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Post by Andrew_S on Jul 9, 2013 21:17:13 GMT
Percentage of votes cast in Great Britain (excluding Northern Ireland) in 2010 if you don’t count the votes for the Speaker as party votes, (Michael Martin in Glasgow NE in 2005 and John Bercow in Buckingham in 2010):
2010:
Con: 36.89%
Lab: 29.67%
LD: 23.56%
Others: 9.88%
2005:
Lab: 36.14%
Con: 33.23%
LD: 22.65%
Others: 7.99%
If you do regard the votes for the Speakers in 2005 and 2010 as party votes the result would be as follows:
2010:
Con: 36.97%
Lab: 29.67%
LD: 23.56%
Others: 9.80%
2005:
Lab: 36.14%
Con: 33.28%
LD: 22.65%
Others: 7.93%
So the Conservatives only polled 37.0% to one decimal point if you regard Bercow’s votes as Conservative votes. Otherwise they polled 36.9% to one decimal place.
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john07
Labour & Co-operative
Posts: 15,785 
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Post by john07 on Jul 9, 2013 21:37:19 GMT
The last time a general election was won by someone who was, shall we say, rather balding over someone who was not was in 1900 when Lord Salisbury won a majority. Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee won three elections between them - but only against each other. When a bald person has come up against someone who is not, they lose (1935, 1955, 1964, 1987, 1992, 2001, 2005). France have not got such a problem - since 1959, every President except one (Sarkozy) has been thin on top. Russia/USSR alternates baldy and hairy leaders: Tsar Nicholas (hairy) Lenin (baldy) Stalin (hairy) Krushchev (baldy) Brezhnev (hairy) Andropov (baldy) Chernenko (hairy) Gorbachev (baldy) Yeltsin (hairy) Putin (baldy) Medvedev (hairy) Putin (baldy) |
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Post by mrhell on Jul 10, 2013 0:58:28 GMT
I also have a view that the PM of the UK alternatives between flamboyant characters and sober characters.
Flamboyant : Cameron, Blair, Thatcher, Wilson *2, Macmillan, Churchill
Sober : Brown, Major, Callaghan, Heath (not sure here), Douglas Home, Attlee, Chamberlain
Not sure about Eden.
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Post by keithn on Jul 10, 2013 12:55:43 GMT
I also have a view that the PM of the UK alternatives between flamboyant characters and sober characters. Flamboyant : Cameron, Blair, Thatcher, Wilson *2, Macmillan, Churchill Sober : Brown, Major, Callaghan, Heath (not sure here), Douglas Home, Attlee, Chamberlain Not sure about Eden. I would class Eden under the flamboyant category - he was a good looking chap in an Errol Flynn sort of way and the ladies loved him. Agree diffcult to categorise Heath - he could come across sober and serious but then again with his piano, his yachting and his Mike Yarwood shoulders, he was quite an eccentric character. If PMs alternate, then that looks good for George Osborne or Ed Miliband to be next in line and then after that, has anyone ever been more flamboyant than Boris? |
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Post by Davıd Boothroyd on Jul 10, 2013 14:17:44 GMT
Of Eden, R.A. Butler said:
"Anthony's father was a mad baronet and his mother a very beautiful woman. That's Anthony—half mad baronet, half beautiful woman."
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2013 15:49:20 GMT
Callaghan might have been "sober" but he had a reassuring and avuncular style, was much more popular than his party and was nicknamed "Sunny Jim." Probably my favourite Labour PM, on a purely personal if not political level.
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Post by erlend on Jul 10, 2013 16:03:36 GMT
My favourite Tory is either John Major or Alex Douglas Home probably the former. I have time for Baldwin who was better than many at seeing beyond his narrow political horizons. There is a quote from him slagging off the mine owners that I can't find.
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Post by Devil Wincarnate on Jul 11, 2013 21:06:01 GMT
I also have a view that the PM of the UK alternatives between flamboyant characters and sober characters. Flamboyant : Cameron, Blair, Thatcher, Wilson *2, Macmillan, Churchill Sober : Brown, Major, Callaghan, Heath (not sure here), Douglas Home, Attlee, Chamberlain Not sure about Eden. I would class Eden under the flamboyant category - he was a good looking chap in an Errol Flynn sort of way and the ladies loved him. Agree diffcult to categorise Heath - he could come across sober and serious but then again with his piano, his yachting and his Mike Yarwood shoulders, he was quite an eccentric character. If PMs alternate, then that looks good for George Osborne or Ed Miliband to be next in line and then after that, has anyone ever been more flamboyant than Boris? Eden is also the only Prime Minister to have been fluent in Farsi. |
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Post by erlend on Jul 12, 2013 8:43:21 GMT
I think British PMs tend to be on the intelligent/academic side. I like that. To be fair it is probably not so much that American leaders are dim so musch as that they play dim for political purposes. Thinking not just ow Dubya but also the peanut farmer.
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Post by timokane on Jul 12, 2013 9:32:39 GMT
How many Prime Ministers were known by their middle name ? Ask anyone to name two British PMs with the first name Harold and you immediately think easy, Macmillan and Wilson. But it was Maurice Harold Macmillan and James Harold Wilson.
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Post by Philip Davies on Jul 12, 2013 10:06:51 GMT
How many Prime Ministers were known by their middle name ? Ask anyone to name two British PMs with the first name Harold and you immediately think easy, Macmillan and Wilson. But it was Maurice Harold Macmillan and James Harold Wilson. Off the top of my head: Leonard James Callaghan James Gordon Wilson James Ramsey MacDonald Andrew Bonar Law Asquith was usually known as H.H. Asquith |
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The Bishop
Labour
Down With Factionalism!
Posts: 38,916
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Post by The Bishop on Jul 12, 2013 10:09:14 GMT
Robert Anthony Eden
Arthur Neville Chamberlain
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Post by greatkingrat on Jul 12, 2013 10:10:32 GMT
James Gordon Brown
James Ramsay Macdonald
Not sure what is wrong with James as a name!
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Post by Philip Davies on Jul 12, 2013 10:55:23 GMT
So since 1900 it is actually more unusual for a PM not to use their middle name rather than first. However being known by your middle name is not that unusual in the UK.
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Post by erlend on Jul 12, 2013 11:09:13 GMT
It seems very common in Wales.
George Erlend Watson
ps not Welsh
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The Bishop
Labour
Down With Factionalism!
Posts: 38,916
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Post by The Bishop on Jul 12, 2013 11:37:10 GMT
So since 1900 it is actually more unusual for a PM not to use their middle name rather than first. However being known by your middle name is not that unusual in the UK. Its fairly common in the US too, but not so many POTUSes who have been known by their second name. Romney would have been one, if elected. |
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Post by keithn on Jul 12, 2013 12:26:08 GMT
How many Prime Ministers were known by their middle name ? Ask anyone to name two British PMs with the first name Harold and you immediately think easy, Macmillan and Wilson. But it was Maurice Harold Macmillan and James Harold Wilson. If we look for future PMs, be very afraid. Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson or even a PM who doesn't use any of his names Gideon Oliver Osborne |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2013 14:24:44 GMT
At the 2001, 05 and 10 elections, Birkenhead had a ballot paper of just three candidates.
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john07
Labour & Co-operative
Posts: 15,785
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Post by john07 on Jul 12, 2013 14:45:01 GMT
So since 1900 it is actually more unusual for a PM not to use their middle name rather than first. However being known by your middle name is not that unusual in the UK. Its fairly common in the US too, but not so many POTUSes who have been known by their second name. Romney would have been one, if elected. One previous President was known by his middle initial 'H'! |
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Post by Andrew_S on Jul 12, 2013 15:55:19 GMT
The only place I know of which published the 1987 notional results for the two new Milton Keynes seats in 1992 was the ITN guide to the 1992 election. This is a snapshot of the relevant page from GoogleBooks: imageshack.us/photo/my-images/850/gb77.png/ |
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