How Labour won Peterborough.

[outwoodclaret]

Whether there was electoral fraud in the Peterborough result or not what is now abundantly clear is that this country desperately needs electoral reform. Labour “romped home” in Peterborough with just 31% of the vote. It is time that we ditched First Past the Post for a fairer system that makes seats match votes.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Just shoving my neb in here. I totally dislike the Postal Vote, it is obviously wide open and susceptible to the illegal casting of a vote.

Here in Bolton North East and our local wards, the Tories had the political nous to get the postal vote boxed off ten years ago, the result is at least 2000 voters are out of reach to the Labour Party.

Postal voting stinks, it's highly susceptible to election fraud and IMHO the only people who should be entitled to it are people who are receiving the highest level of the Disability Living Allowance. Polling Stations are open for fif**** hours, there is no excuse apart from tardiness not to vote. Back in the day, we used to ferry the reluctant, poorly or disabled voters to cast their vote, but hardly anyone wants this service now.

Could Peterborough have been won on the back of rigged postal votes? Of course it could, in much the same way the blue rinsed brigade somehow managed to retain 2000 votes in our local ward when the rest of the country walked away from the Tory Party.

Democracy is now lost in this country, evidenced perfectly by the refusal of the political establishment to accept the majority vote of the Brexit result.

We suck.

[sinkov]

They might have saved their skins yesterday BT, by just 11 votes they decided not to take over running the country for a day and so won't be declaring all out war on the electorate. The survival of democracy is hanging by a thread in this country, it might survive if we leave on October 31st, but the clowns are playing with fire.

[1959_60]

There is a lot wrong with our electoral system these days.

Postal votes account for a large proportion of the electorate these days (I am going to apply for one). Your card arrives through your letter box, you fill it in and post it back. Unless other people have access to your post then in theory it is like filling in any of your other forms. It is useful if you have mobility problems or you can't guarantee that you will be around on polling day.

The electoral system is all wrong. around 80& of the seats are "safe" ones for one party or another and therefore there are a huge number of votes that count for nothing.

For instance, in the 2010 GE the Lib Dems received 23% of the vote but only 57 MP's. Under Proportional representation they would have got 150 MP's.

Similarly in the 2014 GE UKIP received 12.5% of the vote but only got one MP. Under PR they would have got 80.

We are not used to coalition governments in this country but that would change over time.
The coalition government is a good example. the Lib Dems were widely criticised for not getting their entire manifesto enacted (neither did the Tories) and they subsequently paid a very heavy price.
But the fact was that this Government represented 59% of the voters. Normally the winning party is lucky to achieve 40%.

There is a perception that MP's are not talented enough to do the job.
But if you had the skills, would YOU wish to be an MP?
The scrutiny, not only of how you are doing your job but also of your private life is intense. Would YOU put yourself or your family through all that?
The pay is derisory compared to what they could earn in a similar role in the private industry.
Job security is sh1te. You have to re-apply every 4/5 years and risk being chucked out.

The MP's expenses scandal was shocking. But there appeared to be an unwritten rule that it was OK to claim expenses to supplement your income. Having said that, there were many ridiculous claims - the duck house springs to mind.

Politicians have always been treated with suspicion but after this episode they were treated as freeloading , greedy scum. With some justification in many cases. And as a result they are generally held in low esteem.

If you pay peanuts you get monkeys is true. I would increase their pay to the going rate for the job and it may just attract some proper talent.

Can you believe what you are being told, especially in an election campaign? Of course not. I think that an independent watchdog should be set up to fact check what we are being told. If what they say is proven not to be true then the person who said it must publicly retract it.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Indeed there is a lot wrong with our electoral "system" these days.

Streatham who voted a Labour candidate into Westminster now find themselves being represented by a Lib Dem.

The country who voted for the old Etonian half wit Cameron, now find themselves being led by yet another old Etonian half wit.

Who writes these phucking scripts?

Dear voters of Streatham, here is your new MP. Thank you for not voting him in...
Attachment 12922

[sinkov]

The country who voted for the old Etonian half wit Cameron, now find themselves being led by yet another old Etonian half wit.

Come on BT, as you point out the electorate voted in one Old Etonian half-wit, so Boris is just a like-for-like exchange, seems fair enough to me, nothing wrong with that surely ?

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Come on BT, as you point out the electorate voted in one Old Etonian half-wit, so Boris is just a like-for-like exchange, seems fair enough to me, nothing wrong with that surely ?

I really have had enough of the Tories and their futile attempt to govern. One totally not fit for purpose Prime Minister in David Cameron followed by the equally hapless Theresa May, and in all probability another one with the moral code of a one-eyed ginger tomcat, will force me off to retirement in the Canary Islands I think sinkov.

[1959_60]

Police investigating....

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-englan...shire-48665324

[sinkov]

Now, to justify your thoughts as to why Labour beat the Brexit Party in Peternorough you use "Politicalite" as you reference.
I notice in it's headings it's features include "Tommy" (Robinson), "Farage" "Trump" etc. Please forgive me if I take it's content with a big shovelful of salt.
About the only "fact" I could trust was the date. And I had to double check that.

"Postal votes accounted for 9,898 of the 33,998 ballot papers received. Four hundred of the postal votes returned were rejected due to either the signature or date of birth - or both - not matching council records."

Still trust only the date mon ami. Just because they feature Tommy, Farage and Trump doesn't necessarily mean they're always wrong.

[1959_60]

Fair enough Sinkov.

It still won't become my main breakfast read though!