May 5th election results

[AndyHB]

It is interesting to see the way in which English local council and Welsh Assembly election results have mirrored each other in terms of the results of the minority coalition party - Lib Dems in England and Plaid here in Wales, especially when you remember that both the majority coalition parties - Conservatives (in England) and Labour (in Wales) - have held their previous level of support so far.

Interesting that the SNP seem to be sweeping the board in Scotloand.

[ecuworrier]

It is interesting to see the way in which English local council and Welsh Assembly election results have mirrored each other in terms of the results of the minority coalition party - Lib Dems in England and Plaid here in Wales, especially when you remember that both the majority coalition parties - Conservatives (in England) and Labour (in Wales) - have held their previous level of support so far.

Interesting that the SNP seem to be sweeping the board in Scotloand.

missed this....  it certainly is interesting that the tories are so popular... i can't help wondering if it's to do witht theri intent to cut council tax and slash services that only the politically disenfranchised have real need of....   though council tax bills can be pretty eye watering! in these times where folks need to be more careful with theri money i can imagine this kind of perception is important..


GOD BLESS!

Peace and Love,

[AndyHB]

Some commentators suggest that the reason the Tories didn't suffer in the way that both Labour and the Lib-Dems did is that they have largely fulfilled their election manifesto promises.  At the same time, Labour have failed to make the expected impact because they never made their cuts plans public, but it seems that they would have been about 11% in this first year, as opposed to the Tories 12%.  People have suddenly realised that there is little real difference between the two.

[tranchiebabe]

Vince Cable should resign instead of still serving with the Tories if he dislikes them so much, and keeps badmouthing them!

[Boudi]

If he's in coalition with them what better position to be in than to have the power and influence, and be able to tell people what he thinks about them!  I listened to Cameron on radio 4 when they were putting aspects of the NO campaign to him, especially the dead baby poster, and all he'd say was that he wasn't in charge of that campaign, but still wouldn't say it was wrong, and even backed it up!  No wonder the libs felt stabbed in the back.

[EliB]

Interesting that the SNP seem to be sweeping the board in Scotloand.

Not so much "interesting" to me - more downright depressing!!!! And I don't know anyone who voted for them - at least not that they're willing to say!! Was SO hoping that Salmond would be out of his post and sense and sanity would prevail...  A seriously bad result and I just hope all these people who blindly voted SNP don't live to regret it, coz Salmond's now talking about an Independence Referendum.....God help us!

[ecuworrier]

Some commentators suggest that the reason the Tories didn't suffer in the way that both Labour and the Lib-Dems did is that they have largely fulfilled their election manifesto promises.  At the same time, Labour have failed to make the expected impact because they never made their cuts plans public, but it seems that they would have been about 11% in this first year, as opposed to the Tories 12%.  People have suddenly realised that there is little real difference between the two.

maybe in wales


GOD BLESS!

Peace and Love,

[JJ]

Interesting that the SNP seem to be sweeping the board in Scotloand.

Not so much "interesting" to me - more downright depressing!!!! And I don't know anyone who voted for them - at least not that they're willing to say!! Was SO hoping that Salmond would be out of his post and sense and sanity would prevail...  A seriously bad result and I just hope all these people who blindly voted SNP don't live to regret it, coz Salmond's now talking about an Independence Referendum.....God help us!

So why is it bad in your opinion Eli?

[AndyHB]

maybe in wales

No, ecu; that is a UK-wide figure.  After all, the Tories aren't in power in Wales.  That's Labour and - until last week - Plaid.  Here in Wales, independent reports indicate that the health and education services have got worse over the past 12 years - and think about who has been in control of them over that period.

[AndyHB]

Not so much "interesting" to me - more downright depressing!!!! ...    A seriously bad result and I just hope all these people who blindly voted SNP don't live to regret it, coz Salmond's now talking about an Independence Referendum.....God help us!

I gather that a lot of them voted SNP after considerable thought, Eli.  Not because they support independence - only 28% of Scots seem to do so - but because they wanted to make sure that Labour didn't gain power in your Parliament. 

[EliB]

Not so much "interesting" to me - more downright depressing!!!! ...    A seriously bad result and I just hope all these people who blindly voted SNP don't live to regret it, coz Salmond's now talking about an Independence Referendum.....God help us!

I gather that a lot of them voted SNP after considerable thought, Eli.  Not because they support independence - only 28% of Scots seem to do so - but because they wanted to make sure that Labour didn't gain power in your Parliament.

Yeah Andy, after reading more about the reports after the results came in, I'm realising that a lot of the votes seemed to be tactical..(good news if Salmond IS daft enough to have a referendum on Independence!)...because Labour have done such a bad job. Our local Labour guy got back in...which I'm actually glad about because he IS reasonable...didn't used to like him, but recently he's got better (Paul Martin, Michael Martin's son - used to seem like he'd got elected because of his father's reputation and on his dad's coat tails as he was so well regarded locally, but more recently he's proved himself a bit more!)

JJ, I don't like SNP, they're too intent on always pushing for Independence and that seems to colour everything else they try to do....that's always at the core of everthing and the everyday life issues seem to be secondary...! Yes, they talk a good game, like all of them, but they've delivered gey little of what they promised last time, that I honestly didn't see them getting in again! That and I don't like Salmond! He always assumes he's talking for the whole of Scotland and he SOOOO sin't! There's a definite arrogance about him!

[Martin]

If you vote Labour you get the Labour Tories.
If you vote Lib Dem you get the Lib-Dem Tories.
If you vote Tory you get the Tories.

I think the Tories did well because their vote turned out and because they are doing what their supporters want them to do.  They turned out because they wanted to see off any change to AV since self-interest dictated that they should vote NO to avoid losing seats.  This is what makes the whole idea of a referendum on the voting system such a farce.  If, say, 70% of the voters vote for a party that gets more than its fair share of the votes they will want to keep that advantage. The 30% who are denied their fair share can't change the inequality in a referendum because the majority want to hang on to their unfair advantage.

I find the whole political situation very worrying.  We have no change to our voting system (not that a change to AV would have provided what we need), so now we face ever more disaffection amongst the voters.  The fewer people vote the less accountable our MPs become, the less controll the people have over their government.  Getting into Parliament is a ticket to become an associate director of some business, or accept cushy european jobs etc. Meanwhile the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.  It's already got to the stage that the government is told what to do by the banks and by big business.  With the Tories in charge for the next few years I don't see any moves to change that.  Labour and the Lib Dems aren't going to change it either. We're sunk.  There's no way back.  Roll on slavery.

[AndyHB]

... but they've delivered gey little of what they promised last time, ...

but isn't that a mark of minority government; the party in power has to work on only those policies that will be accepted by others?

[AndyHB]

If, say, 70% of the voters vote for a party that gets more than its fair share of the votes they will want to keep that advantage.

Is that why Labour supported AV, Martin?  After all, I don't think any Labour Government other than the landslides of 1948 and '97 has actually had a majority of the popular vote.

It's already got to the stage that the government is told what to do by the banks and by big business.

Not to mention the Trades Unions, Martin: don't forget their immense influence whenever Labour has been in power, through their sponsorship of various candidates - something that doesn't exist with Tory or Lib-Dem candidates.

[Martin]

Is that why Labour supported AV, Martin?  After all, I don't think any Labour Government other than the landslides of 1948 and '97 has actually had a majority of the popular vote.

Indeed it is why they supported AV but were not prepared to allow a vote on AV plus.