More gloom for Brown - Tories win by-election

Osem · 24-07-2009, 12:54

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8166398.stm

Good!

punky · 24-07-2009, 12:59

Having a younger female MP must annoy the Lib Dems as well. They can no longer get any mileage out of pimping Sarah Teather around - especially to the yoof.

ginge51 · 24-07-2009, 13:56

What ****es me off with all these by elections/general elections is, why is it 'ALWAYS' between just the 2 parties?
Labour and the other idiots?
Has another party 'EVER' been another party in power in the U.K?

Derek · 24-07-2009, 14:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by ginge51

Has another party 'EVER' been another party in power in the U.K?

Short answer - Yes

Long answer - See here for starters.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...y_and_overview

Quote:

Prior to the mid-19th century politics in the United Kingdom was dominated by the Whigs and the Tories. These were not political parties in the modern sense but somewhat loose alliances of interests and individuals. The Whigs were associated with the newly emerging moneyed industrial classes, and the Tories were associated with the landed gentry, the Church of England and the Church of Scotland.

24-07-2009, 14:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Osem

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8166398.stm

Good!

Brown is finished all he's doing is delaying the inevitable. I think there'll be some back bench revolt over this.

punky · 24-07-2009, 15:31

Has ol' Gordy fed up his usual patronising platitudes such as "...we're listening..." and "...we're learning lessons..." yet?

Notice the "we". He'd never say I as that would implicate some kind of responsibility would fall on him.

Mick Fisher · 24-07-2009, 16:51

The result is what was expected.

Makes no difference to the man in the street. Labour losers or Tory's in control? We will still get royally shafted.

**Maggy** · 24-07-2009, 17:11

Well it's hardly a surprise..

Osem · 24-07-2009, 21:53

Even Brown couldn't have believed they'd win but, surprise or not, the scale of the defeat will have piled on the misery surrounding Downing Street very nicely.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8167922.stm

Just looking at the statistics as compared with 2005, if my arithmetic is correct it appears that Brown's cronies saw their vote drop by c. 70%, the Lib Dems by 37% and the Tories by c. 13% whilst the actual turnout was down by c. 25%. I reckon Brown will be in denial, Cameron will be pleasantly surprised and Clegg will be wondering what he needs to do for the Lib Dems to be taken seriously ...

frogstamper · 25-07-2009, 00:12

Come next year when the general election is held, our crappy "first past the post" system will once again elect a party with minority support from the electorate.
As far as I'm aware no party has ever got more than 50% of the vote since the war, yet this somehow gives whoever it is a mandate to govern over the majority!!
PR would not only be a far more democratic way of electing our leaders, but also it would help introduce a more consensual form of politics in the UK, instead of the current school-yard confrontational bun fight we presently have.

25-07-2009, 02:19

PR is all well and good except when the country is paralysed by constant weak governments having to do deals left and right to get anything done and usually making little or no real progress. While i agree that our current system is not perfect lets not pretend PR is some magical answer to all the problems. As for this result well four words from this for all labour mp's to remember "get used to it" because it isn't going to get any better next year for any of them.

Osem · 25-07-2009, 09:52

PR certainly isn't the panacea some seem to think it is but I reckon the BNP might like it very much...

Anyway back to the topic:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8168463.stm

Quote:

Ex-home secretary Charles Clarke blamed the result on Mr Brown's "incompetent" treatment of outgoing MP Dr Ian Gibson.

Senior backbencher Barry Sheerman said the result was a "self-inflicted wound" and warned Mr Brown had until the end of the summer to reconnect with voters.

And left-winger John McDonnell said the prime minister had made a "terrible miscalculation"...

However:

Quote:

Tony Lloyd, chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party, insisted there was "no leadership crisis taking place".

No, of course not.....

Sirius · 25-07-2009, 09:57

I just wish he would take the hint and do one. The way its going he will be remembered as the Labour prime minister that had the biggest defeat in a election.

Osem · 25-07-2009, 10:00

Despite his recent claims about how he could just leave it all behind, Brown plotted and schemed to get power for years and won't give it up. He'd rather see his party destroyed at the next election than admit he's in any way to blame for their failures.

BTW, is it just me or does Cameron's new girl on the block* look and sound like a 'B' grade clone of Ruth Kelly?**

* http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8166769.stm

** http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4100061.stm

25-07-2009, 12:17

I really don't think anyone in the parliamentary labour party has enough of a spine to really do GB any damage and if by some miracle one was found they wouldn't find enough of them to get shot of him. I think some of them are happy to lumber on till the next election and let us do it for them such is the calibre of them.