So, those election results

[andrewducker]

Good news: Hung parliament!
Bad news: Conservatives + DUP coalition is the only one that can get a majority
Even worse news: DUP are, frankly, worse than the Conservatives, being the party who have been blocking marriage equality in Northern Ireland
Sad News: If it wasn't for Unionists in Scotland voting Conservative to "send the SNP a message*" we'd have the possibility of a Lab+SNP+LibDem+PC+Green alliance.

As it is, Theresa May wins this year's award for "Conservative MP holding a vote to get her party into line, and throwing the country into chaos when it goes wrong".

Chances of another election this year: High
Chances of more people voting tactically at the next one, and getting the numbers to push the Conservatives out: Who the fuck knows.
Chances of any negotiation of Article 50, which continues to count down, getting underway: Slim

Just to note:
Purely vote-wise, Lab+SNP+LibDem is over 50%. Fuck FPTP.

*A completely pointless one, as it's the Scottish Government who pushes for Independence, and this election doesn't change that.

Comments

[kerkevik_2014]

If not for 2015 this would be called an SNP triumph.

What is has demonstrated is, rather like the Tories, in seeking to end a question once and for all; all they've succeeded in doing is dividing a nation almost beyond repair.

Even at the height of the electoral power the SNP could not command a majority for independence; yet they went ahead with a referendum anyway.

Now they've let the Tories in wih, more dangerously, the only truly effective party leader north of the border.

I doubt I'll live to see the changes the new generation of Lib Dems; not borne of the Liberal Party or the SDP, will make, but they are the future for us.

We'll see how much of a deal has been struck, but the DUP 'may' come to rue this day if 'tis true.

Sinn Fein may have achieved success but, if you look at the picture over the whole island they are looking increasingly as isolated as the DUP is in UK terms.

[calimac]

Which is why I was puzzled by the SNP's sanguine attitude towards the election, as they had nowhere to go but down.

[andrewducker]

The SNP let the Tories in?

I'm blaming people who were in SNP seats, and decided not to vote tactically, but instead to vote for a party who wouldn't win. Or, worse, for the Conservatives.

[movingfinger]

I call that "the dumbass vote."

[poshmerchant]

If UK's anything like Canada, there were people who didn't know anything about their own riding who voted tactically based on a country-wide polling rather than local polling. Tactical voting is not easy to do right.