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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » The Tories lose all 4 seats they were defending on the worst e

SystemSystem Posts: 11,017
edited December 2016 in General

imagepoliticalbetting.com » Blog Archive » The Tories lose all 4 seats they were defending on the worst election night for the party since TMay became leader

Bovey (Teignbridge) result:LDEM: 43.9% (+20.3)CON: 33.1% (-4.2)IND: 8.9% (-1.5)LAB: 5.4% (-7.4)UKIP: 5.1% (+5.1)IND: 3.6% (+3.6)

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  • Options
    These are awful results for the Conservatives however you slice them. Sleaford & North Hykeham looks more like an exception than the rule.
  • Options
    MortimerMortimer Posts: 13,942
    Second, like the stories in these parish council elections...
  • Options
    MortimerMortimer Posts: 13,942
    I've said this several times before, but it bears repeatingZ

    My grandmother is in Torbay. She votes Lib Dem in locals because she likes the cut of their local politics involvement.

    She laughs at the national party. And makes Maggie look like a pussycat....
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    TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 114,378
    edited December 2016
    These results in the South West aren't surprising.

    The Tory private polling in the South West at the last general election showed the Lib Dem to Con defectors really really really liked David Cameron on every metric, as a person, as a politician, as Prime Minister, which was reciprocated as he loved holidaying in that part of the world.

    Mrs May doesn't have that level of support, and to be fair, apart from Ken Clarke, I don't think any other Tory could match Cameron's level of support in this part of the country.
  • Options
    Credit to Tim Farron, he's made sure he and the Lib Dems are seen as the voice of the 48%

    48% might not win you a binary choice referendum, but it might win you a lot in a FPTP election.
  • Options
    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,725
    edited December 2016
    December by elections, not necessarily indicative, small numbers, still a challenge, may not translate to national etc. Still better than nothing for the lds and not a great night for the tories. I would think they'll be keeping an eye on the sw, just in case. My blue liberal hypothesis gathers support.
    Patrick said:

    Southam - I expect my left does equal your far left. I think there is - in fact must be - a softer left option for voters. A slightly more spendy bigger state but financially sensible option.
    But....We don't have an attractive centre left party in the UK. Labour are off with the fairies and their commie/terrorist buddies. Any party led by Jezza and McMao is frankly just an insult to decent people. And the LibDems seem to want to poison their chances of becoming that attractive centre left option by waving two fingers at the UK and making the fellation of Brussels a core party policy. Non-insane decent soft left voters must be feeling awfully unrepresented at the moment. Who can they vote for?

    Frankly, while labour are suffering most at present, i get the impression none of the parties wants my vote.

    I'm not pure red enough for the greens, not angry enough for UKIP or labour, too questioning and coalition Like for the tories, and not Euro friendly enough for the lds.
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    AlistairAlistair Posts: 23,670

    Credit to Tim Farron, he's made sure he and the Lib Dems are seen as the voice of the 48%

    48% might not win you a binary choice referendum, but it might win you a lot in a FPTP election.

    To be honest you just need 45% to really get a tidal wave going.
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    PlatoSaidPlatoSaid Posts: 10,383
    @Patrick Get open letter on FPT.
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    midwintermidwinter Posts: 1,112
    Who'd have thought....Mrs May and the headbangers aren't as popular as the apparently ideologically impure Dave. The right wing of the Toriesnever learn or listen, too consumed with hubris.
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    PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,917
    The Labour vote is collapsing in the southwest.

    That is probably the worst news of the lot for the Conservatives - since that WILL translate across to a GE.
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    MortimerMortimer Posts: 13,942
    edited December 2016
    TSE:

    Good for DC - but I'd rather win 35 seats off Labour in the Midlands and northern urban fringe than be positioned nationally to win 15 seats in the SW and pissing off much of the activist base....

    Especially as those seats are never going to vote Labour...
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    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,541

    These are awful results for the Conservatives however you slice them. Sleaford & North Hykeham looks more like an exception than the rule.

    Most people won't slice them - they won't even notice.
  • Options
    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,725

    Credit to Tim Farron, he's made sure he and the Lib Dems are seen as the voice of the 48%
    .

    Of the portion of it that hasn't moved along, certainly. While campaign for rejoin may end up a very hard sell, in the short and medium term pitching for the 48 and picking up even a third has few drawbacks for them.
  • Options
    Alistair said:

    Credit to Tim Farron, he's made sure he and the Lib Dems are seen as the voice of the 48%

    48% might not win you a binary choice referendum, but it might win you a lot in a FPTP election.

    To be honest you just need 45% to really get a tidal wave going.
    I still can't get my head around the results in Scotland.

    I remember on election night when a 14.4% swing in Gordon looked very disappointing when compared to the rest of Scotland.

    14.4%!!!!
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    PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,917
    Mortimer said:

    TSE:

    Good for DC - but I'd rather win 35 seats off Labour in the Midlands and northern urban fringe than be positioned nationally to win 15 seats in the SW and pissing off much of the activist base....

    Especially as those seats are never going to vote Labour...

    Tories + 35 in the Midlands and north, Lib Dems + 15 in the Southwest.

    Trebles all round for that result :)
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    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,541
    Meanwhile, the EU demands 50 billion alimony payment...
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/15/britain-will-handed-50bn-exit-bill-eu-theresa-may-triggers-article/

    If we're to be on the hook for liabilities, ought we not to get a corresponding share of the assets ?
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    PeterCPeterC Posts: 1,274
    edited December 2016

    These results in the South West aren't surprising.

    The Tory private polling in the South West at the last general election showed the Lib Dem to Con defectors really really really liked David Cameron on every metric, as a person, as a politician, as Prime Minister, which was reciprocated as he loved holidaying in that part of the world.

    Mrs May doesn't have that level of support, and to be fair, apart from Ken Clarke, I don't think any other Tory could match Cameron's level of support in this part of the country.

    I thought the strong level of Tory support in the SW in 2015 - as in many other parts of England - was due to the effectiveness of the painting of Ed Miliband as the puppet of the SNP.
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    PlatoSaidPlatoSaid Posts: 10,383
    Appalling

    Tony Gallagher
    Cops monitored every call in and out of the @TheNorthernEcho for two days. Horrifying https://t.co/dxKCQDeawX
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    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,725
    edited December 2016
    Nigelb said:

    These are awful results for the Conservatives however you slice them. Sleaford & North Hykeham looks more like an exception than the rule.

    Most people won't slice them - they won't even notice.
    It bears repeating that is true of almost every political event. It's about how it adds cumulatively to a political narrative. If people go into the May locals with a general sense the lds are a credible option again, or even the way to protest the government again, they could see great gains.
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    RecidivistRecidivist Posts: 4,679

    These results in the South West aren't surprising.

    The Tory private polling in the South West at the last general election showed the Lib Dem to Con defectors really really really liked David Cameron on every metric, as a person, as a politician, as Prime Minister, which was reciprocated as he loved holidaying in that part of the world.

    Mrs May doesn't have that level of support, and to be fair, apart from Ken Clarke, I don't think any other Tory could match Cameron's level of support in this part of the country.

    I noticed he spent a lot of time campaigning down there in the election. I interpreted it as giving up all hope of winning nationally and trying to minimise the Lib Dem numbers a bit in the next coalition government at the time - which shows how little I know.
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    MortimerMortimer Posts: 13,942
    Anecdote alert:

    Talking to a fervent Corbynista at an Xmas party last night.

    She likes May. Warms to here. And thinks she's far more in touch with the average voter than Cameron or (chortle) Osborne could ever be...
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    Paging @isam @Pulpstar and @Tissue_Price:

    https://twitter.com/LadPolitics/status/809698320704802816

    The evens bet on a general election before 2020 isn't too bad. Though I'm effectively on the same bet for far better effective odds having backed individual years.
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    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,725
    Mortimer said:

    Anecdote alert:

    Talking to a fervent Corbynista at an Xmas party last night.

    She likes May. Warms to here. And thinks she's far more in touch with the average voter than Cameron or (chortle) Osborne could ever be...

    Maybe so, and her current position is strong, but being more in touch doesn't always win elections.
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    MarkHopkinsMarkHopkins Posts: 5,584

    I guess the LibDems got their Protest Party back again.

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    kle4 said:

    December by elections, not necessarily indicative, small numbers, still a challenge, may not translate to national etc.

    Turn outs of twenty-something percent are not too shabby, given the circumstances - we know Lib Dems can motivate their supporters - which is good - and given the lack of a functioning Labour party its hardly surprising they are picking up support. But the May obituarists are getting ahead of themselves, again.
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    PeterC said:

    These results in the South West aren't surprising.

    The Tory private polling in the South West at the last general election showed the Lib Dem to Con defectors really really really liked David Cameron on every metric, as a person, as a politician, as Prime Minister, which was reciprocated as he loved holidaying in that part of the world.

    Mrs May doesn't have that level of support, and to be fair, apart from Ken Clarke, I don't think any other Tory could match Cameron's level of support in this part of the country.

    I thought the strong level of Tory support in the SW in 2015 - as in many other parts of England - was due to the effectiveness of the painting of Ed Miliband as the puppet of the SNP.
    Nope, Sir Lynton identified the Lib Dems in the South West back in 2013, it was an under the radar campaign.

    They were on course to comfortably go blue even before the Ed in Salmond's pocket posters.
  • Options
    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,725
    PeterC said:

    These results in the South West aren't surprising.

    The Tory private polling in the South West at the last general election showed the Lib Dem to Con defectors really really really liked David Cameron on every metric, as a person, as a politician, as Prime Minister, which was reciprocated as he loved holidaying in that part of the world.

    Mrs May doesn't have that level of support, and to be fair, apart from Ken Clarke, I don't think any other Tory could match Cameron's level of support in this part of the country.

    I thought the strong level of Tory support in the SW in 2015 - as in many other parts of England - was due to the effectiveness of the painting of Ed Miliband as the puppet of the SNP.
    Many factors contributed. Focused campaigning by the tories, the SNP tactic, the collapse of the lds, but it worked so well, so totally, thanks to the area being Tory inclined and Cameron friendly, or so my theory goes.
  • Options
    Nigelb said:

    These are awful results for the Conservatives however you slice them. Sleaford & North Hykeham looks more like an exception than the rule.

    Most people won't slice them - they won't even notice.
    Shh! They're still stuck in 'denial'.....with occasional forays into 'anger' ("I want it hard & fast and then you'll be sorry - you'll see!)
  • Options
    RecidivistRecidivist Posts: 4,679
    Mortimer said:

    Anecdote alert:

    Talking to a fervent Corbynista at an Xmas party last night.

    She likes May. Warms to here. And thinks she's far more in touch with the average voter than Cameron or (chortle) Osborne could ever be...

    Another anecdote. My WWC parents couldn't stand Miliband so voted Conservative. Didn't rate Cameron either, and switched to support Labour when Corbyn got in. 'At least he's straight". But have now swung behind May because she has 'common sense'. My conclusion is that nothing I can learn about politics will ever enable me to predict how people will vote.
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    isamisam Posts: 40,916

    Paging @isam @Pulpstar and @Tissue_Price:

    https://twitter.com/LadPolitics/status/809698320704802816

    The evens bet on a general election before 2020 isn't too bad. Though I'm effectively on the same bet for far better effective odds having backed individual years.

    Pulpstar got the value!

    Are they doing Ukip vs Lib Dems? Looks like they think it's 50/50
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    TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 40,045
    edited December 2016
    Fpt
    Patrick said:

    You seem very angry for 9.30 on a Friday morning.

    Not to get all Innocent Abroad about it, but what do you think society should do about people who espouse views that are 'basically evil'?


    Not angry just sanguine. We give these fuckers a pass they don't deserve. If someone wore a Swastika on their T-shirt you'd call them a monster (or worse). But a picture of Mao or Che or a red star is somehow cool? Actually a lot more evil and murderous in absolute terms.

    What should we do? Free speech is all that is needed. Call bullshit on their little lies and aggressions. The USA just called bullshit on the cult of Clinton and all the lefty crap that it brings. Way to go yanks! The Labour polling in the UK suggests we are pretty much the same. A lie or an evil can only be sustained for so long and only through control of the media. In an internet age that ain't possible any more. The left is dying because it lost control and is having a critical light shone on it properly for the first time.

    'basically evil', 'insult to decent people', 'fellation of Brussels', 'Non-insane', 'fuckers', 'evil and murderous', 'their little lies and aggressions', 'cult', 'lefty crap'

    You should probably look up the meaning of the word sanguine.
  • Options
    Excellent results for the LibDems.

    The Blackburn result puts UKIP into some context. It is immensely patronising and very middle class to believe that having a hard-right, economically bone dry leader with a Scouse accent is going to see working class Labour voters flocking to back UKIP. The party has to put in a lot more work than that. Immigration could be a major calling card for UKIP, but it needs to be combined with other stuff as well. That fabled left turn actually has to happen. Nuttall is not on the left in any meaningful way, neither is UKIP's membership.

    The SNP defeated Labour in Scotland by putting in the very hard yards: years and years of local campaigning and taking social democratic positions in a way that alienated and ultimately drove away the party's centre-right, nationalist stalwarts.
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
    edited December 2016
    Electoral calculus question: If the LibDems are coming back who does that ultimately benefit the most?

    The LDs themselves for sure - 10 more seats? 20? Who knows.
    Labour - Oh dear. The left is resplitting. Northern/central/suburban marginals looking even more dicey.
    Tories - Hmmm. SW losses but marginal gains from Labour. Overall quite positive I think due to left resplitting effect.
    UKIP - Can't see any real impact.

    At GE? Tories up. LDs up. Lab down. = Healthy majority.
  • Options

    These results in the South West aren't surprising.

    The Tory private polling in the South West at the last general election showed the Lib Dem to Con defectors really really really liked David Cameron on every metric, as a person, as a politician, as Prime Minister, which was reciprocated as he loved holidaying in that part of the world.

    Mrs May doesn't have that level of support, and to be fair, apart from Ken Clarke, I don't think any other Tory could match Cameron's level of support in this part of the country.

    I noticed he spent a lot of time campaigning down there in the election. I interpreted it as giving up all hope of winning nationally and trying to minimise the Lib Dem numbers a bit in the next coalition government at the time - which shows how little I know.
    It was clear in 2013/14 that the Tories could take the Lib Dems in the South West, I had my doubts, I'll never forget Dave turning up in Yeovil, I thought that was Ballsy, campaigning 400 yards from Paddy Ashdown's house.

    It was a psy-ops campaign, apparently it convinced Paddy Ashdown that Dave and the Tories didn't have a clue about the general election.
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    HurstLlamaHurstLlama Posts: 9,098
    O/T
    "You don't need to look like Benjamin Disraeli if your opponent is the latter day Marquis of Granby. Just looking sane and normal would be enough"

    I used to use a pub called the Marquis of Granby but I have never heard of a boozer named after Disraeli. So perhaps the former had something going for him.

    On the subject of pubs named after politicians: in the fifties a new one was built in Battersea on the site of one that had been bombed during the war. It was given a new name - The Herbert Morrison. I have never heard of another public house that was named after a modern politician or a Labour politician or a politician who was still alive at the time.

    On that happy note I am off for my morning walk.
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    williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 48,056
    kle4 said:

    Credit to Tim Farron, he's made sure he and the Lib Dems are seen as the voice of the 48%
    .

    Of the portion of it that hasn't moved along, certainly. While campaign for rejoin may end up a very hard sell, in the short and medium term pitching for the 48 and picking up even a third has few drawbacks for them.
    Short term = before article 50 - still not clear when this will be possible
    Medium term = during A50 negotiations
    Long term = while transition deal is in effect

    Even if Brexit goes according to plan we could have two more general elections before we're 'out'.
  • Options

    These are awful results for the Conservatives however you slice them. Sleaford & North Hykeham looks more like an exception than the rule.

    Sleaford & North Hykeham is the exception. It's a Westminster seat, not a second-tier council.

    The by-elections were positive yesterday for the Lib Dems and poor for the Conservatives. I've been saying for a while that the Con vote share is potentially soft and that the government hasn't always displayed unity and purpose, particularly on Brexit.

    All the same, come the general election, when the government of the country is up for grabs, very different dynamics will come into play. Likewise, parties' machines will be tested rather more thoroughly than in a low turnout by-election.
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    MortimerMortimer Posts: 13,942
    The other issue that is not being factored in here in translation from parish council elections to general elections is the propensity of Ex-Ukip voters to turnout. This will be much higher in a GE - and they're not going to be voting for the LDs. There will be more of an anti LD vote than is being witnessed here...
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    El_CapitanoEl_Capitano Posts: 3,870
    kle4 said:

    Of the portion of it that hasn't moved along, certainly. While campaign for rejoin may end up a very hard sell

    Post-Brexit (assuming it happens, etc. etc.) I expect the Lib Dems' position to shift to "join EFTA", which is not such a hard sell, especially given that we founded it in the first place.

    Right now the interesting poll finding IMO is that Farron has relatively good favourability ratings, but is much less well known than May or Corbyn. That potentially sets him up for an "I agree with Nick" moment.
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    [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
    edited December 2016
    SANGUINE
    Adjective

    sanguine ‎(comparative more sanguine, superlative most sanguine)
    1.Having the colour of blood; red.
    2.(obsolete, physiology) Having a bodily constitution characterised by a preponderance of blood over the other bodily humours, thought to be marked by irresponsible mirth; indulgent in pleasure to the exclusion of important matters.  [quotations ▼]
    3.Characterized by abundance and active circulation of blood. a sanguine bodily temperament
    4.Warm; ardent. a sanguine temper
    5.Anticipating the best; optimistic; not despondent; confident; full of hope.  [quotations ▼]
    sanguine of success


    Seems about right!
    I don't think those on the left yet realise how liberating and energising recent months have been for those tired of listening to all the hectoring for years and years have been.
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    MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,607

    PeterC said:

    These results in the South West aren't surprising.

    The Tory private polling in the South West at the last general election showed the Lib Dem to Con defectors really really really liked David Cameron on every metric, as a person, as a politician, as Prime Minister, which was reciprocated as he loved holidaying in that part of the world.

    Mrs May doesn't have that level of support, and to be fair, apart from Ken Clarke, I don't think any other Tory could match Cameron's level of support in this part of the country.

    I thought the strong level of Tory support in the SW in 2015 - as in many other parts of England - was due to the effectiveness of the painting of Ed Miliband as the puppet of the SNP.
    Nope, Sir Lynton identified the Lib Dems in the South West back in 2013, it was an under the radar campaign.

    They were on course to comfortably go blue even before the Ed in Salmond's pocket posters.
    As soon as the Lib Dems entered into the coalition any area where they campaigned as the NOTA party became vulnerable to a LD -> UKIP swing coupled with a LD -> Labour tactical unwind.
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    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,725
    I don't know what to make of Hammond. How strong a position is he in to set a course, is May on board?
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    Nigelb said:

    Meanwhile, the EU demands 50 billion alimony payment...
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/15/britain-will-handed-50bn-exit-bill-eu-theresa-may-triggers-article/

    If we're to be on the hook for liabilities, ought we not to get a corresponding share of the assets ?

    Does the EU actually have any assets?
  • Options

    Credit to Tim Farron, he's made sure he and the Lib Dems are seen as the voice of the 48%

    48% might not win you a binary choice referendum, but it might win you a lot in a FPTP election.

    Only if it's an issue that swings votes and the party doesn't have other, bigger issues that swings them back.

    But yes, targetting the Remain voters makes sense for the Lib Dems. Even if the '48' is in reality only half of that due to those Remainers, who, like me, now accept that the right thing to do is to implement the referendum decision, are no longer in play to a party seeking to minimise or even reverse the referendum result.
  • Options
    Not the least interesting aspect of that tweet is the way in which Anna Soubry is apparently treating the Conservative whip more as what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules.
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    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,725

    kle4 said:

    Of the portion of it that hasn't moved along, certainly. While campaign for rejoin may end up a very hard sell

    Post-Brexit (assuming it happens, etc. etc.) I expect the Lib Dems' position to shift to "join EFTA", which is not such a hard sell, especially given that we founded it in the first place.

    Right now the interesting poll finding IMO is that Farron has relatively good favourability ratings, but is much less well known than May or Corbyn. That potentially sets him up for an "I agree with Nick" moment.
    Which famously had no noticeable real impact, mind. He still needs to gain more visibility.
  • Options

    These are awful results for the Conservatives however you slice them. Sleaford & North Hykeham looks more like an exception than the rule.

    Sleaford & North Hykeham is the exception. It's a Westminster seat, not a second-tier council.

    The by-elections were positive yesterday for the Lib Dems and poor for the Conservatives. I've been saying for a while that the Con vote share is potentially soft and that the government hasn't always displayed unity and purpose, particularly on Brexit.

    All the same, come the general election, when the government of the country is up for grabs, very different dynamics will come into play. Likewise, parties' machines will be tested rather more thoroughly than in a low turnout by-election.
    There have been two other Westminster by-elections in Conservative-held seats recently. The blue team suffered 20% adverse swings in them.
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    MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,607
    kle4 said:

    I don't know what to make of Hammond. How strong a position is he in to set a course, is May on board?
    Very solid. Unsackable at the moment.
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    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,725

    htps://twitter.com/Anna_Soubry/status/809686646392311809

    Not the least interesting aspect of that tweet is the way in which Anna Soubry is apparently treating the Conservative whip more as what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules.
    The torykipper crowd were the same. And one Jeremy corbyn come to that. No barrier to high positions now!
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    Stark_DawningStark_Dawning Posts: 9,301
    edited December 2016

    These results in the South West aren't surprising.

    The Tory private polling in the South West at the last general election showed the Lib Dem to Con defectors really really really liked David Cameron on every metric, as a person, as a politician, as Prime Minister, which was reciprocated as he loved holidaying in that part of the world.

    Mrs May doesn't have that level of support, and to be fair, apart from Ken Clarke, I don't think any other Tory could match Cameron's level of support in this part of the country.

    Yes. A friend of mine lives in Cornwall. He took me to one of his nearby pubs a year or so ago, and on the wall was a framed photo of the beaming landlady alongside Dave, who had presumably called in during one of his holidays. I can't imagine any other PM commanding that level of affection in Cornwall.
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    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,725

    Nigelb said:

    Meanwhile, the EU demands 50 billion alimony payment...
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/15/britain-will-handed-50bn-exit-bill-eu-theresa-may-triggers-article/

    If we're to be on the hook for liabilities, ought we not to get a corresponding share of the assets ?

    Does the EU actually have any assets?
    We want Calais back.
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    Scott_P said:
    I've asked Shadsy about the rules on that. The LDs outpolling Lab seems unlikely unless there's a split within Labour. If so, and if, as in 1983, they form an alliance with the LDs, does the bet still relate *only* to the LD vote (which might then be sub-400 constituencies), or to the alliance as a whole?
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    These are awful results for the Conservatives however you slice them. Sleaford & North Hykeham looks more like an exception than the rule.

    Sleaford & North Hykeham is the exception. It's a Westminster seat, not a second-tier council.

    The by-elections were positive yesterday for the Lib Dems and poor for the Conservatives. I've been saying for a while that the Con vote share is potentially soft and that the government hasn't always displayed unity and purpose, particularly on Brexit.

    All the same, come the general election, when the government of the country is up for grabs, very different dynamics will come into play. Likewise, parties' machines will be tested rather more thoroughly than in a low turnout by-election.
    There have been two other Westminster by-elections in Conservative-held seats recently. The blue team suffered 20% adverse swings in them.
    Richmond Park was unique and Witney was the unwinding of the Dave's massive personal vote.
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    https://twitter.com/DanielJHannan/status/809362335576051712

    Hannan'll be talking about unicorns next.

    Raindrops on roses
    And whiskers on kittens
    True blue Brexit with which I am smitten
    Empire nostalgia making my heart sing
    These are a few of my favorite things
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    PlatoSaidPlatoSaid Posts: 10,383

    O/T
    "You don't need to look like Benjamin Disraeli if your opponent is the latter day Marquis of Granby. Just looking sane and normal would be enough"

    I used to use a pub called the Marquis of Granby but I have never heard of a boozer named after Disraeli. So perhaps the former had something going for him.

    On the subject of pubs named after politicians: in the fifties a new one was built in Battersea on the site of one that had been bombed during the war. It was given a new name - The Herbert Morrison. I have never heard of another public house that was named after a modern politician or a Labour politician or a politician who was still alive at the time.

    On that happy note I am off for my morning walk.

    Pub names are great local history. My favourite teenage pub names were called The Bobby Shafto, The Broken Doll and The Gibbet - all were the most awful dumps that served pints of drip tray and sawdust on the floor. The clientele were very hard sorts.

    Are kids still taught sea shanties anywhere? I know the words to a dozen of them.
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    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,725
    The saracens head was a pub I saw once. Wouldn't let a new one open with that name.
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    FF43FF43 Posts: 15,710

    Alistair said:

    Credit to Tim Farron, he's made sure he and the Lib Dems are seen as the voice of the 48%

    48% might not win you a binary choice referendum, but it might win you a lot in a FPTP election.

    To be honest you just need 45% to really get a tidal wave going.
    I still can't get my head around the results in Scotland.

    I remember on election night when a 14.4% swing in Gordon looked very disappointing when compared to the rest of Scotland.

    14.4%!!!!
    Scotland is (mostly) simple. The defining issue is independence. If you support independence you will vote SNP or Green as an alternative. If you don't, you vote one of the unionist parties. It can be the full fat unionist Conservatives or the very wobbly unionist Labour. Labour have lost their nationalist support to the SNP and are losing their unionist support to the Conservatives. In addition to their many other problems, Labour won't be able to reestablish themselves until the constitutional issue goes away.

    For their part, the conservatives have a personable leader but their position is flattered by the same constitutional issue that damages Labour.
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    These are awful results for the Conservatives however you slice them. Sleaford & North Hykeham looks more like an exception than the rule.

    Sleaford & North Hykeham is the exception. It's a Westminster seat, not a second-tier council.

    The by-elections were positive yesterday for the Lib Dems and poor for the Conservatives. I've been saying for a while that the Con vote share is potentially soft and that the government hasn't always displayed unity and purpose, particularly on Brexit.

    All the same, come the general election, when the government of the country is up for grabs, very different dynamics will come into play. Likewise, parties' machines will be tested rather more thoroughly than in a low turnout by-election.
    There have been two other Westminster by-elections in Conservative-held seats recently. The blue team suffered 20% adverse swings in them.
    Richmond Park was unique and Witney was the unwinding of the Dave's massive personal vote.
    So rather than all the local by-elections which the Conservatives are routinely losing and the two Westminster by-elections in which the Conservatives saw eye-popping swings against them, we should regard Sleaford & North Hykeham -which uniquely shows the Conservative support as steady - as the sole true indicator? Hmmm, rather than throwing away so many data points I'm more inclined to take them at face value and treat the outlier as the outlier.
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    williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 48,056

    These are awful results for the Conservatives however you slice them. Sleaford & North Hykeham looks more like an exception than the rule.

    Sleaford & North Hykeham is the exception. It's a Westminster seat, not a second-tier council.

    The by-elections were positive yesterday for the Lib Dems and poor for the Conservatives. I've been saying for a while that the Con vote share is potentially soft and that the government hasn't always displayed unity and purpose, particularly on Brexit.

    All the same, come the general election, when the government of the country is up for grabs, very different dynamics will come into play. Likewise, parties' machines will be tested rather more thoroughly than in a low turnout by-election.
    There have been two other Westminster by-elections in Conservative-held seats recently. The blue team suffered 20% adverse swings in them.
    The significant thing about Sleaford was the Lab -> Lib Dem swing, despite Labour being in second place in 2015.

    Even if Labour unites around 'Red Brexit', they'll be fighting in a very crowded field in 'Brexit land' and will be abandoning their metropolitan base.

    If an electorate is split down the middle there is a very big potential prize for a party that can clearly articulate the feelings of one side - even if that side happens to be below 50%.
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    Scott_P said:
    I've asked Shadsy about the rules on that. The LDs outpolling Lab seems unlikely unless there's a split within Labour. If so, and if, as in 1983, they form an alliance with the LDs, does the bet still relate *only* to the LD vote (which might then be sub-400 constituencies), or to the alliance as a whole?
    Shadsy has clarified: it relates only to the LD votes in 2020, irrespective of any future pact, so the possibility that the LDs might contest considerably fewer than 631 / 582 GB seats needs to be taken into account.
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    If the LibDems are doing well because of the NOTA vote rather than a 48% BREXIT strategy why are UKIP doing so badly?
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    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,725

    If the LibDems are doing well because of the NOTA vote rather than a 48% BREXIT strategy why are UKIP doing so badly?

    Because UKIP have been a shambles whereas the lds were at least not putting people off.
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    These are awful results for the Conservatives however you slice them. Sleaford & North Hykeham looks more like an exception than the rule.

    Sleaford & North Hykeham is the exception. It's a Westminster seat, not a second-tier council.

    The by-elections were positive yesterday for the Lib Dems and poor for the Conservatives. I've been saying for a while that the Con vote share is potentially soft and that the government hasn't always displayed unity and purpose, particularly on Brexit.

    All the same, come the general election, when the government of the country is up for grabs, very different dynamics will come into play. Likewise, parties' machines will be tested rather more thoroughly than in a low turnout by-election.
    There have been two other Westminster by-elections in Conservative-held seats recently. The blue team suffered 20% adverse swings in them.
    Elections that the LDs threw the kitchen sink at. They can't repeat that at a general election.

    (And in one of them, the 'Tory' didn't have access to Con Party data or canvass records, so had to fight the election blind).
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    These are awful results for the Conservatives however you slice them. Sleaford & North Hykeham looks more like an exception than the rule.

    Sleaford & North Hykeham is the exception. It's a Westminster seat, not a second-tier council.

    The by-elections were positive yesterday for the Lib Dems and poor for the Conservatives. I've been saying for a while that the Con vote share is potentially soft and that the government hasn't always displayed unity and purpose, particularly on Brexit.

    All the same, come the general election, when the government of the country is up for grabs, very different dynamics will come into play. Likewise, parties' machines will be tested rather more thoroughly than in a low turnout by-election.
    There have been two other Westminster by-elections in Conservative-held seats recently. The blue team suffered 20% adverse swings in them.
    Richmond Park was unique and Witney was the unwinding of the Dave's massive personal vote.
    So rather than all the local by-elections which the Conservatives are routinely losing and the two Westminster by-elections in which the Conservatives saw eye-popping swings against them, we should regard Sleaford & North Hykeham -which uniquely shows the Conservative support as steady - as the sole true indicator? Hmmm, rather than throwing away so many data points I'm more inclined to take them at face value and treat the outlier as the outlier.
    I didn't say that, what we're getting is by election results that can be explained by local factors. As I said last week none of the recent Westminister by election results are consistent with the Tories 16% ahead.

    What we need is by elections in marginals, according to informed observers we should get a by election in Thanet South, I'd love to see by elections in say places like Yeovil and Derby North
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    williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 48,056
    FF43 said:

    Scotland is (mostly) simple. The defining issue is independence. If you support independence you will vote SNP or Green as an alternative. If you don't, you vote one of the unionist parties.

    Now imagine if England gets a bit like that. If you support independence (Brexit), you vote Conservative, UKIP or Labour. If you don't, you vote Lib Dem.

    The Lib Dems have a huge structural advantage now.
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    PlatoSaidPlatoSaid Posts: 10,383
    kle4 said:

    The saracens head was a pub I saw once. Wouldn't let a new one open with that name.

    We'd Turk's Head, Saracens et al as pub names. Lots of Grey's and Eldon's for local history.

    Grey's Monument is our Trafalgar Sq. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey's_Monument

    Grey's Monument is a Grade I listed monument to Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey built in 1838 in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It was erected to acclaim Earl Grey for the passing of the Great Reform Act of 1832 and stands at the head of Grey Street. It consists of a statue of Lord Grey standing atop a 130-foot-high (40 m) column. The column was designed by local architects John and Benjamin Green, and the statue was created by the sculptor Edward Hodges Baily (creator of Nelson's statue in Trafalgar Square).[1]
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    El_CapitanoEl_Capitano Posts: 3,870

    Richmond Park was unique and Witney was the unwinding of the Dave's massive personal vote.

    Speaking as someone who lives there, Witney was much more than that.
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    midwintermidwinter Posts: 1,112
    Patrick said:

    Electoral calculus question: If the LibDems are coming back who does that ultimately benefit the most?

    The LDs themselves for sure - 10 more seats? 20? Who knows.
    Labour - Oh dear. The left is resplitting. Northern/central/suburban marginals looking even more dicey.
    Tories - Hmmm. SW losses but marginal gains from Labour. Overall quite positive I think due to left resplitting effect.
    UKIP - Can't see any real impact.

    At GE? Tories up. LDs up. Lab down. = Healthy majority.

    Rather short term thinking. What happens after 2020 (or before) if Corbyn ups sticks?
    The other downside of the lurch to the right and the consequent detox of the Lib Dems is that the spectre of tactical voting against the Tories rears its head again.
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    williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 48,056

    What we need is by elections in marginals, according to informed observers we should get a by election in Thanet South

    That would be instructive as to how much Farage has ruined his personal brand with all the toadying to Trump.
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    PlatoSaid said:

    Appalling

    Tony Gallagher
    Cops monitored every call in and out of the @TheNorthernEcho for two days. Horrifying https://t.co/dxKCQDeawX

    It's quite common for plod use the these spying powers to hunt down whistle blowers. RIPA needs amending to stop these abuses of the law.
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    kle4 said:

    The saracens head was a pub I saw once. Wouldn't let a new one open with that name.

    Assume that it wasn't the Sarry Heid in Glasgow which used to have a fearsome reputation? Haven't been in for a while but I believe it's now somewhat gentrified i.e. there might be toilet roll in the lavvies.
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    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,986
    The Tories' voteshare rose though in the by elections in Fife and Powys. The LD machine is clearly winning back council seats in areas like Teignbridge and Taunton the LDs used to hold. The harder it looks like Brexit will be the better the LDs will do and the softer it looks like Brexit will be the better UKIP will do. At the moment it looks like hard Brexit based on May's conference speech but in reality it will be more like grey Brexit based on the statements of her ministers and advisers.
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    kle4 said:

    The saracens head was a pub I saw once. Wouldn't let a new one open with that name.

    Assume that it wasn't the Sarry Heid in Glasgow which used to have a fearsome reputation? Haven't been in for a while but I believe it's now somewhat gentrified i.e. there might be toilet roll in the lavvies.
    Is that the pub that's so hard, that even arms on the chairs have tattoos?
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    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,986
    AM Sleaford is in line with the polls and was the only one of the 3 which voted Leave and of course a clear majority of Tory seats voted Leave
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    MarkSeniorMarkSenior Posts: 4,699
    HYUFD said:

    The Tories' voteshare rose though in the by elections in Fife and Powys. The LD machine is clearly winning back council seats in areas like Teignbridge and Taunton the LDs used to hold. The harder it looks like Brexit will be the better the LDs will do and the softer it looks like Brexit will be the better UKIP will do. At the moment it looks like hard Brexit based on May's conference speech but in reality it will be more like grey Brexit based on the statements of her ministers and advisers.

    The Lib Dems had never won the seat in Taunton . Blackdown had been Conservative every election since it was created in 1973 .
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    JonathanJonathan Posts: 20,901
    The Lib Dems are back.
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    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,725

    kle4 said:

    The saracens head was a pub I saw once. Wouldn't let a new one open with that name.

    Assume that it wasn't the Sarry Heid in Glasgow which used to have a fearsome reputation? Haven't been in for a while but I believe it's now somewhat gentrified i.e. there might be toilet roll in the lavvies.
    Fancy!

    No, it was in Bath, which is all gentry anyway, I think.
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    These are awful results for the Conservatives however you slice them. Sleaford & North Hykeham looks more like an exception than the rule.

    Sleaford & North Hykeham is the exception. It's a Westminster seat, not a second-tier council.

    The by-elections were positive yesterday for the Lib Dems and poor for the Conservatives. I've been saying for a while that the Con vote share is potentially soft and that the government hasn't always displayed unity and purpose, particularly on Brexit.

    All the same, come the general election, when the government of the country is up for grabs, very different dynamics will come into play. Likewise, parties' machines will be tested rather more thoroughly than in a low turnout by-election.
    There have been two other Westminster by-elections in Conservative-held seats recently. The blue team suffered 20% adverse swings in them.
    Richmond Park was unique and Witney was the unwinding of the Dave's massive personal vote.
    So rather than all the local by-elections which the Conservatives are routinely losing and the two Westminster by-elections in which the Conservatives saw eye-popping swings against them, we should regard Sleaford & North Hykeham -which uniquely shows the Conservative support as steady - as the sole true indicator? Hmmm, rather than throwing away so many data points I'm more inclined to take them at face value and treat the outlier as the outlier.
    In a sense, they're all outliers, although they tell us a little of the Con/LD picture. What we really need is a parliamentary by-election in a Con/Lab marginal.
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    AlistairAlistair Posts: 23,670

    These results in the South West aren't surprising.

    The Tory private polling in the South West at the last general election showed the Lib Dem to Con defectors really really really liked David Cameron on every metric, as a person, as a politician, as Prime Minister, which was reciprocated as he loved holidaying in that part of the world.

    Mrs May doesn't have that level of support, and to be fair, apart from Ken Clarke, I don't think any other Tory could match Cameron's level of support in this part of the country.

    I noticed he spent a lot of time campaigning down there in the election. I interpreted it as giving up all hope of winning nationally and trying to minimise the Lib Dem numbers a bit in the next coalition government at the time - which shows how little I know.
    The Tories did a lot of things that made me think they weren'

    Excellent results for the LibDems.

    The Blackburn result puts UKIP into some context. It is immensely patronising and very middle class to believe that having a hard-right, economically bone dry leader with a Scouse accent is going to see working class Labour voters flocking to back UKIP. The party has to put in a lot more work than that. Immigration could be a major calling card for UKIP, but it needs to be combined with other stuff as well. That fabled left turn actually has to happen. Nuttall is not on the left in any meaningful way, neither is UKIP's membership.

    The SNP defeated Labour in Scotland by putting in the very hard yards: years and years of local campaigning and taking social democratic positions in a way that alienated and ultimately drove away the party's centre-right, nationalist stalwarts.

    The disastrous 2003 Holyrood campaign under Swinney killed the SNP centre right as athe main locus of power in the party and got the Social Democrats in.

    There was also a radical overhaul of their campaign infrastructure as well.
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    isamisam Posts: 40,916
    Paddy Power 9/5 No overall majority seems a nice bet to me
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    Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453

    That would be instructive as to how much Farage has ruined his personal brand with all the toadying to Trump.

    https://twitter.com/rupertmyers/status/809495087512043520
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    midwintermidwinter Posts: 1,112

    FF43 said:

    Scotland is (mostly) simple. The defining issue is independence. If you support independence you will vote SNP or Green as an alternative. If you don't, you vote one of the unionist parties.

    Now imagine if England gets a bit like that. If you support independence (Brexit), you vote Conservative, UKIP or Labour. If you don't, you vote Lib Dem.

    The Lib Dems have a huge structural advantage now.
    Be interesting to see if they are able to maintain that advantage once article 50 has been triggered.
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    PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,917
    Does anyone seriously still believe there could be a 2017 Election with these sorts of results ?

    Politicians get scared very very easily, south West MPs will not be offering up their jobs after a year !

    Anyone who has backed it at a short price is in for Brownian disappointment !
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    PlatoSaid said:

    Appalling

    Tony Gallagher
    Cops monitored every call in and out of the @TheNorthernEcho for two days. Horrifying https://t.co/dxKCQDeawX

    It's quite common for plod use the these spying powers to hunt down whistle blowers. RIPA needs amending to stop these abuses of the law.
    No, the law needs enforcing. An abuse of the law is an abuse of the law - and should lead to prosecutions, convictions and, where appropriate, incarcerations.

    (Which isn't to say that RIPA isn't too broadly drawn but that's a different issue from police going on fishing trips). If they didn't abuse RIPA, they'd abuse some other legislation - anti-terrorism seemed to be favoured a little while ago.
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    FF43FF43 Posts: 15,710

    kle4 said:

    The saracens head was a pub I saw once. Wouldn't let a new one open with that name.

    Assume that it wasn't the Sarry Heid in Glasgow which used to have a fearsome reputation? Haven't been in for a while but I believe it's now somewhat gentrified i.e. there might be toilet roll in the lavvies.
    Just the friendly Glaswegian banter. People sometimes misinterpret.

    Apparently had all the mod cons when James Boswell stayed there with Samuel Johnson in the 18th century. Limited investment in the premises since then, though.
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    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,725
    I didn't know New Zealand has a new Prime Minister. Bill English, sounds like a good man.

    (A former leader of his party who led them to a bad election defeat, but I guess time heals all wounds)
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    TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 40,045
    edited December 2016

    kle4 said:

    The saracens head was a pub I saw once. Wouldn't let a new one open with that name.

    Assume that it wasn't the Sarry Heid in Glasgow which used to have a fearsome reputation? Haven't been in for a while but I believe it's now somewhat gentrified i.e. there might be toilet roll in the lavvies.
    Is that the pub that's so hard, that even arms on the chairs have tattoos?
    So hard that Chuck Norris swiftly downed his pint, made his excuses and left.
    In fact I think it's one of those places who's reputation long outlasted the actualité, perfectly ok the times I've been in.
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    midwinter said:

    Patrick said:

    Electoral calculus question: If the LibDems are coming back who does that ultimately benefit the most?

    The LDs themselves for sure - 10 more seats? 20? Who knows.
    Labour - Oh dear. The left is resplitting. Northern/central/suburban marginals looking even more dicey.
    Tories - Hmmm. SW losses but marginal gains from Labour. Overall quite positive I think due to left resplitting effect.
    UKIP - Can't see any real impact.

    At GE? Tories up. LDs up. Lab down. = Healthy majority.

    Rather short term thinking. What happens after 2020 (or before) if Corbyn ups sticks?
    The other downside of the lurch to the right and the consequent detox of the Lib Dems is that the spectre of tactical voting against the Tories rears its head again.
    With the current ratings as they are, we might well see one-way tactical voting i.e. Lab-inclined will vote LD to stop the Tory, but LDs won't return the favour.
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    FF43 said:

    Scotland is (mostly) simple. The defining issue is independence. If you support independence you will vote SNP or Green as an alternative. If you don't, you vote one of the unionist parties.

    Now imagine if England gets a bit like that. If you support independence (Brexit), you vote Conservative, UKIP or Labour. If you don't, you vote Lib Dem.

    The Lib Dems have a huge structural advantage now.
    Brexit is not the defining issue in England that Independence is in Scotland.
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    kle4kle4 Posts: 91,725
    Pulpstar said:

    Does anyone seriously still believe there could be a 2017 Election with these sorts of results ?

    Politicians get scared very very easily, south West MPs will not be offering up their jobs after a year !

    Anyone who has backed it at a short price is in for Brownian disappointment !

    Agreed. The Tories would expect to come out on top through Labour losses and maybe not as many LDs gains as might be thought, but the better the LDs look like doing the more the Tories will not be keen to risk it. Unless parliament were to fail to vote to trigger A50, in which case they'd be very confident and happy to go ahead I imagine.

    And please no one come back with that 'May said she doesn't want one so it won't happen' crap. Of course she said that, but if she thought she'd win big, she'd find a way to do it, having reassessed the situation.
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    williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 48,056

    FF43 said:

    Scotland is (mostly) simple. The defining issue is independence. If you support independence you will vote SNP or Green as an alternative. If you don't, you vote one of the unionist parties.

    Now imagine if England gets a bit like that. If you support independence (Brexit), you vote Conservative, UKIP or Labour. If you don't, you vote Lib Dem.

    The Lib Dems have a huge structural advantage now.
    Brexit is not the defining issue in England that Independence is in Scotland.
    Can you honestly see a campaign in which every issue isn't talked about through the prism of Brexit? Even if this parliament goes full term, Brexit will still be a live issue - people are kidding themselves if they think it will be done and dusted by then.
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    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    Nigelb said:

    Meanwhile, the EU demands 50 billion alimony payment...
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/15/britain-will-handed-50bn-exit-bill-eu-theresa-may-triggers-article/

    If we're to be on the hook for liabilities, ought we not to get a corresponding share of the assets ?

    As far as I'm concerned they can keep Jean-Claude Juncker
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    Excellent results for the LibDems.

    The Blackburn result puts UKIP into some context. It is immensely patronising and very middle class to believe that having a hard-right, economically bone dry leader with a Scouse accent is going to see working class Labour voters flocking to back UKIP. The party has to put in a lot more work than that. Immigration could be a major calling card for UKIP, but it needs to be combined with other stuff as well. That fabled left turn actually has to happen. Nuttall is not on the left in any meaningful way, neither is UKIP's membership.

    The SNP defeated Labour in Scotland by putting in the very hard yards: years and years of local campaigning and taking social democratic positions in a way that alienated and ultimately drove away the party's centre-right, nationalist stalwarts.

    I would also say it's a very south-eastern, 'that lot up there' attitude. As you say, ill-informed and incredibly patronizing. The idea that, say, the people of Yorkshire will swoon over some shaven-headed Scouse bloke simply because Liverpool isn't in the southerly bit of Britain is risible. In some ways the Farage persona was more accessible because he played, however grotesquely, a generic and recognizable English type; the Scouse bovver-boy look is the stuff of the margins and without universal appeal.
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    geoffwgeoffw Posts: 8,150
    .

    FF43 said:

    Scotland is (mostly) simple. The defining issue is independence. If you support independence you will vote SNP or Green as an alternative. If you don't, you vote one of the unionist parties.

    Now imagine if England gets a bit like that. If you support independence (Brexit), you vote Conservative, UKIP or Labour. If you don't, you vote Lib Dem.

    The Lib Dems have a huge structural advantage now.
    Brexit is not the defining issue in England that Independence is in Scotland.
    Maybe not, but it is more likely.
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    PlatoSaidPlatoSaid Posts: 10,383
    FF43 said:

    kle4 said:

    The saracens head was a pub I saw once. Wouldn't let a new one open with that name.

    Assume that it wasn't the Sarry Heid in Glasgow which used to have a fearsome reputation? Haven't been in for a while but I believe it's now somewhat gentrified i.e. there might be toilet roll in the lavvies.
    Just the friendly Glaswegian banter. People sometimes misinterpret.

    Apparently had all the mod cons when James Boswell stayed there with Samuel Johnson in the 18th century. Limited investment in the premises since then, though.
    My local was the Farmer's Rest - there was a sign in the Ladies that said to ask behind the bar if you wanted soap or bog roll. There were two loos for girls - one required picking up the door and sticking it in the hole if you wanted a bit of privacy.

    It was raided by the police every week and populated entirely by bikers. It was brilliant and very friendly if hardcore. The owner Hazel was about 7st and 60. Her rule was absolute. Her son spent time in Durham jail for GBH and washed glasses so badly the lipstick was still on them.
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    midwintermidwinter Posts: 1,112

    midwinter said:

    Patrick said:

    Electoral calculus question: If the LibDems are coming back who does that ultimately benefit the most?

    The LDs themselves for sure - 10 more seats? 20? Who knows.
    Labour - Oh dear. The left is resplitting. Northern/central/suburban marginals looking even more dicey.
    Tories - Hmmm. SW losses but marginal gains from Labour. Overall quite positive I think due to left resplitting effect.
    UKIP - Can't see any real impact.

    At GE? Tories up. LDs up. Lab down. = Healthy majority.

    Rather short term thinking. What happens after 2020 (or before) if Corbyn ups sticks?
    The other downside of the lurch to the right and the consequent detox of the Lib Dems is that the spectre of tactical voting against the Tories rears its head again.
    With the current ratings as they are, we might well see one-way tactical voting i.e. Lab-inclined will vote LD to stop the Tory, but LDs won't return the favour.
    Yes absolutely as things stand. I do think the Tories are stting themselves up for an electoral drubbing in 2025 by which time presumably Labour will have sorted themselves out though.
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    rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 53,960
    @isam, I think the Tories will pick up a couple of seats in Scotland, which makes avoiding a hung parliament that bit more likely
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    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,986
    MS Teignbridge and Taunton were both LD parliamentary seats in the Blair years and their machine as usual threw everything at these council by elections
This discussion has been closed.