jaywalker

What edcam said. I have been thinking, in the absence of any reply from Admin, that I will have to take up my commitment to leave the forum. This has been characterised as 'flouncing' or what have you - obviously, just a personal weakness of mine, or whatever you choose to associate with that word. So there it is. Au revoir.

scar [its ok, I use words loosely, you are right to police everything. But I guess the sense was clear nonetheless? It was not an arbitrary choice of words].

pilgrim [OK, my apologies for blocking the link above. Never was much good at rules. My thought process was to respond to chairman (chair-man is already a portmanteau) with glass-ceiling. That is because the word chairman is not often now acceptable except in direct reference to a male person in the chair. Chairperson has supplanted it (quite rightly). So my association (which wasn't forced) was glass-ceiling (itself an object like a chairman) as words like chairman when used for all chair people are themselves constitutive of glass-ceilings. Yesterday in some paper I read that May having broken through the glass ceiling to become PM has now found herself faced with a glass-cliff - a new association. But rules are rules - sorry.]

Windrush, do keep up. I think this is the most odious thing I have seen in central government politics for a long time. It seems likely that given the reaction already on social media (to which the Tories seem simply to be blind) this will do them extraordinary damage (and rightly). Perhaps it should be made clear: getting in to bed with the DUP is inconsistent with everything the excellent Davidson (and any forward-thinking and electable) Tory stands for.

Sounds like the official did their job pretty accurately. You should not be anywhere near your relative when they are about to vote.

glass-cliff

Looks like May is actually trying to make a formal agreement with the DUP. Madness. And when she appears in Parliament this will be clear - and from her own side. Time for Ruth Davidson to step up. 13 is more than 10: she can dictate to May and the stupid suited-ones.

Certainly not sensible. But there is some comment that she needed people to make her mind up for her. Without them she may simply sink (sink deeper I mean). She has been told by the men in suits that she will do what they tell her - until the time comes for her replacement. The DUP connection is already absolutely toxic. She risks losing many seats with this connection - the Mirror headline today is all you need to see that. And she is putting peace in Northern Ireland at risk to stay in power. Not good. And also not necessary: she could get supply from the centre ground (in exchange for a softer than soft Brexit) - but of course that would mean the hard right of her own party splitting off. Meanwhile, the pro-single market/customs-union Tories need a leader fast. Davidson is as good as anyone (there are some 30-somethings on the Tory backbenches who would also do well). Without a GE I don't see any way of negotiating a Brexit deal of any kind (hard or soft) - but perhaps a centrist Tory could scrape something together cross-party (national commission on Brexit-not-meaning-Brexit style).

???? Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Finally - offering students massive bribes is now > proven a very effective way to mobalise the youth > vote :) Where have you been? What are you saying? Is it that you think that promising to abolish tuition fees might have mobilised the educated student vote? Is it that triple locks on pensions were no such thing? Were parents bribed by Labour when they said they would not abolish free school meals? Why can't I understand any of your points?

red devil Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Soundbite Alert!...In the national interest has > replaced Strong and stable... and, even more bizarrely, CERTAINTY. I wonder if she is experiencing some fundamental cognitive dissonance. Perhaps she has persuaded herself that she is nothing to do with the loss. Rumours are that Boris and Davies are already campaigning for the leadership - I guess they hope that no one will remember their role in this fiasco. Cabinet pretty much as before - i.e. this is a caretaker administration until they can find someone they think can take on Corbyn. I fear if it is a Brexiter they will lose even more seats. Very interesting reading The Times today (I always wear oven gloves on such occasions). May will not be forgiven by the establishment.

I'm guessing the size of the required NI infrastructure fund might be rather large. We are not talking just hundreds of millions I fear. And that is independent of May staying or going. I suppose it is just possible that someone like Clarke could negotiate a supply agreement with the Lib Dems instead, but it seems very unlikely. Such is the madness of the first-past-the-post system. Five years of paralysis and economic instability from Brexit ahead. There is clearly a large majority of centrist MPs who could form a very good cross-party government and negotiate Brexit effectively - instead we will get this. Mind you, at least children will keep free school meals :-).

Now that I'm a little more sober (but what a night :-) ) I'm quite worried. The DUP will bring a very long and expensive shopping list and a minority government is basically a paralysed one. May will try to soldier on for 'stability' (my word, does she just not get it?). But her authority is completely gone and she will be the subject of concerted right-wing press moves to get her out. Tory MPs will presumably let her stay on until they are ready for a further GE and then ditch her. It is unimaginable that they would let her campaign as leader in the next election after this performance. Also remember that her politics are way out of line with the average Tory MP as she is way more social-interventionist than them. On the EU I'm more optimistic. She is now in no position whatsoever to negotiate with the EU. She will have to make extraordinary compromises (another reason for the Tory MPs to keep her in place for a while so she can take the backlash from ukip sympathisers). She simply does not have the authority to say 'hard brexit then' when they demand their ?100bn or what have you. Even internally she is going to be unable to negotiate: first demand by DUP will be to maintain open border with Ireland, which means no immigration controls.

Looks like even Kensington will fall to Labour.

At this point looks like Cons will not get majority. Hung parliament. Clarke talking cross-party. Looks like Gummer (May's choice for Brexit talks after she sidelined Davies) will lose his seat.

Yes, most recent results suggest exit poll correct. More than expected to Tories in Ruritanian North, but more to Labour in Enlightened South. Hung Parliament, and YouGov shares rising sharply. May out, Rudd defeated. A little bit unclear what will happen next (although brexit = brexit is now proved false).