Friday 8th May 2015

AngryAsWell · Post by **AngryAsWell** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:27 am

ephemerid wrote:I've been trying to catch up on some kip, but I've been crying instead.

Ed is a decent man, and he may choose to resign, but the party should refuse to accept his resignation.
Whether he decides to fall on his sword or they make him go, it would be wrong.
For me, he represents the nearest thing in Labour's upper echelons to a proper socialist.
Without him at the helm, I have no business being a member of the party.

I feel that the public, the people who have chosen to ignore what the coalition has done, are to blame.
5 years ago, they delivered a hung Parliament because they didn't trust any party to govern alone.
Back then they had no idea what the new crop of Tories were capable of.
Cameron finagled his way into power and now the public DO know what to expect.

That's what has upset me so much - they are either so stupid that they believe the crap Cameron spouts and the things they are fed by the mainstream media, or they are so selfish that they choose to ignore the dreadful things that have been done in their name.

Life is about to get a lot worse for the sick, disabled, unemployed, working poor; it will be harder still for the homeless, abused, accused, prisoners; there will be a nasty vicious mendacious administration that will take every penny and every right from the vulnerable.

When there is no more to take from the poorest, they will come for the next - we will pay for help to buy, for stoking up the housing bubble, for business to get work done for free, for private companies to profit from our NHS, our schools, our court and prisons.

There will be more austerity and the people will believe that it's necessary and sit and watch while more kids go hungry and more people get socially cleansed from the better areas; there will be more deaths and suicides and there will be no asylum for the abused or the sick.

At some point people will wake up - when their elderly are badly cared for because nothing has been done to help them, when their homes are repossessed because the interest on their loans goes up, when their jobs go and are replaced by workfare, when they can't get justice because they cannot afford to pay, when their kids can't go to uni because the fees are beyond reach, when there is no NHS to sort out the cock-ups of the private providers who will inevitably botch routine surgery - and by then it will be too late because all the services they have taken for granted for so long will not be there any more, and they will be paying more for worse and be left wondering how it happened to them.

Are they all asleep? Or are they thick? Maybe they are just utterly selfish. Whatever, they are responsible for what happens next.
And the people who will pay for that first will be people who have no hope as it is; and they, those voters, will be responsible.

I am so angry it's coming out almost like grief. I am losing my country to forces that are intent on dividing us for their own enrichment, and it makes me sick to my stomach.

Sorry,

Me too

AngryAsWell · Post by **AngryAsWell** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:28 am

daydreamer wrote:
AnatolyKasparov wrote:Blaming the Greens is pointless, tbh.

Their (almost entirely anti-Labour) positioning pre-election was idiotic and opportunistic, but that will hopefully change with a grown up (Lucas) back in charge.

(as will surely happen)
Really AK, Wasn't Lucas also one of the 'Labour promise 30billion worth of cuts,' liars?

Apologies, if I stand corrected.

No your are not wrong - she was

LadyCentauria · Post by **LadyCentauria** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:28 am

AnatolyKasparov wrote:
LadyCentauria wrote:
citizenJA wrote:Ed Miliband resigning according to the Guardian.
Could someone please fill me in on what the hell is going on?
No. We don't know whether or not Ed is offering his resignation. We don't know what the hell is going on. All we know is that we didn't win enough seats to keep the Conservatives out. Turnout was nowhere near as high as expected. Too many people voted Conservative. Not enough people voted Labour. Lots of people voted UKIP, putting them in second place in quite a few constituencies. SNP is a moot point because, even if Labour had won all the Scottish seats, it still wouldn't be enough to outpoll (clearly) the Conservatives who are on track for a working majority. The LibDems are almost wiped out. And Danczuck thinks we should welcome a leadership election.
But its not just about Scotland in that narrow sense - the Scot-bashing by the Tories swayed many voters in *England*.

Part of me almost wishes that they had voted "yes" last year and could show those down here still bovinely in thrall to the MSM there is, after all, a better way. Then I remember that the SNP would be in charge and they would only make a pigs ear of it anyway

That too, Anatoly, to both parts of your reply.

WelshIan · Post by **WelshIan** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:28 am

citizenJA wrote:Have the Tories stolen this election? Have they cheated?

no, but they've lied their way to victory, assisted by the MSM and the political apathy of large swathes of the population.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:29 am

citizenJA wrote:Have the Tories stolen this election? Have they cheated?

They told people that they were entitled to rule, and enough people believed them.The British like to be subservient.

LadyCentauria · Post by **LadyCentauria** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:29 am

And IDS says: Voters have chosen to continue reforms...

:flame:

frightful_oik · Post by **frightful_oik** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:29 am

Warning! Do NOT go on UKPR. Can't find anything but gloating Tory boys. Bastards!

daydreamer · Post by **daydreamer** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:29 am

letsskiptotheleft wrote:And why is there is a bulk of people who wouldn't vote Tory if they life depended on it, but quite happily vote UKIP?

Because the public is disengaged and dumbed down to an idiotic degree with MSM lies and a diet of the Ex-factor.

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:29 am

citizenJA wrote:Have the Tories stolen this election? Have they cheated?

The public gets what the public wants. A lot are uninformed and are happy being that way.

The mess we inherited was never properly dismantled.

AngryAsWell · Post by **AngryAsWell** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:30 am

citizenJA wrote:Have the Tories stolen this election? Have they cheated?

I have wondered that myself

howsillyofme1 · Post by **howsillyofme1** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:30 am

We need a leader on the left who cannot be easily attacked by the MSM - as mentioned before there will be a repeat of this if we are not careful

I want Ed to stay but perhaps he does not want 5 more years of this - if he does go I would like to see him in a senior position in the party for the next 5 years supporting a new leader

We need to try for a leader who can make Cameron look the empty box he is - there do not seem to be many candidates at the top of the party so that is why I suggested Jarvis - none of this 'no previous job' can be thrown at him and he seems to be a smart enough cookie.

Remember the leader does not have to be the intellectual powerhouse behind policy.....Cameron certainly isn't

What Labour needs is someone who can appear Presidential because it seems that is what we Brits really want, style over substance and so we need to react to that

Does this meet my ideal of politics - of course not - but we are in a difficult situation and need to try to adapt to overcome it

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:31 am

RogerOThornhill wrote:
tinyclanger2 wrote: Beyond the vile influence of the MSM.

Leveson - who's he?

Won't change the media now - all going in their direction so they won't change a thing. It;'s actually worse now that the Indy seems to have veered right with their dodgy Russian.

A Russian, an Australian/American, an owner living in France, two owners living in a tax haven, and a global leader in privatizing eduction for our media owners.

How utterly fucked up is that?

Utterly.
But I keep thinking about the Mass civil disobedience at Kinder Scout (24 April 1932). without the Ramblers association and other such organsiations we would not ever have had the momentum that gives us our access to the countryside and protected areas today. We do not HAVE to give up on Leveson. It is the sort of single issue campaign that appeals to the new generation.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:31 am

ohsocynical wrote:
citizenJA wrote:
ohsocynical wrote:And where were all these Milifandoms? There were even less youngsters coming in to vote yesterday, than last year for the Euro elections.

Sorry. But they only have themselves to blame. And I shall get really angry the next time I see or hear a youngster moaning about the old being a drain on society. They had a really good chance to make a difference and they didn't bother, at least they didn't here.
Ohso, what happened? What the hell happened?
I don't know. I really don't know. I suspect we've slipped too far back as a nation to recover. The rot started with Maggie and it's been downhill pretty much ever since. We levelled out a bit with Blair, and if it hadn't been for that bloody war who knows. But it happened and it's overshadowed any good Labour did during those years.

Ed put feet on the ground. He gave millions of people a connection with politics. He was truthful. He was decent.

I just don't know.

Thank you, my friend. There is no finer man than Ed Miliband, no campaign was more decent, honest & wise. Either the Tories have cheated & stolen the election or I'll need to reevaluate how I feel about a lot of people in the country.
This isn't to you I'm writing this, Ohso, or any particular person here, please just let me say it. I'll remove it if it's not okay, but...

Voting Tory? Fucking voting Tory after this fucking five years? Are you people fucking crazy?

daydreamer · Post by **daydreamer** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:31 am

AnatolyKasparov wrote:
letsskiptotheleft wrote:Labour lost the Gower by 27 votes, TUSC got something like 120.

Well done. As for Ed Balls, I give up, I really do.
Balls is partly to blame for what has happened, though. As he may realise himself now.

In what way do you mean AK? Or am I just being dense?

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:32 am

AngryAsWell wrote:
citizenJA wrote:Have the Tories stolen this election? Have they cheated?
I have wondered that myself

Thank you very much - I'm not going crazy then.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:33 am

StephenDolan wrote:Labour need to stay strong. I realise there's scope for a lot of navel gazing but there needs to be pressure applied to the Conservatives on any and every vote.

1992 was followed by a period of Tory self-destruction. The in out referendum is the power keg to make this possible once again.

On another note, what becomes of the traditional south West Lib Dem voters?

There are other potential silver linings. The Tories can no longer use the LibDems as a convenient human shield, and as we move towards 2020 citing the last lot will have less and less resonance (especially if Labour skips a generation for its new leadership, as I have suggested)

Their key election "promises" are ludicrously contradictory nonsense, made in the cynical belief they could blame others for ditching them post-GE. Not now.

And despite what has just happened, the influence of the press *is* slowly declining. By 2020 their circulation will be even lower and more of their captive market will have died off, some titles may have gone out of business completely. Who knows, the lefty social media bubble may have become better at reaching out to less committed voters by then, too.

(and what is true for the Tories is for their SNP pals too - *they* can't now dodge responsibility indefinitely either)

WelshIan · Post by **WelshIan** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:33 am

WelshIan wrote:21 seats left to declare. Do we know how many of them will be tory? They're currently on 314

Now on 321 with 14 seats left to declare, likely winner:

Berwick upon Tweed Tory
Hexham Tory
Wansbeck Lab
Blyth Valley Lab
Luton North Lab
Luton South Lab/Tory (Lab held with 5% lead over Tories in 2010)
Kenilworth & Southam Tory
Warwick & Leamington Tory
Cotswolds Tory
Wells Tory
Devon Central Tory
Devon West & Torridge Tory
St Ives Tory
Thanet South Tory

Tories likely to end up with 331/332.

daydreamer · Post by **daydreamer** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:34 am

frightful_oik wrote:
pk1 wrote:@PickardJE: Biggest question for Tories now is how to find £20bn for uncosted pledges that they thought they could drop while blaming Lib Dem partners.
It really isn't. The MSM will cover their backs and most people really won't ask themselves why everything's going tits up. Those that do will find a scapegoat like the EU or immigration provided for them.

Agree, scape goats will be found, see last 36 years if in doubt. the public will lap it up, leading to even more hatred and bile towards foreigners and immigrants.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:34 am

LadyCentauria wrote:And IDS says: Voters have chosen to continue reforms...

:flame:

Oh, jesus christ people I'm not doing okay this can't be happening.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:35 am

WelshIan wrote:
WelshIan wrote:21 seats left to declare. Do we know how many of them will be tory? They're currently on 314
Now on 321 with 14 seats left to declare, likely winner:

Berwick upon Tweed Tory
Hexham Tory
Wansbeck Lab
Blyth Valley Lab
Luton North Lab
Luton South Lab/Tory (Lab held with 5% lead over Tories in 2010)
Kenilworth & Southam Tory
Warwick & Leamington Tory
Cotswolds Tory
Wells Tory
Devon Central Tory
Devon West & Torridge Tory
St Ives Tory
Thanet South Tory

Tories likely to end up with 331/332.

jesus fucking christ

LadyCentauria · Post by **LadyCentauria** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:35 am

Thanet South: Cons hold, UKIP 2nd, Lab 3rd
Now let's see Farage resign

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:35 am

PorFavor wrote:
citizenJA wrote:Have the Tories stolen this election? Have they cheated?
They told people that they were entitled to rule, and enough people believed them.The British like to be subservient.

This is at the heart of it. The "Celtic" Britons are rebelling faster because they have an obvious target (the "English"). And because the establishment live amongst us (Westminster, London) and speak with an "English" (RP) accent, we think that we are part of the same nation. And so we (think we) have no-one to rebel against.

daydreamer · Post by **daydreamer** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:35 am

yahyah wrote:My husband's just brought me back to earth, reminding me that Labour still wouldn't have won regardless of Scottish seats.

But how many English seats were lost due to all the rhetoric surrounding the SNP?

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:35 am

This may be (probably is) the wrong time but . . .

Whilst Tony Blair was in office, I wrote to Labour saying that political education\civics - call it what you will - was something that was woefully neglected in our education system and needed some serious beefing up. I received a very snippy reply. Apparently it was all in hand and everything was as it should be. A missed opportunity - whether through arrogance or calculation I can't decide.

RogerOThornhill · Post by **RogerOThornhill** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:35 am

citizenJA wrote:Have the Tories stolen this election? Have they cheated?

They told an awful lot of lies.

The one good thing is that they can't say that they're clearing up anyone's mess other than their own.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:38 am

daydreamer wrote:
yahyah wrote:My husband's just brought me back to earth, reminding me that Labour still wouldn't have won regardless of Scottish seats.
But how many English seats were lost due to all the rhetoric surrounding the SNP?

Exactly.
Crosby and Murdoch have won.
For now.

daydreamer · Post by **daydreamer** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:40 am

tinyclanger2 wrote:
Labour lost Ed Balls' seat because Labour voters went to UKIP. Labour's northern base is now in places where UKIP in 2nd. Not a good look.
Agree this is not a good look at all. It's true the left need stories which better explain the facts we're trying to get over. I wish it wasn't the case, but I believe that it is.

Agree, see my new sig.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:42 am

Please excuse my profanity.
I went to sleep last night around midnight without looking at media since leaving you all at 10PM.
I came out of the bedroom to find my husband looking at me like with a loving face yet he reached for me like to brace me.
I don't understand a Tory government.

WelshIan · Post by **WelshIan** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:43 am

RobertSnozers wrote:
citizenJA wrote:
WelshIan wrote:
Tories likely to end up with 331/332.
jesus fucking christ
Bloody hell. Not just a majority but a working majority

Yep, completely shit, isn't it?

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:43 am

RobertSnozers wrote:
citizenJA wrote:
WelshIan wrote: Now on 321 with 14 seats left to declare, likely winner:

Berwick upon Tweed Tory
Hexham Tory
Wansbeck Lab
Blyth Valley Lab
Luton North Lab
Luton South Lab/Tory (Lab held with 5% lead over Tories in 2010)
Kenilworth & Southam Tory
Warwick & Leamington Tory
Cotswolds Tory
Wells Tory
Devon Central Tory
Devon West & Torridge Tory
St Ives Tory
Thanet South Tory

Tories likely to end up with 331/332.
jesus fucking christ
Bloody hell. Not just a majority but a working majority

Well, half of what they had in 1992 - which wasn't exactly a bed of roses for them. I would be surprised if it isn't a minority government again by 2020.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:43 am

RobertSnozers wrote:
frightful_oik wrote:Warning! Do NOT go on UKPR. Can't find anything but gloating Tory boys. Bastards!
And no doubt people who knew all along that a majority was on the cards

Something is profoundly corrupt about this, I swear.

daydreamer · Post by **daydreamer** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:43 am

yahyah wrote:
letsskiptotheleft wrote:Labour lost the Gower by 27 votes, TUSC got something like 120.

Well done. As for Ed Balls, I give up, I really do.

I hope they are happy with their days work.

Of course they will be. They'll pat themselves on the back for being ideologically pure, having not voted for those Tory-red scum.

citizenJA · Post by **citizenJA** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:44 am

WelshIan wrote:
RobertSnozers wrote:
citizenJA wrote:jesus fucking christ
Bloody hell. Not just a majority but a working majority
Yep, completely shit, isn't it?

Utterly.

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:45 am

citizenJA wrote:
LadyCentauria wrote:And IDS says: Voters have chosen to continue reforms...

:flame:
Oh, jesus christ people I'm not doing okay this can't be happening.

Sorry JA if you weren't mentally prepared for this. While others were understandably wishing annihilation on the Libdems, I was still rooting for them down here in the South West because this is exactly what I was worried would happen. Apart from Scotland, little has changed except instead of needing the Libdems as coalition partners, the Tories have simply taken back those seats that they lost to them in the 90s. I suspect underneath it all the nation hasn't gone especially extra Tory, just a tiny bit where it counts, while Labour was fighting a rearguard action in Scotland. We're still the same country we were, except the Tories will now have to take responsibility for all their choices, instead of blaming them on Labour and the Libdems. If it's any consolation, I don't think Cameron is going to like it anywhere as much as he thinks he will because he doesn't do responsibility.

When do the locals come out? Local councils have a huge impact on peoples' everyday lives. I hope they haven't all gone Tory too.

daydreamer · Post by **daydreamer** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:45 am

TechnicalEphemera wrote:
SpinningHugo wrote:
AnatolyKasparov wrote: Balls is partly to blame for what has happened, though. As he may realise himself now.
There is another person with considerably more responsibility.
Really? So how would your alternative Labour fantasy have handled the SNP effect, the media backing for the Tories and the total collapse of the Lib Dems in their heartlands. Plus the rise of UKIP.

Because I don't think any of the Blairite tendency have a clue.

He just hates Ed, TE.

pk1 · Post by **pk1** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:47 am

All the poor decisions will be solely down to them & they will have to take responsibility for them instead of using the LDs as their excuse for every poor outcome.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:47 am

It will be interesting, actually, if Labour turns out to have done better in the local elections than the GE.

Further evidence that it was the SCARY SCOTS wot won it for the Tories, if so.....

ohsocynical · Post by **ohsocynical** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:48 am

I don't know how many millions of Labour voters there are.

The only thing I can suggest is Boycotts. Every damn company that dodges taxes, uses ZH, low pay, Workfare, Tory newspapers, BBC, goes on your list and loses your patronage or custom. Tesco felt the pinch after the Workfare furore.

What I didn't realise is that many social media users appear to be all piss and bicycle clips [As Mr Ohso so succinctly puts it] and have no want to actually connect their little rectangle of electronics and apps to the real world. They can use it to be the biggest rebel the world has ever seen, or the biggest fan of someone, and then stick it in their pocket and revert to being another I'm alright Jack. can't be bothered member of society.

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:48 am

AnatolyKasparov wrote:It will be interesting, actually, if Labour turns out to have done better in the local elections than the GE.

Further evidence that it was the SCARY SCOTS wot won it for the Tories, if so.....

A very good point.

daydreamer · Post by **daydreamer** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:49 am

AnatolyKasparov wrote:
SpinningHugo wrote:
AnatolyKasparov wrote: Balls is partly to blame for what has happened, though. As he may realise himself now.
There is another person with considerably more responsibility.
Well, unsurprisingly that may be an area where we do not entirely agree......

I will just point out for now that Miliband had his best moments when he was true to his own instincts, and his worst problems were often through taking the advice of his largely clueless "image makers" or bending over backwards to satisfy Blairites who would never accept the legitimacy of his leadership.

Anyway, he's gone - quite possibly today. Labour needs people untainted by the last government, especially the interminable draining and ultimately destructive Blair/Brown wars. Dan Jarvis/Stella Creasy "dream ticket", anyone?

Sadly, I think you're right, but

We'll have lost a good man.

pk1 · Post by **pk1** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:51 am

Who is eligible for leader of Scottish Labour ?

Keira Dugdale will be tainted by the referendum & association with Jim Murphy.

StephenDolan · Post by **StephenDolan** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:51 am

daydreamer wrote:
AnatolyKasparov wrote:
SpinningHugo wrote: There is another person with considerably more responsibility.
Well, unsurprisingly that may be an area where we do not entirely agree......

I will just point out for now that Miliband had his best moments when he was true to his own instincts, and his worst problems were often through taking the advice of his largely clueless "image makers" or bending over backwards to satisfy Blairites who would never accept the legitimacy of his leadership.

Anyway, he's gone - quite possibly today. Labour needs people untainted by the last government, especially the interminable draining and ultimately destructive Blair/Brown wars. Dan Jarvis/Stella Creasy "dream ticket", anyone?
Sadly, I think you're right, but We'll have lost a good man.

Definitely. Please not's have the policies ditched too.

daydreamer · Post by **daydreamer** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:51 am

tinyclanger2 wrote:
TechnicalEphemera wrote:
AnatolyKasparov wrote: Tories/SNP - one of the most devastatingly effective "unholy alliances" since the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact.

Hopefully things end equally gruesomely for both of them
They couldn't have been better for each other if they had planned it (which of course they did).

So now what, Indy Ref 2 which the SNP may win but which will destroy the Scottish economy?

Cameron leads a rabble who will go nuts over the Euro referendum.
And who will bail them out because England sure as hell won't have anything in the bank once the Tories have finished with it.
Anyone would think we liked having thieving scum ruling our sorry English asses (which reminds me that after Cartimandua - of handing Caratacus to the Romans fame - came Vortigern who invited in the Saxons ....). And now we have xenophobes and nationalists (English, Welsh and Scottish) handing the English to the Tories, and opening the path to division and our final demise into the tiny, skint, irrelevant country whose workforce the Tories will then be able to deploy to undercut, say, China.

This is so true, it hurts TC.

pk1 · Post by **pk1** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:54 am

StephenDolan wrote: Definitely. Please not's have the policies ditched too.

But some of those policies were clearly unacceptable to the great British unwashed.

utopiandreams · Post by **utopiandreams** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:54 am

I may need to change my signature. I've tried closing my eyes but the view is no better.

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:54 am

Has Nigel Farage's Thanet constituency declared yet? (I'm avoiding any news outside of this site at present.) If Ukip's "flagship" takes a nose-dive it will probably be to the good (although I appreciate that it will have come too late to help Ed Miliband).

LadyCentauria · Post by **LadyCentauria** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:54 am

Willow904 wrote:
citizenJA wrote:
LadyCentauria wrote:And IDS says: Voters have chosen to continue reforms...

:flame:
Oh, jesus christ people I'm not doing okay this can't be happening.
Sorry JA if you weren't mentally prepared for this. While others were understandably wishing annihilation on the Libdems, I was still rooting for them down here in the South West because this is exactly what I was worried would happen. Apart from Scotland, little has changed except instead of needing the Libdems as coalition partners, the Tories have simply taken back those seats that they lost to them in the 90s. I suspect underneath it all the nation hasn't gone especially extra Tory, just a tiny bit where it counts, while Labour was fighting a rearguard action in Scotland. We're still the same country we were, except the Tories will now have to take responsibility for all their choices, instead of blaming them on Labour and the Libdems. If it's any consolation, I don't think Cameron is going to like it anywhere as much as he thinks he will because he doesn't do responsibility.

When do the locals come out? Local councils have a huge impact on peoples' everyday lives. I hope they haven't all gone Tory too.

I don't think that they even start counting them until today at the very earliest, in many (if not most) constituencies. And, unless there's a fresh shift of counters coming on this morning, they'll all have to have at least eleven hours off first – I think.

Edit to add: We only had a council by-election here in Wandsworth, so it was counted last night and has been won by Angela Graham, Conservative, returning to the council following Adrian Knowles' death, so it was a Conservative hold.

WelshIan · Post by **WelshIan** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:55 am

Vote share so far:

Tories - 36.8
Labour - 30.6
UKIP - 12.6
LibDem - 7.7
SNP - 4.8
Green - 3.7

I think that's within the margin of error for the polling companies?

Paddington Bear · Post by **Paddington Bear** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:55 am

I have just now properly registered here.

I've been lurking after finding my way over via the Guardian comments ( for quite a while - I'm a shy reader...)

I'd like to thank you for the comfort you didn't know you were providing. I was one of the 30 or so 'guests' that stayed through the night.
My wife found me on the sofa this morning - and then again when she got back from taking our daughter to school. I had my knees under my chin and tears running down my face. I'm a hairy bloke - I should be doing something but I really don't know what I can do... I'm frustrated and angry.

My daughter is six - her uniform is either red or blue. She insisted on wearing red today.

Luckier than some though - I'm in Sheffield Heeley, a 'safe' Labour seat. So I won't have to walk out of my door and be surrounded by aliens.

Thanks again

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Fri 08 May, 2015 10:56 am

PorFavor wrote:Has Nigel Farage's Thanet constituency declared yet? (I'm avoiding any news outside of this site at present.) If Ukip's "flagship" takes a nose-dive it will probably be to the good (although I appreciate that it will have come too late to help Ed Miliband).

Went back to Tories.