Reform managed to gain four seats. Given the vote share this is appallingly low, just as Labour’s seat allocation is appallingly high, such is the system we endure.
So, no hung parliament. I’m not as surprised today as I might have been a couple of weeks back. The swing needed was high, but the collapse of the Tory vote pretty much handed it to Starmer and his band of Marxist misfits. So, those who voted for this rabble will now get what they voted for good and hard and it serves them right. Unfortunately, the majority of us who didn’t vote for this shower will also suffer, but I look at those four turquoise sets and realise that we have a bridgehead now. Farage will be a thorn int eh side of probably the most intellectually vacant and charismatically challenged PM we’ve had in decades. He makes Sunak look good in comparison. That said, the rabble he leads will have no compunction ousting him and that will be an amusing thing to see.
So, interesting times ahead. In 2029, we may see more Reform MPs. It takes time to make a significant change under FPTP, but there is now a small crack in the armour, we can only hope that it will become a chasm through which the armies of common sense will march.
Welcome to 5 years of Brexit’s fault, Covid’s fault, Putin’s fault Israel’s fault and Tories fault. You can almost guarantee in 2029 labour will be using 14 years of a Tory government as an excuse for their failings.
And, something that has dropped out of public memory recently but could easily be restarted, Thatcher.
More good news for Reform. They’ve just won their fifth seat – South Basildon and East Thurrock. I understand it was very close – only a couple of hundred votes in it. It seems there was a recount. The Reform guy beat the incumbent Tory. So Reform have beaten the loony Greens on seats – five to four.
If you want proof that ‘first past the post’ is a broken system, consider that Reform were the third largest party in terms of votes – 4.1 million votes. And yet they won only five seats, as opposed to the clown party ‘Liberal Democrats’ who won 71 seats on a mere 3.5 million votes. If one thing needs reform, it’s the broken electoral system.
The Reform candidate around here was an ex-Tory councillor, but I voted for him anyway. He came fourth.
Whether Reform will make progress depends on if those like him can presume that they will be the candidate in the next election. Will he work the area, make some noise, become a familiar name?
Reform should treat today as the beginning of the next election campaign, assuming that they are really in it for the long term.
I get that the FPTP system is flawed but other systems such as Proportional Representation have their problems too. The biggest problem with PR is that a disproportionate amount of power ends up being wielded by minority special interest groups.
Although I see the Labour victory as a disaster, the fact that Reform got such a large proportion of the votes gives me a little hope for the future. For a new party that seems to me to be an excellent start. I think that future by elections might prove interesting. I’m sure that many people were disinclined to vote Reform as they were aware that this would simply let Labour in. In a by election this isn’t an issue.
There is an interesting discussion happening over at Samizdata at the moment. Paul Marks is blaming Reform voters for Labour’s big majority. Others, myself included, are begging to differ. Although Paul is technically correct, the idea of voting in the Conservatives just because they might be slightly less awful doesn’t appeal to many others.
That’s a shit reason for voting Tory. I knew the consequences of voting for Reform and I make no apology for it. They have seats in parliament. This is the first step towards any change.
Labour didn’t win by a landslide, they merely stood around looking ‘cool’ while the Conservatives lost by a sinkhole. I don’t believe the same stance will work at the next General Election.
Bugger the Tories. They were dying before, they are dead now. They have nothing to say that is worth listening to. We don’t need yet another centre left party, despite Cameron’s claims.
Reform will absorb their constituency base, either voluntarily or by force between now and 2029.
Reform will simply supplant the Tories as a waste of space, no longer fit for purpose.
Sorry, not sorry.
Go Reform!
FPTP got der sturmer in, and it will very likely get him out, which is worth bearing in mind (that said, I expect the monkey house will replace the prick before the next election).
PR, or whatever, sounds appealing, but it doesn’t address the fundamental issue of a disgusting, arrogant, entitled political class or it’s wannabes whoring the country to globo-filth (it certainly doesn’t appear to have done so elsewhere). Nor does it really address the issue of low turnout (and I suspect second and third choices, transferable votes or whatever won’t either).
Any bets on Der Sturmer getting us back into the EU’s embrace within the next 5 years ?
Dear Mr Longrider
Please welcome the leader of His Majesty’s loyal opposition – Mr Nigel Farage.
Nigel and his team will achieve a damn sight more than the rest of the rabble put together. It wouldn’t be difficult.
DP
The problem with the FPTP and the PR has a simple (snort, yeah, right) solution.
We kick out everyone in the Lords, currently stuffed with placemen by parties, and have an elected house of Lords. One with teeth that can’t have stuff forced through by the Commons.
This elected second house can then review legislation from the commons and be fully elected by PR.
(Personally I’d go for the Single Transferrable Vote system as it’s the least shit of the PR systems).
Interestingly I spoke to a couple of people who asked me about reform. They had never heard of them so the Lamestream Media did a good job for Labour and have now lost even more people when I pointed them to some of our websites. Seems most people still don’t look beyond the TV and papers for their news.
With Nige in the House the profile will be raised so fingers crossed I’m still here next time.