General election 2015

Stop off and see us in Queensland on the way... Appalling result, speechless...

Hopefully, as UKIP's only media savvy member, it's has cut the head off the dragon.

That's it, with the Cons win of Devon West & Torridge they now have their small majority of 323 seats to lead parliament.

ha! yup, the flouncemobile is being warmed up as we speak. not that the cunts running the show in aus or the US are much better.

If the cunt had any morals he should fuck right off.

No, but at least it's warm here and the minimum wage is over £10p/h...

Fucktones assemble!!

I don't think I have.

They're not a small-minded nationalist party? How on earth can you say that!?!

Farage wants to split the UK off from Europe, the SNP want to go one step further and take Scotland out of the union. Their policies are left of centre yes - anything else in Scotland would fail - but that's not the point.

They want what is the best for Scotland at the expense of everyone else. In a way, who can blame them, but here's what Orwell said about nationalism:

A nationalist is one who thinks solely, or mainly, in terms of competitive prestige. He may be a positive or a negative nationalist—that is, he may use his mental energy either in boosting or in denigrating—but at any rate his thoughts always turn on victories, defeats, triumphs and humiliations. He sees history, especially contemporary history, as the endless rise and decline of great power units and every event that happens seems to him a demonstration that his own side is on the upgrade and some hated rival is on the downgrade.

Nationalism ultimately begets conflict and jingoism: Hitler, Stalin, Karadžić, the list is endless. Albert Einstein said that "Nationalism is an infantile disease. ... It is the measles of mankind."

If there was an 'English National Party' which wanted to split England off from the union they'd be widely decried as racist, bigoted and so on, including by you. Why is it any different if they're Scottish?

Add to this that SNP supporters refuse to have a proper debate about anything, and somehow feel they were robbed in the referendum (even though the majority of their country voted in favour of the union). I found this out on here in the referendum thread where SNP supporters just got shouty and failed to address my points or engage, and I've found the same in real life with my boyfriend's family who are exactly the same.

They've even started talking to each other via facebook in gaelic, having never shown any interest in the language previously. How does that make any sense? Why are they doing it?

The SNP, like many nationalist movements, is cult-like. This result supports that.

So to recover in Scotland, Labour must move to the left. To recover in England they must move to the centre. Not looking good for the future of the party.

The Liberals are washed out and without any ideas or policy will remain so. Damaged beyond repair possibly.

The Tories should not celebrate too much. The slenderest of majorities. Worse than Major, any of Thatcher's victories,. worse than Blair's three, worse than all but one of Wilson's and worse than Heath's. Now they face a divisive European referendum.

We might be witnessing a radical overhaul of our party political system. Who knows where it will go.

We need a London First party to claim the balance of power in Westminster or to push for independence.

Yeah. London's been a backwater of the UK for years, right?

Tories now at 323. That's effectively a majority, assuming Sinn Fein do not take their seats.

It's getting worse by the minute. Middle England is worse than the Midwest in the US.

Commiserations to all.

From Lionel Barber's editorial in the FT:

"The other way to look at the election — especially in the light of the strong showing for the UK Independence party, which did not translate into Westminister seats — is nationalism playing a winning hand. England in effect voted against the SNP — and the Tories were the chief beneficiaries."

Why is it any different if they're Scottish?

Maybe because a different group of people (identity, race, nation, whatever you want to call it - they exist and to deny that is burying your head in the sand when it comes to human history) are making decisions about them that are detrimental to them. I'd be pissed off if someone from England wanted to put a nuclear missle base down the road from me.

They've even started talking to each other via facebook in gaelic, having never shown any interest in the language previously. How does that make any sense? Why are they doing it?

This attitude towards UK minority 'nations' from English-centric or even London-centric commentators and politicos is exactly what kicked off the long Irish independence campaign. You're seeing things through a very narrow prism. Your response to them speaking in their own language is pretty childish - and actually nationalistic ("why can't they just speak English?") despite your own views about it. Maybe they just want to? Maybe they're interested in the history and sound and feeling of it - before another country came along and wiped it out.

Latest BBC prediction is 331.

From someone who claims to be familiar with Scottish politics your posts-as with the referendum-leave me bewildered.

The ineptitude of Labour-symbolised by forcing a universally loathed blairite Jim Murphy on the Scottish Labour Party (and a man ineligible to even speak in the national parliament his party is supposed to be representing)-put the headstone on their Scottish franchised vote-farm.

An unprecedented 35% swing to the SNP isn't 'cult-like'-it's a rejection of a corrupt, failing, Westminster system that does no good for anyone but the rich, and your deliberate misreading of anything that comes out of Scotland suggests that-like Labour-you're simply not up to the task of opening your ears and listening to what people up here are saying.

Pro-union supporting friends in London are blaming SNP voters for returning a Tory government. Since when is it one-constituent nation's job to act as the social conscience of the whole Union and get taken for granted as a result? You'd do better ask yourself why so many people in England still think Tory rule is such a good idea after 5 years of self-centered idiocy than accuse a whole nation of succumbing to a 'cult'.

I never thought Ed had enough carisma to win.

Said that, the problem is just us. Coming afterward saying more or less things when all we can do is serve their system is just cowardliness. And disgust-full. Fight before and fight after until you win. Then die and leave something that is not just a bank account and a flat to your children.

Let's show to the entire electorate who is the real column of this system. And let's show how the system can survive and get richer without your servile and devoted contribution.

And do a favour to yourself, stop crying and learn how to fight starting with dropping part of your secure and sedated life.

The most of the major cities it's already in our hands.

Farage didn't quite make the cut for south Thanet.

I now quite like the idea of moving to lovely lefty Scotland, but I'm English. Would it go well?

The Scottish don't hate the English.

IMO nationalism is inherently divisive because it highlights perceived differences between people, emphasizing an individual's identification with their own nation. So good luck with that.

@dst: You're practically Scottish.

Farage has just stepped down as leader of UKIP. Lets see if it has any staying power or was just a bit of a personality cult.

Loads of English people live here with no problem. And many even choose to vote SNP. Why do you think it wouldn't go well? Just don't go on about 1966 or call everyone 'sweaty jocks' or 'subsidy monkies' like some less egalitarian cliche-fuelled Southerners are wont to and I think you'll be fine.

Farage resigned.