2015 UK General Election Thread

[MalteseFalcon]

Every other major news item gets a thread, so thought why not have a thread about the election?

Some big names not standing as MP's this election. Some I admire, some I don't. 34 Conservatives, 35 Labour, 10 Liberals, 1 Plaid Cymru, 1 Independent. A selection of those not standing.

CONSERVATIVE

William Hague, Richmond Yorkshire
David Willetts, Havant

LABOUR

Hazel Blears, Salford & Eccles
David Blunkett, Sheffield Brightside & Hillsborough
Gordon Brown, Kirkcaldy & Fife
Alistair Darling, Edinburgh South West
Frank Dobson, Holborn & St Pancras
Glenda Jackson, Hampstead & Kilburn
Dame Tessa Jowell, Dulwich & West Norwood
Dawn Primarolo, Bristol South
Jack Straw, Blackburn

Notable Liberal not standing, Sir Menzies 'Ming' Campbell, former leader of the Party. Representing North East Fife.

---------- Post added at 21:37 ---------- Previous post was at 21:35 ----------

Link to Wiki article, where I found the list of who is standing down.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_...election,_2015

[Osem]

A few less of Blair's babes to worry about, not to mention the women...

[Ignitionnet]

Wow.

So long Ming!



So long Flash!

EDIT: Alright I just voted on the poll. Have people been smoking crack on a school night again?!

[TheDaddy]

No greens, other or not bothering

Originally Posted by TheDaddy

No greens, other or not bothering

Added.

---------- Post added at 06:46 ---------- Previous post was at 06:44 ----------

Although the questioner has asked who will get the most seats rather than who'll you'll vote for

[Ignitionnet]

Originally Posted by Damien

Although the questioner has asked who will get the most seats rather than who'll you'll vote for

Indeed, that was the part that freaked me out although I did assume that people read the poll.

At the time I voted the leader of the poll was UKIP. Really?

Here's a thought for UKIP supporters - try supporting electoral reform if (when) the results of the GE make you feel unrepresented in Parliament as ~14% share of the vote turns into less than 1% of seats.

[tweetiepooh]

A representative system can have anomalies over the national figures but is far better than a national PR system that simply gets the least unpopular in and blocks ability to vote for a candidate, local party/independent.

[Ignitionnet]

Originally Posted by tweetiepooh

A representative system can have anomalies over the national figures but is far better than a national PR system that simply gets the least unpopular in and blocks ability to vote for a candidate, local party/independent.

A half and half per-Germany of course is the best of both.

There are far too many safe constituencies where holding an election is basically a waste of money - this one's been Labour since 1923, the lowest share of the vote they've had in all that time being 47.3% with the current incumbent polling 48.2%, 66.9%, 60% and 49.3%.

Originally Posted by MarkC1984

Every other major news item gets a thread, so thought why not have a thread about the election?

Because it's not for 3 1/2 months yet, and everyone will be sick of it by March?

I'll be running official opinion poll threads during the three weeks immediately prior to the election itself, plus an exit poll on election day, as I did in 2010 and 2005 (10 years ago! ). This thread will do for general discussion for the time being.

---------- Post added at 13:34 ---------- Previous post was at 13:30 ----------

Originally Posted by tweetiepooh

A representative system can have anomalies over the national figures but is far better than a national PR system that simply gets the least unpopular in and blocks ability to vote for a candidate, local party/independent.

That's certainly true. Here in Scotland we are suffering a nationalist "government" which has an additional fig leaf of legitimacy thanks to its overall majority of MSPs. A lot of people don't even realise that they achieved this, despite the PR voting system, on no more than 45% of the popular vote, thanks to the limitations of the system in use.

Personally I think a two party system, with mass membership and a genuine influence over policy, candidate selection and recall is inherently more democratic than a fractured system of single interest pressure groups doing coalition deals behind closed doors, the inevitable consequence of which is a programme for government that nobody voted for.

[denphone]

l think the majority of us are sick of it already and there are still 108 days to go before the damn thing.

[Ignitionnet]

Originally Posted by denphone

l think the majority of us are sick of it already and there are still 108 days to go before the damn thing.

I feel like the majority of the 5 years of this government have been one long campaign

[denphone]

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet

I feel like the majority of the 5 years of this government have been one long campaign

Indeed if only politician's thought about what's best for this country rather then their own selfish ends we would be a much better country but sadly all they are interested in is how they can manoeuvre themselves into a better position to get re-elected in five years time.

[MalteseFalcon]

Sorry Chris, I'm just an impatient little twerp.

[richard s]

Hear, hear, denphone.

Originally Posted by MarkC1984

Sorry Chris, I'm just an impatient little twerp.

No problem. It'll be quite interesting to see how this goes actually. As Carl said, we've just come through what amounts to a five-year election campaign (brought about, IMO, by a hung parliament kept hanging around by the ridiculous fixed term Act that was one of the consequences of the coalition). It will be interesting to see what people are thinking about it all as what may now be the longest campaign-proper in political history gets underway.

I thought the fixed term act was a good idea initially. But after watching the last 18 months of parliamentary time going to utter waste, I have changed my mind.