[Archived] The General Election 2015

[Amo]

Five more years of austerity, then Labour will come back in.

Rinse repeat.

And people wonder why some of us don't vote.

[yoda]

Dreadfully disappointing result.

Ed Miliband's vision of a reformed capitalist system that works for everyone and not just the few was good but the message was not clear or coherent enough.

The Labour party need to have a rethink and plan a strategy for the next 5 years and plan to return to government in 2020. There are many people who voted Tory this time who will return.

I fear for this country, and the north of England in particular. We have the prospect of a break up of the union and the rUK leaving the EU, effectively leaving a "Little England" not longer internationalist and looking in on itself. The poor and weakest will be the target of more austerity cuts and the richest 1 per cent will continue to prosper at the expense of everyone else.

A sad day indeed.

The pollsters were asking the wrong questions obviously. The poll that told the truth was the leaders' poll.

The blame for the break up of the UK rests in Labour's hands Jim by failing to hang onto the Scottish vote. The message sent out was all wrong, the English electorate do not want to be pushed around by the SNP which is a minority of the whole UK population.

The SNP exists solely for approx. 45% of the Scottish electorate (less than 3% of the whole UK) and do not give a toss for the UK as a whole.

That is why we have seen Lebdems and Ukip voters at the last minute, tactically voting to keep them out of the loop when passing legislation in Westminster.

Sturgeon openly preached that the SNP was going to be disruptive in order too further their cause which is independence.

Fortunately the English and Welsh have called her out.

Will the Labour party manage to recover in 5 years, tough call in my opinion as they have this closet Tory attitude to be all things to all voters,

Like the adverts for the VW's, if it sounds like a VW door closing, then it is a VW, not an imitation.

The Labour party has lost it's way and could become irrelevant without a major rethink.

[Biddy]

Voted SNP.

in the seats the SNP stood in they gained over 50% of the Vote that's why they have 56 seats.

56 seats yet only actually got 1,454,436 votes. That's nearly a million less than Lib Dem (8 seats), and 2.4million less than UKIP who only got 1 seat. Heck even the greens only got around 300,000 less votes.

my thought on the way forward :

• cant wait for trident to be moved.

not going to happen. Not now Cameron has a majority and SNP are pretty much the only party wanting rid.

• roll on the EU referendum.

Do you want out?

• full fiscal autonomy in Scotland

probably would happen. Can I ask if you want another in/out referendum?

[dr_awol]

my thought on the way forward :

• cant wait for trident to be moved.

not going to happen. Not now Cameron has a majority and SNP are pretty much the only party wanting rid.

I used to think trident was a good thing. but after thinking about it, who would we nuke ever ?

• roll on the EU referendum.

Do you want out?

No, Leaving the EU would be suicide.

• full fiscal autonomy in Scotland

probably would happen. Can I ask if you want another in/out referendum? if we left the EU and Scotland voted to stay in the EU then yes.

[yoda]

It would appear that the Tories have wiped out a generation of opposition MP's with the amount of resignations that are coming out. Some big hitters standing down.

That is the real failure of Labour and the Lib Dems

[matt83]

Voted SNP.

Im really not sure why people in England are scared of them ?

I think Ed lost it when he said he would much prefair a Conservative than a lab/SNP gov.

in the seats the SNP stood in they gained over 50% of the Vote that's why they have 56 seats.

in Scotland UKIP only got 1.6%. proud fact.. although that's 1.6% to much

my thought on the way forward :

• cant wait for trident to be moved.
• roll on the EU referendum.
• full fiscal autonomy in Scotland

The Conservative made people in England scared of Scotland, UkIP made people in England scared of Europe, Fear Always wins

Think people are suspicious of them because unless I've massively misunderstood aren't they the party that only want to break up the UK? In the same way ukip want us out of Europe. So when forming a UK government it would be crazy give power to a party that wants break it all up. I won't pretend to understand politics just seems mad.

The population of Scotland is 5 million there's 6-7 million in the north west so for all Scotland is a country in terms of numbers the north west is more significant than Scotland but I'd wager far more concessions go to Scotland than here. Or in another way the idea that a party who represents 5 million can dictate terms to the rest of the 60 million ish in the UK doesn't sit well with me.

I'll add the caveat its quite possible I've been manipulated by the media and got it all wrong.

[Jacobalph]

It would appear that the Tories have wiped out a generation of opposition MP's with the amount of resignations that are coming out. Some big hitters standing down.

That is the real failure of Labour and the Lib Dems

It's funny isn't it, looks like the Lib Dems are getting punished for that one big lie whilst the Tories skip off into the distance with more votes. Not that I'm bothered at all.

[thenodrog]

What you are describing is a modified version of the party list system - it is used in a number of countries. A pure party list system is the most proportional system you can have, but it's not usually very popular as it puts all the power in terms of who actually gets elected into the hands of party machines. You would vote for your party but have little influence on the actual individuals who you elect. Your version would be topping up the numbers of MPs for each party depending on total votes cast but it still has an element of the problem. t also breaks the MP's link with their constituents. Why would an MP elected on the party list work for voters in constituencies - their emphasis would be on pleasing whoever draws up the party lists.

Thats why I worked to a rather small %age. Also they wouldn't necessarily have to have constituencies would they? Less salary and expenses too (like special / community police officers), and their tenure would only last the length of the parliament or until they were selected for a vacant constituency. As I say it's only a suggestion for discusssion and I haven't really thought it through.

[thenodrog]

Just stunned, absolutely stunned.

Never thought this would be the eventual outcome. I thought Conservative most seats but Labour with SNP support would have been greater, never did I think that we would see 1992 all over again.

A few things stand out:

1. The SNP surge was very much as predicted. Labour have a tough task indeed to try and recover from the mauling they have taken and it could take a long time.

2. Clearly in England the fear of the SNP controlling government put the fear of god into voters at the ballot boxes.

3. The UKIP vote actually damaged Labour more than the Conservatives. Especially in some of the marginals we saw UKIP blunting any form of challenge from Labour.

4. Lib Dem voters actually switching to the Conservatives. Might be the fear of the SNP and tactical voting but we definitely saw a shift.

Cameron has had a stonking result but the challenge doesn't stop there. He has to try and sort out Scotland with some sort of deal to reflect the mood north of the border, he also has to try and get a good deal from Europe ready for the referendum.

He has to consider the 'No's of course but Sturgeon and Salmond and the people that voted them in could now be in for one hell of a rough ride. Now that the Tories have the majority that the SNP never saw coming Cameron has the power to make life very hard for the party whose declared intent is to break up the union. Not too long ago their actions would have been seen as treasonable.

Oh Joy. Another 5 years of that lot. I wonder if Nigel will remember this time that the west of his constituency doesn't end at Ribchester and there's some hard working non-farming, non half million pound house owning folks out there? Hopefully it's not only 'alleged' nefarious deeds he has no recollection of

Did you vote for him Shaun?

[Kamy100]

Desperate night for Labour and rightly Milliband has resigned, although the “strategists” should follow as they got this badly wrong, this coupled with not getting their message across has resulted in this, although no one forsaw this kind of annihilation.

I really fear for what will happen over the next 5 years. Ian Duncan Smith was straight on talking his delight at being able to continue welfare reform, which will mean changes to Child Benefit and Working Families tax credits, this is going to hit the poorest in our society hard.

The NHS has privatisation which was in part started by Blair will now really ramp up and people talk about the tories promises of an addition £8 billion to be invested into the NHS, this was one of their “uncosted” election promises so I would like to see where they are going to get this money from? I have family who work in the NHS and they picture that they paint is not pretty, the way the NHS works needed to be reformed but the way the Tories have gone about it is putting the whole service at risk.

The country has spoken and the Cameron has been given a clear mandate to continue and I will respect that but I am not very optimistic about the future.

[thenodrog]

Voted SNP.

Im really not sure why people in England are scared of them ?

I think Ed lost it when he said he would much prefair a Conservative than a lab/SNP gov.

in the seats the SNP stood in they gained over 50% of the Vote that's why they have 56 seats.

in Scotland UKIP only got 1.6%. proud fact.. although that's 1.6% to much

my thought on the way forward :

• cant wait for trident to be moved.
• roll on the EU referendum.
• full fiscal autonomy in Scotland

The Conservative made people in England scared of Scotland, UkIP made people in England scared of Europe, Fear Always wins

Not sure about that BUT I've a strong feeling that it's your turn to be scared now. Top of Camerons agenda will surely be to slap down Sturgeon and the SNP.

As for 'full fiscal autonomy'..... turkeys voting for christmas. Now that the price of Brent crude has fallen and your biggest export earner scotch whisky is dropping in popularity you'd be eating grass by Christmas.

The blame for the break up of the UK rests in Labour's hands Jim by failing to hang onto the Scottish vote. The message sent out was all wrong, the English electorate do not want to be pushed around by the SNP which is a minority of the whole UK population.

The SNP exists solely for approx. 45% of the Scottish electorate (less than 3% of the whole UK) and do not give a toss for the UK as a whole.

That is why we have seen Lebdems and Ukip voters at the last minute, tactically voting to keep them out of the loop when passing legislation in Westminster.

Sturgeon openly preached that the SNP was going to be disruptive in order too further their cause which is independence.

Fortunately the English and Welsh have called her out.

Will the Labour party manage to recover in 5 years, tough call in my opinion as they have this closet Tory attitude to be all things to all voters,

Like the adverts for the VW's, if it sounds like a VW door closing, then it is a VW, not an imitation.

The Labour party has lost it's way and could become irrelevant without a major rethink.

This dr-awol.

[Jock]

Paedo supporting Hatty Harman becomes Temp Labour leader. Disgusting vile woman.

[chaddyrovers]

No issue with the doctors/nurses, it's the lack of them that's the issue!

IMO, Lack of doctors who knew what the problem was with GF.

Also some of the doctors are very much up they own #####.

But I had no problems with the doctor who did my Shoulder op. In and out of hospital in 6 hours. I was at beardwood hospital in Blackburn tho for the op.

[ultrablue]

I haven't thought of this properly so if it's not feasible please say so. Maybe a form of such could be included where ordinarily elected FPTP MP's and constituences are cut to 600 and a %age amounting to 50% after that could be put fwd by their party and elected on the basis of share of the vote. I presume if it was implemented those places would be taken up by MP's who had lost their seats. e.g. Balls, Alexander and Cable for instance and Farage for UKIP.

Sounds like AV top-up or AV+ as suggested by the Jenkins Comission a long while back.

it's a small step closer to PR than pure AV- the system that was shot down in the referendum a few years back.

[thenodrog]

Desperate night for Labour and rightly Milliband has resigned, although the “strategists” should follow as they got this badly wrong, this coupled with not getting their message across has resulted in this, although no one forsaw this kind of annihilation.

I really fear for what will happen over the next 5 years. Ian Duncan Smith was straight on talking his delight at being able to continue welfare reform, which will mean changes to Child Benefit and Working Families tax credits, this is going to hit the poorest in our society hard.

The NHS has privatisation which was in part started by Blair will now really ramp up and people talk about the tories promises of an addition £8 billion to be invested into the NHS, this was one of their “uncosted” election promises so I would like to see where they are going to get this money from? I have family who work in the NHS and they picture that they paint is not pretty, the way the NHS works needed to be reformed but the way the Tories have gone about it is putting the whole service at risk.

The country has spoken and the Cameron has been given a clear mandate to continue and I will respect that but I am not very optimistic about the future.

Child benefit should stop after two Kamy. If you can't afford to bring your own children up then don't have them. I rem when we had ours I was on a salary lower than the national average, I had a small mortgage and my wife had given up her job to be a 'proper' at home mum yet we were still able to 'ignore' the child allowance and we saved it all for the family holiday.

I have issues with working families tax credits too. We employed a husband and wife part time who were receiving them and they had absolutely no interest in working any extra hours whatsoever although we offered often enough. I guess they were part of the 65% on zero hours contracts who simply do not want anything more.

[JBiz]

2 million more jobs created in the last 5 years.

The figures are there to see

How many 0 hour contracts? How many agencies filling 8 week vacancies and binning them off the day before to save holiday pay? Who enabled this and tampered with employment law to the point where businesses can do anything and as food and expenses rise, wages stay the same?

I can't believe you could live in a suburb of Blackburn and think that a Tory majority is good. The last 5 years had seen 10s of thousand of public service employees lose their jobs. What do you think employs the most people?

If we lose more firefighters, police, nurses and teachers- the country will suffer. Spread thin is a word to describe the police, yet we've just "signed on" for more "staff restructuring".

Cut off Scotland, cut off Europe in a referendum stirred up by a Tory in a UKIP blouse. Look in at ourselves and make the richest even richer.

You've bought too many DC comics. Not the classic Batman, I mean David Cameron's Murdoch tabloids. I can't believe 13% of this country bought the migrant scaremongering over bankers bonuses, interest rate and selling off of public companies for cheap to "friends in the city". Tories might not be UKIP : "foreigners are alright as long as theyre big businesses; its only the poor ones we dont like."

In he words of a famous meme... I don't want to live on this planet anymore.

[dr_awol]

Not sure about that BUT I've a strong feeling that it's your turn to be scared now. Top of Camerons agenda will surely be to slap down Sturgeon and the SNP.

This dr-awol.

What do you mean by a Slap down?

Sturgeon openly preached that the SNP was going to be disruptive in order too further their cause which is independence.

Nope sorry but that's just wrong Nicola has said the SNP would play a positive and constructive role at Westminster

[JBiz]

Child benefit should stop after two Kamy. If you can't afford to bring your own children up then don't have them.

Why should the 3 year old go without food because the parents aren't fit to raise children? How do you plan for parenting when you can't guarantee your hours for a week at work?

[ultrablue]

One big constitutional question that really needs answering in this parliament:

What role should 50 odd SNP members have in voting on laws that only effect England?

[K-Hod]

Gordon-I know a few nurses, and they all say the same as me!!

[Rover_Shaun]

Did you vote for him Shaun?

Did I eck. The day my vote turn Blue is the day I sell my soul to the devil for a glimpse of Mrs D's inner thigh.

I would like to see the percentage of the votes from Bamber Bridge, Lostock Hall, Walton le Dale and Farrington and how they would have altered the vote in the South Ribble constituency they should be in.

Anyone would think creating Wyre and Preston North and breaking up South Ribble before the 2010 election was a stitch up in order to take away certain party votes from the South Ribble constituency in order to make it vote "the right way" and to create a new mostly rural Tory stronghold of Wyre and North Preston. Effectively creating 2 more North West Tory strongholds in addition to the Ribble Valley............or am I seeing conspiracies where there are none?

[joey_big_nose]

Not sure about that BUT I've a strong feeling that it's your turn to be scared now. Top of Camerons agenda will surely be to slap down Sturgeon and the SNP.

Don't see how he can "slap them down" if he is serious about keeping the union which I believe he is. They have a total mandate from the people of Scotland and he has made a huge amount of promises to them during the referendum.

Cameron will give them additional powers as promised and try to bring them onside. He can't do anything else. If the conservatives antagonise then it will force a quicker separation which they are trying to avoid.

To be honest SNP hold all the cards as long as the conservatives want Scotland in the union.

If the time comes when the Conservatives want the Scots out then that will suit them fine too. Sturgeon and Salmond have him cooked.

[yoda]

What do you mean by a Slap down?

Sturgeon openly preached that the SNP was going to be disruptive in order too further their cause which is independence.

Nope sorry but that's just wrong Nicola has said the SNP would play a positive and constructive role at Westminster

Sounds like you fell for it too,

good job the majority of the electorate didn't

[Biddy]

Child benefit should stop after two Kamy. If you can't afford to bring your own children up then don't have them. I rem when we had ours I was on a salary lower than the national average, I had a small mortgage and my wife had given up her job to be a 'proper' at home mum yet we were still able to 'ignore' the child allowance and we saved it all for the family holiday.

I have issues with working families tax credits too. We employed a husband and wife part time who were receiving them and they had absolutely no interest in working any extra hours whatsoever although we offered often enough. I guess they were part of the 65% on zero hours contracts who simply do not want anything more.

Aye, but you still got it and it suited you to use it how you saw fit. Now you no longer get it you are happy to advocate that no one else should.

[Mattyblue]

By 2020 only Tony Blair will have won an election for Labour in 46 years.

There's a simple truth, you will not win a General Election from the left. The statist policies of Miliband were rejected by Middle England (and non Valleys Wales) and Labour and some of their supporters on here need a reality check.