# Mrs . May calls a General Election.



## grovesy (Apr 18, 2017)

Oh no General Election has just been announced .


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## mikeyB (Apr 18, 2017)

Doesn't that mean the 5year rule has to be overturned in parliament? It's disgraceful politicking when she should be concentrating on Brexit negotiations. The end result, though she doesn't realise it, will be the break up of the UK.


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## Amigo (Apr 18, 2017)

A bit strange and with so little time. Maybe she's hoping to find a way out as the heat intensifies globally and at home.

I didn't think she was allowed to either Mike;

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...call-one-early-rules-parliament-a7132846.html


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## grovesy (Apr 18, 2017)

mikeyB said:


> Doesn't that mean the 5year rule has to be overturned in parliament? It's disgraceful politicking when she should be concentrating on Brexit negotiations. The end result, though she doesn't realise it, will be the break up of the UK.


She is getting Parliament to vote on it tomorrow. Labour are supposed to be in favour.They reckon she is in a strong position in the polls.


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## Northerner (Apr 18, 2017)

Clearly hoping to get a bigger majority, with Labour still divided  Hope it all blows up in her hypocritical face


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## grovesy (Apr 18, 2017)

She needs a 3/4 majority tomorrow to push it through.


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## Amigo (Apr 18, 2017)

Well either she's trying to strengthen her mandate or hoping for a way out but it's bad timing with so much else going on that needs maximum attention.


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## Lucy Honeychurch (Apr 18, 2017)

I suspect she thinks she's going to walk it.


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## Amigo (Apr 18, 2017)

Lucy Honeychurch said:


> I suspect she thinks she's going to walk it.



I never thought I'd find myself praising a Conservative PM but she seems competent to me. Corbyn is a total non runner unfortunately.


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## Northerner (Apr 18, 2017)

Amigo said:


> I never thought I'd find myself praising a Conservative PM but she seems competent to me. Corbyn is a total non runner unfortunately.


As I've said before, she makes good speeches, but then acts in a completely contrary manner to her fine words. And even here, where she has repeatedly said she will not call an early election - then she does...

From the Guardian:
Here are some of the things Theresa May has said in the past about ruling out an early election.

Just before she assumed the role of prime minister she said there would be no early election under her leadership. On 30 June, in the speech that launched her bid, she explicitly ruled it out.

Then in her first major interview after taking office, she told the Andrew Marr Show last September that the UK needed a period of stability after the shock Brexit vote.

She said: “I’m not going to be calling a snap election. I’ve been very clear that I think we need that period of time, that stability, to be able to deal with the issues that the country is facing and have that election in 2020.”

In her Christmas message in 2016, May also strongly hinted that an early election was not on the agenda by calling for unity.

She said: “Of course, the referendum laid bare some further divisions in our country – between those who are prospering, and those who are not … those for whom our country works well, and those for whom it does not.

“As the fantastic MP Jo Cox, who was so tragically taken from us last year, put it: ‘We are far more united and have far more in common than that which divides us.’”

As recently as last month Downing Street said that an early election was “not going to happen”.


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## Amigo (Apr 18, 2017)

Northerner said:


> As I've said before, she makes good speeches, but then acts in a completely contrary manner to her fine words. And even here, where she has repeatedly said she will not call an early election - then she does...
> 
> From the Guardian:
> Here are some of the things Theresa May has said in the past about ruling out an early election.
> ...



I suppose it's the dearth of credible competitors that makes her seem half decent northerner. As they say, 'in the land of the blind, the one eyed man (women) rules supreme!'


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## Northerner (Apr 18, 2017)

Amigo said:


> I suppose it's the dearth of credible competitors that makes her seem half decent northerner. As they say, 'in the land of the blind, the one eyed man (women) rules supreme!'


Indeed. The Labour PLP have repeatedly shot themselves in the foot over the past two years by undermining their leader. Corbyn's policies are popular, and it is those that are important, we don't live in a dictatorship (yet!)


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## Lucy Honeychurch (Apr 18, 2017)

Also, we're due to leave the EU in 2019 and as Brexit will be a complete s##tstorm she (probably) won't get re elected in 2020, thus she's hedging her bets now.


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## Mark T (Apr 18, 2017)

Northerner said:


> ...Corbyn's policies are popular...


To the new generation of labour voters, maybe.
The rest of us will have to vote either LD or OMRLP I guess.

Personally I suspect she will walk the election.  She can then use her mandate to get her policies past.  With a better mandate she can hopefully better ignore some of the more right-wing on her party.  Her idea of Brexit is looking a bit harsh to me right now but, I hope, that's being driven partially to keep some of the Brexiters on board and she can change path.

Corbyn isn't much better of course.  He wants out of EU too (although for different reasons).


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## grovesy (Apr 18, 2017)

Well according to Essex Live feed on Twitter my local MP Sir Simon Burns will not be standing,  doubt it will make little difference as this is a Tory safe seat unfortunately.


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## Mark T (Apr 18, 2017)

grovesy said:


> Well according to Essex Live feed on Twitter my local MP Sir Simon Burns will not be standing,  doubt it will make little difference as this is a Tory safe seat unfortunately.


I'll be interested to see who they put up in his place.  He did declare he wasn't going to run again shortly after the last election (just after he got his knighthood if I recall).

It wasn't always a safe Tory seat...


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## grovesy (Apr 18, 2017)

Mark T said:


> I'll be interested to see who they put up in his place.  He did declare he wasn't going to run again shortly after the last election (just after he got his knighthood if I recall).
> 
> It wasn't always a safe Tory seat...


Well it has been in my nearly 40 years here. Though for many years a Liberal who lived in the area did eat away at the majority. I have lived in safe seats of one colour or another all my life.


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## Lucy Honeychurch (Apr 18, 2017)

I live in a Tory safe seat


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## mikeyB (Apr 18, 2017)

I live in a safe SNP seat. It's hard not to if you live in Scotland. It would be hilarious if David "fluffy" Mundell lost the only Tory seat in Scotland down there in the borders. They're all inbred farmers down there, so you never can tell.


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## Northerner (Apr 18, 2017)

I live in a marginal seat - it was Labour, but John Denham stepped down at the last election and the Tory just pipped the new candidate. When I lived in Sheffield I used to live in what was probably the only Tory seat there, but it was taken by the Lib Dems - it's now Nick Clegg's seat (Sheffield Hallam).


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## Mark T (Apr 18, 2017)

grovesy said:


> Well it has been in my nearly 40 years here. Though for many years a Liberal who lived in the area did eat away at the majority. I have lived in safe seats of one colour or another all my life.


I noted that there were a few years the liberals ran the tories close.

I do have a claim to fame that I shooed off someone who looked very much like Simon Burn's off my driveway during the campaigning for the 2010 general election.  I was gardening and didn't want to be disturbed 

Apart from when I was at University, I've always lived in fairly safe Tory seats.


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## grovesy (Apr 18, 2017)

Mark T said:


> I noted that there were a few years the liberals ran the tories close.
> 
> I do have a claim to fame that I shooed off someone who looked very much like Simon Burn's off my driveway during the campaigning for the 2010 general election.  I was gardening and didn't want to be disturbed
> 
> Apart from when I was at University, I've always lived in fairly safe Tory seats.


I don't remember the last time a Politician came knocking here. Get plenty of leaflets through the door. When Simon Burns first took over the seat he came to me work place my boss at the time kept me out of the way.


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## Hazel (Apr 18, 2017)

Our then Labour MP chapped my door at the height of the Tony Blair WMD debate.

Our MP kept telling me what a lovely decent guy Tony Blair was - I don't think so, move on please


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## Northerner (Apr 18, 2017)

I reckon Paul Nuttall will be the next PM, the way things have been going over the past couple of years!


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## grovesy (Apr 18, 2017)

Northerner said:


> I reckon Paul Nuttall will be the next PM, the way things have been going over the past couple of years!


God help us.


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## mikeyB (Apr 18, 2017)

Well, Northie, at least he would be less right wing than the current lot.


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## Robin (Apr 18, 2017)

Our constituency is going to be really boring this time round. We used to have David Cameron as our MP ( and whatever I may think about his leadership, he was a very good constituency MP) so we always had the full panoply of Loony and Joke candidates standing against him, and a ballot paper several yards long. Even for the by-election after his resignation, they all turned out. Back to mundane reality now.


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## Lucy Honeychurch (Apr 18, 2017)

David Cameron's constituency also voted remain, so it will be interesting to see how people will vote.


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## mikeyB (Apr 18, 2017)

It must be really exciting in England. It will be interesting- I think the Lib Dems might do well in quite a few constituencies down south. If the majority of labour certainties hold out, it's possible that the Tories will lose their overall majority. Then you could have the government from hell - lab, snp and lib dem coalition to face down the Tories. Alex Salmond for PM.


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## Robin (Apr 18, 2017)

Lucy Honeychurch said:


> David Cameron's constituency also voted remain, so it will be interesting to see how people will vote.


One thing that the new Conservative candidate was asked at various local hustings, during the run up to the by-election, was how he had voted in the referendum. He said he had voted leave. He was still elected with a large majority.


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## Lucy Honeychurch (Apr 18, 2017)

Robin said:


> One thing that the new Conservative candidate was asked at various local hustings, during the run up to the by-election, was how he had voted in the referendum. He said he had voted leave. He was still elected with a large majority.




I see, so unlikely to split the vote.


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## mikeyB (Apr 18, 2017)

In your constuency, Robin, you could confidently expect a penguin with a blue rosette to get elected.


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## Amigo (Apr 18, 2017)

mikeyB said:


> In your constuency, Robin, you could confidently expect a penguin with a blue rosette to get elected.



Oh we already got the penguin with the blue rosette representing our area Mike!


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## Bubbsie (Apr 18, 2017)

I'm not so sure Theresa May has been that smart in calling a 'Snap Election'  so early...if she's not carful...she's likely to turn into a Theresa 'Maybe'...I sincerely hope so.


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## mikeyB (Apr 18, 2017)

Anyway, this is all theorising. The way Trump is behaving World War 3 will occupy minds before this election comes to pass. The least he could do is wait till the end of the cricket season.


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## Lucy Honeychurch (Apr 18, 2017)

mikeyB said:


> In your constuency, Robin, you could confidently expect a penguin with a blue rosette to get elected.




It's a donkey here in Norfolk


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## Amigo (Apr 18, 2017)

Bubbsie said:


> I'm not so sure Theresa May has been that smart in calling a 'Snap Election'  so early...if she's not carful...she's likely to turn into a Theresa 'Maybe'...I sincerely hope so.



Listening to her reasoning tonight Bubbsie, I can see the thinking behind it. Besides which, rightly or wrongly,  she's got the highest approval rating since the early days of Thatcher at the moment so it's the best time to jump.
She said she's doing no tv debates etc. It's in the bag I reckon. Corbyn is running well behind on 14% popularity rating.


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## Northerner (Apr 18, 2017)

Amigo said:


> Listening to her reasoning tonight Bubbsie, I can see the thinking behind it. Besides which, rightly or wrongly,  she's got the highest approval rating since the early days of Thatcher at the moment so it's the best time to jump.
> She said she's doing no tv debates etc. It's in the bag I reckon. Corbyn is running well behind on 14% popularity rating.


Do you not get a sense of deja vu though, with everyone taking the polls to be accurately reflecting what the outcome will be? 2015, Brexit, and Trump were all wide of the mark...!


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## Bubbsie (Apr 18, 2017)

Amigo said:


> Listening to her reasoning tonight Bubbsie, I can see the thinking behind it. Besides which, rightly or wrongly,  she's got the highest approval rating since the early days of Thatcher at the moment so it's the best time to jump.
> She said she's doing no tv debates etc. It's in the bag I reckon. Corbyn is running well behind on 14% popularity rating.





Northerner said:


> Do you not get a sense of deja vu though, with everyone taking the polls to be accurately reflecting what the outcome will be? 2015, Brexit, and Trump were all wide of the mark...!


You beat me to it Alan.


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## mikeyB (Apr 18, 2017)

I'd be interested to see what happens in those traditional labour seats that voted to leave the EU. May might see them as possible Tory wins; the voters might think job done, let's vote labour as usual. It really doesn't matter who the leader is, it takes a hell of a lot to make a lifelong labour voter vote Tory. 

And anent a comment made on TV tonight by a pensioner in Leeds- prices are going up since Brexit was announced. The Tories want to remove the triple lock on pensions, despite manifesto promises. The Tories favourite supporters might just rebel ...


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