Do You Trust the Tories? Britain’s General Election Is Over

So, that’s it then. It’s all over for another 5 years unless you count the odd bi-election if someone dies or retires or gets sacked or what ever. The pollsters got it abysmally wrong. The media got it abysmally wrong. In fact, apart from the extraordinary ‘exit poll’ just before voting began that got it bang on, everybody got it wrong. It isn’t the ‘hung’ parliament everyone thought it would be, the Conservatives actually won outright and are now forming a Conservative government.

I’m fine with this outcome mainly because it means Labour and the SNP aren’t involved. My own personal nightmare scenario. Also, ‘Call Me Dave’ Cameron, probably on the grounds that a 12 seat majority isn’t exactly on the large side, has already started appeasing the more ‘right wing’ Tories by ensuring the ministers he chooses aren’t soft on immigration and Europe.

Good.

Mind you if you were to ask ‘Do you trust the Tories?’ about all I could reply is ‘More than Labour’ but, as I wouldn’t trust Labour to tie their own shoelaces without cocking it up, a ringing endorsement of the Conservatives my reply isn’t.

Actually, if I say so myself, I didn’t do a bad job of suggesting the likely outcome. I was quietly confident, whilst slightly terrified of being wrong, that the British people wouldn’t be daft enough to let ‘Red Ed’ Milliband in and, whilst Labour are accusing the Tories of using English ‘fears’ regarding the Scottish National Party, it was becoming increasingly obvious that a Labour government would indeed have been ‘held to ransom’ by the SNP.

Labour were absolutely wiped out in Scotland.

I also expected a big swing towards UKIP and that happened too. The swing to UKIP at 9.5% was the largest swing anywhere to any party. They actually had swings of 18% in two or three constituencies and came second in lots of places damaging Labour and the Lib Dems far more than the Conservatives.

Of course UKIP have only one MP but Britain’s ‘first past the post’ system invariably makes sure that ‘insurgent parties’ have no chance.

I suppose the SNP could be called an ‘insurgent’ party as well but Scotland is a different kettle of fish – and, no, I won’t keep calling Sturgeon the ‘fish lady’. I couldn’t care less about her now. The SNP may have 50 odd seats but their influence will be negligible. Basically, the Tories can ignore them. Suits me.

Actually, perhaps Britain’s electoral system does need to be overhauled. After all The Greens got well over a million votes nationwide yet have only 1 MP. UKIP got nearly 4 million yet they have 1 MP.

In fact UKIP got nearly 13% of the national vote for their 1 MP whilst the Liberal Democrats got 8% was it? Yet the Lib Dems have 8 MP’s with less of a vote than UKIP.

Come to think of it The Conservatives received less than 40% of the national vote so, in actual fact, 60% of voters didn’t vote for a Tory government yet here we are.

Odd really isn’t it? In fact, as the SNP are purely and solely in Scotland, nationally they received fewer votes than either UKIP or the Lib Dems yet have 50 odd seats with under 5% of the national vote.

Of course, only ‘proportional representation’ could solve this ridiculous anomaly and it just ain’t gonna happen. The Tories and Labour will see to that – and, indeed, the British people rejected such a change not that long ago.

I’m certainly no expert on proportional representation but, whilst it’s frustrating that over 1 million Greens and nearly 4 UKIP supporters, not to mention the Lib Dem supporters at 2 and a half million, are now woefully under represented in our great democracy, I suppose a stable government is really better ultimately. Isn’t it?

I have my doubts. I may disagree with The Greens on everything other than the environment but when they are only about 1% of the national vote behind the SNP and end up with 1 seat to the SNP’s 56 you have to wonder don’t you?

Anyway. A referendum on membership of the EU in 2017 and a greater ‘stamping down’ on immigration is in the offing.

You know what? I actually feel sorry for the Lib Dems. They got absolutely hammered. I think that’s rather a shame. I don’t agree with them on very much at all but I do admire them for forming a coalition the last time with the Conservatives. They were brave enough to put the needs of our country before party politics to ensure a stable government.

It seems a rather harsh way to thank them by almost wiping them out don’t you think?

Who’d be a politician eh?

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