General Election 2024

[The Doctor]

It's Dogs At Polling Stations Day!

-Ralph

[Philip Ayres]

Polling Day!

I've already voted by post. If you've forgotten to post your Postal Vote you, or someone else, can take it into the local polling station.

Go out and vote. TAKE APPROPRIATE ID! Think about who you're voting for. Vote Tactically - in SW London where I used to live a labour vote would be wasted as they could never get in there but a Lib Dem vote could prevent the Conservative candidate from getting in.

Here in Swindon it's a likely to be a much simpler choice but don't waste your vote, BE AWARE OF WHO THE COMPETITION IS LIKELY TO BE BETWEEN IN YOUR CONSTITUENCY!

[tomwe]

I didn't know that about postal votes. I did mine right away but my wife's languished until Sunday. I'm sure it will have gotten there in time though. 999

[Philip Ayres]

I've taken mine in more than once

[Bogatan]

Now the day is here I feel a little let down. I have no tories to rid myself of.

I am free to vote as I wish rather than having to vote Labour which is okay I guess.

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Safe Labour seat here, so I'm free to vote to boost the popular vote of whichever party I want to support. (And did so around 7:15 this morning.)

Martin

[Shockprowl]

I like watching them running with the ballot boxes.

[Fortmax2020]

Steve Baker working hard on the BBC to say all the country's problems are beyond any Government's control... just before he heads off to his constituency to be told he is out of a job. Good riddance.

[Philip Ayres]

First Tory to loose their seat tonight .... Swindon South's Robert Buckland!

[Philip Ayres]

Swindon North followed :-)

VERY pleased to see Rees Mogg gone :-)

Overall result had been obvious for sometime bar the detail

[The Doctor]

Jul 4, 2024 21:45:42 GMT Fortmax2020 said:

Steve Baker working hard on the BBC to say all the country's problems are beyond any Government's control... just before he heads off to his constituency to be told he is out of a job. Good riddance.

It's ok. He was back on this morning saying Labour will be a disaster.

-Ralph

[Andy Turnbull]

4 Reform seats so of course an ungodly amount of time will be given to them.

Sadly Suella Braverman and Kemi Badenoch both kept their seats.

[Stomski]

Jul 5, 2024 6:21:05 GMT Philip Ayres said:

VERY pleased to see Rees Mogg gone :-)

His campaign leaflets were an absolute disaster.

Sporting a "Kier Starmer needs you! (To pay him more tax)" the message they wanted to deliver being lost amongst the push to vote for his opposition and another leaflet denouncing public transport and climate aspirations. Absolutely clueless.

[Bogatan]

Streeting survived. Not happy about that.

And the Tories didn't quite get the wipeout I hoped for. But at least Reform didnt get the 13 seats the exit polls predicted.

[Andy Turnbull]

Also very funny that Scottish Tory leader lost as well.

[Benn]

Not exactly a night of wild celebrating here, but I'll take the Tory losses and the Reform exit polls being wrong.

[tomwe]

Come here to make my 1,000 post: BYE TORIES! We had our boundary changed, though retained our Tory Michelle D for the vote. She was ousted for the Lib Dems. Can't quite believe Farage has won his seat this time though. Was looking forward to him disappearing under a rock again. Happy Friday!

[The Doctor]

We are now on our 6th (!) Prime Minister in 8 years. Mad.

I hope this one lasts a bit longer and does a good job.

We shall see!

-Ralph

[Cullen]

Pleased with the result but holy hell does FPTP need to go. 66% of the seats for Labour with only 35% of the vote. Lib Dems with over 15 times the number of seats of Reform with 2% fewer votes. It's nice to see the right getting screwed by FPTP this time though and well done to the Lib Dems, and to a lesser extent Labour, for playing the game and concentrating their vote effectively.

[The Doctor]

Sunak's leaving speech was surprisingly gracious and well mannered, as if he had been replaced by a clone.

Starmer's "I've won" speech was actually genuinely nice. Let's see how it goes.

It can't get any worse! Surely?

-Ralph

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Jul 5, 2024 14:13:02 GMT Cullen said:

well done to the Lib Dems, and to a lesser extent Labour, for playing the game and concentrating their vote effectively.

This. Given Sunak decided on the election date and Reform deployed a surprise attack with Farage, Labour and the Lib Dems seemed to be the ones who'd done their advance planning. They didn't waste their energy and money on random campaigning but chose their targets to maximum effect.

Let's hope this intelligence and competence continues and extends to all matters throughout this Parliament.

Martin

[Fortmax2020]

Well done to the Greens as well. They seriously played for four specific seats and won them all.

And now back to Reform..

[legios]

Feels like a bit of a phyrric victory in my town. We have a non-tory MP for the constituency for the first time since 2010. But it is only because nearly half the Tory vote decided "No! More Facism!" and defected to Reform. If Reform hadn't run here it would still be a firmly blue area. (Only without the cool factor of being able to drop in to see Uatu, or coffee with the Grey polycule (depending on era)).

And having a Labour government under the current party HQ kind of feels like the same End-Stage Capitalism only in Blue instead of Red. (With a side order of "now we are going to be in charge we need to persecute a minority. Get Johanna on the 'phone to brief us on how to do a -phobia"...)

I'd like to be more optimistic, but between the feeling of "Meet the New Boss. Same as the Old Boss but with a bigger Health Bar", and the realization that a fair chunk of the people in my community would eagerly opt for more racism and facism if given the choice... Yeah it feels like a "yay. we...won? Right?" more than anything.

Karl

[primenova]

In my area the torys sent out leaflets with green lettering on it & Tory party not stated on it

[Philip Ayres]

SNP concede last seat leaving Lib Dems one short of a very special number

[Pinwig]

I was amazed to find when I woke up this morning that in my constituency there had been two recounts but ultimately the Conservatives won by 92 votes over Labour. The Tory margin here is sometimes five figures, and labour were expecting nothing. Their candidate was a local teacher who had no background in politics other than that is what she teaches at the local college. 92 votes! Turnout 58%. Clear example of why voting is so important.

[Philip Ayres]

The Kaptain makes some good, if slightly depressing/pessimistic comments.

I'm under no illusions that Labour are perfect, and not as Left as some of us would like, but they have to be a better option than the bunch of bufoons/chancers/crooks/right wing racists that have been in charge the last few years. I'll settle for them gone as a start.

I'm aware Labour have massively benefitted from the Conservatives starting from a low point and then falling apart, having their vote split off to the left and to the right, the latter of which may be a problem down the line. Similarly the SNP falling apart. Effectively Labour haven't had to do anything, just sit back to watch the others make a right pigs of it

So pleased with a Labour win. Pleased with the massive Lib Dem gains. Pleased with the Green Results.

Five years to turn things round now. I'm going to bed a happier man tonight

[Grand Moff Muffin]

412 + 72 = 484 = 4 x 121

So Labour seats + Lib Dem seats = 4 x Conservative seats

Martin

[chrisl]

Has anyone else seen this: www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/08/reform-uk-under-pressure-to-prove-all-its-candidates-were-real-people#:~:text=The%20Guardian%20has%20also%20learned,generated%2C%20is%20a%20real%20person.

While I'm not one for mad conspiracies, this one does potentially have legs and it isn't something I wouldn't put past Putin's Poodle and co.

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Jonathan correctly predicted that the Speaker of the House of Commons would remain in post.

Martin