General Election 7th May 2015

[homer]

I'm not saying that is the way forward but it does highlight the vast disparity in the worth of each vote where two parties can achieve the same representation in parliament when one of them got more than 10 times votes than the other as well as numerous other examples.
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Except that the SNP only competed in 58 seats, where they polled 50% of the vote where they actually fielded candidates. DUP is in somewhat similar circumstances

So that table is actually full of misleading horseshit

 

[M17TT C]

Except that the SNP only competed in 58 seats, where they polled 50% of the vote where they actually fielded candidates. DUP is in somewhat similar circumstances

So that table is actually full of misleading horseshit

So you think the system is fine as it is?

 

[homer]

So you think the system is fine as it is?

The principle is to vote for the most appropriate person available, to represent your area in parliament - not to vote for a political party in general.

The system is what it is

 

[Mawsley]

The principle is to vote for the most appropriate person available, to represent your area in parliament - not to vote for a political party in general.

I think most people haven't been made aware of this principle.

 

[David Gwilliam]

I am reminded of a comment by American politician Dick Tuck on losing his Senate seat in 1966:
"The people have spoken - the bastards"

Now I will try and be non-partisan.

Journalists who have the historic understanding of a goldfish are surprised that Cameron has been re-elected. In fact every party that has come to power since 1945 has won the following General Election with only one exception. In 1970 Edward Heath came to power but lost the subsequent General Election because of the 3 Day Week. With that one exception people do not forget why they voted the opposition out of power.

I do not pretend to understand the result - we will have to wait many years for that. However, my impression is that people rightly or wrongly blamed Labour for the financial crisis. I also got the impression that the idea that Ed Miliband would be under the control of the SNP damaged Labour.

A lot of people have been badly hurt by the government but (again only an impression) most of these would not have voted Conservative anyway.

Scotland has separated itself from England politically. Before the election Labour was the only real UK party. Now there is no party with a geographical spread. The lesson of German politics is that if you choose a female leader wisely she will reassure voters; would Alex Salmond have done as well as Nicola Sturgeon?

As usual journalists get it wrong. If they look to the past they look to 2010. Look to 2005 and 2001 - incredibly recent - and they will see that UKIP and the Greens have done superbly. They will not go away as long as we have European elections and climate change. They will be far better prepared for the 2020 election.

Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband have gone and rightly - they are no Tony Blair or Paddy Ashdown.
Nigel Farage has done a superb job. The problem for any new party is getting publicity and the nearly 4 million votes are his achievement. Few people could name any other UKIP politician. However, he is a Marmite candidate, UKIP now needs a leader who can reassure voters and Suzanne Evans may be more effective in future elections.

I am trying to be non-partisan (my Old Labour allegiance is well known) but I have felt that Nigel Farage speaks for me in Europe. His comment on a proposed European army: "Who do you think you are kidding Mr Junker" pleased me greatly.

To end on a lighter note: I understand that someone in Doncaster complained to the staff at the polling station that Ed Miliband's name was on the ballot paper but not David Cameron and this was unfair.

 

[Blaarev]

Sorry, I started giggling at Dick Tuck, so the rest of your otherwise probably extraordinary post went me totally by.

 

[fitz]

I think most people haven't been made aware of this principle.

Likely to be unaware of what their MP or candidates could or will do for most of 5 years too.

 

[Matt_B]

Likely to be unaware of what their MP or candidates could or will do for most of 5 years too.

The problem seems to be that most mps are required to fall in line with their party and so can't really effect much change anywhere.

 

[fitz]

The problem seems to be that most mps are required to fall in line with their party and so can't really effect much change anywhere.

Id say it's more to do with them being voted in because of their party, so cock all effort is required in most cases. Our opposition choice doesn't live anywhere within the constituency and certainly hasn't made much of an effort to be seen or heard here.

 

[spionfox]

View attachment 11910

Is the current system a fair representation?

It shows that the SNP are GROSSLY over-represented.

 

[David Gwilliam]

A rare positive note. This is not actually General Election although it took place on the same day.

Nigel Porter is again the only Lib Dem councillor being re-elected in Aylestone along with the excellent Labour councillor Adam Clarke. It goes to show that people will vote against their party and against the national trend if a councillor earns that vote.

 

[bocadillo]

I think most people haven't been made aware of this principle.

It's been stated often enough. I don't think people listen. And when they do, they don't hear.

 

[homer]

It shows that the SNP are GROSSLY over-represented.

No, it really doesn't

 

[spionfox]

It goes to show that people will vote against their party and against the national trend if a councillor earns that vote.

I very rarely vote for the same party in local and national elections.

 

[spionfox]

No, it really doesn't

OK, it shows that UKIP and the Greens are GROSSLY under-represented!

 

[Hector]

OK, it shows that UKIP and the Greens are GROSSLY under-represented!

The current system is entirely dependent on parties having heartlands of support and promotes the city vs. shires tradition. any party with broad but evenly support is simply massacred, unless that support gets up above 30%. This has always been a problem for the liberals/SDP/ Libdems, but it is even more extreme for UKIP and the Greens. I can't stand UKIP but I think it is totally wrong that the didn't get a significant number of seats.

To give a couple of examples of how ludicrous the system is: If the Conservative vote achieved on Thursday had been evenly distributed they would have won every single seat with 36% of the vote. On the other hand another party (say Labour) could have slightly beaten them on the total vote (eg. 36.01%) and won a single seat while the Conservatives get 649. Of course these are a ridiculous extreme, but they illustrate a system which is patently non-representative, and surely one of the most undemocratic "Democracies" of any major nation (worse even than the American presidential elections).

 

[Brown Nose]

Jesus. What ****ing happened here then?

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/08/question-time-ed-miliband-die-cast-tories-trample-labour-economic-record

 

[Blue Maniac]

The current system is entirely dependent on parties having heartlands of support and promotes the city vs. shires tradition. any party with broad but evenly support is simply massacred, unless that support gets up above 30%. This has always been a problem for the liberals/SDP/ Libdems, but it is even more extreme for UKIP and the Greens. I can't stand UKIP but I think it is totally wrong that the didn't get a significant number of seats.

To give a couple of examples of how ludicrous the system is: If the Conservative vote achieved on Thursday had been evenly distributed they would have won every single seat with 36% of the vote. On the other hand another party (say Labour) could have slightly beaten them on the total vote (eg. 36.01%) and won a single seat while the Conservatives get 649. Of course these are a ridiculous extreme, but they illustrate a system which is patently non-representative, and surely one of the most undemocratic "Democracies" of any major nation (worse even than the American presidential elections).

:thumbs_up

 

[RHYDAL]

This election has made me laugh out loud at times.

Not only have the polls spectacularly underestimated the voting intentions of the British people, again, but it has also shown up the lunacy of the Scottish people.

They followed up their vote to be governed by a predominantly English Parliament, with a vote for a party who will have no power to have an effect on any policies or laws it creates. Bonkers.

And don't get me started on the Welsh.....

 

[fitz]

This election has made me laugh out loud at times.

Not only have the polls spectacularly underestimated the voting intentions of the British people, again, but it has also shown up the lunacy of the Scottish people.

They followed up their vote to be governed by a predominantly English Parliament, with a vote for a party who will have no power to have an effect on any policies or laws it creates. Bonkers.

And don't get me started on the Welsh.....

I thought the SNP got an outright majority? If not what's all the media coverage in aid of?