May's UK election gamble backfires as Tories lose majority

[SunSeeker]

Source: ABCNews.com

British Prime Minister Theresa May's gamble in calling an early election backfired spectacularly, as her Conservative Party lost its majority in Parliament and pressure mounted on her Friday to resign.

The shock result throws British politics into chaos and could send Britain's negotiations to leave the European Union — due to start June 19 — into disarray. The pound lost more than 2 cents against the dollar.

With 636 of 650 seats in the House of Commons declared, the Conservatives had 310 to the Labour Party's 258. Even if the Conservatives won all the remaining seats, the party would fall short of the 326 needed for an outright majority. Before the election the Conservatives had 330 seats and Labour 229.
...
The results confounded those who said Labour's left-wing leader, Jeremy Corbyn, was electorally toxic. Written off by many pollsters, Labour surged in the final weeks of the campaign. It drew strong support from young people, who appeared to have turned out to vote in bigger-than-expected numbers.


Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/mays-uk-election-gamble-backfires-tories-lose-majority-47931750

---

May called the snap election in the hope of increasing her majority and strengthening Britain's hand in exit talks with the European Union. She clearly overplayed her hand...by holding Trump's.

[SoCalNative]

1. Good

she should resign as the failed leader that she is.

[pecosbob]

2. Huzzah!

[not fooled]

3. I hope

young American voters take note and turn out in 2018. They can see that they will make a difference.

[Cha]

4. "She clearly overplayed her hand...by holding Trump's."

That should teach her to normalize the USA's monster pervert.

Mahlao, SunSeeker!

[JI7]

5. i really do wonder how much Trump had to do with it, especially after the terrorist attacks

and Trump's disgusting response.

[Maraya1969]

6. Maybe their vision of the US got the UK voters up and voting!

[pansypoo53219]

7. turnip cooties.

[DinahMoeHum]

8. Vote of no confidence. . .

. . .just sayin'

[TexasProgresive]

9. This turn about may be a result of Brexit.

There were reports that Brexit won because the young didn't bother to vote. Well maybe that gave them a kick in the butt to get to the polls.

"It drew strong support from young people, who appeared to have turned out to vote in bigger-than-expected numbers."

[joeybee12]

10. May really was determined to kiss the Orange Turd's ass

Other leaders knew him for the toxic, treasonous vermin he was, but either she didn't or was fine with it. In any case, good riddance.

[47of74]

12. She thought she was the second coming of Thatcher and he was the second coming of Jesus.

[mountain grammy]

11. Backlash is a bitch..can it happen here? 2018!

[T_i_B]

13. The Conservative campaign was simply terrible

It was very heavily focused on Theresa May Theresa May, Theresa May and Theresa May with Tory leaflets full of the PM but with little or no mention of the local area or the local candidate and even the name of the Conservative party being mentioned very little.

The trouble with this is that Theresa May was shown during the election campaign to be a poor candidate for high office. Arrogant, evasive and determined to keep herself cocooned away from ordinary voters as much as possible. This compared very badly to Jeremy Corbyn. Even if you don't like him (and I'm not exactly a fan) he still comes across as genuine and decent, certainly in comparison to the Maybot.

But the turning point of this election was the Conservative party manifesto launch. Plans for social care look set to hurt the elderly, on whose vote the Tories heavily depend and were portrayed as a "dementia tax". They then performed all sorts of U-turns and contortions on the subject, which totally undermined one of the key themes of the election campaign. The Tories campaigned on the basis that only they could deliver "strong and stable" government. The words "strong and stable" were delivered ad nauseum by the Tories, which they contrasted with their opponents "coalition of chaos".

A hung parliament, and a coalition with the DUP have turned the Tory election message into a laughing stock.

[NCDem777]

14. It was about more than Trump

A lot of disabled people mobilized. There's basically been a quiet genocide of disabled people in the U.K. in the name of austerity.