yeah I quite liked the lib dem/conservative coalition as I'm generally quite liberal but economically conservative... I'd really like to simply have a 'liberal' party to vote for minus the social democrat side but lib/con coalition was probably the closest I'll get to seeing that now
Poll: Poll: Prime Minister Theresa May calls General Election on June 8th
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The lib dems have said they wouldn't go into any coalitions this time, which makes voting for them harder.
The real problem is the UK electorate doesn't like coalitions, because coalitions mean that instead of the voters choosing, the politicians ultimately did.
Soldato
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The Lib Dems main concern has always been to foist a constitutional arrangement on the country that guarantees them a constant role as junior coalition partner. I'm not a fan of such a scenario because the voters Europe wide are really beginning to show their contempt for the cosy stitch up of elections where politicians chose the outcome. I'm mean heaven help us if we ever ended up in an Israel like situation where the Government is constantly having to placate some hard nosed minor coalition partner.
But we're in a representative democracy... the politicians always choose.
I think he meant they got to choose who the coalition was. Last time it could have been Con/Lib or Lab/lib couldnt it?
Or it certainly could be this time.
That isnt up to the electorate anyway, it'd likely be better for most of the country if 60% of it had a voice rather than the current 30%. Using STV would exemplify this at least, but people dont want to hear such blasphemy, because apparently FPTP is amazing.
The numbers didn't really work for a lab/lib coalition, but the perception was that the lib dems propped up the Tories (ignoring the fact that if they hadn't, they would have been wiped out in the south west in the inevitable re-run of the election a couple of months later).
But the politicians got to essentially create a new manifesto that no-one had the opportunity to approve. Don't get me wrong, I liked the coalition, but liking the outcome that time doesn't mean I would have approved of a tory/UKIP or lab/snp coalition.
First past the post, for all its flaws, at least gives the country the opportunity to really change the government.
Really change the government? Too bad all the actors are garbage level politicians. I'd infinitely enjoy a country that lived with constant coalition, at least it wouldn't constantly be going back over policies to erase every 5 years, without any methodical/scientific approach at all to seeing if the policy was sound... nope just delete it, put in our one and hail it is gold.
I was toying with voting independent or spoiling my ballot. I'm now seriously considering swallowing my pride and voting labour to try to ensure my constituency doesn't turn blue. Unlikely to as it's a safe-ish Labour seat but still, useless as Labour are we need some form of opposition.
I don't want May in charge with a sizeable majority because I honestly think she would be very damaging.
LOL @ the idea that FPTP allows us to change anything. Bring in STV.
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This. Which is why our two party FPTP system doesnt work. We have one or two terms doing one thing and then the same time doing the opposite. Thats why a coalition PR government would be better as you are much likely to get long term policies. As it is, any policy has to make a positive change within 5 years or they know they will lose power.
Even if that were the goal, our current rubbish is a poor way of achieving it. For that we'd be far better off with a presidential system and a sensible form of election for that individual (e.g. IRV, Approval Voting, Score Voting, any of the Condorcet methods, etc. - actually are there any voting systems that have ever been used anywhere as bad as FPTP?).
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Caporegime
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I bet if you run it again after the stupid Tory manifesto and Teresa May trying to police the internet, it would look quite different.
I thought this last night... if it were Ed Miliband standing for Labour this time round I'd be voting red for the first time in my life. Back in 2105 there would be no way in hell I would have considered that. It's crazy how everything has shifted.
Confirmed time traveler. Anyway, i vouch for a revote, even if the system is there to change ones vote, people may not see that/expect it to work like ye olde system. It's validated by the fact that the manifestos are now out (mostly, ignore SLAB cause they barely exist).
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