UK General Election 4th July 2024

[Nicky Borrill]

View attachment 32438

Hopefully my intention was clear enough

That is perfect!!!!

 

[Nicky Borrill]

Shocking result there in terms of just how well Reform has performed. 2nd party in Sunderland!
Turnout 51% too... Down 6% in Sunderland I believe and very low on previous national levels....

As I typed this, similar story in Blyth, Reform second to labour, and a low turnout... :/

 

[Will]

I voted Labour in the end - best of a bad bunch.

I necked a Red Bull around 9:30, so looks like I'll be sitting in front of this for the forseeable.

I predicted Reform would have a good showing - they've exceeded my expectations so far, but then we have (not to stereotype, but) only seen results from the North East so far. I DO like a fair few of their ideas - but I can't go with this immigrants as scapegoats bull****.

They'll be doing a lot better in the next election though, calling it now, especially if Starmer and co. make a ****show of the next few years. Political correctness has gone too far and alas, this is how people will kick back against it.

 

[Nicky Borrill]

I voted Labour in the end - best of a bad bunch.

I necked a Red Bull around 9:30, so looks like I'll be sitting in front of this for the forseeable.

I predicted Reform would have a good showing - they've exceeded my expectations so far, but then we have (not to stereotype, but) only seen results from the North East so far. I DO like a fair few of their ideas - but I can't go with this immigrants as scapegoats bull****.

They'll be doing a lot better in the next election though, calling it now, especially if Starmer and co. make a ****show of the next few years. Political correctness has gone too far and alas, this is how people will kick back against it.

In what way?

That's the kind of bollocks the far right push to divide.

I did type out a long reply highlighting several ways the far right either make things up, or exaggerate issues of political correctness / wokeness as a way of angering and turning people against each other. But it's a divisive issue, so I'm not going into it here, maybe on our next trip.

But let me ask you this, if it's gone too far... How many times has wokeness or political correctness actually caused you any harm or even inconvenience? Because if it's gone too far, you must have had several bad experiences to share, right?

Please don't let the far right turn you against minority groups, and erode their rights, under the false banner of PC / Wokeness gone too far!!!

So far, what we're seeing is best summed up by a post I read on another forum, who put it like this: "horrible racist c**ts who voted Brexit are still horrible racist c**ts voting Reform."

To be clear, that isn't entirely my view, I can see that there are other reasons to vote Reform, and some interesting policies in their manifesto, some I even agree with. There's also some good people voting reform, for the right reasons. However, a lot of their share will be made up by same racist voters, voting with the same racist motives, as we saw during the Brexit referendum.

For those people, the only page of that manifesto they care about is this one...



Ironically, that one page alone, nevermind the other policies of theirs that I disagree with strongly, is enough to keep me from ever voting for them. Thankfully, I'm not alone... Yet!

 

[Will]

I tried to use my words carefully (and not say 'woke') so as not to sound like a total arsehole, but I like to think my anti-PC stance is fairly well recognised around here

For the record, that was the page of the manifesto that would have lost me - I still think leaving the EU was a huge mistake, so it's not to do with that - and I do know of people who voted to leave simply because they forgot we're a small island where industry has all but been wiped out - and mistakenly believed we could stand alone and be trusted to think for ourselves. It also doesn't take a genius to see that this master plan of new teachers, doctors, etc. will fall straight on its arse without immigration - especially with the cost of quality education apparently set to soar.

Regarding the other point - this isn't really the time or place, so I'll wait for somebody to word it better than I can No doubt about it, there's hyperbole floating about online (some seem to think we're waking up to New Islamabad this morning) and I'm certainly better at recognising it than I was. But the mudslinging from the 'good' side doesn't exactly cover them in glory either.

Using the site formerly known as Twitter for anything other than porn was probably my mistake

 

[davidm]

Its odd (perhaps worrying?) that every constituency break-down that I've looked at (admitted not loads, just where friends/family live) that has swung from Conservative to Labour, it's the Reform vote that has swung it - i.e. add the Reform votes to Conservative and they would have won.

I'm in a "safe" Labour seat, but Reform came second with just about the same number (a few 100 more) as Conservative (still not enough Reform + Tory to beat Labour though).

Interesting times ahead, but optimistic ones!

 

[Nicky Borrill]

Its odd (perhaps worrying?) that every constituency break-down that I've looked at (admitted not loads, just where friends/family live) that has swung from Conservative to Labour, it's the Reform vote that has swung it - i.e. add the Reform votes to Conservative and they would have won.

I'm in a "safe" Labour seat, but Reform came second with just about the same number (a few 100 more) as Conservative (still not enough Reform + Tory to beat Labour though).

Interesting times ahead, but optimistic ones!

I think that was, to some extent, always going to be the case, if not reform, then LD or Green. There are staunch tories out there who were never going to vote labour, but wanted to register their disgust at the way the Conservative party has behaved over the last 5 years.

One of the things they’ve been disillusioned by is the conservative party’s move towards centre left politics, at least in their eyes. So a centre right / far right party was the natural replacement I guess.

What is more worrying, is in the Northern constituencies, where despite winning, Labours vote share has fallen, as Reform have actually taken some of Labour’s voters too. To be fair, this was also predictable to some extent. And thankfully, doesn’t seem to have been as widespread and severe, across all constituencies, as I’d feared it was becoming when I had my rant last night.

My own constituency, Amber Valley, which I’ve always known has more than it’s fair share of racists and fascists (look up the history of Heanor and the NF!) Only just escaped a reform MP, but thankfully Labour has not lost voter share to Reform here, as I’d feared. They actually gained a fair few % points, and we are no longer a tory constituency, we have now elected a Labour MP.

All’s well that ends well.

I tried to use my words carefully (and not say 'woke') so as not to sound like a total arsehole, but I like to think my anti-PC stance is fairly well recognised around here

For the record, that was the page of the manifesto that would have lost me - I still think leaving the EU was a huge mistake, so it's not to do with that - and I do know of people who voted to leave simply because they forgot we're a small island where industry has all but been wiped out - and mistakenly believed we could stand alone and be trusted to think for ourselves. It also doesn't take a genius to see that this master plan of new teachers, doctors, etc. will fall straight on its arse without immigration - especially with the cost of quality education apparently set to soar.

Regarding the other point - this isn't really the time or place, so I'll wait for somebody to word it better than I can No doubt about it, there's hyperbole floating about online (some seem to think we're waking up to New Islamabad this morning) and I'm certainly better at recognising it than I was. But the mudslinging from the 'good' side doesn't exactly cover them in glory either.

Using the site formerly known as Twitter for anything other than porn was probably my mistake

Thanks for the considered response Will, mine was a bit of a rant last night, apologies. We’ll leave the controversial stuff there and discuss political policy instead.

I’m looking forward to seeing what they can achieve. Immigration isn’t necessarily bad, especially skilled immigration such as Doctors and Nurses. But anybody that works within the NHS can tell you, the tories have been out and out wasting so much money, that there are ways to improve things purely by streamlining things and treating their permanent staff fairly, that could actually SAVE money.

We’re training medical professionals in this country, only for them to become disillusioned, and take their skills abroad, it’s costing us millions!

Next time you’re with Paul, ask him how he and his permanent colleagues at Nottingham are reluctant to do much overtime, due to them being paid a tiny fraction of what the agency staff get paid for overtime… It makes no sense, and is unfair to our good doctors and nurses. At times, their overtime has been taken away, or limited, only to then have countless expensive agency staff on the wards!!! No wonder they’re leaving in their droves.

Improve pay and conditions for NHS staff, and you may attract and keep more permanent staff, eventually leading to less reliance on agency staff, actually paying for itself, to some extent.

 

[davidm]

Conservatives + Reform = 38%
Labour + Lib Dem = 46%
Labour + Green = 41%
Labour + Lib Dem + Green = 53%

Which made me feel a bit better about the nation's sanity (well, the 60% who could be bothered)

 

[Nicky Borrill]

Which made me feel a bit better about the nation's sanity (well, the 60% who could be bothered)

I thought doing my own area might cheer me up...




Conservatives + Reform = 53.9%

Whoops... but I've started now, so...

Labour + Lib Dem = 40.7%
Labour + Green = 42.4%
Labour +Lib Dem + Green = 46.1%



To be clear though, Labour won, I don't need cheering up, I'm buzzing... I've been around long enough to see these nationalist movements come, make a big noise, then go, countless times in the past, here and abroad. Labour don't have to do a lot right to be seen to be doing a better job than Tories... I'm excited to see how this plays out, and overall, feel a huge sense of relief that change, any change, is finally here.

EDIT: Also, Labour gained 10% here, that's significant, that means there's 10% less than last time... Do a better job than tories, which shouldn't be hard, and that 10% could grown further in 5 years.

 

[MackMan]

I ended up voting Labour, though Lib Dems won my area. Labour won by a landslide anyway generally.

I think Starmer will bring some very centrist politics with stability but focusing on the fixing the important stuff (railways, healthcare, roads). He is completely middle of the road at times, but I think we’re in a lot safer hands under Starmer.

I also believe he is a better public speaker, being an ex lawyer (I think)? May, Boris, and Rishi all sounded so clunky in speeches. Starmer feels slightly more natural to be honest. But yeah, happy with the result. I think Starmer will just slowly try and build us up again. Slowly and cautiously.

 

[Ollie]

Was actually nice watching the election results overnight for once and enjoying seeing the results come in Seeing Tories lose their seats one by one was heavenly and I let out a cheer when Rees Mogg lost his seat.

Just hoping Labour step up and reassure everyone that we made the right choice. May take a while as the country and the rest of the world is in such a mess at the moment it's going to be tough to improve. I'm expecting slow improvements with lots of under promising and over delivering.

 

[Dar]

I voted Labour
But I got David Davies
Least he's not Greg Knight

 

[roomraider]

Voted Green, but I'm in the safest of safe Labour seats

Reform didn't even make the top 4.

 

[Nicky Borrill]

Voted Green, but I'm in the safest of safe Labour seats

Reform didn't even make the top 4.

View attachment 32445

Never did see you again at Glasto… How was it for you?

Honestly, best one yet for me!!! I’m actually hoping the lineup is never as stacked is it was the last few years ever again, as we explored so much more, and had so much more fun not trying to ‘see all of our clashfinder!’

Sorry about the off topic reply.

I vote green locally, we have green councillors on the parish council and green councillors on the borough council too.

But had to be tactical in the GE to remove the scum.

 

[Will]

Sorry about the off topic reply.

I like democracy. Democracy is good

 

[spicy]

So we are a month into the new government, how do we think things are going?

 

[Tonkso]

Actually, despite the attempts of the far right over the last week I believe things are going in the right direction. Nothing revolutionary but I never expected things to happen overnight.

It does seem like we have competent leadership willing to make the right decisions, not the populist ones, which is a relief after the last 8 years.

Always beware of populist parties who claim they can fix things overnight, they can't. Nobody can unless your definition of fixed results in a whole lotta people losing everything.

 

[Nicky Borrill]

Actually, despite the attempts of the far right over the last week I believe things are going in the right direction. Nothing revolutionary but I never expected things to happen overnight.

It does seem like we have competent leadership willing to make the right decisions, not the populist ones, which is a relief after the last 8 years.

Always beware of populist parties who claim they can fix things overnight, they can't. Nobody can unless your definition of fixed results in a whole lotta people losing everything.

Yep, this...

And I'm pleased with the way he's handling these bloody weirdos too... Loud minority... NOT a majority by any means. They seem to think they are a majority, and that he should 'stop calling them far right.' But that's exactly what they are, far right minority extremists. Just because you haven't always felt that way, and have only recently let Tommy get into your head, doesn’t make you any less of a far right extremist!

He does need to take an equally tough stance on the small section of the Asian community, who have seen this as a good excuse to go around being violent, too though. They're a minority within the Asian community, and also need to feel the full force of the law.