Pondering, and while slightly more optimistic than we once were, still really quite unhappy Lefty thread

[Hassled]

Where had we got to? We'd agreed that we all love Cameron, right?

No Poking. Promise.

I was thinking of starting a Reasons to be Cheerful thread.

In no particular order:

1. Greens got a seat
2. BNP did NOT get a seat
3. Labour regained Bethnal Green
4. Tories don't have an outright majority
5. We might get electoral reform
6. Er, what else?

V tempted to add the UKIP plane crash but that seems a little unkind. Not that I'm at all cheerful about the injury to the people involved, but I rather like the idea that it was an Act of God preventing them from unfurling the banner.

I'll sign up to your 'Reasons to be cheerful' thread - next item could be the rather marvellous sight of those protestors today demanding (and getting) response from a senior politician and possibly actually affecting the course of the negotiations?

Thing is, I think it would have to be a lefties reasons to be cheerful.

Otherwise all the reasons will be that labour got trounced and Gordon is about to go and I might get over emotional and say shouty things.

Perhaps I'd better keep my cheerfulness on this thread.

7. Lefties used to be quite proficient at discontent and protests - we might have the chance to re-hone our skills.
8. Charles Clarke (who I voted for, for the greater good etc) is out.
9. I've rediscovered loads of old politicos I thought were dead - Cecil Parkinson the other day. I got that heady adrenaline rush of sudden rage.

But yes Pol, that is indeed a reason to be cheerful.

Also the voter turnout I think is a reason to be cheerful - I've never seen so many people involved and discussing politics.

It would have been easy for the anti-politician vibe to have translated into voter apathy, but it hasn't.

lol hassled

Don't go Out There. Really. The mood is ugly. (Actually, saying that, the bad-tempered thread I'm on appears to be resolving itself rather sweetly.)

It is odd though, as Apple (I think?) said - will we end up with permanent lefty and righty threads? And is that a good thing?

I think you're right PW.

I am still reeling from reading the surreal BNP Good Luck thread.

Bizarro...

Voter turnout was bloody brilliant - it gave me goosebumps when I got to my polling station and saw the queue. (Unfortunately it turns out they were all Tories, but hey!)

No, sorry - still miserable

Looks like the Tories are beginning to fall out amongst themselves here.

I honestly think the Stalin thing is only thrown out by people who aren't thinking very hard. I'm rather cheered by the emerging consensus on that thread - regulate the financial sector, while making the UK less dependent on it. I think there's more public appetite for this sort of programme than the politicians realise.

Who are you, Polly? Can you give us a clue?

I feel a bit sorry for Cameron reading that. If it had emerged that he alone had refused the debates, he would have looked crap. And there was no way he could have shown more support for Ashcroft over the non-dom thing.

Do you know, there were aspects of the Big Society thing that I liked. I absolutely think it would be a good thing for individual citizens to get more stuck in to local services provision, local politics, local charities etc. But you would have to incentivise them to do it, and it couldn't be used as an excuse to withdraw state funding. But it was too easily satirised as 'I'm going to have to start my own hospital to cut out my dad's cataracts' - they didn't seem to have thought through the presentation at all.

Isn't Ashcroft a dreadful little twerp?

He really is a despicable man.

Stalin? Have a I missed something somewhere?

It was a thread asking whether PR or the economy should be the priority, nearlytoolate. Got a bit fruity at one stage but has resolved itself (for now...)