Re: Politics of the British Isles
Posted: Sat Apr 29, 2017 10:33 am
It was Clinton's (and the DNC's) election to lose and they managed that just fine by continuing to look like the out of touch more of the same politics. Collude/conspire to fix the nomination? Nah, that wasn't the issue, the real issue was getting hacked in the first place. A LOT of voters (about half, and embarrassment in and of itself that the party system can't engage the populace to get even a real majority turnout) didn't even vote because they have had enough of this same old crap while everything keeps getting worse for them. Of those that voted enough voted in states that mattered to vote for the candidate that at least talked about change and wasn't perceived to be an insider grubbing for power as he had not held public office previously. And if you feel that throw the bums out sentiment has gone away you will be very mistaken - as I expect the DNC will be about the mid-terms as they seem to have learned nothing by the election they lost.
But to tie this back to the topic, I lived in Scotland for 15 years up until late 2014; I was not surprised by Brexit one bit. The Scots have all kinds of smoke blown up their behinds by the SNP but I've read what passes for newspapers and seen the TV coverage and read the BBC and Economist regularly and saw just how popular the EU was generally seen by the general populace (a perception problem), how the people failed to see the benefits of being inside but did see the penalties and costs of being inside (both in money and immaterially, such as sovereignty)
As for the Conservative pop election? May would have to be an utter fool to not capitalize on the current situation and do what all governments do in the UK, run an election while the getting is good (or wait the full five years) as 1. Tony's New Labor really did destroy Labor prospects for the foreseeable. 2. By sharing power with the Conservatives the Lib Dems might as well have gutted their party too, but they never had as much to lose as Labor ever did because Lib Dem (and Labor) supporters suddenly felt betrayed. Because heaven forfend they actually have a taste of being IN the government for once because of the ghost of Margaret Thatcher and because generally people claiming to be liberals see associating with people you disagree with and/or working inside a problem even temporarily as serving Hitler. But old people vote well ahead of any other demographic and if you have a demographic that likes things to be the old ways it's old people. 3. The SNP has Scotland sewed up but it won't make any further progress as it is what it is - the Scottish Nationalist Party - and as such has made itself effectively irrelevant in just who will be Prime Minister. No sudden upswing for Labor (or Lib Dems or anyone) will be coming from Scotland for a long time, if ever again, as the SNP will not stop about independence and North Sea Oil (without which all their promises are just vapor) no matter how many times you let them vote on it.
But to tie this back to the topic, I lived in Scotland for 15 years up until late 2014; I was not surprised by Brexit one bit. The Scots have all kinds of smoke blown up their behinds by the SNP but I've read what passes for newspapers and seen the TV coverage and read the BBC and Economist regularly and saw just how popular the EU was generally seen by the general populace (a perception problem), how the people failed to see the benefits of being inside but did see the penalties and costs of being inside (both in money and immaterially, such as sovereignty)
As for the Conservative pop election? May would have to be an utter fool to not capitalize on the current situation and do what all governments do in the UK, run an election while the getting is good (or wait the full five years) as 1. Tony's New Labor really did destroy Labor prospects for the foreseeable. 2. By sharing power with the Conservatives the Lib Dems might as well have gutted their party too, but they never had as much to lose as Labor ever did because Lib Dem (and Labor) supporters suddenly felt betrayed. Because heaven forfend they actually have a taste of being IN the government for once because of the ghost of Margaret Thatcher and because generally people claiming to be liberals see associating with people you disagree with and/or working inside a problem even temporarily as serving Hitler. But old people vote well ahead of any other demographic and if you have a demographic that likes things to be the old ways it's old people. 3. The SNP has Scotland sewed up but it won't make any further progress as it is what it is - the Scottish Nationalist Party - and as such has made itself effectively irrelevant in just who will be Prime Minister. No sudden upswing for Labor (or Lib Dems or anyone) will be coming from Scotland for a long time, if ever again, as the SNP will not stop about independence and North Sea Oil (without which all their promises are just vapor) no matter how many times you let them vote on it.