Snap Election

Riverwalk HopeNotHate claims to have evidence that Ukip overspent seriously in South Thanet and are calling for an offical investigation. I suspect that the Tories would win again, if there were another election in South Thanet.

There's evidence that there was tactical voting to keep Farage out and I suspect the voters would do it again. Farage now seems to have aligned himself with Arron Banks' new party, which seems to be a sort of BNP-lite. I suspect it's too much for the electorate to stomach.

Since it was secret ballot nobody knows how many Lib Dem voters opted for Leave,
Before Cameron offered a referendum, it didn't matter what the 'top brass' in the Lib Dems or the actual members thought about the EU, as like all other parties, the voters outweigh the members.Six of us, all good friends, in my village, all Lib Dem supporters up to now voted to Leave.One village in the UK.More than the odd Lib Dem supporter to be lost I think.

Of course, they could pick up some Tory voters who wanted to Remain, which is what I meant by the referendum clouding the political waters.

A snap election would be a mixed blessing and I think totally unpredictable currently. The government is deeply unpopular with a great many voters so for TM to think that she would great a bigger majority would be very risky.

Brexit has clouded the issue with nearly all REMAINERS still that way inclined, a lot of those who did not vote probably wishing they had bothered to vote REMAIN and a significant percentage of LEAVERS having since changed their minds. I could be wrong but I fear even more chaos as the country simply is not ready for an election.

roses I can't find the poll results at the moment, but the number of people who voted LibDem in either 2010 or 2015 and subsequently voted Leave was in low single figures. They must have all lived in your village.

You trust polls?

Was the total from each party given ?

In any case polls only show those that they have actually asked, a representative example at best,which is why the polls get it wrong at election time.

I can't believe the number of LibDems who voted to Leave was in 'low single figures'. What, only 4 or 5 out of the whole lot?

Don't believe it Ana ( maybe it's fake news?)
Former Lib Dem MP Paul Keetch set up a Lib Dem Leave campaign group.Many Lib Dem voters will have voted Leave, just as many Labour and Conservative voters did.

It was a vote that split the whole UK.

I don't want a snap election.

I want a government that is prepared to ' fulfil it's duty ' to the European Referendum result which was carried out abiding by the rules of engagement using due process of a democratic vote.

Had the democratic vote result been undermined by Parliament and the Lords over the 'triggering of Article 50' then I believe Theresa May could well have called for a snap election at that point.

There is a case for the Conservatives to call a snap election if they want to 'use' the problems facing the Labour Party for 'personal gain' but I don't particularly like to see that sort of politics being used. Politics has a bad enough reputation already.

I think if Theresa May does call for a snap election (a way can be found to get around the Fixed Term Parliament I'm sure) it will be because of the European Referendum Result and the other parties doing all they can to undermine her negotiations.

I think we could well be on the tip of that iceberg however .

Good post POGS

Perhaps Ddil means percentage of Lib Dem voters voting Leave, as opposed to actual people, a very different thing!
According to Lord Ashcroft (after the referendum,) 12% of Lib Dem voters had voted to Remain and 5% had voted to Leave.

Not many of them voted then! What about the other 83%?

if not a general election should there be 20+ by-elections in those constituencies where their was fraud by Tory candidates?Would that destroy the small majority they have at the moment?

POGS I agree with Roses - a good post. If I was a leaver I wouldn't want an election now. But as a remainer who reluctantly accepts the referendum result, I could be persuaded that an election would be a fair way of testing whether that vote really reflects the wishes of the electorate. I think a lot of people are much more aware of the issues now. But of course it could just turn the current bugger's muddle into a total dog's breakfast (or maybe it should be the other way around?)

Sorry Ana my post didn't make it clear.Nobody can know how many people ( LibDem or otherwise) voted Leave, all we know is the actual number of votes for Leave, and polls done ( if they can be trusted) but it's impossible to say for a fact that x number of people voted Leave from Labour/ LibDems/Conservatives voters.
Lord Ashcrofts Polls show that of all the people who voted Leave in the UK the Lib Dem votes were 5% of the whole, and 12% of the whole vote for Remain came from the Lib Dems.
So,5% ..... a lot more than six friends from my village.[grin

Or even ....

Roses we should probably start by polling you and your five friends to whether you would desert the LDs at a general election!
It would be interesting to see how the likes of Ken Clarke and Kate Hoey would campaign.

The referendum and the mechanics of Brexit will take time, but once done and dusted, as it were, I think people will go back to their usual voting practices.If a snap election were to be called, well, that's a different matter.

I don't usually venture into the political threads (far too scary)!

Polling stations are booked for May 4th across Kent for Council elections - wonder if that is the same in other counties.....

You can see where I'm going with this.....

nanaK54

From The Electoral Commission website:-

Elections and referendums in 2017

The following elections are taking place on 4 May 2017:

Local government elections in England, Wales and Scotland
Mayoral elections in England – including combined local authority mayoral elections

Local council by-elections

Local by-elections can take place at any time of year. Your local council will be able to tell you if any by-elections are coming up in your area.

Maybe that answers your question.

Thank you POGS - really I was suggesting that if polling stations are already booked a 'snap election' could possibly be timed for 4th May......who knows.....

Tory grandees are advising TM not to call an election