UK General Discussion Thread: mayy lmao

[MaxQue]

Martin McGuinness, former Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and former SF leader, died.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Martin McGuinness, former Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and former SF leader, died.

Northern Ireland system od dual executive is amazing. It'd be like having Trump as First Minister and Hillary as Deputy First Minister.

[Slow Learner]

Martin McGuinness, former Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and former SF leader, died.

RIP. A good man in spite of his past.

[Hnv1]

Lots of talk about calling an early election by May in May

[Phony Moderate]

[Tintrlvr]

Martin McGuinness, former Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland and former SF leader, died.

Northern Ireland system od dual executive is amazing. It'd be like having Trump as First Minister and Hillary as Deputy First Minister.

From an American perspective, historically, more like having George Wallace as First Minister and Malcolm X as Deputy First Minister.

[Phony Moderate]

Downing Street is sticking to its line regarding an early election. Apparently some Tory MPs in Cornwall and Devon are terrified of losing their seats. If she changes her mind then it'll have to be within the next two weeks anyway.

[Cassius]

Downing Street is sticking to its line regarding an early election. Apparently some Tory MPs in Cornwall and Devon are terrified of losing their seats. If she changes her mind then it'll have to be within the next two weeks anyway.

I would've thought the 2015 intake from old Lib Dem seats in South London (and places like Bath) would have far more to worry about from an election fought on the EU than those in Devon and Cornwall.

[Illiniwek]

Help an ignorant guy out: If an early election were held this year, for example, would the next scheduled election still be 2020 or would it be 2022? Common sense tells me the latter, but could someone confirm?

[JerryArkansas]

Help an ignorant guy out: If an early election were held this year, for example, would the next scheduled election still be 2020 or would it be 2022? Common sense tells me the latter, but could someone confirm?

It would be five years after the early general election.  The 2020 date only assumes the current parliament is carried to term.

[LabourJersey]

what are the odds of a snap election, according to the british posters? Also, does it have to be in May?

[vileplume]

Downing Street is sticking to its line regarding an early election. Apparently some Tory MPs in Cornwall and Devon are terrified of losing their seats. If she changes her mind then it'll have to be within the next two weeks anyway.

I would've thought the 2015 intake from old Lib Dem seats in South London (and places like Bath) would have far more to worry about from an election fought on the EU than those in Devon and Cornwall.

Yes the most likely Lib Dem gains from the Tories would be Bath, Twickenham and Kingston. The two Devon seats the Lib Dems lost to the Tories, Torbay and North Devon (both were very pro-Brexit), would probably see a further swing to the Tories in a general election held today. Cornwall is a more unpredictable place because it has a separate identity from the rest of England which makes it more amenable to the Lib Dems so they'd probably have a shot at regaining St Ives but that's it.

[vileplume]

what are the odds of a snap election, according to the british posters? Also, does it have to be in May?

Not at all likely. The only thing that could conceivably cause it would be the Tories being found guilty of deliberately overspending in 20+ marginal constituencies triggering a huge number of by-elections. With her majority potentially gone May probably would call a general election. However the prospect of results being voided in that many seats (I doubt a single one will be voided) is very, very small.

[vileplume]

Help an ignorant guy out: If an early election were held this year, for example, would the next scheduled election still be 2020 or would it be 2022? Common sense tells me the latter, but could someone confirm?

It would be held in 2022 as the Fixed-term Parliament Act of 2011 mandates that a parliament elected in 2017 will sit for 5 years barring a vote of no confidence in the government or a 2/3 majority calling for an early election.

[Phony Moderate]

Shots fired outside Parliament. A police officer apparently stabbed.

[Clyde1998]

Shots fired outside Parliament. A police officer apparently stabbed.

It's being treated as a terrorist incident by the Met. Exactly one year after the attack in Brussels as well.

[Silent Hunter]

Shots fired outside Parliament. A police officer apparently stabbed.

It's being treated as a terrorist incident by the Met. Exactly one year after the attack in Brussels as well.

Also of people being run down by a vehicle on Westminster Bridge, which appears to have been part of the same attack.

[Blair]

Terrifying that I could have been working in the House of Commons this week; I hear Westminster is still on lockdown

[Clyde1998]

Terrifying that I could have been working in the House of Commons this week; I hear Westminster is still on lockdown

Yeah. Sky are saying that people that were on the London Eye were being kept on it, as well.

Sky saying that two people have been confirmed dead.

[Phony Moderate]

In not entirely shocking news, Douglas Carswell is resigning from UKIP.

[YL]

In not entirely shocking news, Douglas Carswell is resigning from UKIP.

He never seemed like a good fit for the party almost from the moment of his defection.  Too keen on principles and not racist enough.

NB he's not rejoining the Tories and he's not calling a by-election.

[Silent Hunter]

UKIP has done its job now... it has gotten us out of the EU.

[ApatheticAustrian]

UKIP has done its job now... it has gotten us out of the EU.

only hypothetically - practically they could never ever have done it without mental support in big parts of the tories and the working-class base of labour.

the logical result of decades of british anti-eu propaganda and framing.

[parochial boy]

UKIP has done its job now... it has gotten us out of the EU.

by promising a better yesterday

[Diouf]

UKIP has done its job now... it has gotten us out of the EU.

I would think UKIP would not consider its job done before immigration has been drastically reduced. This seems a bit like Lucke leaving AfD. Probably a good thing for the party as it makes them more coherent in their objectives. Of course, for them to be as succesful as they could be, it requires some competent and stable leadership without too much infighting. Carswell leaving should help a bit on reducing the infighting.