Election

[henry1938]

can some one tell me why is their is an election coming up

[scooping]

To bury Labour once and for all. Moderate Labour will then realign with the Lib Dems and we might have a half decent opposition.

[Old_Geezer]

Labour won't have owt to do with the Liberals unless they are determined to destroy their party. And from recent years we know that in Westminster, the Liberals find it difficult to be decent at anything, save maybe a bad example.

There is no real reason to have called for a vote on having another election. I think it might be hoped that questioning the validity of the present one might reduce. But that's irrelevant anyway.

[Jackdaw33]

This is shades of 1983 again when Thatcher called a snap election and crushed Michael Foot.

[Sqad]

Sorry....I thought the heading was "ERECTION"

[Barmaid]

Sqad for BA........

[Garaman]

Because the PM has finally realised that it is not going to be easy to push through her version of Brexit with such a small minority, plus she knows the opposition is weak. It might be a good call, but it isn't without risk.

I am not sure it is quite like 1983. Thatcher was helped by the Falklands War which I don't recall dividing opinion in quite the same way as Brexit. Also, although Labour is a party in trouble, is it really as bad as it was then when the Gang of Four left?

[Jackdaw33]

Already one Labour MP has said he will not stand again because of irreconcilable differences with Corbyn. Assuming May wins the next election will be in 2022. Will Corbyn still be around then? He will be in his 70s.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-39630269?intlink_from_url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-england-tyne-39583907&link_location=live-reporting-story

[Jackdaw33]

The first hurdle May has to cross is to get a dissolution bill through parliament. To guarantee success she needs 429 votes, 99 more than she has at her disposal. (Probably slightly fewer, taking into account Sinn Fein and the speakers who do not vote). If I represented Labour in a marginal constituency I certainly wouldn't be voting for it.

[Garaman]

Sorry my post above should have said small 'majority' of course not 'minority'. I should know better than posting anything online after a beer :)

[RobNorth]

Because our betters (includes all politicians) need power to control the Great Unwashed - this power has been slipping of late, so a recharge is needed in order to be able to correctly marshal the ants and drones...

[Jackdaw33]

I would have thought that at the age of 77 Ken Clarke would have called it a day but no, he's standing again. I wonder if Dennis Skinner will also stand, he's 85.