Brown down

*ding* *ding*

 

Our political system is based on conflict. This is the first time since
the war that the main parliamentary parties have had to sit down and
negotiate with each other on a broad basis and they're simply not used
to it.

One problem we have is that there are three significant parties
involved. It means the two big boys are fighting over the attentions of
the the popular girl from the year below. It's like a divorcing couple
fighting over the affections of the family dog - he waves Winalot, she
offers sausages, what the dog wants is a juicy steak.

 

It's the Scots who have all of the banks that like that sort of thing. Cash
only deals over here.

 

Suck it up.

 

Con: 36%
Lab: 29%
Lib: 23%

Remind me, which one isn't the minority?

 

Your analogies are growing on me.

Well done, Centurion.

Paul.

 

I don't think either are bad things. What I /do/ think is bad is that
the Tories got more votes from us than any other party, & the polls
yesterday show that more people want Tory/Lib than Lab/Lib, yet what we
(eventually) get comes down to whether one man puts his own wants
first, or those of the electorate.

A system that allows that is pretty fucked up afaic. It's more like a
dictatorship than a democracy. And yes, I would say the same thing if
the figures were in Labour's favour rather than the Tories.

 

I'd be astonished if the LDs tried to *force* PR on the electorate. A
referendum is a gamble, one I'm sure they'd rather not take, but they're
called the Liberal Democrats, not the Dictatorial Autocrats. If it
happens, it'll be by democratic process.

 

I might have to argue that point in a day or two...

Let's hope it does happen. Can't see it being anything other than a
large majority in favour.

 

They're fighting for what they believe in. They're fighting for people
to have the opportunity to choose to fix a broken system.

If you want to accuse a party of obstructing a deal to suit their own
interests, accuse the Tories. They're the ones blocking a referendum on
PR and if they made that concession - a concession that gives people a
choice at their own expense - we might have a stable government
tomorrow.

 

They're *all* cunts.

 

LOL! Current headline on the Beeb's news ticker:

"Cabinet is finished".

 

What, has something happened in the last half hour or so?

 

Electoral reform, yes. But not PR. Big difference.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Champ

'LATEST:Lib-Lab coalition would be 'disastrous' for the country - former
Labour home secretary John Reid'

Bring it on! If John Reid thinks it's a bad idea, I'm all for it.
Whatever it is.

 

True reform will be every country within the union gets its own
parliament

 

Whatever flavour they pick one things for sure were the poor fuckers
thats going to foot the bill

 

It's not PR in anyone's book. It's a basic variation on FPTP and can
actually give an even more distorted result.

Spent 10 minutes on the Electoral Reform Society's web site. They have a
section that briefly describes the various systems with pros and cons.

 

You've got a real bee in your bonnet about this, haven't you?

 

But if it works for the Germans and New Zealand and so on why not here? You
still haven't explained why.

"Proportional representation voting (PR) is the main rival to
plurality-majority voting. Among advanced western democracies it has become
the predominant voting system. For instance, in Western Europe, 21 of 28
countries use proportional representation, including Austria, Belgium,
Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, the
Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland."
From
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/polit/damy/BeginnningReading/PRsystems.htm

OK Greece and Portugal may not be the best examples to use but the rest
aren't doing too badly.


--
Malc

Rusted and ropy.
Dog-eared old copy.
Vintage and classic,
or just plain Jurassic:
all words to describe me.