It's a @Number10cat landslide. New @IpsosUK data shows 44% favourable towards the Downing Street Don – ratings that a politician would surely find purr-fect.https://t.co/T1oX6ccCDk pic.twitter.com/RJ8VeePkuh
Robert Colvile @rcolvile · 1h As a Tory, I'm approaching tonight in the same spirit as watching 'Titanic'. You know what's going to happen, the drama is seeing who survives.
Patrick O'Flynn @oflynnsocial · 2h Am hearing from several places about a high turnout. This could mean any of 3 things a) the shy Tories have been hooked by the super-majority warning and are coming out b) enthusiasm for Lab to get the Tories out c) a Brexit-style working class surge for Reform. Take yer pick!
Patrick O'Flynn @oflynnsocial · 2h Am hearing from several places about a high turnout. This could mean any of 3 things a) the shy Tories have been hooked by the super-majority warning and are coming out b) enthusiasm for Lab to get the Tories out c) a Brexit-style working class surge for Reform. Take yer pick!
I've got a big TV, an iPad, a laptop, and my phone, all tuned to different aspects of the election. It's like NASA, but with much better wine
My dilemma is when to start drinking. I can't wait til the exit poll that's too far away. I think a gentle couple of G&Ts before supper ariund 8, then a hefty Malbec to go with the Singapore laksa (yes I know, non-canonical, sue me). Then I might go for a Grand Cru Bordeaux or a Gran Reserva Rioja to be slowly imbibed through the night, finishing with a slug of Macallan 30 year old and a Valium to knock me out til noon
You should have seen my 1997 election studio: two computers, 4 TVs, 2 video recorders, a video camera filming Ceefax because I didn't have any other way of recording it. Also lots of sheets of paper with all the constituencies so I could cross them off as they came in. Totally bonkers. I've got it photos of it somewhere.
Patrick O'Flynn @oflynnsocial · 2h Am hearing from several places about a high turnout. This could mean any of 3 things a) the shy Tories have been hooked by the super-majority warning and are coming out b) enthusiasm for Lab to get the Tories out c) a Brexit-style working class surge for Reform. Take yer pick!
Patrick O'Flynn @oflynnsocial · 2h Am hearing from several places about a high turnout. This could mean any of 3 things a) the shy Tories have been hooked by the super-majority warning and are coming out b) enthusiasm for Lab to get the Tories out c) a Brexit-style working class surge for Reform. Take yer pick!
Patrick O'Flynn @oflynnsocial · 2h Am hearing from several places about a high turnout. This could mean any of 3 things a) the shy Tories have been hooked by the super-majority warning and are coming out b) enthusiasm for Lab to get the Tories out c) a Brexit-style working class surge for Reform. Take yer pick!
Patrick O'Flynn @oflynnsocial · 2h Am hearing from several places about a high turnout. This could mean any of 3 things a) the shy Tories have been hooked by the super-majority warning and are coming out b) enthusiasm for Lab to get the Tories out c) a Brexit-style working class surge for Reform. Take yer pick!
On cats just mulling the analogy that Sunak in the rump parliamentary party is going to be like a kitten thrown to a pack of XL Bullies. I hope his police protection is not withdrawn when sks goes au palais. I don't fancy his chances mano a mano with Braverman.
Patrick O'Flynn @oflynnsocial · 2h Am hearing from several places about a high turnout. This could mean any of 3 things a) the shy Tories have been hooked by the super-majority warning and are coming out b) enthusiasm for Lab to get the Tories out c) a Brexit-style working class surge for Reform. Take yer pick!
Patrick O'Flynn @oflynnsocial · 2h Am hearing from several places about a high turnout. This could mean any of 3 things a) the shy Tories have been hooked by the super-majority warning and are coming out b) enthusiasm for Lab to get the Tories out c) a Brexit-style working class surge for Reform. Take yer pick!
This really could be the day the Tory party dies as a national party. Even now its quite hard to get one’s head around that.
Scary times.
I plan for the worst but hope for the best.
Which isn't ideal when you're trying to bet on this election.
I’m 62. The Tories have completely dominated my adult life politically. There was the Blair intromission but he never really looked to change the status quo.
The idea that they might not be around anymore, like the SDP of my youth, is quite startling. Anything less than 120 and they are gone for good.
When the old-style Liberal Party lost their 'last' election was it obvious at the time? I'm not up in GE history.
Of the three factions into which the Liberal Party had split, each with a tranche of MPs, one allied with the Tories and kept its separate ‘National Liberal’ identity for a surprisingly long time (Michael Heseltine first stood as one) before eventually disappearing into the Tory party. The other two eventually got their act together, but found that the fast-moving history of the 1930s and 40s had passed them by, and the party only survived during and immediately after the war with a tiny handful of seats, and even some of those relied on pacts with other parties not standing against them.
The 1962 Orpington by-election win came out of the blue and was a small earthquake that set in train the long slow recovery, leading eventually to the opportunity and turmoil of the Labour split and the Alliance years. They were lucky in Grimond, Thorpe and Steel to have a series of dynamic capable leaders, despite the tiny size of the parliamentary party, each in their different way well suited to the emerging media age. Grimond laid the intellectual foundation for the recovery, making the party relevant for the times, and drawing into the party a lot of people who later became prominent, internally or externally. Thorpe was an excellent publicist who brought the party to wider attention (eventually in ways rather less helpful), and Steel was a solid leader with a good media persona and the judgement to lay the foundations for the eventual merger that became the LibDems.
Patrick O'Flynn @oflynnsocial · 2h Am hearing from several places about a high turnout. This could mean any of 3 things a) the shy Tories have been hooked by the super-majority warning and are coming out b) enthusiasm for Lab to get the Tories out c) a Brexit-style working class surge for Reform. Take yer pick!
* From the off the campaign has been riven by divisions and beset by avoidable mistakes
* Claims of splits between No 10 team and wider campaign. 'Them and us has really been a problem'
* Splits from the off - Dowden and other Sunak allies said to have pushed for early election, Isaac Levido opposed. Dowden has denied pushing to go early
* 'We did an amazing job at keeping the timing of the election secret - but then we didn't capitalise on it because CCHQ were not prepared'
* Claims CCHQ was 'chaotic' with candidate selections all over the place
* Sheer volume of unforced errors - Sunak announcing election in rain, visit to Titanic, assumption Farage would not stand, D-Day fisaco...
* Biggest miscalculation was Farage. 'We tried to ignore Reform for far too long,' senior party source says
* Supermajority strategy born of desperation rather than design - hope had been polls would narrow. When they didn't the campaign broke glass
* Tories comprehensively outgunned on spending - Labour built up huge warchest during short campaign
* Tory ground operation denuded, while many senior figures from past did not take part
Patrick O'Flynn @oflynnsocial · 2h Am hearing from several places about a high turnout. This could mean any of 3 things a) the shy Tories have been hooked by the super-majority warning and are coming out b) enthusiasm for Lab to get the Tories out c) a Brexit-style working class surge for Reform. Take yer pick!
Patrick O'Flynn @oflynnsocial · 2h Am hearing from several places about a high turnout. This could mean any of 3 things a) the shy Tories have been hooked by the super-majority warning and are coming out b) enthusiasm for Lab to get the Tories out c) a Brexit-style working class surge for Reform. Take yer pick!
Patrick O'Flynn @oflynnsocial · 2h Am hearing from several places about a high turnout. This could mean any of 3 things a) the shy Tories have been hooked by the super-majority warning and are coming out b) enthusiasm for Lab to get the Tories out c) a Brexit-style working class surge for Reform. Take yer pick!
I was the first PBer to flag up the increased turnout news.
I think it is likely to be c) but could be a)
I think you've misspelt "rumour" as "news" there.
I had a flutter on 70%+ turnover this morning as I felt 25-1 was decent value. It was 67.3% last time and 68.8% the time before, so it might happen. Is it likely? Not terribly. Rumours about turnout just start circulating at this sort of time and people get over-excited. It'll be thereabouts, and it's of marginal relevance.
In completely off topic news and using my non political photo, my parents are staying at our place in the Mâconnais and the Tour came past on the road from Cluny to Cormatin. Mum snapped Mark Cavendish:
Well I hope whoever is PM, one of their first acts is to pass a law standardising the names of constituencies. Why is it South West Norfolk, but Barnsley South? Makes it unnecessarily inefficient to find them on the exchange.
In my brave new world it will South Barnsley and so on.
The cardinal direction should always be last so all places named for a local area are together in an alphabetical list.
I think that is generally the case with towns but not rural areas (eg East Wiltshire and South West Wiltshire)
Patrick O'Flynn @oflynnsocial · 2h Am hearing from several places about a high turnout. This could mean any of 3 things a) the shy Tories have been hooked by the super-majority warning and are coming out b) enthusiasm for Lab to get the Tories out c) a Brexit-style working class surge for Reform. Take yer pick!
I think it is time to give some serious credit to @Heathener. She saw this coming a long time before anyone else and for a long time was a lonely and somewhat mocked figure. I may well have even expressed some incredulity myself.
And yet, here we are, just over 2 hours before the exit poll and we are all @Heatheners now.
Patrick O'Flynn @oflynnsocial · 2h Am hearing from several places about a high turnout. This could mean any of 3 things a) the shy Tories have been hooked by the super-majority warning and are coming out b) enthusiasm for Lab to get the Tories out c) a Brexit-style working class surge for Reform. Take yer pick!
Patrick O'Flynn @oflynnsocial · 2h Am hearing from several places about a high turnout. This could mean any of 3 things a) the shy Tories have been hooked by the super-majority warning and are coming out b) enthusiasm for Lab to get the Tories out c) a Brexit-style working class surge for Reform. Take yer pick!
* From the off the campaign has been riven by divisions and beset by avoidable mistakes
* Claims of splits between No 10 team and wider campaign. 'Them and us has really been a problem'
* Splits from the off - Dowden and other Sunak allies said to have pushed for early election, Isaac Levido opposed. Dowden has denied pushing to go early
* 'We did an amazing job at keeping the timing of the election secret - but then we didn't capitalise on it because CCHQ were not prepared'
* Claims CCHQ was 'chaotic' with candidate selections all over the place
* Sheer volume of unforced errors - Sunak announcing election in rain, visit to Titanic, assumption Farage would not stand, D-Day fisaco...
* Biggest miscalculation was Farage. 'We tried to ignore Reform for far too long,' senior party source says
* Supermajority strategy born of desperation rather than design - hope had been polls would narrow. When they didn't the campaign broke glass
* Tories comprehensively outgunned on spending - Labour built up huge warchest during short campaign
* Tory ground operation denuded, while many senior figures from past did not take part
It was crazy to do it in July. If you were going to go early, go for May and potentially save a couple of hundred councillors at least. Otherwise wait until October or November.
A July election made no sense at the start and still makes no sense now. 🤷♂️
In completely off topic news and using my non political photo, my parents are staying at our place in the Mâconnais and the Tour came past on the road from Cluny to Cormatin. Mum snapped Mark Cavendish:
Has she no idea of the etiquette of these occasions? You are meant to cause a 30 bike pile up by standing in the road with a banner saying Hello Tim it's yer mam!
FPT for @Casino_Royale and his revelation that he threw up due to nerves at the 2017 election
Sympathies! I have never felt that invested in any vote.... apart from Sindyref. That is one vote where I did feel sick to the stomach for several days beforehand. It was like having a nasty potential cancer diagnosis hanging over you. The idea my beloved if often fucked up country might break in two...... UGH
And the evening of the vote was beyond tense, it was horrible, until the exit poll, where the relief was quasi-orgasmic. The next day I felt free and wonderful
The only thing I’ll say is that we heard all this anecdata in 2019 about queues at polling stations in London and much was written about the young coming out to drive Corbyn to victory. That proved an… incorrect assumption.
So treat anything like this with a pinch of salt.
But hey maybe I’m wrong and we’re seeing an EU ref style earthquake and even PeoplePolling will have undercooked Farage and he’ll pick up 100 seats and deny Labour a majority LOL. I doubt it though.
Patrick O'Flynn @oflynnsocial · 2h Am hearing from several places about a high turnout. This could mean any of 3 things a) the shy Tories have been hooked by the super-majority warning and are coming out b) enthusiasm for Lab to get the Tories out c) a Brexit-style working class surge for Reform. Take yer pick!
I think it is time to give some serious credit to @Heathener. She saw this coming a long time before anyone else and for a long time was a lonely and somewhat mocked figure. I may well have even expressed some incredulity myself.
And yet, here we are, just over 2 hours before the exit poll and we are all @Heatheners now.
Well I hope whoever is PM, one of their first acts is to pass a law standardising the names of constituencies. Why is it South West Norfolk, but Barnsley South? Makes it unnecessarily inefficient to find them on the exchange.
In my brave new world it will South Barnsley and so on.
The cardinal direction should always be last so all places named for a local area are together in an alphabetical list.
I think that is generally the case with towns but not rural areas (eg East Wiltshire and South West Wiltshire)
As I understand it 'borough' seats typically urban areas have the direction at the end eg Luton South but 'county' seats which are typically rural have it at the beginning eg North Dorset.
The 'borough'/ 'county' definition affects election expense limits but also has this additional feature
Patrick O'Flynn @oflynnsocial · 2h Am hearing from several places about a high turnout. This could mean any of 3 things a) the shy Tories have been hooked by the super-majority warning and are coming out b) enthusiasm for Lab to get the Tories out c) a Brexit-style working class surge for Reform. Take yer pick!
* From the off the campaign has been riven by divisions and beset by avoidable mistakes
* Claims of splits between No 10 team and wider campaign. 'Them and us has really been a problem'
* Splits from the off - Dowden and other Sunak allies said to have pushed for early election, Isaac Levido opposed. Dowden has denied pushing to go early
* 'We did an amazing job at keeping the timing of the election secret - but then we didn't capitalise on it because CCHQ were not prepared'
* Claims CCHQ was 'chaotic' with candidate selections all over the place
* Sheer volume of unforced errors - Sunak announcing election in rain, visit to Titanic, assumption Farage would not stand, D-Day fisaco...
* Biggest miscalculation was Farage. 'We tried to ignore Reform for far too long,' senior party source says
* Supermajority strategy born of desperation rather than design - hope had been polls would narrow. When they didn't the campaign broke glass
* Tories comprehensively outgunned on spending - Labour built up huge warchest during short campaign
* Tory ground operation denuded, while many senior figures from past did not take part
* From the off the campaign has been riven by divisions and beset by avoidable mistakes
* Claims of splits between No 10 team and wider campaign. 'Them and us has really been a problem'
* Splits from the off - Dowden and other Sunak allies said to have pushed for early election, Isaac Levido opposed. Dowden has denied pushing to go early
* 'We did an amazing job at keeping the timing of the election secret - but then we didn't capitalise on it because CCHQ were not prepared'
* Claims CCHQ was 'chaotic' with candidate selections all over the place
* Sheer volume of unforced errors - Sunak announcing election in rain, visit to Titanic, assumption Farage would not stand, D-Day fisaco...
* Biggest miscalculation was Farage. 'We tried to ignore Reform for far too long,' senior party source says
* Supermajority strategy born of desperation rather than design - hope had been polls would narrow. When they didn't the campaign broke glass
* Tories comprehensively outgunned on spending - Labour built up huge warchest during short campaign
* Tory ground operation denuded, while many senior figures from past did not take part
I think they had no strategy for Reform. We've seen the lines against Labour - no plan but also plan to tax etc - but they seemed worried at first any attack on Reform would only encourage more people to consider them.
Maybe that made sense, I think most of the remaining Tory vote would prefer to be more like Reform, but after the Faragegasm all they had was to beg people not to do it.
* From the off the campaign has been riven by divisions and beset by avoidable mistakes
* Claims of splits between No 10 team and wider campaign. 'Them and us has really been a problem'
* Splits from the off - Dowden and other Sunak allies said to have pushed for early election, Isaac Levido opposed. Dowden has denied pushing to go early
* 'We did an amazing job at keeping the timing of the election secret - but then we didn't capitalise on it because CCHQ were not prepared'
* Claims CCHQ was 'chaotic' with candidate selections all over the place
* Sheer volume of unforced errors - Sunak announcing election in rain, visit to Titanic, assumption Farage would not stand, D-Day fisaco...
* Biggest miscalculation was Farage. 'We tried to ignore Reform for far too long,' senior party source says
* Supermajority strategy born of desperation rather than design - hope had been polls would narrow. When they didn't the campaign broke glass
* Tories comprehensively outgunned on spending - Labour built up huge warchest during short campaign
* Tory ground operation denuded, while many senior figures from past did not take part
It was crazy to do it in July. If you were going to go early, go for May and potentially save a couple of hundred councillors at least. Otherwise wait until October or November.
A July election made no sense at the start and still makes no sense now. 🤷♂️
Yes, inflation briefly hitting target was not a reason to go.
I think it is time to give some serious credit to @Heathener. She saw this coming a long time before anyone else and for a long time was a lonely and somewhat mocked figure. I may well have even expressed some incredulity myself.
And yet, here we are, just over 2 hours before the exit poll and we are all @Heatheners now.
I think it is time to give some serious credit to @Heathener. She saw this coming a long time before anyone else and for a long time was a lonely and somewhat mocked figure. I may well have even expressed some incredulity myself.
And yet, here we are, just over 2 hours before the exit poll and we are all @Heatheners now.
Saw what coming? We don't know what is coming!
You get to claim credit about calling Sunak right, that's what's coming.
I think it is time to give some serious credit to @Heathener. She saw this coming a long time before anyone else and for a long time was a lonely and somewhat mocked figure. I may well have even expressed some incredulity myself.
And yet, here we are, just over 2 hours before the exit poll and we are all @Heatheners now.
Saw what coming? We don't know what is coming!
i don't wish to take any credit from @Heathener but was she really first in predicting a Tory wipe out? If so, fair enough, and she should take a bow
My applause would go to the PBer who said "Hartlepool is Peak Tory, all downhill from here", was it @Foxy? Someone else?
Patrick O'Flynn @oflynnsocial · 2h Am hearing from several places about a high turnout. This could mean any of 3 things a) the shy Tories have been hooked by the super-majority warning and are coming out b) enthusiasm for Lab to get the Tories out c) a Brexit-style working class surge for Reform. Take yer pick!
I was the first PBer to flag up the increased turnout news.
I think it is likely to be c) but could be b)
As I have posted a few times in last week - I am very worried is actually going to be a.
Too many times in my life etc etc...
Fat fingers, I meant to say a) not b)
I think a) would be normal turnout. ie Conservatives deciding not to abstain after all. If turnout is high it will be people making a statement when they wouldn't normally vote. b) or c) might be that.
This morning we were discussing a low turnout helps the Tories, now we are saying a high turnout helps the Tories.
It could be a Brexit surge, it could be a Tory surge, but it could be more people than normal want to punish the incumbent.
It could be a bit of all of them. I went to the Mail Online site yesterday to look at the comments (someone on here said they were predictive a Reform victory) and was simultaneously struck by my first Labour ad of the campaign.
Patrick O'Flynn @oflynnsocial · 2h Am hearing from several places about a high turnout. This could mean any of 3 things a) the shy Tories have been hooked by the super-majority warning and are coming out b) enthusiasm for Lab to get the Tories out c) a Brexit-style working class surge for Reform. Take yer pick!
I think it is time to give some serious credit to @Heathener. She saw this coming a long time before anyone else and for a long time was a lonely and somewhat mocked figure. I may well have even expressed some incredulity myself.
And yet, here we are, just over 2 hours before the exit poll and we are all @Heatheners now.
Well I hope whoever is PM, one of their first acts is to pass a law standardising the names of constituencies. Why is it South West Norfolk, but Barnsley South? Makes it unnecessarily inefficient to find them on the exchange.
In my brave new world it will South Barnsley and so on.
The cardinal direction should always be last so all places named for a local area are together in an alphabetical list.
I think that is generally the case with towns but not rural areas (eg East Wiltshire and South West Wiltshire)
I would agree with that, except that Norfolk South West doesn’t scan as well. Norfolk south scans, as does Norfolk west, but not Norfolk South West. Well not to my ear anyway.
I would prefer your suggestion over the status quo though.
People already put the county name first unofficially much of the time.
So just make it official so they look better in a spreadsheet, and people can officially say it differently.
Its quite unusual for a party to offer nothing other than not being Tory. Under the circumstances that should be enough but I can't think of a single thing to look forward to with a Starmer administration other than the above.
I was hoping to get closer to Europe but now that it involves waiting for Starmer to expire that seems a little mean spirited
I think it is time to give some serious credit to @Heathener. She saw this coming a long time before anyone else and for a long time was a lonely and somewhat mocked figure. I may well have even expressed some incredulity myself.
And yet, here we are, just over 2 hours before the exit poll and we are all @Heatheners now.
Saw what coming? We don't know what is coming!
You get to claim credit about calling Sunak right, that's what's coming.
I think it is time to give some serious credit to @Heathener. She saw this coming a long time before anyone else and for a long time was a lonely and somewhat mocked figure. I may well have even expressed some incredulity myself.
And yet, here we are, just over 2 hours before the exit poll and we are all @Heatheners now.
Saw what coming? We don't know what is coming!
You get to claim credit about calling Sunak right, that's what's coming.
I think I will stay up for the exit poll. Then get up at 6 or so and eagerly digest the news. I can’t do an all nighter. But the more I think about it trying to sleep when I know the poll is out will be a bit too hard.
Patrick O'Flynn @oflynnsocial · 2h Am hearing from several places about a high turnout. This could mean any of 3 things a) the shy Tories have been hooked by the super-majority warning and are coming out b) enthusiasm for Lab to get the Tories out c) a Brexit-style working class surge for Reform. Take yer pick!
Evening all. Frustratingly, I've been on a team away day all day so have missed the chat on one of the pb highlights of the year. Anyway, on my way home now. May call in to vote on the way. Still thinking SDP.
On Casino's story: I felt bad before 2017, but wasn't worried about Corbyn being in power. But 2019 was the worst I've ever felt - and most relieved I've ever felt - in my life, about politics or anything else.
Not feeling like that now. Obviously Starmer will win. He's far from my cup of tea. But he's not a nutter.
What are you worrying about? Its nothing worse than having to pay over more than half your earnings for the rest of your working life whilst seeing all this woke stuff you get wound up implemented with no opposition worthy of the name. But hey, you voted reform. Good luck.
Patrick O'Flynn @oflynnsocial · 2h Am hearing from several places about a high turnout. This could mean any of 3 things a) the shy Tories have been hooked by the super-majority warning and are coming out b) enthusiasm for Lab to get the Tories out c) a Brexit-style working class surge for Reform. Take yer pick!
Well I hope whoever is PM, one of their first acts is to pass a law standardising the names of constituencies. Why is it South West Norfolk, but Barnsley South? Makes it unnecessarily inefficient to find them on the exchange.
In my brave new world it will South Barnsley and so on.
The cardinal direction should always be last so all places named for a local area are together in an alphabetical list.
I think that is generally the case with towns but not rural areas (eg East Wiltshire and South West Wiltshire)
I would agree with that, except that Norfolk South West doesn’t scan as well. Norfolk south scans, as does Norfolk west, but not Norfolk South West. Well not to my ear anyway.
I would prefer your suggestion over the status quo though.
People already put the county name first unofficially much of the time.
So just make it official so they look better in a spreadsheet, and people can officially say it differently.
I believe shire constituencies are "North West Barsetshire" and borough constituencies are "Borchester North West"
Evening all. Frustratingly, I've been on a team away day all day so have missed the chat on one of the pb highlights of the year. Anyway, on my way home now. May call in to vote on the way. Still thinking SDP.
On Casino's story: I felt bad before 2017, but wasn't worried about Corbyn being in power. But 2019 was the worst I've ever felt - and most relieved I've ever felt - in my life, about politics or anything else.
Not feeling like that now. Obviously Starmer will win. He's far from my cup of tea. But he's not a nutter.
Yes 2019 was an awful wait. Because all of us who didn’t want a Corbyn government had been scarred by 2017.
Anyone wanting to bet on tories over 150 seats nows the time to get a massive return. Markets now show less than 50 seats almost as likely.
Turnout reported as slow earlier - and certainly so on the ground in ANME.
Now reported as brisk after work.
Soooooo. Are all the Tories coming home at the last minute?
Or. This is the beat them to death election. The tactical vote monster has been unleashed. And in chunks of the country the fUKers are going for it.
I have asked my Teesside friends if they have been into any Stainsby Hill (Thornaby) polling stations to see what turnout is like. We knew the 2019 election was a Borisgasm by the mega turnout in these locations followed by sampling those boxes and seeing Tory Tory Tory.
If there is high turnout again its RefUK RefUK RefUK
Patrick O'Flynn @oflynnsocial · 2h Am hearing from several places about a high turnout. This could mean any of 3 things a) the shy Tories have been hooked by the super-majority warning and are coming out b) enthusiasm for Lab to get the Tories out c) a Brexit-style working class surge for Reform. Take yer pick!
Well I hope whoever is PM, one of their first acts is to pass a law standardising the names of constituencies. Why is it South West Norfolk, but Barnsley South? Makes it unnecessarily inefficient to find them on the exchange.
In my brave new world it will South Barnsley and so on.
The cardinal direction should always be last so all places named for a local area are together in an alphabetical list.
I think that is generally the case with towns but not rural areas (eg East Wiltshire and South West Wiltshire)
I would agree with that, except that Norfolk South West doesn’t scan as well. Norfolk south scans, as does Norfolk west, but not Norfolk South West. Well not to my ear anyway.
I would prefer your suggestion over the status quo though.
People already put the county name first unofficially much of the time.
So just make it official so they look better in a spreadsheet, and people can officially say it differently.
I believe shire constituencies are "North West Barsetshire" and borough constituencies are "Borchester North West"
* From the off the campaign has been riven by divisions and beset by avoidable mistakes
* Claims of splits between No 10 team and wider campaign. 'Them and us has really been a problem'
* Splits from the off - Dowden and other Sunak allies said to have pushed for early election, Isaac Levido opposed. Dowden has denied pushing to go early
* 'We did an amazing job at keeping the timing of the election secret - but then we didn't capitalise on it because CCHQ were not prepared'
* Claims CCHQ was 'chaotic' with candidate selections all over the place
* Sheer volume of unforced errors - Sunak announcing election in rain, visit to Titanic, assumption Farage would not stand, D-Day fisaco...
* Biggest miscalculation was Farage. 'We tried to ignore Reform for far too long,' senior party source says
* Supermajority strategy born of desperation rather than design - hope had been polls would narrow. When they didn't the campaign broke glass
* Tories comprehensively outgunned on spending - Labour built up huge warchest during short campaign
* Tory ground operation denuded, while many senior figures from past did not take part
It was crazy to do it in July. If you were going to go early, go for May and potentially save a couple of hundred councillors at least. Otherwise wait until October or November.
A July election made no sense at the start and still makes no sense now. 🤷♂️
I honestly don't think timing was their problem. They took a bad hand and played it poorly. But they'd have had a similarly bad hand in May, or October, or January, or whenever, and Sunak wasn't a better campaigner in the Spring, and wouldn't have become match fit over the Summer.
The Conservatives' problem is they'd had a long spell in office anyway, and then shat the bed quite badly over four and a half chaotic final years. Sunak was always pretty poor at politics and not anywhere near capable of turning it round. The date is essentially immaterial.
Patrick O'Flynn @oflynnsocial · 2h Am hearing from several places about a high turnout. This could mean any of 3 things a) the shy Tories have been hooked by the super-majority warning and are coming out b) enthusiasm for Lab to get the Tories out c) a Brexit-style working class surge for Reform. Take yer pick!
Comments
Trombones.
@rcolvile
·
1h
As a Tory, I'm approaching tonight in the same spirit as watching 'Titanic'. You know what's going to happen, the drama is seeing who survives.
https://x.com/rcolvile/status/1808917566095503389
@oflynnsocial
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2h
Am hearing from several places about a high turnout. This could mean any of 3 things a) the shy Tories have been hooked by the super-majority warning and are coming out b) enthusiasm for Lab to get the Tories out c) a Brexit-style working class surge for Reform.
Take yer pick!
https://x.com/oflynnsocial/status/1808889969286557830
I think it is likely to be c) but could be a)
Too many times in my life etc etc...
Disclaimer, I voted Tory not Reform so not ramping!
The 1962 Orpington by-election win came out of the blue and was a small earthquake that set in train the long slow recovery, leading eventually to the opportunity and turmoil of the Labour split and the Alliance years. They were lucky in Grimond, Thorpe and Steel to have a series of dynamic capable leaders, despite the tiny size of the parliamentary party, each in their different way well suited to the emerging media age. Grimond laid the intellectual foundation for the recovery, making the party relevant for the times, and drawing into the party a lot of people who later became prominent, internally or externally. Thorpe was an excellent publicist who brought the party to wider attention (eventually in ways rather less helpful), and Steel was a solid leader with a good media persona and the judgement to lay the foundations for the eventual merger that became the LibDems.
Anatomy of how the Tory campaign imploded from
@oliver_wright
* From the off the campaign has been riven by divisions and beset by avoidable mistakes
* Claims of splits between No 10 team and wider campaign. 'Them and us has really been a problem'
* Splits from the off - Dowden and other Sunak allies said to have pushed for early election, Isaac Levido opposed. Dowden has denied pushing to go early
* 'We did an amazing job at keeping the timing of the election secret - but then we didn't capitalise on it because CCHQ were not prepared'
* Claims CCHQ was 'chaotic' with candidate selections all over the place
* Sheer volume of unforced errors - Sunak announcing election in rain, visit to Titanic, assumption Farage would not stand, D-Day fisaco...
* Biggest miscalculation was Farage. 'We tried to ignore Reform for far too long,' senior party source says
* Supermajority strategy born of desperation rather than design - hope had been polls would narrow. When they didn't the campaign broke glass
* Tories comprehensively outgunned on spending - Labour built up huge warchest during short campaign
* Tory ground operation denuded, while many senior figures from past did not take part
https://x.com/Steven_Swinford/status/1808934657825910801
At best the Tories get a 1997 style result.
At worst it is 1931 in reverse.
I had a flutter on 70%+ turnover this morning as I felt 25-1 was decent value. It was 67.3% last time and 68.8% the time before, so it might happen. Is it likely? Not terribly. Rumours about turnout just start circulating at this sort of time and people get over-excited. It'll be thereabouts, and it's of marginal relevance.
The other rule is that it is only one photo per post.
Whoa, whoa
I think that is generally the case with towns but not rural areas (eg East Wiltshire and South West Wiltshire)
Her revision pack front page had one of those 'Keep Calm and Carry On' spoofs on it.
It read, 'Contrary to previous instructions, now is the time to panic.'
And yet, here we are, just over 2 hours before the exit poll and we are all @Heatheners now.
My request was "All the cider".
They need the polls to be well out, in their favour, just to get to epic loss!
A July election made no sense at the start and still makes no sense now. 🤷♂️
ETA great photo
Sympathies! I have never felt that invested in any vote.... apart from Sindyref. That is one vote where I did feel sick to the stomach for several days beforehand. It was like having a nasty potential cancer diagnosis hanging over you. The idea my beloved if often fucked up country might break in two...... UGH
And the evening of the vote was beyond tense, it was horrible, until the exit poll, where the relief was quasi-orgasmic. The next day I felt free and wonderful
As @DavidL says: NEVER AGAIN
So treat anything like this with a pinch of salt.
But hey maybe I’m wrong and we’re seeing an EU ref style earthquake and even PeoplePolling will have undercooked Farage and he’ll pick up 100 seats and deny Labour a majority LOL. I doubt it though.
I've always gone BBC, but caught Laura K on news night yesterday and found her more annoying than I'd remembered, so I'll probably give ITV a go.
This is a change election!
The 'borough'/ 'county' definition affects election expense limits but also has this additional feature
Maybe that made sense, I think most of the remaining Tory vote would prefer to be more like Reform, but after the Faragegasm all they had was to beg people not to do it.
https://x.com/Parody_PM/status/1808808033553646027
This morning we were discussing a low turnout helps the Tories, now we are saying a high turnout helps the Tories.
It could be a Brexit surge, it could be a Tory surge, but it could be more people than normal want to punish the incumbent.
TSE to host.
Hyufd doing the polls.
Nick Palmer doing the analysis.
RCS doing the tech.
Me doing the awesome puns.
My applause would go to the PBer who said "Hartlepool is Peak Tory, all downhill from here", was it @Foxy? Someone else?
Anyway they were bang on. Kudos
Much appreciated.
xx
So just make it official so they look better in a spreadsheet, and people can officially say it differently.
I was hoping to get closer to Europe but now that it involves waiting for Starmer to expire that seems a little mean spirited
*Is that my coat?
The other LBC is too crazy to countenance
I’m not convinced of an surge in voter numbers from anecdotal comments based on ‘someone said this’.
We shall see.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c725wr19lz1o
Frustratingly, I've been on a team away day all day so have missed the chat on one of the pb highlights of the year.
Anyway, on my way home now. May call in to vote on the way. Still thinking SDP.
On Casino's story: I felt bad before 2017, but wasn't worried about Corbyn being in power. But 2019 was the worst I've ever felt - and most relieved I've ever felt - in my life, about politics or anything else.
Not feeling like that now. Obviously Starmer will win. He's far from my cup of tea. But he's not a nutter.
Now reported as brisk after work.
Soooooo. Are all the Tories coming home at the last minute?
Or. This is the beat them to death election. The tactical vote monster has been unleashed. And in chunks of the country the fUKers are going for it.
I have asked my Teesside friends if they have been into any Stainsby Hill (Thornaby) polling stations to see what turnout is like. We knew the 2019 election was a Borisgasm by the mega turnout in these locations followed by sampling those boxes and seeing Tory Tory Tory.
If there is high turnout again its RefUK RefUK RefUK
The Conservatives' problem is they'd had a long spell in office anyway, and then shat the bed quite badly over four and a half chaotic final years. Sunak was always pretty poor at politics and not anywhere near capable of turning it round. The date is essentially immaterial.
A fool and their money are easily parted.