Tuesday
May042010
by 
Bishop Hill
Bishop Hill Election coming
May 4, 2010 Blogs Politicians There's an election coming here in Blighty and I find the whole thing thoroughly depressing. This cheered me up briefly though.
May 4, 2010 Blogs Politicians
Reader Comments (25)
I turn off the radio or telly when politics comes on. It is truly depressing. What a shower of nonentities the three main parties mainly consist of. But that comment from a Sri Lankan was something else!
Try visiting: www.mydavidcameron.com and www.slapometer.com
You'll wear out your mouse on the latter. Worth it, though.
I'm gonna vote the only party that isn't fascist that doesn't support AGW, viz. UKIP. They have no chance, but what the heck, one has to vote according to one's beliefs. I too haven't really been following the news on the election as I hate watching transparent liars in action.
I'll vote for Nick Clog, the Libdemessiah, but only if he promises to hang Blair.
I am getting a little concerned over the democratic principle with this election.
A couple of examples spring to mind that made me stand back and think again. The first was the Sky news response to the leaders debates, where on several occassions there has been a full wall graph of ratings. A red bar, a blue bar, a yellow bar and a grey bar. Not a problem I thought, Labour, Conservative, Liberals and other parties, but when the presenter talked through the results the grey bar was for 'don't knows'. This giving the indication that there are only three parties in the election and if you don't sign up for one of them then you are a 'don't know'. The second is a 'Party matcher' survey set up by Yahoo that you can go through a questionaire and at the end you will be advised which party best matches your views, http://uk.news.yahoo.com/elections/party-matcher . When you reach the end then your results are matched against only the top three parties without any mention of any of the others.
Now for me this kind of deception is very influential to first time voters and I would of thought that with all the quangos going around there must be one to ensure level playing fields.
Then again perhaps the birthplace of democracy has evolved like a cancer into the opportunistic self satisfying beast that is now our misfortune to have as our government, all major parties waxing their backsides in the palace of Westminster included.
If someone were to put a monkey up as an independent then I would feel my vote would be wasted less voting for it than any of the main three leaders.
/End Rant
Thanks for the link. He was the highlight of the day, a real charmer and with great wit. As one of my commenters observed - integration working perfectly.
Lord Beaverbrook
They are running chattering monkeys -- all of them. True, they are opportunistic self satisfying beasts, but chattering monkeys nevertheless.
However, look at what I have to deal with in 1) California, 2) the US government, and 3) the Irish government and consider yourself lucky.
One of the founding fathers of the US was Thomas Jefferson who said that they (the Americans) should have a revolution every 20 or so years. I think he had a point.
I was disappointed when i learnt the true meaning of a hung parliment.
I was looking forward to a family day out to the gallows.
We can hope, Shevva, we can hope.
I've always regarded voting as a civic duty, but this time, with 6 candidates to choose from, I really can't see even one that I'd be happy to vote in. They all seem reasonably sincere people, but I disagree with all of them on at least one major item. Whether I look at their local policies, or the national party that backs them, I'd be unhappy with them representing me. My duty this time may be to not vote. Heaven help us all.
May 4, 2010 | Cumbrian Lad
My advice is vote anyway. Vote for whichever candidate is most likely to unseat the incumbent. Pour encourager les autres. They'll get the message.
I agree with Robert E. Phelan. Vote the incumbents out.
Ah! not so easy Don Pablo and Robert. The current MP belongs to the (current) main opposition party. He's actually stood down, so his replacement is not really a (local) incumbent. His party would need to succeed to replace the government (national incumbent). So, voting against the local incumbent (party) means an increased risk of allowing the national incumbent to retain power. Devil and deep blue, as it were. I'm beginning to wish we had an Official Monster Raving Loony candidate (and yes that is a real UK political party).
None of the above, would be my preferred choice but after studying my locale choice of candidates, in Golden Browns constituency, that option is not on offer!
I realise that it's probably a wee bit late to set-up the party, select candidates, write the manifesto, scrape the pennies together and submit the proper paperwork before the deadline!
Nonetheless, it would be lovely to positively register ones dissatistfaction with current democratic choices rather than the "Whom don't you want to Win?" negativity that permeates modern UK politics.
For now, sadly, I must vote for my party of choice by not voting at all.
Forget proportional representation 'cos, like a poorly worded multiple choice question, asks you to choose the least-worst answer.
Cumbrian Lad
An incumbent is an incumbent and the difference between one party's incumbent and another party's present or pass incumbent is about the same as between Tweedle De and Tweedle Dum and both are on the public teat.
We should limit politicians to two terms, no retirement, no expense accounts and no benefits like health care. Let them come back to the real world and work and live in it like the rest of them.
You are being far too analytical. Let them have two terms and vote for new blood.
royfomr
What we ALL need is the final candidate being "None of the Above" and count against all of the above. Thus if 50 % of the voters voted None of the Above, nobody is elected. THAT would send a message.
Don:
As ever, you are full of wisdom. If only your needs/wishes could be met - no chance unfortunately - the incumbents have too much power and money to lose.
I've said it before, but please don't stay away from the polling booth. Even if you write "None of These" on your voting paper [which I may well end up doing], you will at least be conveying your message. If you stay at home, your message is lost.
Democracy does not begin or end with a vote. If people of principle choose not to stand for office, choose not to involve themselves with party then the slimey opportunists are given free range. I happen to disagree with Don Pablo about term limits: I don't think it will bring in fresh blood at all but rather reduce elected representatives to sock puppets answerable to shadowy party mandarins who control the purse strings and the campaign machinery. The really talented tools will find themselves promoted to assistant ministerships or directorates where they will continue to live comfortably, making decisions out of the light, retiring to a very nice pension with health care....
Taking back your democracy is not the work of an election cycle. Frankly, it is the work of generations. Time to get started.
Phillip
I know that you are 100% right as usual, but I can dream, can't I? And perhaps Thomas Jefferson was right, a revolution every 20 or so years would clean out the cesspool. That is what it would take, I am afraid, and I am no friend of revolutions. They usually go bad. Witness the French and Russian revolutions. The only reason why the American Revolution didn't go the same way was pure luck and the fortitude of people like Washington who went home after wards.
Robert E. Phelan
You make a good set of points, Robert, but I have watched California politics for too long with the likes of Willie Brown. We got rid of him with term limits.
I am still waiting to see anybody's response to "NONE OF THE ABOVE". :)
Don Pablo:
I hate using Wikipedia for a reference, but a quick perusal of Brown's page shows that he may be out of office, but you're not exactly rid of him. Be that as it may, I think we agree on the importance of voting and participating.
Robert E. Phelan:
While he is still around, he in no longer the despot he was when he ruled the state legislature with an iron fist. "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely." He was proof of that. Much of California's current problems stem back to his reign.
I'm white gnlish, my wife is Indian and by definition my son is non-white. So to be honest if the BNP will give me £100K (£50k for each of them) to emigrate to India then bring it on.
Muppets.
I've now made a final decision. I WILL vote. I still don't have a clue for whom though!
Good on yeh, Lad. Godspeed.