She could possibly get away with no coalition - how often is there a full house in the Commons?
DUP site crashes after UK general election
The Democratic Union Party's website has crashed as people woke this morning to google the group that may play kingmaker after the Tories fell short of a majority in the UK general election. At the time of writing, 647 of the 650 seats have been declared and Conservative leader Theresa May has failed to win the 326 seats …
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Friday 9th June 2017 11:01 GMT Anonymous Coward
> how often is there a full house in the Commons?
Those of us with long memories will remember the end of the Callaghan government in 1979 when Labour were down to a majority of 1 and they had MPs who should have been in hospital being looked after on stretchers in corridors so that when the vote came they could be carried through the voting lobby to vote. A few years ago there was a program on the radio with MPs involved recalling the time ... one of the Labour Whips said that when they eventually lost the final confidence motion he said they could probably have won but it would just have delayed the innevitable as keeping seriously ill MPs in parliament to vote when they should have been in hospital was bascially killing them and they decided that enough was enough.
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Friday 9th June 2017 15:27 GMT Anonymous Coward
She has condemned herself to a living nightmare. Relying on completely mental whipping of her MPs, and the Orange order. The *orange order* ffs. The 1922, the press, even the jam making WI members of the grass roots will all be after her blood. Last time there was a proper hung parliament, 2 elections in a year. I think she'll struggle on to spring 2018. But after that, she'll be out of her misery, and I sense a Labour landslide.
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Friday 9th June 2017 08:54 GMT kmac499
As of this morning very often....
Yet again when everyones eyes were on Scotland and Nicola Sturgeon the UK gov't is about to be underpinned by Ulster Unionists who in this case owe their power to Sinn Fein absenting themselves from Westminster. While at the same time NI is currently under the prospect of direct rule by a gov't that will rely on the DUPs support.
Anyone opened a book yet on the date of the next general election
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Friday 9th June 2017 12:46 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: Sinn Fein should turn up this time, just for the craic.
Next election will be late October/early November following about a month after the Tory party conference.
This assumes they are going to go with a formal launch of their manifesto this time rather than just winging it a few days out and crashing badly...
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Friday 9th June 2017 20:39 GMT John Brown (no body)
Re: Sinn Fein should turn up this time, just for the craic.
"This assumes they are going to go with a formal launch of their manifesto this time rather than just winging it a few days out and crashing badly..."
You think there will be a Tory Manifesto next time instead of a May Manifesto? Assuming she's still around of course. Personally I think what others have already said, June is the end of May.
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Friday 9th June 2017 09:43 GMT Anonymous Coward
Yet again when everyones eyes were on Scotland and Nicola Sturgeon ...
And what a result in Scotland, eh? WTF have the SNP being doing to lose so many seats, and particularly to the Conservatives?
I the Scottish Tory voter was a species officially declared extinct, with the only chance of resurrection through exhuming bodies and cloning and patching the DNA, Jurassic Park style.
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Friday 9th June 2017 10:49 GMT Mage
Tories sold themselves as the only way to avoid Indyref2
Yet lost.
Total of ALL opposition to SNP 40.7%. Tories only got 13 seats, 22% of seats on their Unionism platform and Sturgeon / SNP managed to hold on to 35. Yet Indy ref was 55% for unionism. So you might claim support for Scottish Independence has gone from 45% to 59. SNP only did so well at last election (and far better than expected) due to backlash against Westminster, hence Ruth Davidson choosing Unionism campaign, thinking that might give majority.
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Friday 9th June 2017 10:53 GMT DontFeedTheTrolls
John Riddoch
The Tories sold themselves as the only way to avoid Indyref2.
All three major parties sold themselves as against IndyRef2, garnering a result that has 1,654,017 against independence and only 989,726 for it. 62% against, 38% for, a wider gap than IndyRef1, and certainly no "mandate from the people of Scotland" to support IndyRef2. But still the SNP will claim it.
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Friday 9th June 2017 10:42 GMT Mage
Scotland & Tories
Before last big election win the SNP had maybe 6?
Ruth Davidson fought Scottish Tory election on Unionism (55% in Indyref) and lost. All non-SNP (mostly Unionists) was 40.7% to the SNP 59.3%. I'd call that a win for SNP.
In NI, despite near parity in Stormont (and a hung assembly with no prospect of a government), the Nationalists (SF) only got 38.9%, DUP (10) + 1 Unionist Independent = 61.1% Adams & SF will go quiet on calls for a border referendum.
SF should take seats or get no money.
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Friday 9th June 2017 11:03 GMT DontFeedTheTrolls
Re: Scotland & Tories
@Mage
Total of ALL opposition to SNP 40.7%. Tories only got 13 seats, 22% of seats on their Unionism platform and Sturgeon / SNP managed to hold on to 35. Yet Indy ref was 55% for unionism. So you might claim support for Scottish Independence has gone from 45% to 59.
Since IndyRef(n) is a referendum, it is counted on votes, not seats, so your argument for an SNP win is invalid.
SNP (For) votes = 989,726
Tory,Labour,LibDem (Against) = 1,654,017
Yes = 38%
No = 62%
A wider gap than the 55%/45% of IndyRef1, and a total loss for the SNP. But never let facts get in the way of some good SNP spin.
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Friday 9th June 2017 23:42 GMT Oh Homer
Re: "Tory,Labour,LibDem (Against)"
Not necessarily. It's far more nuanced than that.
I'm a lifelong Labour Party member and voter, a socialist and therefore an internationalist, radically opposed to nationalism.
And yet I support Scottish independence.
Here's why: For me (and every "YES" supporter I know) Scottish independence is not about nationalism in the usual (far-right) sense, it's not about racism or xenophobia or even money, it's about getting out from under the thumb of Westminster, a clique of Bullingdon Club graduates that only represents the privileged few, and is completely out of touch with the working class majority.
It's worth remembering that the SNP has long since lost its reputation as the "Tartan Tories", ever since the left-wing reforms of the 79 Group (led by Salmond amongst others). In fact, prior to Corbyn's reign at the helm of Labour, the SNP were probably only second to the Greens (and possibly Plaid Cymru) in terms of socialist policy.
As a socialist, I could easily have voted for the SNP in good conscience, but the opportunity to vote for the only truly socialist Labour leader in (my) living memory was too good to pass up.
But I still support independence, not least of which because it might actually be the only chance we (in Scotland) have to rejoin the EU (Scotland voted overwhelmingly to remain), securing our civil and human rights, escaping austerity politics, and fully benefiting from the economic advantages of the single market. Most of all, though, it's about a deeply socialist country finally being allowed to operate like one, instead of being perpetually oppressed and overruled by the intractably right-wing values of Westminster.
Even as a staunch socialist radically opposed to nationalism, I just can't see any way for Scotland to realise its socialist ambitions as part of this toxic union, so clearly the only way forward is independence.
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Saturday 10th June 2017 20:48 GMT Boris the Cockroach
Re: "Tory,Labour,LibDem (Against)"
Bollocks
The SNP ARE an nationalist party that just so happens to wear socialism as a cloak
Look what happens whenever theres a report about how badly the SNP/Green party are running Scotland
Its instant "Indyref2.. All the nasty englishes fault .... indyref2.... blame westminister ... did I say indyref2... oh I dint INDYREF2".... followed by "quick, someone call BBC scotland and make them put Braveheart on a continous loop"
Thats the snp.... nationalists to the core first and foremost, dont care about what happens to anyone else so long as they can get scotland out of the UK and then hold power for themselves.
Oh and if scotlands health service in in financial crisis...... just ask the SNP about that power they have to vary scotland's income tax rate from the UK wide one......... and why they dont use it.
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Friday 9th June 2017 08:55 GMT David Webb
Problem is we're going into brexit talks, May decided that Pride was with her but that has led to a Fall, she should play Fallout 4 and visit Hubris Comics. With a weak government, any divisions between them and their DUP partners may get voted down by the opposition parties ganging up to give May a MayNot.
If Conservatives can't form up with DUP and get assent to power, Corbyn may come in which would put us into an even worse position, every policy could get voted down by Conservatives and whoever else decides to turn up to claim their travel allowance of £1,520 per mile.
On the bright side, if Corbie does get into power he'll probably block Trumps visit and put him on the watch list so he can never visit again, he can declare that hair a clear and present danger.
Expect another election in the next couple of years, wake me up when it's over.
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Friday 9th June 2017 17:01 GMT Anonymous Coward
An election is only going to be called earlier than 5 years from now if the Prime Minister calls one or if there is a vote of no confidence. Given the recent fiasco no matter how much the polls might show them to be ahead there will be no appetite for the PM to call another snap election in the hope of gaining an increased lead.
A no confidence vote is possible should the DUP decide that it wants to roll the dice again, however it did do rather well this time and is basking in power so it would be in their best interest to hang on. Which only leaves a no confidence vote supported by a back bench revolt most probably objecting to a bad Brexit deal. Whilst this is always possible it would be party political suicide and so quite unlikely.
Five years is far from impossible.
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Saturday 10th June 2017 14:33 GMT John Brown (no body)
"Pretty funny that they're going to be calling the shots in your new gov't"
If you think they'll be "calling the shots" with so few MPs, just look back a few years to the ConDem coalition and just how much influence the Dems actually had. The Dems worked hard to show their influence, and did manage to stall the Tory Snoopers charter and a few other things, but even with many more MPs than the DUP now have, had little real effect and were certainly not "calling the shots".
As yet, British politics isn't quite as partisan as US politics. There's nearly always "rebels" in most of the parties who will vote for or against something out of line with their own party leaders because it's the right thing to do.
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Saturday 10th June 2017 08:09 GMT veti
"No coalition" is entirely possible, it's called a minority government. Nothing particularly groundbreaking about that as a concept, we've had 'em before, and some Europeans have them regularly.
A "no confidence" vote needs more than just defectors from those you're counting on, it also needs a solid turnout from everyone else. Depending on the cause and the opposition at the time, it's by no means guaranteed that Labour, the SNP, the Lib Dems and Plaid Cymru could all be persuaded to support the same motion on anything without defections from their ranks too.
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Friday 9th June 2017 09:18 GMT John Smith 19
"with worrying links in the past to certain violent extremists. "
<ulster accent>
That is a blatantly unsubstantiated rumor put out by the relatives of all the people shot by Loyalist paramilitaries in the past.
And BTW with our support of Mrs May's IPA we will know where you live.
signed
DUP
</ulster accent>
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Friday 9th June 2017 09:53 GMT Pen-y-gors
Re: "with worrying links in the past to certain violent extremists. "
<ulster accent>
Yet another typical stereotypical bit of something-or-other put out by the MSM! What do you mean 'ulster' accent? There's no such thing - can't you hear the difference between Ian Paisley and Martin McGuiness? Seriously, there's a world of difference between the accents of Donegal, Derry and Belfast.
I remember having slight troubles with the accent of one of my Irish teachers in Donegal. Lovely woman, but very definite Derry accent. She was trying to explain how to pronounce something, but rather than using standard phonetics she tried to write 'English' words that sounded the same. Okay until she wanted to get an 'eye' or 'aye' sound (in standard English) She wrote down N-O-W pronounced 'Nigh'. Works fine once you get used to it!
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Friday 9th June 2017 12:58 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: "with worrying links in the past to certain violent extremists. "
Yet another typical stereotypical bit of something-or-other put out by the MSM! What do you mean 'ulster' accent? There's no such thing - can't you hear the difference between Ian Paisley and Martin McGuiness? Seriously, there's a world of difference between the accents of Donegal, Derry and Belfast.
To be fair, the "accent" attribute was used merely as a boolean, so the parser is instructed to use a suitable accent, but, absent a standardised default value, leaves the exact presentation up to the reader's preference.
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Friday 9th June 2017 17:20 GMT John Smith 19
"Yet another typical stereotypical bit of something-or-other put out by the MSM!"
The joke icon and the mock HTML should have flagged that my post was not entirely serious. :-(
In fact I have witnessed what happens when two Ulsterman (who don't know each other) are talking on the phone. It's quite fascinating to watch. They can indeed detect what area of a city each comes from. If you could pop open an inspection port on the backs of their heads it would look this.
Handshake initiated...
Town status --> same
Map loading...
Search initiated.
Area identified.
Street identified.
Status --> sound.
It was a fascinating exercise in Geography to watch. I'd never seen anything like it before or since.
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Friday 9th June 2017 10:53 GMT Mage
Re: DUP?
The black and decker catalogue is in the post to all posters besmriching the DUP.
Proven bullies and bigots. Previous party leader (Robinson) led a mob attack on an Irish Garda station, which unlike NI police stations, are usually just like a regular office or even in rural areas a house.
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Biting the hand that feeds IT
