General Chat

Johnson simply has not got the qualities which make for a successful PM. Thatcher had them in spades. He has a terrible, vindictive personality, gets easily bored and practically never reads his briefs. The talents of journalism translate poorly to politics.

As a result de facto governance will end up in the hands of rival cliques within the Tory party while Cummings devours the Civil Service..

Johnson is likely to get bored - grinding through trade negotiations, climate change and the NHS is not his thing at all. Trump's Republican party is in deep trouble with Democratic governers in such places as Louisiana. Trump will not be president Jan 2021. Johnson will get no love from Democrats on the hill.

Labour have been here before - Wilson v Gaitskill, Michael Foot. Freed of the incubus of Corbyn and Corbynism after the usual infighting it will rebuild under the likes of Starmer .

Thus Johnson will have to square lack of US support, a restructured Labour party, providing goodies for the men of the north and Asian Brummies ( free visas? ) , hard nosed EU and even harder nosed China. Plus of course the cracking of the political ice sheets which make up the UK. It was not a good night for the DUP.

It will end in blood and tears.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDtHt0-AcSk

The one good thing I'm hoping no one can complain about your election was you seem to have had a very good turnout, what was it 67% on a not so great weather day.

As for leaders one question Ms Sturgeon did she stand for a seat this time? If not why doesn't she ever stand...?

For Caroline

It is not lawful to stand for both Westminster and the devolved parliaments at the same time. Sturgeon leads her party from an Edinburgh base and Arlene Foster, notionally at least, from Stormont.
The UK has a FPTP system designed to deliver a working majority on quite small changes. Thus Johnson has his majority on 43% of the votes cast - on a PR basis the Tories would have 320 seats.

Anybody expecting calm after the storm through 2020 and beyond is in for a big let down such that majorities built on sand can soon come undone. The new MPs have nothing on the ground, indeed most will need satnav to find their new constituency - if they ever get around to a visit.

Take fishing. The UK fishermen imagine that they will now be able to fish merrily away quota free and export to the EU. Not a bit of it. 80% of the UK catch by value is exported to the EU. 80% of the quotas are owned by EU operators, mostly Spanish. The EU will demand something very close to the existing regime. If the UK refuses then the small number of UK boats still in business will go bust. There have already been serious scuffles off the Dorset coast and the Bay of St Malo which needed French/UK naval intervention to calm things down. Then there is Rockall ... Dublin has taken delivery of a modern fisheries protection vessel specifically for the Rockall shelf.

And so it goes on with all manner of goods and services.
THINK! What does Johnson usually do when he cannot deliver on one of his promises given the choice of renege or the ditch or the bulldozer. Renege of course.

The legal framework for an unification referendum is already in place in Ireland - it was part of the GFA. Neither Dublin nor London can block it. Unless the sea border arrangements are changed then NI are pretty well certain to leave. NI and west Scotland are integrated to such an extent that they have to remain with the same trade zone or face disaster in Belfast and bad vibes in Glasgow.

The dangers of brexit causing the UK to break up were always recognised by Cons govts esp Thatcher. She would be horrified at the current state of play.

Turnout was less than 2015 (69%) and much less than in the elections of 1979-1997.

Elizabeth, EOS (quote) : '' My thoughts today are with those who are in desperate poverty,sick, disabled and for our front line services.''

Mine too Elizabeth.

I have deliberatley not commented much lately on politics here or on FB. and have unfollowed a lot of people for the duration.

I hope it turns out for the best, for all those who voted for it, and those who didn't, because if it doesn't ....

I see this as more an election of getting on with it. Labour wanting a further vote on Brexit which had, after all, been democratically decided, was just delaying any progress in leaving.

At least things can progress now but I am not sure that people will be as keen for the Conservatives to lead the country that emerges.

I too have refrained from joining in any political chat on either FB or here and on FB have been hiding all political posts.

I think it is a wait and see situation as it would have been whoever won. I am prepared to give Boris a chance and hope that Labour can find a decent leader, and I hope Brexit works. I voted remain but became more inclined to leave the longer talks went on. Encouraging to note that the pound against the dollar has improved (also against the euro).

The General Election results are known. Now, we have to live with them!

It takes a lot of planning to let the electorate get really bored.

For what I can understand Caroline, if NS was to stand for a seat and won
she would have to resign from the Scottish Parliament which means
she would no longer be First Minister.

If I am wrong then someone will correct me:-)

I too have unfollowed some of my friends on Facebook for thirty days because of the things they have been posting. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I object to being labelled as the scum of the earth because I don’t happen to hold the same political views. Some of the rantings I have seen today are disgusting. I wonder if the other side had won, those people posting vile comments today would be happy to be on the receiving end. Somehow I doubt it.

Backed Boris all the way
Corbyn has no personality or Policy's That interest me

He is a horrible Weasel of a guy :-P :-P

Bojo all the way for me too Joy, I would never want to vote for the likes of Comrade Corbyn.

Thank you Emma...I was under the impression maybe wrongly that she hadn't stood for ANY Parliament but if she has stood and won a seat in the Scottish one then great if not why not!

Now we wait to see if Boris keeps his promise's only time will tell good luck to him ..

Politics makes for strange bedfellows.

We must not take eyes off Nigel Farage. He is waiting to do some more manipulating. That man is dangerous.

I have always been a swinging voter wherever I've lived but, again, I didn't vote. It would have been a waste of my time for me to go down the hill to cast my vote as Labour would take some shifting here.

Michael Gove should have kept schtum before he checked his facts. While a couple of adjoining constituencies turned blue, the City remains Labour as always.


I am dusting my passport off for trips north of the border though ..... and looking to see what type of tartan I can wear. :-D


Keir Starmer looks like a voice of reason and he could be the main contender to replace Corbyn.

This election showed that Corbyn is one who put self before Party because there is no way that Corbyn, McDonnell and Abbott did not know that they were liabilities rather than rising stars.

Experienced politicians are good at answering questions without actually answering them - if that makes sense & can even proceed further by answering another question not yet raised.

'Politicians & baby diapers should be changed frequently & for the same reason'. (Mark Twain).

Nice quote, Dermot. :-D