Author Topic: DT Politics Thread (Read 60340 times)

glasgow sheep · « **on:** May 04, 2012, 09:47:39 AM »

Seems ConDems have crashed down south as expected with Labour making pretty big gains.
Be interesting to see how things pan out in Scotland but presumably given it is STV there won't be any councils where a party has overall control. Apparently heading for the lowest turnout in years up here but then you'd hardly know there was an election on where I stay. No posters or billboards and I only got one leaflet through my door which was Tory, which is bizarre given in my ward I'd imagine they'd do well to get even 4th on 1st preference never mind get anywhere near a seat.

Don't suppose it means much so far away from a GE but already had Tory MPs demanding Callmedave is more right wing after UKIP success in the south and comedy figure Lebit Opik demanding Nick Clegg resigns as leader of the Lib Dems (but seemingly stay on as Deputy PM).
Also glad to see that so far nobody has voted in favour of Mayors in various English cities. Total waste of time and money and nothing more than a celebrity driven ego trip (see B. Johnston and K. Livingston)

manc_don · « **Reply #1 on:** May 04, 2012, 10:08:59 AM »

I voted Green party and independent in our elections. I didn't believe anything either Livingstone or Johnson had to say and the greens policy seemed to have achievable targets.

fatjim · « **Reply #2 on:** May 04, 2012, 10:14:14 AM »

Looks like the BNP have done terribly again.

glasgow sheep · « **Reply #3 on:** May 04, 2012, 12:28:33 PM »

Quote from: fatjim on May 04, 2012, 10:14:14 AM

Looks like the BNP have done terribly again.

Lost all seats they were defending I think.

Meanwhile not looking good for the Lib Dems up here

Quote

Rory Reynolds tweets: Humiliation for Lib Dems in Pentlands as they come behind Independent Professor Pongoo, who got nearly 450 votes

Labour could come from 3rd to top in Aberdeen, presumably partly to do with the LibDem and SNP stance on the UTG.
Glasgow and Edinburgh too close to call.

glasgow sheep · « **Reply #4 on:** May 04, 2012, 01:48:30 PM »

LibDems having a bad day, esp back home in Aberdeenshire:

Quote

Final Result

SNP 28 (+6)

Conservatives 14 (nc)

Liberal Democrats 12 (-12)

Independent 11 (+3)

Labour 2 (+2)

Scottish Greens 1 (+1)

Kowalski · « **Reply #5 on:** May 04, 2012, 02:45:14 PM »

Nick Clegg has destroyed the party.

Will be interesting to see if the SNP take a hit in Aberdeen City over the UTG vote or not.

glasgow sheep · « **Reply #6 on:** May 04, 2012, 03:05:40 PM »

Quote from: Kowalski on May 04, 2012, 02:45:14 PM

Nick Clegg has destroyed the party.

Will be interesting to see if the SNP take a hit in Aberdeen City over the UTG vote or not.

They have done.
Labour will be biggest party, the LibDems were the largest party:

Final Results for Aberdeen;
Labour- 17
SNP- 15
Lib Dems- 5
Con- 3
Ind- 3

maverick sheep · « **Reply #7 on:** May 04, 2012, 06:42:25 PM »

Quote from: glasgow sheep on May 04, 2012, 03:05:40 PM

They have done.
Labour will be biggest party, the LibDems were the largest party:

Final Results for Aberdeen;
Labour- 17
SNP- 15
Lib Dems- 5
Con- 3
Ind- 3

Also, Martin Ford, the "traitor" who cast the deciding vote to block Trump's golf course (before being sacked, and the corrupt government forcing approval through) won a seat in Aberdeenshire.

tom_widdows · « **Reply #8 on:** May 04, 2012, 10:33:04 PM »

Lib dem, green and the 2 SNP blokes got my votes (not revealing the order)

The only leaflets I had through the door were from the Tories, The Union party and 'scotland for marriage' - PR really does let some fuckwits start a party.
I was handed a leaflet by the socialists outside Partick station and a lib dem reluctantly handed me one outside the polling station (all too happy to hand it to the pensioners in front of me but apparenlty he didnt think I was worth it

)

It appears my votes had no bearing on the result since Labour once again romped to victory in Glasgow.

glasgow sheep · « **Reply #9 on:** May 05, 2012, 09:54:48 AM »

What's your ward? Partick West? Think a Green was elected there.

Overall looks like a score draw between Labour and the SNP with the Scottish electoral map quickly becoming a two party state.
Lib Dems surely can't drop any further in terms of councillors and MSPs but they will probably have one more disastrous election (General election 2015) before they see any up turn in fortunes.

Labour - big improvement on 2010. Managed to stem the flow of votes away from them in Glasgow and did remarkably well to gain overall control in West Dunbartonshire and Renfrewshire. Equally becoming the biggest party in both Aberdeen and Edinburgh must have been an unexpected surprise. Still trailing the SNP and still a fair bit off winning any Scottish Parliamentary Election but disproved the assertion they were wiped out last time

SNP - Most number of seats, biggest vote share, most number of gains (on 2007 result), increased their lead over Labour locally from 2007, gained control of Dundee and Angus and at one point had won more seats in Scotland on the night than the Lib Dems had won UK wide. But stalled a bit from last yr. Vote share down about 10% from 2011 and although a different election with Independents certainly taking alot of their votes away will be disappointing. Terrible result in Glasgow and poorly managed. Shock in aberdeen too but UTG may well have tipped the balance.

Tories - Hardly mentioned in the coverage. Moved into 3rd nation wide but still managed to lose votes and seats. Every year we are told they have hit rock bottom but they just keep dropping further. An irrelevance everywhere except the south.

Lib Dems - bloody hell. They won't exist in a year or two at the rate. Need to de-couple from the Tories asap but the damage has been done, and large parts of Scotland will take a generation to recover. Their own personal highlight was getting beaten by a Penguin in one Edinburgh Ward.

Greens - Good improvement esp considering the squeeze caused by the two party state we have become. Representation in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Midlothian, Aberdeenshire and Stirling

tom_widdows · « **Reply #10 on:** May 05, 2012, 11:00:45 AM »

yep it would appear 3 of the people i stuck down on the ballot got a seat.

Should have twigged that 'scotland for marriage' was in fact 'the christian party'

The deathnail of the lib dems in scotland will be if Charles kennedy retires from 'Ross, Skye & Lochaber' and heads to the house of lords.
Without him they will automatically lose the Highlands at the next General Election which could mean they go 4th behind the tories

caledonia · « **Reply #11 on:** May 05, 2012, 03:17:54 PM »

Quote from: glasgow sheep on May 05, 2012, 09:54:48 AM

Lib Dems - bloody hell. They won't exist in a year or two at the rate. Need to de-couple from the Tories asap but the damage has been done, and large parts of Scotland will take a generation to recover. Their own personal highlight was getting beaten by a Penguin in one Edinburgh Ward.

Says it all and if I were a Lib-Dem supporter I would have jumped ship also.
Also would like to add although I am all for the SNP (2 votes) I also used one of my votes for an independent as he has done wonders in my ward.

jmo · « **Reply #12 on:** May 05, 2012, 07:39:29 PM »

The three people I voted for all got voted in so fairly pleased from that perspective.

Felt like the only person in the polling station though. The guy who handed me my ballot paper was listening to music on his iPod when I got there and looked utterly bored.

tom_widdows · « **Reply #13 on:** May 05, 2012, 08:15:12 PM »

Quote from: jmo on May 05, 2012, 07:39:29 PM

The three people I voted for all got voted in so fairly pleased from that perspective.

Felt like the only person in the polling station though. The guy who handed me my ballot paper was listening to music on his iPod when I got there and looked utterly bored.

Same for me. People behind the desks looked almost panicky when myself and an elderly couple walked in at the same time.

jmo · « **Reply #14 on:** May 05, 2012, 08:51:43 PM »

Looking in more detail at the results in my ward there were more spoilt ballots than there were first preference votes for the Tories or Lib Dems.

scotfree · « **Reply #15 on:** May 06, 2012, 07:17:35 AM »

Quote from: tom_widdows on May 04, 2012, 10:33:04 PM

Lib dem, green and the 2 SNP blokes got my votes (not revealing the order)

The only leaflets I had through the door were from the Tories, The Union party and 'scotland for marriage' - PR really does let some fuckwits start a party.
I was handed a leaflet by the socialists outside Partick station and a lib dem reluctantly handed me one outside the polling station (all too happy to hand it to the pensioners in front of me but apparenlty he didnt think I was worth it )

It appears my votes had no bearing on the result since Labour once again romped to victory in Glasgow.

Why?

BigAl · « **Reply #16 on:** May 06, 2012, 11:01:30 AM »

Was there an election

Most low key political event I've witnessed in over thirty years of holding a vote.
Apathy rules....I guess no fucker cares any longer. Bit like Scottish football really

mizer · « **Reply #17 on:** May 06, 2012, 12:48:30 PM »

Johann Lamont looks a character fae the Broons.

Nellie The Don · « **Reply #18 on:** May 06, 2012, 12:50:27 PM »

Quote from: glasgow sheep on May 05, 2012, 09:54:48 AM

Need to de-couple from the Tories asap but the damage has been done, and large parts of Scotland will take a generation to recover.

Agree with the sentiment, but doubt this highlighted last part.

I would think that the collapse of the Lib Dem vote could quite easily be reversed, and an intra party coup de tat, with Simon Hughes or similar taking control of the UK party, and distancing it from the Tories would see a flocking back of their currently disenfranchised core vote.

Kowalski · « **Reply #19 on:** May 06, 2012, 05:58:05 PM »

Quote from: tom_widdows on May 05, 2012, 11:00:45 AM

The deathnail of the lib dems in scotland will be if Charles kennedy retires from 'Ross, Skye & Lochaber' and heads to the house of lords.
Without him they will automatically lose the Highlands at the next General Election which could mean they go 4th behind the tories

Agreed but I can't see him doing that yet. They'll need him to help get the party back on track (I'd have him back as leader sharpish!). Although I think they are merging his seat with Danny Alexander's so who knows what will happen there.