British politics. The next half decade!

Jetfire · Post by **Jetfire** » Sun May 08, 2005 3:45 pm

Blair's back in as predicted. He has a smaller majority (About 70) and a increasing number of rebel backbenches and 2 stronger opposistion parties with bigger profiles than the last 8 years.

What now?

Labour go on as before doing what the funk they like?

Will Brown become leader sooner or later?

Or does Blair sneek in his own successor who's more like him (He clearly tried with Milburn).

Will the economy last?

Will things get better?

Post by **snarl** » Sun May 08, 2005 7:24 pm

Thank [composite word including 'f*ck'] the conservatives didn't get in, they are absolute *****.

Autobloke · Post by **Autobloke** » Sun May 08, 2005 8:56 pm

Regardless, we're all still screwed.

Impactor returns 2.0 · Post by **Impactor returns 2.0** » Mon May 09, 2005 1:43 am

thank [composite word including 'f*ck'] Labour got in!

Blair will put through some controversial things, and leave. taking the heat of the party as a whole.

Its good to see the Torys gain on Labour in the commons.

Personaly I think it local elections this will slide away again as it was probably a war protest vote.

still the LibDems didnt gain enough.

Heres a stat for ye all. in M.Thatchers third term, her majority was far less then Tonys is right now...

Post by **Kaylee** » Mon May 09, 2005 9:42 am

Impactor returns 2.0 wrote:thank **** Labour got in!

Blair will put through some controversial things, and leave. taking the heat of the party as a whole.

Its good to see the Torys gain on Labour in the commons.

Personaly I think it local elections this will slide away again as it was probably a war protest vote.

still the LibDems didnt gain enough.

Heres a stat for ye all. in M.Thatchers third term, her majority was far less then Tonys is right now...

The coincidences between Blair and Thatcher are uite disturbing really. Both maintained an iron grip on politics by utterly annihilating the opposition party, meaning there was nobody to vote in to replace them. Both took us into large scale wars. Both laid down the foundations for increased privatisation (or in Blair's case, public private joint thingamyjigs).

Of course Thatcher also was done for by the same problem now facing Blair- a lot of knives poised over the from their own party...

Impactor returns 2.0 · Post by **Impactor returns 2.0** » Mon May 09, 2005 11:13 am

But where as Thatcher went around selling off Englands assets, Blair has to buy them back in bits.

But yes the knives are poised now...

Bouncelot · Post by **Bouncelot** » Mon May 09, 2005 4:01 pm

Interestingly, the Tories have fewer seats than Labour did in 1983, the Lib Dems have more seats than at any time since the 20s (though due to the electoral system, far far fewer than their share of the vote deserves), and the minor parties all semed to pick up votes. Worryingly, almost 200,000 people voted for the BNP.

So, the obvious question for the next election is can the Lib Dems hold their place, given that there are likely to be fewer disaffected Labour voters next time.

Also, we now have 3 independant MPs - the Doctor from Wyre Forest, George Galloway, and that Labour defector in North Wales. It's possible that the traditional 2-party system will start crumbling if this trend continues.

Autobloke · Post by **Autobloke** » Mon May 09, 2005 4:38 pm

Impactor returns 2.0 wrote:But yes the knives are poised now...

Stabby stab stab.

I'm just glad it's all over for now and TV can get back to normal.

Jetfire · Post by **Jetfire** » Tue May 10, 2005 5:54 pm

Impactor returns 2.0 wrote:But where as Thatcher went around selling off Englands assets, Blair has to buy them back in bits.

But yes the knives are poised now...

Indeed. brown will/would be a much better PM. Everybody I know who voted Labour did it thinking that Brown is basically next PM.

Post by **Kaylee** » Tue May 10, 2005 6:02 pm

Brown's got problems to come with the economy. All the analysts are predicting bad stuff there- the pensions crsis will finally hit home, the black hole in public spending will increase national debt and the artificial consumer spending based on high house prices and long term loans secured against them will come crashing down.

Metal Vendetta · Post by **Metal Vendetta** » Tue May 10, 2005 6:43 pm

By the time the next election swings round, I reckon Brown will be PM, with Balls as his Chancellor. Cue landslide. Unless the Tories do something radical (like not vote Rifkind as next leader) they're going to find themselves in third place. Kennedy's got the bottle (npi) to take the Lib Dems a lot further...

Jetfire · Post by **Jetfire** » Tue May 10, 2005 7:29 pm

Karl Lynch wrote:Brown's got problems to come with the economy. All the analysts are predicting bad stuff there- the pensions crsis will finally hit home, the black hole in public spending will increase national debt and the artificial consumer spending based on high house prices and long term loans secured against them will come crashing down.

To be honest they ahve been prediecting that since 1999. Each year the same old thing, spending black hole, house crashes pensions) only louder. 2001/2002 was susposed to be aweful but Brown made the economy (or got lucky) far stronger than virtually everywhere else in the world.

Economists have been miss-predicting for years now. However I'm not claiming they could be right this time, only these 'experts' have hardly predicted anything correctly for a hlaf decade or so and hardly warrent to be listened to now more than previously.

Post by **Kaylee** » Tue May 10, 2005 8:21 pm

I've heard nothing of that. The pensions scandal broke only a couple of years back and is still in the pipeline, the fact that its impact hasn't hit yet doesn't mean it never will. Britain's National Debt was reduced under the Tories but the last few Labour budgets have created a deficit which could only be fulfilled by national borrowing- hence problems with spending black holes. House prices won't necessarily crash but are now stagnating in many places- but the bigger issue is not the prices themselves its the level of private borrowing based upon them which is approaching saturation point.

When that happens public spending plummets which is currently the only thing holding up an ever diminishing industrial centre and a commercial sector which year in year out is reporting lower profits.

I'm sure you do get the perennial moaners who are constantly predicting the end of the world but the city is AFAIK bracing itself for aninevitable downturn. In short he's had it good up until now, but Gordon's luck will have to run out and the odds are on sooner rather than later.

Impactor returns 2.0 · Post by **Impactor returns 2.0** » Wed May 11, 2005 12:04 am

If it was luck id assume it would run out.

Thing is, its not luck, hes just good at his job. even the oppostion party's agree on that!

Post by **Kaylee** » Wed May 11, 2005 8:54 am

Impactor returns 2.0 wrote:If it was luck id assume it would run out.

Thing is, its not luck, hes just good at his job. even the oppostion party's agree on that!

Again, the only corroboratio to that I've read is that his 'great work' consists of handing over interest rate control to the Bank of England and other than that pretty much leaving the economy alone. As we know the Tories set up the precedent for economic recovery after their disastrous jaunts. Labour have not had to deal with any tough times over the economy yet, which is nothing to do with how good someone is at their job. The whole point is we've yet to see exactly whether GB is good at his job as the economy has pretty much sailed by so far without problems.

Snowcat · Post by **Snowcat** » Thu May 12, 2005 11:33 am

Blair will go, Brown will take over, and become the most popular PM ever.

The Tories will get Osborn as their new leader, and finally give Labour the opposition they deserve.

The fact that Labour haven`t had any opposition in 8 years is why they`re so ***** as a government, they can basically do what they like, and not be too accountable for their actions.