UK elections

Only the English council results today, but it looks like Farage has taken a shedload of seats:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27531094

Nigel Farage: UKIP to be 'serious players' at general election

UKIP leader Nigel Farage has said his party will be "serious players" at the 2015 general election, in with a chance of securing representation in the House of Commons for the first time.

As results came in from England's local elections, showing gains for UKIP across the country, he said: "The UKIP fox is in the Westminster hen house."

Despite its gains, the party does not yet control any local authorities.

Labour is also making gains with Tories and Lib Dems both losing councillors.

Turnout looks set to be about 36%. Most results in 161 English councils are still to come. Euro election results are due on Sunday. Eleven councils in Northern Ireland are also up for grabs.


Many results still to come.

It was, IMO, a HUGE mistake by the Establishment parties to repeatedly attack and smear Farage's lot; too many in England secretly agreed with whatever was causing such breast-beating by the bien-pensant.

I can't say I care all that much. Except to knock spots of the existing bunch of sleaze bags.

I don't like Farage, or Right-wing bigots in general, Sabot. But I don't mind seeing the smug incompetents at Westminster getting shaken up.

A few of them at Westminster might be fun.

http://annaraccoon.com/2014/05/23/all-trussed-up-like-a-ukipper/

That's a pretty fair summary. I won't pretend to know all the intricacies of political thought south of the border, but it's been obvious for a while that a fair chunk of the population don't want to be Cool, don't want to be lectured constantly by whoever is in power, don't want to be made to feel guilty about EVERYTHING, etc.

In short, they want to be left in peace to drink beer and wave the St George's Cross. Which, of course, they are perfectly entitled to do, and which is why they have voted in their thousands for the beer-drinking Farage.

I really don't think it occurred to any of the Cool people trying to smear him that all they were achieving was reminding English voters that Farage is, well, pretty much like them...

Good summation Bonny.

A less than unusual picture of Farage drinking beer:



I'm sure it's the beer that's doing it. His rivals all look as if they favour some sticky concoction involving fruit and umbrellas.

Not that any of his rivals would ever be brave enough to drink more than Government guidelines.

Well after all is said and done, Bonny. The Government knows best.   

The UK EU election results will be very interesting, but we don't get those till Sunday night, because most of Europe votes at the weekend, and God forbid our votes should influence anyone in Greece.

Thanks Bonny. They wouldn't be worried about Greece would they?

It's probably because we're all Europeans now and all have to be the same. Which is stupid; I haven't seen New York holding back on election results till California has finished voting.

And that's actually a perfect example of why people get annoyed with the EU. The UK always votes on a Thursday and counts as soon as the polls close - except for the Euro elections.

Heavens above. What can you say?

The Tories just aren't Getting it...

So far, I've seen Cameron promising to hold a referendum on Europe IF he's re-elected, and Osborne the chancellor promising a pet unicorn for every family in future.

They aren't Getting that everyone knows they've had YEARS to do all this, and now very few believe or trust them.

They don't Get that voters are sick of the UK being dragged into other people's wars, of the sleaze and corruption at Westminster, of the EU acting like the Holy Roman Empire, of vulnerable people being ground into the dirt by Duncan Smith's vicious social policies....etc etc......

Like Obama and his cronies, they're sounding like the Bourbons pre-1789.

Like Obama and his cronies, they're sounding like the Bourbons pre-1789.

History does tend to repeat itself. The pendulum will swing......

Anyone believe he'll actually do it? No, me neither, but hopefully it won't be Scotland's problem by then.

Pathetic isn't it? Overgrown kids running the country.

I can't explain how I feel about the contempt with which politicians treat us, the hoi polo. Anything I can think of to say just sounds like sour grapes because I am not one of the privileged few.
But I swear that something weird happens to honest and decent people when they walk through the portals of Westminster. Overnight they become arrogant and greedy monsters. Even naturally wealthy men and women like Cameron et al who will never want for anything, suddenly lose all connection with the common people that they purport to represent and protect. It isn't their education and background that does this. It is something that reduces us all to numbers on a sheet of paper. We lose our identity once the vote has been cast. And probably nothing to be done about it. It doesn't even matter if we vote or not because someone will win the seat, even if by default.
I realised all of this many years ago.

No results in yet, but exit polls are suggesting that UKIP has topped the polls in the UK, and the far-Right in Europe has made big gains.

Surprise, surprise.   

One's just come in from North-east England. The Lib Dem vote has collapsed, the Tories have taken a battering, Labour has managed to hang on and UKIP is well up.

Labour's now got 2 seats in the area and UKIP one.

BTW, this vote doesn't go to people, but to parties. I don't entirely understand it, so I doubt if non-Brits do.

Thanks Bonny. I think I do understand it as it's true party politics?

Yes, and it's one of the forms of proportional representation.

UKIP's now up to four seats and Farage is on my TV smiling again.

Oh my!   

No Scots results yet; the LibDems appear to being wiped off the map in the south. Which serves them right, as they threw every one of their own principles under the bus when they went into coalition with the Tories.