A few graphs on the general election results
This isn't intended as crying over spilt milk, and certainly not denying Labour's resounding victory under the UK FPTP system.
For now, I'll just post the graphs without comment. If anyone wants to make any observations or discuss them, go ahead.
That water having flowed under the bridge, the assembly of Starmer's Cabinet is the first indication of the look of the new government. A few thoughts to kick off:
Reeves as chancellor is diquieting because of her banking background and hard-headed comments she's made on the stump and since: opposition to raising taxes, a clampdown on those in long-term receipt of unemployment benefits and there's apparently "very little money" being the most notable.
Streeting at Health is the most disturbing given his enthusiasm for more involvement in the private sector to "overcome" some of the NHS's problems, coupled with his funding from private sector healthcare providers.
Lammy as Foreign Secretary could be worse. Like probably all of the Cabinet, he's an ardent supporter of Israel, which is going to cause problems for Labour down the track, as it did in several seats in the election. We've at least already seen the abandonment of the Rwanda "project" before any more money and time was wasted on it. Labour's commitment to Ukraine is proclaimed to be solid, though how that pans out if Reeves tightens the purse strings we'll have to wait and see.
Patrick Vallance as Science Minister will raise hackles among those embracing COVID conspiracy theories. It wan't his fault that the government at the time ignored and flouted his recommendations. Among other things, he was opposed to Sunak's Eat Out to Help Out superspreader initiative. Just a shame he wasn't consulted about it before it went ahead.
A bright spot was the appointment of James Timpson as Prisons Minister via a peerage. Timpson is quite an enlightened business owner who's been involved in rehabilitation of offenders for many years. The main blot on his CV is his support for Brexit, which should have no bearing on his portfolio.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Continuing the theme, here's Labour's vote totals over recent elections:
Here's a graph of election spending on Meta - Facebook and TikTok - up until 17 June:
And here's one on polling day:
Here's a comparison of Labour v. Tory Meta ad spend over the course of the election until its last week:
And here's a spreadsheet breakdown of final totals:
A more granular view of Meta ad spending constituency by constituency can be found here: https://trends.whotargets.me/countries/GB/explorations/maps/spending
And focusing on my home country, a vote total roundup:
🔴 Labour 851,897
🟡 SNP 724,758
🔵 Tory 307,344
🟠 LibDem 234,228
🟣 Reform 167,979
🟢 Green 92,685
🔵 Alba 11,784