2015 UK General Election

[Alan H]

Latest post of the previous page:

Uh oh. Xtian evangelist in charge of schools again...and equalities:

Nicky Morgan will remain as education secretary and minister for equalities.

What could possibly go wrong?

[Ron Webb]

Hmmm.. Not really. "Decent" was not a great word to use, perhaps... I was trying to stress that under FPTP, your MP is your MP; s/he represents you. But how would you feel if, despite voting Labour (say) in a majority in your area, you had a UKIP MP imposed because of PR? Or, to counter this, imagine instead that your constituency is six times as big, with 6 MP's of varying political stripes. They could easily be diametrically opposed on the same issue. And who would you go to? Hmmm... as I was trying to say, the representative nature of that form of democracy is reduced.

One could equally argue that under FPTP, your MP doesn't represent you if you didn't vote for him/her.

I think the idea of proportional representation is that "constituencies" are more about ideology rather than geography. The politicians who represent your point of view don't have to live physically near you.

Also, I think that many/most countries that use a form of PR have a number of reps elected in the traditional (geographical) way, plus other reps appointed by the parties to make up the proportional balance.

[Alan H]

And the prize of abolishing the Human Rights Act goes to... <drumroll>...

Spoiler:

Michael Gove moves to justice in post-election reshuffle

Just a reminder of what this idiot has said:

Q98 Chair: One is: if "good" requires pupil performance to exceed the national average, and if all schools must be good, how is this mathematically possible?

Michael Gove: By getting better all the time.

Q99 Chair: So it is possible, is it?

Michael Gove: It is possible to get better all the time.

Q100 Chair: Were you better at literacy than numeracy, Secretary of State?

Michael Gove: I cannot remember.

Obviously ideal for the job.

Let's not forget this from the new Justice Secretary:

Home Office ‘child abuse cover-up’: Michael Gove rules out public inquiry into claims of paedophile politicians at Westminster

The Education Secretary has insisted that there should not be a public inquiry into a possible cover-up of paedophile politicians in Westminster, after it emerged that more than 100 Home Office files related to historic allegations of child abuse have gone “missing”.

If this was a BBC3 comedy sketch, it'd be hilarious.

[Alan H]

Allow the north of England to secede from the UK and join Scotland

[animist]

Hmmm.. Not really. "Decent" was not a great word to use, perhaps... I was trying to stress that under FPTP, your MP is your MP; s/he represents you. But how would you feel if, despite voting Labour (say) in a majority in your area, you had a UKIP MP imposed because of PR? Or, to counter this, imagine instead that your constituency is six times as big, with 6 MP's of varying political stripes. They could easily be diametrically opposed on the same issue. And who would you go to? Hmmm... as I was trying to say, the representative nature of that form of democracy is reduced.

One could equally argue that under FPTP, your MP doesn't represent you if you didn't vote for him/her.

I think the idea of proportional representation is that "constituencies" are more about ideology rather than geography. The politicians who represent your point of view don't have to live physically near you.

Also, I think that many/most countries that use a form of PR have a number of reps elected in the traditional (geographical) way, plus other reps appointed by the parties to make up the proportional balance.

yes, I was going to say much the same, Ron, and I think Fia mentioned earlier that Scotland is indeed using a dual system like you mentioned in your last paragraph

[animist]

Allow the north of England to secede from the UK and join Scotland

this must be one of the daftest petitions ever. Why assume that Scotland would want the north of England tacked onto it, or that the inhabitants of that region would want to secede?

[Altfish]

I want to leave...pretty please

[animist]

I want to leave...pretty please

no, you're needed to keep England at least together via HS2!

[Alan H]

There is at least a substantial Tory-free ring around London - just Richmond, Wimbledon, Kensington, etc...

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[Nick]

It can't come too soon

I suggest you might be being a tad optimistic....

[Alan H]

It can't come too soon

I suggest you might be being a tad optimistic....

Why? Is David 'call me Dave' Cameron going to abolish elections along with the HRA?

[Alan H]

Theresa May to revive her 'snooper's charter' now Lib Dem brakes are off

Election results were barely in when the home secretary indicated the Tories will increase state surveillance powers, to the alarm of privacy campaigners

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

[Alan H]

Ministers confirmed
The Rt Hon George Osborne MP becomes First Secretary of State and continues as Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Rt Hon Theresa May continues as Home Secretary
The Rt Hon Philip Hammond continues as Foreign Secretary
The Rt Hon Michael Fallon continues as Secretary of State for Defence
The Rt Hon Michael Gove becomes Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Rt Hon Chris Grayling becomes Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Rt Hon Nicky Morgan continues as Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities
Mark Harper MP becomes Chief Whip (Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury)

[Alan H]

A reminder that our new Equalities Minster voted against gay marriage: Nicky Morgan: I stand by vote against same-sex marriage but I’d probably vote for it now

And that she believes we are a "basically Christian country”.

[Alan H]

The way forward for Labour: neither right nor left is able to reach the whole nation

It’s a mess. The Conservatives are not liked, nor do they have a programme to address Britain’s deep-set dysfunctions, unfairnesses and inequalities. They will make matters worse. Yet they have won. Labour proved incapable of offering a compelling vision around which a progressive but pro-capitalist electorate – the majority in England as in Scotland – could coalesce. It was roundly defeated. Liberal Democracy, scorched by betraying its purported values in coalition and so revealed to stand for nothing, has been torched.

Only in Scotland has a party managed to represent what the British want – social fairness within an innovative, progressive capitalism – and been rewarded with a landslide, but it wants to secede from the UK. Meanwhile, one in eight in England, disaffected by the inability to escape the mess for which it irrationally blames immigrants and the EU, voted Ukip. This election will solve nothing.

Of course, the Conservatives are jubilant. Winning a general election in today’s environment is a tough political challenge. Despite the toxicity of their brand and mismatch between what they want to do and what the country needs, they pulled it off .

[Alan H]

I wonder which of these Gove and his friends think is wrong and who should be denied them?

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[Alan H]

Michael Gove, new Justice Secretary, wanted to bring back hanging

Michael Gove, the new Justice Secretary, called for the return of the death penalty as a newspaper columnist.
Mr Gove said he supported the return of the noose out of “respect for democracy”, and because it would force the courts to act with “scrupulous fairness”.

Writing in the late nineties as a Times columnist, Mr Gove also strongly criticised the Stephen Lawrence for being marred by “McCarthyism” and the “whiff of Salem” as it criticism the entire Metropolitan Police force for institutionalised racism.

Mr Gove has not repeated the comments in nearly twenty years.

Nonetheless, Mr Gove’s appointment is likely to cheer the Tory Right, many of whom were disappointed when he was demoted to Chief Whip after driving through reforms of education policy that angered teaching unions.

And this man is now in charge of justice...but he's probably one of those who believe that anything that angers unions can only be a good idea.

[Nick]

It can't come too soon

I suggest you might be being a tad optimistic....

Why? Is David 'call me Dave' Cameron going to abolish elections along with the HRA?

Oh, I'm sorry. I hadn't realised you were looking forward to another Labour defeat.....

[Nick]

I wonder which of these Gove and his friends think is wrong and who should be denied them?

2015-05-10_15h26_19.png

I've looked hard, Alan, and I can't find anything about annuities and car insurance..... As you know, they are real human rights, according to the ECHR.

It's the court which has brought disrespect upon itself, not the "rights" listed.

[Alan H]

I wonder which of these Gove and his friends think is wrong and who should be denied them?

2015-05-10_15h26_19.png

I've looked hard, Alan, and I can't find anything about annuities and car insurance..... As you know, they are real human rights, according to the ECHR.

It's the court which has brought disrespect upon itself, not the "rights" listed.

[Alan H]

I suggest you might be being a tad optimistic....

Why? Is David 'call me Dave' Cameron going to abolish elections along with the HRA?

Oh, I'm sorry. I hadn't realised you were looking forward to another Labour defeat.....

Did I mention Labour?