Westministenders: Election Special 2

[RedToothBrush]

Exit poll

Con majority of 68.

65 seats regarded technically as still too close to call. But that could mean an even bigger majority.

Blyth Valley has seen a 10% swing to the cons in line with the exit poll. 1st shock of the night

I agree that there are many vulnerable seats like Villiers who is talking as if she were on a lead of thousands.

Hannah Al-Othman
@HannahAlOthman
Only 11 seats left to declare.

do i slog it out to the bitter end or go to sleep?

'There has always been an undercurrent of xenophobia in this country you just need politicians to manipulate it.'

There as elsewhere. But in the UK there's the added ingredient of persistent residual colonial hubris which can be a very appealing narrative. It took the referendum for me to open my eyes to it fully.

I'm going to go and have a few hours kip. The fact that the Sky News election programme is ending seems to be a good time

Well that is fucking typical.
I wait up all night to see the Argyll and Bute result live, and while I go through to have a quick wash, it comes through, and I miss it.

But Brendan O'Hara was elected anyway, even though I wasn't watching.

"this country" means England

Scotland is a colony, as in Maggie's touring days

You really can’t help it, can you?

Hurrah! A mirror has been found!

Yy BigChoc, you're right, I should have specified England.

Na h-Eileanan an Iar Is SNP...

Only Orkney and Shetland to go, so Ruth Davidson must be relieved...

So Brexit is going to happen. What kind of Brexit is the banana skin for this Government. It is going to have to tread very carefully, given that many seats hang on by slim margins.

Two parties lost their leaders: LibDems and the DUP.

And it's good morning from me. xx

Bercow:

"Mr Johnson must be speaking autobiographically when he talks about blocking Brexit, because I'm sure he hasn't got a problem with his short-term memory.

"He will know that in two out of three votes, he voted to block Brexit.

"Apparently it was alright when he stopped Brexit but when anyone else chose to do so a different set of rules apply."

It's all right placemats, it's all going to be super! Sunlit uplands, unicorns, potential unleashed. Don't worry! We've been told. Here comes our sovereignty. Behold! See how great it is!

Right I'm done for...

Night all...

Here comes our sovereignty. Behold! See how great it is!

Ain't it the truth.

Lib Dems hold Orkney and Shetland.

Well now the Conservatives own Brexit. Let’s see what happens.
I’m sure there will be enough to keep these threads going for some time yet. Love to all.

I think all the moderate MPs who quit Labour because of Corbyn, leftwing policies and anti-semitism have lost ?

Those are the sort of MPs that former Labour voters are apparently demanding back
... but they can't get elected

So the left lost; the moderates who quit lost
The hard right won
So the route to power for Labour is to go hard right ?

Here's someone mourning Luciana Berger:

Ian Dunt@IanDunt

Hard to think of anyone who has been braver or more principled over the last couple of years than Berger.

Hugely accomplished, strong values, excellent communicator, completely human.

And really, people decided that's not what they wanted. Really.
That apparently is not what people are looking for.

I am gutted but ( to coin a phrase) it is what it is! Some Labour supporters knew this would happen with Corbyn as leader but blindly put their trust in him. I voted for him but I knew it was futile. I just didn't think it would be such a big majority for the tories but there you go. People obviously wanted this.
However, Boris has to step up now ; the tories will be badgering him to ' get brexit done' ; his work is cut out for him. He strikes me as lazy and work shy so I don't think it will be easy for him but easier than it was for Theresa May as he now has more backing.
It's the gloating I can't bear.
It's all very depressing.

M-buh-bye Emma Little-Pengelly (South Belfast, lost to SDLP) and Nigel Dodds (North Belfast, lost to SF, oh the ignominy). Don't let the door hit ye on the way out...

Lady Hermon's North Down seat goes to Alliance, not the DUP, who were runners up in 2017.

Ian Paisley's North Antrim majority was seriously eroded - 20,643 to 12,000.

SDLP seats in Foyle and South Belfast were won with crushing majorities.

A full recount is under way in Fermanagh South Tyrone, where SF and UUP candidates are separated by a whisker.

So no, Boris Johnson does not speak for 'the whole country'. Or else he defines the whole country as England plus Wales.

Actually, it seems just the 'poorly educated' of England and Wales.

BigChocFrenzy

The hard right won

The reason you didn't see this result coming is because of your insistence on this "hard right" rubbish, whereas as a matter of empirical fact the Conservatives now occupy the political centre of this country.

The extremists in this election were the Labour Party, and they were treated as such by the electorate.

My my, Donald Trump is looking forward to a trade deal with Johnson after Brexit is done.

Got to admire his optimism!

The United Kingdom of GB and NI now hangs by a thread.

So the route to power for Labour is to go hard right ?

A revolution has taken place, with undercurrents that nobody dared speak of in public (because they are completely unacceptable in a society that considers itself civilised) now front and centre, and in fact the mainstream agenda. Racism, xenophobia, all the buttons Enoch Powell pushed..

The honorable route for Labour, whether it ever leads to power being immaterial, is to speak out on behalf of the values of a civilised, democratic society.

A country led by dog whistles, xenophobia and fear isn't hard right? Okaaay.

Well.

We tried.

Good luck everyone x