More political thoughts

[andrewducker]

There's a fair chance, to put it mildly, that Labour won't win the next elections. Which means that if Gordon's clever (which he is), he'll spend the next two years making sure that even if the Conservatives take power they won't be able to do anything too serious to derail the road Labour has set the UK on.

Part of that comprises the plans just announced to strip Number 10 of much of its power - including the ability to go to war without the approval of parliament.

I'm also wondering whether there'll be a push to finally get Proportional Representation through.  That's never going to be in the interests of the Conservatives, and it wasn't in the interests of Labour when it had a huge majority - but now things are swinging against them maybe they'll finally live up to their 2001 manifesto...

Comments

[purpletigron.livejournal.com]

Oh, I so hope ...

[drplokta]

Why would they push through PR now when it's their best bargaining chip with the Lib Dems in the event of a hung parliament?

[azalemeth.livejournal.com]

Proportional Representation is great fun. I just know the public at large is going to love it! It will make voting so much simpler and more understandable for everybody. This is because the June 2005 version of the Methods for Advanced Mathematics exam had an entire A-level maths comprehension paper dedicated to various forms of proportional representation, with most of the article (and questions) focusing on 'trial and error' methods, and the d'Hont formula. My confidence in the public's ability to understand and find faith in the system is based on the fact that at least half my class got half the questions right...

Since this is a sample of people found in a way that any political statistician should agree with - walk into a room full of people - I am sure the public at large would be able to understand how it's not quite someone choosing a percentage randomly that gets the 'right people' in!

(Seriously though, I agree with what you say. But most people don't fully understand first-past-the-post as it is...)

[kelly-lesbo.livejournal.com]

I've got 3 words in response.

New. World. Order.

Everyone needs to wake the fuck up, get over the notion that conspiracies amongst rich people to hang onto their power are bleeding fucking well obviously real.

It doesn't matter which puppets are in "power"

Let's have a revolution! Right you go first, I'll be right with you.

:)

[andrewducker]

But they don't need to understand the maths behind it. They just need to understand that they vote for a local candidate and an area party and the results are more proportional than FPTP. I mean _I_ haven't looked deeply into the maths, but I'd still prefer it to FPTP.

[andrewducker]

Interesting one - you think that a Lib/Lab pact is on the cards for the next election?

[nuttyxander.livejournal.com]

It would be a very strong campaigning platform to focus on reforming parliament. Hell, I'd even be willing to go out on the streets and campaign for it if the proposals looked tempting enough.