General British politics discussion thread

I am pretty sure they don't either. It has turned quite like the Republicans in the US. There's more to be gained from opposing everything than getting anything done, even when you're in power. When Donald trump controlled all three parts of the legislature in the US all he could talk about was what Barrack Obama did wrong. After Labour getting his bill through on Tuesday night, all Boris had at PM's questions on Wednesday was "labour were playing politics with the nations health"

Boris' cabinet of total incompetence means that there's no real benefit to MP's behaving, working positively to get things done for their constituencies. When ministers are only there to defend the indefensible on TV and Radio, when the distribution of funding is only done at the whim of Boris, why would MP's behave. What is there to gain? There is no reason to behave when under the Tories, and accelerated under Boris there has been a kind of a free for all, nearly a breakdown in Civil governance. A PM that lied to the Queen with no consequences? A PM that lies to everyone with seemingly no consequences, why would MP's behave. As foreign secretary Boris spent all his time trying to undermine Theresa May.

The very fabric of conventions that held parliament together have been ripped apart and we wonder why MP's rebel. They didn't do Brexit because of any real zeal or deeply held beliefs, they did it because they could. It was the huge thing that nobody believed they could do, or would do. Brexit has been the culmination of a generation of anti establishment momentum. Much like Donald Trump has abused the legal system in the US for decades and somehow was admired for it, the cult of Homer Simpson has come to pass. Don't like it don't do it, find some lazy or smartass way of getting around it.

Britian is definitely following the US on a self destruct path. UKIP having a friendly take over of the Tories will have devastating consequences in years to come. The complete lack of consequences for actions that wee wrong or fell well below what was expected is eroding many aspects of the Tory party. The current government are the standard bearers for Britian right now. What does that say about the country.

The police who presumably had officers stationed at all the entrances in Downing street when lockdown breaking parties were being held, declined to investigate, Cressida Dick, has had to apologise so many times for the incompetence and many other failings of those who serve below her, yet she is still in her position, how can that be?

Lid Dems have, by all accounts, trounced the Tories in what was a 23,000 majority seat for Paterson in 2019.

Boris is toast.

I'm pleased for ordinary Brit taxpayers really.

I say not a shock, but i don't think anyone was predicting a near 6,000 majority. That's an absolute crushing defeat for Johnson, maybe a few more letters winging their way to Graham Brady over the weekend?

He's odds on now to be gone before conference season next year and i think that's about right. The flat redecoration issue will be resurfacing in the new year so that will keep the pressure heaped on him and don't think he can survive too many more, as teflon coated as he is. This is just one election and governments generally get a bloody nose at by elections, but a 35% swing in a brexit safe seat constituency will send shock waves through the party and shred Johnson's much vaunted veneer as a vote winner. Dead man walking pretty much I think.

With the pre election commentary was about a narrow Tory win being resignation worthy, this type of spanking is going to be lead to some very interesting attempts to justify his existence

I haven't followed too closely and can't seem to find an answer to the question - what happened to Labour in North Shropshire? They were second in 2019 and the Lib Dems were a distant third, but they lost about three quarters of their votes this time out while the Lib Dems surged. I understand there was tactical voting but normally that would go to the party who was second last time out, not the party who was third. Is it just that Starmer is as unpopular as Johnson or were there issues with the local candidate?

Because the Labour voters in the area would normally vote for their preference knowing it was all pointless anyway.

They made the calculation that rural Tories would never ever switch to Labour and also that rural LD voters would never switch to Labour either so they had already hit the ceiling. But it was obvious on the ground that Tories would go LD so that's why the tactical voting went LD not Labour

I think people's view of the party got a little skewed during Cleggs time but the true Lib Dems are a centre right party and much closer to Farron and Cable than Clegg.

Personally I know a fair few socially conservative middle England type people who only vote for them because they are a bit too ashamed of the more hardcore sections of the Tories

Well of course they were way down on last time if most of their voters correctly read the stats and voted Lib Dems. The demographics of the area explain why they were never at the races. Their previous numbers are the absolute ceiling for Labour in that area and no amount of canvassing would change that

Change UK will scare them off a split. Add to that any Tory that went UKIP lost his seat

According to Kevin Cunningham both the Lib Dems and Labour released their own internal polling that showed that it was a marginal between the Tories and them. The Lib Dems got their one out first though and The Guardian picked it up. It became the established narrative then that it was a Tory/Lib Dem marginal. That meant that all of the tactical anti-Tory voters went toward the Lib Dems. The interesting thing is that Cunningham, who is a polling expert, said that the Lib Dem poll was based on an online survey with very shaky fundamentals so in essence they pulled a fast one and it paid off (although he used work for Labour so make of that what you will).