Pre-Round News

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Pre-Round News

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All the news you need to know about the world you're about to inhabit.
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Re: Pre-Round News

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British Public Shrugs Shoulders, Returns Hung Parliament Once Again
8 May 2015

After a four year period where Labour led the Conservatives in almost every opinion poll and most expected the Liberal Democrats to fall below 10% of the vote and UKIP to finally break into the House of Commons, exactly none of that happened. After every seat in the country had been declared, the UK woke up to another five years of a hung Parliament, with the Conservatives dropping by three seats to 303 but remaining the largest in the Commons, Labour losing nine to drop to 249, and the Liberal Democrats taking a beating down to 23 seats. UKIP and the Green Party held on to the seats they held before the election with Douglas Carswell in Clacton and Caroline Lucas in Brighton Pavilion, respectively, winning re-election.

The story of the night was in Scotland, where the SNP gained 45 seats, giving them 51 out of 59 seats. The Liberal Democrats held on to two Highlands seats with Orkney and Shetland and Ross, Skye, and Lochaber as well as Berwickshire, Roxburgh, and Selkirk in the Borders; Clarice Ashbridge held Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale, and Tweeddale for the Conservatives; and Labour was reduced to four seats in the Central Belt - Glasgow North East, Glasgow South West, Coatbridge, and Gordon Brown's former seat of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath.

The question of the day was the economy and finance for many people, with attention on traditional Conservative issues such as spending cuts and economic growth being higher than the attention on more Labour issues, including Zero-hour contracts. A study performed by King's College London showed the difference being approximately 100 articles more during the campaign for Conservative issues rather than Labour issues. The spectre of the SNP and their perceived dominance in Scotland during the campaign also led to substantial negative press for them in England, with the Daily Mail running a headline referring to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as "the most dangerous woman in Britain," and noting at other times that she was like a "glamorous power-dressing imperatrix" and that she "would make Hillary Clinton look normal." Some endorsements, including that of The Sun, were given to the Conservatives solely to ensure that, in the case of a hung Parliament, the SNP would be locked out of office.

The Liberal Democrats, although buoyed by Nick Clegg's charisma and a strong debate performance on his part, were brought down to some extent by their campaigning. Although they were the only party openly looking for a hung parliament, which was the eventual result, many were turned off by their slogan that they would "bring a heart to a Conservative Government and a brain to a Labour one," with many considering that to be a misstep, considering they had no examples of how they actually brought a heart to the Coalition.

It will be the Liberal Democrats, though, who end up as the kingmakers of this Parliament. David Cameron's path to retain his premiership goes through them, and Ed Miliband's does as well (although his also has to run through the SNP, who do not seem very interested in helping him out). In the end though, one cannot predict what will happen in this Parliament - only time will tell.

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Hinchingbrooke Hospital: Circle to withdraw from contract
The first private firm to manage an NHS hospital has withdrawn from its contract as it is "no longer viable under its current terms."

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cam ... e-30740956
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Labour-run Rotherham Council resigns en masse, Government takes over Council, following damning report about Council's mismanagement of the Rotherham Child Sexual Exploitation Scandal

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/201 ... res-report
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ISIS welcomes Boko Haram's allegiance and plays down coalition 'victories'

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/ ... -victories
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Re: Pre-Round News

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Newsreader: Breaking News now on the BBC News Channel. We can now go live to Downing Street where the Prime Minister, David Cameron, is to address the media. We can cross over now to our Political Editor, Nick Robinson… Nick can you give us the details on what’s happening?


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Nick Robinson: Yes, it appears the moment we have been waiting for post-election is upon us. It has been rumoured that the Prime Minister would make an announcement regarding his future, with there being mixed reports coming out of Downing Street and Westminster - some people saying he’s here for the foreseeable future, and others saying he will be standing down. As things stand, it’s hard to call, David Cameron guided the Tories to being the biggest party in the House of Commons through the election, and therefore will likely remain in Government - however they still lost seats, and failed to build momentum, leading to another Hung Parliament. As well as that…. oh I’m getting word now that the Prime Minister is making his way outside Downing Street… and there he is, we go live now to the Prime Minister and Conservative Party Leader, David Cameron.


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David Cameron: When I first stood here in Downing Street on that evening in May 2010, I said we would confront our problems as a country and lead people through difficult decisions, so that together we could reach better times.

It has not been an easy journey, and of course we have not got every decision right, but I do believe that today our country is much stronger. Above all it was about turning around the economy. And with the economic developments over the past five years, there can be no doubt that our economy is immeasurably stronger.

Politicians like to talk about policies, but in the end it is about people’s lives. I think of the people doing jobs who were previously unemployed. I think of the businesses that were just ideas in someone’s head and that today are making a go of it and providing people with livelihoods. I think of the hard-working families paying lower taxes and getting higher wages because of the first ever National Living Wage. I think of the children who were languishing in the care system and who have now been adopted by loving families. I think of the parents now able to send their children to good and outstanding schools, including free schools that simply didn’t exist before. I think of the young people who have taken part in National Citizen Service, the fastest growing youth programme of its kind in the world, something that, again, wasn’t there five years ago. I think of the couples who have been able to get married, who weren’t allowed to in the past. And I think of the people on the other side of the world who would not have clean drinking water, the chance to go to school, or even be alive, were it not for our decision to keep our aid promises to the poorest people and the poorest countries in our world.

And we have used our stronger economy to invest in our health service. When I walked in there, there were 18,000 people waiting over a year for their operation. Today it’s just 800. Too many. Still too long. But our NHS is a national treasure, and one whose staff perform miracles as I’ve seen every day.

And we’ve strengthened our nation’s defences, with submarines, destroyers, frigates and, soon, aircraft carriers, rolling out of our shipyards to keep our country safe in a dangerous world.

These are the choices and the changes that we have made. And I want to thank everyone who has given so much to support me personally over these years. The incredible team in No10, the civil servants, whose professionalism and impartiality is one of our country’s greatest strengths. And my political advisers, some of whom have been with me since the day I stood for my party’s leadership 11 years ago.

I want to thank my children, Nancy, Elwen and Florence, for whom Downing Street has been a lovely home over these last five years. They sometimes kick the red boxes full of work. Florence, you once climbed into one, before a foreign trip, and said take me with you. No more boxes. And above all, I want to thank Samantha, the love of my life. You have kept me vaguely sane and, as well as being an amazing wife, mother and businesswoman, you have done something every week in that building behind me to celebrate the best spirit of voluntary service in our country.

Today, myself and my wonderful family, will be moving on. As I said, we have all achieved a lot, however I must hold myself to account as the Conservative Party Leader, and say my failure to achieve a majority in Westminster for a second time is unacceptable. It is time for some new blood and new leadership to take this Party, and the country, into the second half of the 2010s and the future.

With a heavy heart, I announce my resignation as the Leader of the Conservative Party, and will be taking my leave from frontbench politics for the time being. When a new leader is elected, I will travel to Buckingham Palace to see Her Majesty the Queen, where I will tender my resignation as Prime Minister and I will advise Her Majesty to invite said leader to form a new administration.

I am confident that whoever wins the leadership election will provide strong and stable leadership in fulfilling the Conservative Manifesto on which we were elected, and continue to build on what we have achieved together these past five years.

For me politics has always been about public service in the national interest. It is simple to say but often hard to do. But one of the things that sustains you in this job is the sense that, yes, our politics is full of argument and debate, and it can get quite heated, but no matter how difficult the decisions are, there is a great sense of British fair play, a quiet but prevailing sense that most people wish their Prime Minister well and want them to stick at it and get on with the job.

So I want to take this moment to say thank you to all those who have written letters and emails offering me that support, people who I will never get to meet and never get to thank personally. It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve our country as Prime Minister over these last five years, and to serve as leader of my party for almost ten years.

And as we leave for the last time, my only wish is continued success for this great country that I love so very much.

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Nick Robinson: Well there you have it, David Cameron will be resigning as the Leader of the Conservative Party, and then as Prime Minister after the election of a new leader. The end of an era here in Downing Street, and the nation and political world will ponder the question - who will be the next Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland? Back to you in the studio.
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Re: Pre-Round News

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DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER KILLED IN FREAK TRAIN ACCIDENT

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In a shockingly tragic turn of events in Birmingham, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was killed by a collision with a train yesterday afternoon.

Citing "the loss of seats in places we have been successful in," Clegg invited all Liberal Democrat MPs and Lords for the upcoming Parliament, as well as those who lost their seats or retired in the most recent election to a strategy retreat. Clegg and his fellow leadership colleagues, Deputy Leader Malcolm Bruce and Party President Sal Brinton, chose Birmingham to highlight the loss of John Hemming in Birmingham Yardley, continued Lib Dem decline on the Birmingham City Council, and the possibilities represented by the HS2 programme.

Clegg, who held a "Nosh with Nick" event on the site of the future Curzon Street Station, was walking back on the Moor Street Queensway to his hotel when he tripped over some garbage on the sidewalk. Due to repair issues over the Chiltern Main Line track towards Birmingham Snow Hill station, a portion of the concrete barrier above the track line was replaced with a plastic mesh barrier fence. Clegg, after his trip, fell through the plastic barrier fence and on to the slanted front end of a British Rail Class 168 Clubman departing right at 3:36pm. The train preceded to get stuck over Clegg's body, by which point he had died.

Clegg, 48, had been Leader of the Liberal Democrats since 2007 and Deputy Prime Minister and Lord President of the Council since 2010. A native of Chalfont St Giles and an alumnus of Robinson College Cambridge, he is survived by his wife, Miriam Gonzalez Durantez, and their three children.
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Re: Pre-Round News

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Dame Sarah Ross becomes next SNP Commons Leader

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Only a few days after the Scottish National Party's representation in Westminster ballooned from 6 MPs to 53, a newly emboldened class of nationalist MPs ousted long-time SNP Commons Leader Angus Robertson in favor of newly elected Edinburgh East MP Dame Sarah Ross. Robertson earned the ire of a group of unexpecting new MPs after he and three of the other SNP MPs were absent in the Commons while they passed the Affordable Homes Bill, proposed by Lib Dem MP Andrew George. This bill would have overturned the infamous Bedroom Tax, which the SNP has consistently opposed. On the day of that vote in September 2014, only Mike Weir and Eilidh Whiteford showed up to vote, while Angus Brendan MacNeil, Robertson, Pete Wishart, and Stewart Hosie were absent.

Per SNP sources, a meeting of all MPs last night saw Robertson thrown under the bus for the kerfluffle by Mike Weir, MP for Angus, who claimed that when he attempted to talk about the attendance issues with Hosie, the SNP Chief Whip and Depute Leader, he was informed that all decisions to excuse the votes were made by Robertson. Ross, widely seen as more of the center-left versus Robertson's center, was nominated to serve as leader by Whiteford, who has known Ross since their days working in the charity sphere at the Trussell Trust (for Ross) and Oxfam (for Whiteford). Ross is resigning her seat in the Scottish Parliament to serve in the Commons and brings eight years of parliamentary experience from Holyrood to Westminster.
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Re: Pre-Round News

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Bill Croft acclaimed as next Lib Dem Leader

William Croft, known around Westminster as "Bill," was acclaimed as the next Leader of the Liberal Democrats today at a meeting of Lib Dem MPs. Croft, a former BBC Foreign Correspondent and MP for Ceredigion since 2010, came as an unlikely choice as many veterans of the Coalition either lost their seats or declined to run for the leadership. Croft has earned plaudits for his role as one of the Lib Dems on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, where he made a name for himself with incisive questioning of witnesses.
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