UK Election: Cameron wins, but closer to breakup of Country

[JRHawk2003]

Scottish Nationalists win almost all seats wiping out the Labour Party. Scotland wants to stay in the EU and a lot in England want to leave it. Looks like we are seeing the end of the UK. One wonders when Northern Ireland and Wales will move that way too.

Its interesting to say the least.

 

[aflachawk]

Scottish Nationalists win almost all seats wiping out the Labour Party. Scotland wants to stay in the EU and a lot in England want to leave it. Looks like we are seeing the end of the UK. One wonders when Northern Ireland and Wales will move that way too.

Its interesting to say the least.

As you look around the world, it seems old alliances and countries breaking up is becoming more common

 

[naturalmwa]

As you look around the world, it seems old alliances and countries breaking up is becoming more common

In what unique way?

 

[thewop]

Actually, I think it makes sense that the Scottish Nationalists would pick up seats. Remember when Scotland voted, the UK was simultaneously making promises to do more for them if they stayed (I don't remember specifics of what). It seems reasonable that the Scots would want to put people from the Scottish Nationalist party in to make sure more is actually done for Scotland. If more is not done, and promises by the UK are not kept, then sure, it's more likely they'll split.

 

[Skidlt]

Lots of interesting ins and outs with that election. No one thought that any single party would get a majority.

All of the heads of the other major parties resigned, UKIP, Labour, and Lib Dems, which is fairly common after a loss in a parliamentary system.

Labour was gutted in Scotland by the nationalists. Scotland has always been a Labour stronghold as the Scots are very left leaning. Labour had been ultra vocal about keeping Scotland from going independent.

The Liberal Dems(left-center) were supposed to be ascendant five years ago and they got gutted.

UKIP(anti-EU), although it didn't win a bunch of seats, placed second in a huge amount of races.

The Conservatives should have had a slam dunk as things are purring along nicely in GB, and while things ended up that way, "change" seemed to be in the air.

I think GB will see some massive upheaval over the next ten years.

 

[INXS83]

Lots of interesting ins and outs with that election. No one thought that any single party would get a majority.

All of the heads of the other major parties resigned, UKIP, Labour, and Lib Dems, which is fairly common after a loss in a parliamentary system.

Labour was gutted in Scotland by the nationalists. Scotland has always been a Labour stronghold as the Scots are very left leaning. Labour had been ultra vocal about keeping Scotland from going independent.

The Liberal Dems(left-center) were supposed to be ascendant five years ago and they got gutted.

UKIP(anti-EU), although it didn't win a bunch of seats, placed second in a huge amount of races.

The Conservatives should have had a slam dunk as things are purring along nicely in GB, and while things ended up that way, "change" seemed to be in the air.

I think GB will see some massive upheaval over the next ten years.

Agreed, but nobody has mentioned the 'elephant in the room' any time you talk about the political climate in GB; the effects that the ever-increasing number of Muslim's are having on their culture and social leanings.

 

[lucas80]

Great Britain is going to be very interesting in the next 5-10 years. I did hear some analysis that suggested the Conservatives benefited from a lot of people who voted strategically against the UKIP. That seems awfully Machiavellian. The issue of Scotland will certainly bubble up. As noted, they were promised more, and they seemed to vote like they expect more.
The important points for people in the US are: Does a weakened, about to split apart GB, cease to be the US most important ally? And, the Conservatives have slashed defense spending to levels below what GB's mandated NATO membership limits state. Put short they are going to have a shell of a military soon. How does the US push back against GB and all the other European nations that are slashing their own military, but calling on the US to be the world's policeman?

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Actually, I think it makes sense that the Scottish Nationalists would pick up seats. Remember when Scotland voted, the UK was simultaneously making promises to do more for them if they stayed (I don't remember specifics of what). It seems reasonable that the Scots would want to put people from the Scottish Nationalist party in to make sure more is actually done for Scotland. If more is not done, and promises by the UK are not kept, then sure, it's more likely they'll split.

Along those lines I was wondering if the Scots now feel like those promises were kept. I don't know the answer but I do recall that mere weeks after the election, Gordon Brown - who had urged Scots to vote "no" on the basis of those promises - was already complaining about backpedaling. I can easily see even Scots who voted "no" being pissed off at that.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

This is one of those predictions that I hate being right about, but I predicted at the time that if the Liberal Dems formed a coalition with the Tories they would be signing their own death warrant.

The result seems to be that many L-D voters no longer see the point of backing a center-left party that hitched its wagon to the conservatives.

From an outsider's point of view, it seemed that Labour and the L-Ds ran incredibly stupid campaigns. The surprise is that they didn't lose even more seats. I guess the UK, like America, has plenty of safe seats.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Even Cymru won seats, I think. Which is amazing for folks who don't even know how to spell or pronounce the name of their own "country."

 

[JRHawk2003]

Its clear the Scots are to the left of England generally. I don't think Cameron has a choice but to devolve a lot of power to the Scots for local control.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/11/w...n-leaders-of-a-kingdom-still-united.html?_r=0

 

[LuteHawk]

Downton Abbey will enable the Brits to have another
tourist attraction. This will empower the economy and
save the day for Queen Elizabeth to live robustly until
her 100th birthday.