Article

2005-03-21 Britain

Poll gives Tony Blair big election majority

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Posted by Fred 2005-03-21 00:00:00|| || Front Page|| [5 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 A lesson for the opposition from last fall - polls do not always equal electoral votes.

Posted by Bobby 2005-03-21 12:06:15 AM|| 2005-03-21 12:06:15 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 They've implemented the Electoral College in the UK these days? God help them.

Posted by gromky 2005-03-21 1:25:36 AM|| 2005-03-21 1:25:36 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 That would be rather uninteresting, I suspect, Gromky. You'd have, what? England, Scotland, Wales, and northern Ireland? Can someone tell Me are the parties relatively equal across the various realms? Or is, say, Wales a big Labour region, while Scotland is Tory?

Do the people (or sheep) of the Falklands get to vote?

Posted by Jackal 2005-03-21 9:51:50 AM|| [http://home.earthlink.net/~sleepyjackal/index.html] 2005-03-21 9:51:50 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 12 sheep = 1 human for census purposes.

Posted by abu Virginia Compromised 2005-03-21 11:33:51 AM|| 2005-03-21 11:33:51 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 I am not a Brit, so please correct my understanding if it is incorrect.

Parliament is akin to the electoral college in that the Brits never explicitly vote for the Prime Minister (PM), only their own Member of Parliament (MP). The PM is the one who can put the most MPs together to form a government, regardless of the outcome of the popular vote. This is usually done by the leader of the party also winning the most popular votes. But a party could win the majority of MP seats without winning a majority of the popular vote.

Posted by Mrs. Davis 2005-03-21 11:58:23 AM|| 2005-03-21 11:58:23 AM|| Front Page Top

#6 Exactly Mrs. D. except for the Dutchy of Lancaster which is usually held by a sheep without portfolio. Or a blue painted man (religon) with a wheelbarrow (burial). You would know this if your history had not suddenly ended in 1776.

Posted by Shipman 2005-03-21 1:12:27 PM|| 2005-03-21 1:12:27 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 without winning a majority of the popular vote. I don't think a UK government in my lifetime has achieved a majority of the popular vote.

Posted by phil_b 2005-03-21 1:19:54 PM|| 2005-03-21 1:19:54 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 Been a long time since majority of the popular vote was had by anyone

Simulation with these poll numbers:

Lab 386
Con 167
LD 70
oth 34
Lab Maj 113

Posted by BigEd 2005-03-21 4:29:34 PM|| 2005-03-21 4:29:34 PM|| Front Page Top

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