UK General Election. Any interest?

[Chrisbob74]

Anyone here interested in what happens this Thursday at the UK General Election?

Labour should get returned with a reduced majority, no real challenge from the opposition parties.

[airborneskins]

No don't really care! But thanks for asking.

[iheartskins]

I'm pretty interested actually. Chris, if Labour doesn't come in with a majority, do you think that will affect British foreign policy in Iraq?

[Kilmer17]

Not likely, unless they did the unthinkable and ditched Blair.

[Henry]

I think Blair's relatively safe, though I hope his power base is not significantly weakened. He's our biggest ally, and kinda important to us right now.

[Darth Tater]

Based on everything I've read, it seems that Blair will stay in power and I don't think his power-base will be significantly weakened though it may be weaker. I've heard that an equal amount on both the extreme right and left are po'ed about his foreign policy as both would prefer more pacifist foreign policy but don't agree on internal politics.

[Cskin]

Blair with withstand the test... but he'll lose some of his leverage if the opposition suprises with results on election day.

Tony Blair... reminds me of Hugh Grant.

[smsmith40]

The critical thing is the size of his majority. If its below 50 then he will have to move to the left on a number of issues to keep his awkward squad on the back benches happy.

He's already said he would resign before the NEXT election. A significantly reduced majority would bring that forward I would imagine.

Personally, my estimate of a majority is 75-100. Blair will go immediately after the planned refrendum on the European Constitution next year, win or lose.

[Chief skin]

I think the British are more angry at being lied to then we were. I hope they hold him accountable for leading them into a war, based on lies, half truths, and flat out bull$hit

[smsmith40]

The problem is the way the electoral system works in the UK means that the people most upset about the war (who are mainly left of centre) are unlikely to support the right of centre Tory party opposition who also supported the war.

Any vote for the 3rd party (slightly more left of centre Liberal Democrats) in marginal constituencies is likely to benefit the Tory candidate.

The complications of a three party system in a First-past-the-post electoral system mean any protest vote against Blair could lead to the doomsda scenario, a Tory victory.

I don't live in a marginal constituency so my vote doesn't mean a thing.

[@DCGoldPants]

Huge Grant......hahahaha.

I think of SNL skits where it was supposed to be C-Span at Parliment.......and they'd all argue......with somebody like Mathew Brodrick being Blair.

Then Will Ferrell would stand up and say something like "I think we should pass a law to make it impossible for Oasis to break up!" or "Teletubbies RULE!"

hahahaha, now I'm laughing out loud.

[smsmith40]

You think that's funny, you should see our comedians take off GWB, it would be enough to make the average Republican bleed from the ears.

[nelms]

:munchout:

[Chrisbob74]

Originally posted by Chief skin

I think the British are more angry at being lied to then we were. I hope they hold him accountable for leading them into a war, based on lies, half truths, and flat out bull$hit

I think that's right to a point, it seems the King of Spin has made certain people change their minds in how responsible and correct he was to take the country to war, but on the whole, I don't think it's a massive issue.

The only party that wants to take our troops out is the Lib Dems, but this is a party that wants to increase the top rate of tax to 50% and have a mass exidus of anyone with skills s because of it.

Labour get back in, it's a cert, but if they have a reduced majority, especially if it goes below 100 seats, Blairs position may become untenable and Gordon Brown may finally get the job he wants.

I think most Labour supporters have had enough of Blair and would rather see Brown become PM, as he seems much more honest and less concerned with image and spin.

[BG]

Originally posted by Bufford

Huge Grant......hahahaha.

I think of SNL skits where it was supposed to be C-Span at Parliment.......and they'd all argue......with somebody like Mathew Brodrick being Blair.

Then Will Ferrell would stand up and say something like "I think we should pass a law to make it impossible for Oasis to break up!" or "Teletubbies RULE!"

hahahaha, now I'm laughing out loud.

I think that is similar to what those Brits think of the way our Government runs.

Only it's the redneck versions of Beavis and Butthead...

Oh-and you gotta love Colin Quinn chiming in as the representative from Northern Ireland...

"Will the Prime Minister be drivin his own car home tonight?"

[portisizzle]

:party:

[Cdowwe]

ehh who cares about the UK

[smsmith40]

ehh who cares about the UK

Ahh! That's why Americans are so loved and respected around the world.

I'm sure Tony Blair, who just got a kicking from the elctorate over his support for US foreign policy will be overjoyed to hear that kind of concern.

P.S For those who do care Labour (TB) was returned to governement with a sharply reduced majority of around 66. Still a few seat not yet declared.

[Chrisbob74]

Blair has been sent a message, the public are willing to give him and his party another chance but they had best get their act together.

[smsmith40]

It looks like the overall majority could be as low as 60.

My feeling, as I said before is that Blair wil

leave after the European Referendum.l

[Johnny Punani2]

Originally posted by smsmith40

Ahh! That's why Americans are so loved and respected around the world.

I'm sure Tony Blair, who just got a kicking from the elctorate over his support for US foreign policy will be overjoyed to hear that kind of concern.

P.S For those who do care Labour (TB) was returned to governement with a sharply reduced majority of around 66. Still a few seat not yet declared.

We were loved and respected after 9/11. What did that get us?

You get the point...

[smsmith40]

It got you an enormous amount of sympathy and goodwill.

Which the US government then spent like water.

I'd at least expected some interest in the electoral fate of the US's staunchest ally... but apparently not.

Given last night's results I wouldn't be expecting too much support from the UK for the next military adventure.

[Kilmer17]

Tony Blair is a supporter of war. His party is not.

The Conservative Party which supports the war has increased their number of seats, while the Labour party lost seats.

Seems to me we should expect MORE support now.

[iheartskins]

Originally posted by smsmith40

I'd at least expected some interest in the electoral fate of the US's staunchest ally... but apparently not.

C'mon--several of us have expressed interest in the results but the reporting of the outcome is not first page news here. I'm in the middle of exams, so analyzing the implications of the Parliament results and the shift in MPs is not the first thing I've looked at--but that doesn't mean that I don't find it interesting.

You have to realize that this forums caters to American football fans first, and to those with political and international interest second. I wouldn't take the fact that this thread hasn't received a ton of replies as a lack of interest in the US, as much as it's a lack of interest in the 90 or so people that tend to read Tailgate threads.

So don't try and stretch this into an insult against the US or against us--your fellow 'Skins fans.

Lastly, I think the "Prime Minister's Questions," which airs on CSPAN (a US TV channel that's all poltics) at around 10:30 on Sunday nights, is the closest thing I've seen to brilliant oratory since reading Patrick Henry's speeches. I wish our Congress had retained the same level of discourse.

[@DCGoldPants]

His party calls themselves Socialist over there.

Seems that the British system of parties is quite different.