Looking Forward: 2015 Almanack: Notable Events: May - June: "Post Election Jitters & Underground Rumblings"

9 May- 10 June

Election contested with judicial reviews sought following allegations of vote rigging.  The unprescedented rise in the proportion of votes cast (up to 75% (av 69.8%) from av 65.1% in 2010), with the majority of 'new' single vote voters, supporting UKIP leads to suspicions of 'box stuffing' in certain constituencies.  Nigel Farrage (leader UKIP) claims this is 'sour grapes' from the 'westminster establishment' given that UKIP is only the 4th party, and does not hold a balance of power following the Labour / Lib Dem co-allition.

He calls for a vote of confidence in the new Government as the Lib-Dem's have *not* supported the Conservatives despite the Conservatives retaining the largest number of seats of any single party.
Nick Clegg's response is to say that the Lib Dem's have noted their loss of votes (and seats from 56 to 45 in the election, and the overall swing to Labour) and have accepted the wishes of the British People.
He maintains that the Lib-Dem's prevented many Conservative misteps in the 2010-2015 parliament and pledges to do the same for their new colleagues.

The pre-election defection of 3 further MPs from Con to UKIP (with the 2014 Rochester and Strood, and Clacton "Two") accounting for 5 of their 24 seats, and with their further 19 seats, resting on narrow victories involving higher than usual voter turn out.  UKIP begins the new parliament as a tentative 4th party, clinging to the edge of a 3 party state.

June 7  "Eccentric" Labour MP Bothey Sitwell (Amber Valley, 17,382, maj 2,475) - a replacement candidate at the 2015 election following the sitting MP's retirement from illness in March-15 - declares himself the only member of the "Labour-UKIP alliance' which could be considered as taking UKIP to 26 MPs.  He refuses to resign and claims as justification: the Labour-Lib Dem co-allition saying that at least UKIP are honest and not turncoats who would support any policy for power. He further sites that the UKIP vote in Amber Valley (6,998) was higher than the Lib-Dem vote (5,574). Calls from local Labour party for him to be 'recalled' by his consituents under new legislation, fail due to legislation having been drafted in such restricted terms that there is no scope to act.

June 7 - In the US, a partial eruption / "venting" of the so-called Yellowstone Supervolcano - measured at roughly half the explosive force of Mount St. Helens - devastated the national park, and killed 27 holiday makers and Park officials. Earthquakes measuring at 4.9 on the Richter scale, falling to 2 and 1 as aftershocks, followed. President Obama declared a national emergency for a 'National Treasure' and pledged to rebuild and re-landscape. Climatic effects in Europe were predicted.  US Scientists, who made the presentational error of presenting the event as 'relatively minor, and perhaps one for which in the longer term we should be grateful', are pillaried in the US media.  US religious right, claims to see signs of God's Judgement - following the striking down of Wyoming's ban on Gay Marriage (21/10/2014). Preacher Rev. Freddy Costinger, calls for US District Court Judge Scott Skavdahl, to "repent of his sins and wash the blood of the twenty seven, from his hands".

June 8 - Gojira 'Panic' - spread on facebook, twitter and local radio, a dramatic-hoax / presentation resembling H.G.Wells war of the worlds purports to detail a massive creature emerging from the Yellowstone caldera.  Calls for 'offense' of Dramatic Terrorism to be added to statute.  During panic
three deaths from injuries in crowds, and one (non-fatal) shooting of unarmed black citizen by police.

June 9 'Methane' blister on Mars, 'swallows' Curiosity Rover. Opinion's differ as to final transmission - blurred rock face, or hidden city.  The latter is picked up by conspiracy theorists.