2010 British election

[GirlySports]

LOL

[Canada 02]

polls close in a little over an hour

i'm following the results here http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/election2010/results/

[Hack&Lube]

I going for the Tories.

The Nick Clegg guy seems kind of sketch/slimy to me for some reason. He's a total Eurocrat.

[Hack&Lube]

Simon Cowell's take

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...o-Britain.html

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by Suzles

To other British ex-pats - how do I vote now I am in Calgary - or have I left it too late?

I don't live in the country therefore it isn't fair that I vote there.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

So I'm trying to catch up on the debates, only watched the domestic one so far. Will watch the foreign issues one later. Just a first (uneducated) opinion seems like UK is so far behind Canada and US.

1. This is the first ever leaders debate on tv. Really? In 2010? How did people know what they were voting for in the past?
2. They're talking about addressing too many immigrants by introducing a points-system. Canada's had this since the 60s.
3. They're talking about recalling MPs who are too corrupt but this may be a drastic measure.
4. They're talking about making the House of Lords less useless. It's been useless since the beginning of time.
5. Education and over-testing. UK students losing to the rest of the world.
6. Law. Talking about tougher sentences and less parole. Some bloke got burglerized 5 times by the same burgler!

The debate was mostly the new guy (Lib-Dem) saying the other two guys are useless

I really thought UK was more advanced than this in 2010.

British media is far and away better than ours, tune into BBC radio 4 occasionally, the take on TV debate in the UK is it massively oversimplifies the issues and leaves the voters less informed.

I doubt any media is as voracious and uncomprimising as the UK's, they rip the politicians as effectively and with as much coverege as they do Amy Winehouse.

[Byrns]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

So I'm trying to catch up on the debates, only watched the domestic one so far. Will watch the foreign issues one later. Just a first (uneducated) opinion seems like UK is so far behind Canada and US.

1. This is the first ever leaders debate on tv. Really? In 2010? How did people know what they were voting for in the past?
2. They're talking about addressing too many immigrants by introducing a points-system. Canada's had this since the 60s.
3. They're talking about recalling MPs who are too corrupt but this may be a drastic measure.
4. They're talking about making the House of Lords less useless. It's been useless since the beginning of time.
5. Education and over-testing. UK students losing to the rest of the world.
6. Law. Talking about tougher sentences and less parole. Some bloke got burglerized 5 times by the same burgler!

The debate was mostly the new guy (Lib-Dem) saying the other two guys are useless

I really thought UK was more advanced than this in 2010.

Well the polling stations are open until 10pm compared to our 8pm.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Byrns

Well the polling stations are open until 10pm compared to our 8pm.

And it's still not enough. People are being turned away in some areas.
Not they're frantically counting to get the reults in by midnight.

Exits polls show a Conservative minority

Conservatives 307
Labour 255
Lib-Dems 59
Other 29

Labour as the existing government gets first crack at a coalition, a dirty deal with Lib-Dems?

[afc wimbledon]

Yep. looks like the tories with Ulster Unionist support, that will make life in N Ireland a bit crap.

[GirlySports]

The Lib-Dems losing seats (as indicated in that exit poll) would be a surprise.
I thought Clegg was making ground.

[icarus]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

The Lib-Dems losing seats (as indicated in that exit poll) would be a surprise.
I thought Clegg was making ground.

Yeah I find the exit poll hard to believe for this reason and exit polls are far from perfect. I can't fathom that the Lib Dems will have actually lost seats.

EDIT: Exit poll now revised 305 Con / 255 Lab / 61 Lib / 29 Oth

[mrgreen]

It's worth noting that exit polls historically have been known to be totally wrong.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by mrgreen

It's worth noting that exit polls historically have been known to be totally wrong.

Are you saying Brits lie when they get polled outside the voting station?

[Hack&Lube]

Reading up on all the issues, I'm surprised that one of the biggest ones is knife-crime. Why are knife crimes so big in the UK?

[icarus]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

Reading up on all the issues, I'm surprised that one of the biggest ones is knife-crime. Why are knife crimes so big in the UK?

Honestly hasn't been a big issue here judging from the newspapers and television debates--I think I saw one newspaper article dealing with it. Not to say it isn't a problem, a bunch of teens stabbed a kid from my neighbourhood to death in Victoria station at rush hour a few weeks ago, but it hasn't been considered much in the election campaign. There is a related issue that has been given some press and that is making schools more secure.

I'd say the main issues in this election have been maintaining a delicate economic recovery, reducing the massive British deficit and where the cuts are going to come, and immigration.

I only found out yesterday that I could have voted in this election as a Canadian citizen resident in the UK... but sadly too late to register for the electoral roll.

[icarus]

BBC reporting that across the country that voters going to polling stations after work had to line up and many couldn't get in before the polls closed at 10pm. Not good that people have been turned away, unable to vote. A lot of commentators are outraged.

Another interesting story from earlier today:
A candidate for a fringe party, UKIP, went up in a light airplane to fly a banner over his constituency. Somehow the banner caused the plane to crash and the candidate and the pilot are currently in hospital.

[Addick]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

I going for the Tories.

The Nick Clegg guy seems kind of sketch/slimy to me for some reason. He's a total Eurocrat.

Clegg sketchier than Cameron? Cameron comes across like a car salesman to me.

Originally Posted by icarus

Yeah I find the exit poll hard to believe for this reason and exit polls are far from perfect. I can't fathom that the Lib Dems will have actually lost seats.

EDIT: Exit poll now revised 305 Con / 255 Lab / 61 Lib / 29 Oth

Hmmm, still not enough for a Lab-Lib coalition.

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Are you saying Brits lie when they get polled outside the voting station?

Some are too shy to admit who they really voted for and others lie just for a laugh.

Originally Posted by icarus

I only found out yesterday that I could have voted in this election as a Canadian citizen resident in the UK... but sadly too late to register for the electoral roll.

Bloody hell, I just did a quick check I may have been eligible too! I walked by a polling station on my way home from Sainsbury's this evening, I could have rather conveniently popped in a casted a ballot. They don't seem to be as stringent as I think Canada is. Semi-related, does anyone know if I can do a postal-vote for Calgary's Municipal elections?

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by icarus

BBC reporting that across the country that voters going to polling stations after work had to line up and many couldn't get in before the polls closed at 10pm. Not good that people have been turned away, unable to vote. A lot of commentators are outraged.

This is what I mean. UK just seems backwards from my uneducated point of view. Do they have a law like Canada that you have to give people 3 hours to vote? If so, it's ridiculous that they can't get people in to vote.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

This is what I mean. UK just seems backwards from my uneducated point of view. Do they have a law like Canada that you have to give people 3 hours to vote? If so, it's ridiculous that they can't get people in to vote.

Apparently in UK the law is shut em down at 10pm and too bad if you arn't inside the doors, they have to count 60 million votes so I suppose you have to draw the line somewhere!

[nik-]

I just can't take the UK seriously. BBC is being all serious with their coverage .. and then they cut to get the count from "Tooting"

God. You suck Britain.