General Election 2017

[Mikinton]

Polls show what the media portrays, and the media hate him. If you repeat something enough it sticks in the minds of the weak, murdoch pretty much controls our elections.

I'll still vote for him, they are the only non-tory possibility since the lib dems bent over and took it from the blues. Not voting or even cock drawing are not options this time, I have to vote against the Tories.

Getting your excuses in early?

I'm not sure that anyone takes much notice of the media these days, especially newspapers, hence all those Twitter and Facebook storms from 12 months ago. The press gave Sadiq Khan a hard time in the London Mayoral election, but he managed to overcome it. A big problem for Corbyn is his unwillingness to engage with the media (not that he's very good at it anyway) in the same way that Nu-Labour did.

But his main problem is that he's incompetent, and 3/4s of his MPs know this, many having "worked" with him.

 

[basil]

Great! Yet more electioneering and lies to see on TV Every-Single-Day.

Whilst collective eyes are taken off the rather important ball of Brexit.

Bollocks.

Utter....

 

[PeterD]

Depressing really. Labour supporter but Corbyn isn't the guy for me. Aside from that, Does stafford even have a Labour candidate yet?

 

[Zylo]

.. same old for a few months!

 

[tek-monkey]

Depressing really. Labour supporter but Corbyn isn't the guy for me. Aside from that, Does stafford even have a Labour candidate yet?

Not sure it matters, even if they won his MP's would still refuse to do as he says. Probably still insist he's not electable!

 

[kyoto49]

Sums things up perfectly I feel

 

[Lucy]

I notice I'm back in the Stafford constituency after the boundary changes. What's that going to to do to Bill Cash? Going to have to vote Labour, because they'e got the best chance of overthrowing tories in this borough. Voting has to be tactical in this election.

 

[Lucy]

Oh, actually, the boundaries may not change until next year!

 

[kyoto49]

Oh, actually, the boundaries may not change until next year!

Still vote Labour, it's the right thing to do if that's your preference. One can only hope that eventually we get PR and all votes will matter!

 

[Mikinton]

Not sure it matters, even if they won his MP's would still refuse to do as he says.

I think Corbyn's got more chance of his MPs doing what he says (if that's how it works in the Labour Party), after the election than he has had before.

While it's been mentioned that Theresa May will now be backed by her own manifesto, so too will Jeremy Corbyn, and Labour candidates will be fighting the election largely on his (or the NEC's) manifesto, and not on Ed Miliband's (which was the basis on which they were elected in 2015).

And Corbyn was always unelectable; the Tories haven't even started (and, to be fair, probably don't need to).

 

[The Hawk]

Its difficult to see how the Conservatives could possibly lose this election, although you can never say never. Effectively, their success or failure will be judged on the size of their majority. A majority of 100+?

The other questions seem to be:

• Just how bad will things get for Labour? Sub 200 seats seems a distinct possibility, but what about sub 150 seats?
• Will we see a Liberal revival, if so, will it be enough to gain a reasonable number of seats? 20, 30 or more?
• Will the Greens continue to advance, at least in terms of vote share, if not in seats?
• Are UKIP a spent force (now that the Brexit vote has happened)?

In the short term this election looks like it will be great for the Conservatives, good for the Liberals, OK for the Greens and bad to disastrous for Labour and UKIP (although, for the longer term, it may prove to be a turning point for Labour).

N.B. Outside of England other parties, who may do well, are available. Remember that numbers of seats may go up or down.

Finally:

 

[tek-monkey]

Still vote Labour, it's the right thing to do if that's your preference. One can only hope that eventually we get PR and all votes will matter!

Nah, not in our lifetime. We voted against it, and neither Labour or Conservative will ever give us another chance.

 

[Laurie61]

MPs vote for UK general election to be held on 8 June

 

[kyoto49]

Nah, not in our lifetime. We voted against it, and neither Labour or Conservative will ever give us another chance.

We didn't. People voted against AV, not PR

 

[Gramaisc]

We didn't. People voted against AV, not PR

People voted for First Past The Post, Alternative Vote was the only other thing on offer, as piss-poor as that is.

 

[tek-monkey]

We didn't. People voted against AV, not PR

As G said that was our only option, but voting for fptp over AV meant that government can clearly show we rejected voting reform. If we'd got AV then PR was a logical next step, now we have none. I'd rather get something a bit better than nothing at all.

 

[Gramaisc]

As G said that was our only option, but voting for fptp over AV meant that government can clearly show we rejected voting reform. If we'd got AV then PR was a logical next step, now we have none. I'd rather get something a bit better than nothing at all.

Having said that, the thought of trying to get people here to understand STV fills me dread. The last PCC election seemed to be confusing enough.

The choice on the referendum was intended to get people who didn't want AV, preferring a better system, to "vote against" it by voting to keep FPTP, as the only other option allowed, and this could then be portrayed as a preference to stay as it is, as it was. - and it worked.

The Australian monarchy referendum pulled the same sort of stunt - do you want the Queen or do you want a President chosen for you by the Government?

In a neighbouring country, the voting system is enshrined in the constitution and can only be changed by a referendum, it is not in the gift of whoever happens to be in government at the time.

 

[andy w]

I had a feeling back earlier in the year that a General Election was going to be called to coincide with the May elections so I find it strange that the decision has been made now and face voter fatigue with having to have the GE 5 weeks later. A week in politics and all that, so the result might not be a foregone conclusion as predicted by pretty much everyone.
That said Corbyn and the Labour Party is a shambles and look nothing like a Prime Minister in waiting or a party to govern this country. The irony is that Corbyn,Thornberry, Abbotts et al will retain their safe London seats. Shame they can't be forced to stand in places like Tamworth, Telford and indeed Stafford, seats that Labour used to win and need to regain to be the largest party in Westminster.

 

[Noah]

Someone I know has been placing bets on current politics, of his three bets he won money on the country voting for Brexit, he has just won money on a General Election being called in 2017; his outstanding bet is that Boris Johnson will become Prime Minister within 18 months.

 

[iamlegend]

Good call by May, she gets her own term and can try and clean up the mess that will be Brexit.