Thread 30 Sunak: No trains, no drains, no point

[DuncinToffee]

As suggested by the lovely Pointythings and her feisty cat army

We continue

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4873009-thread-29-sunak-borders-barges-and-bacteria?page=40&reply=129254108

In the interests of factual accuracy, I would like to point out that a rotten borough when they existed before the 1832 Reform Act had very small number of voters so could easily be bought by one patron. They were all in England (although a similar system did exist in Ireland for a while).
The same 1832 Reform Act, did greatly increase the number of Scottish electors and seats.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotten_and_pocket_boroughs

Yeah, I was confused by Derxa's comment. How is Rutherglen and Hamilton a rotten borough?

Amazing result for Scottish Labour.

Are you suggesting that the voters were under some kind of control? Or that the area doesn't deserve an MP?

Rotten Boroughs are much more like the use of the House of Lords by the Tory party where party donors, some of dubious background have been allowed to buy their seats.

Whereas the 82076 voters in Rutherglen and Hamilton West had the opportunity to vote for a wide range of parties. Indeed 1.45% of the potential voters voted Tory, no doubt inspired to stand up and fight by the recent conference.

It's a figure of speech. Did you live in Scotland during the 60s and 70s?

I can only think they mean that a patron of some kind paid the voters to vote in a particular way, or otherwise provided some kind of incentive for them to do so.

They may be confusing themselves with the behaviour of the Tory party in directing government funding to seats that they think they might lose, by promising for example new hospitals, roads and railways where they are not needed, but where they think it is politically expedient to say they are.

It has a very particular meaning as the link explains.

And you know exactly what I mean. Rampant corruption

So the voters have been corrupted?

I presume we are talking about the Tory party stuffing the HoLs with donors of dubious origin?

I took the meaning that jgw posted, too.

Bit insulting to all the many thousands of voters who expressed their view in a free and fair election.

No they just wanted the SNP out. That and the scandal over Margaret Covid.
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/labour-wins-rutherglen-hamilton-west-31112620

Well it is the widely accept meaning, with its roots in the history of this country.

If they simply wanted rid of the SNP I'm sure they could have voted Conservative.

Doesn't make it a rotten borough.

How does that explain the Conservative candidate losing his deposit straight after Sunak's rousing speech?

I suppose that explains the 11.1% drop in the Tory vote.

If this is an indication of the upset amoung Tories at Labour winning a seat they have regularly held in the past, there is going to be a flood when the GE election comes with all the tears. Is that why Rishi isn't holding one, because of the environmental damage it would cause?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutherglen_and_Hamilton_West_(UK_Parliament_constituency)
Not a chance in hell that a Conservative would have been voted in.

This pours doubt on the theory that Labour are going to need to do a deal with the SNP.

Who has been corrupted derxa. You may need to spell it out as I'm clearly being a bit thick in not understanding what you are insinuating.

The Tories in the constituency may have been too busy standing up and fighting to vote.

@OhYouBadBadKitten just desperate for any comfort in a bad situation.

awww, well in that case, have a photo of a comforting teddy bear derxa.

Derxa has invented a new definition of a rotten borough I think. It now means a decisive Labour victory.