I congratulate the Labour and LD supporters on a great campaign and a great night. I am sure you are having fun right now.
However, one thing seems to be overlooked. When the sun rises tomorrow, there will be a Tory Government.
Almost. I'd have taken 12 seats in a flash if you'd offered it yesterday. But to lose NE Fife by 2, Richmond Park by 45, Ceredigion by 104 and St Ives by 312 - that hurts. It should have been better.
shows what a crazy night it was when a party can lose half its seats and end up with 50% more than it started.
Faisal: Some liberal minded Tories horrified at thought of deals with DUP.
Exactly. If the Tories go with a DUP C&S then all their "interesting" policies and beliefs will be paraded by the opposition parties and hang them round the neck of the Tories. An understanding with the DUP comes with a price tag in many senses.
Indeed, but this is the hand we've been dealt. We can't go back to the public and assume that we'll win. Look at what happened this time.
Faisal: Some liberal minded Tories horrified at thought of deals with DUP.
Exactly. If the Tories go with a DUP C&S then all their "interesting" policies and beliefs will be paraded by the opposition parties and hang them round the neck of the Tories. An understanding with the DUP comes with a price tag in many senses.
Tactically they should let Corbyn drown himself. If she stays, they own the chaos and Corbyn is in by landslide in October. I hope she stays. And they get obliterated 97 style
Lol. Made a profit on the election. Almost every call I made was wrong but I backed Labour in Canterbury!
Labour in Canterbury. Labour to hold (not win) Ynys Mon was a steal. I also backed NOM with Labour and Tory minority governments, based on the gold standard Yougov and Survation polls.
But probably the biggest winners just dumped large stakes on safe seats at odds-on, with the early ricks on vulnerable seats as the icing on the cake.
Apparently Davies pushed hardest for an election and isn't popular with his cabinet colleagues. Big takeaway from this result is that the Conservative tack to UKIP has failed tactically. I am as surprised as anyone by that. Too many Kippers went Labour. UKIP are dead as a party, so there's no point pandering to them anymore. The centre ground is where the Tories need to be.
Roll on Brexit for the 60%. It's where we should have been from the beginning, not trying to get hard Brexit through on the back of 20% of voters and Tory voters who had nowhere else to go.
Your dry as dust libertarianism is dead.
That's always been dead, I've never believed otherwise. I was on here (and telling irl Tories) saying that the government should have run on meeting the Labour Leave campaign pledges like £350m per week for the NHS.
Labour can't form a government that's just silly. May needs to form a minority government, hand over either to someone competent or to Boris. DUP won't bring down the government. They just squeezed out every vote they can. Only way from where they are is down.
Lucian, you know I love you dearly but may I suggest that you and fellow Conservative supporters hold off telling others what is silly for a bit until the memory of this Grade A Clusterfuck fades in the memory a little.
Boris isn't a runner. The EU would scarcely bother talking to him, and simply wouldn't take him seriously.
Someone competent? Credible alternatives are thin on the ground, but has anybody asked if Kenneth Clarke is free? He does at least command the respect of the whole house. It need only be until the pain stops hurting a bit and everyone feels they can face another election.
Hopefully by that time all the Parties will have thought about it a bit and decided who and what they want to put up to those troublesome voters.
Apparently Davies pushed hardest for an election and isn't popular with his cabinet colleagues. Big takeaway from this result is that the Conservative tack to UKIP has failed tactically. I am as surprised as anyone by that. Too many Kippers went Labour. UKIP are dead as a party, so there's no point pandering to them anymore. The centre ground is where the Tories need to be.
Roll on Brexit for the 60%. It's where we should have been from the beginning, not trying to get hard Brexit through on the back of 20% of voters and Tory voters who had nowhere else to go.
Your dry as dust libertarianism is dead.
That's always been dead, I've never believed otherwise. I was on here (and telling irl Tories) saying that the government should have run on meeting the Labour Leave campaign pledges like £350m per week for the NHS.
Except then Labour would just have promised £700m a week for the NHS. The Conservative party should be the party of wise public spending.
The Tory Leave campaign opened the gates to socialism and high spending and now we are all going to have to pay the price.
Well, I'm obviously very disappointed with this result. But what does this all mean?
The problem with democracy is that it isn't an essay question. You just get to put a cross in a box; you dodn't get to specify what sort of conservatism or socialism or liberalism you want. A pity, though it would make counts very long. Before we jerk too many knees, we should recognise that the Conservative Party has achieved the third highest vote total of any party ever, and outpolled Tony Blair in 1997. The country has wholesale rejected conservatism - though if course, it is hard to know what shade of conservatism its conservative voters might prefer. That said, there are clearly many, many voters for whom the status quo offers so little that they are prepared to dabble with Corbynism in the hope of something different. The twitter warriors are a tiny minority of these. I don't believe many Labour voters want to see Britain turned into Venezuela. What they do want is what many Conservatives also want: job security, pay rises, better public services, an answer to tuition fees. Our system tends to polarise us into two camps, when the reality is that thre are a wide spectrum of opinions. Perhaps as a result of this election we might have to pay heed to some of the issues we currently aren't adressing. That's no bad thing. That's how democracy should work. I can't, can't reconcile myselt to Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell. To me, they are far beyond the pale. But most of their voters, most of their members, most of their MPs are not a different tribe; they are decent people who have a different set of priorities to me or a differnet approach to getting to the same broad goal. Britain hasn't changed its mind. Britain isn't a single entity dithering between two choices. It is 60-odd million people weighing up hundreds and hundreds of issues and value sets. A relatively small proportion of Britons have decided to express their priorities through the democtratic system a different way. For some of us, the outcome is disappointing, but that doesn't shake my belief in democracy.
Good points. Corbyn is actually boxed in as a lot of the swing to Labour is not really based on a firm support for his outlook. Much of the affluent Southern swing to Labour would be horrified if the full manifesto was actually implemented. Corbyn voting against immigration restrictions or security measures will not be poular with many who voted Labour this time. The hung parliament will mean the Labour manifesto and Corbyn and McDonell will be examined in detail for the first time for many Labour voters.
They were lucky not to lose more. The SNP benefited from a mixup about Unionist tactical voting where voters went for the Tories by mistake in seats Labour would have won.
Lol. Made a profit on the election. Almost every call I made was wrong but I backed Labour in Canterbury!
Labour in Canterbury. Labour to hold (not win) Ynys Mon was a steal. I also backed NOM with Labour and Tory minority governments, based on the gold standard Yougov and Survation polls.
But probably the biggest winners just dumped large stakes on safe seats at odds-on, with the early ricks on vulnerable seats as the icing on the cake.
Think I'm about £100 up... Would have been closer to £1000 if bloody Zac hadn't ruined it in Richmond Park!
Many thanks to Pulpstar (?) for his Wales Labour tips.
If May resigns as PM then Corbyn is PM until his QS is voted down. Her option is to resign as leader but stay as PM if she has the confidence of the house.
Not true whoever is recommended as having confidence of the house is leader, ie acting Conservative Party leader. Besides she could announce her intention to resign and serve until after the leadership election like Cameron did.
Faisal: Some liberal minded Tories horrified at thought of deals with DUP.
Exactly. If the Tories go with a DUP C&S then all their "interesting" policies and beliefs will be paraded by the opposition parties and hang them round the neck of the Tories. An understanding with the DUP comes with a price tag in many senses.
Indeed, but this is the hand we've been dealt. We can't go back to the public and assume that we'll win. Look at what happened this time.
A numerically viable alternative is doing a deal with Sturgeon. Give her a seat in the Brexit negotiations and agree to the referendum demand between the deal and independence.
Haven't Labour said that they accept the EU referendum result?
If they do get into government, I can see them concocting a form of words which means they'll present a deal which means basically no change with the EU and leaving in name only. The problem they'll have is explaining this.
Ah, now I understand, they are politicians after all. Saying mutually incompatible things is second nature.
Those suggesting Labour won the youth vote by offering a bribe - it's worth noting that most of the young wouldn't have been better off as they are either in the middle of their courses or have finished. There is only a small fraction I believe who would've been liable to pay student loans who would've benefitted from Labour's plans.
Perhaps they voted for some other mad reason... like principle?
Theresa May or her successor can get a Brexit deal through, but it needs the support of Labour to see off any potential rebellion on Tory benches. The DUP won't provide the numbers. The Conservative leadership needs to have serious talks with Keir Starmer.
How can any sort of sensible Brexit deal now be negotiated?
A lot of the Labour vote yesterday probably thought they were voting against Brexit and will be horrified if they see it keep going.
Apparently Davies pushed hardest for an election and isn't popular with his cabinet colleagues. Big takeaway from this result is that the Conservative tack to UKIP has failed tactically. I am as surprised as anyone by that. Too many Kippers went Labour. UKIP are dead as a party, so there's no point pandering to them anymore. The centre ground is where the Tories need to be.
Roll on Brexit for the 60%. It's where we should have been from the beginning, not trying to get hard Brexit through on the back of 20% of voters and Tory voters who had nowhere else to go.
Your dry as dust libertarianism is dead.
That's always been dead, I've never believed otherwise. I was on here (and telling irl Tories) saying that the government should have run on meeting the Labour Leave campaign pledges like £350m per week for the NHS.
Except then Labour would just have promised £700m a week for the NHS. The Conservative party should be the party of wise public spending.
The Tory Leave campaign opened the gates to socialism and high spending and now we are all going to have to pay the price.
Osborne promised high spending and no tax rises and borrowed hundreds of billions more than he predicted. None of his vanity projects were ever left short of money.
2015 was when the everlasting magic money tree was promised.
They were lucky not to lose more. The SNP benefited from a mixup about Unionist tactical voting where voters went for the Tories by mistake in seats Labour would have won.
Paisley and Ren South. I banged the desk because I thought Lab had won but the TV sound was so bad I got it all wrong. Looked a right tit!
Those suggesting Labour won the youth vote by offering a bribe - it's worth noting that most of the young wouldn't have been better off as they are either in the middle of their courses or have finished. There is only a small fraction I believe who would've been liable to pay student loans who would've benefitted from Labour's plans.
Perhaps they voted for some other mad reason... like principle?
No, there was also a Labour plan to write off the student debt of those currently on courses and maybe even those who had finished.
A lot of the Labour vote yesterday probably thought they were voting against Brexit and will be horrified if they see it keep going.
A lot also thought they were voting for better funded public services and cheaper homes, safe in the knowledge that the Brexit decision was made a year ago and Labour had accepted it...
"Those suggesting Labour won the youth vote by offering a bribe ..."
It's a bribe but not just to the young. Those parents (and grandparents) with teenagers in the family will be mightily relieved. Many would have been expecting to have to help support them.
Faisal: Some liberal minded Tories horrified at thought of deals with DUP.
Exactly. If the Tories go with a DUP C&S then all their "interesting" policies and beliefs will be paraded by the opposition parties and hang them round the neck of the Tories. An understanding with the DUP comes with a price tag in many senses.
They got quite a few things wrong - but their errors cancelled out.
If all their errors had been the same way we would now either have a Con Maj or PM Corbyn.
Hardly surprising there were errors given the number of seats decide by less than 1000 votes. But on average the poll was spot on
It may be that YouGov has really cracked the problem of projecting the results of general elections, with this Multi-level Regression and Post-stratification business. It sounds like a sensible thing to do, and despite all the scepticism it has worked well. The largest error in the projected number of seats for the main parties was an underestimate of 14 for the Conservatives.
"Those suggesting Labour won the youth vote by offering a bribe ..."
It's a bribe but not just to the young. Those parents (and grandparents) with teenagers in the family will be mightily relieved. Many would have been expecting to have to help support them.
OK but who pays for the bribe? it has to be either the young, or the old, or the middle.
"Those suggesting Labour won the youth vote by offering a bribe ..."
It's a bribe but not just to the young. Those parents (and grandparents) with teenagers in the family will be mightily relieved. Many would have been expecting to have to help support them.
Indeed.
Couple that with the threat to inheritances from dementia.
Apparently Davies pushed hardest for an election and isn't popular with his cabinet colleagues. Big takeaway from this result is that the Conservative tack to UKIP has failed tactically. I am as surprised as anyone by that. Too many Kippers went Labour. UKIP are dead as a party, so there's no point pandering to them anymore. The centre ground is where the Tories need to be.
Roll on Brexit for the 60%. It's where we should have been from the beginning, not trying to get hard Brexit through on the back of 20% of voters and Tory voters who had nowhere else to go.
Your dry as dust libertarianism is dead.
That's always been dead, I've never believed otherwise. I was on here (and telling irl Tories) saying that the government should have run on meeting the Labour Leave campaign pledges like £350m per week for the NHS.
Except then Labour would just have promised £700m a week for the NHS. The Conservative party should be the party of wise public spending.
The Tory Leave campaign opened the gates to socialism and high spending and now we are all going to have to pay the price.
I would have made that the flagship policy of an otherwise very boring manifesto. Every time public spending came up, "we're gong to invest the £350m per week promised in the NHS" every time the economy came up, "our manifesto is fully costed so we can afford to invest the £350m per week into the NHS".
It was the winning strategy, that with "Brexit means Brexit" repeated over and over again would have got us a fairly healthy majority. Relating everything back to protecting the NHS and ensuring that our figures add up so we can continue to invest in it was the basis of the 2010 victory which saw us gain 90 seats.
They are asking how the Tories can do a deal with a Party which believes the world is less than 10,000 years old? The DUP aren't Orthodox Jews are they?
Congrats on your relly's majority, & your E.Lothian tip, I completely misread the SLab surge. We are all Corbynites now.
Thank you. An extraordinary result. He was the one who gave me the East Lothian tip. As you say we're all corbynites now. The baddies have lost which is more important than worrying about who has won
I think there can be no question about the PB 'post of the year': David Herdson's post on Wednesday evening.
Yes. Either that, or RochdalePioneers' post the other day about why people are voting for Corbyn rather than May's uninspiring campaign, which also proved remarkably prescient. I don't think RP has ever written a thread-leading post for PB, but maybe he should be invited to.
"Those suggesting Labour won the youth vote by offering a bribe ..."
It's a bribe but not just to the young. Those parents (and grandparents) with teenagers in the family will be mightily relieved. Many would have been expecting to have to help support them.
OK but who pays for the bribe? it has to be either the young, or the old, or the middle.
I'm just laughing in my morning tea at all the PB Tories who were predicting 100+ majorities yesterday. I hoped you placed enough bets both ways to get some money back.
Gold Stars are due this morning to TSE who has been calling Mrs May all sorts of unpleasant names for months now, David Herdson for his shocking but oh so perceptive post on Tuesday evening, YouGov and Survation for sticking to their guns, although YouGov's resolve weakened at the 11th hour and, of course not forgetting OGH for spotting the huge impact of the hugely increased youth vote and for pointing out the wisdom of his spread bet involving a sale of Tory Seats when they were still at heady heights. Finally some credit goes to an unnamed poster from S.W. London, modesty forbids, who came up with some smashing bets, resulting in him personally clearing a profit running well into four figures.
They were lucky not to lose more. The SNP benefited from a mixup about Unionist tactical voting where voters went for the Tories by mistake in seats Labour would have won.
That would be Kezia recommending Lab voters vote Con to keep the SNP out.
If there's another election soon, then perhaps it be possible for all manifestos to reviewed independently by the Office of Budget Responsibility?
I can't help thinking McDonnell's budget was written by someone who thought he wouldn't be implementing it. And as for arrogance of the Tories not even bothering to cost their's...
I'm just laughing in my morning tea at all the PB Tories who were predicting 100+ majorities yesterday. I hoped you placed enough bets both ways to get some money back.
Some of us who supported Corbyn had similar bets! But overall.im up so very pleased both financially and politically.
Went to vote in Brentford and Isleworth, not that busy at the polling station.
Looked at my card (just three candidates) and picked "conservative". I've voted Tory in the last 4 elections now, and this was the one - despite Corbyn - in which I felt the least enthusiastic about doing so.
What is the Conservative Party promising to deliver? No strong policies came to mind. At all. I remember them going on and on and on about the opposition, but nothing AT ALL about what they would do for the prosperity of the nation, and to the future benefit of my young children.
For their faults - and they are legion - at least the Labour Party was putting something up there that offered hope and improvement. I didn't believe it was achievable, but the sense remained that there was willing.
May has fucked this up from start to finish. She has no-one else to blame but herself. A charisma-less void outmaneuvered by crypto-communists and appeasers of terror.
I think there can be no question about the PB 'post of the year': David Herdson's post on Wednesday evening.
Yes. Either that, or RochdalePioneers' post the other day about why people are voting for Corbyn rather than May's uninspiring campaign, which also proved remarkably prescient. I don't think RP has ever written a thread-leading post for PB, but maybe he should be invited to.
I'd agree that he's one of the most valuable posters, not least because he represents a very under-represented constituency on PB: astute Labour activist.
Mr. rkrkrk, Hammond's stock fell a lot after his stand-up routine at the Budget. He might get it, and I'd prefer him to Boris, but not enthusiastic.
Osborne really is a muppet. He'd be PM by lunchtime if he hadn't decided he wanted six jobs rather than five (I wonder if he regrets his vendetta agenda as a cause of the dire result, or feels vindicated by May's meltdown).
I'm just laughing in my morning tea at all the PB Tories who were predicting 100+ majorities yesterday. I hoped you placed enough bets both ways to get some money back.
I'm just laughing in my morning tea at all the PB Tories who were predicting 100+ majorities yesterday. I hoped you placed enough bets both ways to get some money back.
Scottish Tory, Tory SW and London Labour bets saved me from misjudging the overall picture !
I've just heard John McDonnell on the BBC, basically saying Labour can form a minority government without making any formal deals with other parties, an option he firmly ruled out.
He said they'd write a Queen's speech enacting the Labour manifesto, which he thought would get majority support in the Commons. He asked who'd dare vote against abolishing tuition fees.
If Labour do try that approach, it will be a fiasco, and another election will look likely. The question then will be who voters blame for the mess.
Who will the voters blame for the mess?
I think the voters have a pretty good idea who to blame for the current mess, Robert, don't you? And if you don't you'll get a pretty good idea who when they go to the polls again, which may in fact be fairly soon.
Ask them today, and the voters would probably blame the Tories, but in aix months?
If we have six months of Labour politicians talking about their grand ideas on TV, and complaining that none of the other parties will vote for them while showing absolutely no willingness to compromise the public mood might well change.
You are playing Party Politics. The situation is serious. Six months? We've got to get through the next six days first and nobody has a clue where we go from here, least of all the hapless bunch that got us into this f*cking mess.
Let's see who stands up tall, and talks some sense, and we'll leave the speculation about 'the public mood' until the dust has settled a bit.
For me the abiding message of the election is that voters want more jam. The JAMs want more jam. People are tired of just coping and want some jam sprayed around. The 'strong and stable' came across as dull and tightfisted. No jam. The Tories need a new leader. An engaging and likeable one. A human. And one who can steer between pissing our national finances up a wall and investing enough in public services to keep the mob happy enough. This may not be politically possible and we face the same deep national conundrum as before - our appetite for welfarism exceeds our appetite for paying for it.
Those suggesting Labour won the youth vote by offering a bribe - it's worth noting that most of the young wouldn't have been better off as they are either in the middle of their courses or have finished. There is only a small fraction I believe who would've been liable to pay student loans who would've benefitted from Labour's plans.
Perhaps they voted for some other mad reason... like principle?
Incorrect. The labour plan was to back date the legislation so even those currently in Uni would have had their fees written off. In fact they promised to write off fees from some people who have already graduated. It was self interest, which is fair enough.
Mr. rkrkrk, Hammond's stock fell a lot after his stand-up routine at the Budget. He might get it, and I'd prefer him to Boris, but not enthusiastic.
Osborne really is a muppet. He'd be PM by lunchtime if he hadn't decided he wanted six jobs rather than five (I wonder if he regrets his vendetta agenda as a cause of the dire result, or feels vindicated by May's meltdown).
The budget is old news now I hope? And perhaps can be blamed on TM?
Osborne looked vindicated on TV. He was also I have to say very good at explaining results and pulling out key pieces of information. Put quite a few journalists to shame and didn't pull his ounches about the impact of the result.
I'm just laughing in my morning tea at all the PB Tories who were predicting 100+ majorities yesterday. I hoped you placed enough bets both ways to get some money back.
Never bet more than you can afford to lose.
And hedge
Lottery ticket guy myself. You write off the $1 before you buy it and any sort of win is a bonus.
Lol. Made a profit on the election. Almost every call I made was wrong but I backed Labour in Canterbury!
I piled into NOC on the markets about 5 minutes before the exit poll came about, on a hunch based on tweets and my own nervousness. That plus Jonny Mercer in Plymouth means I'm up enough for a one-way premium economy flight to Canada ;-)
Not that they'd ever let me in permanently, too old and skills in the wrong place.
I'm just laughing in my morning tea at all the PB Tories who were predicting 100+ majorities yesterday. I hoped you placed enough bets both ways to get some money back.
Scottish Tory, Tory SW and London Labour bets saved me from misjudging the overall picture !
Thanks to those who tipped Labour to take Leeds North West, Sheffield Hallam and, very late in the day, Redding East.
Those constituency bets saved me from a night of very heavy losses.
I'm just laughing in my morning tea at all the PB Tories who were predicting 100+ majorities yesterday. I hoped you placed enough bets both ways to get some money back.
Never bet more than you can afford to lose.
And hedge
I am seriously wondered about some of my PB friends. Anybody heard from Woody 662? He was convinced it would be 100+, and he doesn't bet in pennies.
Comments
https://twitter.com/BraidenHT/status/872026522042990594
They got quite a few things wrong - but their errors cancelled out.
If all their errors had been the same way we would now either have a Con Maj or PM Corbyn.
But probably the biggest winners just dumped large stakes on safe seats at odds-on, with the early ricks on vulnerable seats as the icing on the cake.
Credit where it's due. Solid prediction from Diane Abbott.
That was a real open goal.
Boris isn't a runner. The EU would scarcely bother talking to him, and simply wouldn't take him seriously.
Someone competent? Credible alternatives are thin on the ground, but has anybody asked if Kenneth Clarke is free? He does at least command the respect of the whole house. It need only be until the pain stops hurting a bit and everyone feels they can face another election.
Hopefully by that time all the Parties will have thought about it a bit and decided who and what they want to put up to those troublesome voters.
The Tory Leave campaign opened the gates to socialism and high spending and now we are all going to have to pay the price.
Well, that's a bright spot, at least.
Many thanks to Pulpstar (?) for his Wales Labour tips.
It's not going to happen.
Haven't Labour said that they accept the EU referendum result?
If they do get into government, I can see them concocting a form of words which means they'll present a deal which means basically no change with the EU and leaving in name only. The problem they'll have is explaining this.
Ah, now I understand, they are politicians after all. Saying mutually incompatible things is second nature.
Perhaps they voted for some other mad reason... like principle?
A lot of the Labour vote yesterday probably thought they were voting against Brexit and will be horrified if they see it keep going.
2015 was when the everlasting magic money tree was promised.
Also some good feedback on the Con campaign - clear it was a disaster and lessons to be learned. May should stay on for a bit but not too long.
And thanks Mark Senior for the Cambridge tip - helped reduce other losses.
"Those suggesting Labour won the youth vote by offering a bribe ..."
It's a bribe but not just to the young. Those parents (and grandparents) with teenagers in the family will be mightily relieved. Many would have been expecting to have to help support them.
Charles ** and the posh folk will have to move to a proper Conservative constituency.
Such as Morley or Mansfield or Middlesbrough South.
** I think I'm right that Charles lives in Kensington constituency.
Couple that with the threat to inheritances from dementia.
It was the winning strategy, that with "Brexit means Brexit" repeated over and over again would have got us a fairly healthy majority. Relating everything back to protecting the NHS and ensuring that our figures add up so we can continue to invest in it was the basis of the 2010 victory which saw us gain 90 seats.
I'm really hoping Phil Hammond stands as the heavyweight candidate. Boris surely will run.
I've also had a nibble on Rory Stewart. Probably too early for him - but I think he is impressive.
The Conservatives got their best ever vote in Wakefield with an 11% increase.
DH and his team did their stuff.
And they did even better in adjacent Morley constituency.
The Conservative failing was in other places.
Kudos to the team in Middlesbrough South too, considering what happened in Stockton South.
Have fun, there's plenty to talk about but be nice to each other.
Finally some credit goes to an unnamed poster from S.W. London, modesty forbids, who came up with some smashing bets, resulting in him personally clearing a profit running well into four figures.
I can't help thinking McDonnell's budget was written by someone who thought he wouldn't be implementing it. And as for arrogance of the Tories not even bothering to cost their's...
But overall.im up so very pleased both financially and politically.
Went to vote in Brentford and Isleworth, not that busy at the polling station.
Looked at my card (just three candidates) and picked "conservative". I've voted Tory in the last 4 elections now, and this was the one - despite Corbyn - in which I felt the least enthusiastic about doing so.
What is the Conservative Party promising to deliver? No strong policies came to mind. At all. I remember them going on and on and on about the opposition, but nothing AT ALL about what they would do for the prosperity of the nation, and to the future benefit of my young children.
For their faults - and they are legion - at least the Labour Party was putting something up there that offered hope and improvement. I didn't believe it was achievable, but the sense remained that there was willing.
May has fucked this up from start to finish. She has no-one else to blame but herself. A charisma-less void outmaneuvered by crypto-communists and appeasers of terror.
It is a very depressing day.
Osborne really is a muppet. He'd be PM by lunchtime if he hadn't decided he wanted six jobs rather than five (I wonder if he regrets his vendetta agenda as a cause of the dire result, or feels vindicated by May's meltdown).
And hedge
At least Corbyn shouldn't get the keys to number 10 but still.........
Let's see who stands up tall, and talks some sense, and we'll leave the speculation about 'the public mood' until the dust has settled a bit.
For me the abiding message of the election is that voters want more jam. The JAMs want more jam. People are tired of just coping and want some jam sprayed around. The 'strong and stable' came across as dull and tightfisted. No jam. The Tories need a new leader. An engaging and likeable one. A human. And one who can steer between pissing our national finances up a wall and investing enough in public services to keep the mob happy enough. This may not be politically possible and we face the same deep national conundrum as before - our appetite for welfarism exceeds our appetite for paying for it.
Osborne looked vindicated on TV. He was also I have to say very good at explaining results and pulling out key pieces of information. Put quite a few journalists to shame and didn't pull his ounches about the impact of the result.
Brexit under real threat in my view.
"Why, why, why............Theresa,..........."
Not that they'd ever let me in permanently, too old and skills in the wrong place.
WillS.
Those constituency bets saved me from a night of very heavy losses.
Hope he and others are all ok.