Well done Ms May, well done.
Funnily enough the DUP is about as pro-hard Brexit as Ukip. Be interesting, any rebellion by Remainers in the Tories would lead to the fall of the government again.
Well done Ms May, well done.
Funnily enough the DUP is about as pro-hard Brexit as Ukip. Be interesting, any rebellion by Remainers in the Tories would lead to the fall of the government again.
The Comrade’s support for the IRA presumably matters a bit here. Will it be a coalition, or just a DUP-supported Conservative govt?
Come to think of it, a two seat majority will put the lives of the DUP members at even more risk than they normally are. Will Corvid call his pals into action?
Sinn Fein don’t attend so slightly more.
Take away the 7 Shinners, and you need 122 for a majority. So they’re quids in.
DUP have indeed indicated as much: https://twitter.com/paulwaugh/status/873117418603728898/photo/1
I read into that that they will not only support CON, but will also use their 10 votes to block any attempt by Labour to form a functioning minority coalition.
This happened at the end of Major’s time.
In this case you have to look at the morbid business of death statistics.
One of the problems that the Tories & DUP will have is that several deaths and bi-election losses could lose them their majority.
If the Tories can’t up their game they have had it anyway.
Time the last of the Heir to Blair capers were binned.
Tim: “the DUP is about as pro-hard Brexit as Ukip”
Arlene Foster, DUP leader: “No-one wants to see a ‘hard’ Brexit, what we want to see is a workable plan to leave the European Union, and that’s what the national vote was about – therefore we need to get on with that.
“However, we need to do it in a way that respects the specific circumstances of Northern Ireland, and, of course, our shared history and geography with the Republic of Ireland.
“No-one wants to see a hard border, Sinn Fein talk about it a lot, but nobody wants a hard border.”
Seem to recall that Sinn From are less than enthusiastic about the EU anyway- something to do with wanting Ireland independent of Brussels as well as Westminster.
Will make it harder to point out Fuckface’s links to the IRA. But given that the electorate seemingly doesn’t care about that in the least it doesn’t really matter.
I see Worzel is ‘ready to serve the country’. I wonder which country?
He seems to think Labour won the election.
Not very good with maths, is he…
If 40% of your country think Corbyn is PM material, your country’s doomed. Considering his background, a traitor really, it’s astounding so many voted for him.
“Not very good with maths, is he…”
This, from the commentator who said you need 122 for a majority? 🙂
unbelievable.
How any person with a functioning brain can support corbyn – a self declared traitor and an economic illiterate is staggering. I guess the lure of free stuff and somebody else paying still exerts a pull on too many people.
One big issue in this election that has been mostly ignored is power prices. Electricity bills are sky-high now, far higher than they should be. This is really hurting a lot of people.
Now, the Tories did say something about this – but only a lame proposal to cap prices. This is bound to be disbelieved by the ordinary voter.
Also, it creates the impression that the high prices are caused by the greedy capitalist energy companies. Then the Tories wonder why people are turning to anti-capitalist parties.
In fact, this is a general issue, and a big one. Government policies, such as environmentally-inspired legislation, drives up the price of many things, but it is generally believed that the cause is capitalism. Hence, many people, even supposedly intelligent ones, think that capitalism and competition drive prices up, and that’s why some things are so expensive. So it’s no wonder that they think that nationalising stuff is a great solution.
Abacab, yeah he has said they “clearly won”. Even all the proggie parties together have fewer seats than the Tories alone.
It’s a massive Tory fuck up but it’s not a win for the progressives either. It’s just a giant cluster fuck. Thanks TM.
Since the Sinners don’t vote, the Tories don’t need DUP active support, just that they won’t vote against.
But with things that close it’s permanent squeaky bum time, like the John Major years.
How the election was lost…….
Voter “Mrs May, all you have to say is that Corbyn is a cunt and I will vote for you”
Mrs May “What we need now is STRONG and STABLE Government and I’m going to take away your house if you get dementia. No not all your house but I’m going to take away more of it than I was before….or am I going to leave you more of your house…………………? STRONG and STABLE Government.”
‘squeaky bum’ should focus their minds?
@Moquifen
” I guess the lure of free stuff and somebody else paying still exerts a pull on too many people.”
The only conclusion I’ve drawn from this ballsup is that economics needs to be taught and taught well at schools.
Apparently common sense (‘if something looks too good to be true, it usually is”) isn,t acquired until middle age, or is insufficient to challenge Labour sloganeering.
‘bums’ errr
Part of the “Mandate” logic of an election was to strengthen the hand against the remain majority in the lords. Now they may have to go nuclear, either parliament act or appoint 100 or so tories and 10 or so DUP.
“The only conclusion I’ve drawn from this ballsup is that economics needs to be taught and taught well at schools.”
It is, but perhaps not in the way it should….
https://order-order.com/2017/06/08/hammer-and-sickle-posters-in-primary-school-polling-station-window/
Confidence and supply, not particularly strong or stable, even before you get to thinking about Robert Thorpe’s point. ISTR Major having to wheel in members and lords from their hospital beds.
Quick prediction; May will harden against any potential opposition; if the DUP aren’t up for it, she’ll have no chance of attracting votes from Blairite/Brownite Labour MPs or from the LibDems on pretty much anything. She’ll piss off her own MPs in the process. Any session is nearly nailed on to end in
a government defeat. Most of the committees will follow their own path. Corbyn only has to keep asking her to resign, nothing more than that.
A lot of self-declared economic liberals believe that good economics = staying in the EU. Since May advocated what to them was Hard Brexit, it therefore followed that May was practising bad economics.
As a result of this, too many commentators were way too slow (or even completely unwilling) to admit that the Tory and Labour manifestos were not equivalent in their economic folly. Obviously the Tories didn’t help matters with their stuff about intervention.
The Tories could never really get going on what should have been a central theme of their campaign – that Cunt is an idiot Chavista with shit for brains – because they didn’t quite have the economic establishment on their side.
I suppose this means that the left now want Scotland out of the union to stop them shoring up the Tories.
“Sinn Fein don’t attend so slightly more”: yeah, but they now have a fellow traveller in charge of Labour. “don’t attend” may prove to be in the wrong tense.
Corbyn’s masterstroke was to never declare for either Brexit or Remain.
This has enabled him to appeal both to ex-UKIP voters (who are likely to be aware of his record on the EU) and the Remainiac Young (who will only have heard his enthusiasm for alleged EU goodies, such as worker protection, peace n love, and so forth).
Remember, his Referendum campaign only appeared incompetent. Maybe CCHQ fell for that as well.
Has anyone noticed that the drop in the value of the pound was apparently proof Brexit was a disaster but the drop in the pound because of Corbyn’s ‘victory’ is inconsequential? That the forex markets in both cases are responding to instability/uncertainty is lost on them.
Nah- Dongguan John.
The rally in the FTSE will be what they point at as being a vote of confidence in Corbyn. They won’t know why it’s really gone up , though
“Now they may have to go nuclear, either parliament act or appoint 100 or so tories and 10 or so DUP.”
The Liberal Party are sensibly anti-EU and have no Lords. I could well be prepared to defect if they want Bexit volunteers for enoblement.
The problem as I see it is that Corbyn will now continue to be leader and is in a very strong position, and if it comes to another election throwing all the same mud at him again won’t make a damn bit of difference.
Now he has moved from not-a-chance to PM-in-waiting, people who were put off voting for him because of the implausibility of him being PM, might now think, “he has a chance, I’ll give him my vote”
The Tories need a very strong leader in place long before the next GE.
Meanwhile, Labour’s budget consultant finally speaks out: https://imgflip.com/i/1ql9xh
JS, last year they suddenly became financially literate enough to point out that the ftse only went up after Brexit because of posting profit in GDP.
Some observations.
1. For years now certain commentators here have given Gordon Brown the sobriquet “The Bottler”. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad move with the benefit of hindsight from his point of view.
2. If you want to see someone who is truly away with the fairies go here:- http://www.iaindale.com/posts/2017/06/05/general-election-seat-by-seat-my-final-predictions-a-tory-landslide-is-still-on
3. I agree that people making a meaningful contribution to their care costs could be seen as quite equitable, but it’s not a good idea to tout it during the middle of an election campaign, targeting as it does your core vote. (As my mother tells me the view from Middle England is that is seen as a raid on wealth built over a lifetime of hard work and frugal living, and as such is a disincentive to do either of these things). As a discussion during the term of a Parliament, fine. When it was done it seems like they took careful aim and shot themselves in the foot.
Actually I think it’s fair to point out that re Brexit there were plenty of ‘useful idiots’ on our side. Classical liberalism wouldn’t have won it alone, unfortunately.
“For years now certain commentators here have given Gordon Brown the sobriquet “The Bottler”.”
Brown’s mistake was that he raised expectations of an early election, and then bottled it. If he’d simply said at the start “No early election, let’s gone on with governing”, then he wouldn’t have gotten that rep. That still allows you to call an early election if something comes up that you can say is forcing you to have one.
May’s problem, on the other hand, is that she did have an early election, after saying she wouldn’t, without there being anything forcing her hand, so it was obvious it was for party interests only. She should have kept it up her sleeve for when her hand really was forced, or at least when she could convincingly pretend it was.
I agree with magnusw. Things are about to get very, very, very bad.
I want to see a hard Brexit delivered over the next five years.
Then I want Corbyn’s lot top get in. It seems we need a hard dose of socialist failure once a generation for people to stop believing in fairy tales.
@Johnnydub – please, not till I’ve got a second nationality. Don’t want his lot suddenly “discovering” from Spud-u-Like that middle-class professionals in lower-tax jurisdictions abroad might be a source of extra cash…
Fundamentally, this country is currently ungovernable. We’re hopelessly divided on every major issue, not simply by generation but also geographically. Any direction we take from now on involves substantial risks and will alienate a very large group of people. We are completely fucked.
@Tel
When you put it like that there is a difference in how both earned there infamy. Nonetheless history will be less kind to May I feel, at least Brown served out his term, and was true to himself, even if we both agree that was a bad thing.
Speaking personally my problem is that I’m now entering my final decade of working life, and I can’t afford a lost decade, I can never make it up. Whereas these callow youths boosting the Labour vote have a lifetime to rue their mistakes and make it good.
How long is it polite to wait before we can thank the Scots for giving the Tories just enough MPs to cobble together a government?
@ John Square – it’s moqifen – no u in that please.
I think pepole overestimate the intelligence of the average person in the uk and in fact it seems to be getting worse. Despite the super ease to which people can get information on any subject under the sun almost instantaneously and mostly for free from the internet – many people seem to have no grasp of many of the issues facing us today . in speaking to my friends i am constantly amazed by their lack of knowledge regarding the dangers posed by islam and it’s history. partly this is because in the past i was a bit of a lefty ( but recovered thankfully) As a result many of my friends are still lefties and have very closed minds though it is me they accuse of having a closed mind because i no longer believe in their dogma- which in their words is open and inclusive ( especially of the most close minded dogma in the world – ROP) You can’t usually fix stupid
The false equivalence between the DUP and the IRA is already taking hold on social media. Will add additional support for the bearded cunt, though it’s difficult to see what else they could have done.
“Now he has moved from not-a-chance to PM-in-waiting, people who were put off voting for him because of the implausibility of him being PM, might now think, “he has a chance, I’ll give him my vote””
I’m not so sure. I think the very point that he didn’t have a chance of being PM meant that a vote for Labour (not necessarily Corbyn) was a free protest. Equally the Labour manifesto was a sort of Hail Mary version – they threw everything they could think of in there, again pretty safe in the knowledge they’d never have to implement it, hoping to garner enough votes to stay in charge of Labour. They can’t do that again if they think they might have to implement it, it would blow up in their faces in short order.
Remember the Tories couldn’t take the line that a vote for Labour meant Corbyn in No 10 because they didn’t believe it themselves. That won’t be the case next time.
“They can’t do that again if they think they might have to implement it, it would blow up in their faces in short order.”
I wouldn’t put money on that, they really do believe and there’s non so blind in politics as a left wing ideologue.
What Jim says above + 1
“in speaking to my friends i am constantly amazed by their lack of knowledge regarding the dangers posed by islam and it’s history. partly this is because in the past i was a bit of a lefty ( but recovered thankfully) As a result many of my friends are still lefties and have very closed minds though it is me they accuse of having a closed mind because i no longer believe in their dogma- which in their words is open and inclusive ( especially of the most close minded dogma in the world – ROP) You can’t usually fix stupid”
You need to get new friends because this lot will soon dump you for being a racist or whatever.
@tomsmith – i take it as a badge of honour to be declared an islamophobe – i’m not bothered. One now ex friend tried to argue that the free movement of labour and the subsequent import of millions into the uk had not exerted a downward force on wages. When he started talking about exploitation I knew he was a lost cause. After working in the Civil Service you get used to quite a high level of stupid but there are limits…
@tomsmith – luckily some of my friends are not deluded. The older they are the more likely reality has intruded into their fantasy world.. For some they seem stuck in the eighties – evil tories etc. it’s quite sad really. pre senile dementia.
“Equally the Labour manifesto was a sort of Hail Mary version – they threw everything they could think of in there, again pretty safe in the knowledge they’d never have to implement it, hoping to garner enough votes to stay in charge of Labour. They can’t do that again if they think they might have to implement it, it would blow up in their faces in short order.”
Hoooo yes, instead of this “austerity” where the budget just increases less than Labour would have, they’ll get to know *real* austerity within about 2 years of implementing their wish-list.
“Diane Abbott – who I suspect we can all agree ran a campaign that was as close to self-harm as it is possible to get, who has shown herself incompetent on every media platform she has taken – triumphed with a 75% share of the vote.
At a time when she was signed off sick, in the dying days of the campaign while our capital city stifled under the oppression of terror, she managed to increase her majority by 11,000.
I question the motivation of any individual prepared to vote this level of sheer incompetence into power at a time when our terror threat stands at critical.”
KH
SJW: Like that useless cunt May was serious about Brexit.
@Pcar and in any decent country prepared to stand up for itself the rotting corpse of jeremy C would be swinging from a gibbett alongside that of Mcguiness and Adams
I’ve been thinking over the last 36 hours or so and I’m considerably happier than I was. A few points:
1) The Labour manifesto was never really put under scrutiny, because a) everyone was attacking Corbyn and b) no-one thought they could win so it got ignored. There’s a goldmine of stuff to frighten the middle classes in it, and chances are they’ll repeat the whole thing next time. Why chance a ‘winning’ formula?
2) Attacking the man was perhaps a false move, the UK public have always liked the underdog and it probably came across as being ‘unfair to an old man’. The fact he should be hung as a traitor is unfortunately by the by, the UK public have rarely done ideology. Don’t make the same mistake again. Hammer the policies, not the man. If he’s a wrong ‘un people will notice anyway. They noticed Theresa May character problems, and Labour never said a word about her.
3) The UK voters are very fluid at the moment, and just because 40% voted Labour this does not mean the same or more will definitely vote that way next time. That is possible, equally so is a collapse to 30%. The old days of steady improvements/losses over multiple elections are gone. You can be king of the hill one election, history the next. So all to play for.
4) Labour have swallowed the LVT poison pill. It was hardly really mentioned much, a bit of Daily Mail ‘garden tax’ jibes, but again because they weren’t going to win they were never under any pressure to explain exactly what it meant in hard cash for people’s tax bills. That won’t be the case next time. And as LVT is a massive switch in taxation towards those with property assets this will have a huge impact on the middle classes in general and the South in particular. And as there are vast swathes of middle class England who are virtue signallers to a man (and woman) this will ironically hit a good deal of Labour support in the South and suburban areas. Well to do Labour voters in Oxford (for example) will suddenly find that they are going to be bracketed with the 10% (because they are) and won’t like it one bit. Virtue signalling by voting Labour and being ‘Right On’ is fine when you have a nice salary from the Council or NHS and have a nice house in the leafy part of town, and its costs you nothing, voting Labour when it means your council tax doubles or triples overnight because Northern working class home owners are getting a massive tax cut is another matter.
I said only few days ago that I think LVT is electoral kryptonite and Labour have swallowed it, and I think it will scupper their chances in the South and marginals.
So there you have it, Reasons to Be Cheerful as the late Ian Dury sang:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIMNXogXnvE
Jim, I know you said you’ve been thinking, but do you realise that you’ve done a complete 180 on whether Labour will repeat its manifesto?
“do you realise that you’ve done a complete 180 on whether Labour will repeat its manifesto?”
I don’t think so, I said they have a problem over it, if they repeat it they will be attacked on it, if they tack to the centre they risk the Hard Left calling them traitors, and open themselves up to claims that they didn’t mean the 2017 manifesto.
I don’t think they will tack to the centre, they’ll think one more push of the Hard Left agenda will get them over the line. And that leaves them open to attack, from a better run Tory campaign.
Ah, all is clear now. Thanks.
Jim,
In hindsight, the biggest mistake of this was calling a snap election. A non-snap one, we’d have had months of build-up. The manifesto would have been slaughtered, over and over again. With a better team on the attack, Labour would have found all their lies exposed, over and over.
I’m not complacent and I’m not resting on my laurels. I’m going to be helping in by-elections. But I’m convinced this is Corbyn’s high point.
But something that May really has to do is to wipe out large chunks of the non-job public sector. That is Labour’s base now. Cut university funding right back from degrees that just produce more grade inflation and overqualified baristas. Fuck it, just privatise all of them as charities, and let the rich alumni fund them.
“any rebellion by Remainers in the Tories would lead to the fall of the government again.”
So the Tories need to start appeasing the remainders?
Fall of government means what? Election, leadership race, more hot air?
“In hindsight, the biggest mistake of this was calling a snap election.”
But it wasn’t a snap election. A snap election should have been 3 weeks, focused on Brexit. At 7 weeks it dragged on for way too long, Brexit got forgotten, and it gradually turned into the great Corbyn-giveaway gala.
from corbyns past history – how long before he attends the funeral of one of the recently dead bearded nutters or a commemoration service for one of them. Knowing his arrogance he would be unable to resist rubbing the publics nose in it to support his ideological position – ie english = bad- bearded nutters who kill children = oppressed freedom fighters.
Jim, Some good points, but the one I think you missed is that neither May nor her Spads were seasoned campaigners and couldb’t put together a campaign. Sure, she has been MP for Maidenhead for yonks, but to win there all you need is a blue rosette and a glossy leaflet from Central Office with standard wording and the candidates name in the space that reads [insert name here].
The dementia tax should never have been in the manifesto (that sort of policy would be announced in a budget a few years down the line), and the pension triple-lock should have been kept (but possibly “reviewed” in a few years – keep the triple lock but change two of the locks so that they effectively mimic the first). Fox hunting was in previous manifestos, but if it isn’t a whipped bill, why bother.
Worst crime of all was not taking part in the TV debate. Yes, it is a waste of time and the PM can only lose by taking part, but not taking part looks arrogant, and then losing votes makes the PM look worse.
Campbell on BBC QT 9 June: “[Conservative & DUP]…a sordid, disgraceful deal”
Says the man who put ira terrorists in power in NI.
Loathsome evil man
imho about time NI electorate had representation in UK Gov’t. Scots & Welks have been over represented in Cabinet & PM positions.
Harry Enfield should do the power sharing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEsFtiruIok
That’s about your level
@taking the Lord’s name in vain
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4597904/Labour-accused-hypocrisy-criticising-talks-DU.html
@ “@taking the Lord’s name in vain”
Ah, I see, Cthulhu and the Old Ones. Best not fuck about with any of their names.