Poll: *** 2010 General Election Result & Discussion ***

[The Mad Rapper]

Can someone explain to me in simple terms what proportional representation is?
Does it mean that instead of majority seats, ie, having to get 50% + 1 to become the governing party, that it would be dependent only on who has the most seats, ie, conservative would now be running the country with their 307 seats?

Someone will doubtless explain this better, but say an election is held, everyone votes. The votes for each party are totalled and converted to a %. I think there are 650 seats in total. Imagine the Conservatives have 50% of the popular vote, they are thus given 325 seats (being 50% of the total of 650 seats). The other parties are then given their seats accordingly.

It's more complicated than that, but, as I understand it, that's the basics. Happy to be corrected if that's wrong

 

[Dolph]

Dolph your pro-Tory blinkers on so hard that you simply can't countenance the idea that PR might be a popular idea and that the Tories should accept that it is something that should be considered?

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6480SY20100509

In what world is this 'support not entirely there'?

Because those polls don't tell the whole story? Ask me for an opinion on any single issue and I'll give you one, but there's also asking about whole groups of issues which is what hasn't been done.

I support PR (with suitable protections) but I would not sacrifice fiscal responsibility or civil liberties to get it, hence I could never support a Lib/Lab coalition based on PR if the alternative was lib/con with no PR.

These things don't exist in isolation.

 

[The Mad Rapper]

Wouldn't selling out their 100-year old policy for 4 years of short-term influence make them far more of a 'whore' than sticking to their principles?

Very good point, very well made.

 

[meghatronic]

Look you ninny, most of the electorate haven't got the slightest clue about which version of PR the parties propose. Even more of the electorate have absolutely no idea whatsoever about what these PR systems actually entail, how they will work and whether they are any more fair than what we currently have.

Nor do most of the country seem to realise that what is going on now, the backroom deals, the closed meetings and the politicians deciding who 'wins' and governs our country is EXACTLY what you'd get with PR, every single election.

Exactly - as I've been saying a referendum on PR is so bloody dangerous.

 

[2blue4u]

Can someone explain to me in simple terms what proportional representation is?

It means that we go through this turmoil in the days and weeks following EVERY election.

 

[Dolph]

Wouldn't selling out their 100-year old policy for 4 years of short-term influence make them far more of a 'whore' than sticking to their principles?

Surely that depends on how many other 100 year old policies and practices they do get to implement during that 4 years?

 

[Rich_L]

I support PR (with suitable protections) but I would not sacrifice fiscal responsibility or civil liberties to get it, hence I could never support a Lib/Lab coalition based on PR if the alternative was lib/con with no PR.

So put your voice behind a Lib/Con alliance/coalition with PR then.

 

[The Mad Rapper]

They most certainly won.
They how ever did not win a majority government.

Didn't I just say that? They may have won the highest amount of the popular vote but they are going to struggle to do anything with it.

 

[Strife212]

Brown hasn't actually left guys, he's said he will leave - by september.

 

[PermaBanned]

They most certainly won.
They how ever did not win a majority government.

Minority government's don't work. To quote Eddy Izzard (in a roundabout sort of way), they could essentially say:

Tory's: "All of the UK, you must do this!"
The Rest: "Well we're not gunna..."

 

[The Mad Rapper]

Surely that depends on how many other 100 year old policies and practices they do get to implement during that 4 years?

Hasn't PR always been their biggest 'issue'?

 

[meghatronic]

So put your voice behind a Lib/Con with PR then, surely.

Which PR?

Not least, we'd have a month of backrrom deals after every election. Or, the case as in Israel where the minority parties control the majority.

 

[avec]

Heseltine just spelt things out brilliantly on Sky News.

Finally someone actually outlined what a lib/lab pact would actually entail.

 

[2blue4u]

Wouldn't selling out their 100-year old policy for 4 years of short-term influence make them far more of a 'whore' than sticking to their principles?

You have it the wrong way around. They are whoring themselves around looking for the best deal for themselves rather than what is, at this moment in history, the best for the country.

 

[z3r0]

What did I say. Bunch of self serving pricks.

The Conservatvies should just tell the Lib Dems to **** off and go **** themselves at this point.

 

[Glaucus]

Minority government's don't work. "

Of course they don't.

But there's two different things.
Who won the election = Tories.
Who won government power = no one.

Saying no one won is rubbish. There was a clear winner, it just did not result in a government.

You might just think it's a play of words, but it's been bugging the hell out of me for the last few days.

and all you saying you want PR,
Do you know what PR is and which model do you support?
Would you support any PR model.

PR to me seems like a bandwagon for the sheep, who do not understand what they are asking for.

 

[avec]

Alistair Campbell on Sky News now, prepare for anger.

 

[rz30]

Gordon Brown resigns.

Back to chaos.

 

[The Mad Rapper]

What did I say. Bunch of self serving pricks.

The Conservatvies should just tell the Lib Dems to **** off and go **** themselves at this point.

They could do that. How far do you think they'd get?

 

[meghatronic]

Minority government's don't work. To quote Eddy Izzard (in a roundabout sort of way), they could essentially say:

Tory's: "All of the UK, you must do this!"
The Rest: "Well we're not gunna..."

I'm hardly surprised the moron said things like that.

It isn't as simple as that. Lets pick two issues okay? ID cards and Trident replacement.

ID Cards scrapping - for: con/lib; against: lab.
Trident replacement - for: con/lab; against: lib.

And so on... arguably it's better as there is cross-party support case by case. Cf. Scotland.

They only need to get through the Queen's speech and Budget. ANY party that tries to bring them down there does NOT have the nation's interest at heart.