UK general election, thoughts and responses.

[Eren Ozkural]

Hey guys,

post any and all thoughts and responses to the UK general election on this thread right here.

Remember: Discourtesy and trolling have no place here even if it is the Off Topic forum. :smash:

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That said: The votes are in and being counted. Exit polls suggest that the Tories are in the lead, followed closely by Labour and the Lib Dems are (surprisingly) trailing back by quite a long way.

I want to continue watching channel 4's Alternate Election Night but everyone else in the house is adamant about watching the beeb.

Yeah, there's one tv in the house and you can't live stream channel 4. Not fair...not fair.


EDIT: Labour have just won the first seat in Sunderland which is historically the first constituency to count the votes.

EDIT: Washington/Sunderland West: Labour again. Largespread news about people still queuing by polling stations, the voting process turning into a catastrophe and being called "3rd World Politics". I predict that the Lib Dems and fringe parties will use initiative and push this issue to discount tonights election results.

EDIT: Sunderland Central. Geez, the female Labour MPs keep getting 19,000 + votes. Another one for Labour. Can't believe a party like the BNP gets over a thousand votes ANYWHERE around this country. Xenophobic racists getting more votes than environmentalist parties? Yup, we're still living in an imperfect world. I'm getting sleepy, culd really use some of that David Mitchell wit right about now.

EDIT: Sinn Fein's got some seats in Ireland. Man, Paxman looks dead tired....

EDIT: Laour 5, Lib Dem 1, Conservatives 0, Others 3. Latest result was for Belfast East.

EDIT: 01:15am: 8 3 2 7

EDIT: 02:05 37 21 4 12. I'm off to bed. Catch you all in the morning.

 

[J. P. Sendall]

The government in power will not really dictate policy. That has been decided before and has nothing to do with party politics. I wish at my deepest being that someday we shall see an end to party politics and instead have a true democracy, something along the lines of the original ancient Greek idea of having a parliament of members who are there by lottery rather than voting. Remove party politics and we might just have a slim chance of people in the house voting on issues according to their merit and not along partisan lines. Too radical? Maybe but it's got to be better than what we've got.

Remeber the heady days of Labour and Blair in their first year and just look at what they have done. Corporations have greater influence than ever before and we have a even greater wealth gap in the economy since before the second world war I believe. They were Conservative MarkII in disguise. Is this just down to world economics? Perhaps but I don't think so.

 

[ericyoung]

Dangerous starting a political thread - I give it 24 hours before it's closed due to it deteriorating into flame wars! :biggrin:

I don't agree with several major Lib Dem policies, but I couldn't in good conscience vote either New Labour or Conservatives as that would be a vote for business as usual, and business as usual just doesn't cut it as far as I'm concerned. Actually, a hung parliament without a coalition would be the best outcome for me!

 

[Eren Ozkural]

Dangerous starting a political thread - I give it 24 hours before it's closed due to it deteriorating into flame wars! :biggrin:

You know what? The same thought went through my mind but then I remembered that the vast majority of REDUSERs articulate their points well, respect others and act against potential trolls.

That and this isn't a thread about Canon so I expect people to behave

And J.P Sendall; I agree with you that the current 2 party system (and if you look at the hopes behind the lib dems and the resulting poor exit polls you'll see that it IS a 2 party system) is far from perfect but that's the best system we have right now. Proportional Greek democratic systems seem like a solution but the results would end up being utilitarian, taking the immediate needs of the many over the needs of the few regardless of overall importance and impact.

Then again, feel free to tell me I'm full of shit :laugh: I'm just rattling out opinions on here because the BBC's Brass Eye like CG extravaganza is getting tiresome.

 

[Graeme Nattress]

Running out of ballot papers - that's ludicrous! At this rate everyone will have to vote again.

Graeme

 

[J. P. Sendall]

Proportional Greek democratic systems seem like a solution but the results would end up being utilitarian, taking the immediate needs of the many over the needs of the few regardless of overall importance and impact.

Actually I wasn't proposing proportional representation. Government by something akin to jury service. Those on the list and are eligible have to go through something of a test to see if they are fit and that's all. You see it removes any particular force of ideology gaining a foothold. Each issue is voted on by conscience and by merit. I'd rather take that risk than voting a party in. Also it stops anybody getting into politics purely for power. Who was it said that any person seeking office should automatically be barred? Seems like a sensible thought to me.

 

[Eren Ozkural]

Running out of ballot papers - that's ludicrous! At this rate everyone will have to vote again.

Graeme

I'm feeling a Florida circa 2000 vibe around here Graeme. The bureaucracy that's about ot be unleashed has tempted me to up sticks and move with my family in Turkey or with the in laws in Canada...

I liked David Mitchell's comment about Nick Clegg being the first "impression proof" politician.

The beeb's now reporting from a boat on the thames packed with very obviously pissed drunk celebrities. Joan Collins, the one foot in the grave guy...not so interested in. Armando Ianucci? Now he's the man. If you guys have watched The Thick of It or In the loop, he's the man to thank.

 

[Eren Ozkural]

Actually I wasn't proposing proportional representation. Government by something akin to jury service. Those on the list and are eligible have to go through something of a test to see if they are fit and that's all. You see it removes any particular force of ideology gaining a foothold. Each issue is voted on by conscience and by merit. I'd rather take that risk than voting a party in. Also it stops anybody getting into politics purely for power. Who was it said that any person seeking office should automatically be barred? Seems like a sensible thought to me.

Sorry, I mis read your post. Am I correct in remembering that the Greeks had some form of proportional representation? Politics classes were so long ago now...

Your post got me thinking: would you rather vote for a career politician or someone who held a "real" job before getting into office? Pros and cons?

 

[Graeme Nattress]

Canada's not much better I'm afraid....

Graeme

 

[Mike Gifford]

Here in the West Country it looked a few months ago as if the Labour Governments proposal to increase the tax on cider by ten per cent would have launched a new political movement, and indeed people were ready to stand as parliamentary candidates on this single issue until the government ran out of time for this legislation and it ceased to be newsworthy

As a cider drinker I looked in vain tonight for a candidate representing this noble industry to vote for - I miss the Raving Loony Party!

Best wishes to all

 

[Eren Ozkural]

Canada's not much better I'm afraid....

Graeme

Yeah, I'm not the biggest Steven Harper fan but having gone to Canada every christmas/new year and a few summers for the past 7 years I gotta say: you guys have all the best parts of the UK & US without the bad. I love it there. May even move to BC in the future...

Haha Mike, rest in peace Lord Such. The monster raving loony party's still around though. Their latest election manifesto called for a 99p coin to help with the shopping and dedicated pogo stick lanes for commuting.

 

[Emanuel A.]

this isn't a thread about Canon so I expect people to behave

LOL Your quote already wins. :laugh:

E.

 

[Stefan Christou]

This is starting to look really depressing. Possible Tory outright majority. Looks like I won't be able to afford to send my daughter to nursery next year.

I was really hoping for no party to win outright and for the liberals and labour to share a majority. If the Tories get a majority then electoral reform (and actual democracy) is off the cards.

 

[Stefan Christou]

Running out of ballot papers - that's ludicrous! At this rate everyone will have to vote again.

Graeme

When I voted after waiting half an hour to get in there was single person checking names gave me my paper despite there being three people checking at the local elections a few years back. The single ballot box was full and someone had to keep stuffing the papers down with a stick so more could be pushed in!

 

[Eren Ozkural]

Yeah, it sure looks that way.

Each party does have a series of pros and cons I recognise that. Let's just say that I didn't vote for the winning party either...I too was hoping for a call for electoral reform to come out of this mess but it looks like business as usual.

Bugger. So much for every candidate crying out for change and clinging onto Obama's image. Let's see the Tories attempt anything as controversial as the US health care reform...besides re legalising fox hunting :rolleyes5:

 

[Mike Gifford]

I'm ready to stand at the next election on a PR / Cider platform

 

[Gavin Greenwalt]

Surprised the polling stations are allowed to close with people still waiting. Don't you have election officials who can extend voting hours upon request?

 

[Eren Ozkural]

No, not really Gavin.They had some authority on the news saying that keeping poll stations open beyond 10pm was strictly illegal. When asked if those who kept them open would face fines or other reprimands she said that she didn't have the power to direct the volunteers at polling stations.

What kind of Vorgon like bureaucracy is this? Where's the chain of command? Accountability?

 

[J. P. Sendall]

I'm ready to stand at the next election on a PR / Cider platform

You'll fall off.

The monster raving loony party's still around though. Their latest election manifesto called for a 99p coin to help with the shopping

Except at the pound shop.

 

[ericyoung]

I never noticed before, because I normally have a pen with me, but at my polling station they supplied PENCILS to mark our crosses - surely the whole point of paper ballots is to provide an auditable paper record which is resistant to tampering. Shouldn't that mean that ballpoint pens be supplied? It's better than electronic voting with no physical record, but not much.

Also, a news reporter said that not only don't you need to bring your voting card, but you don't even need to show ID to vote, as long as you say a name that appears on the register - umm, how does that safeguard against voter fraud?