GENERAL ELECTION 8th June

[bertiedog]

The Polls will be wrong again..........a certainty, you won't get odds on backing that!!!

[bertiedog]

Well, it gives the journos something to do, I suppose. Next week is the start of the French Presidential Election, which is shaping up to be a whole lot of fun. Then there's Eurovision!

Now there's a thought.......... combine the two and have viewers voting live on air, trouble is the Russians might win the French Presidential election...........

[locomad]

Oh no another 2 dances cancelled, every time we have some silly vote, local, European, national, referendum, police, etc etc, 2 of the dances i go too on a Thursday one in afternoon and one in evening gets cancelled as the halls are used for some silly election. In a local police one only about 40 voted in my ward, more go to the dance

 

One hall is used for annual model railway show now to cancel that would be very serious

[Dunsignalling]

Well, it gives the journos something to do, I suppose. Next week is the start of the French Presidential Election, which is shaping up to be a whole lot of fun. Then there's Eurovision!

Eurovision isn't even vaguely watchable now we no longer have Terry Wogan to take the P!55 out of it.

 

I've always thought it provided a wonderful illustration of why the UK has never fitted in as a member of the EU.

 

John

[Dunsignalling]

Oh no another 2 dances cancelled, every time we have some silly vote, local, European, national, referendum, police, etc etc, 2 of the dances i go too on a Thursday one in afternoon and one in evening gets cancelled as the halls are used for some silly election. In a local police one only about 40 voted in my ward, more go to the dance

 

One hall is used for annual model railway show now to cancel that would be very serious

Fortunately, I've never come across one that is held on a Thursday.

[tamperman36]

oh well it looks like time to get new batteries in the tv remote so I can avoid all those party election broadcasts, does mean an extra hour modelling in the evening while the news goes on and on

[flubrush]

I'll be watching carefully to see if the ban on tax increases survives in the Tory mandate for this election - I suspect it won't if the Chancellor has any say in the matter.

 

Jim.

[Bernard Lamb]

 

 

Still, its a bit worse over in Turkey (where they have just voted for Christmas !!)and a whole lot worse over in N Korea (no votes at all). I feel for the average Joe (Abdul or Kim) in those countries.

 

 

I suppose there is some benefit in living in North Korea. The government does dish out a rather smart line in head gear.

Bernard

[Dava]

Democracy is a great gift, but if you ask the people, don't count on getting a sensible reply, recent experience shows.

 

Dava

[Rugd1022]

''Theresa May just announced the resignation of Jeremy Corbyn on the 9th of June...''  

[Edwin_m]

This is really about TM not wanting to be in hock to her right-wing backwoodsmen and sensing that now is a good time to ensure she won't be with her party riding high in the opinion polls.

I think the backwoodsmen will be the winners on this, except in the unlikely event that enough of them have annoyed their constituents enough that they are chucked out.  The political climate of recent months and years means prospective Tory MPs selected recently are likely to be further to the right than those they replace. 

[brianusa]

One 'may' question why one who lives far from the madding crowd is at all interested in this event. Mainly because of the recent farce that we went through over here recently and if the UK isn't careful, it 'may' happen there also. Especially with the Scottish terrier nipping at its heels and rumblings from Gerry Adams. After any election there should be an amount of certainty and not keep on holding elections until it achieves the result you want. I don't want to show any preference

 

Brian.

[Neil]

I'm intrigued by the possibilities offered. Though at face value calling an election now appears to strengthen May's hand things may not pan out that way; I can think of scenarios that would favour Labour or the Lib-Dems. Already it's being seen as focussed on Brexit, which I guess will continue right through the next seven weeks; it may even turn out to in effect be sought for (in some quarters) second referendum. My cards on the table, I hope for a pro EU result but whatever the it turns out to be I hope that the increase in racist abuse and attacks which followed the referendum isn't seen again. I'd also hope that the lies and half truths which accompanied the referendum are also absent, though I'm afraid that they will. Though I generally find politics to be of interest my sympathies are extended to all those who find politics tedious; could I recommend doing what I do for football, rugby and cricket and not turning the telly on for the programmes that feature such stuff and perhaps passing by this topic.

[Stanley Melrose]

My forecast for 10th June 2019?  A socking great Tory majority in 2017, Boris on the sidelines along with his Brexit buddies from the Cabinet.  The LibDems as the official opposition in alliance with the Scot Nats, Plaid Cymru and the Irish Nationalists.  Corbyn ousted; someone else (with a personality and a modicum of charisma) elected as Leader of the Labour "Party".  The SNP announcing that their next referendum is scheduled for when Treesa Maybe or Maybenot eventually concedes that she cannot figure out how to prevent Europeans coming here to work and pay taxes to pay OAP their pensions.  Ireland united once more and still in the EU.  All in all a fitting reminder of Cameron's attempt to fend off Nigel and his mates who were never a serious threat anyway.

 

Stan

[PhilH]

My forecast for any June 10th?

 

Same s**t, different day.

[Chris116]

My forecast for any June 10th?

 

Same s**t, different day.

At least normal TV will return!

[Ian J.]

I'm normally someone who engages with the political process, but all the recent Breakfast and Tramp carp on top of a personal situation that is leaving me a little more fatigued with everything as each day passes, means I'm pretty much giving elections 'the middle'. I'm just too tired now.

[TheSignalEngineer]

At least normal TV will return!

Good excuse to hide away doing some modelling.

[Huw Griffiths]

I've been wondering why the election should be in June instead of May and the only logical reason I can think of is to avoid claims of political bias every time it's mentioned - otherwise all we'd hear about is 'May's Election', which might upset a few folk.  

 

I wonder if the next edition of Private Eye will have a headline of "May seeks June election".

 

 

Returning Officers in uproar "what do you mean I've got to work 2 days this year"

 

Perhaps.

 

A lot of the count declarations that appear on the telly seem to include words along the lines of "I, ###### ########, being the acting deputy returning officer for ######## ...".

 

In practice, of course, I'd imagine they're likely to be council officials, seconded for the day from their usual jobs - and I suspect that much the same could probably be said for the people who run the polling stations and count the votes.

 

 

I was wondering. Dont know much about politics, can anybody tell me if Brexit can be reversed by a new incoming Goverment.

Just a thought.

 

Given a sufficiently large majority and a willingness to over-ride the democratically expressed will of the majority (small, I know) of those who chose to vote in the referendum it would be possible for the new government to ask the EU if we could withdraw the article 50 notification. Legal opinion is divided- some say it can't be revoked, others believe that it can.

 

The fallout from such a decision would make for a very interesting time in politics, business, relations with the rest of the world.

 

I can't think that would happen simply on a Parliamentary vote.  However a future government could call another referendum once the details of any deal were known, and would then establish the view of the public on the basis of what is actually agreed rather that what the respective campaigns last time chose to suggest would happen. 

 

Some cynics might be tempted to wonder if certain individuals in Brussels or Strasbourg might be looking to engineer such a decision - perhaps by making the outcome of Brexit negotiations unpalatable to just about everyone this side of the Channel or the North Sea. Some cynics might even be tempted to suggest potential motives for them doing so.

 

Regardless of which party wins the election - and whatever line they're officially peddling right now - I believe that the Brexit referendum is actually "advisory". If any negotiated Brexit "deal" turns out to blatantly unpalatable, I could imagine any governing party finding some way of backing out.

 

This assumes, of course, that the EU don't "persuade" the UK Government to hold a second referendum, in an effort to get an "approved" result. After all, they appear to have a track record on this - I seem to recall something similar being tried after voters in Eire failed to vote the "correct" way. I could, of course, be mistaken.

 

If a future Government were to get bounced into holding a second referendum, some people might suggest that meaningful debate on the issues involved might offer an enormous improvement on both camps shouting slogans into loudhailers, as happened in 2016.

 

 

Still, its a bit worse over in Turkey (where they have just voted for Christmas !!) ...

 

Well, some people might say that they have. Other people would point to reports of "ballot stuffing" - and other forms of electoral fraud and intereference. External electoral monitors have pointed to stuff like this - and been told to "know their place".

 

 

''Theresa May just announced the resignation of Jeremy Corbyn on the 9th of June...''

 

If certain reports are to be believed, it could be suggested that she might be rather worried if this were to happen.

 

Of course, I'm not about to state my personal view on this topic (even if a number of people who know me would probably have a pretty good idea of what I think).

 

 

Still, the BBC's "Andrew Neil show" should be interesting over the next month or two.

 

 

Huw.

[rembrow]

Interesting situation brewing in Clacton-on-Sea. Aaron Banks, UKIP donor, looks to be standing against Douglas Carswell, Independent, previously UKIP MP, previously Conservative MP. Any bets for Dougie doing a volte farce and rejoining the Conservatives.

[pete55]

Think Mrs May has timed the election campaign to coincide with a return of Have I Got News For You this Friday......absolute perfect material for them!

[John M Upton]

In my constituency there is no point in even voting as it is such a safe Tory seat.  The local MP, whoever he is only ever appears at the count to confirm his next meal ticket and then is never seen or heard of again until the next time.

 

If it's got a blue rosette on it, they vote for it.  The other candidates usually don't even bother sending out leaflets or campaigning!

[Two_sugars]

Our monkey wears a red rosette.

[wombatofludham]

Eurovision isn't even vaguely watchable now we no longer have Terry Wogan to take the P!55 out of it.

 

I've always thought it provided a wonderful illustration of why the UK has never fitted in as a member of the EU.

 

John

 

Rubbish.

 

Wogan was OK in the past but the last few years he was the wrong side of nasty and frankly I was glad to see him flounce off in a hissy fit like a sore loser, especially as he'd had to move from RTE to the BBC to get his career off the ground yet he seemed to be doing everything to upset the EBU, especially back in 2002 when the Danish broadcaster registered a formal complaint about his comments.  His constant assertion that we were getting bad results "due to the Gulf War" was utter crap.  We got bad results because we sent crap songs simply because the BBC didn't want to organise the event.  As one European fan put it "We send our top artists and love British pop music but can't understand why you send people we've never heard of".  Many European broadcasters send the pop music equivalent of their Premiership football teams (mostly, there are some exceptions) yet we send the tin eared equivalent of the local boozer Sunday league to represent the nation, probably badly hung-over, and then whine like myopic bad losers that "Europe hates us" when they lose badly because they are either an out of tune end of the pier act, a pre-pubescent singing an dated 80's dance song written by a grumpy old git railway enthusiast, older than Methusulah with a career that hasn't bothered the charts since the late 1960s or a dotty old Welsh aunty off her mammaries on plonk struggling to hold a note in tune.  Still, let's blame political voting and that War and diss a programme that has run for over 60 years and routinely gets broadcast not only across Europe but Japan, Australia, America and has millions of fans worldwide.  If it was that crap it would have ended years ago.

 

​We've not won Eurovision since 1997 and that is entirely down to the BBC selecting useless entries and duff has been or will never be acts, nothing more, no politics, no anti-British sentiments.  Indeed France hasn't won since 1977, so does that mean Europe hates France or are voting politically against them?

[rob D2]

Crickey, how did we get to Eurovision ....?

 

Screw the election, roll the tanks, I'm all for a military coup with me as a kind of benevolent dictator type....