Depressed Lefty red eye - The morning after the night before

If we had PR, how would it have changed things today in terms of the result? I'm not really clear about how it works vs how the current system works

'Would the public actually go for PR?' - ah well, that's another question isn't it. One thing's for sure, the entire Murdoch media will fight it.

BNP in Stoke lost 2 council seats AFAIK. Which is good. And Labour gained from all the unaligned independents. A good result.

I think the best we can hope for is lib not going with either party. You are right not enough of a majority for lib lab pact. Would be too destructive me thinks.

so no BNP councillors at all then?. that is good news

(and will daftpunk now stop bleating on about them? lovely )

DH and I have just rejoined the Labour Party after years in confused Trot green resistant wilderness.

Thanks for the welcome and the gin

Have to go and rest my weary bones, can't take all of this disappointment and lack of sleep at my advanced age ....nice to know that you are out there though. Will introduce daughter to MN as soon as shit husband not around, might cheer her up.

But you can't carve Gordon's face into tasty treats!

This is interesting re local council elections (from the BBC website):

"Half of the results for the 164 council elections held in England on Thursday have now been declared.

So far, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have lost seats, while Labour is the only party to make gains. Power at most councils remains unchanged.

The polls, held at the same time as the general election, include those for 32 London boroughs, 36 metropolitan authorities and 20 unitary authorities.

A total of 15,785 candidates are fighting 4,222 seats.

In the last local elections in June, Labour suffered heavy losses across the country, losing key seats to the Conservatives.

But as the votes continued to be counted this time, Labour had gained Hartlepool, Liverpool, Coventry, Doncaster, Enfield, and St Helens.

The Tories had lost control of Lincoln, Brentwood, Solihull, Hyndburn, Mole Valley, Nuneaton & Bedworth, Bury, and North Tyneside.

The Liberal Democrats, meanwhile, had lost Rochdale, and Sheffield."

I'd rather have a flawed, messy, unphotogenic dour Scot in place than an untrustworthy, plastic Home Counties poodle.
Of course my self i.d. as a flawed, messy, unphotogenic, dour Scot has nothing to do with it!

Burnley hasn't declared Council results yet and they had BNP last time.
Stoke still have 5 councillors, although Labour has massively increased it's numbers there, so that might stop the knuckle-draggers having too much influence.

Something else I noticed about Cameron and Brown's speeches today is that whereas Brown was focussing on getting a stable government that could get us through difficult times and appreciated that might make people feel uncertain/insecure but stressed that getting it right was important, Cameron seemed under pressure and a bit desperate - have to do this as soon as possible, got to fix broken Britain right now(oh do naff off Dave), something like that.
Lo and behold, senior tories are meeting senior Lib Dems tonight.

As long as Brown holds his nerve, I think we could end up with a short-lived minority Conservative Government that has to concede/compromise on most of its proposed legislation if it wants to do anything.

I'm tired, but I think I don't want a Lib Lab coalition because it would be very weak and open to attack and ridicule. Much as I hate to say it, I think forming a bloody good opposition party is now the way to go.

Right, someone on Twitter is telling me that the 5 BNP Stoke councillors weren't up for re-election last night. Have no idea why not.

Hey it's 6pm, I can open the wine!

Tough isn't it? I like to think I live by notions of accountability and equitability, and wot's fair. But the thought of being 'fair' and 'just' in the face of a poss. Tory govt. makes me want to throw it all over and be a conniving and viscious little bastard.. Scarred by Thatcher most likely.

I think the LD leadership can talk with whoever they like, whenever they like - they just can't enter a coalition without getting it past the membership/executive/parliamentary party

OBM - fuck knows. It seems to me that the LD rank and file are going to care much more about PR than they are about ministerial limos for Clegg and Cable. But I don't know whether that's my heart or my head.

Lenin I think I was saying that he should maybe hold out for a hardline Cons deal because of what tyy said:

"Seriously - I think the next 4 years are going to be hell and the unlucky party responsible for making cuts may well be putting themselves out of power for another 10 years.

In lots of ways I would rather have the Tories shoulder the blame for this parliament, with the liberals there to deflect some of the pain away from the poorest. "

So if he could get, say, electoral reform, and then stuff the Tories, that might be worth the pain of the next few years. But I doubt this, tbh. Fuck, I am so tired.

What a day !

I will be seriously fucked off if Clegg bends over for Hambo

I had to vote for LibDems to keep the Tories out (successful) and I will never do that again if he does it

I hope it is just bravado integrity - i.e. he knows he can't do a deal with hambo and will inevitably end up with Gord

Wonder what Cameron will do if there is Lib/Lab coalition? Will he continue as leader of opposition? Or will he open a ham shop.

Welcome Scorpia. Very sorry to hear that your daughter's having such a crap time.