This thread exists to discuss British politics.
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As with other OTC threads, off-topic posts may be thumped or edited by the moderators.
- There is a dedicated thread to discuss LGBTQ+ rights in the United Kingdom. That doesn't mean it's always off-topic here, but unless something's directly linked to political events, that's probably a better thread for it.
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Recent political stuff:
- The vote to see if Britain should adopt Alternative Voting has failed.
- Lib Dems lose lots of councils and councillors, whilst Labour make the majority of the gains in England.
- The Scottish National Party do really well in the elections.
A link to the BBC politics page containing relevant information.
Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 3rd 2023 at 11:15:30 AM
Tief girl with eartude
It looks like an Ex-IRA's been killed in the middle of Belfast.
Schoolboy Asks Nick Clegg If He Could Have Katie Hopkins Killed
Harvey Cuffe is a rather brazen 14-year-old who got straight to the point when he came across Nick Clegg campaigning and asked him if he could have her killed or arrested.
Despite praising the "brilliant question" the Lib Dem leader said: "No, no, no. I don't think that's a good idea."
Richard Littlejohn Comparing Labour To Jimmy Savile Gets 'Trust Labour' Trending For All The Wrong Reasons
Littlejohn wrote the comment in his latest Daily Mail column, in which he mocked the party's commitment to install an 8ft high stone in Downing Street listing their election promises if they win on Thursday.
The controversy-courting columnist, whose right-wing sympathies make him perhaps the least likely voter in the country to support Labour, wrote: "Trust Labour with the economy and the NHS? I'd rather have trusted Jimmy Savile to babysit.
HGW XX/7
![[up]](https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/smiles/arrow_up.png "[up]"){kind=icon}
Good.
Both of those are quite amusing. God, Littlejohn is a toad.
Schild und Schwert der Partei
Yesterday evening the BBC had something about Farage claiming that terrorists from ISIL would make it across the Mediterranean by way of the refugee boats. Anything about this?
"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Tief girl with eartude
The second paragraph after the second (as of writing) heading: "With the UKIP leader: Robin Brant, BBC political correspondent"
It was the second time in as many days that a supporter had raised the issue off the cuff. Mr Farage spoke last week about what he sees as the dangers posed by Islamist extremists using the cover of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean to get to Europe and the UK.
Today he said he can't believe the issue isn't bigger in this campaign. The man in Sandwich conceded that he felt no direct threat in his town [during a brief exchange I pointed out that the 7/7 bombers were British].
But Nigel Farage believes the fears of people - UKIP supporters - in Margate and Sandwich are genuine and it's something he's focusing on as polling day nears.
EDIT: And here's the article from a week ago.
edited 5th May '15 8:22:05 AM by Bisected8
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House Lewis: Sanity is Relative
SNP: We would introduce PR, even if it would give us less seats.
Three London correspondents for big European newspapers talk to the Guardian about how they're viewing the UK election:
Face it Britain - you've got a weird electoral system
Le Monde's correspondent (French) views a choice between Cameron and Milliband as a choice between accepting or rejecting Brexit. I'm not sure he fully appreciates exactly what British people are voting on, but I do think it's interesting that he seems to think the British media has been ignoring Milliband's foreign policy speech (Full text here). His basic point is that Britain has a black-out where informed debate and information regarding Europe is concerned - even to the extent that a contender for PM's speech isn't covered because of its international focus, and that even that PM contender's speech isn't Europe-centric enough for some European journalists.
El País's correspondent (Spanish) is the one responsible for the Guardian's tag-line, although he doesn't seem to realise that PR is actually used in parts of Britain (Wales and Scotland).
Süddeutsche Zeitung's correspondent (German) had a very interesting comment to make about a conversation he had with a Tory politician about the difference in the two countries. He's wrong about the Lib Dems being the only party that wants to change it, however (Greens, SNP and PC all advocate PR).
edited 17th Nov '17 4:09:57 PM by Wyldchyld
If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.
House Lewis: Sanity is Relative
As my above link indicates, in fact 
Indeed it does. :)
On this subject, I'd like to see that: if Labour got in, the one concession I think would do wonders for Miliband's rhetoric of wanting to change politics in this country would be if Labour bedded in with the other left-wing parties and the Lib-Dems on the PR issue.
It baffles me that Labour doesn't already support it.
edited 17th Nov '17 4:10:58 PM by Wyldchyld
If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.
House Lewis: Sanity is Relative
Me too. Tories don't support it because a lot of their support is landowners or otherwise in rural areas, which are sparsely populated.
Labour are supposed to be targetting urban hubs though, so they should benefit from it. SNP accept that they might lose seats from it, but that's because they realise the inherent unfairness of a party getting perhaps around 50% of the vote but 100% of the available seats. Since they genuinely give a damn about democracy (despite the inane whinging from Labour and the Tories that people voting for them is somehow anti-democratic) they want what's best for everyone, not just themselves.
My name is Addy. Please call me that instead of my username.
V
Comparatively so, perhaps. A fair amount of Liberal Democrat seats are also in rural areas — especially in The West Country.
And before anyone says everyone is rich in the countryside, that isn't true. Rural poverty does exist, especially in areas highly dependant on tourismnote .
edited 5th May '15 11:32:32 AM by Greenmantle
Keep Rolling On
House Lewis: Sanity is Relative
It also includes my own constituency, which is 95% rural and one of the poorer ones in Scotland, so I can consider myself very familiar with rural poverty.
My name is Addy. Please call me that instead of my username.
UK living standards fell for all but the richest under coalition – analysis
Full Fact are summarising all their election fact checking here.
Revealed: coalition proposals to cut welfare for sick, poor, young and disabled
edited 17th Nov '17 4:12:14 PM by Wyldchyld
If my post doesn't mention a giant flying sperm whale with oversized teeth and lionfish fins for flippers, it just isn't worth reading.
House Lewis: Sanity is Relative
They've pledged to cut another £12 billion from welfare - no one else that can it but the most vulnerable.
That thing about barring under 25s from claiming benefits really hurts. In my job, I actually receive benefit applications and start the process for getting their claim set up (from a Housing Benefit side of things, I'm not DWP) and the number of 18 or even 17 year olds applying from homeless shelters is beyond saddening.
My name is Addy. Please call me that instead of my username.
A procrastination in of itself
Labour is split on the PR or FPTP issue, the old guard are rather committed to it due to wanting to ensure things are always a Labour V Tories fight while the younger guard recognise that it's a stupid system and want change.
London uses the same system as Scotland so Labour in London are probably big fans or PR, likewise our leadership system isn't FPTP (it's also weird as fuck).
"And the Bunny nails it!" ~ Gabrael "If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we." ~ Cyran
V
The system used in Scotland, Wales & London is the Additional Member System; the similar AV+ was the system involved in the PR Referendum.
edited 5th May '15 12:02:26 PM by Greenmantle
Keep Rolling On
On PM today, they did ask what is it that allowed you to make up your mind. To me, being in a safe seat where I know my vote will do jack all? Electoral reform is the number one issue. Everything else is secondary, as my voice isn't heard unless my vote counts and my vote won't count until First Past The Post is ditched.
Now, you all know me as the tame Liberal Democrat. They want STV for elections. Nice, but messy. I'm a fan of Additional Member. Sure, the wasted vote factor goes up because yes, I would still be in a safe seat for my local MP. But at least my AM vote would go somewhere.
Plus, the other thing I would do is put a caveat into AM: only party list M Ps can serve in cabinet. Really solidify the divide between constituency M Ps that would make up the bulk of the legislative and the executive party list M Ps. It would create a measure of separation of the powers.
I decided to look at manifestos looking for these points. Greens want AM. It looks like I will be voting Green. Locally, I'll still vote Liberal. But for my wasted General Election Vote, I'll go Green.
No, the referendum was on classic AV. No PR element.
Hmm, I prefer STV. It's a preferential system so I can always rank things, it maintains a regional relationship with all M Ps, an MP is always voted for, in AM systems how you actually make the additional vote for proportionality can lead to some confused voters. There's some more subtletlies that need more time and a longer post.
But my sentiment is the same. If I'm stuck in a seat in which my vote is ineffective, then I want to vote for the best chance of reform happening.
I live in the safest Labour seat in this country (Birmingham-Ladywood). Labour could put up a goat and it'd get into the House. My preferred system would be STV, because of the reasons specified.
My money for this election will be a Labour-led coalition - or Labour minority; mostly because there are more parties in Parliament who willing to either coalition, do a confidence-supply, or some other constitutional workaround, with Labour.
The Conservatives have to hold all the seats they won in 2010 plus get some more, which looks hard.
Although, I do find it amusing that down the road (Birmingham-Edgbaston) is a three-way marginal seat.
In truth, I'm, personally, hoping for something Labour-led.
If not Labour-led, then I'm really, really, truly hoping for a Coalition of National Unity between Labour and Conservative. That would be amazing to have.
Tief girl with eartude
Robert Blay, who is standing in North East Hampshire, was secretly filmed by the Daily Mirror making the comments about Ranil Jayawardena.
The recording appears to show Mr Blay threatening to shoot Mr Jayawardena if he ever became prime minister.
A UKIP spokesman described his comments as "abhorrent".
North East Hampshire was held by the Conservatives at the last election with a majority of more than 18,500. 'Immediately suspended'
The Mirror published a video of Mr Blay speaking to its investigators at a public meeting on Saturday in Ramsgate, Kent, addressed by party leader Nigel Farage.
Ex-Conservative Mr Blay noted Mr Jayawardena had been tipped as Britain's first Asian prime minister. Ranil Jayawardena has said he is shocked by Robert Blay's comments
The Mirror reported that he said: "If he is I will personally put a bullet between his eyes. If this lad turns up to be our prime minister I will personally put a bullet in him. That's how strong I feel about it."
Questioning Mr Jayawardena's background, he said: "His family have only been here since the 70s. You are not British enough to be in our parliament.
"I've got 400 years of ancestry where I live. He hasn't got that." 'Contributed to society'
A UKIP spokesman said Mr Blay had been suspended as soon as the remarks came to light - and offered an apology to Mr Jayawardena.
"Any comments of this sort have absolutely no place in British politics or public life, and the party would like to take this opportunity to apologise to Mr Jayawardena for any distress caused."
Mr Jayawardena said he was shocked somebody with Mr Blay's apparent views could be selected as a UKIP candidate.
He said: "My family believes in hard work. My father came to this country to do just that - never claiming a penny from the state.
"He's contributed to society as a magistrate - and I've done the same as a local councillor.
"I hope to contribute positively to our country by representing my community - the community in which I grew up - in parliament."
edited 5th May '15 5:21:48 PM by Bisected8
TV Tropes's No. 1 bread themed lesbian. she/her, fae/faer
Pronounced YAK-you-luss
You can always trust the Tories to find a new way to fuck kids.
What's precedent ever done for us?
Well thank god I didn't vote for them.
"Yup. That tasted purple."
This is why America needs multiple parties.
I'm not poking fun, I really appreciate how politicians are allowed to go to more unusual means to try and draw attention to their platforms.
"Psssh. Even if you could catch a miracle on a picture any person would probably delete it to make space for more porn." - Aszur
V
Then again, this has been one of the most boring Campaigns of recent times....
Election 2015: It wasn't meant to be like this
Nick Robinson
Why else would David Cameron promise to pass a law - not mentioned in his own manifesto - which would stop himself putting up taxes he's long pledged not to raise? Why else would Ed Miliband resort to "carving in stone" pledges so broad and so general that it would be almost impossible to judge whether they've ever been broken? Why else would we see the relentless political cross-dressing as the Tories promised to become the party of the workers and Labour the party of economic responsibility?
The two big parties have even been too nervous to follow the classic campaign themes. Governing parties tend to tell voters that the "country's on the right track, don't turn back". Yet with the age of austerity far from over the Conservatives have struggled to sound a note that sounds that optimistic. They have, instead, simply urged voters to stick to a plan which has only just begun to bring better times to some, or to risk chaos by abandoning it.
Opposition parties classically declare that it's "time for a change". Labour too have lacked the self belief to make that appeal boldly - simply claiming instead to have "a better plan".
There is, of course, one leader who has not suffered from lack of confidence or, apparently, from lack of trust. The undoubted star of this campaign is Nicola Sturgeon. This is true even though she isn't in fact running in this election. The vast majority of people in the UK can't vote for her party but no-one, even in Scotland, can vote for her. Perhaps that is the secret to electoral success!
The Tory press have dubbed the SNP leader "the most dangerous woman in Britain" even though this election would be as good as over and Labour home and dry if it weren't for her extraordinary success. The loss of, perhaps, dozens of seats in its former Scottish stronghold is what makes this election too close to call.
Both Labour and the Tories originally planned for this campaign believing that if they were neck-and-neck on polling day Ed Miliband would walk into Number 10 - as, under our existing boundaries, it takes fewer votes to elect a Labour than a Tory MP. What's more the Tories do not appear to have done enough to staunch the electoral wound caused by the rise of UKIP while Labour seem to have kept a firm grip on the crutch provided to them by the collapse of Lib Dem support.
This uncertainty has offered the Lib Dems a potential lifeline. Written off by many before the campaign they have ended it by reminding voters that they may be a more attractive partner for either of the big two than any of the alternatives.
She's a second child, so it's unlikely but not impossible.
"Yup. That tasted purple."