Voting

  • If an election were held today…

    If an election were held today, the result may tip the balance of what would have been a fraught year or so at the helm for Labour.

    The ongoing demise of the Prime Minister’s popularity as well as the struggle of his Cabinet to make their own away above the noise and clamour of news media would have reflected in a poorer result.

    It’s likely Labour regions may have held firm, or groups of constituencies that see the promise in more affordable housing and intervention for failing or struggling businesses and industries.

    However, single constituencies with less confidence in Labour’s broader plans could have fallen away to vote Conservative for a more open minded plan for change.

    The Conservative party itself would have made significant gains because its leader is promoting herself and her policies with gusto.

    This usually achieves a bounce in its membership and may be enough to help them peak above 200 seats to comfortably challenge an incoming Labour government.

  • An election today would change things

    If an election is held today, the result may be telling of how the main parties in the Commons are struggling to get through to ordinary people.

    Labour might end up with a much reduced majority, as it’s said, and therefore less authority. Its Plan for Change would stall.

    The Conservatives might not even rise above its 121 last time, but Labour losses might tip it over – if it’s lucky.

    The rise of Reform UK is subject of speculation, but its tally would probably fall far short of its greatest hopes.

    The Liberal Democrats are strong, but its dreams of a heyday are far off and it would probably return a decent outcome.

    If the argument is over handling of issues, the Government can tout its raft of announcements, but one good idea may sink it yet if it gets through to people.

  • Corbyn launches everybody’s Not My Party

    Jeremy Corbyn – the unofficial left-wing Labour party – has launched Your Party with Zarah Sultana, a fellow independent MP.

    It’s not quite there yet.

    However seismic the announcement, they’ve got to form everything that’s left apart from its name.

    It means a lot of work.

    The plaudits and pundits will come out to play with this. It’s also guaranteed to draw haters. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

  • Local elections end today

    It’s a big day for local politics in some areas. There are elections for 14 county councils, eight unitary councils, one metropolitan borough council, and in the Isle of Scilly.

  • AfD sweep East German states

    The German elections resulted in an unsurprising second place for Alternative for Germany yesterday. It won 152 seats on the back of 83 in 2021. The near doubling of its tally took in all five East German states.

    The Christian Democratic Union meanwhile took first place with 164 seats. It’s an increase of 12 since 2021, but 42 less than the Social Democratic Party won last time. It will need a coalition to govern with.

  • Obama stokes fraud fires

    In a social media post, former US President Barack Obama has showed his support for American democracy by posting his ballot.

    It comes after years of disputes about mail ballots, with the likes of Trump and his associates saying it’s unsafe and open to fraud.

  • Reform give a thumbs down

    In a quirk of recent Parliamentary activity it appears on record Reform UK are finding it hard to agree with the House.

    In every vote since 4 July each of its MP’s have drawn the shorter straw.

    It shows a maverick course so far and bodes an interesting way ahead in terms of further issues to raise.

  • A general election to remember

  • Nigel Farage: Previous results

    Nigel Farage has won his first seat in Parliament. However, his history of standing in UK elections is a chequered past. All but one of his former attempts were as a candidate for the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and failed miserably. However his vote share has increased significantly in recent years.

    Nigel Farage – Vote Results

    This year he exceeded himself by over 5,000 votes since his last attempt in South Thanet. Let’s see if it’s a winning streak.

  • The curse of conflation

    The news of another PopCon conference is droll news for those tired of more of it.

    The notion that conservatives can work their way out of another mess is old news. It’s really another stamp on a missive that is delivered but neither read nor cared about.

    The icons of the Conservative Party are trying desperately to shore up a ship that doesn’t go away. It was due to sink under William Hague, Michael Howard, Ian Duncan Smith – and allegedly even Michael Portillo.

    It’s a recourse to a defensive position that is needless.

    The fact is the majority of Tory voters want the Tory party, they just don’t agree this time.

    A vote for Reform UK is hardly a swing to Labour and to the left. Nigel Farage & Co. represent a brand of conservatism that is fresh, new, and exciting but in ways that have yet to be explained.

    The point is not to see the future but explore – and explain – the present.

    The curse of conflation is seeing conservatives conflate every known issue and to come up with solutions to its problems. The only problem I can see is the need for a new leader.

  • Conservatives: Total results

    The total outcome for the Conservatives this election is remarkable considering past performance.

    The final tally shows a sharp drop in its number of seats in Westminster. In comparison to previous general elections, the Tories have lost at least 150 seats.

    In a few past elections the tally has been so high it makes 2024 look like a washout.

    Conservative Party’s seat share

  • Sunak polls highly in North Yorks

    In North Yorkshire Rishi Sunak retained his seat in the Richmond and Northallerton constituency. His vote share is 23,059, which is a strong showing against 10,874 for a second place Labour rival Tom Wilson.

    Reform UK presented a respectable third place with Lee Taylor who polled 7,142 votes. It confirms a strong showing for a relatively new party.

    In other news, turnout was particularly high in North Yorkshire. It shows democracy remains vigorous there.

  • Reform UK: Total results

    Reform UK show a strong polling tendency in their five winning constituencies. In spite of poor projections from some involved, the ‘first past the post’ system has in fact yielded a few key wins for the party.

    Reform UK’s vote share

  • Tory woes, Labour gains

    The Conservative Party are on track for their worst ever election result. According to YouGov, Labour could win 425 seats and the Conservatives just 108.

    The latest data is no indication of the final outcome, but it shows that Labour are pumping hard at the polls to get people to vote.

  • Will social media win the war?

    The election is underway. Campaigns have kicked off and Sunak and Starmer are busy talking to the people (as politicians usually do).

    What’s different about these elections is that, now, “social media” can play its role in sharing, spreading and highlighting a politician’s message.

    This happens all the time in elections overseas and the UK is no different. In-between our ‘prime time’ election events there’s plenty of fodder to be found on social media sites like Facebook and X.

    These are major go-to platforms for social debate, sometimes uncivil disagreement, and thread-by-thread debate – and it can get interesting. There are other platforms too, like Discord and YouTube, but these aren’t used in the media and so their cultural relevance isn’t as high.

    The online world is abuzz with activity most days and it’s worth looking out for what people are posting. It may be a candidate is recorded on the campaign trail (or off), and something else happens that sets them in a whole new light.

    It’s still a choice, though, and as the ballot box date approaches it’s worth checking out someone else’s opinion even if it is online and they insist it’s a shoo-in for the Monster Raving Loony Party.