2015 post UK election discussion

[SNova]

Yep absolutely. There is no coincidence between the rise in UKIP and the demise of the BNP, just like there wasn't when the BNP replaced the NF. Their beliefs are abhorent.

Weird that BNP members aren't even allowed to join isn't it. Find me one racist policy.

 

[bring the ghost on]

A pretty devastating result last night.

There are so many factors contributing to Labours poor showing, but the biggest two for me are Scotland (obviously) and the fact that the Tories won the propaganda war of making the public believe that Labour are the enemy of a healthy economy.

5 years of Tories will cause some severe unrest in this country, I'm dreading it.

God knows who will take on the labour leadership role. After that campaign, my gut tells me that Andy Burnham isn't the right man. They need someone more pragmatic.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

A pretty devastating result last night.

There are so many factors contributing to Labours poor showing, but the biggest two for me are Scotland (obviously) and the fact that the Tories won the propaganda war of making the public believe that Labour are the enemy of a healthy economy.

5 years of Tories will cause some severe unrest in this country, I'm dreading it.

God knows who will take on the labour leadership role. After that campaign, my gut tells me that Andy Burnham isn't the right man. They need someone more pragmatic.

@the esk ?

 

[Mrk]

Labour fought as dirty as the Tories, yeah ok, ofcourse they did, nothing personal Mrk, you are just chatting Tory bias crap.

Remember this is just one Murdoch paper that happens to sell more copies than any other.

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/may/06/sun-ed-miliband-neil-kinnock-murdoch-labour

Research by the Media Standards Trust found that 95% of the leader columns in Rupert Murdoch’s tabloid were anti-Labour ahead of Thursday’s general election, compared with 79% that were judged anti-Labour in 1992.

I'm not sure how you could measure who was the most dirty or who did the most scaremongering, but what you have to admit is that all sides do it, they always have and they always will. I can understand that you're upset that Labour have been trounced, but that doesn't mean you should abandon all reason.

 

[bring the ghost on]

Translation; "The fact that 4 million people got screwed over by the FPTP system is good because I don't agree with them."

No, one thing you can say about FPTP (and I am not a big supporter of it) is that it keeps the more extreme, radical and unpleasant parties at bay.

UKIP did do well in the popular vote, but I'm not going to bemoan their lack of seats because they are one of those parties.

 

[coollino]

Did I win?

The Monster Raving Loony party!!

 

[bring the ghost on]

I'm not sure how you could measure who was the most dirty or who did the most scaremongering, but what you have to admit is that all sides do it, they always have and they always will. I can understand that you're upset that Labour have been trounced, but that doesn't mean you should abandon all reason.

Of course both sides do it. However, and I'm not saying this is at the instruction of tory HQ, you have to say that the level of smear campaigning from the right wing media far exceeds that if the left (see Sun front pages, Daily Mail tactical voting guide, Telegraph letter to readers).

 

[SNova]

No, one thing you can say about FPTP (and I am not a big supporter of it) is that it keeps the more extreme, radical and unpleasant parties at bay.

UKIP did do well in the popular vote, but I'm not going to bemoan their lack of seats because they are one of those parties.

Which policy was extreme?

 

[The Mighty Quint]

I'm not sure how you could measure who was the most dirty or who did the most scaremongering, but what you have to admit is that all sides do it, they always have and they always will. I can understand that you're upset that Labour have been trounced, but that doesn't mean you should abandon all reason.

They all do it yes, but the Tories went above and beyond and if you can't agree to that, you are the one who's blinkered and deluded not me.

The research came as David Axelrod, the American political consultant and Obama adviser who has been working for Labour during this campaign, said that the Tory press in the UK is more powerful and “much more aggressive” than Fox News in the US.

The Media Standards Trust found 77% of the News UK paper’s leaders were anti-Miliband, against 44% that were deemed anti-Kinnock in 1992, when the paper was edited by Kelvin MacKenzie and told its readers: “If Kinnock wins today will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights.”

 

[Mrk]

Of course both sides do it. However, and I'm not saying this is at the instruction of tory HQ, you have to say that the level of smear campaigning from the right wing media far exceeds that if the left (see Sun front pages, Daily Mail tactical voting guide, Telegraph letter to readers).

I think on balance you're probably correct, my objection is to the risible idea that Labour lost because they were all nice and clean and the Tories were horrible etc - it's utter nonsense. They're both as bad as eachother.

 

[Tree13]

Does anybody know what percentage of the population actually voted? Maybe i mix in the wrong circles but how on earth does David Cameron come to represent the people? None of this makes sense to me. Time to numb the pain...again.

The turnout is listed and updated on the BBC website here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2015/results

At the bottom of the page, last bit on the white background, there is a horizontal bar graph. Currently shows a turnout of 66.1%, and a total electorate of 46,425,386 - both of which are higher than in 2010.

Roughly 30 million people have voted.

 

[Moomin]

Which policy was extreme?

The one you wanted about banning Islam in the UK.

 

[SNova]

The one you wanted about banning Islam in the UK.

What are you on about?

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

I think on balance you're probably correct, my objection is to the risible idea that Labour lost because they were all nice and clean and the Tories were horrible etc - it's utter nonsense. They're both as bad as eachother.

Labour lost because they had Miliband and Balls fronting them.

 

[Mrk]

They all do it yes, but the Tories went above and beyond and if you can't agree to that, you are the one who's blinkered and deluded not me.

I've no idea how you would even measure that. Is the Tories scaremongering about the SNP propping up Miliband worse than Labour scaremongering about the NHS? You could find many more examples too.

The research came as David Axelrod, the American political consultant and Obama adviser who has been working for Labour during this campaign, said that the Tory press in the UK is more powerful and “much more aggressive” than Fox News in the US.

Man paid £300,000 by the Labour party suggests the Tory press are powerful. Forgive me for doubting his impartiality on the subject.

The Media Standards Trust found 77% of the News UK paper’s leaders were anti-Miliband, against 44% that were deemed anti-Kinnock in 1992, when the paper was edited by Kelvin MacKenzie and told its readers: “If Kinnock wins today will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights.”

77% of the press didn't like him? Not too dissimilar from Milibands approval ratings for much of his tenure as leader.