Friday 8th May 2015

[minch]

I'd advise anyone with a polling company to pack it in & find something else to do.

Even the exit poll wasn't that good - it said 316 and it looks like 329. Quite a % error.

[LadyCentauria]

Is lowering the voting age another thing that wo'n't go ahead under Cameron?

[rebeccariots2]

Which seems to be the case most elections, and it's one of the things we need to address.

How though? Mr Riots and I have just had a small chat about the lack of political consciousness in the UK - following a large hug to get us to the point where we could even speak about the state of our country.

It certainly won't be enough to work very hard - as a lot of us did - on doorsteps for months in advance of the next election. The engagement of younger people and all the other groups who will be profoundly affected by the rightwing march of politics and society has to be started right now and in a meaningful and rewarding way for those getting involved in it. By rewarding I don't mean monetary gain or other mainly self interested incentives ... I mean in a way that makes it intrinsically good to be a part of.

I know, it's going to be bloody difficult.

TBH - whilst I thought the overall ground tactics were pretty good - the 4 million conversations etc. Not much else that came from the central machine to me as member working out in the constituency was that well targeted or supportive. The best material, message and support came from our very good - exceedingly good - candidate and others working locally. I will try to find the time and right words to send him a supportive message later today. I am heartened to see quite a lot of very good messages for him on the local newspapers Facebook comment board under the election results.

[StephenDolan]

So more powers to Scotland and EVEL asap. Sturgeon and Cameron must be very pleased.

[AngryAsWell]

66% turn out? I don't understand
The polling booths have never been busier, had to queue at ours (unheard of in the 25 years I've lived here) and not far from us they had to bring in an extra booths to cope. A look at yesterdays AS blog shows the same queuing all over the country.

Yeah, but they must all have been voting Tory and UKIP.

The real point is that turnout was only about 1% up on 2010 despite all the anecdotal reports, which also matched my own impressions

Exactly - I really don't understand

[daydreamer]

Shapps says fewer, more-equal-sized, constituencies has already been voted for so they can just press straight on with introducing it

FFS

[rebeccariots2]

Thinking of Ernst - that Bury North outcome was horribly close. Wishing you well Ernst if you are looking in here.

[SpinningHugo]

The advantages the Labour opposition had are enormous. They include

(i) The collapse off the Liberal Democrats.

Soon after the 2010 General Election, the Liberal Democrat vote more than halved. In 2010 the Liberal Democrats received 23% of the vote. In 2015 only 8% .The proximate cause of this change was the reneging on the promise not to raise tuition fees. These votes, at least initially, seemed to go to Labour, which received an immediate poll boost.

This alone, should have been enough to give Labour victory.

(ii) The rise of Ukip.

In the 2010 General Election Ukip received 3% of the vote. In 2015 11%. Now, some of these voters were drawn from Labour, or non-voters, but a plurality came from the Conservative party.

This alone should have been enough to give Labour victory.

(iii) Austerity and Incompetence

In 2010 Mervyn King warned that "whoever wins this election will be out of power for a whole generation because of how tough the fiscal austerity will have to be".

http://www.theguardian.com/business/201 ... ion-victor

In other European countries this has proven so. Whatever one thinks of the policy on austerity, its unpopularity was bound to hit the parties of government.

This has been exacerbated by several instances of government incompetence. The Health and Social Care Act as a largely pointless and unpopular reform, appearing to give a lie to the promise of 'no top down reorganisation of the NHS." (Claiming that it was in fact bottom up was a subtlety lost on most.) Ian Duncan Smith was, as we all know, the worst and most incompetent minister in living memory.

Outside of Scotland, this election was extraordinarily propitious for Labour.

Now, Scotland was something beyond the current leadership's control. They were not responsible for the decades of Labour neglect in Scotland, nor the independence referendum, nor for the surge of feeling that gave rise to on both sides of the border.

But, the major factor in the defeat was the leadership.

The leader elected was an indulgent choice. He was, and remains in my view, the weakest of all the serious candidates. For five years we have had drift. The policy review was a joke. His pivot to the left and abandonment of the positions adopted by the last government were predicated on the 3 factors I listed above giving victory. .

This has proven a terrible mistake.

Now some of the more absolutist amongst you will claim Labour should not sell its soul for power.

This is a bad mistake. It is very hard for a modern government to transform society for the good. Very easy to make things much worse quickly, and inflict horrific misery on the least well off. The Lib Dems may have been Quislings, and have suffered the fate they deserved, but they did operate as a brake.

We are about to find out what a Tory majority government can do.

The first duty of the Labour party is to keep the Tories out. Everything on top is a bonus.

We cannot afford to be as purist and self indulgent as we have been.

[PorFavor]

I'm not feeling any better. In fact, in the cold light of day, everything seems much worse. Another quick burst of "I'll Put You Together Again"? No. Maybe not.


Edited to close quotes.

[daydreamer]

So Ed's still p***ing the media off by not doing what they want him to do. Good on him. Ed may have lost in the end, but he had the right-wing press sweating there for a bit and I honestly didn't believe that was possible when he first went up against Murdoch. I thought the press would flatten him but they didn't - he nearly became PM and implemented Leveson. It was a brave try. I just don't go along with people who like the Blair's and Obama's who win, but then don't actually do anything. Ed did more from opposition than Obama's achieved in his 2nd term. It's worth bearing that in mind.

Which is why it's such a tragedy to lose him. Considering all he achieved from opposition, he would have made an excellent PM.

Which is exactly what the Murdochs of this world were so scared of.

On a brighter note, the Murdochs of this world (otherwise known as Michael Moore's 'Stupid White Men') are getting on in years and the next generation isn't really matching up. I do wonder if the wealthy elite will be able to keep such a tight grip once the patriarchs that built the original empires shuffle off. I can't see their trustafarian children being so committed to world domination - it takes a lot of work!

Hope your right Willow, but at this moment in time the Bastard as won.

[pk1]

Do ordinary Labour party members get a vote on the Leadership elections ?

[Temulkar]

You just really want more 'thanks' don't you?

I wasnt going to post today, as a labour activist in 87 and 92 I know exactly how you all feel, and really do empathise. However, the green vote increased by 3%, people who generally are natural supporters of the Labour movement. That 3% would have saved Ed Balls amongst others. That's not me gloating just stating a fact.

Many in the green party (myself included) would have welcomed an accord with Labour, and alliance even, but we were driven away. We were insulted, sworn at, belittled and sneered over. I saw Kittyjones among others behaving like the very worst of the cybernats towards greens, indeed anyone on the left who dared to question Labour. In Bristol it was incredibly vicious and dirty. On this very forum, I saw a woman's mental health touted as a reason to ignore her opinion. It wasn't the tory party driving green voters from Labour. I have had so many conversations with people who turned their back on labour because of the abuse from supporters. Even then some of our candidates in marginals told people to vote labour. I dont know if that was noticed on here.

If you want allies on the left then, as I have said many times, you need to offer them something and not simply sneer about splitting the left vote. Labour lost because Labour lost. We figured that out in 92 and elected John Smith and for all his faults the first term Blair. I know it's dark now but it does get better, and this parliament isnt going to last five years - 2 at the most. So lets really work together to get them out.

We did ok last night, although I expect a new speaker soonish, but we have grown immeasuraably, we have constittuency parties accross the UK and a base to really work for the future.

Thanks for posting, nice message.

You could also say that the "split the vote" stuff was dead right. The Tories certainly voted Tory where they needed to.

Not sure I would, because lots of the Green stuff is so different to Labour. Something like £200bn of tax rises was in the manifesto. There's always going to be something else Labour isn't doing that a Green will see as a key issue.

Think makes more sense to hammer away roughly where Labour is, with a leader people take to.

I dont think that will work to be honest, surprisingly I agree with hugo in some respects, although from a different perspective.

In 1910ish my great grandfather split my family when he left the Liberals and joined Labour to set up the local branch. Back then the liberals were very much the party of the working class. The reforms in 1906 made them incredibly popular. Labour was a movement though, it went out into communities and educated, and talked to people. It chose local people to do that, Scots Welsh English, they had to combat voter apathy and engage the electorate. The movement was built and drove the party. That changed in the 70s really, long before Blair. Lodges closed, the movement died; Blair turned it into just another party, and voter apathy set in. 20% of the electorate just stopped voting. And they were labour voters.

I think Labour needs to become a movement again. 35% of the electorate didnt vote, go out there engage them grab them, spend the rest of the decade educating them. All those people who voted kipper, you can win them back (except the bigots and nutjobs) but it really means changing the party, casting away the ideas of the last 30-40-50 years even. It means stop parachuting in people like Kinnock in, however able he might be. It means becoming less London-centric and more working class. You need brickies and white van drivers, st george flag wavers, the gobshites down the pub, people on the dole, people who never dreamed of university as candidates. Get them back and Labour wont lose another election to the tory party again, ever.

I know you all dislike him,(and I cant say Im a fan) but one of the few people left in the party who actually gets that is Danczuk.

[daydreamer]

Is lowering the voting age another thing that wo'n't go ahead under Cameron?

Yes, but not that it matters much, as it seems the younger voters don't bother to get out and vote in anything like the numbers needed.

[StephenDolan]

The advantages the Labour opposition had are enormous. They include

(i) The collapse off the Liberal Democrats.

Soon after the 2010 General Election, the Liberal Democrat vote more than halved. In 2010 the Liberal Democrats received 23% of the vote. In 2015 only .The proximate cause of this change was the reneging on the promise not to raise tuition fees. These votes, at least initially, seemed to go to Labour, which received an immediate poll boost.

This alone, should have been enough to give Labour victory.

(ii) The rise of Ukip.

In the 2010 General Election Ukip received 3% of the vote. In 2015 . Now, some of these voters were drawn from Labour, or non-voters, but a plurality came from the Conservative party.

This alone should have been enough to give Labour victory.

(iii) Austerity and Incompetence

In 2010 Mervyn King warned that "whoever wins this election will be out of power for a whole generation because of how tough the fiscal austerity will have to be".

http://www.theguardian.com/business/201 ... ion-victor

In other European countries this has proven so. Whatever one thinks of the policy on austerity, its unpopularity was bound to hit the parties of government.

This has been exacerbated by several instances of government incompetence. The Health and Social Care Act as a largely pointless and unpopular reform, appearing to give a lie to the promise of 'no top down reorganisation of the NHS." (Claiming that it was in fact bottom up was a subtlety lost on most.) Ian Duncan Smith was, as we all know, the worst and most incompetent minister in living memory.

Outside of Scotland, this election was extraordinarily propitious for Labour.

Now, Scotland was something beyond the current leadership's control. They were not responsible for the decades of Labour neglect in Scotland, nor the independence referendum, nor to the surge of feeling that gave rise to on both sides of the border.

But, the major factor in the defeat was the leadership.

The leader elected was an indulgent choice. He was, and remains in my view, the weakest of all the serious candidates. For five years we have had drift. The policy review was a joke. His pivot to the left and abandonment of the positions adopted by the last government were predicated on the 3 factors I listed above giving victory. .

This has proven a terrible mistake.

Now some of the more absolutist amongst you will claim Labour should not sell its soul for power.

This is a bad mistake. It is very hard for a modern government to transform society for the good. Very easy to make things much worse quickly, and inflict horrific misery on the least well off. The Lib Dems may have been Quislings, and have suffered the fate they deserved, but they did operate as a brake.

We are about to find out what a Tory majority government can do.

The first duty of the Labour party is to keep the Tories out. Everything on top is a bonus.

We cannot afford to be as purist and self indulgent as we have been.

SH the main driver was the failure to address the Labour overspending caused the crash myth early and repelling often. I realise in a partisan media environment that this was hard but that careless and profligate badge stuck.

[AngryAsWell]

Do ordinary Labour party members get a vote on the Leadership elections ?

Yes

[daydreamer]

How though? Mr Riots and I have just had a small chat about the lack of political consciousness in the UK - following a large hug to get us to the point where we could even speak about the state of our country.

It certainly won't be enough to work very hard - as a lot of us did - on doorsteps for months in advance of the next election. The engagement of younger people and all the other groups who will be profoundly affected by the rightwing march of politics and society has to be started right now and in a meaningful and rewarding way for those getting involved in it. By rewarding I don't mean monetary gain or other mainly self interested incentives ... I mean in a way that makes it intrinsically good to be a part of.

I know, it's going to be bloody difficult.

TBH - whilst I thought the overall ground tactics were pretty good - the 4 million conversations etc. Not much else that came from the central machine to me as member working out in the constituency was that well targeted or supportive. The best material, message and support came from our very good - exceedingly good - candidate and others working locally. I will try to find the time and right words to send him a supportive message later today. I am heartened to see quite a lot of very good messages for him on the local newspapers Facebook comment board under the election results.

Thanks. Something else the party needs to work on.

[PorFavor]

Do ordinary Labour party members get a vote on the Leadership elections ?

Yes.

[StephenDolan]

Just completed a political YouGov survey. Let the investigation commence.

[daydreamer]

Thinking of Ernst - that Bury North outcome was horribly close. Wishing you well Ernst if you are looking in here.

Yes, wishing you well, Ernst.

[yahyah]

I feel this space is less than safe, emotionally speaking.

As well as the right wing troll posting, a lurker's been around who was very arrogant and offensive to Labour supporting posters in the past.

[StephenDolan]

I feel this space is less than safe, emotionally speaking.

As well as the right wing troll posting, a lurker's been around who was very arrogant and offensive to Labour supporting posters in the past.

Trolls come and go. FTN stays FTN.

[LadyCentauria]

Con hold Warwick & Leamington.

Now let's hope LibDem Andrew George can retain his St. Ives seat, which is not now due to declare until 4pm – partly due to flying the ballot boxes in from the Isles of Scilly. Unless Labour can, by some miracle, take it from under the noses of the Tories. It's the last seat remaining unfilled.

[rebeccariots2]

I dont think that will work to be honest, surprisingly I agree with hugo in some respects, although from a different perspective.

In 1910ish my great grandfather split my family when he left the Liberals and joined Labour to set up the local branch. Back then the liberals were very much the party of the working class. The reforms in 1906 made them incredibly popular. Labour was a movement though, it went out into communities and educated, and talked to people. It chose local people to do that, Scots Welsh English, they had to combat voter apathy and engage the electorate. The movement was built and drove the party. That changed in the 70s really, long before Blair. Lodges closed, the movement died; Blair turned it into just another party, and voter apathy set in. 20% of the electorate just stopped voting. And they were labour voters.

I think Labour needs to become a movement again. 35% of the electorate didnt vote, go out there engage them grab them, spend the rest of the decade educating them. All those people who voted kipper, you can win them back (except the bigots and nutjobs) but it really means changing the party, casting away the ideas of the last 30-40-50 years even. It means stop parachuting in people like Kinnock in, however able he might be. It means becoming less London-centric and more working class. You need brickies and white van drivers, st george flag wavers, the gobshites down the pub, people on the dole, people who never dreamed of university as candidates. Get them back and Labour wont lose another election to the tory party again, ever.

I know you all dislike him,(and I cant say Im a fan) but one of the few people left in the party who actually gets that is Danczuk.

Thank you for that Temulkar. I think you've probably given some good advice about what's needed in that post. I do know it resonates with how I became engaged here - because of the candidate not despite him - local roots and focus, passion about jobs and conditions for all in the community, not afraid to say it like it is about difficult stuff, experience of redundancy in his family, looking for solutions rather than merely anti others.

[pk1]

This is not the email I wanted to be writing to you today. I am profoundly sorry for the defeat we suffered, and more grateful than I can express for the support that you have shown me, and our party, throughout this campaign.

I take full responsibility for the result of the election, and that’s why it’s absolutely right that I step down as Labour’s leader today.

It has been the utmost privilege to serve this party as your leader, and to spend the last four-and-a-half years fighting for the millions of British families who need and deserve the fairness, compassion and opportunity that only a Labour government can provide.

Yet while defeats are hard, we are a party that will never stop fighting for the working people of this country. Britain needs a strong Labour Party and it is the responsibility of each of us to continue the fight. The stakes are too high to wait for others to lead.

It isn’t simply leaders who achieve change, it is people that make change happen. I will never give up on that idea, I will never give up on our cause and I will never give up on our fight.

Thank you again for everything, and please, keep on fighting too. The course of progress and social justice is never simple or straightforward, and change happens because people like us don’t give up.

Yours,
Ed

Pass the tissues again.

[tinyclanger2]

“People were saying they wanted clarity, a government not beholden to the SNP. That message chimed with people right at the end of the campaign,”

On the LibDem anihilation and what they were finding on the ground in the last couple of days. So the Tory lies worked and now the guy who sowed those doubts about Scotland is now going to save the union.

My arse. (If PF will forgive my theft of her phraseology.)

[SpinningHugo]

SH the main driver was the failure to address the Labour overspending caused the crash myth early and repelling often. I realise in a partisan media environment that this was hard but that careless and profligate badge stuck.

And the responsibility for that primarily lies with?

Re-read

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... hip-speech

Right from the get go, addressing that was central to what he wanted to do. it should have been remorseless.

It was a failure of leadership.

[pk1]

Joe Murphy is the political editor of the London Evening Standard:

@JoeMurphyLondon 2m2 minutes ago
To the SNP cybernats who hurled so much abuse, well done on getting @David_Cameron elected. You & @NicolaSturgeon won it for the Tories

[AnatolyKasparov]

I feel this space is less than safe, emotionally speaking.

As well as the right wing troll posting, a lurker's been around who was very arrogant and offensive to Labour supporting posters in the past.

If you mean Temulkar, he has been nothing but respectful today - and I agree with quite a lot of what he said.

Agree that rusty is a worthless troll who should just be banned......

[pk1]

I'm going to have to stop reading these messages:

Representing Glasgow Cathcart, and then Glasgow South, at Westminster has been the greatest privilege of my political life.

It sounds like a cliché, yet it’s true that being an MP is an incredible honour, and I want to take this opportunity publicly to congratulate my successor, Stewart McDonald, and to wish him well in the job.

In the last 14 years I’ve been given opportunities that few others get, not only to meet amazing people in the constituency and beyond, but also to help them. I suspect I will never again experience anything quite as fulfilling as being able to intervene on behalf of a constituent and to succeed in changing their life for the better.

Today I am heart-broken for my party at both UK and Scottish level. I can offer no particularly valuable insights as to the way forward for either of them – I will leave that to others.

Let me just say one thing by way of an attempt at political analysis: it’s (probably correctly) assumed that Scottish Labour has paid the price for its support for the No campaign in last year’s referendum. If that is indeed the case, then I have to conclude that it was a price that had to be paid. I and many Scottish Labour colleagues lost our jobs last night, and that’s to be regretted. But if we had lost the referendum, we would have lost our country, and that would have been far, far worse.

Thank you and good bye.

Tom Harris

8 May 2015

[yahyah]

I'm taking this surprisingly well, albeit can't watch the news.

Am the same Tubs. No radio, no TV, no Guardian.

Just you horrible lot, my lovely hubby and Glenn Gould playing Bach's English Suites.
The music is helping soothe the soul.

[utopiandreams]

I've just been speaking to a friendly face I often encounter, telling her what a miserable day it was. Her husband used to work with Mark Todd, at least I think it were her husband. Anyway when I remarked on it she said she already knew about Heather Wheeler doubling her majority, and beating Labour by approximately two to one. I explained that I now understood Cameron's same sex marriage bill, there were obviously a lot of closet Tories who have all come out now.

[yahyah]

I feel this space is less than safe, emotionally speaking.

As well as the right wing troll posting, a lurker's been around who was very arrogant and offensive to Labour supporting posters in the past.

If you mean Temulkar, he has been nothing but respectful today - and I agree with quite a lot of what he said.

Agree that rusty is a worthless troll who should just be banned......

Sorry, I do apologise then, to you all and to him.
Was naturally suspicious after past encounters.

[StephenDolan]

It turns out the Lib Dems’ private canvassing picked up what he called a “subtle but terrible” shift to the Tories in the last few days in Cheltenham, where Martin Horwood lost his seat.

“People were saying they wanted clarity, a government not beholden to the SNP. That message chimed with people right at the end of the campaign,” said Grant. “We did some re-canvassing in Cheltenham. The trend among switch voters – those deciding between ourselves and the Conservatives – was away from us. There was a desire for certainty.”

Actually, they didn’t pick up that trend elsewhere and poured resources into Cheltenham to try to save it. “We thought maybe this was something peculiar to Cheltenham,” he said.

It turned out it wasn’t.


From the Guardian PLB. So the fear of the SNP seeped into their marginals.

[tinyclanger2]

Kettle is on almost constantly and my eye is wandering towards chocolate. I am working (not diligently) on the last part of what I hope will be a contribution to all this at some point, and meanwhile am girding loins, griddling lions, piecing cods and generally trying to get me brain aligned to help sort out this crap out next time round. Five years is not long to genuinely engage a politically dysfunctional nation, so I figure we need to get on with it.
Given my views on the non-bastard alliance, where do we - collectively - start?

[pk1]

LDs hold Eastleigh council seat, just not the MP

[PorFavor]

Kettle is on almost constantly and my eye is wandering towards chocolate. I am working (not diligently) on the last part of what I hope will be a contribution to all this at some point, and meanwhile am girding loins, griddling lions, piecing cods and generally trying to get me brain aligned to help sort out this crap out next time round. Five years is not long to genuinely engage a politically dysfunctional nation, so I figure we need to get on with it.
Given my views on the non-bastard alliance, where do we - collectively - start?

Tell you what - you do the creative thinking and I'll do the proof-reading and editing. How's that sound?

[rebeccariots2]

It turns out the Lib Dems’ private canvassing picked up what he called a “subtle but terrible” shift to the Tories in the last few days in Cheltenham, where Martin Horwood lost his seat.

“People were saying they wanted clarity, a government not beholden to the SNP. That message chimed with people right at the end of the campaign,” said Grant. “We did some re-canvassing in Cheltenham. The trend among switch voters – those deciding between ourselves and the Conservatives – was away from us. There was a desire for certainty.”

Actually, they didn’t pick up that trend elsewhere and poured resources into Cheltenham to try to save it. “We thought maybe this was something peculiar to Cheltenham,” he said.

It turned out it wasn’t.


From the Guardian PLB. So the fear of the SNP seeped into their marginals.

I think one of the big ironies (there are other words that could be used there if you prefer ...) of this election outcome is that people really seemed to have decided they didn't want another coalition or deal by deal government. So all the talk from the parties that were saying they would work together with others - of whatever variety - and of using leverage - and of the public getting used to multi party politics .... seemed to be the exact opposite of what most voters thought they wanted. That particular kind of new politics was not it.

[pk1]

@petelawson68 1m1 minute ago
So inspired in different ways by @Jessica_Asato @twcuddleston and @Farmerfizz I've rejoined the Labour Party after 25 years #BeTheChange

[PorFavor]

It turns out the Lib Dems’ private canvassing picked up what he called a “subtle but terrible” shift to the Tories in the last few days in Cheltenham, where Martin Horwood lost his seat.

“People were saying they wanted clarity, a government not beholden to the SNP. That message chimed with people right at the end of the campaign,” said Grant. “We did some re-canvassing in Cheltenham. The trend among switch voters – those deciding between ourselves and the Conservatives – was away from us. There was a desire for certainty.”

Actually, they didn’t pick up that trend elsewhere and poured resources into Cheltenham to try to save it. “We thought maybe this was something peculiar to Cheltenham,” he said.

It turned out it wasn’t.


From the Guardian PLB. So the fear of the SNP seeped into their marginals.

I think one of the big ironies (there are other words that could be used there if you prefer ...) of this election outcome is that people really seemed to have decided they didn't want another coalition or deal by deal government. So all the talk from the parties that were saying they would work together with others - of whatever variety - and of using leverage - and of the public getting used to multi party politics .... seemed to be the exact opposite of what most voters thought they wanted. That particular kind of new politics was not it.

Good point. Mind you, it was Nick Clegg who kept trying to peddle that line.

[daydreamer]

It turns out the Lib Dems’ private canvassing picked up what he called a “subtle but terrible” shift to the Tories in the last few days in Cheltenham, where Martin Horwood lost his seat.

“People were saying they wanted clarity, a government not beholden to the SNP. That message chimed with people right at the end of the campaign,” said Grant. “We did some re-canvassing in Cheltenham. The trend among switch voters – those deciding between ourselves and the Conservatives – was away from us. There was a desire for certainty.”

Actually, they didn’t pick up that trend elsewhere and poured resources into Cheltenham to try to save it. “We thought maybe this was something peculiar to Cheltenham,” he said.

It turned out it wasn’t.


From the Guardian PLB. So the fear of the SNP seeped into their marginals.

FFS How thick are people? Labour wouldn't have been beholden to the SNP! Simple maths for starters. But, I knew this was probably going to happen, as soon as I got a sniff of this. Both Labour and Lib Dem 'door knockers' were starting to report back, large numbers of voters fearing a SNP controlled Labour. John Harris wrote a piece on it in the Guardian, but other sources were saying the same thing. Basically, it's a major reason why they won today, with a majority too. Though, I realise there are other reasons for them winning too.

[rebeccariots2]

Sam Macrory ‏@sammacrory 2m2 minutes ago
Tories helping to vote Clegg in looks like final insult. He's trapped in Parliament as quitting would see Sheffield Hallam lost too #GE2015

[daydreamer]

Kettle is on almost constantly and my eye is wandering towards chocolate. I am working (not diligently) on the last part of what I hope will be a contribution to all this at some point, and meanwhile am girding loins, griddling lions, piecing cods and generally trying to get me brain aligned to help sort out this crap out next time round. Five years is not long to genuinely engage a politically dysfunctional nation, so I figure we need to get on with it.
Given my views on the non-bastard alliance, where do we - collectively - start?

But sadly, a lifetime under a majority Tory government.

[pk1]

But just four days after he endorsed the now-resigned Labour leader, Brand has moved to distance himself from his public support. He said:

I think for a moment I got caught up in some mad The Thick of It, oh wow, Ed Miliband’s in my house... People were telling me, journalists, people who know loads about politics, look if Labour don’t get in it’s going to really be bad because independent living fund will get cut, public services are going get cut more than ever, its going to get worse for very poor people, the climate of the country is going to get mean and nasty. And now actually the Conservatives have won.

Cheers tosser Russell, so you were just a fair weather friend after all.

[AngryAsWell]

I'm taking this surprisingly well, albeit can't watch the news.

Am the same Tubs. No radio, no TV, no Guardian.

Just you horrible lot, my lovely hubby and Glenn Gould playing Bach's English Suites.
The music is helping soothe the soul.

I've PM'ed you yahyah

[LadyCentauria]

Kettle is on almost constantly and my eye is wandering towards chocolate. I am working (not diligently) on the last part of what I hope will be a contribution to all this at some point, and meanwhile am girding loins, griddling lions, piecing cods and generally trying to get me brain aligned to help sort out this crap out next time round. Five years is not long to genuinely engage a politically dysfunctional nation, so I figure we need to get on with it.
Given my views on the non-bastard alliance, where do we - collectively - start?

Tell you what - you do the creative thinking and I'll do the proof-reading and editing. How's that sound?

And I'll cook

[tinyclanger2]

tbh - talking to non-Labour people (while in Hell Yes t-shirt) there are some genuinely nice (if incomprehensible) people who think that the to-ing and fro-ing from one direction to another is a problem. So they voted for continuity as the lesser of two evils. It's the same line my dad used to give me. Well meaning, but simplistic, and - without wishing to sound arrogant - wrong.

[PorFavor]

I expect many of you have had, or will soon receive, this e-mail. Here it is, anyway -

Dear

This is not the email I wanted to be writing to you today. I am profoundly sorry for the defeat we suffered, and more grateful than I can express for the support that you have shown me, and our party, throughout this campaign.

I take full responsibility for the result of the election, and that’s why it’s absolutely right that I step down as Labour’s leader today.

It has been the utmost privilege to serve this party as your leader, and to spend the last four-and-a-half years fighting for the millions of British families who need and deserve the fairness, compassion and opportunity that only a Labour government can provide.

Yet while defeats are hard, we are a party that will never stop fighting for the working people of this country. Britain needs a strong Labour Party and it is the responsibility of each of us to continue the fight. The stakes are too high to wait for others to lead.

It isn’t simply leaders who achieve change, it is people that make change happen. I will never give up on that idea, I will never give up on our cause and I will never give up on our fight.

Thank you again for everything, and please, keep on fighting too. The course of progress and social justice is never simple or straightforward, and change happens because people like us don’t give up.

Yours,
Ed

What can I say?

[daydreamer]

It turns out the Lib Dems’ private canvassing picked up what he called a “subtle but terrible” shift to the Tories in the last few days in Cheltenham, where Martin Horwood lost his seat.

“People were saying they wanted clarity, a government not beholden to the SNP. That message chimed with people right at the end of the campaign,” said Grant. “We did some re-canvassing in Cheltenham. The trend among switch voters – those deciding between ourselves and the Conservatives – was away from us. There was a desire for certainty.”

Actually, they didn’t pick up that trend elsewhere and poured resources into Cheltenham to try to save it. “We thought maybe this was something peculiar to Cheltenham,” he said.

It turned out it wasn’t.


From the Guardian PLB. So the fear of the SNP seeped into their marginals.

I think one of the big ironies (there are other words that could be used there if you prefer ...) of this election outcome is that people really seemed to have decided they didn't want another coalition or deal by deal government. So all the talk from the parties that were saying they would work together with others - of whatever variety - and of using leverage - and of the public getting used to multi party politics .... seemed to be the exact opposite of what most voters thought they wanted. That particular kind of new politics was not it.

Yes, and I think that's why the MSM ran with talk of coalitions and deals, because they'd an idea it's not what the public want, which is another reason to link the SNP to Labour.

[tinyclanger2]

Kettle is on almost constantly and my eye is wandering towards chocolate. I am working (not diligently) on the last part of what I hope will be a contribution to all this at some point, and meanwhile am girding loins, griddling lions, piecing cods and generally trying to get me brain aligned to help sort out this crap out next time round. Five years is not long to genuinely engage a politically dysfunctional nation, so I figure we need to get on with it.
Given my views on the non-bastard alliance, where do we - collectively - start?

But sadly, a lifetime under a majority Tory government.

v true.

[StephenDolan]

But just four days after he endorsed the now-resigned Labour leader, Brand has moved to distance himself from his public support. He said:

I think for a moment I got caught up in some mad The Thick of It, oh wow, Ed Miliband’s in my house... People were telling me, journalists, people who know loads about politics, look if Labour don’t get in it’s going to really be bad because independent living fund will get cut, public services are going get cut more than ever, its going to get worse for very poor people, the climate of the country is going to get mean and nasty. And now actually the Conservatives have won.

Cheers tosser Russell, so you were just a fair weather friend after all.

So when these deeper cuts happen will he be outraged?