TL;DR: Reform have reached a decisive tipping point where FPTP is has heavily favoured them in a way only Labour and the Tories have seen before.

Also, in electoral terms, FPTP is your best friend… until it’s your worst enemy.

We compared this year’s locals to 2013, when UKIP hit its high watermark in equivalent council elections.

Then the Tories enjoyed a more than 10-point winner's bonus, with Labour getting a 2.9-point one.

This compares to UKIP suffering the heaviest penalty, -13 points

The Conservatives are now also faring roughly similar to the Greens under FPTP, suffering a -3.5-point penalty to the Green’s -4 points.

Interestingly, Labour, who received a massive winner’s bonus at the general election, suffered the heaviest penalty at the locals, 8-points, with their almost 14% of the vote yielding just 5% of council seats.

FPTP tends to give parties who come top, even by a marginal amount, a ‘winner’s bonus’.

So on May 1st, Reform got an almost 10-point bonus, meaning they received 40% of the council seats available on just 30% of the vote.

Here’s a full rundown

Then had to explain to a baffled family from Colorado the backstory and that while Elgin had a rationale, the whole ‘Ottoman’s aren’t diligent custodians of the Parthenon’ pretext had probably expired. Esp now the Athenians have built one of the greatest museums in Europe just for the frieze.

Went to Athens for the first time this summer and when I did the tour of the Acropolis, the guide started by asking us where we all came from. My stomach knotted.

When she got to me I said the UK, prompting stoney silence that was only eased by promising ‘not to take anything’ while up there.

The UK would also look confident and magnanimous rather than petty, which is how us clinging to the marbles comes across internationally. Would be smart politics and diplomacy, as well as the right thing to do.

Was in Athens for the first time this summer and the strength of feeling over there quickly comes over. If we handed the marbles back, there would be a real outpouring of joy and we could easily work a deal where Greece happily loaned us some of their incredible antiquities in return.

Been following the campaign, one obvious difference to our GE is there has been a much more detailed and robust debate over policy. Three big parties have had to really duke it out and make strong offers.

Stands in contrast to Labour’s minimalist manifesto and paltry debate here.

The strongest foundation for any legislature (primary or revising etc) is that its members are chosen by and accountable to the people who live under the laws it makes.
Change my mind...

Then there's this classic: the hope reform won’t happen, not because it isn't much-needed and long, long overdue, but because it’s hard.

Tbf, is partly the reason the UK is still a democracy that has people legislating by birthright in the 21st century.

Enjoyed argument that hereditary legislators are a counter balance to having a chamber almost completely chosen through political patronage (i.e. how friendly you are with a Prime Minister).

Or maybe we could just have some form of democratic chamber?

The absurdity of the situation really hits you when you read it in black and white

Colleagues also sharing A level results day stories. Moral of the story seems to be that it’s best to underachieve, have an existential scare then massively overcorrect for the next few decades by becoming far more successful than your peers who got better grades.