General election - Scotland

General election - Scotland

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ViperPict

Original Poster:

10,087 posts

243 months

Friday 8th May 2015
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Interesting times! biggrin

Seriously hope the rumours of Murphy and Danny losing their seats is accurate.

Some folk predicting ALL 59 seats going to the SNP - seriously doubt it but disaster for Labour whatever happens. Apparently Ed Balls already blaming Scotland for their losing the GE. Moron.

mon the fish

1,439 posts

154 months

Friday 8th May 2015
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I'm not affiliated one way or the other, but by focussing so negatively on the SNP, the other parties only have themselves to blame IMO - I'd imagine that made a lot of people actually vote SNP

StescoG66

2,197 posts

149 months

Friday 8th May 2015
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Interesting times indeed. Not saddened for Murphy at all, nor the others if I am honest. Hats off to Ms Sturgeon - think she'll be a good stateswoman for Scotland, even though I don't agree with everything she stands for

ViperPict

Original Poster:

10,087 posts

243 months

Friday 8th May 2015
quotequote all

At one point last night, before Orkney and Shetland declared, I genuinely was starting to think that it could be a clean sweep.

So many big names gone though:

- Charles Kennedy
- Danny Alexander
- Douglas Alexander
- Jim Murphy
- Margaret Curran
- Ian Davidson

There can only be one outcome now I think, with a Tory majority...

EC2

1,510 posts

259 months

Friday 8th May 2015
quotequote all
A lot of the SNP vote is people who are struggling to find a party that represents their values due to Labour not connecting with them for many years rather than people who want independence. Nicola Sturgeon has worked this out and played the election brilliantly.

If you look at northern England there are similar views but - apart from UKIP - no one else to vote for. IMHO the traditional Labour voters still exist in Scotland and Labour has to find a way to communicate again with these voters. Remember that the SNP won practically all the seats but only half of the votes. This is not as clear cut as it looks.

ModernAndy

2,094 posts

141 months

Friday 8th May 2015
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EC2 said:
A lot of the SNP vote is people who are struggling to find a party that represents their values due to Labour not connecting with them for many years rather than people who want independence. Nicola Sturgeon has worked this out and played the election brilliantly.

If you look at northern England there are similar views but - apart from UKIP - no one else to vote for. IMHO the traditional Labour voters still exist in Scotland and Labour has to find a way to communicate again with these voters. Remember that the SNP won practically all the seats but only half of the votes. This is not as clear cut as it looks.
I'm not sure I agree about the last sentence. In a democracy, where one party gets 50% or more of the votes, they absolutely have the (voting) majority on their side. I am in favour of PR rather than FPTP but them's the rules and in Scotland it's now to the SNP's benefit. There also weren't many seats where the outcome was that close. I'm not sure Labour can come back with a big bounce in the next election without pulling off something incredible (resurrecting John Smith?).

It's very much a case of what happens over the next 5 years though.

EC2

1,510 posts

259 months

Friday 8th May 2015
quotequote all
I think it is more of a case of how different people will interpret the word 'majority' as exactly half the electorate that turned out voted one way and half for the others.

jamieduff1981

8,040 posts

146 months

Friday 8th May 2015
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At the risk of invoking Godwin's Law, I think the UK is now in the situation Hitler capitalised on. There are too many parties.

I personally think parties are an outdated concept and I think electoral reform is due.

The fact is that many eligible voters are too thick or lazy to even know what they're voting for or what it means. I can't see how that could fairly change.

Very few people fully support or are even aware of the full contents of any one party's manifesto or policies.

I think voting should focus on getting the right people in to the right positions, and voting for policies blind.

The very fact that some constituencies are traditionally labour, or tory or whatever suggests that people are too stupid to vote and just tick the coloured box their parents and friends always have. It's pointless.

deadslow

8,222 posts

229 months

Friday 8th May 2015
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I hope the result is the start of new politics in Scotland and the UK. Hopefully big professional organisations running fear campaigns to grab power are on the way out (of Scotland at least).