Dec
14th
2019
The UK on Thursday night · 9:31pm Dec 14th, 2019
Source: https://electionmaps.uk/ge2019
That hurt. Sorry everyone. We tried. The actual shift in voting patterns was small, but our totally messed-up first-past-the-post voting system meant it had a big effect of the political balance. It looks like there is no escape from Brexit now. Nothing to do but stay at home at binge on G1 pony.
Except I do have other stuff to do. Tomorrow (15 December) is the deadline for pitching ideas for my particle physics fanfic project. Last chance! I was thinking of doing another round later, but as this hasn't generated the level of interest I hoped for, maybe it isn't worth it.
I also have university admissions interviews to do next week, so I probably won't get back to anyone until Thursday.
Greens got 6% total vote almost 40 seats equivalent, but only managed to keep the 1 seat?
So much fun with gerrymandered 1st past the post where local members are used to represent the totality in Parliament.
Across the pond, I'm hoping we don't decide to keep trying to one-up you guys in the "old people vote to screw over their grandkids" contest, but I'm not feeling optimistic.
I'll assume blue is mostly rural, in which case you appear to have the same issue we have: poor people voting in droves for the same party who screws them over.
The anti-Semite and generally unlikable Corbyn didn't help at all. I'm sure the US Dems will learn from this lesson. (Babylon Bee, best parody site ever)
“Jeremy Corbyn was a disaster for Labour – everyone knew that he couldn’t lead the working class out of a paper bag.”
--Senior Labour politician Alan Johnson
Sorry you're not having a better time of things; good luck.
Sadly we all live in a state of perpetual crisis nowadays :( Best of luck out there.
And I'm sorry the project didn't get the interest you hoped for. I guess it's just a bit much to ask of a generally non-scientist writer base.
5169488
While we share a lot of problems, the US does generally better at "checks and balances". With the parliamentary majority he has, Boris can now push through any legislation, and use Brexit as an opportunity to rewrite details of the constitution to his benefit. You will get rid of the Donald eventually, but Brexit could well be forever.
5169497
It's complicated. It is true that a lot of people really don't like Corbyn, but blaming everything on him is far too simplistic. Don't believe everything you read about him in the right wing press. He has been very popular with young people. I have seen first hand how he has mobilised the student vote in a way I would not have thought possible. He tried to strike a balance between pro and anti Brexit voters. This lost him support on both sides. Most of the Labour party wanted him to commit to second referendum and campaigning in to remain, but in the end losing votes in pro-brexit areas in the north and midlands was the biggest reason why he lost the election.
5169512
I was hoping to get non-scientists involved as by interpreting the topics in their way, they might create something that I would never have thought of. But it seems, despite all I wrote about this, they didn't want to join in.
5169497
Jeremy Corbyn isn’t an anti-Semite. I love you Georg but actually please do your research.
5169526
This is also complicated. I supported Corbyn, but when such a large fraction of the Jewish population say he is an anti-semite, it is a sign there is a real problem. As I expect you know there are unfortunately too many rogues in left wing groups, and Corbyn has not handled this well. There has been a breakdown in trust between the Labour party and the Jewish community, which is going to take a new leader and a lot of time to repair. I have at least one friend who quit the Labour party over this.
However to put this in context, we should acknowledge that the right also has an anti-semitism problem, and an islamophobia problem, and a general racism problem, which is much bigger than the left, but gets less attention.
As I say, it's complicated. If you want to try to get to the bottom of what has gone wrong, this article a good review to start with: The Atlantic: Why British Jews Are Worried by Jeremy Corbyn
5169519
It also just seems hard to write technical topics via pony. I toyed with the idea of trying to do an intro to group theory via pony, and just couldn't make it work.
I note there is a fanged maw opening in the northeast corner of Scotland. c.c
5169542
Which always struck me as weird, since three of Momentum's founders, the organization that really made it possible for him to become labour leader, are Jewish. The 'chief rabbi' (who is only 'chief' of part of the Jewish community in UK) who recently denounced him as antisemite is a close friend of Johnson. A detail the press and the BBC somehow missed. Go figure.
But then Corbyn was also denounced as marxist, stalinist, terrorist sympathiser, you name it.
He's not a good leader, but the dirtyness of the smear campaign against him was appalling.
Anyway. Best of luck, maybe Johnson gets it into his woozy head to become most beloved god-king of the UK and ends up doing more good than harm. Unlikely, I know. Everything seems possible on that island of yours nowadays though.
5169519 5169555 The biggest problem in my mind is that I'd want to know much more than Pineta's (great!) overview of the technical topics, or even the public digest I've previously read about them, before I write about them. I enjoy physics, but I didn't really study it beyond several undergraduate courses in college. I could explain computer programming via ponies if I wanted, or basic mechanics and electromagnetism, but I'd be too worried about getting something wrong about dark matter or cosmology or fascinating-but-advanced concepts like that.
It's a really good project, I just have no idea of particle physics and I'm perfectionist enough to at least get the facts somewhat right.
Also sorry about the vote. As a mainland European, I feel for you.
As others have commented, the claim that Jeremy Corbyn is antisemitic is extremely shaky. Most of the specific claims are about things not said, or words taken out of context, apologies not issued quickly enough, and so on. Seriously, read that Atlantic article and try to pick out specifics. Despite the language, it's remarkably thin on details with any substance.
There's one Jewish group that Jeremy Corbyn has criticised quite loudly, though, and that's the state of Israel - which continues to deliberately aggravate the situation in the middle east with its cruel treatment of the Palestinian people. Being critical of Israel is not antisemitism.
Meanwhile, the winner Boris Johnson is openly racist, often in the most offensive ways possible; and under his predecessor the Tory government has done massive harm to the lives of all the people from around the world who used to live comfortably in Britain. People who've lived in Britain their whole lives have been told their right to live and work here has been refused, and have been deported "back home" to countries they've never been to. The Home Office actively pursued a policy of making Britain a "hostile environment" for anyone not British enough. That's what real racism looks like.
I have plenty of disagreements with Corbyn's political position and his ability to lead. But I would gladly have taken that over another half-decade of this cruelty.
Vibes and commiserations, all you UK folks. You are in for a bad time, no doubt; at least the odds of a no-deal Brexit may have gone down a bit.
Just to add my voice: like several, I also support the science fanfic project, but lack the confidence/writing ability to take part. I hope you get some takers because I do think it's a cool idea :)
Democracy sure sucks when people vote wrong.