General Election 2015

[felix]

Come on tae fuck, England, what were you thinking???

Great news up here, obviously, but I can't believe how badly Labour did in England. Fuck sake.

 

[DrGreenthumb]

They were thinking they don't want the SNP in government. Thanks Scotland, the Tory party loves you.

 

[Sammy G]

Remember, SNP voters you're on the same sinking ship, yet you get to fly a Saltire low down on the mast. Is it going to be worth it in the long run?

One MP fewer than the Lib Dems in 2010, and they were theoretically in a far more influential position, being part of the governing coalition and all.

If I were conspiratorially-minded, I'd suggest that the independence referendum was timed perfectly to stir up nationalist sentiment in Scotland ahead of the election, virtually guaranteeing a Tory majority.

 

[StoneHappyMonday]

Dear, dear dear. Anyone else's fault but our own eh? Labour needs to actually become the party of the people who vote for it.

Don't blame the Scots.

 

[felix]

^ Exactly. Thank you.

They were thinking they don't want the SNP in government. Thanks Scotland, the Tory party loves you.

Right, here we go... are you not watching the news?

If Labour had won every seat in Scotland, the Tories would still have won.

But yes, you're probably right. It's a bittersweet result for us lot. But it's not our fault.

 

[DrGreenthumb]

But if the SNP weren't a threat then Labour could've won more in England. Those marginal Tory/Labour seats weren't going to swing to Labour if it meant the SNP propping up a minority Labour government. I guess you didn't see the English press.

It's totally Miliband's fault for not winning it, but maybe we could've had a hung parliament or something without the SNP.

Good luck with that independence thing, you're going to need it, better hope the English turn to whiskey out of despair.

 

[Sammy G]

SNP Free Staters. :D

 

[felix]

But if the SNP weren't a threat then Labour could've won more in England.

"Threat". OK. 8)

 

[StoneHappyMonday]

But if the SNP weren't a threat then Labour could've won more in England.

The SNP were only a 'threat' because Labour were too useless already to be able to form a non-coalition government. The idea is to win, outright, like the Tories have. Labour couldn't do that because they were weak in policy and weak in leadership. It has sweet FA to do with the SNP. They've just become a convenient and totally illogical excuse for the failures of a party that has lost its way.

 

[Sammy G]

Absolutely. The fact remains, though, that without the SNP, the Tories would have either been forced into coalition again with a Lib Dem party that (presumably) would be keen to distance themselves in terms of policy, or they would have to form a minority government. Which would last as long as a pint of milk in the sun.

 

[felix]

The SNP were only a 'threat' because Labour were too useless already to be able to form a non-coalition government. The idea is to win, outright, like the Tories have. Labour couldn't do that because they were weak in policy and weak in leadership. It has sweet FA to do with the SNP. They've just become a convenient and totally illogical excuse for the failures of a party that has lost its way.

This is exactly right.

DrGreenthumb: I sincerely hope you are simply trying to explain the situation, as opposed to expressing some anti-Scottish sentiment about the result?

 

[Smiley91]

The scaremongering in the media seems to have worked then. We had a referendum up here and voted No, I dont see Snp as a huge threat to splitting up the Uk as we have already spoken.....But ironically now that we have a Tory majority this might sway people in favour of independence who were never nationalists to begin with. There isny enough money in the world that would make me vote Tory. They're trying to tear us apart, from each other and the EU. I feel fucking sick today....

Although glad my local mp is out. A guy who was caught paying his neice's taxi fees to and from music lessons with taxpayers money and still managed to cling to his seat for many a year.

 

[StoneHappyMonday]

Know anything about Ian Murray (or perhaps his SNP opponent?). He held Edinburgh South, the only Labour MP in Scotland to hold on. And he had the smallest majority to defend (316). That's mildly interesting and must have a reason.

 

[felix]

Know anything about Ian Murray (or perhaps his SNP opponent?). He held Edinburgh South, the only Labour MP in Scotland to hold on. And he had the smallest majority to defend (316). That's mildly interesting and must have a reason.

I've never heard of him before, but I just saw his result announcement on the telly and he looked crestfallen, rather than jubilant over keeping his seat. How odd.

 

[Sammy G]

Perhaps a gesture of solidarity for his colleagues who lost their seats in droves?

 

[felix]

Aye. Mebbe they had a regular card game in the House of Commons bar.

 

[Sammy G]

Every cloud...

The British National Party has received just 1,667 in the 2015 UK general election, a vast drop from 2010 when it garnered 563,743.

The far-right party fielded just eight candidates this election, securing zero MPs and being beaten by Cannabis Is Safer Than Alcohol and Monster Raving Loony Party.

It was the second least popular party ahead of Class War.

 

[felix]

Hmm. I bet that's because most of those people voted UKIP instead. I doubt if it's a sign that the UK has become less racist.

Still good news though, of course.

 

[Sammy G]

Oh aye, I don't think many of those voters swung to the Greens.

 

[DrGreenthumb]

This is exactly right.

DrGreenthumb: I sincerely hope you are simply trying to explain the situation, as opposed to expressing some anti-Scottish sentiment about the result?

I was explaining the situation. Don't let the nationalists twist you into their racist ideas, nobody in England is anti-Scottish, just anti break up of the UK & anti-nationalist.

I guess you missed this kind of stuff...

A lot of it was down to English fears about nationalists getting power.