If the EU does come back with an extension to 31/01 then Corbyn will need to be specific about what he needs to be reassured no deal is off the table.
Either that or he flatly refuses to agree to an election until Brexit is resolved.
I have no idea how it will play out if Boris refuses to put the WAB back in to play for fear of wrecking amendments.
I would have thought that the opposition would be very aware that any major amendments would result in an immediate pulling of the bill so perhaps the governments concerns are overplayed. And indeed if they do end up pulling the bill the optics will be positive for them (game playing remainers thwarting Brexit etc) so there is little risk.
If there isn't a WAB on the table and there isn't a GE then ultimately we are back to a no deal exit.
Crossover! Con Maj shortening to become Fav. NOM drifting, and Lab Maj out to 20/1 from 12/1 last week.
Best prices - Next UK GE
Con Maj Evs NOM 11/10 Lab Maj 20/1 Any other party Maj 50\1
If we do end up having a GE and the Tories are returned with even a tiny majority they should at least be able to rely on their MPs to support the government in the next phase.
If they gave the whip back to the independents they could pretty much deduct them from the Con total when it came to anything Brexit/FTA related.
The day with the latest sunrise, the winter solstice, is December 22nd. I hadn’t realised until checking this that the earliest sunset and the latest sunrise do not happen on the same day.
A 15.51 sunset happens between December 8th - 17th in London and varies by less across the month (9 minutes - 16.00-15.51) than sunrise (23 minutes, 07.43-08.06), so there's nothing particularly special about the 12th.
It's also worth noting that the last "winter" GE we had - February 1974 had a turnout of 78.8% - up 6.8% on the June 1970 election that saw Heath win - the highest turnout since 1951 and higher than any general election since then. Before that, the highest turnout (83.9%) had been February 1950.
If people want to vote, they will.
Top 5 UK General elections ranked by turnout since 1950:
February 1950 - 83.9% October 1951 - 82.6% February 1974 - 78.8% October 1959 - 78.7% October 1964 - 77.1%
The lowest turnout GE was in June 2001 (59.4%)
Politicians fear of "people not voting in winter General Elections" is not supported by the facts.
The day with the latest sunrise, the winter solstice, is December 22nd. I hadn’t realised until checking this that the earliest sunset and the latest sunrise do not happen on the same day.
A 15.51 sunset happens between December 8th - 17th in London and varies by less across the month (9 minutes - 16.00-15.51) than sunrise (23 minutes, 07.43-08.06), so there's nothing particularly special about the 12th.
It's also worth noting that the last "winter" GE we had - February 1974 had a turnout of 78.8% - up 6.8% on the June 1970 election that saw Heath win - the highest turnout since 1951 and higher than any general election since then. Before that, the highest turnout (83.9%) had been February 1950.
If people want to vote, they will.
Top 5 UK General elections ranked by turnout since 1950:
February 1950 - 83.9% October 1951 - 82.6% February 1974 - 78.8% October 1959 - 78.7% October 1964 - 77.1%
The lowest turnout GE was in June 2001 (59.4%)
Politicians fear of "people not voting in winter General Elections" is not supported by the facts.
Agree - this harping on about daylight in the header just reinforces the impression that opposition parties are scared they might lose and are looking for excuses to avoid an election rather like they 've used any excuse to avoid a decision on Brexit. Truly one of the worst Parliaments ever.
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
If Labour won’t vote for an election surely this massively increases the chances of no deal on January 31st? (unless there are sufficient votes to pass the WA largely unamended). Because if they won’t do it now, when will they ever do it?
I think even the EU might say enough is enough if asked for another extension beyond that.
The Earth's elliptical orbit means that days (i.e. the interval between the Sun being due South) are more than 24 hours around the Winter Solstice as that's when the Earth is on the tightest part of its orbit. It also explains why it carries on getting darker in the mornings after 21/22 December.
If Labour won’t vote for an election surely this massively increases the chances of no deal on January 31st? (unless there are sufficient votes to pass the WA largely unamended). Because if they won’t do it now, when will they ever do it?
I think even the EU might say enough is enough if asked for another extension beyond that.
This is my thinking.
At some point parliament is going to have to make a decision:
1. WAB (no major amendments) 2. GE 3. No deal 4. Revoke
MPs are very rapidly running out of road and in truth Johnson could go on holiday and tell Corbyn to ring him when he's made a choice.
Incidentally as a matter of interest - has anyone in the EU Parliament tested the water to see if they can introduce “legislation” compelling EU leaders to agree to an extension (to avert no deal) if asked? Or is it just accepted that this is well beyond their competence?
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
Local authorities might struggle to find people to man the polling stations and conduct the count as well. Of course the other issue is not necessarily that people won’t be willing to vote, but that December massively increases the chances of extreme weather events aka snow creating serious disruption.
Incidentally as a matter of interest - has anyone in the EU Parliament tested the water to see if they can introduce “legislation” compelling EU leaders to agree to an extension (to avert no deal) if asked? Or is it just accepted that this is well beyond their competence?
Well beyond. EU Parliament only has powers as defined by treaty, it can't compel the council to do anything.
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If we do end up having a GE and the Tories are returned with even a tiny majority they should at least be able to rely on their MPs to support the government in the next phase.
If they gave the whip back to the independents they could pretty much deduct them from the Con total when it came to anything Brexit/FTA related.
Con Maj with an ideologically pure set of Con MPs. The Conservative Party would own Brexit 100%. If it does turn out to be a cock-up (refer to countless PM Cameron and Chancellor Osborne warnings), then everyone and their dog will know who to blame.
Leaving snakes with no stones to hide under is going to lead to a swift and brutal demise.
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
Local authorities might struggle to find people to man the polling stations and conduct the count as well. Of course the other issue is not necessarily that people won’t be willing to vote, but that December massively increases the chances of extreme weather events aka snow creating serious disruption.
Snow doesn’t usually start until late December (How many white christmases have you seen?) and January is the coldest month. My most recent experience with severe snow was in March...
An alternative hypothesis is that people haven’t got much else better to do on dark winter evenings than vote, so do, unlike summer evenings. The facts remain - highest turnouts October and February, lowest ever in June.
The Earth's elliptical orbit means that days (i.e. the interval between the Sun being due South) are more than 24 hours around the Winter Solstice as that's when the Earth is on the tightest part of its orbit. It also explains why it carries on getting darker in the mornings after 21/22 December.
Con Maj with an ideologically pure set of Con MPs. The Conservative Party would own Brexit 100%. If it does turn out to be a cock-up (refer to countless PM Cameron and Chancellor Osborne warnings), then everyone and their dog will know who to blame.
Leaving snakes with no stones to hide under is going to lead to a swift and brutal demise.
A good reason for Johnson to put the WAB back to parliament on the understanding that any major amendments will see it withdrawn.
If that causes a no deal exit then it will be very much an opposition issue.
I find it very doubtful we will get to that point though, far more likely is the extension goes to 31/01 and Corbyn is given whatever additional assurances are required to enable a GE in December.
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
I agree. I think Dec 12th is a terrible date. A week earlier would have been better. But this is not going to go down well.
And, yes, there's a huge difference between mid-December and mid-February.
The last time a PM went to the country in December it backfired for him horribly. I predict a repeat.
p.s. Labour and LibDems will need to work very hard for the University student votes.
I agree. I think Dec 12th is a terrible date. A week earlier would have been better. But this is not going to go down well.
I agree a week earlier would have been preferable but a 12/12 poll still makes more sense than trying to do it in January when the weather IS likely to be bad.
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
The last time a PM went to the country in December it backfired for him horribly. I predict a repeat.
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
The last time a PM went to the country in December it backfired for him horribly. I predict a repeat.
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
The last time a PM went to the country in December it backfired for him horribly. I predict a repeat.
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
The last time a PM went to the country in December it backfired for him horribly. I predict a repeat.
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
The last time a PM went to the country in December it backfired for him horribly. I predict a repeat.
When was that?
I heard 1910. But that one didn’t backfire.
And nor did 1918
Nothing else going on in and before 1918 that may effect a vote.
With any luck between now and 12th December some innovative person will invent the overcoat, and with any luck Street lighting.
Who in thier right mind thinks we as a population are so pathetic that we can't get out in cold windy conditions.
That's a slightly supercilious remark, if I may say.
No one doubts that people can get out in dark and cold conditions but you have to appreciate that a lot of people are not as politically motivated as posters to politicalbetting.com. Most people, contrary to the prevailing mood here, are completely bored by Brexit. 'Getting out' to vote is fraught at the best of times and I notice that all the examples below for voter turnout are from over half a century ago or more.
It will impact on turnout. It's also going to be a very long campaign.
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
The last time a PM went to the country in December it backfired for him horribly. I predict a repeat.
When was that?
6th December 1923
The PM Stanley Baldwin started the campaign with 344 seats and ended it by losing 86 of them.
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
The last time a PM went to the country in December it backfired for him horribly. I predict a repeat.
The last time a PM went to the country in December it backfired for him horribly. I predict a repeat.
.
1923.
Google was my friend.
And whilst you're right about it not turning out too well for Baldwin in that instance it was only a temporary setback. The Liberals on the other hand never recovered.
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
I agree. I think Dec 12th is a terrible date. A week earlier would have been better. But this is not going to go down well.
And, yes, there's a huge difference between mid-December and mid-February.
The last time a PM went to the country in December it backfired for him horribly. I predict a repeat.
p.s. Labour and LibDems will need to work very hard for the University student votes.
Christ on a bike, it's only a fucking election ffs. If we all manage the biggest domestic logistical exercise of the whole year in December I think we can cast one vote which must be quicker, easier and is certainly cheaper than, let's say, sending one single Christmas card.
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
The last time a PM went to the country in December it backfired for him horribly. I predict a repeat.
When was that?
6th December 1923
Now that one didn’t go great!
6th December 1923.
Indeed it didn't.
The PM Stanley Baldwin started the campaign with 344 seats and ended it by losing 86 of them.
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
The last time a PM went to the country in December it backfired for him horribly. I predict a repeat.
When was that?
6th December 1923
The PM Stanley Baldwin started the campaign with 344 seats and ended it by losing 86 of them.
And correlation is definitely, definitely causation. No exceptions.
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
The last time a PM went to the country in December it backfired for him horribly. I predict a repeat.
When was that?
6th December 1923
The PM Stanley Baldwin started the campaign with 344 seats and ended it by losing 86 of them.
So, 4 years short of a century ago. Yep - that’s a telling precedent.....
The day with the latest sunrise, the winter solstice, is December 22nd. I hadn’t realised until checking this that the earliest sunset and the latest sunrise do not happen on the same day.
A 15.51 sunset happens between December 8th - 17th in London and varies by less across the month (9 minutes - 16.00-15.51) than sunrise (23 minutes, 07.43-08.06), so there's nothing particularly special about the 12th.
It's also worth noting that the last "winter" GE we had - February 1974 had a turnout of 78.8% - up 6.8% on the June 1970 election that saw Heath win - the highest turnout since 1951 and higher than any general election since then. Before that, the highest turnout (83.9%) had been February 1950.
If people want to vote, they will.
Top 5 UK General elections ranked by turnout since 1950:
February 1950 - 83.9% October 1951 - 82.6% February 1974 - 78.8% October 1959 - 78.7% October 1964 - 77.1%
The lowest turnout GE was in June 2001 (59.4%)
Politicians fear of "people not voting in winter General Elections" is not supported by the facts.
While I agree that winter is no bar to a high turnout, I think that unlikely to be true in Dec 2019. I detect little enthusiasm for yet another election (or referendum for that matter) and a great deal of Brexit fatigue. Indeed the Tory slogan of "Get Brexit Done" tries to exploit that fatigue.
I would forecast a low turnout which I think probably benefits Remainers.
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
The last time a PM went to the country in December it backfired for him horribly. I predict a repeat.
When was that?
6th December 1923
The PM Stanley Baldwin started the campaign with 344 seats and ended it by losing 86 of them.
And correlation is definitely, definitely causation. No exceptions.
Let's hope that this campaign, if it happens, is not marked by irascibility on here.
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
The last time a PM went to the country in December it backfired for him horribly. I predict a repeat.
When was that?
6th December 1923
The PM Stanley Baldwin started the campaign with 344 seats and ended it by losing 86 of them.
And correlation is definitely, definitely causation. No exceptions.
Let's hope that this campaign, if it happens, is not marked by irascibility on here.
It will be a very nasty campaign if it happens, according to Downing St Sources.
With any luck between now and 12th December some innovative person will invent the overcoat, and with any luck Street lighting.
Who in thier right mind thinks we as a population are so pathetic that we can't get out in cold windy conditions.
That's a slightly supercilious remark, if I may say.
No one doubts that people can get out in dark and cold conditions but you have to appreciate that a lot of people are not as politically motivated as posters to politicalbetting.com. Most people, contrary to the prevailing mood here, are completely bored by Brexit. 'Getting out' to vote is fraught at the best of times and I notice that all the examples below for voter turnout are from over half a century ago or more.
It will impact on turnout. It's also going to be a very long campaign.
The examples are from when there were winter votes, which happen to be ages ago.
If people are motivated they vote. You can argue about if voting should be compulsory, but right now in our system it is the persons choice.
Percentages voting in most of the elections since 2000 have been lower than average, and these were held in late spring or summer.
The day with the latest sunrise, the winter solstice, is December 22nd. I hadn’t realised until checking this that the earliest sunset and the latest sunrise do not happen on the same day.
A 15.51 sunset happens between December 8th - 17th in London and varies by less across the month (9 minutes - 16.00-15.51) than sunrise (23 minutes, 07.43-08.06), so there's nothing particularly special about the 12th.
It's also worth noting that the last "winter" GE we had - February 1974 had a turnout of 78.8% - up 6.8% on the June 1970 election that saw Heath win - the highest turnout since 1951 and higher than any general election since then. Before that, the highest turnout (83.9%) had been February 1950.
If people want to vote, they will.
Top 5 UK General elections ranked by turnout since 1950:
February 1950 - 83.9% October 1951 - 82.6% February 1974 - 78.8% October 1959 - 78.7% October 1964 - 77.1%
The lowest turnout GE was in June 2001 (59.4%)
Politicians fear of "people not voting in winter General Elections" is not supported by the facts.
While I agree that winter is no bar to a high turnout, I think that unlikely to be true in Dec 2019. I detect little enthusiasm for yet another election (or referendum for that matter) and a great deal of Brexit fatigue. Indeed the Tory slogan of "Get Brexit Done" tries to exploit that fatigue.
I would forecast a low turnout which I think probably benefits Remainers.
Can anyone actually discern any logic to Corbyn’s position now other than trying to blackmail Parliament into making him PM (as alternative to no deal)? I accept that others may be using blackmail to an extent to get what they want, but his is the most blatant now, and devoid of alternative options.
He’s opposed to the deal, opposed to no deal, opposed to a GE, opposed to a referendum on the “Tory” deal, opposed to a “GNU” not led by himself...
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
The last time a PM went to the country in December it backfired for him horribly. I predict a repeat.
When was that?
6th December 1923
The PM Stanley Baldwin started the campaign with 344 seats and ended it by losing 86 of them.
And correlation is definitely, definitely causation. No exceptions.
Let's hope that this campaign, if it happens, is not marked by irascibility on here.
It will be a very nasty campaign if it happens, according to Downing St Sources.
Oh I agree. And don't underestimate the superb nastiness of both Momentum and the Brexit Party.
But I said 'on here'. Pb.com is a standout site for by-and-large bypassing a lot of the partisan trolling and flaming that goes on everywhere else. And, sounding a little like Mary Whitehouse, we've already had a full-bore "f***ing" on here this morning.
I have a political persuasion, most of us do, but it would be great to keep this as objective as we can, especially as it's a betting site and I plan to continue splashing some cash in the markets
So, the effect of increased postal voting will likely be a) people vote as soon as their papers come through, meaning Corbyn doesn't have time to improve his position through campaigning (or Tory cock ups) as he did in 2017.And b) the Brexit Party doesn't have time to take back all the voters they've lost since the Euros by promising a "clean break" or tearing into the deal. Looks like a win-win for Johnson to me.
p.s. Labour and LibDems will need to work very hard for the University student votes.
I disagree with this.
It is still in term time, with very few exams to get in the way. The Students Unions and political societies will be helping to get the vote out with messages like "Now YOU can have your say on Brexit, don't waste it!".
The day with the latest sunrise, the winter solstice, is December 22nd. I hadn’t realised until checking this that the earliest sunset and the latest sunrise do not happen on the same day.
A 15.51 sunset happens between December 8th - 17th in London and varies by less across the month (9 minutes - 16.00-15.51) than sunrise (23 minutes, 07.43-08.06), so there's nothing particularly special about the 12th.
It's also worth noting that the last "winter" GE we had - February 1974 had a turnout of 78.8% - up 6.8% on the June 1970 election that saw Heath win - the highest turnout since 1951 and higher than any general election since then. Before that, the highest turnout (83.9%) had been February 1950.
If people want to vote, they will.
Top 5 UK General elections ranked by turnout since 1950:
February 1950 - 83.9% October 1951 - 82.6% February 1974 - 78.8% October 1959 - 78.7% October 1964 - 77.1%
The lowest turnout GE was in June 2001 (59.4%)
Politicians fear of "people not voting in winter General Elections" is not supported by the facts.
While I agree that winter is no bar to a high turnout, I think that unlikely to be true in Dec 2019. I detect little enthusiasm for yet another election (or referendum for that matter) and a great deal of Brexit fatigue. Indeed the Tory slogan of "Get Brexit Done" tries to exploit that fatigue.
I would forecast a low turnout which I think probably benefits Remainers.
The demographic with highest turn out tends to be older.....
From HoC briefing paper on turnout, 2019 publication.
Between 1922 and 1997, turnout at UK general elections remained above 71%, rising to over 80% in the general elections of 1950 and 1951. Turnout was only 57.2% in the 1918 General Election, although this was partly due to a low service vote and a large number of uncontested seats (107 out of a total of 707 seats). In 2001, turnout fell to 59.4%, its lowest level since 1918 and down 12% points compared with 1997. Although turnout rose again in 20052010, it was still below its 1997 level. In 2017 UK turnout was 66.8%
Can anyone actually discern any logic to Corbyn’s position now other than trying to blackmail Parliament into making him PM (as alternative to no deal)? I accept that others may be using blackmail to an extent to get what they want, but his is the most blatant now, and devoid of alternative options.
He’s opposed to the deal, opposed to no deal, opposed to a GE, opposed to a referendum on the “Tory” deal, opposed to a “GNU” not led by himself...
Yes. I think Corbyn has had a good week. LIke the Conservatives he's got a split party over Europe AND the election timing. He's juggling competing forces. He does want an election but he doesn't trust Johnson one iota and he wants to be certain No Deal is taken off the table.
In the longer term, he'd like a deal that keeps workers rights, maintains trading arrangements and he (probably) would prefer to put that back to the people to decide.
It's not a sexy 'Get Brexit Done' slogan but considering how tricky Brexit is, and how split the country is, it's probably the closest thing to sanity out there.
I don't subscribe to the predicted low turnout theories.
This GE will be polarizing with very distinct choices:
Leave with a deal.
R2.
Revoke.
Rarely (if ever) have I heard someone say they don't really care whether we leave the EU or not; the vast majority of voters will be invested and/or angry when it comes to the next GE.
Can anyone actually discern any logic to Corbyn’s position now other than trying to blackmail Parliament into making him PM (as alternative to no deal)? I accept that others may be using blackmail to an extent to get what they want, but his is the most blatant now, and devoid of alternative options.
He’s opposed to the deal, opposed to no deal, opposed to a GE, opposed to a referendum on the “Tory” deal, opposed to a “GNU” not led by himself...
Yes. I think Corbyn has had a good week. LIke the Conservatives he's got a split party over Europe AND the election timing. He's juggling competing forces. He does want an election but he doesn't trust Johnson one iota and he wants to be certain No Deal is taken off the table.
In the longer term, he'd like a deal that keeps workers rights, maintains trading arrangements and he (probably) would prefer to put that back to the people to decide.
It's not a sexy 'Get Brexit Done' slogan but considering how tricky Brexit is, and how split the country is, it's probably the closest thing to sanity out there.
Has he explained how he thinks no deal can be taken “off the table”?
p.s. Labour and LibDems will need to work very hard for the University student votes.
I disagree with this.
It is still in term time
So it is! Sorry my mistake. I had assumed it wasn't. Oxbridge will have gone down the previous week, but I think the others are all up until the 15th or thereabouts?
I don't subscribe to the predicted low turnout theories.
This GE will be polarizing with very distinct choices:
Leave with a deal.
R2.
Revoke.
Rarely (if ever) have I heard someone say they don't really care whether we leave the EU or not; the vast majority of voters will be invested and/or angry when it comes to the next GE.
I see a strong turnout.
You are being myopic I fear.
I've heard tons and tons of people say they are totally bored and fed up with Brexit.
Brexit bores the vast majority of people, just as the EU did. This is the fatal error that Brexiteers repeatedly fall into. And one of the major reasons why Labour will outperform current polling.
I don't subscribe to the predicted low turnout theories.
This GE will be polarizing with very distinct choices:
Leave with a deal.
R2.
Revoke.
Rarely (if ever) have I heard someone say they don't really care whether we leave the EU or not; the vast majority of voters will be invested and/or angry when it comes to the next GE.
I see a strong turnout.
You are being myopic I fear.
I've heard tons and tons of people say they are totally bored and fed up with Brexit.
Brexit bores the vast majority of people, just as the EU did. This is the fatal error that Brexiteers repeatedly fall into. And one of the major reasons why Labour will outperform current polling.
Can anyone actually discern any logic to Corbyn’s position now other than trying to blackmail Parliament into making him PM (as alternative to no deal)? I accept that others may be using blackmail to an extent to get what they want, but his is the most blatant now, and devoid of alternative options.
He’s opposed to the deal, opposed to no deal, opposed to a GE, opposed to a referendum on the “Tory” deal, opposed to a “GNU” not led by himself...
Yes. I think Corbyn has had a good week. LIke the Conservatives he's got a split party over Europe AND the election timing. He's juggling competing forces. He does want an election but he doesn't trust Johnson one iota and he wants to be certain No Deal is taken off the table.
In the longer term, he'd like a deal that keeps workers rights, maintains trading arrangements and he (probably) would prefer to put that back to the people to decide.
It's not a sexy 'Get Brexit Done' slogan but considering how tricky Brexit is, and how split the country is, it's probably the closest thing to sanity out there.
Has he explained how he thinks no deal can be taken “off the table”?
p.s. Labour and LibDems will need to work very hard for the University student votes.
I disagree with this.
It is still in term time
So it is! Sorry my mistake. I had assumed it wasn't. Oxbridge will have gone down the previous week, but I think the others are all up until the 15th or thereabouts?
That assumes students stay up until the end of term or try to get home ASAP.....
I'm tootling off for a coffee but my final remark is to repeat that this will not be a Brexit election. It will, of course, play its part but a vast host of other topics will come to the fore.
Brexit will largely be left to an argument between the BXP and the Tories.
I've heard tons and tons of people say they are totally bored and fed up with Brexit.
Brexit bores the vast majority of people, just as the EU did. This is the fatal error that Brexiteers repeatedly fall into. And one of the major reasons why Labour will outperform current polling.
If you are correct then I would suggest that apathy will not be a positive for Labour.
If you are motivated to Leave then the Tories are your only choice.
If you want to Remain then it's the LD's.
Brexit has sucked the oxygen out of politics such that there is little else that would motivate the apathetic other than the prospect of a resolution.
Which leaves Labour's offering of another couple of years of wrangling rather unappealing.
Of course this Parliament will not vote for an election. Never has the turkeys not voting for Christmas cliche been more apposite. The likes of Soubry , Hammond and Wollaston will be giving us the benefit of their wisdom for months yet.
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
The last time a PM went to the country in December it backfired for him horribly. I predict a repeat.
When was that?
6th December 1923
The PM Stanley Baldwin started the campaign with 344 seats and ended it by losing 86 of them.
And correlation is definitely, definitely causation. No exceptions.
Let's hope that this campaign, if it happens, is not marked by irascibility on here.
And, equally, that irascibility on here does not cause a general election.
Of course this Parliament will not vote for an election. Never has the turkeys not voting for Christmas cliche been more apposite. The likes of Soubry , Hammond and Wollaston will be giving us the benefit of their wisdom for months yet.
There is an element of counting chickens (assuming extension to 31/1) and chicken and egg (extension depends on the vote for an election (Macron) no deal off the table (Corbyn)). Soon parliament has to do something, like make a choice.
I know it’s repetitive but the FTPA really is an utter sh*t show. It is one of the basic principles of U.K. Parliamentary democracy that when Parliament and the Executive are deadlocked that it should be thrown back to the people to decide. This was, I would argue, one great strength of the U.K. system over others with fixed term Parliaments. But having been handicapped in that way at least politicians in those models generally accept that they have a responsibility to try and work together to break such deadlocks.
We a now blessed with a Fixed Term model, but politicians who don’t accept their consequential responsibilities.
So the message from Johnson is now: ‘Let’s not get Brexit done! Let’s have an election instead!’ I’d suggest the opposition parties should allow him to have his election, and point out to voters that he’s wasting their time.
The day with the latest sunrise, the winter solstice, is December 22nd. I hadn’t realised until checking this that the earliest sunset and the latest sunrise do not happen on the same day.
A 15.51 sunset happens between December 8th - 17th in London and varies by less across the month (9 minutes - 16.00-15.51) than sunrise (23 minutes, 07.43-08.06), so there's nothing particularly special about the 12th.
It's also worth noting that the last "winter" GE we had - February 1974 had a turnout of 78.8% - up 6.8% on the June 1970 election that saw Heath win - the highest turnout since 1951 and higher than any general election since then. Before that, the highest turnout (83.9%) had been February 1950.
If people want to vote, they will.
Top 5 UK General elections ranked by turnout since 1950:
February 1950 - 83.9% October 1951 - 82.6% February 1974 - 78.8% October 1959 - 78.7% October 1964 - 77.1%
The lowest turnout GE was in June 2001 (59.4%)
Politicians fear of "people not voting in winter General Elections" is not supported by the facts.
Whilst that’s true, 1974 was a very long time ago.
The UK and people attitude to duty, deference and obligation have changed an awful lot in the last 45 years.
To put it into some perspective: you’d have had a large number of pensioners who were WW1 veterans voting in 1974.
I know it’s repetitive but the FTPA really is an utter sh*t show. It is one of the basic principles of U.K. Parliamentary democracy that when Parliament and the Executive are deadlocked that it should be thrown back to the people to decide. This was, I would argue, one great strength of the U.K. system over others with fixed term Parliaments. But having been handicapped in that way at least politicians in those models generally accept that they have a responsibility to try and work together to break such deadlocks.
We a now blessed with a Fixed Term model, but politicians who don’t accept their consequential responsibilities.
@AlastairMeeks has made the latter point well on several occasions and he is right that it is time that our politicians learned some new tricks. A more consensual Parliament would be an improvement on the current dialogue of the deaf. There is more to rhetoric than shouting abuse. But there is absolutely no sign of this new trick being learned any time soon.
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
Local authorities might struggle to find people to man the polling stations and conduct the count as well. Of course the other issue is not necessarily that people won’t be willing to vote, but that December massively increases the chances of extreme weather events aka snow creating serious disruption.
Exactly. It’s risk mitigation.
I don’t know what the weather was like in Feb 1974 but, if we had blizzards and heavy winds as can happen during Winter, that could certainly affect turnout. You can easily see it crippling Cumbria and rural Welsh and Scottish seats. If you pick a day in Winter to hold an election you increase the risk of such events - and you won’t know, for sure, until about 72 hours before the vote.
So, it’s not just the daylight: it’s the unpredictable weather and temperature conditions.
Trying for a single issue election is rarely a good idea. The 'caller' may want a 'decision' on one particular issue, but complicating factors always arise. My wife and I watched QT last night (I know, I know) and it was pretty clear that the South Shields audience wanted both Brexit and a non-Tory Government. I realise that QT studio audiences are 'fixed' by the BBC but it seemed to us that while there appeared to be a belief that the EU was somehow responsible for their woes, there was an equal belief that de-industrialisation was due to Conservative policies. Ken Loach's views, for example, seemed very popular.
My (very centrist) wife thinks it’s a bad idea, that no-one will profit from it, and a Parliament even more hung than the current one will be returned.
I often ask for her take on politics as she’s good at the ‘slap bang in the centre’ mood of those not usually very political.
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
I agree. I think Dec 12th is a terrible date. A week earlier would have been better. But this is not going to go down well.
And, yes, there's a huge difference between mid-December and mid-February.
The last time a PM went to the country in December it backfired for him horribly. I predict a repeat.
p.s. Labour and LibDems will need to work very hard for the University student votes.
I assume the students will have left for their xmas holidays
My (very centrist) wife thinks it’s a bad idea, that no-one will profit from it, and a Parliament even more hung than the current one will be returned.
I often ask for her take on politics as she’s good at the ‘slap bang in the centre’ mood of those not usually very political.
So, the effect of increased postal voting will likely be a) people vote as soon as their papers come through, meaning Corbyn doesn't have time to improve his position through campaigning (or Tory cock ups) as he did in 2017.And b) the Brexit Party doesn't have time to take back all the voters they've lost since the Euros by promising a "clean break" or tearing into the deal. Looks like a win-win for Johnson to me.
It’s high-risk and almost entirely unpredictable.
Nevertheless, Johnson effectively doesn’t have much choice anymore but to gamble on it.
And a gamble it very much is. Those polls aren’t sticky, and most people won’t really turn their conscious attention to it until the final two weeks.
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
Local authorities might struggle to find people to man the polling stations and conduct the count as well. Of course the other issue is not necessarily that people won’t be willing to vote, but that December massively increases the chances of extreme weather events aka snow creating serious disruption.
Exactly. It’s risk mitigation.
I don’t know what the weather was like in Feb 1974 but, if we had blizzards and heavy winds as can happen during Winter, that could certainly affect turnout. You can easily see it crippling Cumbria and rural Welsh and Scottish seats. If you pick a day in Winter to hold an election you increase the risk of such events - and you won’t know, for sure, until about 72 hours before the vote.
So, it’s not just the daylight: it’s the unpredictable weather and temperature conditions.
One of those little delights that I came across some years ago was a documentary called, "Yes, but what do you do all winter?" It was about people who lived on the Cockbridge to Tomintoul road, always one of the first to be closed by snow.
A major part of the answer was to prepare for and attend Burns night at the end of January. This involved some hilariously over the top efforts including 4 wheeled vehicles, tractors, sledges and ever more eccentric vehicles. People who live in rural areas, even in Scotland, have found ways of getting around in bad weather, funnily enough.
The day with the latest sunrise, the winter solstice, is December 22nd. I hadn’t realised until checking this that the earliest sunset and the latest sunrise do not happen on the same day.
A 15.51 sunset happens between December 8th - 17th in London and varies by less across the month (9 minutes - 16.00-15.51) than sunrise (23 minutes, 07.43-08.06), so there's nothing particularly special about the 12th.
It's also worth noting that the last "winter" GE we had - February 1974 had a turnout of 78.8% - up 6.8% on the June 1970 election that saw Heath win - the highest turnout since 1951 and higher than any general election since then. Before that, the highest turnout (83.9%) had been February 1950.
If people want to vote, they will.
Top 5 UK General elections ranked by turnout since 1950:
February 1950 - 83.9% October 1951 - 82.6% February 1974 - 78.8% October 1959 - 78.7% October 1964 - 77.1%
The lowest turnout GE was in June 2001 (59.4%)
Politicians fear of "people not voting in winter General Elections" is not supported by the facts.
Whilst that’s true, 1974 was a very long time ago.
The UK and people attitude to duty, deference and obligation have changed an awful lot in the last 45 years.
To put it into some perspective: you’d have had a large number of pensioners who were WW1 veterans voting in 1974.
Probably not - average UK life expectancy in 1974 was 72 - so a lot of the 1900 cohort would have passed on. Turnout in General Elections has risen every election since the 2001 nadir. I think it’s impossible to predict how turnout will go - but to assert that it will be “low” is based on special pleading, not precedent.
I know it’s repetitive but the FTPA really is an utter sh*t show. It is one of the basic principles of U.K. Parliamentary democracy that when Parliament and the Executive are deadlocked that it should be thrown back to the people to decide. This was, I would argue, one great strength of the U.K. system over others with fixed term Parliaments. But having been handicapped in that way at least politicians in those models generally accept that they have a responsibility to try and work together to break such deadlocks.
We a now blessed with a Fixed Term model, but politicians who don’t accept their consequential responsibilities.
@AlastairMeeks has made the latter point well on several occasions and he is right that it is time that our politicians learned some new tricks. A more consensual Parliament would be an improvement on the current dialogue of the deaf. There is more to rhetoric than shouting abuse. But there is absolutely no sign of this new trick being learned any time soon.
It’s an inverse tragedy of the (House of) Commons.
MPs get personally lauded and politically rewarded for being obstinate and partisan to appeal to their base.
The rewards for being collegiate and collaborative are far more thinly spread, and won’t attach themselves to the individual that makes them.
F1: race in Mexico this weekend. Many think Mercedes will be on the back foot, with Verstappen too far back to capitalise. Could be another good weekend for Ferrari.
Off-chance of smaller teams, like McLaren, doing well again.
I know it’s repetitive but the FTPA really is an utter sh*t show. It is one of the basic principles of U.K. Parliamentary democracy that when Parliament and the Executive are deadlocked that it should be thrown back to the people to decide. This was, I would argue, one great strength of the U.K. system over others with fixed term Parliaments. But having been handicapped in that way at least politicians in those models generally accept that they have a responsibility to try and work together to break such deadlocks.
We a now blessed with a Fixed Term model, but politicians who don’t accept their consequential responsibilities.
@AlastairMeeks has made the latter point well on several occasions and he is right that it is time that our politicians learned some new tricks. A more consensual Parliament would be an improvement on the current dialogue of the deaf. There is more to rhetoric than shouting abuse. But there is absolutely no sign of this new trick being learned any time soon.
It’s an inverse tragedy of the (House of) Commons.
MPs get personally lauded and politically rewarded for being obstinate and partisan to appeal to their base.
The rewards for being collegiate and collaborative are far more thinly spread, and won’t attach themselves to the individual that makes them.
We see where that path ends in the US where working across the Aisle has gone from being lauded to treated with deep suspicion. It has not improved their politics.
The day with the latest sunrise, the winter solstice, is December 22nd. I hadn’t realised until checking this that the earliest sunset and the latest sunrise do not happen on the same day.
A 15.51 sunset happens between December 8th - 17th in London and varies by less across the month (9 minutes - 16.00-15.51) than sunrise (23 minutes, 07.43-08.06), so there's nothing particularly special about the 12th.
It's also worth noting that the last "winter" GE we had - February 1974 had a turnout of 78.8% - up 6.8% on the June 1970 election that saw Heath win - the highest turnout since 1951 and higher than any general election since then. Before that, the highest turnout (83.9%) had been February 1950.
If people want to vote, they will.
Top 5 UK General elections ranked by turnout since 1950:
February 1950 - 83.9% October 1951 - 82.6% February 1974 - 78.8% October 1959 - 78.7% October 1964 - 77.1%
The lowest turnout GE was in June 2001 (59.4%)
Politicians fear of "people not voting in winter General Elections" is not supported by the facts.
Whilst that’s true, 1974 was a very long time ago.
The UK and people attitude to duty, deference and obligation have changed an awful lot in the last 45 years.
To put it into some perspective: you’d have had a large number of pensioners who were WW1 veterans voting in 1974.
Probably not - average UK life expectancy in 1974 was 72 - so a lot of the 1900 cohort would have passed on. Turnout in General Elections has risen every election since the 2001 nadir. I think it’s impossible to predict how turnout will go - but to assert that it will be “low” is based on special pleading, not precedent.
No, there were a lot of WWI veterans in 1974. This is fact. You can look it up.
And life expectancy (at birth) doesn’t work the way you think it does. It’s skewed by infant mortality and things like that so you can’t make the direct inference you’re trying to above.
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
I agree. I think Dec 12th is a terrible date. A week earlier would have been better. But this is not going to go down well.
And, yes, there's a huge difference between mid-December and mid-February.
The last time a PM went to the country in December it backfired for him horribly. I predict a repeat.
p.s. Labour and LibDems will need to work very hard for the University student votes.
I assume the students will have left for their xmas holidays
I do not know how this effects the GE
Depends on the university. Aberystwyth is still in session, and so are most of the post-92 unis on a brief and unscientific sample. The Russell Group tend to break up at the end of November although that's not a hard and fast rule - Warwick does, Exeter doesn't.
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
Local authorities might struggle to find people to man the polling stations and conduct the count as well. Of course the other issue is not necessarily that people won’t be willing to vote, but that December massively increases the chances of extreme weather events aka snow creating serious disruption.
Exactly. It’s risk mitigation.
I don’t know what the weather was like in Feb 1974 but, if we had blizzards and heavy winds as can happen during Winter, that could certainly affect turnout. You can easily see it crippling Cumbria and rural Welsh and Scottish seats. If you pick a day in Winter to hold an election you increase the risk of such events - and you won’t know, for sure, until about 72 hours before the vote.
So, it’s not just the daylight: it’s the unpredictable weather and temperature conditions.
One of those little delights that I came across some years ago was a documentary called, "Yes, but what do you do all winter?" It was about people who lived on the Cockbridge to Tomintoul road, always one of the first to be closed by snow.
A major part of the answer was to prepare for and attend Burns night at the end of January. This involved some hilariously over the top efforts including 4 wheeled vehicles, tractors, sledges and ever more eccentric vehicles. People who live in rural areas, even in Scotland, have found ways of getting around in bad weather, funnily enough.
Is voting in an unwanted election as fun as Burns night?
I know it’s repetitive but the FTPA really is an utter sh*t show. It is one of the basic principles of U.K. Parliamentary democracy that when Parliament and the Executive are deadlocked that it should be thrown back to the people to decide. This was, I would argue, one great strength of the U.K. system over others with fixed term Parliaments. But having been handicapped in that way at least politicians in those models generally accept that they have a responsibility to try and work together to break such deadlocks.
We a now blessed with a Fixed Term model, but politicians who don’t accept their consequential responsibilities.
@AlastairMeeks has made the latter point well on several occasions and he is right that it is time that our politicians learned some new tricks. A more consensual Parliament would be an improvement on the current dialogue of the deaf. There is more to rhetoric than shouting abuse. But there is absolutely no sign of this new trick being learned any time soon.
It’s an inverse tragedy of the (House of) Commons.
MPs get personally lauded and politically rewarded for being obstinate and partisan to appeal to their base.
The rewards for being collegiate and collaborative are far more thinly spread, and won’t attach themselves to the individual that makes them.
I dunno. One of the rewards is the massive amounts of ordure poured over you by your own side, and that's sticking to quite a lot of them right now.
I think there is a difference between an election in February or October and one in mid-December, less than 2 weeks till Christmas. My work Xmas party is the next day, for instance (could make for a very awkward evening). Nobody will thank the Tories for this, I think Labour should go for it.
Local authorities might struggle to find people to man the polling stations and conduct the count as well. Of course the other issue is not necessarily that people won’t be willing to vote, but that December massively increases the chances of extreme weather events aka snow creating serious disruption.
Exactly. It’s risk mitigation.
I don’t know what the weather was like in Feb 1974 but, if we had blizzards and heavy winds as can happen during Winter, that could certainly affect turnout. You can easily see it crippling Cumbria and rural Welsh and Scottish seats. If you pick a day in Winter to hold an election you increase the risk of such events - and you won’t know, for sure, until about 72 hours before the vote.
So, it’s not just the daylight: it’s the unpredictable weather and temperature conditions.
One of those little delights that I came across some years ago was a documentary called, "Yes, but what do you do all winter?" It was about people who lived on the Cockbridge to Tomintoul road, always one of the first to be closed by snow.
A major part of the answer was to prepare for and attend Burns night at the end of January. This involved some hilariously over the top efforts including 4 wheeled vehicles, tractors, sledges and ever more eccentric vehicles. People who live in rural areas, even in Scotland, have found ways of getting around in bad weather, funnily enough.
Is voting in an unwanted election as fun as Burns night?
Very little beats a good Burns night to be honest. Holy Willies Prayer is my favourite. Done well, its hysterical.
Incidentally as a matter of interest - has anyone in the EU Parliament tested the water to see if they can introduce “legislation” compelling EU leaders to agree to an extension (to avert no deal) if asked? Or is it just accepted that this is well beyond their competence?
Nobody in the European parliament has ever introduced legislation of any description
I've heard tons and tons of people say they are totally bored and fed up with Brexit.
Brexit bores the vast majority of people, just as the EU did. This is the fatal error that Brexiteers repeatedly fall into. And one of the major reasons why Labour will outperform current polling.
If you are correct then I would suggest that apathy will not be a positive for Labour.
If you are motivated to Leave then the Tories are your only choice.
If you want to Remain then it's the LD's.
Brexit has sucked the oxygen out of politics such that there is little else that would motivate the apathetic other than the prospect of a resolution.
Which leaves Labour's offering of another couple of years of wrangling rather unappealing.
That is a good point. Vote Labour to drag this out for years and also get another referendum. Not appealing to a lot of people I guess.
Just in case it becomes relevant - does anyone know what time we leave the EU without a deal on October 31st? And is UK/EU legislation totally consistent on the point? U.K. time, Central European time, winter clocks, summer clocks? Is it possible that for an hour we’ll experience Schrodinger’s Brexit, and the lawyers will be kept going for year’s deciding if we left or not?
I know it’s repetitive but the FTPA really is an utter sh*t show. It is one of the basic principles of U.K. Parliamentary democracy that when Parliament and the Executive are deadlocked that it should be thrown back to the people to decide. This was, I would argue, one great strength of the U.K. system over others with fixed term Parliaments. But having been handicapped in that way at least politicians in those models generally accept that they have a responsibility to try and work together to break such deadlocks.
We a now blessed with a Fixed Term model, but politicians who don’t accept their consequential responsibilities.
It wasn't a principle at all, as the Lascelles letter makes clear. The situation was and is that if a government can't govern either an election should take place or a new government should take over. But I agree that it is not acceptable to do neither, which is what is happening now. It wouldn't have been acceptable under the Lascelles letter for the monarch to do neither and it isn't acceptable under the FTPA for the House of Commons to do neither.
The day with the latest sunrise, the winter solstice, is December 22nd. I hadn’t realised until checking this that the earliest sunset and the latest sunrise do not happen on the same day.
A 15.51 sunset happens between December 8th - 17th in London and varies by less across the month (9 minutes - 16.00-15.51) than sunrise (23 minutes, 07.43-08.06), so there's nothing particularly special about the 12th.
It's also worth noting that the last "winter" GE we had - February 1974 had a turnout of 78.8% - up 6.8% on the June 1970 election that saw Heath win - the highest turnout since 1951 and higher than any general election since then. Before that, the highest turnout (83.9%) had been February 1950.
If people want to vote, they will.
Top 5 UK General elections ranked by turnout since 1950:
February 1950 - 83.9% October 1951 - 82.6% February 1974 - 78.8% October 1959 - 78.7% October 1964 - 77.1%
The lowest turnout GE was in June 2001 (59.4%)
Politicians fear of "people not voting in winter General Elections" is not supported by the facts.
Whilst that’s true, 1974 was a very long time ago.
The UK and people attitude to duty, deference and obligation have changed an awful lot in the last 45 years.
To put it into some perspective: you’d have had a large number of pensioners who were WW1 veterans voting in 1974.
Probably not - average UK life expectancy in 1974 was 72 - so a lot of the 1900 cohort would have passed on. Turnout in General Elections has risen every election since the 2001 nadir. I think it’s impossible to predict how turnout will go - but to assert that it will be “low” is based on special pleading, not precedent.
No, there were a lot of WWI veterans in 1974. This is fact. You can look it up.
Since you made the claim, could you supply the data please?
Why is everyone going on about students? Looking at the pictures from the daily mail et al of students on booze extravaganzas puking up all over the place and each other doesn't make me think there is natural loyalty to any particular party.
Comments
Either that or he flatly refuses to agree to an election until Brexit is resolved.
I have no idea how it will play out if Boris refuses to put the WAB back in to play for fear of wrecking amendments.
I would have thought that the opposition would be very aware that any major amendments would result in an immediate pulling of the bill so perhaps the governments concerns are overplayed. And indeed if they do end up pulling the bill the optics will be positive for them (game playing remainers thwarting Brexit etc) so there is little risk.
If there isn't a WAB on the table and there isn't a GE then ultimately we are back to a no deal exit.
Best prices - Next UK GE
Con Maj Evs
NOM 11/10
Lab Maj 20/1
Any other party Maj 50\1
If they gave the whip back to the independents they could pretty much deduct them from the Con total when it came to anything Brexit/FTA related.
A 15.51 sunset happens between December 8th - 17th in London and varies by less across the month (9 minutes - 16.00-15.51) than sunrise (23 minutes, 07.43-08.06), so there's nothing particularly special about the 12th.
It's also worth noting that the last "winter" GE we had - February 1974 had a turnout of 78.8% - up 6.8% on the June 1970 election that saw Heath win - the highest turnout since 1951 and higher than any general election since then. Before that, the highest turnout (83.9%) had been February 1950.
If people want to vote, they will.
Top 5 UK General elections ranked by turnout since 1950:
February 1950 - 83.9%
October 1951 - 82.6%
February 1974 - 78.8%
October 1959 - 78.7%
October 1964 - 77.1%
The lowest turnout GE was in June 2001 (59.4%)
Politicians fear of "people not voting in winter General Elections" is not supported by the facts.
I think even the EU might say enough is enough if asked for another extension beyond that.
At some point parliament is going to have to make a decision:
1. WAB (no major amendments)
2. GE
3. No deal
4. Revoke
MPs are very rapidly running out of road and in truth Johnson could go on holiday and tell Corbyn to ring him when he's made a choice.
Leaving snakes with no stones to hide under is going to lead to a swift and brutal demise.
An alternative hypothesis is that people haven’t got much else better to do on dark winter evenings than vote, so do, unlike summer evenings. The facts remain - highest turnouts October and February, lowest ever in June.
And I have a strong sense this won't go as well for the Conservatives as some of their supporters on here seem to be telling us.
https://twitter.com/lewis_goodall/status/1187500490562703366?s=20
If that causes a no deal exit then it will be very much an opposition issue.
I find it very doubtful we will get to that point though, far more likely is the extension goes to 31/01 and Corbyn is given whatever additional assurances are required to enable a GE in December.
And, yes, there's a huge difference between mid-December and mid-February.
The last time a PM went to the country in December it backfired for him horribly. I predict a repeat.
p.s. Labour and LibDems will need to work very hard for the University student votes.
Who in thier right mind thinks we as a population are so pathetic that we can't get out in cold windy conditions.
A very calm and peaceful era.
No one doubts that people can get out in dark and cold conditions but you have to appreciate that a lot of people are not as politically motivated as posters to politicalbetting.com. Most people, contrary to the prevailing mood here, are completely bored by Brexit. 'Getting out' to vote is fraught at the best of times and I notice that all the examples below for voter turnout are from over half a century ago or more.
It will impact on turnout. It's also going to be a very long campaign.
The PM Stanley Baldwin started the campaign with 344 seats and ended it by losing 86 of them.
A Bozza in Oswestry
Google was my friend.
And whilst you're right about it not turning out too well for Baldwin in that instance it was only a temporary setback. The Liberals on the other hand never recovered.
Indeed it didn't.
The PM Stanley Baldwin started the campaign with 344 seats and ended it by losing 86 of them.
I would forecast a low turnout which I think probably benefits Remainers.
If people are motivated they vote. You can argue about if voting should be compulsory, but right now in our system it is the persons choice.
Percentages voting in most of the elections since 2000 have been lower than average, and these were held in late spring or summer.
What’s that about politics and being able to count.
He’s opposed to the deal, opposed to no deal, opposed to a GE, opposed to a referendum on the “Tory” deal, opposed to a “GNU” not led by himself...
But I said 'on here'. Pb.com is a standout site for by-and-large bypassing a lot of the partisan trolling and flaming that goes on everywhere else. And, sounding a little like Mary Whitehouse, we've already had a full-bore "f***ing" on here this morning.
I have a political persuasion, most of us do, but it would be great to keep this as objective as we can, especially as it's a betting site and I plan to continue splashing some cash in the markets
It is still in term time, with very few exams to get in the way. The Students Unions and political societies will be helping to get the vote out with messages like "Now YOU can have your say on Brexit, don't waste it!".
Between 1922 and 1997, turnout at UK general elections remained above 71%, rising to over 80% in the general elections of 1950 and 1951. Turnout was only 57.2% in the 1918 General Election, although this was partly due to a low service vote and a large number of uncontested seats (107 out of a total of 707 seats). In 2001, turnout fell to 59.4%, its lowest level since 1918 and down 12% points compared with 1997. Although turnout rose again in 20052010, it was still below its 1997 level. In 2017 UK turnout was 66.8%
In the longer term, he'd like a deal that keeps workers rights, maintains trading arrangements and he (probably) would prefer to put that back to the people to decide.
It's not a sexy 'Get Brexit Done' slogan but considering how tricky Brexit is, and how split the country is, it's probably the closest thing to sanity out there.
This GE will be polarizing with very distinct choices:
Leave with a deal.
R2.
Revoke.
Rarely (if ever) have I heard someone say they don't really care whether we leave the EU or not; the vast majority of voters will be invested and/or angry when it comes to the next GE.
I see a strong turnout.
I've heard tons and tons of people say they are totally bored and fed up with Brexit.
Brexit bores the vast majority of people, just as the EU did. This is the fatal error that Brexiteers repeatedly fall into. And one of the major reasons why Labour will outperform current polling.
Brexit will largely be left to an argument between the BXP and the Tories.
If you are motivated to Leave then the Tories are your only choice.
If you want to Remain then it's the LD's.
Brexit has sucked the oxygen out of politics such that there is little else that would motivate the apathetic other than the prospect of a resolution.
Which leaves Labour's offering of another couple of years of wrangling rather unappealing.
Wow!
Joyce: Certainly not, it did a lot of other things.
We a now blessed with a Fixed Term model, but politicians who don’t accept their consequential responsibilities.
The UK and people attitude to duty, deference and obligation have changed an awful lot in the last 45 years.
To put it into some perspective: you’d have had a large number of pensioners who were WW1 veterans voting in 1974.
I don’t know what the weather was like in Feb 1974 but, if we had blizzards and heavy winds as can happen during Winter, that could certainly affect turnout. You can easily see it crippling Cumbria and rural Welsh and Scottish seats. If you pick a day in Winter to hold an election you increase the risk of such events - and you won’t know, for sure, until about 72 hours before the vote.
So, it’s not just the daylight: it’s the unpredictable weather and temperature conditions.
I often ask for her take on politics as she’s good at the ‘slap bang in the centre’ mood of those not usually very political.
I do not know how this effects the GE
Nevertheless, Johnson effectively doesn’t have much choice anymore but to gamble on it.
And a gamble it very much is. Those polls aren’t sticky, and most people won’t really turn their conscious attention to it until the final two weeks.
A major part of the answer was to prepare for and attend Burns night at the end of January. This involved some hilariously over the top efforts including 4 wheeled vehicles, tractors, sledges and ever more eccentric vehicles. People who live in rural areas, even in Scotland, have found ways of getting around in bad weather, funnily enough.
MPs get personally lauded and politically rewarded for being obstinate and partisan to appeal to their base.
The rewards for being collegiate and collaborative are far more thinly spread, and won’t attach themselves to the individual that makes them.
F1: race in Mexico this weekend. Many think Mercedes will be on the back foot, with Verstappen too far back to capitalise. Could be another good weekend for Ferrari.
Off-chance of smaller teams, like McLaren, doing well again.
And life expectancy (at birth) doesn’t work the way you think it does. It’s skewed by infant mortality and things like that so you can’t make the direct inference you’re trying to above.
https://twitter.com/philipjcowley/status/1187614697249312769?s=20
Two hurtful Goves
And a Bozza in Oswestry
This one could run and run. Particularly if punmaster-in-chief @ydoethur spots it.