The problem with this election is that it is going to be a de facto referendum on Brexit, but with even LESS clarity than there was first time around!
If you vote for the Tories, are you voting for the deal Johnson has 'negotiated' or for the no-deal he seems to want? If you want a no-deal should you be voting for the Brexit party? If you think the country needs a change from the Eton old boy network, should you be voting for Labour - even if they are themselves an absolute mess with a leader with as much get up and go as last months left-overs? If you vote for Labour - are they pro or anti Brexit? Or do you think the whole Brexit thing was a stupid mistake, vote for the LibDems/Greens and hope that enough other people do the same in this first past the post partial democracy to make that a meaningful rather than wasted vote? Or do you just hide until the whole sorry mess has gone away?
And which party actually wants to be in charge during this complete clusterf**k and it's following effects?
Personally I'll be voting for Plaid Cymru - I just hope they put up a condidate in leafy North Bedfordshire!
Absolutely this.
First past the post is always a flawed system in terms of reflecting changes in mood in seats where one party has a strong safe majority, but has it's benefits ('m told) and to an extent probably balances out, but to use it as a system in what is, in effect, Referendum II, is completely non-sensical from a neutral point of view.
Without crunching numbers, my instinct is that it will benefit Leave more than Remain - for remain to prevail in any second referendum would require something like a 2% swing, yet in many, many constituencies, 2%, 3%, 5% even 10% away from the Tories would not actually deprive them of the seat, so they can use it as a mandate to continue even if the actual individual voting may have shown otherwise.
And what of the outcome:
A Tory majority will presumably mean Brexit happens, but still no certainty about deal/no deal.
A Tory + Brexit majority, the same but more likely no deal I suppose
A Labour majority is anyone's guess, but I suppose will involve a third attempt at a deal, using all kinds of new criteria before ending up more or less where the other two have, then maybe a second public vote Deal vrs Remain or, or, well who knows what he is thinking.
A LibDem majority will mean Remain, but is also not going to happen, not least due to the FPTP system, even if masses of people flock to them to register their preference to Remain.
A 'Remain' coalition (LibDems, SNP, Green, and whoever) the same, but still not likely to happen.
But are any of these actually likely - or is it just going to be an even more fragmented make-up, with no-one close to a majority - and then the prospect of going through the whole thing again..?
My solution - Let's just scrap the whole sh#tshow and put the Queen back in charge!