Prepare for the backlash Scotland

They dont have any legitimacy in Scotland its not even debatable at least with the SNP you could argue it [ there were strong arguments on both sides to be fair]. No argument* can really be put forward to say the Tories have any sort of mandate in Scotland

Apart from the fact that this is the government of the United Kingdom of which Scotland is part of, and chose to remain part of last year.

Scotland already have more powers than any other separate part of the UK.

Ed has nicely poisoned the Miliband well for his brother. Don’t know if the Blair legacy would have tainted David, but I’m pretty sure he’d have done a damn sight better than that.

Think we’ll perhaps see a relative unknown a la Blair come to the fore over the next couple of years.

Not him if they want to get elected, a privately educated city-boy lawyer?

So Blair wasn’t?

Well the exit was fairly accurate I’ve got my P45 and Britain has lost one of its most progressive MPs

hora – Member
so who be the next Labour leader?

Yes – he’s an ambitious and slippery operator, believer in the Free Money Tree.

He’ll fail as well.

Regarding Scotland, the SNP only got 50% of the vote

only? Only? Con currently showing as 36%.
IANApolitics pundit but a single party getting 50%* of the vote sounds a pretty big deal.

*I’m assuming your quoted 50% is accurate, haven’t looked

Ed has nicely poisoned the Miliband well for his brother.

He’s not an MP though… so would this be some unexpected left-field ninja power swoop?

Must be freezing at Scottish Labour HQ this morning I just read it was -40

camo – if its anything like the vandalism of the ‘yes’ campaign, they’ll be blighting the landscape for a while yet.

Think we’ll perhaps see a relative unknown a la Blair come to the fore over the next couple of years.

It’ll be interesting to see if their rhetoric moved back to the centre to make them electable again or whether they’ll continue the suicidal shift further left.

Tories in very strong position, they can overturn the Fixed Term Parliament Act with a simple majority, they can make boundary changes (although much of Labour benefit was in Scotland so it is SNP benefit now). Voting system isn’t the problem for the Left, its the voters

The Left need to stop agreeing with each other on social media and actually try and persuade people who don’t vote for them to vote their way.

Anyway – will the BBC show live footage of Paddy Ashdown eating his hat!?

Semantics though?

No there is more then a semantic difference to have a voice and ruling. If you are just going to do this lets not bother with a “discussion”

Even you note it would be a “deciding” vote where as the TOries will just decide
These ar enot the same thing as your answer demonstrates

Indeed the Union is the Union [ ie they can do it] but I will be surprised if even he tries to steamroller things. It does not strike me as the best way to save the union is to ignore the will of the people when your message is “better together”. It will only serve to pour fire on the demands for independence IMHO.
As noted above its not whether he can do it it is whether the people [ of Scotland] recognise his right to do it. I think its a hard ask for pretty obvious electoral reasons.

He may do it just to kill Labour off there though as the Tories have been dead there for a generation but again I dont see how this will help them sell the union as a “better together”.

The Left need to stop agreeing with each on social media and actually try and persuade people who don’t vote for them to vote their way

Bloody good point!

He’s not an MP though… so would this be some unexpected left-field ninja power swoop?

I suppose if he had major backing, then he could get in via a bye-election, but his decision to quit Parliament earlier would have been based on the fact that, win or lose, Ed’s leadership kills any chance of him getting a shot.

will the BBC show live footage of Paddy Ashdown eating his hat!?

The poll wasn’t actually right though was it?

“It’ll be interesting to see if their rhetoric moved back to the centre to make them electable again or whether they’ll continue the suicidal shift further left.”

WHAT?! ‘Labour’ now are further to the right than Thatcher was. This was the reason IMO they fell so far short: People wanted an alternative, not more of the same under a different brand.

Let the bloodletting begin.

Long knives at the ready…

The Left need to stop agreeing with each on social media and actually try and persuade people who don’t vote for them to vote their way.

IMO the left are too vitriolic in their opinions – for weeks now my Facebook feed has been filled with hatred from left wing supporters.

The poll wasn’t actually right though was it?

What – the exit poll that’s proved to pretty much spot-on?

He’s not an MP though… so would this be some unexpected left-field ninja power swoop?

Whats the competition like?

WHAT?! ‘Labour’ now are further to the right than Thatcher was. This was the reason IMO they fell so far short: People wanted an alternative, not more of the same under a different brand.

Labour analyst on the beeb said that the reflexive reaction to defeat by Labour is to claim that they weren’t far enough to the left, and that the media were to blame, when in fact the opposite is true in electoral terms.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Jarvis

?

Personally I don’t see how the union can survive with a tory majority and an SNP Scotland.

I agree. When you saw how vehement the protests were against the ‘red tories’, it will be far worse for CMD and his chums to even get over the border.

No, as someone alluded to earlier, I think it will be the English that will persuade our rulers that another independence vote is in everyone’s favour.

I think the SNP should regard the result as a de facto vote for independence and push ahead regardless.

well done to Ed – he said he’d rather see Cameron back in Downing St than form an alliance with the SNP and that’s what he got.

Yep, typically exit polls underestimate Tory results [/quote]

You heard it here first 8)

Labour analyst on the beeb said that the reflexive reaction to defeat by Labour is to claim that they weren’t far enough to the left, and that the media were to blame, when in fact the opposite is true in electoral terms.

I believe it has been the ‘meeja’ that have distorted the whole picture all the way through the campaign. Talking up no hopers, talking down CMD, whilst all along the result was pretty much what I expected. Sensible people were NOT going to vote for the two jokers Ed’s….period!

Dan Jarvis

‘gave his campaign the codename ‘Operation Honey Badger’

At least as a former serviceman he has some experience of life outside politics, though.

^ +1

Hence my bet on March 14th for Cons Majority.

Lots of left wing mutual backslapping and talking to themselves does not mean that the electorate are going with them.

the thing is the SNP MP’s were elected to have power in Parliament over the UK. But the Tories will remove their right to vote in affairs over the whole of the UK. Doesn’t seem right or fair to me.
Labour vote share goes up by more than Tories but power reduces its all bloody odd.

I’m still in shock my green team didn’t win!!

Seeing as PR isn’t on the horizon,

..no, seen as the only party who ever think it would be a good idea are the losers. FPTP got the winners in, so they’re never going to be in a hurry to change

D0NK – Member
only? Only? Con currently showing as 36%.
IANApolitics pundit but a single party getting 50%* of the vote sounds a pretty big deal.
*I’m assuming your quoted 50% is accurate, haven’t looked

Relative to the 95% of seats they won.

Looking at the BBC this morning and Cons had 323 seats, now its been dropped to 319 seats and the Labs have had their seats also adjusted. Are the BBC trying to predict…..

@hora, I think he’s a very able man and a strong candidate but that probably means Labour won’t chose him. As the paper’s said today the country might have voted for David but the Unions wanted Ed.

Opinion polls need to be investigated and regulated. IMO they are biased to predicting close results as that means more polls get commissioned. We had more than one poll every day, ridiculous.

SNPs rise in Scotland has definitely hurt Labour nationally IMO, I have no doubt there was tactical voting against Labour in the UK as a result of fear of an SNP coalition.The TV debate reaffirmed people’s concern that Miliband would be a hostage to the SNP (I’ll make you PM – makes Miliband look weak). The Conservatives have a majority such that there is no need whatsoever to grant additional powers to Holyrood. The SNP has isolated itself by saying no deal with the Conservatives and making the public statements they would do all they could to prevent a Conservative government. Democracy has spoken and it’s voted for a Conservative government. There has been an independence referendum, the vote was no. There is nothing the SNP can do aside from make a lot of noise. It’s my view there will be no move towards Federalism.

Whilst UKIP won’t have many MPs they have been second in many Northern Labour constituencies and will take a share of the overall vote which will eclipse both the Lib Dems and indeed they will have more vote cast for them than have the SNP

Cons have 320 already with 15 left to declare, not seen the numbers fluctuate.

the thing is the SNP MP’s were elected to have power in Parliament over the UK. But the Tories will remove their right to vote in affairs over the whole of the UK. Doesn’t seem right or fair to me.
Labour vote share goes up by more than Tories but power reduces its all bloody odd.

No, the SNP won’t be able to vote on English only laws. All national issues over the whole of the UK, like Trident, they can vote on. This makes perfect sense, any issue which Holyrood controls the SNP at Westminster should not be able to vote on.

Looking at the BBC this morning and Cons had 323 seats, now its been dropped to 319 seats and the Labs have had their seats also adjusted. Are the BBC trying to predict…..

First figure was a prediction, second current reality. The prediction is up to 328 now I think.

328 is the prediction I have seen, if you look at the map of the undeclared seats many are very safe Tory seats.

You only really need 323 for a majority as Sinn Fein don’t attend Westminster

IMO the left are too vitriolic in their opinions – for weeks now my Facebook feed has been filled with hatred from left wing supporters.

It is always noticeable on here. Less so in the official party statements. You will keep core supporters through that type of rhetoric but you won’t win over any half sensible floating voters. For that you need intelligent argument and logic (or a leader who can eat a bacon sandwich).

Be an interesting few years. We will have a Tory leadership contest to look forward to before 2020 as well. I assume Cameron won’t want to lead his party into the next election knowing he will resign shortly afterwards. Also it will need to be in enough time before the election to allow the new leader to settle and so that all the backstabbing and negative campaigning that goes on during the leadership contest doesn’t negatively impact on their chances in the election.

If Milliband goes, I hope we do get a leader of the opposition with some gravitas who can hold the government to account.