RationalWiki talk:UK General Election, 2010/Election night special

Luckily I'm off to bed now, so I can resist the urge to dredge up Monty Python's election night coverage... -- PsyGremlin  20:29, 5 May 2010 (UTC)
 * I have a bad feeling that the international dateline is going to confuse me..I might be late to the party. tmtoulouse 21:06, 5 May 2010 (UTC)
 * I'm stage managing a dress rehearsal that night, hopefully I'll be back in time to see the scores come in bitch about them here. But not too late as I'm teaching in the morning. I was really looking forward to this too! 23:52, 5 May 2010 (UTC)
 * I've booked Friday off so i can stay up and follow all this. Sad I know but I love election night. Except 1992, that was a crusher. I hate Basildon to this day. Totnesmartin (talk) 08:03, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Streams
Are there "legitimate" streams of the BBC television coverage? tmtoulouse 18:15, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * I've been looking for that. I think it's here.  --BobSpring is sprung! 18:30, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Thanks! I have been using here, though its not ideal. tmtoulouse 18:32, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * .ec. And sky is here. But now I think about it some more, I guess you were after actual programmes.--BobSpring is sprung! 18:33, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Non UK viewers will not be able to watch the live TV coverage I fear. 18:54, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Subdued
Our US coverage had a lot more smiley faces and balloons and alcohol. tmtoulouse 20:25, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * It's because we're Brits. We like the misery. Totnesmartin (talk) 20:31, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Tarquin Fin-tim-lin-bin-whin-bim-lin bus-stop F'tang-F'tang Olé Biscuitbarrel
Slightly silly party. 23:37, 5 May 2010 (UTC)
 * No, he was in the Silly Party. You're thinking of Kevin Phillips Bongggggggggggggggggggggggggggg. –SuspectedReplicant retire me 23:41, 5 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Incidentally, just to be a real party pooper, that sketch was inaccurate. Until recently (and I can't be bothered looking up when), party labels weren't mentioned on the ballot paper OR during the count. It was always a voice over from the BBC that added it. These days, the returning officer usually reads out the party name too, and the name IS included on the paper - along with a pretty picture so BNP voters don't have to learn to read. –SuspectedReplicant retire me 23:43, 5 May 2010 (UTC)
 * I've just had a quick watch of the sketch again (it's on YouTube) and it's not inaccurate - the Returning Officer only says the names of the candidates - the party names are added by the "BBC" voiceover. alt (talk) 00:31, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * That's odd - I've got the 'Just the scripts' Flying Circus books and there they do have "Voiceover: Silly party". -- PsyGremlin  08:00, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Surprisingly little has changed in our electoral process since the Python sketches, still the same hardboard polling booths and large printed sheets with POLLING STATION on them. The main thing has been TV's use of digital graphics instead of a cardboard pendulum. Also I haven't heard much about the Monster Raving Loony Party this year, they've taken a bit of a back seat since Screaming Lord Sutch died. 08:10, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * This is the first election of any kind that I can vote in. Interestingly, there's a limited number of candidates in my constituency; LibDem, Lab, Con, UKIP and Green. No BNP, although in most my neighbouring London borough constituencies they've got candidates standing.
 * I hope you're not too disappointed by the lack of choice. 10:27, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * I had LD, Lab, Con, UKIP, Green, BNP, English Democrat and an independent. I feel spoiled for choice! –SuspectedReplicant retire me 10:47, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * I had LD, Lab, Con, UKIP, Green, BNP, and Plaid Cymru. Complete waste of time of course.  Where I live, the last few general elections saw the following resultsYou'll need to scroll down a little.  Proof, if you need it, that people in the Valleys vote Labour because that is what their parents did, and if they don't then as far as they are concerned they are traitors and Bampy (that's Grandad) would spin in his grave.-- 12:02, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * It's a pity that the energy from spinning corpses can't be harnessed as a green source of power. 12:22, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * I thought you were talking about this sketch initially. 12:33, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * I wasn't but it should be noted that recently I have had asparagus for breakfast. Perhaps I should change my voting intentions. 13:57, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * how sad is it that i didn't even need to click on that to know what you meant? Totnesmartin (talk) 14:51, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * And hello to you Colin. 15:26, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Nigel Farage in Plane Crash
For those of you not glued to the news already, former UKIP leader and current MEP Nigel Farage has been in a plane crash in Northamptonshire. It seems the plane was towing a UKIP election banner which became entangled somehow, causing the plane to dive into the ground. Some reports say he's stable and speaking to colleagues, others that he's slipping in and out of consciousness. There's a picture on the news of him being removed from the wreckage and I'm astonished that he's alive to be honest. The pilot had to be cut from the plane and airlifted to hospital. The whole front of the plane is crushed. BBC report here. –SuspectedReplicant retire me 10:45, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Chris Adams, UKIP parliamentary candidate for Aylesbury, said: "Nigel was unconscious but he can talk". 11:14, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * It woz an imigrunt wot done it, obv. Euro coins in the brake lines - David Gerard (talk) 11:21, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Now if it was Fat Hitler in the crash I wonder what the reaction would be from the press or, indeed, the first people to reach the crash&hellip;-- 11:33, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * You'd have to arrange to give him an Asian doctor and black nurses or something like that. Reminds me of an episode of M*A*S*H where a racist solider doesn't want to be given "black" blood, so the team end up playing lots of jokes on him, like giving him fried chicken and watermelon. Of course, being MASH it all ends up happy with the soldier saluting a black nurse. With Griffin, you doubt that would happen somehow... –SuspectedReplicant retire me 11:39, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * You're assuming that he would live long enough to reach hospital. The wrong person arrives at the crash first and they'll think they would be doing the country a favour, as opposed to committing murder.-- 12:17, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * "wrong" - David Gerard (talk) 13:18, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

L is for Labour
Classic! 12:43, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * I was gonna vote for the LibDems, but winded up Labour. Tactical voting - in my constituency it's the best chance to keep the Tories out. 16:15, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * We had a leaflet from Labour that told us to vote Lab to keep out the Tories. Well, no bastard's gonna tell me how to vote so I went Lib dem chiefly 'cause of this TerrySmall.png [[Image:Toast s.png|alt=Toast|text-bottom|20px|link=User talk:SusanG]] 16:24, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * I had qualms about voting Labour, but our Labour PPC (Stella Creasy, Walthamstow) is gonna be a brilliant local MP and the LibDem PPC is a complete twat whose leaflet says "vote for me because Labour are bad, no other reason" - his leaflet actually made the decision for me. She's the successor to Neil Gerrard, retiring this election, who's an unashamed Old Labour Dinosaur, a top bloke and one of the most awkward of the awkward squad - and got 50% of the vote last election and 60% the one before, and you don't get that sort of vote in a suburb full of immigrants without a hell of a lot of hard work to be a good local MP - David Gerard (talk) 16:34, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * it's con vs lib Dem round here. Sarah Wollaston is an Ok person in a nasty party, and Julian brazil is a nasty man in a party I like. This is why policies are more important than personalities. Oh and let's not forget the truther. Totnesmartin (talk) 19:32, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Last call for predictions, a few more questions
I, of course, don't feel remotely qualified. But am curious if anyone has had a last minute change of heart/mind about what they think will happen tonight? Also, anyone feel like helping me understand some of the hung parliament scenarios? If the Conservatives fall short are they likely to be able to piece together a coalition or will Gordon Brown maintain his PM status? What exactly is "right of first refusal" I have seen tossed around? tmtoulouse 20:24, 6 May 2010 (UTC)


 * I'm sticking with my predictions above. –SuspectedReplicant retire me 20:40, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Yeah, it'll likely be a hung parliament, or very small majority by the Cons. In the event of a hung parliament, Nick Clegg'll (presumably) be supporting Labour, forming a coalition to keep ol' Gordie as PM. 20:46, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * (EC)The conservatives will go for a coalition with one or two of Northern Ireland's Unionist parties - probably 10-14 MPs there, and there will be more choppy-watered deals with Plaid Cymru and/or the Scottish National Party - poss another 7-12 MPs. Or they could swallow their pride and ask the Lib Dems to support a minority administration; the Lib Dems will use this opportunity to get wp:proportional representation into law. They'd rather die than ask Labour for support. Totnesmartin (talk) 20:47, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * I think they'll die before allowing PR, 'cos that would be the end of the Conservative Majority government.-- 20:59, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Alexander the meerkat, all the way, or failing that, Conservative minority, 42 seats short.-- 20:56, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Has anyone else noticed...
The volume switch on the BBC live streaming thingy goes up to 11? This pleases me. Totnesmartin (talk) 21:15, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * I should probably listen to that, but I just find myself drinking and listening to the Clash as I previously planned. 21:16, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Ah, brilliant they're bringing out Jeremy Paxman against Mandy. "You're not going to try and hang on to power, are you?" Top quality. 21:20, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * You Brits are basically funnier in every way than any of your backwards colonies, ex- or not. 05:51, 7 May 2010 (UTC)

Results question
How do they decide which area gets announced first? I always thought it was whoever got an accurate count of their area first (which is a bit weird), but they can't have reporter coverage at every single counting station in the country, and there's always TV coverage of the first announcement. So how do they know which area is announced first? X Stickman (talk) 22:11, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Local authorities build up reputations as quickly declaring areas. For years Torbay was the first, so the Media would gather there expecting it to declare first, which it did. Then it was outdone by basildon for several elections. Now it's Sunderland - I remember the first time Sunderland was first - there were no cameras and just someone from local radio. Perhaps someone will beat Sunderland and everyone will be caught out again. Totnesmartin (talk) 22:56, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

Just seen on Twitter
Fox News just called the UK election for Bush –SuspectedReplicant retire me 22:23, 6 May 2010 (UTC)
 * Ask Fox News to point out Scotland on a map, and they'd point you at somewhere in Scandinavia, thinking England is the whole island of Britain. They're fucking useless. 01:34, 7 May 2010 (UTC)
 * ROFL! 03:22, 7 May 2010 (UTC)