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**Walkabout** · #1 7 May 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Temporaryescapee

I'm one of the 8% still wavering.

I am in a 3 way marginal. The candidate i most respect is unlikely to win. The right tactical candidate for my requirements has fought a very negative campaign so i don't really want to vote for him. All in all a tough decision that i am still weighing.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Apart from which, and just as a "for instance":
A vote in the Hebrides is worth about 5 times more than one in, say, the Isle of Wight.
About 22K voters in the north constituency have a member of parliament viz a viz the 110000 (or thereabouts) on the IoW who also have a single MP.

**Matty Gofun** · #2 7 May 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walkabout

Apart from which, and just as a "for instance":
A vote in the Hebrides is worth about 5 times more than one in, say, the Isle of Wight.
About 22K voters in the north constituency have a member of parliament viz a viz the 110000 (or thereabouts) on the IoW who also have a single MP.

Thats why some people believe we should have proportional representation!

**Threewheelbonnie** · #3 7 May 2015

I told my MP ( Ed Balls himself no less) I wanted direct democracy. An online vote for policies not parties or people. Would you believe he didn't agree? Could it be the huge salary, expense account and job security based on getting promoted to the house of lords might sway his thinking there?

Andy

**TheWarden** · #4 7 May 2015

Not seen any black cats crossing the road yet today so it looks like my postal vote still stands correct

**Walkabout** · #5 7 May 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walkabout

Incidentally, I have a postal vote but I shall deliver it by hand this time.

Vote cast.
A vote for every party on the paper except for one of them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matty Gofun

Thats why some people believe we should have proportional representation!

Exactly so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Threewheelbonnie

I told my MP ( Ed Balls himself no less) I wanted direct democracy. An online vote for policies not parties or people. Would you believe he didn't agree? Could it be the huge salary, expense account and job security based on getting promoted to the house of lords might sway his thinking there?

Andy

The turkeys are never going to vote for Christmas to come early.

I once asked a lawyer acquaintance of mine why something or other was progressing so slowly (I forget what the issue was).
His reply: there is no money to be made from providing a quick answer.
I guess politicians follow a similar line of reasoning; actually many of them are lawyers aren't they? Maybe not the Lord Prescott.

Enough; the deed is done for another 5 years, or maybe not?

**TheWarden** · #6 7 May 2015

Did the cat win?

**chris** · #7 7 May 2015

The Channel4 election event, featuring Paxman, is great viewing.

**chris** · #8 8 May 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Threewheelbonnie

I told my MP ( Ed Balls himself no less) I wanted direct democracy. An online vote for policies not parties or people. Would you believe he didn't agree? Could it be the huge salary, expense account and job security based on getting promoted to the house of lords might sway his thinking there?

Andy

I'm sure you've already heard that Mr Balls has ballsed it up and is no longer on a fat salary and expenses. He may of course now be heading to the House of Lords.

It's said that politics is Hollywood for ugly people. That's certainly true in in red Ed's (x 2) case.

Gorgeous George got binned too. I wonder if he will now have others able to salute his indefatigability.

**Wildman** · #9 8 May 2015

Well, I wasn't expecting that. Were you expecting that? I wasn't.

**Temporaryescapee** · #10 8 May 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wildman

Well, I wasn't expecting that. Were you expecting that? I wasn't.

Me neither - shocked and really hoping (praying) for the compassionate brand of conservatism promised years ago. Feel sorry for Clegg - I thought that overall the ConDem government did a decent job in difficult circumstances - a better job than the Tories would have delivered alone.

Conscious that is a personal opinion and as per the intro to this thread, respect that others will have different views which are as equally valid as mine

**Wildman** · #11 8 May 2015

I'm with you; the brakes are off and I'm a little concerned.

**Threewheelbonnie** · #12 8 May 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris

I'm sure you've already heard that Mr Balls has ballsed it up and is no longer on a fat salary and expenses. He may of course now be heading to the House of Lords.

Can't say I'm that upset. He was actually the best of the Red Rosetted Pork Pies we've had since they gave the plebs the vote and the Yellow lot couldn't bribe enough voters anymore (We were a prober bent Borough back in the olden days, three voters; the MP, his brother and the bloke they got ****ed on polling day to make sure).

We had Merlyn-Rees who was just dumped here to hide from the IRA after his stint in Ulster. It was a sort of retirement/care in the community sort of job. He once actually told me I was wasteing my vote not picking red as they'd always hold the place. Then we had Colin Challen who I think was some trade union reject, but he never actually turned up. You could at least check that Red Ed made it nearer to the chamber than the members bar. He'll have to learn to recognise parked cars and yellow lines now he's rejoined the minions though.

Andy

**Walkabout** · #13 8 May 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matty Gofun

Thats why some people believe we should have proportional representation!

That was my point in fact.

Another statistic from the reporting:-

About 7% of the UK population get 56 seats (Scotland) and about 14% get just 2 (if the forecast at present turns out to be correct).

So, things have changed but they haven't; the constitution of the UK is very amiss; it could be best described as dysfunctional.

And, if the turnout of voters is analysed then it is likely to show that politics in Scotland is far more important to that electorate than it is the case in England et al.

Prediction:
The way it will go for the next 5 years is that UKIP will morph into some form of an English Independance Party (that is where they are receiving their support of nearly 4m votes) while both the Scots and Welsh continue to plough their own furrows (along with Northern Ireland of course).

**Walkabout** · #14 8 May 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walkabout

That was my point in fact.

Another statistic from the reporting:-

About 7% of the UK population get 56 seats (Scotland) and about 14% get just 2 (if the forecast at present turns out to be correct).

Quite apart from the absolute population figures, what happened is:-

37% of those who voted got some 331 seats and the govn they voted for.
31% of those who voted got 232 seats
13% of those who voted got 1 seat (the Kippers)
8% of those who voted got 8 seats (the Liberal-Dems)
7% of those who voted got 22 seats (the Others)
5% of those who voted got 56 seats (in Scotland)

So, it's another minority government that has to govern with a very thin majority in the parliament.
That will work then!

**Tim Cullis** · #15 9 May 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walkabout

13% of those who voted got 1 seat (the Kippers)
8% of those who voted got 8 seats (the Liberal-Dems)
7% of those who voted got 22 seats (the Others)
5% of those who voted got 56 seats (in Scotland)

There has to be a better solution than the above. At the moment a massive percentage of votes cast have no impact whatsoever on the results, so no wonder that many people think they are disenfranchised. I think everyone's vote should have some impact even if it's a much diluted one.

If you apply the SNP results (4.7%) to the UKIP percentage (12.6%), UKIP should have got 150 seats.

According to the Electoral Reform Society, if the election had been run under the D'Hondt method of converting seats to votes, UKIP would have had 83 seats, LibDem 50 seats and SNP 25 seats. But this sounds too extreme in the opposite direction, maybe the ideal result lies a formula that gives a result somewhere in between.

But... back to lies, damned lies and polls...

According to the pollsters there was a sudden last minute shift in voting intentions. OK, so if this was the case you'd expect it to be reflected in this morning's polling.

Yet when YouGov poll asked this morning what respondents thought of the result of the election, a full 50% said they were disappointed or worse. This demonstrates that clearly the respondents are NOT representative of the voting public at large. So I won't be paying much attention to polls in the future.

.