Browne wins his seat!

1. 82

   earnestshubposted 13 years ago

   Just heard on the BBC that the prime minister has retained his seat.
   English politics are interesting to me. I was pleased to know he is is still there. With a bigger majority according to the speech he gave. Mr. Brown, you are superman to pull this off!

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      Sab Ohposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      How does your foot taste?

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         earnestshubposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Just fine, how does yours taste?
         Like I said, he won his seat.

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   Originposted 13 years ago

   I've always liked watching their parliament debate on topics, they actually have a sense of humor during it.

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      earnestshubposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      This is true. The house of lords has some great very dry wit too!

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   earnestshubposted 13 years ago

   Political pundits are already saying that Brown will only last a few days before being forced to step down, and that the British public never liked him much. What do you think?

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   Hub Llamaposted 13 years ago

   I don't know enough about English politics to predict anything, but according to the Economist he was picked based on the concept of cutting taxes and not cutting social programs. Then, the economy went in the toilet, and that isn't going to happen. Looks like the captain will go down with the ship.
   
   BTW, I also love the whole Prime Minister being booed by the other party while participating in direct debate in the House of Lords. Can you imagine how this country would be different if the President had to actually stand in front of the Senate and debate?

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   LaMamaLoliposted 13 years ago

   He may not be gone yet, the Conservatives still haven't got enough seats for an overall majority. So unless it improves very quickly, if Gordon can strike a deal with the Liberal Democrats, he could stay for a while longer. Over here, if there is a hung parliament, it is the sitting government that gets the chance to strike a deal first even if the opposition has won the most seats. And to make it even more interesting, some seats are going to be challenged because people were turned away from the polling stations and not allowed to vote. The polling stations have to close at 10pm, and there were queues outside still waiting to vote, so they couldn't. The police were called in to some places because people got so angry. Not very british behaviour!!!

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      alternate poetposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Actually I would say this is very British behaviour, restraint and good manners generally and a very angry response to obvious infringements on rights and liberties.

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   LaMamaLoliposted 13 years ago

   lol, you are probably right! I am too tired to think! I just heard one polling station just herded everyone outside inside the building before ten so they could all vote. Don't know why they all didn't do that. Probably some legal reason I don't know about.

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      earnestshubposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      You are both right I believe. The legal reason they allowed the vote was in having had the voting form before 10 pm they could be locked in. I don't know why the others did not do the same, maybe no space?
      and I think the British conduct their elections with more dignity than we do in my country.Some restraint is shown, and it does impress.

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   theirishobserver.posted 13 years ago

   I think it is fairly traditional that PMs retain their seat, normally they will have directed a great deal of money to their own area, same here in Ireland......however, I think the Tories will win the day and do a deal with Clegg or the devil or who ever gets them in to No 10

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      earnestshubposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I am wondering if the Prime Minister will be successful in pulling a Government together. He has said now that he will exercise his right as current Prime Minister to do so.
      
      The old bull sure has some fight left in him!

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   theirishobserver.posted 13 years ago

   Its possible - but I think the country needs change - remember the jubilation in 97 - that bubble soon burst - I think nothing worse than someone just hannnggging on and on

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      earnestshubposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Well, the people will have their say! I hope whatever they decide gets them through the current financial malaise and on to greener pastures so to speak.
      Labour has had a long run, I just hope the new incumbents are better.

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   kirstenblogposted 13 years ago

   I just woke up and came to HP first, before any news. Funny how HP keeps me up to date on current events!
   
   As for who actually wins this one, does it really matter? They are all conservatives. People don't like to hear the painful truths so they all lie. Now if someone from the monster raving loony party had been in line for PM.....

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      IzzyMposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Spot on!!!

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    CMHypnoposted 13 years ago

    The leaders of all three parties in the UK have very safe seats, and it would be unprecedented for one of them to be voted out.

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    theirishobserver.posted 13 years ago

    In Northern Ireland - the three leaders of the Unionist Parties have failed to gain a seat - The DUP however will have 8 MPs, The non-sectarian Alliance will have 1 seat, Sinn Fein (abstentionist) will have 4 possibly 5 seats, Indepenedent 1 and the SDLP (nationalist) the rest......... DUP could be important to Tories depending on how hung the parliment is.....

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       earnestshubposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Good info, thank you.

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    IzzyMposted 13 years ago

    Looks like there is going to be a hung parliament which hasn't happened since 1974.
    Meanwhile, the pound is sinking like a stone against both the dollar and the euro....
    So far, the Tories are the largest party but not by enough of a majority - they need 326 seats and have 291 (at the moment)with 34 seats still to be returned.
    Labour has 247 at the moment,and Clegg of the Lib Dems said pre-election he will not form a coalition with Brown in charge.
    Interesting days.

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    theirishobserver.posted 13 years ago

    I have just spoken to a friend in Northern Ireland who says the Democratic Unionist Party could give Cameron the majority he needs to form a Government.......however....they would also need others as the DUP have only 8 MPs thus far

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    IzzyMposted 13 years ago

    I actually hope the Tories win this time. I can't stand their policies usually, but usually when the government gets changed during a bad market, the market picks up.
    As an expat, I need the pound to get stronger. All the money I have just now comes from the UK - same as many of my pensioner neighbours who have seen a huge drop in their standard of living since the £ collapsed against the euro.

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       earnestshubposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I hope that the new Government does not get in to fighting over fiscal policy and start to underwrite the economy with some new idea instead.

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    theirishobserver.posted 13 years ago

    Tories at the final count could do business with the DUP.....although that would not be a strong Government

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    theirishobserver.posted 13 years ago

    Cameron could pull one out of the bag at 2.30pm

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       rebekahELLEposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       so it looks like the Tories have it?

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    Will Bensonposted 13 years ago

    Question from across the pond -
    
    What's the diff betw a "strong" and "weak" govt?
    
    How do election results effect the UK economy?
    
    How long does it take to sort things out and form a new leadership?
    
    Thanks in advance. (It's been awhile since I've been in school).

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       iantoPFposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       
       Hello Will I'd like to have a stab at some of your questions;
       1) The difference between a "Strong" and "Weak" government. British political parties have far more party discipline than is found in the USA. So members will vote the party line. If there are not enough members to form an overall majority the government has to rely on support from other parties and so cannot be certain that it's policies will be put in place. Therefore it is "Weak". If it had a secure majority it could gaurantee support and so be "Strong"
       2) Economy; The market tends to react to the policies of government. What will they do for industry and are their plans likely to succeed? etc. A weak parliament cannot gaurantee stable policies and until one is formed domestic and foreign investors as well as the leaders of industry will be unsure how to proceed.
       3) Leadership; Constitutionally the Prime Minister does not HAVE to resign. The party with the most votes chooses it's leader, the losing Prime Minister resigning is a convention, not a law. Of course it would not be feasible to be Prime Minister if your opposition can block every move, so government changes hands. In the meantime, if there is no clear majority, the sitting Prime Minister can seek avenues of support. Theoretically it can go on forever. Practically it is done quickly or there would be no real government.
       Two things to bear in mind about UK politics; a) there is far more party discipline in the UK than here. Parliamentary members are expected to vote the party line.
       b) The UK is far more polarized than the USA. I am from South Wales wher the Conservatives are jubilant at having won 3 seats in an area wher they generally come in third. Whereas in the South east of England the Labour party regularly comes in third place.
       There's more of course but this would change from a post to a Hub if I carry on

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    wrenfrost56posted 13 years ago

    Just put the news on, it's a hung parliment with conservatives on a slight majority. Looks like dave and nick will be working together, not sure for how long though, we dont have the best track record for shared power in this country.

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       rebekahELLEposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       interesting. I wonder what Browne will do. it sounds as dramatic as some of our elections.
       
       will check in later to see how those of you in the UK feel about the outcome.

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    Will Bensonposted 13 years ago

    Thanks iantoPF -
    
    I learned a lot from your post. It sounds like nothing is easy in your system either.
    
    Best of luck w/your new govt...whoever is running it.

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20. 62

    Lady_Eposted 13 years ago

    Update - The figures kept on changing through the night. No one won the election but with regards to the Constitution, Brown will have to stay as Prime Minister for now.
    
    It is yet to be decided who the Prime Minister will be.
    
    We are still waiting...

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    CMHypnoposted 13 years ago

    With his wonderful sense of entitlement, Gordon Brown has more or less chained himself to the railings at Downing St.  It will take nothing short of dynamite to shift him!  Only 29% of the vote and he still thinks that he should be PM.  But then what do you expect from a man who called an ordinary British woman, who has many of the same concerns as most of the British electorate, a bigot!
    
    
    
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/elect … given.html

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22. 82

    earnestshubposted 13 years ago

    I believe Brown will bow out if the others can form a strong allegiance.
    Otherwise he will hang on biting ankles even as he hit's the floor.
    He could still win

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       CMHypnoposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I believe that he will hang on if he can, but he won't have won. The British electorate decisively rejected him and the Tories got 2 million more votes than Labour.
       
       The credit ratings agencies and markets are just waiting to see which way the wind blows, and if they perceive any weakness in the government that is formed it is sayonara for the British economy.

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          earnestshubposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          Brown has never been liked by the electorate has he? Do you think he has weight with his finance credentials?
          I am wondering what the markets are looking for. If it is stability alone, England may be in for a rough ride.

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             Paragliderposted 13 years agoin reply to this

             Brown was never voted in as Prime Minister. He took over from Tony Blair who resigned the leadership mid-term. A good quizz question is  - who was the last PM who never won an election?

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                iantoPFposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                
                James Callaghan, who took over when Harold Wilson resigned. Also a labor party PM. The only Tory in that situation was Alex Douglas Hume who took over from Harold Macmillan.

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             CMHypnoposted 13 years agoin reply to this

             The UK is in for a very rough ride - everyone agrees that there needs to be cuts in public spending, but not if it affects them! This will lead to strikes and protests, which will further damage the economy.  Unfortunately, we will all have to learn to take some of the burn, or the country will go bankrupt.
             
             Brown has no financial credibility - all he knows how to do is spend money he hasn't got and raid our pension schemes.

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    prettydarkhorseposted 13 years ago

    HE resigned as the Labour Party didn't win majority fo the seats!

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       2uesdayposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Cameron is the new prime minister he has moved into no 10 after his visit to the queen.
       
       The labour party and the liberals could not agree on a deal so it is the conservatives and liberals working together.

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24. 82

    earnestshubposted 13 years ago

    I wonder how long before these two start eating each other alive.
    The outcome was always going to be weird, but these guys as bed partners will be a riot!

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    IzzyMposted 13 years ago

    Well well well...what an interesting change. A Lib-Tory Pact? Has there ever been one before? Cameron as PM. How do the markets react?
    Sorry I've just learned about this - my mum phoned me a few hours ago saying that Brown was about to resign but hadn't done so at that point. I'd read online he was about to resign, but what I read suggested that a Lib-Lab pact was on the cards, the Libs having made it clear they did not want to work with Gordon Brown so any pact would be on the premise that he left office.

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26. 82

    earnestshubposted 13 years ago

    I thought Brown did the right thing. If labour was to have a chance of getting a Government together he had to go.
    
    I can't see this current arrangement working myself.

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27. 88

    IzzyMposted 13 years ago

    I wish now I'd watched the election closer. I know the big stumbling block was that the Lib Dems wanted PR, and none of the main parties did. Is that going to happen now?
    Btw, Scotland's 'parliament' has PR.

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       earnestshubposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       Very interesting times to come. England does not have a lot of time to start dealing with the economy, and I can't imagine these two doing so quickly.

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          IzzyMposted 13 years agoin reply to this

          The Scottish Parliament is about as useful as a plastic teapot, the real power lies at Westminster (or does it lie with the Bilderbergers?), so this election was all about the whole of the British Isles, but yes I take your point, the economy is the most important thing right now.

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    2uesdayposted 13 years ago

    Firstly,I think this election was different because of the way the media covered it.
    
    We had our first time ever three way TV debate between the party leaders. However I do not think that the standard - party political broadcast slots  really addressed any of the issues that people on the doorstep, were asking the people who wanted their vote.
    
    - To me there was a big disconnect between - what the media thought we needed to know and the questions people were asking in their own homes.
    
    However - who ever took up residence in number 10 they knew they had a huge challenge in front of them in getting to grips with the countries budget.
    
    Mr Cameron - had said he would address this straight away when he was asking people to vote for him. 
    
    Now we have the Liberals and Conservatives working together.
    
    We have to have hope that they will put the future of the country before any differences between the parties. If we can go forward with the best of both - policies rather than having arguments then some good will come from the election result.
    
    I have to say that if you saw the former PM on TV last night he acted with dignity and I hope he will enjoy the freedom/time he now has to be with his family more of the time.
    
    I have to go now - busy day.
    I am not really a political person - I wrote this as I saw Izzy's post.

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       CMHypnoposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       I have to say that I never rated Gordon Brown as a PM, but he has always seemed to be a devoted husband and father.
       
       I hope that he finds a niche where he can be happy working, get over this 'I am entitled to run this country' thing he has going on, and build a happy, secure life for his family

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    Amanda Severnposted 13 years ago

    I agree CMHypno. I didn't wish Brown to continue as PM, but he seems like a decent guy overall, and I hope he can enjoy family life whilst pursuing some less stressful career.
    
    As to the Con-Lib Dem alliance, I can see some very real potential here. It's easy to predict a disaster, but hopefully we'll look back in a year or two and see that it's actually been a success.

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    purple cowposted 13 years ago

    Gordon Brown....Good riddance.
    i live a labour stronghold which as been such as long as i can remember.
    Its not suprising since 30 years ago we had massive employment in mining and steel(traditional labour)only now Mr Brown et al replaced all the private employment with a massive public employment strategy.Turkey's tend not to vote for christmas.
    This countries people have become fat and bloated and spoiled by a socialist theology that lost its way.
    People have forgot about personal responsibility and expect to be looked after by the state.
    Wake up UK.
    Rant over.

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