we really do need to have a recall law, so that if we are dissatisfied with our MPs we can get them out.

There have been suggestions for recall laws in the UK, but they have been and/or will be tinkered with so that in practice they will be almost impossible to carry out.

[french frank]

Probably not very long. This could give Cameron a real headache.

Not soon enough, surely? Scotland in the past provided Labour with a solid bank of seats it could rely on. Now it doesn't.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Well, that's the final result come in: 329 seats, fewer than 326 needed. With the pressure now being from the Tory rank-and-file whose votes are needed.

Sorry?

[Dave2002]

Not soon enough, surely? Scotland in the past provided Labour with a solid bank of seats it could rely on. Now it doesn't.

I haven't thought it through yet, but surely if Cameron wants to keep Scotland in the UK he'll have to negotiate with the SNP and that might not work out well - it's really difficult to see how that could be reconciled in the longer term if the SNP really does want independence. However, they may simply be playing for what they see as a much better deal for Scotland, but that will also have repercussions. If the SNP support does start to fall off, then most likely Scottish voters will return to Labour - which in the short term would not knock out the Conservative majority, but it would not take too many bye elections and controversial votes to make things difficult. The Tory back benchers will have to support all the major measures. The Lib Dems have almost been wiped out, but they will probably come back sufficiently to make a marginal difference in the future.

I'm sorry that there is a Tory majority, but it's only a moderately slim one, and hopefully they won't be able to put too many bonkers policies into effect.