To all British DUers...

[WeDidIt]

I LOVE your form of government.

What a beautiful democratic process while still maintaining a dignified monarchy as figurehead of state.

It's raw, down and dirty politics without nearly the bullshit we have to sift through in the former colonies.

So for the British DUers, CHEERS!

Ta.

[LakeSamish706]

1. And considerably shorter than our elections. I particularly like the times

when there is not a decisive winner and the party with the most seats must operate as a minority Govt.

[TheBigotBasher]

2. It looks like we imported some of your vote crap.

Lots of voting irregularities going on.

[HipChick]

4. My brother called me today...he said some polling stations had run out of ballot papers..

some had gone missing too...This is going to be interesting..

[TheBigotBasher]

9. This is really realy wrong.

I do not believe that the Lib Dems are doing as badly as the exitt polls are showing. The Conservative result is not unexpected but the dodgy poll stuff certainly is.

[JuniperLea]

3. Yes! And... can I come "home"?

My ancestors didn't ask me if I wanted to move! Bloody, buggery barstewards!

[HipChick]

5. Just think.....

you could be talking just like us now...:rofl:

[JuniperLea]

14. I could make the switch in a week, tops!

A pal from Blackpool swore I sounded more Brit every time she talked to me:) You should hear me after speaking to family from Nashville, Tennessee! :rofl:

Mostly I like the paper party hats and the robust punk scene:D

Oh! And the little curtains that are hung over the beer cooler after 11p on Saturday night;)

I can mind the gap like nobody's business!

:rofl:

I can blend in, I promise! I wouldn't make a nasty American fuss either!

:rofl:

[CTyankee]

12. Me neither! My people are ALL English, Welsh and Scottish. I didn't have a chance!

I still think I was switched at birth and I am really an Italian. but that notwithstanding...

[JuniperLea]

16. English, Irish, and Welsh here... aka, an abomination!

:rofl:

Yeah, I had no choice at all... my 11th great grandmother was on the Mayflower...

[blueamy66]

34. Love that mixture.

My fiance is the same.

We are dying to take a trip to the UK.

[Captain Hilts]

19. I'm the same Heinz 57 Varieties: Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish.

Susan Boyle voted - she's a Labourite: Cowell's a Tory.

http://deadlinescotland.wordpress.com/2010/05/06/ge2010-susan-boyle-has-the-x-factor/

[Captain Hilts]

18. First generation here. Dad's Scottish born in Brighton, Mum's dad in Liverpool. nt

[JuniperLea]

22. I'm third generation on my father's side...

And 12th generation on my mother's. My father's maternal grandfather was born in Manchester.

First generation folk are interesting! I have a very old friend whose parents are from Amsterdam, and it irritated her when we were growing up. As it happens, she's in Amsterdam today! She's since embraced her heritage:)

[Captain Hilts]

24. Being from the UK doesn't really get you much dap as 'foreign' in this country! You could be in the

DAR? Do you qualify?

It would be cool to join, then get kicked out.

[JuniperLea]

35. I do...

But I have no desire to become a member of yet another "elitist society" to get teased about here on DU:)

I have a couple of cousins who are filling out their applications now. I figured I'd let them test the waters, do the legwork, get their feedback, then decide:) There's even a Mary Chilton (my 11th great-grandmother) chapter.

Another reason I've hesitated, and this is a harsh and painful admission, is that I hear... gulp... the Bush crime family are also related to the Chilton family. There, I've said it... I feel... dirty... ew.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. It's a failure, tonight

Widespread reports of people being turned away from polling stations - mainly because they had queues for the last few hours that they never cleared, but also because of an out-of-date voter list, and running out of ballot papers. Plus there are accusations of ballot rigging via postal votes in a few constituencies.

The results suck a bit, but they have been valid, so far. But some seats may need legal challenges. A seat was re-contested in 1997 because of a challenge - I suspect some will need to be done this time too.

[TheBigotBasher]

11. The last time there was a challenge

the challenger got severely punished.

[Posteritatis]

23. To be fair, the voting system and the basic constitutional setup are two different things

I like parliamentary democracy, but I hate vote-screwing shenanigans no matter what system they're screwing over.

[Selatius]

7. I congratulate Labour on its victory, but it MUST remove the Tony Blair Wing from its party.

By victory I mean they kept the Conservatives out of the majority. Labour needs to clean house because they are nothing but a gang of neoliberals. They obviously aren't Tony Benn-style members of Labour.

[Prophet 451]

13. Couple of corrections

First, we don't know if they've kept the Tories from an outright majority yet. I HOPE they have (because the Tories would probably have me executed) but the exit polls are proving somewhat inaccurate. Secondly, the Tories are already actively planning and laying the groundwork to subvert the Constitution and declare themselves the winners anyway. Thirdly, Labour haven't been Tony Benn style Labourites since they abandoned Clause 4 in the early nineties (1992, I think). Labour have taken a very hard swing to the right since then and can probably now be considered centre-right.

[Selatius]

21. Sounds like Labour needs to find its soul again. I do agree they've become center-right.

You can't fly if you have two right wings.

[Prophet 451]

25. Agreed but...

I have no love for Labour and their betrayal of their liberal base BUT, if the Tories get in, people like me (disabled, unemployed) will die. So I'm praying for ANYONE but the Tories.

[Orrex]

8. I think that should be spelt DOUers

Oh, wait a minute...


Anyway, their government could never work. I mean, they hand-count the ballots--with no chads, hanging or otherwise! Who could live in such a place?

[WeDidIt]

10. Please, mind your behaviour.

:evilgrin:

[Prophet 451]

15. And I'll raise a glass to that

There's some voting irregularities (higher than expected turnout) ut for the most part, it's going pretty well. I'm most concerned about the Tories laying the groundwork tonight to subvert the Constitution and attempt to seize power in the event of a hung parliament.

Cheers!

[Nye Bevan]

17. The problem with the British system is that the Government is too powerful

when it has an overall majority in Parliament. In this case they can pass essentially any law they like, with no written constitution and almost no judicial review. Almost all the MPs in the Government's party want ministerial jobs or promotions, so they are eager to please the Government and will usually vote the way the Government wants. So almost no judicial branch, a powerful executive branch and a legislative branch that most of the time is the Government's lackey. America's Founding Fathers did an excellent job remedying these problems.

[Prophet 451]

20. Mostly true but...

A) We DO have a Constitution. We just don't have a codified Constitution, meaning it's scattered across half-a-dozen documents and four languages. The LibDems have pledged to finally codify the damn thing if they win power.
B) It is EXCEEDINGLY common for the reigning party to have it's own MPs rebel. The tie between candidate and constituency is far closer here due to teh monthly meetings between them.
C) Quite a lot of our civil rights come from the EU. For example, we are signatories to the European Convention on Human Rights. The European Courts of Justice and the Court of Human Rights CAN overturn domestic law.

That's not to say that our situation is perfect and the lack of a codified Constitution and a Supreme Court with the power to overturn statute is a big failing on our part (we do have a Supreme Court but they can't overturn statute).

[eridani]

27. Exact opposite of the major problem we have across the pond here.

Figure out a way to split the difference somehow?

[dbmk]

26. Mentioning

"a beautiful democratic process" and "a dignified monarchy" at the same time is almost an oxymoron.

A monarch as a head of state is an abomination of a socalled democracy.

And I live in one of these constitutionalized monarchies.

If having your shitty(sorry, but it is) two party system was the price I had to pay to get rid of it, I would take it in a heartbeat. Would still be infintely more democratic.

On that particular subject I am proud to pronounce myself a republican. Anything else is making a mockery of the concept of democracy.

[canetoad]

28. And another nugget from the BBC

the Neo-Nazi BNP has not won a seat, it's leader Nick Griffin being deafeated by a female Labour candidate.

[muriel_volestrangler]

29. He actually got a slightly smaller vote than the BNP candidate in that seat last time

so that's good news (and bodes well for the council election in that area too, also voted on yesterday, and to be counted today).

[malaise]

30. Well it's official - the Conservative Party cannot win a majority

Britain has a hung parliament as I predicted the day the election was called.

[canetoad]

31. Your prize is in the mail

:rofl: :thumbsup:

[malaise]

32. I won't hold my breath

:evilgrin:

[LeftishBrit]

33. Well thanks - we do have our own problems.

Such as Thatcher, Blair, and a 2-party electoral system not suitable for a 3-party reality, and a high likelihood of stupid upper-class twit David Cameron getting to be Prime Minister. At least if he does it will be a MINORITY government, so his nutteries will be limited. Phew! I really did think he'd swing an overall majority.

[tsuki]

36. I love the fact that Rupert Roo and Baby Roo backed Cameron, and

all they got was a minority government.

Is Baby Roo still whining about the BBC?