Politics, The Election May 2015

[thebish]

Well I know which way I'm voting, so ner.

i'm sure most people do, really...

can we not just all vote now and skip the whole embarrassing politicians election parade stage?

[Bruce Rioja]

Well I know which way I'm voting, so ner.

i'm sure most people do, really...

can we not just all vote now and skip the whole embarrassing politicians election parade stage?

Indeed. If only.

[Prufrock]

I'm still undecided so in theory the next few months should be instructive. I'm not holding my breath, mind. Can't see my mind being made up by arguments over 5% in the top rate.

I blame Thatcher/Blair! And Milliband.

[Hoboh]

I'm still undecided so in theory the next few months should be instructive. I'm not holding my breath, mind. Can't see my mind being made up by arguments over 5% in the top rate.

I blame Thatcher/Blair! And Milliband.

Don't know if they are standing where you live but they sound ideal for your vote,

Communist Party of Britain

Russia and the other countries of the Soviet Union were transformed from semi-feudal, semi-capitalist monarchist dictatorships into modern societies with near-full employment, universally free education and healthcare, affordable housing for all, extensive and cheap public transport, impressive scientific and cultural facilities, rights for women and degrees of self-government for formerly oppressed nationalities.

But the struggle to survive and to build socialism in the face of powerful external as well as internal enemies also led to distortions in society that might otherwise have been avoided. In particular, a bureaucratic-command system of economic and political rule became entrenched. The Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the trade unions became integrated into the apparatus of the state, eroding working class and popular democracy. Marxism-Leninism was used dogmatically to justify the status quo rather than make objective assessments of it.

At times, and in the late 1930s in particular, severe violations of socialist democracy and law occurred. Large numbers of people innocent of subversion or sabotage were persecuted, imprisoned and executed. This aided the world-wide campaign of lies and distortions aimed at the Soviet Union, the international communist movement and the concept of socialism.

— Socialism - the lessons so far

[Worthy4England]

Well I know which way I'm voting, so ner.

i'm sure most people do, really...

can we not just all vote now and skip the whole embarrassing politicians election parade stage?

I think the choice is around whether to bother or not, to be honest, rather than "who". I know who I'm "not" should I actually get to a polling station.

[TANGODANCER]

Well I know which way I'm voting, so ner.

i'm sure most people do, really...

can we not just all vote now and skip the whole embarrassing politicians election parade stage?

I think the choice is around whether to bother or not, to be honest, rather than "who". I know who I'm "not" should I actually get to a polling station.

Unfortunately, this has been my sentiment for the last two elections. I ended up passing in both. All I care about is a government whose priority is the people. A bleak prospect when you consider that whoever gets elected by half the citizens, the other half immediately call themselves The Opposition. Great way to run a country.

[bobo the clown]

I'm still undecided so in theory the next few months should be instructive. I'm not holding my breath, mind. Can't see my mind being made up by arguments over 5% in the top rate.

Really ? Care to share who's in your running ?

[thebish]

oooh look - Bobo's on the politics thread again - the one he avoids like the plague!

[Hoboh]

I'm still undecided so in theory the next few months should be instructive. I'm not holding my breath, mind. Can't see my mind being made up by arguments over 5% in the top rate.

Really ? Care to share who's in your running ?

[Prufrock]

I'm still undecided so in theory the next few months should be instructive. I'm not holding my breath, mind. Can't see my mind being made up by arguments over 5% in the top rate.

Really ? Care to share who's in your running ?

It's a pretty uninspiring choice between who appears to be the least shit. I don't think I can bring myself to vote for a Labour party so bereft of ideas and bravery. I guess I'm supposed to be a Lib Dem voter but they've wasted the chance they had over the last five years. Then there's the Greens. The 50% or so of the policies of theirs I agree with I really agree with, but the other half are absolutely bonkers. So I'm split somewhere between an uninspiring Lib Dem vote, or a hope there's some sort of UKIP of the left vote to at least give Labour and the Lib Dems a kick up the arse so that they start trying to have some fecking ideas.

Hooray for 2015.

[Beefheart]

I'm still undecided so in theory the next few months should be instructive. I'm not holding my breath, mind. Can't see my mind being made up by arguments over 5% in the top rate.

Really ? Care to share who's in your running ?

It's a pretty uninspiring choice between who appears to be the least shit. I don't think I can bring myself to vote for a Labour party so bereft of ideas and bravery. I guess I'm supposed to be a Lib Dem voter but they've wasted the chance they had over the last five years. Then there's the Greens. The 50% or so of the policies of theirs I agree with I really agree with, but the other half are absolutely bonkers. So I'm split somewhere between an uninspiring Lib Dem vote, or a hope there's some sort of UKIP of the left vote to at least give Labour and the Lib Dems a kick up the arse so that they start trying to have some fecking ideas.

Hooray for 2015.

That's basically where I'm at, but I'm just really not enthusiastic about this election in any way. There's a lot of stuff they've got wrong (the tuition fees one being less of an issue to me than creeping NHS privatisation, legal aid cuts, bedroom tax etc) but I've not forgotten all the shit Labour did during their 13 years in power. The Greens are 'untarnished' - a minority leadership in Brighton aside - but they are a mixture of the well intentioned and the complete nutjobs.

I just hope this election demonstrates that FPTP is now a dud and we get some form of Proportional Representation out of the next government.

[Hoboh]

More evidence of Trojan horses in politics?

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... da-riordan" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'd love to see a list of Galloway's backers in Bradford.

Or come to think of it the fat controllers in Bolton

[bobo the clown]

I just hope this election demonstrates that FPTP is now a dud and we get some form of Proportional Representation out of the next government.

Yeah .... We need a referendum on this. Coz the last one was .... oh, maybe 3 years ago !!

[Beefheart]

I just hope this election demonstrates that FPTP is now a dud and we get some form of Proportional Representation out of the next government.

Yeah .... We need a referendum on this. Coz the last one was .... oh, maybe 3 years ago !!

It wasn't for Proportional Representation though.

[bobo the clown]

I just hope this election demonstrates that FPTP is now a dud and we get some form of Proportional Representation out of the next government.

Yeah .... We need a referendum on this. Coz the last one was .... oh, maybe 3 years ago !!

It wasn't for Proportional Representation though.

It was a yes/no about introducing an alternative to First Past the Post. It was defeated by 68% to 32% on an almost 20m vote less than 4 years ago. So you think we should now ignore that so soon and look to a slightly different version ?

OK. I see. Well argued.

[Beefheart]

I just hope this election demonstrates that FPTP is now a dud and we get some form of Proportional Representation out of the next government.

Yeah .... We need a referendum on this. Coz the last one was .... oh, maybe 3 years ago !!

It wasn't for Proportional Representation though.

It was a yes/no about introducing an alternative to First Past the Post. It was defeated by 68% to 32% on an almost 20m vote less than 4 years ago. So you think we should now ignore that so soon and look to a slightly different version ?

OK. I see. Well argued.

AV is much closer to FPTP than PR. I wouldn't say that it is 'slightly different'. I'd also say that the political landscape has changed in the last 3 years. The Tories oppose electoral reform as a cynical act of political self-preservation, not because they believe FPTP is a better form of democracy.

[bobo the clown]

I just hope this election demonstrates that FPTP is now a dud and we get some form of Proportional Representation out of the next government.

Yeah .... We need a referendum on this. Coz the last one was .... oh, maybe 3 years ago !!

It wasn't for Proportional Representation though.

It was a yes/no about introducing an alternative to First Past the Post. It was defeated by 68% to 32% on an almost 20m vote less than 4 years ago. So you think we should now ignore that so soon and look to a slightly different version ?

OK. I see. Well argued.

AV is much closer to FPTP than PR. I wouldn't say that it is 'slightly different'. I'd also say that the political landscape has changed in the last 3 years. The Tories oppose electoral reform as a cynical act of political self-preservation, not because they believe FPTP is a better form of democracy.

Oh. Right then.

[a1]

it is a better form of democracy.

otherwise you just get six losers running it instead of one winner.

[Beefheart]

it is a better form of democracy.

otherwise you just get six losers running it instead of one winner.

That wasn't the result of the last election, nor will it be the outcome in this one.

[Prufrock]

Came across this Mark Steel article the other day which sums up why I won't be voting for them: http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/com ... 87753.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;