General Election 2010

[Happy Face 29]

Don't buy it, and not just because I'm a Lib Dem - I'm still confident they'll be in the high 70s at the end of it all. The question is whether the "missing seats" in the exit poll are LD-Con marginals that the poll has given to Con, or LD-Lab marginals that the poll has given to Lab... if it's the latter, we're still looking at PM Cameron one way or another.

 

They'll be hoping the postal votes that came in at the height of Cleggmania boost their numbers

[Renton 22008]

Exit poll in 1992 had the Tories short by 25 seats and they took a majority of 65.

 

Looking ominous.

 

Aye but they were in power though, it could work the same for Labour. The margin of error is two tailed after all. A tiny Conservative majority gives them very little mandate as well.

 

Bad result for everyone this really if the polls are right.

[Park Life 71]

Lib Lab pact says Parkometer.

 

Unless it means the end of Gordon Brown, I can't see it tbh.

 

Brown will be ditched and Lib Lab pact on.

[Craig 6700]

First joint exit poll from Sky , itv and BBC is....

 

Lab 255

Con 307

Lib 57

Others 29

 

That equates to the following vote share:

 

Lab 28.3%

Con 37.3%

Lib 20.8%

Others 13.6%

[Craig 6700]

Exit poll in 1992 had the Tories short by 25 seats and they took a majority of 65.

 

Looking ominous.

 

Aye but they were in power though, it could work the same for Labour. The margin of error is two tailed after all. A tiny Conservative majority gives them very little mandate as well.

 

Bad result for everyone this really if the polls are right.

 

Just out of interest Renton, do you consider a Hung Parliament with the Tories as the largest party a worse result for the country than if the Tories gain a small majority?

[Craig 6700]

Lib Lab pact says Parkometer.

 

Unless it means the end of Gordon Brown, I can't see it tbh.

 

Brown will be ditched and Lib Lab pact on.

 

In that event it's hardly the 'stability' that Harriet Harman is badgering on about...

[The Fish 10972]

Paxman is funny.

 

[Park Life 71]

Lib Lab pact says Parkometer.

 

Unless it means the end of Gordon Brown, I can't see it tbh.

 

Brown will be ditched and Lib Lab pact on.

 

In that event it's hardly the 'stability' that Harriet Harman is badgering on about...

 

Whatever happens must keep Tories out.

 

BBc bloke says deal will be offerred regarding Pr and whatnot.

Edited May 6, 2010 by Park Life

[Craig 6700]

OK... how the hell can Mandelson sit there and say 'electoral reform is necessary'?? Labour have had 13 years to do it if it was necessary.

[The Fish 10972]

Forget everything else, I want that fucking Massive Touch Screen!

[Park Life 71]

OK... how the hell can Mandelson sit there and say 'electoral reform is necessary'?? Labour have had 13 years to do it if it was necessary.

 

It's politics mate. He's offering a deal.

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

Election exit poll: Tories to be 19 short of majority

David Cameron will fall 19 seats short of a Commons majority, according to a joint BBC/Sky/ITV exit poll.

 

The Conservatives would have 307 MPs, up 97 on 2005, Labour would have 255, down 94, and the Lib Dems 59, down 3. Nationalists and others would have 29.

 

That means Labour and the Lib Dems together could not have a majority.

 

There are reports of long queues of people still waiting to vote in some parts of the country after the most closely fought election in decades.

 

Polls closed across the country at 2200 BST but in Sutton Coldfield a BBC reporter says there are plans to lock voters inside the Mere Green Polling Station because the queues are currently so long. There are also reports of long queues in Sheffield, Leeds, Newcastle and other cities.

 

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has been to a polling station in his Sheffield Hallam constituency, where many are queuing outside, to offer his apologies to voters.

 

NOP and Mori surveyed 17,607 voters at 130 polling stations across the UK for the BBC/ ITV/Sky exit poll.

 

All exit polls have a small margin of error which could be significant in a tight election such as this one, in which the three main Westminster parties have been so close in the opinion polls.

 

There could also be different voting patterns around the country.

 

Nevertheless, Conservative leader David Cameron might find that winning one or two seats in Northern Ireland and forming a deal with the Democratic Unionist Party might be enough to give him a majority, making him Britain's next prime minister.

 

The exit poll anticipates that the Labour Party has been more successful at holding on to its vote in seats in Scotland and Wales in seats where there is a large ethnic minority population and where there is an incumbent Labour MP standing again.

 

The poll also anticipates the Lib Dems will perform better in England than in either Scotland or Wales, but a fall in number of MPs would still come as a blow to Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, who has been neck-and-neck in the polls with the other two main parties for much of the campaign.

 

It remains to be seen whether the poll proves to be accurate in its estimate of the Lib Dem performance - deputy leader Vince Cable told BBC News his party expected to have gained a lot from postal votes, as they were ahead in some polls when those votes were cast.

 

Local elections

 

The vast majority of constituencies will conduct their counts overnight, with about 20 not due to begin the process until after 0900 GMT on Friday.

 

Most seats will declare in the early hours of Friday, but a handful of key marginals are expected to declare shortly after midnight, which could give an early indication of how the national result is going.

 

More than 44 million people are registered to vote in 649 Parliamentary constituencies. Elections are also under way for 164 English councils.

 

Polling in one constituency - Thirsk and Malton - has been delayed until 27 May because of the death of one of the candidates during the campaign. The exit poll assumes the Conservatives will win here.

 

Among the council elections taking place, voters will choose representatives in 32 London boroughs, 36 metropolitan authorities and 20 unitary authorities.

 

In these elections, a total of 15,785 candidates are contesting 4,222 seats.

 

Plane crash

 

Voting will also take place to choose mayors in Hackney, Newham, Lewisham and Watford.

 

In a separate development, Nigel Farage, a UK Independence Party Euro-MP, said he was "lucky to be alive", after being involved in a light plane crash near Brackley, Northamptonshire.

 

He is standing in the general election in Buckingham. He suffered non-life-threatening injuries when the aircraft came down just after 0800 BST.

 

He was initially taken to hospital in Banbury, Oxfordshire, before being moved to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. The pilot is currently being treated at University Hospital in Coventry.

 

Mr Farage's agent, Chris Adams, told the BBC he had to be moved for more checks.

 

"I believe it's just precautionary, obviously, for chest pains and we've just got to do all the tests... and the required X-rays, and hopefully he'll be on the mend. The pilot, unfortunately, is in a more severe condition," he said.

 

A spokeswoman for the John Radcliffe Hospital said Mr Farage would be kept in overnight and "will be with us for a few days".

 

The crash is being investigated by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch and Northamptonshire Police. The aircraft was towing a banner when it crashed shortly after take-off.

Edited May 6, 2010 by Dr Kenneth Noisewater

[Renton 22008]

Exit poll in 1992 had the Tories short by 25 seats and they took a majority of 65.

 

Looking ominous.

 

Aye but they were in power though, it could work the same for Labour. The margin of error is two tailed after all. A tiny Conservative majority gives them very little mandate as well.

 

Bad result for everyone this really if the polls are right.

 

Just out of interest Renton, do you consider a Hung Parliament with the Tories as the largest party a worse result for the country than if the Tories gain a small majority?

 

Who knows, majorly disappointed that there looks like there will be no electoral reform though.

 

Bridget will be on soon.

[Craig 6700]

OK... how the hell can Mandelson sit there and say 'electoral reform is necessary'?? Labour have had 13 years to do it if it was necessary.

 

It's politics mate. He's offering a deal.

 

Indeed although they're totally denying it when asked outright...

[Renton 22008]

OK... how the hell can Mandelson sit there and say 'electoral reform is necessary'?? Labour have had 13 years to do it if it was necessary.

 

It's politics mate. He's offering a deal.

 

Exactly, who cares how we get it as long as we do. Which we won't.

Edited May 6, 2010 by Renton

[Craig 6700]

Piers Morgan not nailing his colours to the post at all like, is he?

[Christmas Tree 4851]

OK... how the hell can Mandelson sit there and say 'electoral reform is necessary'?? Labour have had 13 years to do it if it was necessary.

 

Because he's chatting up the Lib Dems who are desperate for electoral reform.

[Christmas Tree 4851]

Sadly, I don't buy the exit poll.

 

I think the result will be more for Lab less for con and a lot more for lib dem.

[Park Life 71]

Labour 272 is my prediction.

[Craig 6700]

Sadly, I don't buy the exit poll.

 

I think the result will be more for Lab less for con and a lot more for lib dem.

 

I think it'll be about right for Tories but I reckon Labour will lose some to the Lib Dems.

[Renton 22008]

Why the fuck have people left it so late to vote?

[Christmas Tree 4851]

What's with this wall street crash that's going on? Is this the beginning of the end?

[Holden McGroin 6785]

Piers Morgan not nailing his colours to the post at all like, is he?

 

I just caught the end of that. Is Morgan pro Labour?

[The Fish 10972]

Why the fuck have people left it so late to vote?

Spend too much time watching X-Factor and the like, they're too used to someone spending an hour between starting and finishing a decision?

[Craig 6700]

Piers Morgan not nailing his colours to the post at all like, is he?

 

I just caught the end of that. Is Morgan pro Labour?

 

Here's a clue... he used to be editor of the Daily Mirror