Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck

[FineDamBeaver]

It's all just sinking in, and the other political threads are too eloquent for what I want to express this morning.

Oh tits. This is rubbish.

For goodness sake LotusLight. I didn't realise it was part of Labour policy to restrict free speech. Point that bit out in the manifesto would you please.

I repeat my earlier statement. This thread is a commiseration one. You are happy my team lost. The purpose of you posting a congratulations to the other side is what? Gloating, wind up, mean girl mode?

I don't go on Tory threads. Why would I?

Ugh. This thread reminds me of this afternoon's Skype call from my Inlaws. Apropos of nothing, my FIL starts talking about how pleased he is with the election result, and how the Tories are going to do things that will really benefit him now that they're not being held back by the Lib Dems, and how wonderful it will be for the whole country.

He knows DH and I don't agree. We just that there and listened, not wanting to ruin a precious opportunity to talk to them with a pointless political argument (they live 5000 miles away and we don't Skype often enough because it's hard to get everyone together and work around the time difference). I love my FIL and of course he's entitled to his opinion, but it made me sad that he was wasting the chance to talk to his grandchildren or catch up what's been happening in our lives because he seemed unable to stop himself from gloating.

To get elected Labour have to be more centre. More like New Labour. England will NEVER elect a left of centre government. If Tories go too far right and Labour are centre - they are in. If Tories are centre and so are Labour - hung parliament. Same result if Tory are too right and Labour too left (welcome back Lib Dems).

Interesting dilemma for Socialism - to be elected you have to be not really Socialist........

I've rejoined the Labour Party today. I've decided to channel my anger into something constructive.

The Labour party need to go back to being less left wing and stop going on about spending money. They've got five years to do this. If they don't realise their mistakes they might aswell pack up and go home. They need to get a decent leader. And think very very long and hard about why people didn't vote for them.

No - they, and the Lib Dems need to get back to the basics of grassroots politics, getting councillors and mayors elected, getting people involved, building local parties, sorting out local problems, and using that to get good local candidates elected to Parliament. If you achieve that, policy will look after itself, because you will know what people want without needing to be told by focus groups and research companies.

That is, if this sort of traditional politics hasn't been killed off by managerialism and big business funding.

Even teh Guardian predicts a decade in the wilderness for Labour now.

The Australian election chief Lynton Crosby I think made a good point :

‘Lynton’s view was that Miliband’s campaign was driven by the culture of complaint. Some people may get passionate about zero-hours contracts and food banks, but they are not experienced by most people.
‘Jobs, tax cuts and home-ownership may be boring to the Leftie chattering classes but they are very interesting to the man and the woman in the street.’

I think Lynotn actually hits the nail perfectly. Its what we have all been arguing on here - the bigger picture if you like.

I know I am a bit late to this but agree with whoever said it was a bit off that DC was photographed going to an exclusive restaurant in Mayfair on the 8th.

Yes, he's entitled to celebrate his win but it really looks bad after his promises that we are all in this together and austerity is necessary to get the UK back on track.

Oh, but hang on, he's won now so doesn't have to make an effort to appear a man of the people anymore. It's back to business as usual.

His slimy smug face with vacuously grinning Sam and shifty looking Gideon made me want to punch something.

I've rejoined the Labour Party today. I've decided to channel my anger into something constructive.

No - they [Labour], and the Lib Dems need to get back to the basics of grassroots politics, getting councillors and mayors elected, getting people involved, building local parties, sorting out local problems, and using that to get good local candidates elected to Parliament.

I agree that channelling anger is the way to go, but we have to be in it for the long haul.

We need to remember that the SNP haven't just come from nowhere. There was an SNP party in the 60s & 70s with Winnie Ewing and one or two others, but the current SNP only started to build support after Maggie Thatcher's disastrous poll tax experiment in Scotland. In reality, it has taken them about a generation to get to this position.

I'll tell you what hypocrisy is - ... It's a shadow chancellor flipping his homes three times to benefit as much as possible from expenses.

So glad that Selfish therefore concedes that the government is full of hypocrites. Not least the new Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor.

Oh but at least we don't have to see DC with shirt sleeves rolled up in NHS wards or on factory floors anymore pretending to be the man of the hardworking people

hardworking common people that should read.

YANBU OP. 2 days later and it is still sinking in. I'm waiting for them to announce the return of work houses quite frankly.

5 years of rampant conservatism and there will be nothing left in this country for those that are poor, vulnerable or disabled.

Don't worry. It won't be like that. Those less fortunate will in fact be better off than under Labour.

LotusLight explain how you think the less fortunate will be better off with the present government.

Do you see decent quality work being created paying a living wage? Are there plans to build affordable housing? What improvements are being made to geriatric care? What promises are there to reduce hospital waiting lists?

Do tell, I really would like to know.

Or how about MH service provision Lotus?

LaVolcan LotusLight doesn't know what she's talking about, and once again I'm puzzled by her posting on a 'dear God, those fuckers are in for the 50 years at least, kill me now' thread.

It not about the socialist curbing her right of speech, she actually said that, it's about not interfering in our pity party. But here she is again.

Reading through the political threads the last couple of days has done nothing to change my mind about the people who vote Tory. They've basically stated what utter shits they are, whilst complaining about us calling them shits. Their vote was all about me, me and more me.

We survived 1992, we'll survive this.

prorsum You may say that - I survived the Thatcher years but it doesn't mean I'm not deeply scarred, and this shower seem to want to revert to the early Eighties.

I think they want to revert to the 1930s. Which was a very mixed time, with some people being jolly comfortable, and some in desperate poverty. I'd like to think that we had moved on from those times.

At least the right does not call the left "utter shits". Even if the left are very very sore losers there is no need to criticise the right in those sorts of terms as it just ensures we have an even lower opinion of Labour voters.

The Tories got in because of things like their promise to increase the single person allowance etc. They got in because they chose middle ground policies. I am not happy with those policies - they are not too different from Labour and Labour didn't get in because it lurched to the left more than most voters wanted.

I do feel that the right has this air of wanting to pat you on the head and say "aw you kids run off and play and let the adults deal with important matters" when you mention anything vaguely left-wing

The right can certainly be sore losers too. Portillo was a notable exception when he was gracious in defeat.

I believe that both Labour and Conservatives make their voting choice for the same reason - a combo of self interest and a desire to do what is best for the country.

We just have very different opinions re what "the best for the country" is.

Conservative supporters seem to have kept themselves to themselves on MN, but there has been such a tirade of anger, viciousness and personal insult here since Friday that many have decided to argue back.

Whatever your opinion of the election result, a vast number of people chose that result. We can't all be evil bar stewards.

50% of the vote went to the Tories and UKIP. That's a lot of evil people.