Disastrous Night For Labour

[joggerjayne]

After the last Election, Labour told us (again and again and again, yaaawn) that the new Government had NO REAL MANDATE, coz they had received NO REAL MAJORITY from the electorate.

So the mid terms are where the voters traditionally boost the Opposition and kick the incumbent administration.

But only 32% bothered to turn out.

And Labour only got 39% of that 32%

So the Trots were only endorsed by 12% of the electorate.

Or, put another way, 88% of the population have rejected Labour.

By their own criteria, that was a disastrous night for Labour.

[joggerjayne]

Labour's own criteria (at the last election) did not take account of the losing parties.

They were only concerned with ... can the winners genuinely claim to have the support of the population.

Applying their own criteria to last night's results, the answer is clearly ...

No, the Labour opposition did not receive the support of the majority.

[joggerjayne]

Dave ...

Surely the last genuine fascists (the National Socialist Party in Germany) were ...

... well, err Socialists.

[sir.prize]

With results of Thursday's elections declared in 99 out of 181 councils being contested across the country, Labour had gained 470 councillors while the Conservatives had lost 279 and their coalition partners, the Liberal Democrats, had lost 129.

[Davethedog]

Er no No more than the Labour party, for whom I didn't vote are "trots"

The Nazis no more encapsulated socialism that John Prescott avoids a pie.

[joggerjayne]

As I understand it, "fascism" is characterised by a tendency towards centralised control, and the removal of free market economics.

In other words, it is Labour, not the Conservatives, who lean towards "fascist" policies.

[TheNovice]

but if you have to make a process look as if it's working - it surely isn't working.

[VHG]

>>>Can't see weekends doing the trick, what about people who go away >>>weekends, or the ever growing bank of people who work weekends.

Pretty lame excuses.

Far more people work during the week than work at weekends.

And those that do work at the weekend rarely work both days.

Some people do go away at weekends, but many many people now work away from home during the week and only come back to their main house at the weekends, so they cant vote on a Thursday.

Also the weekend is two days, Thursday is one day, so far more time for people to vote.

>>>>>Don't think Thursday is the problem somehow, been that way for many a year

Just because it has always been like that doesn to mean to say it cant be changed.

If that was the case we would still have cock fighting and bear baiting or hanging people for murder. After all we did that for a long time but it did not stop us changing.

[HowardKennitby]

Still counting here so haven't heard much about results.
One thing that should not happen to deal with low turnout is to increase the amount of postal voting. That way will only increase the amount of criminality.

[TheNovice]

eh, cock fighting, bear baiting where does that come from. Try weekend voting by all means but I do not think it will solve the problem of mid term apathy which is the real issue. If your argument and reasoning was sound surely it would apply to General Elections where the turnouts are generally much higher 65% plus, not the mid 30% found at mid term, council or MEP elections

[jake-the-peg]

Forbetter or worse General elections are largely about personalities and the economy

People really disliked Gordon Brown

Now he's gone, they may not have warmed to Ed Milliband but they don't dislike him in the same way.

Cameron and Osbourne have ignored advice - blindly carried on chanting "there is no plan B" and guess what? all the cuttin in the public sector has not equated to growth in the private sector and we're back in a double dip recession.

Yes Labour were starting from a low baseline but I think only a really niaive spin-doctor would try your line Jayne - it reeks of "carry on regardless" and if Cameron does that and doesn't listen to what people are telling him he'll find himself in the House of Lords very soon

[MarkRae]

I think the problem that the electoral process is facing at the moment is that there's no-one to vote for, of any political persuasion, who looks like they might actually DO something! Putting personal feelings aside for a second, Thatcher and Blair were hugely charismatic, and this charisma drew the apathetic off their couches and into the polling booths.

So, whereas the card-carrying party members like me will always turn out to vote, it seems to me that the vast majority of the electorate simply can't see the point any more. I'm sure that, to many, the notion that their not participating in the democratic process will make not the slightest difference to them - some crook with his own agenda is going to get elected however many people turn out, so why bother?

[MarkRae]

Apologies, jake - your post wasn't there when I started typing mine... :-)

[Hopkirk]

If the public need a charismatic leader to vote for, does that mean Boris will one day win an overall majority as Tory leader?

[TheNovice]

Spot on Markrae and Jake. Also think you can go back a great number of years and with the odd exception (Blair's first term, Thatcher post Falklands for example) whoever was in government would suffer a downturn at these 'mid-term' council elections.
I do also think that apathy is reaching such a level that something needs to be done to prevent one of the minority extreme party's getting a foot in the door.

[Gromit]

// After the last Election, Labour told us (again and again and again, yaaawn) that the new Government had NO REAL MANDATE, coz they had received NO REAL MAJORITY from the electorate. //

I have just tried to find one reference to Labour saying that and they didn't. You seem to have made that up.

[youngmafbog]

TRy this Gromit

http://www.labouremai...9041-6823-2-15-251224

[MarkRae]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-13321665

[TheNovice]

Gromit.....must try harder!!!!!!

[TheNovice]

Gromit - that was said in jest by the way.