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

Who did you vote for?

  • Labour

    Votes: 137 13.9%

  • Conservative

    Votes: 378 38.4%

  • Liberal Democrats

    Votes: 304 30.9%

  • UK Independence Party

    Votes: 27 2.7%

  • Green Party

    Votes: 2 0.2%

  • Scottish National Party

    Votes: 10 1.0%

  • British National Party

    Votes: 20 2.0%

  • Plaid Cymru

    Votes: 1 0.1%

  • DUP

    Votes: 4 0.4%

  • UUP

    Votes: 1 0.1%

  • Sinn Fein

    Votes: 2 0.2%

  • SDLP

    Votes: 3 0.3%

  • Other

    Votes: 16 1.6%

  • Abstain

    Votes: 80 8.1%
  • Total voters
    985
  • Poll closed .
[TW]Fox;16530674 said:
This is what scares me about a referendum on PR. People will vote for it without having a clue.
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You don't know that'll be the case. Ahead of any referendum would be a massive press blitz explaining exactly what is at stake and what it all means. It'll be simplified so that even the thickest of The Sun readers can understand it.

I have no worries in this regard.
 
Rich_L said:
Isn't it just terrible, parties being forced to compromise and work together to form a government. Simply horrendous.
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I don't mind parties co-operating to form a government.

What I do mind are the proponents of PR saying how fair it is, "fair votes for all" was the protesters cry.

It's not fairer at all, it just puts far too much power in the hands of the politicians. You no longer have a clear victor - ever, it's always hung and it's always backroom deals with coalitions.

The policitians get to decide the policies they enact after the election, that's not how things are supposed to work.

Also, the PR system allows the minority parties who didn't 'win' the election to gang up on the 'winner' and take control of the government.

This might result in a plurality of the country voting for one party and their policies and then having to watch as that party is usurped by the losing parties and their policies are then pushed through parliament. How on earth is this the will of the poeple?

Be careful what you wish for.

The Lib Dems only want PR for their own personal gain and nothing more. None of the political systems are 'fair'.
 
The Mad Rapper said:
No. It wouldn't.
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I disagree with you here primarily because this sort of dealing is pretty much a standard with quite a few PR systems. It is one of the main disadvantages with PR as who actually forms government is not decided by vote, but by political dealing. Obviously whatever is created is proportional, but it is somewhat anti democratic. I am not really opposed to it, I would just like a few safeguards put in place first. As in negotiations should be in the open and that parties should state preferred coalition partners prior to voting.
 
RDM said:
I disagree with you here primarily because this sort of dealing is pretty much a standard with quite a few PR systems. It is one of the main disadvantages with PR as who actually forms government is not decided by vote, but by political dealing. Obviously whatever is created is proportional, but it is somewhat anti democratic. I am not really opposed to it, I would just like a few safeguards put in place first. As in negotiations should be in the open and that parties should state preferred coalition partners prior to voting.
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I didn't explain myself in my post, apologies.

What I meant was, while I agree there will be a resolution reached behind closed doors, I doubt it would be accompanied by the drama we are currently experiencing. The politicians would be more used to reaching a resolution, so it would hopefully be achieved more quickly.
 
The Mad Rapper said:
I didn't explain myself in my post, apologies.

What I meant was, while I agree there will be a resolution reached behind closed doors, I doubt it would be accompanied by the drama we are currently experiencing. The politicians would be more used to reaching a resolution, so it would hopefully be achieved more quickly.
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Nah, the first few times there will be just as much drama until they finally work out how to do it without or enough elections pass to know who is going to side with who and the electorate can vote accordingly.
 
RDM said:
Nah, the first few times there will be just as much drama until they finally work out how to do it without or enough elections pass to know who is going to side with who and the electorate can vote accordingly.
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Do you think? Well this is their first shot at it, they may get another go in October and then who knows?
 
The Mad Rapper said:
Do you think?
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God yes. Nothing is going to change, the political leaders will be mostly the same, it will be the same thing all over again. They might just have a better strategy in place to deal with it though.

The Mad Rapper said:
Well this is their first shot at it, they may get another go in October and then who knows?
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October? At the current rate I am not sure it will last even that long!
 
This is a complete farse. If there's any reason NOT to have PR with hung parliaments all the time its this.

The Lib Dems are holding the country to ransom, leading the Conservatives to the end of coalition talks only at the last minute to open talks with Labour in order to squeeze every last ounce out of their position.

National interest my arse.
 
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avec said:
It's not fairer at all, it just puts far too much power in the hands of the politicians. You no longer have a clear victor - ever, it's always hung and it's always backroom deals with coalitions.

The policitians get to decide the policies they enact after the election, that's not how things are supposed to work.

Also, the PR system allows the minority parties who didn't 'win' the election to gang up on the 'winner' and take control of the government.
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Exactly..... it's just so, so wrong to do it this way :(

Instead of having your 1st choice gov. in power, you have your 2nd and 3rd choice teaming up and making completely new policies that were never even contemplated - and can now be brought in and blamed on the coalition process. That way the general public have even less control and have less of an idea about what way the new policies are going to affect their life for the next few years.

I never thought I'd say this - but I honestly can't see how this is going to make any noticeable improvement over having Gordon as PM.

To me - it's just makes a mockery of the election process.
 
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Rich_L said:
You realise AV would have given Labour a bigger majority in 2005, and also would give Lib/Lab an overall majority in 2010 too - in other words the same position as now but instead of a coalition of 'all parties' - Lib/Lab could have formed one alone.

And also that when GB offered a referendum on AV before the election, the Tories described it as 'fiddling the system' against them?
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If they redraw the boundaries as well (something labour were not planning on doing), then it is differently viewed. A straight switch to AV would only have made the labour bias at constituency level worse.
 
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