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.
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
Hatey McHateface on Before Action: “An interesting boy, Cesaire. As that intercontinental hybrid, the Afro-Caribbean, he ended up a big political cheese in Martinique. All…” Aug 23, 20:36
Hatey McHateface on Before Action: “Coming up 3 years now in October, there’s been a concerted effort by the omnicause left to redefine the meaning…” Aug 23, 20:15
Mark Beggan on Before Action: “I don’t think that was Crankys idea. A bit to complex for her. The Marxists were responsible, The Better People…” Aug 23, 20:05
Alf Baird on Before Action: ““any civilised person” Perhaps we should not confuse civilization and colonialism. There are no human values in colonialism whose objective…” Aug 23, 20:01
Spartan 117 on Before Action: “All correct. I wouldn’t hold my breath for the Uniparty as they’re equally complicit in keeping the smelly dealings here…” Aug 23, 18:49
Spartan 117 on Before Action: “The correct answer from any civilised person is of course “any racism is bad”, regardless of its direction, intention or…” Aug 23, 18:42
Aidan on Before Action: “You feel you’re being subjected to a genocide do you Alf?” Aug 23, 18:36
gm on Before Action: “Cheers Andy. Yes, the appointment of the current Information Commissioner was against the tide. His office has my confidence now.…” Aug 23, 18:27
Alf Baird on Before Action: “Typical of colonialists to ignore the far more destructive even genocidal ‘aggressive racism’ of imperialism and focus only on the…” Aug 23, 18:19
twathater on Before Action: “The compiled segment of the youtube interviews “ME TO YOU” clearly shows the mendacity of both participants, the copper is…” Aug 23, 18:06
Young Lochinvar on Before Action: “HMcH Yer just being silly now..” Aug 23, 18:05
Spartan 117 on Before Action: “So, Racism is acceptable if it’s by the colonized. Do you agree with this, Alf?” Aug 23, 17:43
Hatey McHateface on Before Action: “With the help of a goddess – how primitive to believe in supernatural intervention! 🙂 In our more enlightened and…” Aug 23, 15:12
Andy Wiltshire on Before Action: “Express: https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/decision-not-charge-nicola-sturgeon-37583072 National Scot has it too – David Hamilton is saying the decision to to charge NS ‘merits scrutiny’,…” Aug 23, 15:12
Hatey McHateface on Before Action: “Good racism and bad racism, is it Alf? The kind you were posting about recently, originating in TA. Is that…” Aug 23, 15:00
Hatey McHateface on Before Action: “Scotland’s Mammie wanted us to have Baby Boxes. Dependence on the state starting from our first breath. But that was…” Aug 23, 14:52
Hatey McHateface on The Land Of Do-As-You-Please: “Nobody manages to push the idea that Indy will never, ever work quite like Confused. If/when Indy comes, its success…” Aug 23, 14:40
Alf Baird on Before Action: ““It’s the “right” form of racism, you see.” We discussed the racism of the colonizer and its effects, which Fanon…” Aug 23, 14:31
Mark Beggan on Before Action: “@Northy Thanks for expanding on that. Of course I got it from social media! Do you think I hang around…” Aug 23, 14:20
gm on Before Action: “I’m searching, Andy for information commissioner, David Hamilton, etc and can’t find anything more recent than a month or two…” Aug 23, 13:46
