# BritDopers (and nosy foreigners) - The general election 2010 **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 6, 2010, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133 "2010-04-06T11:13:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 25
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/481 "2010-05-07T00:31:40Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > A reasonably close thing given the reasonably staunch Unionist support in that area. He lost the seat to a member of the terribly middle class, middle of the road (politically) Alliance party. Not to mention that thing with his wife and her lover. And Labour holds on to Durham. Tonight has to be really disappointing for the Lib-Dems. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/482 "2010-05-07T00:58:42Z")
More on voters being locked out or turned away: [The Times & The Sunday Times: breaking news & today's latest headlines](http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article7118998.ece) What a terrible, terrible shame. I hated seeing it happen in Florida and Ohio in 2000 and 2004, and I hate seeing it now in the UK. Under British law, could the poll workers have sworn in everyone standing in line, confirmed their identities where possible, and written down their names and addresses so that they could vote later? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/483 "2010-05-07T01:04:41Z")
I’m really enormously pleased that Gordon Brown’s constituency returned him with a big increase in his vote. It’s his home. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/484 "2010-05-07T01:06:38Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > And Peter Robinson loses his seat in Belfast East! > > [Nelson Muntz] > > Ha ha! > > [/Nelson] QFT ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/485 "2010-05-07T01:18:40Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > A reasonably close thing given the reasonably staunch Unionist support in that area. He lost the seat to a member of the terribly middle class, middle of the road (politically) Alliance party… Heh - the “Swish Family Robinson”: [Latest news & breaking headlines | The Times and The Sunday Times](http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article7119005.ece) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/486 "2010-05-07T01:18:56Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > I’m really enormously pleased that Gordon Brown’s constituency returned him with a big increase in his vote. It’s his home. I liked the “Land is Power” candidate there, who spent the entire time standing there with a clenched fist. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/487 "2010-05-07T01:28:32Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Cheers, it’s hard to test that from here. Am following your link here in Aust. Love the coverage. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/488 "2010-05-07T01:29:22Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > I liked the “Land is Power” candidate there, who spent the entire time standing there with a clenched fist. A real arm, or some sort of artificial extension? The fucking thing didn’t move at all! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![MJinks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@MJinks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MJinks)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/489 "2010-05-07T01:32:49Z")
My internet went down for a couple of hours. It never does that! It might be time to bring out the heavy drink… So much for the Lib Dem surge _shakes head_… ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/490 "2010-05-07T01:33:40Z")
Yes, thanks greatly for the working BBC link; I too am following the coverage with great interest. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/491 "2010-05-07T01:43:12Z")
Wtf Wales, I hoped there’d be a bit of Celtic solidarity there. Mind you, newly unemployed former MP Lembit Opik had a quite spectacular [mid-life crisis](http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/01/31/article-1133035-0213D79700000578-726_468x547.jpg). It happens, doesn’t always get you re-elected. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/492 "2010-05-07T01:56:24Z")
> [@MJinks](#): > > It might be time to bring out the heavy drink… > > So much for the Lib Dem surge _shakes head_… I’m going to have to break out the strong drink, soon. But yeah, wtf happened to the Lib Dem vote? Surely they weren’t _all_ students who turned up at closing time? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/493 "2010-05-07T01:58:32Z")
John Cleese, in 1983, explains proportional representation - good stuff: [TLS Dev](http://timesonline.typepad.com/comment/2010/05/pr-explained-with-honesty-by-john-cleese.html) ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/494 "2010-05-07T02:05:01Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Wtf Wales, I hoped there’d be a bit of Celtic solidarity there. Mind you, newly unemployed former MP Lembit Opik had a quite spectacular [mid-life crisis](http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/01/31/article-1133035-0213D79700000578-726_468x547.jpg). It happens, doesn’t always get you re-elected. Well, Plaid Cymru picked up Arfon. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/495 "2010-05-07T02:14:02Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > Well, Plaid Cymru picked up Arfon. I didn’t catch that one, cheers ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/496 "2010-05-07T02:18:31Z")
David Milliband is positioning himself. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/497 "2010-05-07T02:43:28Z")
Tories just picked up Carlisle. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/498 "2010-05-07T02:43:59Z")
I hope nobody is currently watching the BBC feed. “Hey, unconvicted sex criminal Bill Wyman, who do _you_ want to win the election?” " Huh, the conservatives, like, man" Jesus fuck. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/499 "2010-05-07T02:44:04Z")
Good to see the Conservatives winning. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2010, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133/500 "2010-05-07T02:47:49Z")
> [@MJinks](#): > > I voted Labour because I want a hung parliament. [Looks like you get your wish.](http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/may/06/uk-election-night-instant-comment) Now, drop your pants and bend over for the Hung Parliament! 😃 (Another time, we will discuss how the Long Parliament evolved into the Rump Parliament. 😉 ) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133.md?page=24) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britdopers-and-nosy-foreigners-the-general-election-2010/535133.md?page=26)