To think that the election results don't add up?

[RobynRB]

How did LibDem get 70 odd seats and Reform 4 when Reform got 14% of the vote. I mean, I understand how it works... but it's hardly cause for LibDem's 'greatest result' ever is it? I bet Nigel is fuming. And rightly so.

Okay- I'm still don't get it. I really appreciate the restaurant analogy. Why doesn't the hat makes sense to people. 14 people, adults got to make the decision, the majority went for Chinese. So I guess what you're saying is, it's only fair the adults made the decision, because they're the bigger constituency's? Is that right? Need to go back to school I think!

I wasn't implying that. And I can't be bothered to explain why I said dobbers either.

Well, honestly I never have and I can't imagine why I would need to. I'm 55 years old so I guess I must have lived a supremely charmed life. Now if you'll excuse me I need to get on with cleaning my ivory tower

Jesus H Christ.

Are you aware that the term 'add up' can also mean 'make sense' and not just 'add up' in the mathematical sense?

Clearly not.

Well, clearly not, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if someone asked this a few days ago. Again, maybe we need a few 'qualifying' questions..

How about...

Who is the Prime Minister

Who is the leader of the Opposition

Can you name at least two parties other than Conservative and Labour.

and finally of course, if they pass all those...

Are you going to vote for Nigel Farage?

If you have problems with any government department, your/another local council when councillors/person in charge decides not to respond, part of the NHS, utility companies or any other body then your MP is the person to go to especially sometimes before going to the relevant ombudsman.

So you may not need your local MP at 55 but it could change by the time you are 65.

No 3 adults voted for completely different Chinese restaurants and clearly couldn't compromise to agree to go to one.

The Chinese restaurants in this analogy are three independent candidates who have the same issues but refuse to field one candidate.

Imagine 14 people wanting to go for a meal and trying to decide where to go. 4 of them are children so they get no say. 4 of the adults say they aren't bothered where they end up. The remaining 6 adults vote for their favourite restaurant. 2 vote for McDonald's, 1 votes for KFC, and the other 3 vote for different Chinese restaurants. So they go to McDonald's (and do so every week for the next 5 years). That's commensurate to what happened in the 2024 general election.

If you need an explanation:
14 people = UK population of 68m
4 people can't vote = mainly kids, also foreigners/others not registered to vote
10 people = electorate of 48m
4 people not bothered = 40% who did not vote
6 people voted = turnout of 60% (29m)
2 voted McDonald's = 33% (9.7m) who voted Labour
4 people gave 1 vote to each of 4 other restaurants = people who voted Tory, Reform, Lib Dem, minor parties.

Result = Eat McDonald's for the next 5 years when only 2 out of 14 voted for it.
Result = Labour have 100% of power for 5 years when only 14% voted for them.

I’m really glad you never have lived in an area with - for example - planning issues that would blight your community, anti-social behaviour issues, infrastructure issues or had to struggle with social services and needed advocacy. I could go on and on. Perhaps use your imagination to think about all the millions of people who have turned to their MP in desperation and how grateful they’ve been for their help, or in the case of someone like Liz Truss how utterly shocked at the lack of response and then you might grasp the point of MPs

That is going to be interesting for Nigel Farage, being an MP just isn’t about taking on the Government and PMQ it is about running local clinics and being there for your constituents and listening to their problems and I am not sure how effective he will or wants to be at that

People aren't stupid. Well, they are, but not that stupid.

Voters know they are voting for FPTP. There's no way that Reform would have got 14% of the vote if voters thought that would lead to 14% of the seats, because anyone with even half a brain cell knows that their policies are ridiculous and they will be nothing but a hindrance to the running of government in any world that isn't 1930s Germany.

Reform (for many) was just an alternative to spoiling the ballot and an attempt to make the point that they're not overly chuffed with either party.

He like Galloway won't be able to do it.

He did SFA when an MEP even though he chose to be on the fisheries committee.

Trice and the other two may take tips from 30p Lee, so actually do some constituency case work including for people having issues with the Home Office. As well as doing their weekly load of constituency photo opportunities by attending events for 10 minutes to an hour depending on the demographic.

Really? Why go for a more expensive and more likely to run option then?

A second referendum on rejoining the EU? We've only left once, so it would be a first referendum on rejoining! Anyway it's all pointless, the EU will be gone in 7 years, more countries taking than paying. Once France or the Netherlands goes, the rest of the net contributors will be fighting to leave. As the last one will be footing the bill. Hardly any EU citizens want the EU, only the politicians, as they all make a fortune!

Anyone that voted for the Lib dems, thanks to you, we'll all be paying the CAZ charge. I said they'll wait till after the election, and then roll it out for anyone that doesn't own an electric vehicle, so that's 90% of us. They might wait a month or two, so it isn't obvious but they will expand it. Labour will make driving generally more expensive, taxes will go up, bills will go up. Don't get me wrong the Tories needed to go, but I feel we are out of the frying pan and into the fire. When Trump gets in again, we can forget any trade deals with the USA, David Lammy has slated him something terrible ( probably correctly, but he's now our foreign Secretary!). None of this looks good to me. I hope I'm wrong!

Anything that keeps NF away from politics is alright with me. He's the Enoch Powell of our generation.

This - at least how it works. I was at school before the National Curriculum was brought in, and we had a lesson or two which explained constituencies, FPTP, manifestos, that candidates have to pay a deposit and need to get a certain number of votes to retain it, and also how laws are made and the roles of the HoC and HoL. There was also some stuff on the EU - our MEP came in and spoke to us, so we presumably did a bit on PR, too. We also had some lessons on things like how to write a cheque and trades descriptions and consumer rights. And they also taught a full academic curriculum.

I keep reading NF as National Front rather than Nigel Farage.

Well we have to persuade people to buy these ridiculously expensive white elephants somehow. Especially now the car industry has invested in them so heavily. Never mind the carbon footprint of the infrastructure and the batteries. In fifteen years time we will all be 'forced' to dump our electric cars for something else because suddenly they decide that oh actually they aren't actually green at all... no shit.

I mean it wasn't that long ago that everyone was urged to buy diesel cars... how can we take these people seriously.

Labour worked with the electoral system they have got. What's the point of having a larger share if the vote if it doesn't get you into government. Personally I would like a more representative electoral system. If we had that I would expect the Parties to change their electoral strategies to target vote share rather than winning constituency seats.

I disagree, all parties should have the same opportunities, regardless if they are left, right or somewhere else. Also it used to be one man, one vote, as everyone's vote should be equal. As we've now got more equality, it should be one person, one vote. That is real and genuine democracy!

I think it's some while now since diesel was seen as the solution.

Less CO2 than petrol and the motor industry assured us that they could deal with particulates (DPF) and NOx (adblue etc). Later it turned out the latter wasn't all they said it was and subsequently decent electric cars began to appear.

It's less than 20years since the only electric car on the market in any numbers was the G-Wiz.

This with a cherry on top!

If it was PR in our household there is no way we would have voted for Labour and The Green Party, we both would have voted for The Labour Party.

Ah great, we know who to blame when they stuff the economy...even more, which they will 🤣