UK General Discussion Thread: mayy lmao

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

I thought a new General Discussion was appropriate, as we enter a new Parliament. If anybody has any hilarious titles, suggest them.

Right now, Cameron's most pressing task is to reshuffle cabinet, rewarding allies and placating the rabid wing. So far Michael Gove has already ensnared what will probably be a controversial tenure in justice. Energy, Scotland, Business, Chief Secretary and DPM are all vacant with the evisceration of the Lib Dems; as well as a host of random ministers.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

So far Michael Gove has already ensnared what will probably be a controversial tenure in justice.

Do we think this is going to be hilarious, an absolute disaster, or both?

[DC Al Fine]

I have question for the forum Brits.

It is harder to win government for the Tories than it is for Labour. e.g. Labour got a larger majority on a smaller vote share in 2005 than the Tories did in 2015. This difference is usually attributed to two reasons.

1) Labour vote collapses to virtually nil in many Tory safe seats, while the Tories still get half decent results in many Labour safe seats, resulting in many more wasted votes for the Tories.

2) The constituency map doesn't reflect actual populations. The Tories hold many overpopulated suburban seats while Labour holds declining rust belt areas.

I understand the first argument but not the second. Didn't the UK have a redistribution a few years ago? Wouldn't that have fixed the discrepancy? If not, how come?

[You kip if you want to...]

I have question for the forum Brits.

It is harder to win government for the Tories than it is for Labour. e.g. Labour got a larger majority on a smaller vote share in 2005 than the Tories did in 2015. This difference is usually attributed to two reasons.

1) Labour vote collapses to virtually nil in many Tory safe seats, while the Tories still get half decent results in many Labour safe seats, resulting in many more wasted votes for the Tories.

2) The constituency map doesn't reflect actual populations. The Tories hold many overpopulated suburban seats while Labour holds declining rust belt areas.

I understand the first argument but not the second. Didn't the UK have a redistribution a few years ago? Wouldn't that have fixed the discrepancy? If not, how come?

The redistribution (we say boundary changes) didn't go into effect. The LibDems threw them out when they lost the AV referendum and the changes to the House of Lords around 2012-13 time.

However, the Tories put boundary changes in their manifesto, so we can assume 2020 will be fought on new boundaries, with a smaller house of 600 members.

But no boundaries can change the fact that the Labour vote is clustered into certain regions while the Tory vote is spread much more thinly.

[morgieb]

I have question for the forum Brits.

It is harder to win government for the Tories than it is for Labour. e.g. Labour got a larger majority on a smaller vote share in 2005 than the Tories did in 2015. This difference is usually attributed to two reasons.

1) Labour vote collapses to virtually nil in many Tory safe seats, while the Tories still get half decent results in many Labour safe seats, resulting in many more wasted votes for the Tories.

2) The constituency map doesn't reflect actual populations. The Tories hold many overpopulated suburban seats while Labour holds declining rust belt areas.

I understand the first argument but not the second. Didn't the UK have a redistribution a few years ago? Wouldn't that have fixed the discrepancy? If not, how come?

I think a lot of it comes down to turnout as well, rural seats get higher turnout than urban seats IIRC.

[MaxQue]

I have question for the forum Brits.

It is harder to win government for the Tories than it is for Labour. e.g. Labour got a larger majority on a smaller vote share in 2005 than the Tories did in 2015. This difference is usually attributed to two reasons.

1) Labour vote collapses to virtually nil in many Tory safe seats, while the Tories still get half decent results in many Labour safe seats, resulting in many more wasted votes for the Tories.

2) The constituency map doesn't reflect actual populations. The Tories hold many overpopulated suburban seats while Labour holds declining rust belt areas.

I understand the first argument but not the second. Didn't the UK have a redistribution a few years ago? Wouldn't that have fixed the discrepancy? If not, how come?

The redistribution (we say boundary changes) didn't go into effect. The LibDems threw them out when they lost the AV referendum and the changes to the House of Lords around 2012-13 time.

However, the Tories put boundary changes in their manifesto, so we can assume 2020 will be fought on new boundaries, with a smaller house of 600 members.

But no boundaries can change the fact that the Labour vote is clustered into certain regions while the Tory vote is spread much more thinly.

I'm quite sure the plan to have a smaller house at 600 was mooted in the last days. I suppose there is too much incumbents afraid of losing out seats.

[NewYorkExpress]

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2015/05/10/world/europe/10reuters-britain-election-scotland.html?rref=world/europe&module=Ribbon&version=context&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Europe&pgtype=article

Prime Minister Cameron told Channel Four that there would be not be another independence referendum for Scotland, citing the September 2014 vote that kept Scotland British.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

How long before he goes full Rajoy?

[RodPresident]

How long before he goes full Rajoy?

He's on a 1-seat majority and any austerity maneuvers will be only suicide to him. He'll need to buy Ulster unionists and LD won't get to be like National Liberals. Then, with some disagreements he can be out government in smaller time than expected...

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

How long before he goes full Rajoy?

He's on a 1-seat majority

He has 330 out of 649 non-Speaker seats. There are four MPs from an abstentionist party. In practice his majority is 330-315, in theory 331-319. It's a narrow majority, but should, sadly, hold.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

We know for a fact the Tories want to:

* repeal the Human rights Act
* hold a free vote on repealing the fox hunting ban.
* commit to a European referendum
* bring back the 'snooper's charter'
* and find 'savings' in target departments (Work and Pensions, Justice and Local Government all look most likely to bear the brunt of the cuts.

[Phony Moderate]

Since when is a 55-45 margin in a referendum 'emphatic'? If you entered a room with 100 people, 45 of which have one view and 55 another, you wouldn't be able to feel much of a difference.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Someone I've never heard of, Amber Rudd, promoted to Energy. Good news: she's a green Tory  (endorsed by Zac Goldsmith) in a vaguely marginal seat.

Sajid Javid to Business. Probably a good choice by Cameron.

John Whittingdale to Culture. Fun fact: he is a metalhead. He also opposes the licence fee.

Pritt Patel (?!???) is Employment minister. Terrifying.

BoJo will not be in the cabinet, but attend 'strategy meetings' whatever that means. Possibly that means once his tenure as Mayor is up, he'll be desperately attention seeking. He described the Tory post-election meeting as orgiastic (GROSS GROSS GROSS)

Robert Halfon is new Deputy Chairman of the Tories. He is - peculiarly for a Tory - a trade unionist and an opponent of the Tory Right. He also walks with crutches.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Meanwhile in the Shadow Cabinet:

The castrated Shadow Chancellor is replaced by Chris Leslie.

Hilary Benn replaces Alexander (defeated) for Shadow Foreign Secretary. Emma Reynolds replaces him for the Shadow Communities brief.

Lord Falconer is Shadow Justice Secretary. Sadiq Khan has resigned, possibly to fight for Mayor of London.

Sole Sxottish MP Ian Murray is Shadow Scotland Sec.

Chris Bryant is deputy.

Oh and Sir Lord Alan Sugar has resigned from the Labour Party, because they are "too left wing".  Lol

[Filuwaúrdjan]

The new ShadCab is entirely temporary of course. And the new Cabinet is basically dogsh!t, but that's to be expected.

[Phony Moderate]

A Benn in that position? Wonderful.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Hilary is a moderate, though he does resemble his father in terms of mannerisms freakishly.

UKIP have rejected Farage's resignation.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Considering that the media are now bored of him and had been hinting throughout the election that if he lost in South Thanet they would regard him as a failure... is that... um... wise?

[Phony Moderate]

When was the last time we had three successive governments that lasted at least a decade (assuming this one lasts until 2020)?

Anyhow, this parliament is not going to be pretty from any perspective I would imagine. I actually suspect that 2020 will produce the highest Lab-Con combined share since at least 1992.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

Can someone please explain to me why the hell the fox hunting ban is such a charged issue? Is it for purely symbolic cultural reasons or is there some sort of ex-fox-hunters' lobby or what? How many people even did this when it was legal?

Whittingdale and Patel seem like scum.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Let's just say if the people who enjoyed, say, cockfighting had Eton educations and double-barrelled names, we would probably be seeing an impassioned debate on the importance of the cockfighting tradition.

[Simfan34]

* hold a free vote on repealing the fox hunting ban.

This is still on the agenda? I appreciate this.

[Phony Moderate]

The new government is focusing on the important issues, of course.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

Let's just say if the people who enjoyed part in, say, cockfighting had Eton educations and double-barrelled names, we would probably be seeing an impassioned debate on the importance of the cockfighting tradition.

So, cultural posturing 'Deep England' stuff at best, then. I don't suppose the Tories could focus on standing up for maypoles or Ray Davies instead. May Day is kind of a commie thing now in any event.

[Lief 🗽]

Look, you all know where I stand on British culture, from my love of traditional British cuisine to my steadfast support of the monarchy and especially Her Majesty. But anyone who advocates for fox hunting needs to be guillotined (normal).