Re: The UK General Election Thread (II)

[Zat]

Some of the talking heads are saying there should be 'an inquiry into this'. What bollocks. I'd be willing to bet my left nut that in all but a select few polling stations, there would have been very short queues for 9/10ths of the day. Election Day here I always go out to vote early and get it out of the way.

[Allan D]

Polls used to be open from 8 am to 9 pm until the 1970s when Harold Wilson extended the hours to accommodate (presumably Labour) shift workers. We either go back to voting over a week as in elections before WWI or use internet voting. Anybody can use a postal vote.

[Allan D]

Exit poll is looking rather dodgy in view of the large swings in Sunderland. Interesting to see if Sunderland Central goes Conservative. If that happens (or they come close) chances are there will be a majority Tory government.

[beamer]

Polls used to be open from 8 am to 9 pm until the 1970s when Harold Wilson extended the hours to accommodate (presumably Labour) shift workers. We either go back to voting over a week as in elections before WWI or use internet voting. Anybody can use a postal vote.

Or people could just turn up in plenty of time and accept the consequences if they don't...

[tac]

Yep, beamer . . not voting because you had to watch the telly does not equal voter disenfranchisement . . .

[Zat]

Polls used to be open from 8 am to 9 pm until the 1970s when Harold Wilson extended the hours to accommodate (presumably Labour) shift workers. We either go back to voting over a week as in elections before WWI or use internet voting. Anybody can use a postal vote.

Or people could just turn up in plenty of time and accept the consequences if they don't...

But where's the fun in that? Some people need something to complain about.

[LeFromage]

Exit poll is looking rather dodgy in view of the large swings in Sunderland. Interesting to see if Sunderland Central goes Conservative. If that happens (or they come close) chances are there will be a majority Tory government.

Lab hold Sunderland Central in spite of the seat, apparently, being restructured, favouring some strong Conservative-voting areas.

Only a 4.8% swing to Cons. Smallest yet in supposedly the most keenly contested seat thus far.

[JKLever]

The pound strengthened sharply after the first constituency result suggested the Conservatives may have secured a large enough swing for an overall majority. Sterling rose by nearly a cent to 1.482 dollars, and also climbed back above 1.17 euros.

Cripes...

[Growler]

Initial numbers not looking too wonderful for the LibDems ..... 3 fairly poor 3rd places in a Labour fortress city.

[LeFromage]

One of their candidates looked like a Greek Brian Blessed.

[tac]

I thought Brian Blessed looked like a Greek Brian Blessed?

[JKLever]

Jesus, Joan Collins. GGILF

[Growler]

[Hass]

It's all well and good saying "people should have got there earlier" but the point is the people running the election have stuffed up and the result in some seats now has the potential to be compromised.

That's just not good enough.

Incidents like this make me extremely thankful that attendance at a polling station in Australia is compulsory. It means turnout only ever varies by 1 or 2 % at any election making it much easier to plan the logistics.

Voting on a Saturday also helps. Most people have all day to vote on a weekend so you don't end up with a mad rush of people towards the end of polling. If you hold the election on a weekday you increase the likelihood of there being a flood of people trying to squeeze in a trip to a polling station after work.

[Hass]

I thought Brian Blessed looked like a Greek Brian Blessed?

He looked like a Roman Brian Blessed in "I Claudius".

[Basil]

Greens confident of taking Brighton Pavilions

[Zat]

Voting on a Saturday also helps. Most people have all day to vote on a weekend so you don't end up with a mad rush of people towards the end of polling. If you hold the election on a weekday you increase the likelihood of there being a flood of people trying to squeeze in a trip to a polling station after work.

It's not like this is the first UK Election to be held on a Thursday. And they're not talking about a doubling of the numbers of voters, it's an increase of a few percent in most seats from what the teev is saying.

[JKLever]

Are you guys getting the BBC coverage?

[Basil]

It is a matter of law that the doors of a polling station have to shut at 10pm - no discretion there at all. But it appears that voters inside a station can still vote even if the doors have been closed.

[Guest]

It is pretty weird how this controversy has happened, turnout isn't dramatically bigger this year. Very odd.

[Zat]

Are you guys getting the BBC coverage?

Watching the BBC with Dimbleby, Paxman, and a bunch of tossers.

[Guest]

Fiona Bruce... Lovely.

[Basil]

There is the potential for some sort of constitutional crisis here - suppose the outcome is a hung Parliament with no clear winner and with the result of some key marginals the subject of court action. It's a farce.

Perhaps we need UN monitors at our elections in future!

[Basil]

Fiona Bruce... Lovely.

I bet Emily Maitlis is dirtier.

[JKLever]

There is the potential for some sort of constitutional crisis here - suppose the outcome is a hung Parliament with no clear winner and with the result of some key marginals the subject of court action. It's a farce.

Perhaps we need UN monitors at our elections in future!

Depends how close those results are. If a party has a 2000 majority they'll not contest it over a few hundred left outside.

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