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 feel that, within mainstream politics, voters very broadly want the same things but only disagree about the way to achieve them. The formerly obligate Labour voters I know who were happy to admit to planning to vote Conservative seemed to have done so because they viewed Labour's plans as unrealistic in terms of the long term results.

I hope those who are feeling disappointed this morning don't feel too much like the marjority of the voting public no longer share their core ideals, I don't believe this is the case.

I am still waiting for your analysis of the appeal of the Tory message for voters who have been the victims of ten years of austerity, BovaryX.

What exactly is it about Brexit that appeals, in your opinion?

As the nation has spoken, I'm going to patriotically adopt the NewConservative and Brexit mind-set of "Every man is an island" and "I'm alright, Jack":

My constituency has kept our excellent Labour MP.
I live in a metropolitan, diverse, affluent area.
Our household enjoys high income, which I shall proudly proclaim is entirely due to my personal deserving qualities rather than a big dose of good luck and fortuitous chances.
We can afford nutritious food and eating out, so who cares if food bank use is at an all-time high.
My DC are privately educated, so I needn't care if there's no money for schools.
Everyone in our house is healthy and able-bodied, so I needn't care if health services and benefits are devastated.
If the promised Sunlit Uplands don’t arrive, our jobs/qualifications are internationally portable.
I shall hoard all these advantages for my personal benefit, and from now on not even stand up for a doddery passenger on the bus - after all it's their fault if they're frail and can't afford a car.
Actually, what am I saying? I’m going to purchase a gas-guzzling Humvee and drive myself to work every day, because who gives a shit about the environment, those orang-utans deserve to go extinct for lack of evolutionary foresight.

bovary don't be so disingenuous!

Some weird discourse this morning. Are people badly hungover?

Feeling very, very low.
Lots of posts all over mumsnetdonce last night all saying "that's it, I'm never donating to a foodbank again!..."
Sigh.
It's the children that will suffer. By all means give where you wish, but people who use foodbanks have been "punished" enough.

YYY, ThatSeventiesLass.

Scotland's future TBD probably in the next five years too.

Interesting comments about Them People’s Government’

Can I ask, did people who voted Conservative do so primarily because of Brexit ? Was getting Brexit done your main focus when choosing to vote for them ?

Yes - primary reason was Brexit

But, take Brexit out of the equation completely & I'd have still gone Tory this time over Labour for policy reasons as well as Corbyn

That said, I can honestly say that if Corbyn's Labour had been the only party offering Brexit & Boris's Tories were pro-2nd ref then I simply wouldn't have voted at all.
I am much, much more against Corbyn the man & Corbynism than I am pro-Brexit

Labour fucked this from the end of Thatcherism, Blair promised the earth but the spoils were only for the metropolitan. The ex-industrial areas were left behind back in the late 90's.

Brexit and all its promises appealed to all the areas left floundering after the great Blair/Brown metropolitan New Labour push.

YOU did this, YOU left nothing for these areas and then called them stupid and racist and irrelevant. Labour left these areas floundering for 15 years.

And is now seeing the results.

Idiots.

“Rings slightly odd” one of the commentators said
Another said “so if you are against the Government, what does that make you...”

It’s exactly as you all predicted.

Ah here’s Gove

What has 9 years of tory government done for deprived areas or does everything hinge on the great brexit bonanza?

Why is Gove doing the Big Speech??

Hate is a strong word. But that man.

Interesting to see what ‘Get Brexit done’ now means

Him and Rees Mogg have now presumably been let out of their cupboards

Johnson is probably too hungover

Managed to name check one of the few Scottish Tory seats. Well done Govey.

I don't know if the person upthread who said it was because Labour had "become the party of immigrants" is ex-Labour

It is likely that Labour lost Labour Leavers, but if they had voted for a Brexit WA they would have lost even more Remainers
With 70% of 2015 GE Labour voters being Remainers, they had to choose to risk the 30%

The big advantage for the Tory party is that Remainers are mostly Tory first, whereas in Labour, both Leave and remain prioritised Brexit views over party

Also, Remain was split over several parties, whereas the Tories were the obvious Leave party

Math Scotland's independence also has an air of inevitability about it. The UK will consist of England and Wales in ten years.

Thanks for answering my question DustyDiamond

ILikeYourHairyHands can I ask how you think the Conservatives have improved the situation for those people who have felt left behind over the last 9 or so years ?

Why the appeal of Brexit though, HairyHands?

New Labour continued in Margaret Thatcher's footsteps, enthusiastically voted in several times by a cross section of society iirc.

Then the Tories ushered in an era of austerity.

Then Brexit.

What is it about Brexit, specifically Brexit, that appeals?

Just because the Tories have a large majority does not make then a centrist party.

People voted for a far right party. So we are now a far right country in a similar vein to Hungary.

Will we remain a hard right country? Who knows.

One thing that has struck me in all the last however many pages.

People say Labournis too London centric. That may be the case. It probably is. Bit all we ever hear is the North is forgotten about

The North is not forgotten about. It may be mistreated but it's not forgotten about.

The Midlands has a significant population and poor transport links. It's never really mentioned.

Scotland- well if you are English I'm sorry but the vast majority foen't really give a fuck about Scotland....or Wales or NI.

Tories have won the battle but they have probably now lost the war - the UK WILL break up.

Pretty mentioned upthread about Scotland not voting for Tories before. It's a different Scotland now. Then it was a see of red.

Agree, ThatSeventiesLass.

I feel that deep buried fatigue you feel a bit like that feeling just before you have proper flu. My only straw to clutch is that Zac Goldsmith went.

So politics is reshaped. The higher the share of workers in low - skilled jobs then the more likely that constituency was to vote for their new Tory/ERG masters.

How will that shift in voters inform new Tory strategy?

Surely MPs in those constituencies will see a need to genuinely return to one nation type beliefs. But they can't given the leaders.

I guess it just means more spin, lies and deception as the survival of the fittest agenda continues? The strategy to hide the true agenda has been proven to work after all?

"The People's Government" - UGH. I am apparently not a Person today.

No words for all this.