Following Thursday's unexpected massive Conservative victory in the United Kingdom's general election, with the Conservatives winning an outright majority for the first time since 1992, some citizens of the UK have been taking the news better than others. Today, riots and protests broke out outside of 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister's residence, demanding that the Tories be thrown out of office. The protest was spread online with the hashtag #ToriesOut.
(Warning: There is strong language in some of the following tweets.)
The #ToriesOut protest in London looks mad pic.twitter.com/bQArNGYiMV
— nath (@lNathLord) May 9, 2015I am so happy #ToriesOut !! Start a riot knock down that black number 10 door get that fucka out !!
— T (@TeeDelvecio) May 9, 2015Looks like the media doesn't want ANYONE to know what's going on. What is going on? A REVOLUTION. #toriesoutnow pic.twitter.com/VlJGXbx3fj
— diana? (@DIANAATURNBULL) May 9, 2015The WHOLE country should take it to the streets. FUCK THE CONSERVATIVES #getToriesOut #ToriesOutNow #ToriesOut pic.twitter.com/NNfqxpA4v3
— fatima (@fats_94) May 9, 2015
The Women of WWII Memorial was also defaced with an obscenity about the Conservatives.
Disgraceful vandalism of The Women of WWII Memorial Warning Contains bad language pic.twitter.com/Hio5xdZHyq
— Cllr John Wyllie (@johnwyllie) May 9, 2015Curiously enough, some were quick to defend the act of vandalizing a monument for women who sacrificed everything to defend freedom and democracy in a political protest against a democratically-elected government. (Let that irony sink in for a moment.)
Other protesters are suggesting that the electoral system used in the United Kingdom (first past the post) is unfair:
This is one of the banners at the Downing Street Protests this evening. pic.twitter.com/WvC1CWzejY
— Greenwich Greens (@GreenGreenwich) May 9, 2015Recommended
However, even if a proportional system were in play the Conservatives still would have had the most seats in Parliament. (If anything, UKIP should be the one complaining about the "unfairness" of first past the post.) Furthermore, when a person resides in a country that does not employ a two-party political system, a plurality should not come as a surprise.
It's quite odd that there's a "#ToriesOut" movement now as opposed to two days ago--you know, the actual date that the Tories conceivably could have been voted out. Clearly, the citizens of the United Kingdom did not want the Tories out as they elected them to a majority. While election losses can be tough to swallow at times, having a riot and defacing war memorials is not an appropriate response.
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