Local/devolved elections 2016

Did you get what you hoped for out of last night's vote?

Here in Scotland, the SNP has lost its outright majority, the Tories have doubled their seat count and Labour is in third place. Not a bad night all told.

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by Chris

Did you get what you hoped for out of last night's vote?

Here in Scotland, the SNP has lost its outright majority, the Tories have doubled their seat count and Labour is in third place. Not a bad night all told.

Labour in third place

Excellent

[Ken W]

Originally Posted by Chris

Did you get what you hoped for out of last night's vote?

Here in Scotland, the SNP has lost its outright majority, the Tories have doubled their seat count and Labour is in third place. Not a bad night all told.

I never look how the results come, I am just interested in the final result.

That is the final result Ken. We have a devolved parliament, and the elections were yesterday. You should watch the news more often.

[Osem]

Originally Posted by Sirius

Labour in third place

Excellent

I see the 'Corbyn Effect' is working very well...

Can't see the SNP being in a position to call for another referendum now.

[Osem]

Originally Posted by Damien

Can't see the SNP being in a position to call for another referendum now.

That'll suit them whilst the oil price is in the doldrums and meantime they still have us evil Sassenachs to blame for all their ills.

[nomadking]

Originally Posted by Osem

That'll suit them whilst the oil price is in the doldrums and meantime they still have us evil Sassenachs to blame for all their ills.

And having to pay for the "privilege" because of the Barnet formula.

Originally Posted by Damien

Can't see the SNP being in a position to call for another referendum now.

Sturgeon really didn't want one anyway. She has no answers to the fundamental problems identified in 2014 and the polls haven't shifted significantly.

Lack of a clear mandate gives her all the excuse she needs to duck the issue and avoid killing the question stone dead, as happened when the Québécois lost their second referendum by a whisker.

[Stephen]

Gutted that our local Labour guy lost his seat to the Scottish Numpty Party.

[Mr K]

Labour hasn't done well in Scotland but that's thanks to the SNP, and this was happening before JC became leader. Elsewhere they haven't had the major losses predicted, won a by election in Sheffield with an increased majority, and look likely to have the next Mayor of London (despite a disgraceful racist Tory campaign). There will be certain Labour mps devastated that they haven't done more badly. However fair enough to give JC another year I think (during which time the Tories will have gone into post-referendum meltdown).

[Osem]

Originally Posted by nomadking

And having to pay for the "privilege" because of the Barnet formula.

Reminds me of our arrangement with the EU...

Originally Posted by Mr K

Labour hasn't done well in Scotland but that's thanks to the SNP, and this was happening before JC became leader. Elsewhere they haven't had the major losses predicted, won a by election in Sheffield with an increased majority, and look likely to have the next Mayor of London (despite a disgraceful racist Tory campaign). There will be certain Labour mps devastated that they haven't done more badly. However fair enough to give JC another year I think (during which time the Tories will have gone into post-referendum meltdown).

So, in a year when it's been nothing but bad news for the Government, internal arguments tearing the Tory Party apart, seemingly endless bad press and bad feelings towards government initiatives (Doctors strike, EU Referendum, Universal Credits, Disability Living Allowance changes, etc. etc.) the fact that Labour haven't had major losses (only lost 26 seats so far) is a good thing?

Surely, if everyone was so upset at the current government, this would have been reflected in the polls, and we would have seen a surge in Labour (and other parties) support?

btw, winning the by-election in Sheffield Brightside & Hillsborough was a bit a foregone conclusion, wasn't it, what with it being a very safe seat, and the widow of the previous incumbent standing for Labour?

[rhyds]

Wales has been reasonably unsurprising, except for UKIP getting 7 seats on the regional list.

Labour got 29 seats, 3 short of an outright majority.

Plaid Cymru got 12, including a surprising constituency win for leader Leanne Wood in the Rhondda (ousting perennial feckwit Leighton Andrews)

The Conservatives got 11, which was disappointing for them

As mentioned, UKIP got 7 members, all on the regional list. These include parachutists Mark Reckless and Neil "Pay me in brown envelopes" Hamilton, both of which were forced on to welsh UKIP by their leaders, and ironically took the jobs of hard working, local nutters.

The Lib dems held on to one solitary seat for the leader, Kirsty Williams, in Brecon and Radnor.

Possibilities are:

Labour asks Kirsty Williams very nicely if she'll be presiding officer, and then go for a minority government

Labour does a formal deal with Plaid

All the other parties club together and govern as a coalition, but that's as likely as flying bacon

[Osem]

Originally Posted by Hugh

So, in a year when it's been nothing but bad news for the Government, internal arguments tearing the Tory Party apart, seemingly endless bad press and bad feelings towards government initiatives (Doctors strike, EU Referendum, Universal Credits, Disability Living Allowance changes, etc. etc.) the fact that Labour haven't had major losses (only lost 26 seats so far) is a good thing?

Surely, if everyone was so upset at the current government, this would have been reflected in the polls, and we would have seen a surge in Labour (and other parties) support?

btw, winning the by-election in Sheffield Brightside & Hillsborough was a bit a foregone conclusion, wasn't it, what with it being a very safe seat, and the widow of the previous incumbent standing for Labour?

Agree. If they are performing so underwhelmingly with the Tories infighting and on the back foot to such an extent, it really doesn't say too much for the Labour leadership.

Anyway I've heard Corbyn's Cabal have decided their PR needs a shiny new vehicle so they're working on a glossy fly on the wall documentary film to show them in a new light. Evidently it's going to be called:

"Carry on in Denial"