The exciting British local elections thread

[bb1]

I know everyone is on the edge of their seats as polls close in the greatest test of British public opinion since the last one.

Aren't you? No, me neither. But I digress. It's all very exciting, it must be, Sky are doing that Breaking News thing.

http://news.sky.com/home/politics/article/16220488

Local Elections: Polls Close After Millions Votes

Polls have closed in today's local elections, with the political parties facing their biggest test of public opinion since the 2010 General Election.

Voters across England, Scotland and Wales cast their ballots for about 5,000 seats across 181 local councils.
Labour is looking to make council gains in England and Wales after losses in 2008, while the Conservatives are hoping to defend seats they gained.
In London's mayoral contest, Labour's Ken Livingstone is trying to win back the post he lost to Conservative Boris Johnson in 2008.
Local Elections: What's Up For Grabs?
:: 128 local authorities in England
:: 32 councils in Scotland
:: 21 councils in Wales
:: 3 cities will elect mayors
:: 11 referendums on whether to have a directly-elected mayor in the future
:: 25 seats in the London Assembly

Siobhan Benita (Independent), Carlos Cortiglia (British National Party), Jenny Jones (Green), Brian Paddick (Liberal Democrats) and Lawrence Webb (UKIP) are also standing.
Twenty-five seats on the London Assembly are being contested.
City mayors will also be chosen for Salford and Liverpool.
Referendums on whether to have directly-elected mayors are taking place in Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Coventry, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Nottingham, Sheffield and Wakefield.

Doncaster, meanwhile, is staging its own vote on whether to abandon its elected mayor and go back to having a council leader and a Cabinet of councillors.
The Conservatives gained 257 councillors across England and Wales in 2008, taking control of 12 councils in the process.
Labour lost 334 councillors and nine councils while the Liberal Democrats gained 33 councillors and one council.
The first results in the local council elections are expected within a couple of hours of polls closing at 10pm BST.

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I don't even know what voting system is being used in the rest of the country, now I come to think of it...are England and Wales still first past the post?

[bb1]

If anyone is even remotely interested, the Tories and Lib Dems seem to have had a hiding in England, but Boris is back as Mayor of London.

[Sabot]

It is a well known fact that Interim Local Election Results are nearly always reversed in a General Election. It is just a way of letting off steam.
Not that I care. None of the barstards are going to give me even a half decent Pension.

[bb1]

The votes are still being counted in the semi-detached part, Sabot, which seems to have voted to be even more semi-detached than it did last year in our Parliament election.

[Sabot]

I'm a bit hooked on The French Presidential Election at the moment, and sadly, Sarkozy is looking doubtful, now he has done everyone's dirty work.

As it is Francois Hollande will probably do wonders for The Exchange Rate, and hence my Pension, but I would rather stay poorer than see France destroyed.

[bb1]

Also, it gets confusing having so many different systems of election these days, Sabot - I didn't realise the French presidential elections were a knock-out system.

Westminster elections are still first past the post; yesterday, I could, if I so wished, not just vote for one councillor, but put the others in order of preference.

Holyrood is direct and list, and I cannot remember what the European elections are....

I can understand why the vote is slumping in the UK, it is bewildering these days.

[bb1]

In the unlikely event that anyone is interested, the Tories and Lib Dems got a spanking at the polls, with Labour hoovering up seats in England and Wales, and Labour/SNP dividing the spoils in Scotland.

The Tories are now blaming the Lib Dems for dragging them down, and the Lib Dems are blaming the Tories for wrecking their party.

Boris appears to have bucked every trend and been re-elected Mayor of London, possibly because he is about the only UK politician everyone recognises, even if they think he is barking mad.

There, wasn't that exciting?

Note for confused non-Brits (and even some Brits). Mayor of London isn't the same as Lord Mayor of London. The Lord Mayor gets carriages and robes and stuff. Boris just gets insulted.

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