We're almost done with the politics stuff, viewers. Normal WoSblog service will be resumed shortly, but first I thought I might as well share with you an email I received this morning.
Back on Monday, when uncertainty still ruled as to who'd be forming the next government, the website 38 Degrees invited its users to send emergency emails to Labour MPs, urging them not to block any potential "progressive alliance" by vowing to vote against electoral reform, as many threatened to.
The momentum behind a Lib-Lab coalition seems at the time of writing to be slipping away, as one braindead Labour MP or grandee after another comes out to argue against it in front of an eager media. If Labour's 1983 election manifesto was the longest suicide note in history, today's collected BBC News interviews could be among the shortest.
Because here's what happens if Labour retards like David Blunkett, John Reid, Tom Harris and Wee Dougie Alexander scupper this agreement.
1. That the Tories hadn’t offered the Lib Dems anything on electoral reform. The sudden, desperate and resentful least-possible offer of a referendum on the absolutely useless AV (which does almost nothing for the Lib Dems) was a panic reaction to Brown’s game-changing resignation.
At least, it’s statistically probable that you do. The majority – 53% – of votes cast by the British electorate last Thursday were worthless, because they were cast for candidates who didn’t win, and are therefore simply thrown in the bin by the First Past The Post electoral system.
So if you were one of the thousands of people locked out of polling stations across the country on Thursday night, don’t fret too much. Your vote would probably have been completely ignored anyway.
Because the aim was a hung parliament, and we got just about the hung-est parliament possible. The Tories need the Lib Dems to form a majority, Labour needs nearly everyone to form a majority, and the smallest parties could yet have the crucial say. Wow, that's hung. But what now?
I haven't been to bed yet. I may be cranky. But with over 90% of results in, it's not really possible to draw any conclusions from last night's election other than (a) almost everyone in Britain is a pathetic, brainless cretin, and (b) everything about our "democracy" is a sick black joke at our expense.
With just two days until an election that could mark either one of the greatest days in British political history or one of the blackest, we're all a bit nervous about the future. But one thing that's great for easing tension is free cash, and that's what appears to be on offer from Stan James this week.
The terrifying image above is Ladbrokes' predicted map of the UK come Friday morning. (You can find much more detail on it here.) It makes a few questionable assertions and contradicts itself in a number of places (eg Glasgow East), but where's the money?
So the debates are over. We've heard at great length from three right-wing politicians, offering us three slightly different flavours of right-wing policies. No alternative voices were permitted.
And the really troubling thing about this election is that that means NOBODY is speaking for the majority of the British population. It almost certainly means that nobody is speaking for you. Which, you might think, is a pretty odd way to be running a supposed democracy.
Spartan 117 on Before Action: “Net Zero and its parent cult of Climate Doom are demonstrable folly of the most chaotic and catastrophic consequences that,…” Aug 24, 12:14
Spartan 117 on Before Action: “Everything in 2026 Scotland is run by SNP cronies. The Murrills and their successors saw to that, inspired by the…” Aug 24, 12:10
Andy Wiltshire on Before Action: “Is it an SNP crony that runs the Scottish National Investment Bank? Annual loss of £138 mil announced today.” Aug 24, 11:53
John Higgins on Before Action: “I don’t know what we would do without Stuart fighting for us in these dark days.” Aug 24, 10:40
Hatey McHateface on Before Action: “Ah, c’moan noo, x. Hie tae yer bed. Pill the blankets ower yer heid. Stick yer fingers in yer lugs.…” Aug 24, 10:38
Hatey McHateface on Before Action: “The baton of erudition has passed to a new holder! I almost envy you, Bob. You’re gonna go to your…” Aug 24, 10:33
agentx on Before Action: ““Overshadowed/ written out of history by Anglocentric British History by the extremely minor military but political notable battle of Solway…” Aug 24, 10:19
robertkknight on Before Action: “Thanks for the potted history. Ignore the site prick.” Aug 24, 09:59
Andy Wiltshire on Before Action: “Daily Mail now says it’s all kicking off at the top of Police Scotland.” Aug 24, 09:45
Aidan on Anatomy Of A Grift: “You’re right, I don’t know exactly how the money was spent, maybe it was all spent on cat food. However,…” Aug 24, 09:44
Hatey McHateface on Before Action: “Some mischievous posters might imply, based on the evidence of the posts that do make it through, that it’s only…” Aug 24, 09:43
Hatey McHateface on Before Action: “Today is Independence Day. Wishing our fighting friends in the east, and their allies and supporters around the world, all…” Aug 24, 09:36
Captain Caveman on Anatomy Of A Grift: “You shit stirring again Dan? Imagine my surprise.” Aug 24, 09:13
Dan on Anatomy Of A Grift: “I don’t much care what you think because even though you’ve quoted a section of text from the crowdfunder which…” Aug 24, 09:02
Marie on Before Action: “Thanks for this. My Anglo-Scottish nephew is a real history buff – going to tell him all about this battle…” Aug 24, 08:53
Hatey McHateface on Before Action: “An interesting article about the dangers of attempting to run a first-world country on renewable energy: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16069801/National-Grid-collapses-Britain-dark-chaos-Net-Zero-energy-expert-KATHRYN-PORTER.html It’s in the…” Aug 24, 08:52
MaryB on Before Action: “So John Swinney has a funding shortfall. I’m sure there are many suggestions as to how he can save money.…” Aug 24, 08:41
willie on Before Action: “Yes, post do go missing. Somebody, or some forces most certainly intervene James Che.” Aug 24, 08:14
willie on Before Action: “Yes and it doesn’t stop with those you have mentioned. Many many others have been the attention of Police and…” Aug 24, 08:11
Hatey McHateface on Before Action: ““Yet they still claim they have never lost a war” Yet plenty on here claim we’ve been subjugated, assimilated, colonised,…” Aug 24, 07:47
Young Lochinvar on Before Action: “Happy anniversary today of the 1542 battle of Haddon Rig, where the superior invading English forces of Bowes were annihilated…” Aug 24, 00:00
Caledonia on Before Action: “If as a lot of people think the police or crown office/judges is corrupt or biased or incompetent how can…” Aug 23, 23:17
Hatey McHateface on Before Action: ““I knew you would reply” I honestly didn’t know you would make that claim. “Clearly you missed that” Perhaps I…” Aug 23, 22:49
Hatey McHateface on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: ““expanding a department to include more varied voices, even if their credentials are lesser, at least to start with, is…” Aug 23, 22:35
WhorattledYourCage on Before Action: “I knew you would reply. Thank you for your kind, meaningless dismissal of what I wrote, with the confusion-inducing invitation…” Aug 23, 22:16
Mark Beggan on Before Action: “Copy Paste! Cambridge standard. You won’t be saying that when I get my scholarship.” Aug 23, 21:21
Southernbystander on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “Hatey, what interests me is what an EDI hire actually consists of. We know that positive discrimination as an official…” Aug 23, 21:07
Mark Beggan on Before Action: “Emojis were something your little sister put in her scrapbook.” Aug 23, 21:04
Willie on Before Action: “Those in the police and copfs who conspire to make false witness, or to cove up and conceal a crime…” Aug 23, 21:02
Mark Beggan on Before Action: “Generation X mate we used to just spray it on the walls.” Aug 23, 21:01
