Let's Get Political!

[horlock07]

So the bellwether of Swindon has voted for more of the same, pointedly refusing to turn towards Labour.  Interesting times.  I wonder whether we have now reached 'Peak Corbyn'?

I will await the spin with interest, I wonder if he actually won this election like he did the one in 2017..... alas they still haven't learnt their lesson from Milliband (E) in that your supporters may think you are the messiah but if the electorate don't agree you are piddling in the wind.....

We have no idea of the results up here as they don't even start the count till this afternoon, the lazy fuckers!

[pauld]

I will await the spin with interest, I wonder if he actually won this election like he did the one in 2017..... alas they still haven't learnt their lesson from Milliband (E) in that your supporters may think you are the messiah but if the electorate don't agree you are piddling in the wind.....

Think the difference is that Miliband actually wanted to win the election whereas I get the distinct impression that Corbyn and Momentum are less interested in that than they are in cementing their grip on the Labour party. The hard left has always seen "the real enemy" in internal battles than fighting against the Tories etc.

[horlock07]

Think the difference is that Miliband actually wanted to win the election whereas I get the distinct impression that Corbyn and Momentum are less interested in that than they are in cementing their grip on the Labour party. The hard left has always seen "the real enemy" in internal battles than fighting against the Tories etc.

New Old Labour (Momentum) are a funny old bunch, they remind me so much of Labour supporters when I was a student who were fucking clueless about the real world but liked to bang on about issues, I suppose you would call it virtue signalling these days...

There is one hard liner I engage with on another forum who I must admit from his posts I always assumed was an naive lad driven by ill informed ideology and adoration of the messiah Corbyn and thus probably in his late teens or early 20's, it transpires that after speaking to him for probably 6 months or more he is actually in his late 70's.

They have become less a political party and more a cult....

[Ardiles]

Think the difference is that Miliband actually wanted to win the election whereas I get the distinct impression that Corbyn and Momentum are less interested in that than they are in cementing their grip on the Labour party. The hard left has always seen "the real enemy" in internal battles than fighting against the Tories etc.

Saw something similar in a ward near me in Farnborough, but at the opposite end of the political spectrum.  See 'St Marks's' Ward, about two thirds of the way down the page.

Rushmoor Borough Council - Local Election Results

This made me smile.  Nice to see Zack Culshaw of the 'British Union & Sovereignty Party' (which I suspect is just him) splitting the Tory vote and letting the Lib Dems in through the middle.  (Read his press notice, though, and he seems more interested in fighting a battle out on the right wing vs the Tories.)  That's called a political fail, Zack.

[pauld]

Good summary by one of the pundits on the Radio this morning - "the only winners are people who like lots of elections". Labour don't look like a party ready to take the reins of government, the Tories aren't fit to govern.

My personal highlight though was the UKIP chairman deftly dodging the question of whether they'd had a bad night by comparing his own party to the Black Death (to the open incredulity of the presenter who was left all but speechless). Quite extraordinary why with talent like that they didn't attract more support.

[RedRag]

New Old Labour (Momentum) are a funny old bunch, they remind me so much of Labour supporters when I was a student who were fucking clueless about the real world but liked to bang on about issues, I suppose you would call it virtue signalling these days...

There is one hard liner I engage with on another forum who I must admit from his posts I always assumed was an naive lad driven by ill informed ideology and adoration of the messiah Corbyn and thus probably in his late teens or early 20's, it transpires that after speaking to him for probably 6 months or more he is actually in his late 70's.

They have become less a political party and more a cult....

Reg may be stalking you

[Reg Smeeton]

Reg may be stalking you

You'll be hard pressed to find more than the occcasional young leftie. 

[RedRag]

Someone has to keep the red flag flying high

[jayohaitchenn]

This Swindon is a bellwether thing... where has it come from? Nationally, we tend to flip flop between the two main parties in line with the general election results, but locally we've had a conservative controlled council since 2004.

Labour win the popular vote, apparently if this translated into national trends, Buckland would have lost South Swindon and Tomlinson would have narrowly retained North Swindon.

https://twitter.com/britainelects/status/992189309628362753

[Pax Romana]

"the only winners are people who like lots of elections". Labour don't look like a party ready to take the reins of government, the Tories aren't fit to govern.

Exactly.  It's either depressing or amusing depending on whether you care.  I care.   

It's rather like watching two Italian Div 2 soccer teams who have both been paid to throw the match.

I don't see how Swindon is such a great result for the Tories.  It's obviously so much easier to retain a lead when you're only contesting a third of the seats.  Extrapolate the results and Labour get in.

And now we're all going to have to listen to Vince Cable declaring yet another Richmond-led false dawn for the Lib Dems as they soar majestically from rock bottom up to the giddy heights of bottom.

Has anyone from Momentum been to retrieve their kitchen sink yet?

[Batch]

One good thing, UKIP may as well disband now.

[Reg Smeeton]

This Swindon is a bellwether thing... where has it come from? Nationally, we tend to flip flop between the two main parties in line with the general election results, but locally we've had a conservative controlled council since 2004.

Labour win the popular vote, apparently if this translated into national trends, Buckland would have lost South Swindon and Tomlinson would have narrowly retained North Swindon.

https://twitter.com/britainelects/status/992189309628362753

It's good though getting some national attention.... when we came up in 3rd place on the league table of target seats on the Beeb grasphic, there were some taking photos, being unaccustomed to seeing us at such lofty heights in a league table.

Overall, when the results a year ago are factored in not a bad night for Labour.  A year ago the Tories won a shed load of seats and May had something like a 20% lead in the opinion polls, which persuaded her to call the election.  Of course, no euphoria, but a need to keep chipping away.

[horlock07]

One good thing, UKIP may as well disband now.

Its one of the many positives for May last night as it showed that he deliberate process of moving the party to the right and adopting many UKIP policies has bought voters back into the Tory fold, she was never going to get left or centralist votes so they rightly concentrated where there were gains to be made.

Whatever happens I am sure UKIP will retain their most important seat, the one that Farage holds at the Question Time table every other week.

[pauld]

Its one of the many positives for May last night as it showed that he deliberate process of moving the party to the right and adopting many UKIP policies has bought voters back into the Tory fold

Same trick Thatcher pulled with the NF in 79 (he says, channeling Reg)

[Wobbly Bob]

At least brown paper bag suppliers will continue to flourish in Swindon for a little longer.