UK General Election called for 8th June 2017

[kalniel]

Pretty much the only good I can see coming from this is that turnout might reach slightly more respectable levels.

I get the feeling turnout for a snap election will be lower than for a regular one.

[OilSheikh]

Maybe younger people will actually vote in larger numbers instead of not voting and then moaning at all the older folk who did vote.

I have been hearing this for a while. Is this a fact or some made up BBC bs ?

[ik9000]

I have been hearing this for a while. Is this a fact or some made up BBC bs ?

Not sure, but the report on the stats that I read was that the lower demographic areas statistically voted leave, while more educated demographics statistically voted remain. Not sure how that might translate into a GE given the wider issues that may come into play, combined with the dislike of most key characters that many seem to hold (even long term 1-party people) and the curve-ball of the "stop brexit" campaign to factor in. This is almost too much, sometimes I look at it and wonder if it's some kind of TV drama and I'm obviously coasting along in a coma or something...

[Saracen]

I get the feeling turnout for a snap election will be lower than for a regular one.

Maybe, but we are in "interesting" times, where the old left/right paradigm no longer really exists. Or at least, doesn't rule all. All sorts of other things are going on too, one of which (whether pro or anti) is the highly contested Brexit situation.

Of course some (yes, you Jeremy) appear to be trying to make it about anything and everything except what is both the dominating issue of the times and the reason explicitly stated for calling it. You might have at least mentioned it in passing, JC. Or have you really still not decided where you stand.

[ik9000]

Maybe, but we are in "interesting" times, where the old left/right paradigm no longer really exists. Or at least, doesn't rule all. All sorts of other things are going on too, one of which (whether pro or anti) is the highly contested Brexit situation.

Of course some (yes, you Jeremy) appear to be trying to make it about anything and everything except what is both the dominating issue of the times and the reason explicitly stated for calling it. You might have at least mentioned it in passing, JC. Or have you really still not decided where you stand.

Oh he knows where he stands. At the ballot box. It's what he says when he's there he's not sure on. Unless it's trident. And he's wrong on that, so so wrong, IMO.

[scaryjim]

... You might have at least mentioned it in passing, JC. Or have you really still not decided where you stand.

I think he both knows where he stands, and knows that it's a viper's nest for Labour. Labour is - has always been, really - horribly split over Europe. If he comes out firmly one way or the other he risks alienating half the party supporters. I imagine he'll do everything he possibly can to avoid expressing a strong opinion on Europe.

[EndlessWaves]

This is almost too much, sometimes I look at it and wonder if it's some kind of TV drama and I'm obviously coasting along in a coma or something...

I'd vote for Gene Hunt.

[Lanky123]

Maybe younger people will actually vote in larger numbers instead of not voting and then moaning at all the older folk who did vote.

I have been hearing this for a while. Is this a fact or some made up BBC bs ?

The trouble with those stats is that lots of young people (students) can be registered to vote in two constituencies/wards - a 'home' address and a 'university' address as they spend a considerable amount of time at each. Of course they can only vote in one. But that has the effect of reducing turnout (voted/registered fraction) in student heavy areas as many of them vote somewhere else for convenience/tactical reasons.

You can try to model this behaviour and account for it. Or you can poll people after the event and ask them if the voted, who for along with their age etc etc. But then you have to trust their answer.

Frankly, you probably need a degree in statistics to make a good guess with sensible error bars. And I'm not sure too many media outlets worry about those. The general feeling I got was that the young turnout wasn't as bad as first reported but still lower than older voters. I didn't follow the issue religiously though.

[kompukare]

I think he both knows where he stands, and knows that it's a viper's nest for Labour. Labour is - has always been, really - horribly split over Europe. If he comes out firmly one way or the other he risks alienating half the party supporters. I imagine he'll do everything he possibly can to avoid expressing a strong opinion on Europe.

But doesn't equally apply to the Tories? Surely the nine months of foot dragging (and still not saying what they actually want) was because they don't want to be seen to made out of factions?

FPTP really doesn't help here as with so many other things. In other countries with different electoral systems there usually is space for these factions, but here the big parties have to pretend to be united. In for example Germany, the business friendly can vote FD, conservative voter for the CDU, the normal Social Democrats can vote for industry friendly SDP, the more left voters Die Linke or Greens etc. Here, this isn't possible and leads to party infighting, voters feeling nobody represents them etc. All not good. Usually stops extreme populists too as if UKIP had gotten their 80ish seats their votes should have gotten, and they'd entered a coalition they would no longer have been able to cast themselves as the people's outsiders. A bit of responsibility could work wonders for populists making crazy promises.

Plus having coalitions is actually good for driving consensus, having an agreed program etc. Of course, the big parties used to forming a majority government don't like sharing power; a classic example being FF in the 1989-1992 coalition in Ireland, where's this nice quote about it being 'temporary little arrangement'
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert...989.E2.80.9392

[Saracen]

I think he both knows where he stands, and knows that it's a viper's nest for Labour. Labour is - has always been, really - horribly split over Europe. If he comes out firmly one way or the other he risks alienating half the party supporters. I imagine he'll do everything he possibly can to avoid expressing a strong opinion on Europe.

And thereby demonstrating one major (though not only) reason why (IMHO, of course) he's utterly unsuited and unfit to be PM, which is that despite the situation the country finds itself in, and a GE a few weeks away, he STILL isn't addressing the single biggest and most important issue facing the country - the EU and Brexit.

After all, as I uhderstand it, unless either the LibDems or Greens form the next government, everybody else (and I exclude the SNP as they only stand in Scotland) we ARE still leaving. Tory policy is "accept the referendum and leave". Labour policy appears to be the same, at least as far as that. The difference seems to be in what an exit deal should look like, not whether we leave. That puts Brexit front and centre in GE issues, yet JC had not a single word to say about it.

[Corky34]

I have been hearing this for a while. Is this a fact or some made up BBC bs ?

It was something that was widely reported, not just by the BBC IIRC, that youth turnout was low, however later polling, studies, analysis, or what ever you want to call it showed they were inline (64%) with most other age groups, 65% among 25-39 year-olds, 66% among those aged between 40 and 54, it was only when getting into the 55-65 age groups that turnout rose (74%) with 65+ being the highest at 90%.

[DanceswithUnix]

It was something that was widely reported, not just by the BBC IIRC, that youth turnout was low, however later polling, studies, analysis, or what ever you want to call it showed they were inline (64%) with most other age groups, 65% among 25-39 year-olds, 66% among those aged between 40 and 54, it was only when getting into the 55-65 age groups that turnout rose (74%) with 65+ being the highest at 90%.

Supposedly older people don't care about whether it is raining and will vote anyway, so it as being discussed as a factor before the voting. Quite scary to think the outcome could have been different if the weather was better that day!

[Corky34]

Give em a pack of Werther Originals and not even a hurricane will stop them.

[amandamax]

Happy to see here that UK general election called on 8th June 2017. Every body should participate to cast their vote in general election.

[Saracen]

The Commons has voted on the motion to use the FTPAct facility to override the 5 year fixed term, requiring a 2/3rd majority. Confidence was high it would succeed, with Tory, Labour and LibDem policy in favour, and SNP committed to abstain.

For : 522

Against : 13

That hugely passes the 2/3rd test. Motion passed. We therefore have a General Election.

[adidan]

I was abroad for a couple of years and it appears the water was tainted and the whole country has lost its collective mind, I half expect to see people just arguing with brick walls.

Yes, the GE will be about Brexit but it shouldn't only be about Brexit - there's alot more going on we have to keep an eye on.

Yes I am/was a remainer but we are leaving but i'm damned if i'll let the tories take my milk again on the way out.