Bless.You must either be an MP or naive.
UK General Election Thread!
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Bless.You must either be an MP or naive.
Bless.You must either be an MP or naive.
Rattrap
Doesn't feed trolls and would appreciate it if you
First PM debate is over and done!
I can't say I've enjoyed watching a debate as much before. I dunno if it's just excitement for voting in a new country, or if it's excitement at the possibility of breaking a two-party system - because the minority third came out on top. ITV's poll after the debate gave Nick Clegg 43%, compared with Cameron and Brown at 26% and 20% respectively.
I can't say I've enjoyed watching a debate as much before. I dunno if it's just excitement for voting in a new country, or if it's excitement at the possibility of breaking a two-party system - because the minority third came out on top. ITV's poll after the debate gave Nick Clegg 43%, compared with Cameron and Brown at 26% and 20% respectively.
Here's hoping that ends up being reflected in votes because if the Lib Dems manage to get into coalition government, then it will signal reform of the House of Lords, a scrapping of the outdated and undemocratic first-past-the-post system, and just maybe a ministerial job for Vince Cable!
It's the second of those two that really excites me, because it would loosen the stranglehold the two biggest parties have on our politics. The more we inch towards proportional representation, the more realistic the prospects are for new parties to supplanting the old.
It's usually the case that the Lib Dems never have a chance because people end up believing the Lib Dems will never have a chance - a self-fulfilling prophecy which plays into the hands of Labour and Conservatives. I really hope this is the year when the public try to win some power back.
A sites that may be of interest to some:
http://voteforpolicies.org.uk/
No Plaid Cymru or SNP, but still somewhat useful if you're undecided as to where your political allegiances lie. Shocking how popular the Green vote is when people don't know which policies are Green.
It's the second of those two that really excites me, because it would loosen the stranglehold the two biggest parties have on our politics. The more we inch towards proportional representation, the more realistic the prospects are for new parties to supplanting the old.
It's usually the case that the Lib Dems never have a chance because people end up believing the Lib Dems will never have a chance - a self-fulfilling prophecy which plays into the hands of Labour and Conservatives. I really hope this is the year when the public try to win some power back.
A sites that may be of interest to some:
http://voteforpolicies.org.uk/
No Plaid Cymru or SNP, but still somewhat useful if you're undecided as to where your political allegiances lie. Shocking how popular the Green vote is when people don't know which policies are Green.
The thing is that Gordon Brown has an advantage in such a debate. He's experienced and has more resources available.
Experienced at fucking things up, clearly. All those years we were told that he was the Iron Chancellor, that he was all about prudence, and instead he was overseeing casino banking and leading us into this enormous budget deficit.
The newspapers are dominated by Nick Clegg right now. Interesting that as Tory-friendly as The Sun are nowadays, they're refusing to back Cameron's performance, and the Daily Mail seem to want to pretend it didn't even occur.
http://www.politicshome.com/uk/article/7929/front_pages_friday_15_april_2010.html
The newspapers are dominated by Nick Clegg right now. Interesting that as Tory-friendly as The Sun are nowadays, they're refusing to back Cameron's performance, and the Daily Mail seem to want to pretend it didn't even occur.
http://www.politicshome.com/uk/article/7929/front_pages_friday_15_april_2010.html
Liberal Democrats are absolutely hammering the other two in the debates according to the polls:
ITV/COMRES:
Labour 24%
Conservatives 36%
Lib Dems 35%
This is a surge of 14 points for the Lib Dems. Note however, it's only based on those who watched the debate, not the entire electorate. Based on our fucked up FPTP system, this would mean something along the lines of:
Lib Dems - 145 seats
Labour - 186 Seats
Conservatives - 289 seats
Others - 30 seats
The likelihood of a balanced parliament and coalition government looks that much more real now. I think a lot of floating voters and other parties are getting on board with the Lib Dems because they know they'll free the system to allow all smaller parties a greater say.
ITV/COMRES:
Labour 24%
Conservatives 36%
Lib Dems 35%
This is a surge of 14 points for the Lib Dems. Note however, it's only based on those who watched the debate, not the entire electorate. Based on our fucked up FPTP system, this would mean something along the lines of:
Lib Dems - 145 seats
Labour - 186 Seats
Conservatives - 289 seats
Others - 30 seats
The likelihood of a balanced parliament and coalition government looks that much more real now. I think a lot of floating voters and other parties are getting on board with the Lib Dems because they know they'll free the system to allow all smaller parties a greater say.
Rattrap
Doesn't feed trolls and would appreciate it if you
This is what I'm thinking. Coming from the States, I'm rather excited at the possibility of being able to choose more than the lesser of two evils.
Clegg can say what he likes because he'll never have to do it. Cameron is hamstrung because he knows he will have to make cuts but risks losing voters if he says where the cuts will come from.
1979 over again, a gigantic mess left by Labour which the Tories had to deal with , involving many difficult and unpopular decisions.They had just turned the economy round and modernised it when Labour got in and there was a long global boom which they squandered.Now it looks like the Tories will have to do many things it doesn't want to do to get things square again.People only seem to remember the downside of the Thatcher years and forget they were the foundation of our present prosperity.Which has been wasted.
1979 over again, a gigantic mess left by Labour which the Tories had to deal with , involving many difficult and unpopular decisions.They had just turned the economy round and modernised it when Labour got in and there was a long global boom which they squandered.Now it looks like the Tories will have to do many things it doesn't want to do to get things square again.People only seem to remember the downside of the Thatcher years and forget they were the foundation of our present prosperity.Which has been wasted.
JayJohn85
Banned
Vote for the liberal democrat you english bell ends lulz!!!!!!!
Naw seriously unionist, some of them/conservative(both dinosaurs) coalition not cool. If cameron gets in the UK will be fucked....And I cant imagine it going to be rosy here in northern ireland
Gordan has his chance. Put the new guy in nuff said....
Naw seriously unionist, some of them/conservative(both dinosaurs) coalition not cool. If cameron gets in the UK will be fucked....And I cant imagine it going to be rosy here in northern ireland
Gordan has his chance. Put the new guy in nuff said....
The whole voting system needs reform. I'd prefer some kind of playoff league where say, the first round of elections is open for all, and the top 8 or so parties go through to the next round, then 4 to the next, then the final 2 battle it out, with plenty of T.V debates and stuff in between. I'd be happy to vote for the Green Party, Plaid Cymru etc in such a system.
I'd also like some kind of separation between local and national elections, as under the current system my vote is effectively pointless. I live in an area of semi-rich landowners who spend their days riding horses and drinking brandy, so the Tories always win the local in a landslide. :wave2:
I'd also like some kind of separation between local and national elections, as under the current system my vote is effectively pointless. I live in an area of semi-rich landowners who spend their days riding horses and drinking brandy, so the Tories always win the local in a landslide. :wave2:
om3ga
It's good to be the king...
I voted for Tony Blair's "New" Labour back in 1997 because there comes a time when a government is so exhausted that a change is needed. And back then John Major's Tory goverment was on its last legs and virtually discredited.
Today I think Gordon Brown's government is just as exhausted as Major was back in 1997. What worries me is that I don't think David Cameron's Tories are the answer. So I'm giving serious thought to either the Lib-Dems, or another smaller party. I don't agree with everything in the Lib-Dem manifesto, but why are we so two-dimensional that we resort to tweedledum, when we're tired of tweedledee?
It's funny: we claim to be democratic, but ridicule the third party as cranks, in case folks take them seriously...
Today I think Gordon Brown's government is just as exhausted as Major was back in 1997. What worries me is that I don't think David Cameron's Tories are the answer. So I'm giving serious thought to either the Lib-Dems, or another smaller party. I don't agree with everything in the Lib-Dem manifesto, but why are we so two-dimensional that we resort to tweedledum, when we're tired of tweedledee?
It's funny: we claim to be democratic, but ridicule the third party as cranks, in case folks take them seriously...
Simple fear. People vote for one just to stop the other getting in. This is why the whole system needs changing. :wave2:
PlasmaTwa2
The Second-Hottest Man in my Mother's Basement
Doesn't BlueBalls live in the UK? I have a crazy theory that he is actually Gordon Brown; I mean, BB is on here so much, and while he is GB isn't running the country... Makes sense, don't it?
Now, a serious question. We don't get a lot of British political news over here, except for the obligatory "Gordon Brown sucks more than a whore with a vaccuum" stuff. So I have to ask: why exactly is he so disliked? Is there a reason outside of the war and everything?
Now, a serious question. We don't get a lot of British political news over here, except for the obligatory "Gordon Brown sucks more than a whore with a vaccuum" stuff. So I have to ask: why exactly is he so disliked? Is there a reason outside of the war and everything?
PlasmaTwa2
The Second-Hottest Man in my Mother's Basement
^ I always thought there was more than that to it. We have the same thing in Canada a few years ago where the sucessor ended up paying for the mistakes of the government before him, but it didn't really reach the level of hate for him that you guys seem to have for Brown. It really, really seems like you guys despise him.
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