Off Topic Political Debate

Such decency

 

I suspect that because of your own involvement Cologne you do not see that the vast majority of the UK population are not actually that interested in politics. For quite a long time I was a parish councillor, and whenever the elections came round there would be a heck of a job to get people prepared to give a little of their time once a month to take part in what is the lowest, but most local form of government. Not interested, no time, were the usual reasons that people would say they didn't wish to stand. Just do the work, set the budgets, we will pay the council tax, but we are not interested. A number of the local councils had not had an election for twenty years, all members being re-elected unopposed. On a slightly higher level at District Council status, it was the Tory councils that always had the highest turnouts around 70%, but move to a Labour held council where there might be a younger population and frequently the turnout would be nearer 50%. I believe this to be because the older people still believed in the principle of exercising their vote. It was thought that the vote for independence in Scotland failed because of the older people voting against, so you have to ask why politics is not seen attractive enough to get the younger people involved.

 

Don't start me on that, as the truth is now seen as something different - but the youth up here are most certainly engaging in unexpected numbers. One is even hotly tipped to become the UK's youngest ever mp, doing it the hard way as well - no safe seats for her. The polls have Mhairi Black, a twenty year old politics student, eight points ahead of Labour's Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander, and while the vote may well turn out differently, she has certainly exceeded all expectations - except perhaps her own.
Nicola Sturgeon has done a marvellous job in galvanising the youth here - the total antithesis of Labour's dinosaur, who has done little other than drive supporters away in droves.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-32608553

Some people on this planet really have nothing better to do...

 

If only 1.5% of the UK population are party members that should clearly show you that statistic is irrelevant in predicting votes, especially future Tory voters. Whatever happens England will remain Conservative. Quite handy when Scotland gains independence in a few years time.

 

Sadly if it goes as you say we will end up with an even more divided society than we have now....

As a supporter or PR, which is fairer, I must say a coalition is likely to give us a more representative Govt.

 

If the good folk of England overwhelmingly vote in Tory MP's again then that is democracy at work, which should be respected.

 

Since when was it democracy for a party to claim a majority with at the most 35% of the vote. What kind of country are you talking about in which the majority are always against the government ?

 

Yawn.... back to your rhetoric I see.....

Democracy is unfortunately a much misused term

Our voting system is flawed it is plain for all to see..

Who in their right mind would create such a system today?

 

Ultimately a recipe for social division

 

All from me until the votes are being counted. It is a work day for me....

 

Yes - trod in that one up to your armpits didn't you - you won't underestimate us silver surfers again will you

Not at all. It is voting % that indicates how committed a population is. I could argue that political parties are bad thing and it is a shame they even exist - in a direct democracy we would vote for independents (or have referenda all the time). It is only because we live under a representative democracy that parties form. I could never join a political party as none of them represent me properly - I like bits and pieces of all of them - and dislike a lot more. I vote though as I value democracy. I have voted for many different parties in my life and do not think I have ever voted for the same party in twice in succession.

It is a shame we have first past the post but that has been our system forever and Britain is an ancient democracy - I would never be ashamed of defending it to the Germans even if the leading party got to power on 35% of the vote - it is unlikely that such a low percentage would enable a party to form more than a minority government - and if they did it would then depend on support from others - even if "unofficially" and that is akin to PRs and coalitions anyway. All seats matter - even those with vast unmoving majorities as they represent the people there - you donot have to have a swing from one party to another to mean that democracy is working

 

I read that the Scottish National Party say will not work with the Conservative party. What happens if the Conservative party are the government and start doing things that favour Scotland?

 

We'll all have to duck to avoid the flying pigs...

 

Like kick out the SNP ?

 

Flying pigs? You wish! They'd instantly be privatised to save on Flying Pig-related waste in the public sector.

 

Leo, if you don't have political parties in a representative democracy then individual independent candidates would have to pay for their own election campaigns, and would end up having their sponsors as is the case with many senators in the USA. Also, with no PR, an unelected House of Lords and an oath of allegiance to the Monarchy (taken by all MPs) I would not describe the UK as a full democracy, as you do. I also do not agree with more than about 70% of the policies of the Party I am in, but a party is nothing more than the collective of all of its members - and I am one of them - in the Green Party I feel that I have the chance to help change the party direction (to maybe argue the other 30%) because the Greens have more inner democracy than the other parties.

 

In the party I'm a member of which certainly isn't green I can influence change just as much in fact more than the greens here. Ones ability to achieve change is only restricted by ones willingness to work for the change one wants. The UK is pretty close to a perfect democracy, not perfect but then no system can please all people at all times. I like to moan, I would like better services, I would like better law and order, I would like no drugs on the streets, I would like no beggers or unemployment. At the end of the day this society is one of the fairest on the planet and I've lived in two socialist countries for comparison. At the end of the day I have two feet and if things really go against my wishes I can use my right of free movement to take my labour elsewhere. That's a luxury being taken away from both friends and family caught in the socialist trap nation that is Venezuela following the Cuba model. As an aside I can't explain my aggressive hatred of the SNP and those folk wit Yes stickers still in their cars, they lost, get over it and abide by the nations democratic decision as I will have to when we see SNP landslide for who knows what reason in this election....

 

The exit polls suggest that Ed has been given a bit of a bad night. Not that surprising seeing as they were always going to lose their power base in Scotland. This is very early, but it looks as if the Tory party could form another government in coalition. Still I do not believe polls are that accurate, so we will see what happens.