UK Elections

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Rishi Sunak has called for election on our national holiday. Interesting choice of date.

On the one hand, wouldn't it be great to have elections with less than 2 months of all-out campaigning?

On the other, his party is almost certain to lose. Down 20 points or so.

Why would he call an election he's sure to lose?

The most obvious answer I can think of is that he knows the shit is going to hit the fan big time in the next year - and he doesn't want his party in office to take all the blame.

 

[ericram]

I would absolutely love it if our election season didn't last 4 years and cost billions.

 

[TJ8869]

 

[TC Nole OX]

Party leaders clash over health care and immigration in first televised debate of U.K. election

 

[sober_teacher]

Rishi Sunak has called for election on our national holiday. Interesting choice of date.

On the one hand, wouldn't it be great to have elections with less than 2 months of all-out campaigning?

On the other, his party is almost certain to lose. Down 20 points or so.

Why would he call an election he's sure to lose?

The most obvious answer I can think of is that he knows the shit is going to hit the fan big time in the next year - and he doesn't want his party in office to take all the blame.

My understanding of UK election rules is that they would have been required to have an election later this year, perhaps they think calling them early gives them the best chance to win? Idk if they maybe think waiting would be even worse, perhaps their internal polling is better than outside projections.

 

[ClarindaA's]

Immigration is going to be the focus of a lot of elections in the Western world over the next decade.

 

[themelrosemauler]

What a bunch of tossers

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

My understanding of UK election rules is that they would have been required to have an election later this year, perhaps they think calling them early gives them the best chance to win? Idk if they maybe think waiting would be even worse, perhaps their internal polling is better than outside projections.

He had to call an election this fall anyways, so he's only moving it up by a few months.

Honestly I think the reason he called it was because he's tired of the job. Got handed the job when the conservatives were already cratered in the polls after Johnson and Truss. Because of that I think he's likely had very little room to work with or put in place any agenda. Essentially walked into the job as a lame duck PM. He probably feels like PM in name only at this point.

And lets be honest as rich as he is he's probably tired of slumming it in 10 Downing St. He is like 2 or 3 times richer than the King.

Also things just got worse for him and the Tories. Nigel Farage originally said he wasn't going to run for the UK Reform Party, but has not changed his mind. This means the Tory vote is likely to be more split than it already was.

The best case scenario for the Tories predictions still give Labour it's largest majority in the history of their party and that was before Nigel Farage decided to run.

 

[sober_teacher]

The best case scenario for the Tories predictions still give Labour it's largest majority in the history of their party and that was before Nigel Farage decided to run.

Incredible illustration of how one party totally screwed itself - Tories have been top of the food chain for a long time, I’ve read speculation periodically about if Labour was doomed to be the perpetual little brother in British politics.

This upcoming election gives them the best chance to shift UK politics in decades.

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

Incredible illustration of how one party totally screwed itself - Tories have been top of the food chain for a long time, I’ve read speculation periodically about if Labour was doomed to be the perpetual little brother in British politics.

This upcoming election gives them the best chance to shift UK politics in decades.

It's pretty typical in the UK for one party to be in charge for a very long time.

One thing I don't like about UK and Canadian politics is that the PM can call for a snap election whenever he wants. So they tend to use it to boost their numbers and give themselves a fresh 5 year term when their polling is at it's highest.

I actually think the idea behind a snap election is a good one but it should require more than the PM wanting an election.

Conservatives have been in charge for 14 years, but before that, Labour was in charge for 13 years, Prior to that conservatives were in charge for 18 years. Being able to call the election whenever you like gives you a huge advantage.

 

[TC Nole OX]

2024 Election Specials: 1. The economy

 

[TC Nole OX]

2024 Election Specials: 2. Immigration

 

[TC Nole OX]

2024 Elections Specials: 3. Reform

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

Saw a video on this election and Liz Truss really screwed her own party. Before her the cons were down by 5 points which is normal after the scandals of Johnson and just having been in charge for so long.

But after she left the conservatives were down by 20. Rishi had no chance. He's just the sacrificial lamb that will be in charge while the conservatives get slaughtered and he'll be forced out of leadership as though the beatdown the conservatives take at the polls was all his fault.

 

[sober_teacher]

Saw a video on this election and Liz Truss really screwed her own party. Before her the cons were down by 5 points which is normal after the scandals of Johnson and just having been in charge for so long.

But after she left the conservatives were down by 20. Rishi had no chance. He's just the sacrificial lamb that will be in charge while the conservatives get slaughtered and he'll be forced out of leadership as though the beatdown the conservatives take at the polls was all his fault.

Honestly, I think their downward trend started with Brexit vote to begin with.

 

[TC Nole OX]

650 seats in the House of Commons


Seismic poll predicts Tories getting just 72 seats in extinction level event | LBC analysis

 

[TC Nole OX]

Is Keir Starmer 'right' to revisit Brexit? | James O'Brien on LBC

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

Saw a video on this election and Liz Truss really screwed her own party. Before her the cons were down by 5 points which is normal after the scandals of Johnson and just having been in charge for so long.

But after she left the conservatives were down by 20. Rishi had no chance. He's just the sacrificial lamb that will be in charge while the conservatives get slaughtered and he'll be forced out of leadership as though the beatdown the conservatives take at the polls was all his fault.

Rishi was in a great position. Unfortunately for himself and the UK, he chose to stick with Tory policies (or lack of policies, as the case may be).

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

2024 Elections Specials: 3. Reform

View embedded media

I love Jon Stewart and Jon Oliver, but they could take lessons from Jonathan Pie.

Alternatively, Pie needs to do for the US what he's doing for the UK. Or should I say "to"?

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

Rishi was in a great position. Unfortunately for himself and the UK, he chose to stick with Tory policies (or lack of policies, as the case may be).

How was he in a great position? 20 points down in the polls after being handed the job after the previous person in your own party blew it so bad that she only lasted 7 weeks on the job setting a record for the shortest time on the job in UK history? And honestly if the queen wouldn't have died she probably would have lasted 3 weeks.

Voters had rightly written off the conservatives at that point.

Reason he's gone hard right recently is to limit the losses and prevent Reform from overtaking the conservatives.

 

[ClarindaA's]

How was he in a great position? 20 points down in the polls after being handed the job after the previous person in your own party blew it so bad that she only lasted 7 weeks on the job setting a record for the shortest time on the job in UK history? And honestly if the queen wouldn't have died she probably would have lasted 3 weeks.

Voters had rightly written off the conservatives at that point.

Reason he's gone hard right recently is to limit the losses and prevent Reform from overtaking the conservatives.

The natives are becoming tired…or are are exhausting from dealing with the cultural change that refugee and Islamic immigration have brought to the UK…as well as the rest of Western Europe

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

How was he in a great position?

He was the savior. Clearly better than the last 3 options. Still a Tory, so I'd never like him, but he had a small window of opportunity to turn things around - if only because everyone could see he was a pro and not an idiot. After Johnson, May and Trust, there was some reason to be hopeful.

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

He was the savior. Clearly better than the last 3 options. Still a Tory, so I'd never like him, but he had a small window of opportunity to turn things around - if only because everyone could see he was a pro and not an idiot. After Johnson, May and Trust, there was some reason to be hopeful.

Not 20 points in a year and a half.

May was a pro but she got stuck trying to push through an impossible Brexit deal. That cost her her job.