All-purpose news and politics thread

[Cavemold]

It's not so much the protesting as a. the rioting in London and b. the rampant self-pity.

Seattle had riot it was call may day
http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news...ent-in-seattle

[Charles RB]

"How dare they protest against corporate greed! They've got iPhones, and they drink coffee!"

Hislop and Merton really tore into her over that.

[Spike-X]

Hislop and Merton really tore into her over that.

Yes. Yes, they did.

[Charles RB]

The Tories and Lib Dems have been mauled in the local elections by Labour. The Lib Dems were already walking wounded from last time, they're simply losing the local government base they spent decades building up.

The Tories also lost vote share to UKIP but UKIP won few seats, unlike Labour which got many. What's the Tory response? To say the coalition needs to be more righty because of UKIP. Quelle surprise!

Or as one twat said it:

Gerald Howarth, a defence minister, said Cameron must consider Tory unhappiness on gay marriage and law reform after the election results.

If I was a conservative, I'd feel insulted that a Tory minister thinks he could win my vote through homophobia.

[Arvandor]

The Tories and Lib Dems have been mauled in the local elections by Labour. The Lib Dems were already walking wounded from last time, they're simply losing the local government base they spent decades building up.

This means nothing. Nobody voted. Nobody cares.

[thehod]

This means nothing. Nobody voted. Nobody cares.

Which is an even bigger middle finger to the Tories and Lib Dems, but throws Labour into the bargin.

From reading various sites which have all been asking the question "why didn't you vote" the overriding response is "why bother? There's no-one that reflects what I stand for."

Its the Westminster same old same old thats been giving a real shooing in these elections.

[7thangel]

a bit late but i love this tweet response to Sarkozy pandering and yapping about wanting 'a French Islam, not Islam in France'

[Charles RB]

The London mayoral votes are being counted - Boris is in the lead so far.

And here's some fun results:

* The BNP lost all six seats (HAW HAW)

* UKIP gained five seats but lost five as well, so they're in the same place as they were already

* The Greens gained four seats and are currently third place in the London assembly vote, over the Lib Dems. That's not normal.

* Most cities have voted against elected mayors, except Bristol.

This means nothing. Nobody voted. Nobody cared

Except for the 32% of the electorate who did. That's the lowest turnout since 2000 but it's still a third of all possible voters.

And if "nobody cared", why is Labour the SNP making gains over the coalition - and Labour over the SNP in Glasgow - instead of the same status quo as before?

From reading various sites which have all been asking the question "why didn't you vote" the overriding response is "why bother? There's no-one that reflects what I stand for."

Did they check?

[Charles RB]

Isn't it weird, UKIP are stuck in a holding pattern when it comes to winning seats and the BNP are dead, and all the while the Green Party slowly gets bigger - and it got an MP and UKIP never has - but you never hear the bigger parties talk about appealing to Green voters. It's only the two right-wing parties obsessed with foreigners. Is it just easier to appeal to UKIP's base than the Greens?

[Charles RB]

One thing to remember: the main opposition has often done well in council votes, then lost the next general election anyway. Hague's Tories got the same results against early Blair as Miliband's Labour is getting, and look what happened to them. So we don't know how that'll turn out.

What we do know:

What we do know, though, is that in the next three days, weeks and months Labour will get its first real chance since losing office to gain a public hearing and the two parties of the coalition will come under immense internal pressure to stress their differences rather than what they agree on.

Next week David Cameron and Nick Clegg will unveil their agenda for the next year in office. Critics who dismiss reform of the House of Lords or legislation for gay marriage as unpopular irrelevances have just been given fresh electoral ammunition.

The next phase in British politics will be defined not by these results but by what party leaders conclude they've been told by the electorate and how they choose to respond.

"Critics who dismiss reform of the House of Lords or legislation for gay marriage as unpopular irrelevances have just been given fresh electoral ammunition" is worrying.

[Iangould]

Isn't it weird, UKIP are stuck in a holding pattern when it comes to winning seats and the BNP are dead, and all the while the Green Party slowly gets bigger - and it got an MP and UKIP never has - but you never hear the bigger parties talk about appealing to Green voters. It's only the two right-wing parties obsessed with foreigners. Is it just easier to appeal to UKIP's base than the Greens?

Yes but there are a bunch of people who vote for the major parties who share at least some of the views of the UKIP and BNP and who might be persuaded to shift their vote to the major party that does the best job of sympathizing with the BNP/UKIP position.

[Charles RB]

So the Green's increase - they're now beating the Lib Dems mayoral candidate too - is more likely to be that the Lib Dems (and Labour) aren't getting as many votes while the Greens are still getting the same amount of people, rather than people defecting to them?

[Iangould]

So the Green's increase - they're now beating the Lib Dems mayoral candidate too - is more likely to be that the Lib Dems (and Labour) aren't getting as many votes while the Greens are still getting the same amount of people, rather than people defecting to them?

It's more that most Green voters are ideologically left wing. If the Greens didn't exist, their voters would most likely support Labor or one of the minor left wing parties.

The Tories are unlikely to attract many of those voters so why even try?

[Michael P]

Tuscon School District to Chicana Author: We Don't Want Your Kind Around Here

In a stunning rejection of celebrated author Ana Castillo's offer to read and speak with Tucson high school students next week, Tucson Unified School District administrators added a new chapter to the nation's most troubling censorship crackdown and dismissed any overtures for healing in the torn community.

A widely sought speaker on the national lecture circuit, the renowned poet and novelist, whose beloved stories are read throughout schools in Tucson and Arizona, had offered to waive her honorarium and travel to Tucson on her own dime, as part of a special effort to bring "healing to all sides."

[Vibranium]

wow....what is happening down there?