Just got back. Quite busy then it's the busiest part of the day. Dunno what yours is like but I couldn't believe the length of the thing, you could paper the hall with them.
[cite]Posted By:Steve Dowman[/cite]Bing, just a small point on the much maligned uk manufacturing sector. It is alive and well and we have a larger manufacturing base than France, whom many people assume do well in this area and protect their industries. More cars are also produced in the uk than in France. Foreign owned companies a lot of them, but they pay uk taxes and are seen as the most efficient in western Europe. One of our car plants has the highest production levels in Europe, not sure if it is Honda or Nissan. French industry is beset with problems, mainly from never modernising the labour market which Mrs T did in the 80s. Get your facts right. Economics lesson over.
I don't dispute your figures just the context in which you present them. I never mentioned a comparison with France. What about Germany then as an alternative? I never said we had no manufacturing base, it was just decimated by Thatcher and her cohorts. You actually make the point I was making better than I could. Why do we have a foreign motor manufacturing base? I would say it was largely because companies like Honda want an EU base and see Britain as providing that. Leave the EU and where would it leave those companies?
MPs as well as being party members are also representing their constituents. There is no reason at all for Scottish welsh or NI politicians to vote on devolved issues that have nothing to do with their constituents, why should they be allowed to support continued prescription charges in England whilst the Scots welsh can pay for free prescriptions or uni fees using English money that help their constituents. They should either not be allowed to vote on such issues or the number of MPs they have at parliament should be reduced accordingly. The number of MPs should be reduced anyway, but that is an entirely separate discussion.
So join the Lib Dems who have long campaigned for a Federal UK. That will give a national Parliament to England as well, with a Federal Govt at a UK level. There is no effect way to resolve this issue other that to arrange the constitution on this basis, along with a bill of rights, elected upper chamber and PR. All of these have been Lib Dem policies since god was a boy!
With the squit going on regarding MPs expenses and the outdated political institutions, now is time to grasp the nettle. I'd also support/campaign for, a referendum on the EU, in or out. We are a democracy and politicians have shown themselves as belonging to a cosy club where deals are done between them and bugger the people who put them there. A confident vibrant democracy should have institutions which engage people in the process of big decisions that effect us all. Power comes from The People and The People should be trusted to exercise it, not kept from it.
One of the most frustrating things about the Euro elections is that politicians of all parties (except UKIP because its their raison d'etre) don't want to talk about the EU.
Local Nazi's out in force, all 2 of them. Told them to feck off as my grandad fought against scum with their ideals.
Just got back from seeing my dear old Nan at the QE hospital in woolwich, she aint to well bless he cotton pop socks, but do you know what has peed her off more than anything,
Not being able to tell the bloke from the BNP that her family fought against their stupid thoughts and ideas and shoeing him from her door step with a flea in his ear and her stick over his head,
had the whole ward pissing themselves as she is so mutton she said it at the top of her voice
Clem, hope your hourly figures totalled up O.K and you didn't have any 'pinks' to sort out. I always reckoned that if you had two good, experienced Clerks it would run like clockwork but those few minutes after closing always seemed to be a panic, no matter how well prepared you were. Hope you had a bit of a turn out and it went O.K.
I find anyone who tells me that I MUST vote as distasteful as a Commie or a Facist.
I live in a free country and my vote is mine and up to me if I want to exercise it.
For the record I think our voting system is shit.
Too many wasted votes. If you live in say, Tunbridge Wells and you support Labour your vote is totally insignificant, the same if you vote Tory and live in Greenwich. It is all so wrong. A national vote is what is needed. From memory in 2001, if you counted every vote nationaly, William Hague got loads more votes than Tony Blair, LOADS!
Good post Bing, though not sure about the lib dems, though I like a couple of their leading lights, they are the same sandals and socks lentil eating softy socialists at heart. I grew out of socialism at the age of 16 when I joined the real world of work and left the iedealogical naievity of youth in the classroom where it belongs. Apart from the devolved parliaments and their refreshing approach to expenses and open government I have little in common with them.
i know a couple were counted overnight but when can we expect most results to be in?
I can't take watching anymore BBC News channel and they've not said. If anything will put you off politics it's 24 hour news channels. So much time to fill and so little to report. They went to a reporter stood outside james purnell's house a few minutes ago, who said he'd been stood outside since 6:30am but Purnell hadn't been there and then added 5 minutes of baseless speculation. He even told us what people driving past had said to him about purnell. How useful.
Maybe when they don't have anything interesting to report on news 24 shows they should show old re-runs of cartoons to fill the time.
[cite]Posted By: BDL[/cite]Chirp, said it before that we need reform and that PR has to come in.
I have just finished reading a book about all sorts of science stuff and one of the bits in out was about elections. They view there was the the best way to get a fair result is to vote for any candidate you like not just one. You still have a first past the post system but apparently this way gives a better/fairer result.
Comments
Hyah hyah hyah......
Blimey, Phinbarr Saunders lives eh?
Sniggering myself reading it back now though...
I don't dispute your figures just the context in which you present them. I never mentioned a comparison with France. What about Germany then as an alternative? I never said we had no manufacturing base, it was just decimated by Thatcher and her cohorts. You actually make the point I was making better than I could. Why do we have a foreign motor manufacturing base? I would say it was largely because companies like Honda want an EU base and see Britain as providing that. Leave the EU and where would it leave those companies?
vote casted
Allegations of subterfuge though.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8083435.stm
So join the Lib Dems who have long campaigned for a Federal UK. That will give a national Parliament to England as well, with a Federal Govt at a UK level. There is no effect way to resolve this issue other that to arrange the constitution on this basis, along with a bill of rights, elected upper chamber and PR. All of these have been Lib Dem policies since god was a boy!
With the squit going on regarding MPs expenses and the outdated political institutions, now is time to grasp the nettle. I'd also support/campaign for, a referendum on the EU, in or out. We are a democracy and politicians have shown themselves as belonging to a cosy club where deals are done between them and bugger the people who put them there. A confident vibrant democracy should have institutions which engage people in the process of big decisions that effect us all. Power comes from The People and The People should be trusted to exercise it, not kept from it.
One of the most frustrating things about the Euro elections is that politicians of all parties (except UKIP because its their raison d'etre) don't want to talk about the EU.
Anyway, I voted Green.
Local Nazi's out in force, all 2 of them. Told them to feck off as my grandad fought against scum with their ideals.
:P
Just got back from seeing my dear old Nan at the QE hospital in woolwich, she aint to well bless he cotton pop socks, but do you know what has peed her off more than anything,
Not being able to tell the bloke from the BNP that her family fought against their stupid thoughts and ideas and shoeing him from her door step with a flea in his ear and her stick over his head,
had the whole ward pissing themselves as she is so mutton she said it at the top of her voice
I live in a free country and my vote is mine and up to me if I want to exercise it.
For the record I think our voting system is shit.
Too many wasted votes. If you live in say, Tunbridge Wells and you support Labour your vote is totally insignificant, the same if you vote Tory and live in Greenwich. It is all so wrong. A national vote is what is needed. From memory in 2001, if you counted every vote nationaly, William Hague got loads more votes than Tony Blair, LOADS!
Tony Blair - 26,110
William Hague - 25,951
Lol!
I meant as a National Vote mate, not in their own seats!
I can't take watching anymore BBC News channel and they've not said. If anything will put you off politics it's 24 hour news channels. So much time to fill and so little to report. They went to a reporter stood outside james purnell's house a few minutes ago, who said he'd been stood outside since 6:30am but Purnell hadn't been there and then added 5 minutes of baseless speculation. He even told us what people driving past had said to him about purnell. How useful.
Maybe when they don't have anything interesting to report on news 24 shows they should show old re-runs of cartoons to fill the time.
/rant over ;0)
I have just finished reading a book about all sorts of science stuff and one of the bits in out was about elections. They view there was the the best way to get a fair result is to vote for any candidate you like not just one. You still have a first past the post system but apparently this way gives a better/fairer result.