Labour takes a beating. Time for Chancellor Brown?

[Sayhey]

Looks like the voters of the UK are sending a message to Blair while he is away in the US.

Labour suffers election 'kicking'

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott admits voters have given Labour a "kicking" in protest at the Iraq war.

With only a few local election results in England and Wales to come, Labour has lost 461 seats and eight councils, including Newcastle, Swansea and Leeds.

The Tories have gained 259 seats and won Trafford and Tamworth. Charles Kennedy said Lib Dem gains proved the UK now had true three party politics.

BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/3796075.stm)

[brap]

Looks like the voters of the UK are sending a message to Blair while he is away in the US.

"Kiss the arse of Uncle Sam/Oh to be an English man" - Killing Joke, 'Seeing red'

I'm surprised about the huge Tory gains -- I abstained from voting for many reasons, one of which being the fact that neither of the main parties have any credibility whatsoever. If anything the blues, in office, would probably have made much more of a pig's ear of governing the country than the reds have done.
The thing is, it's not just Iraq the people feel betrayed upon; it's Mr. Blair's authoritarian standing of late. He feels he can take U-turns on whatever damn policy he fancies today (Top-up fees spring to mind amidst so many others), and his whips will get the party to stand in line. At least now he's got a taster of what's to come next year.

[Thanatoast]

So what do you think the impact will be? A less cooperative Blair? More of the same? Will this election adjust policy in any way?

[brap]

So what do you think the impact will be? A less cooperative Blair? More of the same? Will this election adjust policy in any way?

Heh. I'm quite sure Blair will either:

* offer a carrot to the voters in the form of, I dunno, a tax cut, or a BNP-esque stance on Europe. That seems to be all the rage these days. Or,
* hold off on the plans for world domination until the week after he's re-elected. Can anyone say "European constitution"? Heh.

It'd be nice to think this will knock some sense into him, but absolute power corrupts absolutely and all that; and this guy's had it all his own way for 7 years. They're only local elections, anyway - we'll have to wait and see how the proportional representation ballots come out for the MEPs. The smart money's on the Green party ;)

[numediaman]

This election reminds me that American elections are so completely partisan now compared to many other countries. Nothing like this swing could happen in the U.S.

A number of years ago the Canadians completely wiped out the Conservatives -- basically in protest. Same thing happened in Spain this year.

Here, 45% of U.S. voters would vote for Bush even if he nuked somebody (which is still possible, as Zim has pointed out). Politics are so polarized that a protest vote is pretty much impossible.

[takao]

This election reminds me that American elections are so completely partisan now compared to many other countries. Nothing like this swing could happen in the U.S.

A number of years ago the Canadians completely wiped out the Conservatives -- basically in protest. Same thing happened in Spain this year.

Here, 45% of U.S. voters would vote for Bush even if he nuked somebody (which is still possible, as Zim has pointed out). Politics are so polarized that a protest vote is pretty much impossible.

hm actually there are more "portest voting" results expected in this european election gonna get some rough day for many current governments (including my own)

shouldn't it be that if a government/party does a bad job they get less votes the next time ? ;)

[IJ Reilly]

This election reminds me that American elections are so completely partisan now compared to many other countries. Nothing like this swing could happen in the U.S.

For a different reason, I think. Most local elections in the US are nonpartisan.

[mda01aqt]

I heard that bush is so popular through the fact that he is a born again christain and therefopre has the support of much of middle america.


on the otherhand i voted again Blair in protest. He is meant to be reflecting the views of the nation as our leader and he failed to do that through increasing foreign anger towards our citizens as well as jeopardising the authority of the UN which could have brought the world to chaos. The Lib Dems were the only ones to vote for as they asked for evidence before we went to war, which according to me would have been the most sensible path.

I have to say i have been a labour voter all my life and so is my family, but we are utterly disgraced on how the electorate and the parliament were manipulated.

[Savage Henry]

I have to say i have been a labour voter all my life and so is my family, but we are utterly disgraced on how the electorate and the parliament were manipulated.

But do you think that the style of Government that Bliar will be remembered for has actually made the electorate question those in power a lot more than previous incumbents. I'd like to think that democracy is healthier for that, allbeit for the wrong reasons. :) :(