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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Betting on the turnout at the next general election

SystemSystem Posts: 11,718
edited October 2019 in General

imagepoliticalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Betting on the turnout at the next general election

Ladbrokes have a market up on the turnout at the next general election and I can understand why the 65% to 70% band is the favourite as it is the band at what turnout has been at every general election this decade.

Read the full story here


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  • Options
    MysticroseMysticrose Posts: 4,688
    edited October 2019
    But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

    Good morning.
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    Ishmael_ZIshmael_Z Posts: 8,981
    The wilting flower theory that people won't vote cos it's parky out, is bullshit.
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    Ishmael_ZIshmael_Z Posts: 8,981
    We used to have cold winters, no cars, no goretex and very, very limited postal voting. Now we don't.
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    tlg86tlg86 Posts: 25,216
    Is there not an issue with students being registered twice? As I understand it, the maximum theoretical turnout is now well below 100% (assuming students aren't voting twice!).
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    Ishmael_ZIshmael_Z Posts: 8,981
    It's like opinion polls. We used to stand to attention and tell the truth when a bloke with a plummy accent went to the expense of making a *trunk call* all the way from London to ask us about our voting intentions. Now we think What lie shall I tell this c-nt?
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    MysticroseMysticrose Posts: 4,688
    Is Brexit the big driving factor political pundits think it is?

    Once we pass October 31st and the General Election campaign proper begins I think things may turn rather more sour for Johnson. The media machine will be less tilted towards his misinformation machine, as called-out by Peter Oborne. Nigel Farage will also be hitting the airwaves, supported by the execrable Ann Widdecombe. The Brexit Party will make life very uncomfortable for Johnson on the right flank. It's their one, last, chance to set the agenda and they will not hold back.
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    MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 50,177
    tlg86 said:

    Is there not an issue with students being registered twice? As I understand it, the maximum theoretical turnout is now well below 100% (assuming students aren't voting twice!).

    Theoretical turnout is always below 100% because of deaths of those on the register. A December election will be using a very fresh register, so the number of deaths and those who have moved house but not re-registered will however be at a low point in the cycle. So maybe 98% possible - before double registering of students is considered?
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    MysticroseMysticrose Posts: 4,688
    Ishmael_Z said:

    The wilting flower theory that people won't vote cos it's parky out, is bullshit.

    It isn't but keep shouting abuse about it, if it makes you feel happier.

    I studied politics and you'd be amazed (it seems) how many people a) decide on the day how to vote and b) look outside to see if it's worth going to the polls.

    You see the world through the eyes of a political anorak.
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    MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 50,177

    Is Brexit the big driving factor political pundits think it is?

    Once we pass October 31st and the General Election campaign proper begins I think things may turn rather more sour for Johnson. The media machine will be less tilted towards his misinformation machine, as called-out by Peter Oborne. Nigel Farage will also be hitting the airwaves, supported by the execrable Ann Widdecombe. The Brexit Party will make life very uncomfortable for Johnson on the right flank. It's their one, last, chance to set the agenda and they will not hold back.

    The wish is father to the thought.....
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    Ishmael_ZIshmael_Z Posts: 8,981

    Ishmael_Z said:

    The wilting flower theory that people won't vote cos it's parky out, is bullshit.

    It isn't but keep shouting abuse about it, if it makes you feel happier.

    I studied politics and you'd be amazed (it seems) how many people a) decide on the day how to vote and b) look outside to see if it's worth going to the polls.

    You see the world through the eyes of a political anorak.
    If you "studied politics" then obviously I have no chance whatever in an argument with you about it.

    Did you do the "fallacy of the appeal to authority" module?
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    tlg86tlg86 Posts: 25,216

    tlg86 said:

    Is there not an issue with students being registered twice? As I understand it, the maximum theoretical turnout is now well below 100% (assuming students aren't voting twice!).

    Theoretical turnout is always below 100% because of deaths of those on the register. A December election will be using a very fresh register, so the number of deaths and those who have moved house but not re-registered will however be at a low point in the cycle. So maybe 98% possible - before double registering of students is considered?
    Does that partly explain why February 74 had an especially high turnout?

    I mentioned students because that is something that has changed significantly since the 1970s, though it may only be worth a few percentage points.
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    DecrepitJohnLDecrepitJohnL Posts: 13,300
    Ishmael_Z said:

    Ishmael_Z said:

    The wilting flower theory that people won't vote cos it's parky out, is bullshit.

    It isn't but keep shouting abuse about it, if it makes you feel happier.

    I studied politics and you'd be amazed (it seems) how many people a) decide on the day how to vote and b) look outside to see if it's worth going to the polls.

    You see the world through the eyes of a political anorak.
    If you "studied politics" then obviously I have no chance whatever in an argument with you about it.

    Did you do the "fallacy of the appeal to authority" module?
    Or the "we've had enough of experts" module at the University of Michael Gove?
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    DecrepitJohnLDecrepitJohnL Posts: 13,300
    Council by-elections will provide more data on turnout by season. I expect the data can be downloaded by hacking Dominic Cummings' ipad.
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    Ishmael_ZIshmael_Z Posts: 8,981

    Ishmael_Z said:

    Ishmael_Z said:

    The wilting flower theory that people won't vote cos it's parky out, is bullshit.

    It isn't but keep shouting abuse about it, if it makes you feel happier.

    I studied politics and you'd be amazed (it seems) how many people a) decide on the day how to vote and b) look outside to see if it's worth going to the polls.

    You see the world through the eyes of a political anorak.
    If you "studied politics" then obviously I have no chance whatever in an argument with you about it.

    Did you do the "fallacy of the appeal to authority" module?
    Or the "we've had enough of experts" module at the University of Michael Gove?
    You rate people as experts cos they've been to a rebadged poly? Low bar.

    This expert hasn't taken on board that relevant variables are relevant, and variable, and that their current values are not reflected in historic data.
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    MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 50,177
    Getting people out to vote in winter is rather different to making contact with the voters to know how they will vote. Most people won't answer the door after dark, so you won't get to talk to people at work other than at weekends. Some are also squeamish about door-knocking on Sundays for religious reasons.

    You could end up with a much smaller canvass than in say May - so a greater range of uncertainty on polling day itself.

    Parties with a big phone-banking operation will be at an advantage. Good for LibDems, bad for Brexit Party.
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    I understand where Swinson and Blackford are coming from with their draft Bill and if I shared their assumptions I think it makes sense in a least worst option sort of way.

    My fear is it's a bit too clever by half. They are trying to hit a high speed moving target. Maybe it will work but wargamed clever ruses aren't having a good time of it at the moment. The danger is they hand Johnson a very truncated election campaign where he can promise to get " Brexit done by Christmas " with no intervening period where Johnson's failure to ' do or die ' sinks in. Remembrance season and the NATO summit will help with that.

    I don't blame Blackford for that. A Tory majority and Brexit happening suits his political aims very well. I do blame Swinson for gambling that she can cut 10 years off the Lib Dems recovery time without delivering a Tory majority and Brexit.

    I suspect it will just result in posturing. " We offered an election last December " as the timetable is very tight and even with Lib Dem/SNP support passage of an Act could be rocky. I've long argued Labour should turn this into a process story by floating alternative election. I think February suits them best. So Swinson/Blackford are at least doing that.
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    DecrepitJohnLDecrepitJohnL Posts: 13,300
    Ishmael_Z said:

    Ishmael_Z said:

    Ishmael_Z said:

    The wilting flower theory that people won't vote cos it's parky out, is bullshit.

    It isn't but keep shouting abuse about it, if it makes you feel happier.

    I studied politics and you'd be amazed (it seems) how many people a) decide on the day how to vote and b) look outside to see if it's worth going to the polls.

    You see the world through the eyes of a political anorak.
    If you "studied politics" then obviously I have no chance whatever in an argument with you about it.

    Did you do the "fallacy of the appeal to authority" module?
    Or the "we've had enough of experts" module at the University of Michael Gove?
    You rate people as experts cos they've been to a rebadged poly? Low bar.

    This expert hasn't taken on board that relevant variables are relevant, and variable, and that their current values are not reflected in historic data.
    I've no idea what is the evidence presented on this module, wherever it was taken, whether a rebadged poly or the home of grade inflation and bad prime ministers that is Oxford.
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,824
    tlg86 said:

    tlg86 said:

    Is there not an issue with students being registered twice? As I understand it, the maximum theoretical turnout is now well below 100% (assuming students aren't voting twice!).

    Theoretical turnout is always below 100% because of deaths of those on the register. A December election will be using a very fresh register, so the number of deaths and those who have moved house but not re-registered will however be at a low point in the cycle. So maybe 98% possible - before double registering of students is considered?
    Does that partly explain why February 74 had an especially high turnout?

    I mentioned students because that is something that has changed significantly since the 1970s, though it may only be worth a few percentage points.
    Another factor may have been novelty for students - voting age was lowered to 18 from 21 in 1970.
  • Options
    Ishmael_ZIshmael_Z Posts: 8,981

    Getting people out to vote in winter is rather different to making contact with the voters to know how they will vote. Most people won't answer the door after dark, so you won't get to talk to people at work other than at weekends. Some are also squeamish about door-knocking on Sundays for religious reasons.

    You could end up with a much smaller canvass than in say May - so a greater range of uncertainty on polling day itself.

    Parties with a big phone-banking operation will be at an advantage. Good for LibDems, bad for Brexit Party.

    Interesting - you think canvassing is about discovering, rather than influencing, voting intentions?

    I suppose only the political parties have data as to whether canvassing alters anything, and they have good reasons to keep the answer to themselves.
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    Swinson and Blackford both have mythological problems on this as well. The Coalition and the 1979 VoNC will both be evoked if those two parties help Boris get his Winter Brexit election. If Boris wins and then implements Brexit it will create a new and powerful mythology for Labour activists. Clearly there are no good options left but I did raise bith eyebrows when I saw the report.
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,824

    I don't blame Blackford for that.

    Despite Blackford having denounced a December election on Ch4 - I suspect the SNP would not be sorry to see a GE out of the way before Salmond’s trial starts dominating the headlines in the New Year.
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    SandpitSandpit Posts: 50,005
    Given that historically winter elections have actually had high turnouts, surely the moaning is simply that the politicians and activists themselves don’t like going out when it’s cold, dark and wet?

    I’d cover the double on 65-75%, which is in line with recent elections and the EU referendum.
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    Ishmael_Z said:

    Getting people out to vote in winter is rather different to making contact with the voters to know how they will vote. Most people won't answer the door after dark, so you won't get to talk to people at work other than at weekends. Some are also squeamish about door-knocking on Sundays for religious reasons.

    You could end up with a much smaller canvass than in say May - so a greater range of uncertainty on polling day itself.

    Parties with a big phone-banking operation will be at an advantage. Good for LibDems, bad for Brexit Party.

    Interesting - you think canvassing is about discovering, rather than influencing, voting intentions?

    I suppose only the political parties have data as to whether canvassing alters anything, and they have good reasons to keep the answer to themselves.
    Old school theory, certainly from my day, is that canvassing is exclusively about voter ID. So much so you shouldn't even attempt to persuade voters when canvasing as the desire to be polite skews your voter ID. The reason phone canvasing is seen as superior to door knocking is people are ruder and terser when you ring them than when face to face - hence they are more honest and provide better data.

    Others argue that that is now old hat. That there is evidence that being door knocked both incresses your propensity to vote in general and for the party who door knocked you in particular.

    Being a miserable old *** I still lean strongly to the former view. Though undoubtedly both the rise of the internet and the death of landlines have changed the nature of targeting and data collection.
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    asjohnstoneasjohnstone Posts: 1,276
    Is the Parliament really playing chicken with France on the extension ?

    There's a lot of ways that this could go wrong, Macron appears to want Brexit done, if no election on Monday, he may offer a two week "final" technical extension to make a final decision.

    The president of the French republic is rapidly becoming the dominant force in domestic UK politics. The assumption that 3 months will be granted for more faffing around seems to be dying quickly over the weekend.

    In terms of the Lib Dem offer, I read it as knowing the Tories are going to win and they are trying to pickup some of the spoils from a potential Labour collapse.
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    eristdooferistdoof Posts: 4,914
    blueblue said:


    Correct. If there is an early election the Tories will start off with a big polling lead. Everyone will expect them to win. Then people will start to wonder about whether they really want to give Johnson unfettered power. Is his deal really as good as he says? Can he be trusted? Why does he lie so easily, even about trivial issues? The Lib Dems will say that they could never support Corbyn as PM. And nobody will believe Labour could win a majority, so the risk of Corbyn actually becoming PM is minimal. It will be quite safe for remainers to vote Labour in seats where the Lib Dems have no chance, because it is clear that this will not result in a Corbyn premiership.

    Just like 2017. And the result will be similar.

    The public would have to be absolutely fucking insane to do that - the botch job remainers made by supporting Corbyn "risk-free" in 2017 led directly to the hideous paralysis of the last 2 and a half years, and to the rise of Boris himself.

    They need to give the Conservatives a clear majority, or face the same stasis for another whole Parliamentary term!
    Many many voters thing that the public would be absolutely insane to give the Conservatives an absolute majority, and especialy with Boris Johnson as leader.

    Your "hideous paralysis" of the last 2 and a half years can also be seen as parliament not letting the conservative government getting away with blue murder.
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    Morning all! A fair bit of shouting on Twitter about "Tory enabler" Swinson trying to hand Boris "his" election.

    And that is the reason why she has proposed it. Not because she expects it to happen. But because it applies even more pressure on the Gutless Coward Corbyn who demands elections at his Cult rallies but runs away at every opportunity from actually voting for one.

    Ok so the risk is that the proposal ends up passed and Johnson wins big. But that's weeks away - we're literally hours away from once again being told Non and MPs having to revoke to avoid No Deal (which would be hilarious).
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    eristdooferistdoof Posts: 4,914

    tlg86 said:

    tlg86 said:

    Is there not an issue with students being registered twice? As I understand it, the maximum theoretical turnout is now well below 100% (assuming students aren't voting twice!).

    Theoretical turnout is always below 100% because of deaths of those on the register. A December election will be using a very fresh register, so the number of deaths and those who have moved house but not re-registered will however be at a low point in the cycle. So maybe 98% possible - before double registering of students is considered?
    Does that partly explain why February 74 had an especially high turnout?

    I mentioned students because that is something that has changed significantly since the 1970s, though it may only be worth a few percentage points.
    Another factor may have been novelty for students - voting age was lowered to 18 from 21 in 1970.
    Interesting, but the vast majority of under 21 voters in 1974 were not students.
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    eristdooferistdoof Posts: 4,914

    Council by-elections will provide more data on turnout by season. I expect the data can be downloaded by hacking Dominic Cummings' ipad.

    By-elections, including council by-elections, are a poor way of predicting GE behaviour.
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    nico67nico67 Posts: 4,502
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    Through a mixture of a particularly virulent cold and it finally all becoming too much for me I started what turned out to be a 7 day media detox on the morning of the MV. I spent all the time I would normally spend being a media junkie watching old Star Trek instead.

    Coming back to it all yesterday after a total news blackout is fascinating.

    On the one hand nothing much has changed and the situation is broadly as I hoped and expected. It's intriguing how one of the most extraordinary political weeks can be be boiked done to a few key facts that can be digested by a 10 minute googke catch up. No one normal people just scan the news and are happier for it. A 7 day detox really reinforces the Signal and Noise stuff.

    On the other hand even just a 7 day break really emphasises that this is Wagnerian stuff in political terms. Books will be written about single weeks in this process in years to come. No wonder it is felling so many careers if just watching on TV is so stressful.
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    It probably wouldn't happen again, but what if it did???

    https://twitter.com/SpaJw/status/1188242740301033472?s=20
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    DavidLDavidL Posts: 51,467

    But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

    Good morning.

    Still dark here. Oh the joys of the clocks going back.
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,824
    edited October 2019

    Swinson and Blackford both have mythological problems on this as well. The Coalition and the 1979 VoNC will both be evoked if those two parties help Boris get his Winter Brexit election. If Boris wins and then implements Brexit it will create a new and powerful mythology for Labour activists. Clearly there are no good options left but I did raise bith eyebrows when I saw the report.

    I’m sure SLAB (if any of it’s still functioning) would love to return the “worked with the Tories” the SNP monstered them with after SINDYREF - tho in this case it would be “Worked with the Tories again...
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    Dura_AceDura_Ace Posts: 13,066
    blueblue said:




    They need to give the Conservatives a clear majority, or face the same stasis for another whole Parliamentary term!



    The tory party isn't some universally venerated national institution like the RNLI, the Gurkhas or the Manic Street Preachers that we are obliged to support. It's the implacable enemy of and object of detestation for about 60% of the population.
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    Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,024
    edited October 2019
    Good morning, everyone.

    Far from guaranteed we'll have a winter election.

    F1: need to start the pre-race tosh. Got a few ideas. First of which is to find out if Verstappen got penalised.

    Edited extra bit: he did! Bit miffed as one early bet I had in mind was backing the Ferraris to pass him on the first lap.
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    Letter in (I think) the Sunday Times which broadly points out that having disliked the results of the 2015 and 2017 Parliaments, Johnson wants a 3rd vote to hopefully this time elect a parliament to his liking. Hoping that the will of the people will change. The will of the people absolutely cannot and has not changed with regards to Brexit where the prospect of a second vote is evil.
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    Four initial thoughts. 1. Voting for the Deal even in abstract terms via the Letwin Amendment and the WAIB 2nd Reading is a psychological rubicon and gateway drug. There must be a non trival chance that a 3 month extension sees the WAIB pass albeit with a huge amount of domestic bolt ons. Hence the Lib Dem/SNP move to grant a pre Brexit election. 2. Macron is just trolling. He's demonstrating the value of membership of a bloc of pooled soveriegnty versus isolationism. He won't veto and impose a No Deal on Ireland. But he will yank our chain in the meantime. 3. I'm astonished any opposition party is considering gifting Johnson a " Christmas Present " " Over by Christmas " framing/slogan for an election where Brexit is unimplemented. 4. Labour's best option is a January campaign and the ' Jacinda Adern ' strategy. It would involve Corbyn going as soon as the extension is secured but with urgency is possible.
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    JonathanJonathan Posts: 20,913

    Through a mixture of a particularly virulent cold and it finally all becoming too much for me I started what turned out to be a 7 day media detox on the morning of the MV. I spent all the time I would normally spend being a media junkie watching old Star Trek instead.

    Coming back to it all yesterday after a total news blackout is fascinating.

    On the one hand nothing much has changed and the situation is broadly as I hoped and expected. It's intriguing how one of the most extraordinary political weeks can be be boiked done to a few key facts that can be digested by a 10 minute googke catch up. No one normal people just scan the news and are happier for it. A 7 day detox really reinforces the Signal and Noise stuff.

    On the other hand even just a 7 day break really emphasises that this is Wagnerian stuff in political terms. Books will be written about single weeks in this process in years to come. No wonder it is felling so many careers if just watching on TV is so stressful.

    Well done. A detox is necessary from time to time. By stepping back and letting the dust settle you get to understand more.
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    OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 32,108

    Four initial thoughts. 1. Voting for the Deal even in abstract terms via the Letwin Amendment and the WAIB 2nd Reading is a psychological rubicon and gateway drug. There must be a non trival chance that a 3 month extension sees the WAIB pass albeit with a huge amount of domestic bolt ons. Hence the Lib Dem/SNP move to grant a pre Brexit election. 2. Macron is just trolling. He's demonstrating the value of membership of a bloc of pooled soveriegnty versus isolationism. He won't veto and impose a No Deal on Ireland. But he will yank our chain in the meantime. 3. I'm astonished any opposition party is considering gifting Johnson a " Christmas Present " " Over by Christmas " framing/slogan for an election where Brexit is unimplemented. 4. Labour's best option is a January campaign and the ' Jacinda Adern ' strategy. It would involve Corbyn going as soon as the extension is secured but with urgency is possible.

    By 'Corbyn going' do you mean standing down and letting someone else become Labour's leader?
    IIRC that's a somewhat long-winded process.
    I suspect Tom Watson now has too much baggage to just pick up the reins as an emergency stopgap.
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    philiphphiliph Posts: 4,704
    edited October 2019
    Dura_Ace said:

    blueblue said:




    They need to give the Conservatives a clear majority, or face the same stasis for another whole Parliamentary term!


    The tory party isn't some universally venerated national institution like the RNLI, the Gurkhas or the Manic Street Preachers that we are obliged to support. It's the implacable enemy of and object of detestation for about 60% of the population.

    Now it is possible but unlikely that 60% detest politics or politicians.

    I don't find Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms average are so invested in politics to think of parties in terms of detest, hate, or revile.

    Those are the views of the core fanatics, the ones at the extremes and those overly enthused converts to political dogma, Paul Mason comes to mind as an example.
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    Tokyo this afternoon: lots of nervous looking Welsh and Seeth Efrikan fans, lots of hungover, very proud England fans, lots of Kiwis looking to sell their tickets for the final. It's a great atmosphere. There's no edge anywhere. But that's because it's only rugby ;-)
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    Four initial thoughts. 1. Voting for the Deal even in abstract terms via the Letwin Amendment and the WAIB 2nd Reading is a psychological rubicon and gateway drug. There must be a non trival chance that a 3 month extension sees the WAIB pass albeit with a huge amount of domestic bolt ons. Hence the Lib Dem/SNP move to grant a pre Brexit election. 2. Macron is just trolling. He's demonstrating the value of membership of a bloc of pooled soveriegnty versus isolationism. He won't veto and impose a No Deal on Ireland. But he will yank our chain in the meantime. 3. I'm astonished any opposition party is considering gifting Johnson a " Christmas Present " " Over by Christmas " framing/slogan for an election where Brexit is unimplemented. 4. Labour's best option is a January campaign and the ' Jacinda Adern ' strategy. It would involve Corbyn going as soon as the extension is secured but with urgency is possible.

    By 'Corbyn going' do you mean standing down and letting someone else become Labour's leader?
    IIRC that's a somewhat long-winded process.
    I suspect Tom Watson now has too much baggage to just pick up the reins as an emergency stopgap.
    The NEC would take over, and they take their orders from the stalinists - imagine Len McClusky being the efffective Labour leader. And then its a straight fight between Wrong-Daily and Laura Pillock to become the new anointed one
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    ChrisChris Posts: 11,150
    It seems remarkable that 1.05 was still available last night for a No bet on Betfair Exchange's "UK to leave the EU on/before 31/10/2019?"

    Now it's 1.03, but for those who find it inconceivable we'll crash out in four days' time, 3% isn't a bad return over that period.
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    DavidLDavidL Posts: 51,467
    I'm tempted by the 70-75% band. Cummings won the referendum by getting a lot of traditional non voters to vote through a clever social media campaign. I am sure that he will be using the same tricks again to save their vote this time. Just as February 74 had the "who runs Britain" argument I think that Brexit has the potential to squeeze a few more voters out.

    The increased number of students with their double registration certainly puts a lower ceiling on turnout but the increased incidence of postal voting works the other way. In some areas people are even good enough to save many voters the bother!
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    SandpitSandpit Posts: 50,005

    Good morning, everyone.

    Far from guaranteed we'll have a winter election.

    F1: need to start the pre-race tosh. Got a few ideas. First of which is to find out if Verstappen got penalised

    Yep, three places for not backing off enough passing yellow flags. He did lift off but still set a purple sector.
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    SandpitSandpit Posts: 50,005
    Chris said:

    It seems remarkable that 1.05 was still available last night for a No bet on Betfair Exchange's "UK to leave the EU on/before 31/10/2019?"

    Now it's 1.03, but for those who find it inconceivable we'll crash out in four days' time, 3% isn't a bad return over that period.

    I'm on at 44 that we will leave on 31st (but only for a couple of quid). There's definitely a non-zero chance that, with everybody thinking only of the games they're trying to play, something unexpected happens and we leave unintentionally. It could even be a row within the EU nations unable to agree on an extension in time.
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    YBarddCwscYBarddCwsc Posts: 7,172

    Four initial thoughts. 1. Voting for the Deal even in abstract terms via the Letwin Amendment and the WAIB 2nd Reading is a psychological rubicon and gateway drug. There must be a non trival chance that a 3 month extension sees the WAIB pass albeit with a huge amount of domestic bolt ons. Hence the Lib Dem/SNP move to grant a pre Brexit election. 2. Macron is just trolling. He's demonstrating the value of membership of a bloc of pooled soveriegnty versus isolationism. He won't veto and impose a No Deal on Ireland. But he will yank our chain in the meantime. 3. I'm astonished any opposition party is considering gifting Johnson a " Christmas Present " " Over by Christmas " framing/slogan for an election where Brexit is unimplemented. 4. Labour's best option is a January campaign and the ' Jacinda Adern ' strategy. It would involve Corbyn going as soon as the extension is secured but with urgency is possible.

    There so many unicorns there, you must be a professional breeder.
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    SandpitSandpit Posts: 50,005

    Tokyo this afternoon: lots of nervous looking Welsh and Seeth Efrikan fans, lots of hungover, very proud England fans, lots of Kiwis looking to sell their tickets for the final. It's a great atmosphere. There's no edge anywhere. But that's because it's only rugby ;-)

    You know you want to extend your trip and buy one of those tickets from a disappointed Kiwi, dont you? :)
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    Scott_P said:
    None of whom are on the electoral register and very very few of whom would be able to be added that quickly
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    nico67nico67 Posts: 4,502
    Scott_P said:
    It’s impossible to add that age group on by December .
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    malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 42,180

    Swinson and Blackford both have mythological problems on this as well. The Coalition and the 1979 VoNC will both be evoked if those two parties help Boris get his Winter Brexit election. If Boris wins and then implements Brexit it will create a new and powerful mythology for Labour activists. Clearly there are no good options left but I did raise bith eyebrows when I saw the report.

    I’m sure SLAB (if any of it’s still functioning) would love to return the “worked with the Tories” the SNP monstered them with after SINDYREF - tho in this case it would be “Worked with the Tories again...
    Given Labour are in the extinction position they are for colluding and helping the Tories since 2012, it is unlikely to resonate with the people of Scotland. They are done for and it looks like the Tories will be joining them soon.
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    ChrisChris Posts: 11,150

    Scott_P said:
    None of whom are on the electoral register and very very few of whom would be able to be added that quickly
    "You can register to vote if you are:
    16 years old or over (but you cannot vote until you are 18 years old)"
    https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/elections/register/
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    malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 42,180
    philiph said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    blueblue said:




    They need to give the Conservatives a clear majority, or face the same stasis for another whole Parliamentary term!


    The tory party isn't some universally venerated national institution like the RNLI, the Gurkhas or the Manic Street Preachers that we are obliged to support. It's the implacable enemy of and object of detestation for about 60% of the population.

    Now it is possible but unlikely that 60% detest politics or politicians.

    I don't find Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms average are so invested in politics to think of parties in terms of detest, hate, or revile.

    Those are the views of the core fanatics, the ones at the extremes and those overly enthused converts to political dogma, Paul Mason comes to mind as an example.
    It is standard view in Scotland my friend, they are seen as the nasty evil barstewards that they are.
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    GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 20,882
    edited October 2019
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    SandpitSandpit Posts: 50,005
    nico67 said:

    Scott_P said:
    It’s impossible to add that age group on by December .
    Not to mention that the Lords are likely to take a dim view of trying to amend the franchise at the last moment, for nakedly partisan reasons.
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    ChrisChris Posts: 11,150
    edited October 2019
    Sandpit said:

    Chris said:

    It seems remarkable that 1.05 was still available last night for a No bet on Betfair Exchange's "UK to leave the EU on/before 31/10/2019?"

    Now it's 1.03, but for those who find it inconceivable we'll crash out in four days' time, 3% isn't a bad return over that period.

    I'm on at 44 that we will leave on 31st (but only for a couple of quid). There's definitely a non-zero chance that, with everybody thinking only of the games they're trying to play, something unexpected happens and we leave unintentionally. It could even be a row within the EU nations unable to agree on an extension in time.
    It's fair enough to say there's a non-zero chance until they've made a firm offer and we've said yes, but it's so strongly in everyone's interest that we don't crash out that I think 5% was far too high, and I think 3% is too.
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    ChrisChris Posts: 11,150
    edited October 2019
    Deleted

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    FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,928
    DavidL said:

    I'm tempted by the 70-75% band. Cummings won the referendum by getting a lot of traditional non voters to vote through a clever social media campaign. I am sure that he will be using the same tricks again to save their vote this time. Just as February 74 had the "who runs Britain" argument I think that Brexit has the potential to squeeze a few more voters out.

    The increased number of students with their double registration certainly puts a lower ceiling on turnout but the increased incidence of postal voting works the other way. In some areas people are even good enough to save many voters the bother!

    The other group that has changed significantly since Feb 74 is the snowbirds. Seasonal retired migrants to the Costas and in the case of Leicester to Gujerat, are far more numerous. I think the numbers higher in Feb than Dec, but not insignificant even then.

    I don't think a Dec election will happen, but if it does would expect low turnout. Not so much term time, weather or winter sun so much as boredom with politics. I think that is why the turnout fell in the Oct 74 election.
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    AlistairAlistair Posts: 23,670

    Scott_P said:
    None of whom are on the electoral register and very very few of whom would be able to be added that quickly
    16 and 17 year olds are registered.
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    ChrisChris Posts: 11,150
    Does that mean he wants to bring back hunting too?
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    Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,024
    It's nuts to fiddle with the franchise as a Parliamentary tactic.
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    AlistairAlistair Posts: 23,670
    In Scotland you are registered from the age of 14.
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    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758

    I understand where Swinson and Blackford are coming from with their draft Bill and if I shared their assumptions I think it makes sense in a least worst option sort of way.

    My fear is it's a bit too clever by half. They are trying to hit a high speed moving target. Maybe it will work but wargamed clever ruses aren't having a good time of it at the moment. The danger is they hand Johnson a very truncated election campaign where he can promise to get " Brexit done by Christmas " with no intervening period where Johnson's failure to ' do or die ' sinks in. Remembrance season and the NATO summit will help with that.

    I don't blame Blackford for that. A Tory majority and Brexit happening suits his political aims very well. I do blame Swinson for gambling that she can cut 10 years off the Lib Dems recovery time without delivering a Tory majority and Brexit.

    I suspect it will just result in posturing. " We offered an election last December " as the timetable is very tight and even with Lib Dem/SNP support passage of an Act could be rocky. I've long argued Labour should turn this into a process story by floating alternative election. I think February suits them best. So Swinson/Blackford are at least doing that.

    I don’t think the the Oct 31 thing is the problem people think.

    What did for May was the extension with no clear plan.

    Boris has positioned himself as being thwarted by the forces of Remania - appealing to the voters for assistance

    February is still ok - if it comes about because of Labour games (especially assuming that Parliament jerks around and doesn’t get Brexit done by Jan 31 so we need a further extension)

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    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    Ishmael_Z said:

    Getting people out to vote in winter is rather different to making contact with the voters to know how they will vote. Most people won't answer the door after dark, so you won't get to talk to people at work other than at weekends. Some are also squeamish about door-knocking on Sundays for religious reasons.

    You could end up with a much smaller canvass than in say May - so a greater range of uncertainty on polling day itself.

    Parties with a big phone-banking operation will be at an advantage. Good for LibDems, bad for Brexit Party.

    Interesting - you think canvassing is about discovering, rather than influencing, voting intentions?

    I suppose only the political parties have data as to whether canvassing alters anything, and they have good reasons to keep the answer to themselves.
    My understanding (although not an activist) was all about reinforcing voters intention - hence you don’t canvass strong voters for other parties as well as identifying targets for the GOTV campaign
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    DavidLDavidL Posts: 51,467
    Foxy said:

    DavidL said:

    I'm tempted by the 70-75% band. Cummings won the referendum by getting a lot of traditional non voters to vote through a clever social media campaign. I am sure that he will be using the same tricks again to save their vote this time. Just as February 74 had the "who runs Britain" argument I think that Brexit has the potential to squeeze a few more voters out.

    The increased number of students with their double registration certainly puts a lower ceiling on turnout but the increased incidence of postal voting works the other way. In some areas people are even good enough to save many voters the bother!

    The other group that has changed significantly since Feb 74 is the snowbirds. Seasonal retired migrants to the Costas and in the case of Leicester to Gujerat, are far more numerous. I think the numbers higher in Feb than Dec, but not insignificant even then.

    I don't think a Dec election will happen, but if it does would expect low turnout. Not so much term time, weather or winter sun so much as boredom with politics. I think that is why the turnout fell in the Oct 74 election.
    But the snowbirds can postal vote these days and seem to do so. I hope we can test this one way or another but decisions are not a specialised subject for this Parliament.
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    MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 50,177
    nico67 said:

    Scott_P said:
    It’s impossible to add that age group on by December .
    Extending the franchise to 16-17 year olds should be something that the voters have a say in. If you want it, put it in your manifesto and get a majority/coalition that will implement it.
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    OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 32,108
    Chris said:

    Scott_P said:
    None of whom are on the electoral register and very very few of whom would be able to be added that quickly
    "You can register to vote if you are:
    16 years old or over (but you cannot vote until you are 18 years old)"
    https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/elections/register/
    16 year old Grandson 2 will be down there to register. Another Remain vote, although as he's in Sevenoaks it might not make a lot of difference.
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    OnlyLivingBoyOnlyLivingBoy Posts: 15,202
    Who is the "powerful backer"? And where does he want to hound us Remainers to? Some Leavers' inner fascist seems to be becoming a bit less inner right now.
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    Beibheirli_CBeibheirli_C Posts: 7,981
    We Remainers have a "Powerful backer"?? No one told me.

    I wonder who it is?
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    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758

    It probably wouldn't happen again, but what if it did???

    https://twitter.com/SpaJw/status/1188242740301033472?s=20

    Can we have the same shot every other Dec 10? Otherwise it’s subject to sampling error and bias 😆
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    GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 20,882
    Although I am precisely the kind of “Remainiac” Carswell wants hounded out of the country, I don’t think it is reasonable to change the franchise all of a sudden.
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    OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 32,108

    Who is the "powerful backer"? And where does he want to hound us Remainers to? Some Leavers' inner fascist seems to be becoming a bit less inner right now.
    I thought it was Leave who had the mysterious 'powerful backers', due to concerns over forthcoming changes to disclosure of financial interest requirements.
    Or something like that.
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    Ishmael_ZIshmael_Z Posts: 8,981

    Four initial thoughts. 1. Voting for the Deal even in abstract terms via the Letwin Amendment and the WAIB 2nd Reading is a psychological rubicon and gateway drug. There must be a non trival chance that a 3 month extension sees the WAIB pass albeit with a huge amount of domestic bolt ons. Hence the Lib Dem/SNP move to grant a pre Brexit election. 2. Macron is just trolling. He's demonstrating the value of membership of a bloc of pooled soveriegnty versus isolationism. He won't veto and impose a No Deal on Ireland. But he will yank our chain in the meantime. 3. I'm astonished any opposition party is considering gifting Johnson a " Christmas Present " " Over by Christmas " framing/slogan for an election where Brexit is unimplemented. 4. Labour's best option is a January campaign and the ' Jacinda Adern ' strategy. It would involve Corbyn going as soon as the extension is secured but with urgency is possible.

    The thing is, December isn't really winter, but January really is. There is a non-zero probability anywhere, and an alarmingly high one in Scotland, of weather severe enough to decimate turnout in a Jan election to the extent that, morally speaking, you'd want a revote. (@SouthamObserver's tweet has made me rethink my "worrying about the weather is for wusses" position).
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    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758

    Scott_P said:
    None of whom are on the electoral register and very very few of whom would be able to be added that quickly
    That was my question - doesn’t it open up for a court case in that a new 16 year old not on the register already has been deprived of their vote unfairly?
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    FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,928
    Whenever I need a laugh I go back and read old Brexit prospectus. This one from Carswells old mate is particularly good.

    https://reaction.life/britain-looks-like-brexit/

    Though we will probably Brexit, I think it unlikely to be a grateful demos afterwards. This survey in the Observer is an interesting one. Even amongst Leavers there is a substantial minority who wished the whole business of the referendum had never happened.

    https://amp.theguardian.com/politics/2019/oct/26/opinium-poll-observer-uk-voters-regret-brexit-referendum-conservative-lead-over-labour?__twitter_impression=true
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    nico67nico67 Posts: 4,502
    I don’t see the Lib Dem bill going anywhere because Labour will try and amend it .

    And then if the SNP and Lib Dems don’t back the Amendments will use it against them .

    There’s a conversation to be had over 16 and 17 year olds , on the issue of EU nationals voting this is far more complicated .

    No EU country allows anyone but nationals of that country to vote in elections , there are just a few exceptions in the UK regarding nationals from Cyprus and Malta .


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    CD13CD13 Posts: 6,352
    I'm puzzled as to why voters would answer the door. Why waste even seconds on someone who is not interested in your opinions, only wanting to lie to you.

    With 25,000 Labour majority, I never see one anyway.
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    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758

    Although I am precisely the kind of “Remainiac” Carswell wants hounded out of the country, I don’t think it is reasonable to change the franchise all of a sudden.

    I read it as Brexit blockers - in Parliament - not people who don’t like Brexit

    People like you may campaign against it but it’s not the same as “blocking” it because (no offence) you don’t have that power
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    OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 32,108
    nico67 said:

    I don’t see the Lib Dem bill going anywhere because Labour will try and amend it .

    And then if the SNP and Lib Dems don’t back the Amendments will use it against them .

    There’s a conversation to be had over 16 and 17 year olds , on the issue of EU nationals voting this is far more complicated .

    No EU country allows anyone but nationals of that country to vote in elections , there are just a few exceptions in the UK regarding nationals from Cyprus and Malta .


    And Rep of Ireland.
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    FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,928
    nico67 said:

    I don’t see the Lib Dem bill going anywhere because Labour will try and amend it .

    And then if the SNP and Lib Dems don’t back the Amendments will use it against them .

    There’s a conversation to be had over 16 and 17 year olds , on the issue of EU nationals voting this is far more complicated .

    No EU country allows anyone but nationals of that country to vote in elections , there are just a few exceptions in the UK regarding nationals from Cyprus and Malta .


    The silly thing is that we allow Commonwealth citizens to vote, no matter how long they have been here. This includes Rwanda and Mozambique with no historical ties to the UK, but not EU citizens who may have been here decades.

    I would favour granting rights to legal permanent residents regardless of citizenship after 5 years.
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    nunuonenunuone Posts: 1,138

    We Remainers have a "Powerful backer"?? No one told me.

    I wonder who it is?
    The establishment.

    Whether it be the courts, MPs, the speaker, the media, the rich etc all want to block Brexit
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    Foxy said:

    Whenever I need a laugh I go back and read old Brexit prospectus. This one from Carswells old mate is particularly good.

    https://reaction.life/britain-looks-like-brexit/

    Though we will probably Brexit, I think it unlikely to be a grateful demos afterwards. This survey in the Observer is an interesting one. Even amongst Leavers there is a substantial minority who wished the whole business of the referendum had never happened.

    https://amp.theguardian.com/politics/2019/oct/26/opinium-poll-observer-uk-voters-regret-brexit-referendum-conservative-lead-over-labour?__twitter_impression=true
    Hannan's piece reads quite reasonable to me, except for the fact that Remainer May being in power dragged out the period of shock at Brexit until she was replaced. As soon as we had a Leaver as PM terms were indeed easily enough.
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    nunuonenunuone Posts: 1,138
    Alistair said:

    Scott_P said:
    None of whom are on the electoral register and very very few of whom would be able to be added that quickly
    16 and 17 year olds are registered.
    Fine. I think Boris should accept it, because few them would vote anyway.
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    nico67nico67 Posts: 4,502

    nico67 said:

    I don’t see the Lib Dem bill going anywhere because Labour will try and amend it .

    And then if the SNP and Lib Dems don’t back the Amendments will use it against them .

    There’s a conversation to be had over 16 and 17 year olds , on the issue of EU nationals voting this is far more complicated .

    No EU country allows anyone but nationals of that country to vote in elections , there are just a few exceptions in the UK regarding nationals from Cyprus and Malta .


    And Rep of Ireland.
    Yes thanks for that . I think trying to amend a bill with all sorts of things is simply a way of Labour avoiding an election .

    The Lib Dem Bill is really designed though for the EU , so saying we want an election and one is likely and please give us the longer extension .

    So far Macron has been trying to help Johnson but if an election isn’t called and then he says he’s not bringing the WAIB back then I think that’s really going to annoy him and the rest of the EU .

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    FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,928
    nunuone said:

    We Remainers have a "Powerful backer"?? No one told me.

    I wonder who it is?
    The establishment.

    Whether it be the courts, MPs, the speaker, the media, the rich etc all want to block Brexit
    Bourgeois democracy needs to be swept aside for the world king! Now where did I leave my enabling Act?
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    OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 32,108
    edited October 2019
    Isn't there a new set of EU financial regulations which come into effect on Jan 1st and are supposed to be 'detrimental' to some prominent people in UK?
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    FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,928
    On a lighter note, Star Wars fans eagerly awaiting the next extravaganza may enjoy this little precis:

    https://twitter.com/foxinsoxuk/status/1188297904051642368?s=19
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    Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,024
    Dr. Foxy, *cough* yeah, crazy that we give different rights to foreigners based on where they're from...
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    ChrisChris Posts: 11,150
    edited October 2019
    Charles said:

    Ishmael_Z said:

    Getting people out to vote in winter is rather different to making contact with the voters to know how they will vote. Most people won't answer the door after dark, so you won't get to talk to people at work other than at weekends. Some are also squeamish about door-knocking on Sundays for religious reasons.

    You could end up with a much smaller canvass than in say May - so a greater range of uncertainty on polling day itself.

    Parties with a big phone-banking operation will be at an advantage. Good for LibDems, bad for Brexit Party.

    Interesting - you think canvassing is about discovering, rather than influencing, voting intentions?

    I suppose only the political parties have data as to whether canvassing alters anything, and they have good reasons to keep the answer to themselves.
    My understanding (although not an activist) was all about reinforcing voters intention - hence you don’t canvass strong voters for other parties as well as identifying targets for the GOTV campaign
    I think unless you have an unusually large amount of canvassing resources, it's just about determining voting intention and getting on to the next door as quickly as possible.
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    Beibheirli_CBeibheirli_C Posts: 7,981
    edited October 2019

    Hannan's piece reads quite reasonable to me, except for the fact that Remainer May being in power dragged out the period of shock at Brexit until she was replaced. As soon as we had a Leaver as PM terms were indeed easily enough.

    You really mean "as soon as we had a PM prepared to bend any law, sideline Parliament and break up the UK, terms were agreed easily enough"?
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    Beibheirli_CBeibheirli_C Posts: 7,981
    Foxy said:

    On a lighter note, Star Wars fans eagerly awaiting the next extravaganza ....

    Oooo yes! I will have to see when that one hits the cinemas :)
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    BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 31,882

    Foxy said:

    Whenever I need a laugh I go back and read old Brexit prospectus. This one from Carswells old mate is particularly good.

    https://reaction.life/britain-looks-like-brexit/

    Though we will probably Brexit, I think it unlikely to be a grateful demos afterwards. This survey in the Observer is an interesting one. Even amongst Leavers there is a substantial minority who wished the whole business of the referendum had never happened.

    https://amp.theguardian.com/politics/2019/oct/26/opinium-poll-observer-uk-voters-regret-brexit-referendum-conservative-lead-over-labour?__twitter_impression=true
    Hannan's piece reads quite reasonable to me, except for the fact that Remainer May being in power dragged out the period of shock at Brexit until she was replaced. As soon as we had a Leaver as PM terms were indeed easily enough.
    Er... When are you expecting Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands to follow us out of the EU?
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    ChrisChris Posts: 11,150
    Foxy said:

    nico67 said:

    I don’t see the Lib Dem bill going anywhere because Labour will try and amend it .

    And then if the SNP and Lib Dems don’t back the Amendments will use it against them .

    There’s a conversation to be had over 16 and 17 year olds , on the issue of EU nationals voting this is far more complicated .

    No EU country allows anyone but nationals of that country to vote in elections , there are just a few exceptions in the UK regarding nationals from Cyprus and Malta .


    The silly thing is that we allow Commonwealth citizens to vote, no matter how long they have been here. This includes Rwanda and Mozambique with no historical ties to the UK, but not EU citizens who may have been here decades.
    But we need to think of the future too. Rwanda and Mozambique will be on the list for when we get our Empire back after Brexit. The Queen will be the Queen Empress, just as Victoria was. And strangely enough Jacob Rees-Mogg is strongly in the running to be Viceroy of Rwanda.
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    nichomarnichomar Posts: 7,483

    Isn't there a new set of EU financial regulations which come into effect on Jan 1st and are supposed to be 'detrimental' to some prominent people in UK?

    They will be the ones specifically excluded in the WA by Johnson.
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    Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,024
    Betting Post

    F1: it'll be a short while before I post the pre-race thingummyjig, but the bets I've made are Perez to be winner without the top 6, at 10 (each way, third the odds top 2), and Leclerc to beat Verstappen at 1.72.
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    BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 31,882

    Who is the "powerful backer"? And where does he want to hound us Remainers to? Some Leavers' inner fascist seems to be becoming a bit less inner right now.
    I thought it was Leave who had the mysterious 'powerful backers', due to concerns over forthcoming changes to disclosure of financial interest requirements.
    Or something like that.
    I am not sure Putin is that 'mysterious' tbf.
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    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758

    Isn't there a new set of EU financial regulations which come into effect on Jan 1st and are supposed to be 'detrimental' to some prominent people in UK?

    No - it’s been debunked multiple times. It’s a myth propagated by people who want to demonise Brexiteers as shady international financiers. I wonder what they are implying/assuming?
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    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    Chris said:

    Charles said:

    Ishmael_Z said:

    Getting people out to vote in winter is rather different to making contact with the voters to know how they will vote. Most people won't answer the door after dark, so you won't get to talk to people at work other than at weekends. Some are also squeamish about door-knocking on Sundays for religious reasons.

    You could end up with a much smaller canvass than in say May - so a greater range of uncertainty on polling day itself.

    Parties with a big phone-banking operation will be at an advantage. Good for LibDems, bad for Brexit Party.

    Interesting - you think canvassing is about discovering, rather than influencing, voting intentions?

    I suppose only the political parties have data as to whether canvassing alters anything, and they have good reasons to keep the answer to themselves.
    My understanding (although not an activist) was all about reinforcing voters intention - hence you don’t canvass strong voters for other parties as well as identifying targets for the GOTV campaign
    I think unless you have an unusually large amount of canvassing resources, it's just about determining voting intention and getting on to the next door as quickly as possible.
    Yes - but repeat calling / reminding there is an election will reinforce intention

    (Can I remind you to vote on Oct 5 to save our NHS! Thanks! Bye!)
This discussion has been closed.