General Election 2015

RideOnTime

Tangled Metal wrote:

One of my neighbouring constituencies was a staunch Tory area but switched to Liberals a couple of terms ago. Now I know a bit about the MP and what he really is like before he got the candidature and won the seat (just but then got a decent majority the next term). I think he is nailed on to stay there. As well as rising up the Liberal party's heirarchy (you have to if only 20 odd MPs) he is now chairman IIRC and he still does a decent job of being a constituency MP.

Another neighbouring constituency is a true Labour area. Back in the day it was held by one of "Blair's Babes" (I say held only because the previous male candidate had a big majority but disappeared or retired in the favour of the female candidate list and this female MP got her first term in 97). She was initially into the fastrack "New Labour" rise up the greasy pole in the party but developed a conscience that slowed her progress. She is still there but is now a campaigning type I think.

My constituency IIRC was a new MP in 2010 and probably a cert to stay on. A permanent backbencher if ever I saw one. He'll be around for a long time I think, but he tries to make out he is a constituency MP out for us. However sending out random letters saying how he asked the transport minister about a local train station in an attempt at "helping" the local area. Seriously who thinks a minor town 8 minutes from a small regional city deserves to get a main line station on the west coast line from London to Scotland?? However it is aimed to preserve the image that he is a constituency MP out for us. He has a history of these letters.

I have given these examples as I do believe there is a false image that MPs are even interested in their consituents and the consituencies they represent. I feel there are many types of MPs from the old timers in the backbench to campaigning types (that labour Eagles woman for example) then there are those greasy pole climbers/PR types (Nigel Evans was the classic from my old area, TIm Fallon - Liberal chair IIRC, etc). I feel we have a system based on matters other than representation of their constituencies. What a surprise!!!

have we got to guess where you live? is that your game?



I think you live in Balamory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqtRsxrdXp0

Stevo_666

Ballysmate wrote:

Never has been difficult to distinguish a Scot holding a grievance from a ray of sunshine.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politic ... tmare.html

Working for the benefit of the UK indeed.

There's also a clue in their name - the Scottish National Party - that kind of gives it away. They are no more than a left-wing, provincial version of UKIP.

Mr_Cellophane

My vote is cast and posted. Lets get it over with now.

sloppyschleckonds

Does Nick Clegg still refer to himself as 'the kingmaker' or is that some other w@nker this time?

fredmac

Stevo 666 wrote:

Ballysmate wrote:

Never has been difficult to distinguish a Scot holding a grievance from a ray of sunshine.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politic ... tmare.html

Working for the benefit of the UK indeed.

There's also a clue in their name - the Scottish National Party - that kind of gives it away. They are no more than a left-wing, provincial version of UKIP.

Are they, aye?

mr_goo

Stevo 666 wrote:

Ballysmate wrote:

Never has been difficult to distinguish a Scot holding a grievance from a ray of sunshine.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politic ... tmare.html

Working for the benefit of the UK indeed.

There's also a clue in their name - the Scottish National Party - that kind of gives it away. They are no more than a left-wing, provincial version of UKIP.

I bet CaMoron and Millipede are ruing the effort they made to keep Scotland in the UK. I for one wish they had gone their own way last year. Now we will have them holding England and Northern Ireland to ransome. I have excluded Wales, as I believe that if Plaid Cyrmu win a few seats then they will align with SNP. Bunch of Celts that think they can claim some sort of revenge for their grievances of centuries past. Grow up.

pliptrot

Mr Goo wrote:

Now we will have them holding England and Northern Ireland to ransome

How will they do that?

mr_goo

pliptrot wrote:

Mr Goo wrote:

Now we will have them holding England and Northern Ireland to ransome

How will they do that?

They will veto every bill proposed by either party unless it is preferential to them.

pblakeney

Mr Goo wrote:

pliptrot wrote:

Mr Goo wrote:

Now we will have them holding England and Northern Ireland to ransome

How will they do that?

They will veto every bill proposed by either party unless it is preferential to them.

Isn't that how all parties operate?
Should be.

mamba80

Mr Goo wrote:

pliptrot wrote:

Mr Goo wrote:

Now we will have them holding England and Northern Ireland to ransome

How will they do that?

They will veto every bill proposed by either party unless it is preferential to them.

why would they do that? that would trigger an another general election as no party leader south of the border would want to be seen as that weak, and in the new result, snp may not hold the balance, if indeed they do this time around.
Sturgeon will push for higher nhs spending, devo max and another scottish referendum, she isn't as left wing as you make out, its a shame she isn't in an english party, i d vote for her, she has conviction and passion, something sadly lacking in our party leaders.

ballysmate

mamba80 wrote:

Mr Goo wrote:

pliptrot wrote:

Mr Goo wrote:

Now we will have them holding England and Northern Ireland to ransome

How will they do that?

They will veto every bill proposed by either party unless it is preferential to them.

why would they do that? that would trigger an another general election as no party leader south of the border would want to be seen as that weak, and in the new result, snp may not hold the balance, if indeed they do this time around.
Sturgeon will push for higher nhs spending, devo max and another scottish referendum, she isn't as left wing as you make out, its a shame she isn't in an english party, i d vote for her, she has conviction and passion, something sadly lacking in our party leaders.

Too left wing for me.
Anyway, she is not standing is she? The leader of the Parliamentary SNazis will be someone else. Fat Eck?

shockedsoshocked

As a voter in Middlesbrough, feel i'm stuck in a hard place. Labour haven't done anything for the region as long as I can remember despite having some of their staunchest voters here, I'd personally never vote for the Tories or UKIP as they're cut from the same cloth and I cannot relate to them at all (UKIP seemingly have attracted people who seem to think the reason the region is in a poor state is because of anything but being chronically ignored by Westminster), the Lib Dems are putting forward some policies I agree with but I feel they're dead in the water. The party that matches up with the majority of the policies I agree with are the Greens (who in my opinion are filling the left-ground that Labour and the Lib Dems slipped from a while back) but I'd feel that vote would be wasted as they're not a viable option at the moment in reality (plus I imagine their support in my area would be slim).

It's a great shame to me the North East/Yorkshire doesn't display a similar level of self-determinism that is currently being displayed in Scotland. Working off Scotland I find that the old industrial hearts of the North of England have a lot more in common with the people of Glasgow or Dundee than they do of the majority of England. Maybe it's only a matter of time, but extending devolution to a regional level would be something i'd be happy to see. I think until such a time I'm stuck voting Labour in an attempt to keep UKIP out, at least for an election or two.

Frank the tank

I feel much of what you say. I think the current FPTP system we have is ok if there are really only two parties, however, things are changing and I feel it is time for electoral reform. Too many people will have no representation and that cannot be right. Every vote wherever cast must count to the form that parliament takes.

thegreatdivide

Some fantastic Daily Mail vitriol being posted in here.

Nice post ShockedSoShocked and agreed re the North’s similarities with Scotland.

mamba80

a changed to a PR system might put an end to the apathy the public have towards politics and politicians in general.
i know for me, i am considering not bothering to vote, i would like to go for Green or Labour but they have zero chance of getting in, its a fight between Lib and Con.

Perhaps when the % of people voting drops below 50% politicians might actually change the way we vote? but any change would be like turkeys voting for Christmas.

handful

It makes me laugh that many of the people that are anti UKIP are also pro PR. Jusy think how many seats UKIP would have if their 15% was represented as a proportion....nearly 100 :shock:

It doesn't bear thinking about.

Lookyhere

handful wrote:

It makes me laugh that many of the people that are anti UKIP are also pro PR. Jusy think how many seats UKIP would have if their 15% was represented as a proportion....nearly 100 :shock:

It doesn't bear thinking about.

..and? its called democracy, if 15% of the population vote ukip/green/lib etc then their views should be represented.

the tories got 36% of the vote last time round, yet they ended up pretty much running the show, is that right? the rest of europe seems to do pretty well on versions of PR, Germany for one, a real basket case arent they?

ddraver

The other side if that coin handful is that the larger parties would have hundreds of seats so they would still be irrelevant. The difference is that we would nt have people like SsS, and to a lesser extent me, feeling like it doesn't matter what or if they vote

sloppyschleckonds

Cameron dyeing his hair ginger, he'll do anything to get votes

mr_goo

What on earth was the campaign manager thinking? Did the conversation go like this?.......

David Axelrod - Ed. I've got a great idea for the campaign. Why don't we commission a stone mason to carve out the Labour party promises on a huge stone tablet? That will surely underline the party's commitment to the country.

Ed Miliband - Hell yes! Sort it out. I've gotta get back to the kitchen now, and rustle up some bacon baps. Let me know when it's done.

mamba80

just about sums up the current labour leader.... a tombstone for his election prospects.

i cringed the instant i saw this on TV.......

RideOnTime

so unfair, so unfair... great idea

and he can always make it into a water feature...

ddraver

The maturity of British political debate astounds me...

mr_goo

ddraver wrote:

The maturity of British political debate astounds me...

Are you accusing moi?

mamba80

ddraver wrote:

The maturity of British political debate astounds me...

there are sooooo many things he could do and/or say but instead he comes up with a gimmick (and a complete waste of money) and then says he ll install it in no 10 to remind him of his election pledges....ffs.

to me, things like this say a lot about a person and he seems to be completely out of touch from the concerns of "ordinary" voters.... and i am a natural labour supporter or was.

ddraver

Mr Goo wrote:

ddraver wrote:

The maturity of British political debate astounds me...

Are you accusing moi?

you and pretty much everyone else involved in politics so don't feel too bad.

mamba80

ddraver wrote:

Mr Goo wrote:

ddraver wrote:

The maturity of British political debate astounds me...

Are you accusing moi?

you and pretty much everyone else involved in politics so don't feel too bad.

you are certainly adding to it on here.

ddraver

?? Touchy much?

We re supposed to be talking about the future of our country, our healthcare system, welfare system etc etc...but actually we re making crap photoshops of a stone

It honestly don't know if its more saddening or maddening.

mr_goo

ddraver wrote:

?? Touchy much?

We re supposed to be talking about the future of our country, our healthcare system, welfare system etc etc...but actually we re making crap photoshops of a stone

It honestly don't know if its more saddening or maddening.

Have you ever tried to start a serious political debate or express concerns over the state of the nation on Bike Radar? Try it, and see where it gets you.



There are always plenty of people ready to shoot you down, no matter how strongly you feel about a particular topic.

ddraver

that's fair enough on a bike forum Goo, but the same attitude pervades every part of Westminster and the press that covers it.

Alex Salmond was not a great politician because he was good at solving problems or getting things done, He was a great politician because he is great at a one line put down quip (Farage is the same). Whether you agree with him or not is irrelevant - that's ridiculous!