Unofficial general election poll

commandlinegamer · 5th May 2010, 02:34 PM

A quick and dirty poll to see what the voting intentions are of the posters here. No names necessary; we already know where you live. And remember the golden rule: vote early, and vote often.

Professor Yaffle · 5th May 2010, 02:41 PM

...waits for poll to appear.

andyandy · 5th May 2010, 02:45 PM

I protest the lack of poll options

I'm going to vote Lib dem.

My reasons:

I think the best possible way of achieving electoral reform is by having the lib dems with as big a share of the votes as possible - to create something of a moral pressure for reform. In my own constituency it's a straight fight between lab-con - neither of which i can possibly bring myself to vote for. I was previously planning to vote Green, because their policies most closely match my own ideas. But taking a long term view, i see a vote for the lib dems as the best chance of allowing a greater left wing voice in politics in the future....

Debaser · 5th May 2010, 02:45 PM

You know, when you lay out all our choices like that...

...somebody wake me up in five years time, I'm off to bed for a little while.

commandlinegamer · 5th May 2010, 02:50 PM

I forgot to add option 21 - Monster Raving Loony.

Rolfe · 5th May 2010, 02:53 PM

I feel I ought to snapshot this while it lasts.... SNP ahead!

Rolfe.

GlennB · 5th May 2010, 03:00 PM

I protest the implicit inclusion of "Miss Whiplash" under "other".

Debaser · 5th May 2010, 03:17 PM

Oh for the days of Natural Law and their yogic 'flying' (it was bouncing FFS, everyone could see it you fools).

Architect · 5th May 2010, 03:32 PM

SNP/Lib pact, here we come!

Rolfe · 5th May 2010, 03:59 PM

Nah, the LibDems'll never agree to a coalition....

Rolfe.

Debaser · 5th May 2010, 04:08 PM

Sorry Gordon, but to be talking about reforming the House of Lords 13 years after you started the process?

And not content with England simply being a land of 'regions' rather than a nation, you would further divide us into 'city-regions', presumably to compete with each other for the crumbs that fall from London's table, rather than co-operate and try to bring prosperity to a whole country.

No Gordon, this time at least, it's the public schoolboy out of The Peoples Republic of Sheffield...Cleggover and his hopefully liberal Liberals.

Evilgiraffe · 5th May 2010, 10:51 PM

Awesome. Lib-Dem with 47% of the vote (as of this post). Landslide win for Nick Clegg!

uk_dave · 5th May 2010, 11:45 PM

Odd, I seem to recall seeing one regular JREF poster state categorically on another thread that the JREF forum has a far left bias.... c'mon commies, get voting!

Professor Yaffle · 6th May 2010, 12:14 AM

By US standards, the Lib Dems ARE far left.

DC · 6th May 2010, 12:27 AM

damn i voted green and now i only realise this is for Brits only.
i vote for a new queen

Architect · 6th May 2010, 12:28 AM

Quote:

By US standards, the Lib Dems ARE far left.

By US standards, the Conservative Party is far, far left

Aitch · 6th May 2010, 12:31 AM

Originally Posted by Evilgiraffe

Awesome. Lib-Dem with 47% of the vote (as of this post). Landslide win for Nick Clegg!

The problem is that the way the boundaries are rigged, the LibDems could get 80% of the vote and still only have a couple of dozen seats.

Professor Yaffle · 6th May 2010, 01:12 AM

Do you think they will insist on electoral reform as a condition of joining up with another Party in a hung parliament?

Dave Rogers · 6th May 2010, 02:39 AM

Originally Posted by commandlinegamer

And remember the golden rule: vote early, and vote often.

8:25am, and I voted twice.

Dave

Dave Rogers · 6th May 2010, 02:40 AM

Originally Posted by Professor Yaffle

Do you think they will insist on electoral reform as a condition of joining up with another Party in a hung parliament?

Is the Pope a ~~paedophile~~ Catholic?

Dave

funk de fino · 6th May 2010, 03:07 AM

Originally Posted by Professor Yaffle

Do you think they will insist on electoral reform as a condition of joining up with another Party in a hung parliament?

Yes, and I am sure Labour would give them most on this. Not so sure about the Tories though.

Rolfe · 6th May 2010, 04:53 AM

Originally Posted by Professor Yaffle

By US standards, the Lib Dems ARE far left.

Originally Posted by Architect

By US standards, the Conservative Party is far, far left

So what does that make the SNP? Communist?

Rolfe.

MarkCorrigan · 6th May 2010, 04:57 AM

Originally Posted by Rolfe

So what does that make the SNP? Communist?

Rolfe.

We're ALL communists.

Duh, don't you know anything about British politics?

Rolfe · 6th May 2010, 05:29 AM

You're right. I forgot. And the Swiss are slaves....

Rolfe.

jimbob · 6th May 2010, 03:39 PM

Originally Posted by Professor Yaffle

By US standards, the Lib Dems ARE far left.

Also, Labour isn't really. They bought into a lot of the Tory ideas

Architect · 7th May 2010, 12:53 AM

Jings, how innacurate was our poll or what....

funk de fino · 7th May 2010, 01:16 AM

Originally Posted by Architect

Jings, how innacurate was our poll or what....

Oh, I dont know. 6 SNP votes here and 6 seats retained. Spooky.

zooterkin · 8th May 2010, 01:18 AM

Originally Posted by Architect

Jings, how innacurate was our poll or what....

I suspect it's possible we're not representative of the general population.

I do remember the thought crossing my mind after the TV debates and the opinion polls that went with it that it was a shame if voting was going to be determined by the personality of the party leaders, and how well they were judged as doing in the debate would translate to votes for their parties. However, that was the way it was being presented, and I assumed (you'd think I'd have known better) that the media presenting it knew what they were talking about.

It's also may be worth discussing the way the result of the election is talked about as being something the electorate wanted, as if it was one body which decided consciously that an inconclusive result was what it wanted. (This is not a new phenomenon, it tends to be how things are talked about after any election.) I doubt very much as if any individual voter wanted what we have now, yet the politicians in particular seem to be trying to put blame on the voters for the situation.

Finally, there was some good news in the local elections. The BNP has lost all 12 seats it held in Barking and Dagenham.

Fiona · 8th May 2010, 01:29 AM

It is interesting from that point of view and it is one bright spot in a dismal landscape. The media does not have as much power as it thinks it has and as I feared. Though the politicians seem to have been moving to a more presidential system and they seem to think that is a good idea it does not seem to have taken much. I hope they will scrap the idea: though I think they will not. But it is not impossible.

BNP result is encouraging as well

stilicho · 8th May 2010, 01:46 AM

Originally Posted by Fiona

It is interesting from that point of view and it is one bright spot in a dismal landscape. The media does not have as much power as it thinks it has and as I feared. Though the politicians seem to have been moving to a more presidential system and they seem to think that is a good idea it does not seem to have taken much. I hope they will scrap the idea: though I think they will not. But it is not impossible.

BNP result is encouraging as well

I warned some Brit ex-pats here about this. Sinn Fein could mathematically balance the power.

Now what's with this "hung parliament"? We've typically had minority governments in Canada for extended periods of time. Why is this such a problem in the UK?

stilicho · 8th May 2010, 01:51 AM

Originally Posted by commandlinegamer

A quick and dirty poll to see what the voting intentions are of the posters here. No names necessary; we already know where you live. And remember the golden rule: vote early, and vote often.

This must be a "joke poll". There aren't even that many LibDems in all Britain, are there?

Don't they want to burn all the people who earn more than they do? Don't they want a cosier relationship with the EU and abandon the GBP in favour of the ~~Greek insano-drachma~~ euro?

zooterkin · 8th May 2010, 02:07 AM

Originally Posted by stilicho

I warned some Brit ex-pats here about this. Sinn Fein could mathematically balance the power.

The Sinn Fein MPs don't take up their seats in the House as a matter of principle, so they don't really enter the equation, except by reducing the number of seats needed for an effective majority.

stilicho · 8th May 2010, 04:02 AM

Originally Posted by zooterkin

The Sinn Fein MPs don't take up their seats in the House as a matter of principle, so they don't really enter the equation, except by reducing the number of seats needed for an effective majority.

Our separatists hold their seats in Parliament as a matter of...

OK, actually, nobody really has ever understood how or why our separatists attend Parliament, but it probably has something to do with an eventual opportunity at achieving a deciding vote.

Are you one of the LibDems in the above vote? I take it the poll was responded to in jest by all. There really aren't any LibDems here, are there?

Evilgiraffe · 8th May 2010, 04:09 AM

Um, yes. What's your problem with Lib-Dems?

Debaser · 8th May 2010, 05:01 AM

Originally Posted by Fiona

Though the politicians seem to have been moving to a more presidential system and they seem to think that is a good idea it does not seem to have taken much. I hope they will scrap the idea: though I think they will not. But it is not impossible.

This is the problem we seem to have in the UK, we look to the US as a model for everything in our culture, good or bad. They are not the only nation to conduct such debates. According to the wikithing even parliamentary democracies conduct such debates. Who'd a thought it?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaders...ting_countries

Originally Posted by stilicho

I warned some Brit ex-pats here about this. Sinn Fein could mathematically balance the power.

Now what's with this "hung parliament"? We've typically had minority governments in Canada for extended periods of time. Why is this such a problem in the UK?

While they have to swear allegiance to the Queen/Britain, SF won't take their seats.

As for a minority government being a problem, it isn't, it's just we're not used to it (or to coalitions, sadly). This might finally get the UK parliament out of the C19th and into the C20th.

Originally Posted by stilicho

This must be a "joke poll". There aren't even that many LibDems in all Britain, are there?

Just a quarter of the electorate, so not many, no. Certainly billions, if not trillions less than the 37% that voted Tory and 30% that voted Labour. And they would have carried out a referendum before taking us into the Euro. Which would have meant no Euro.

jimbob · 8th May 2010, 05:05 AM

Originally Posted by stilicho

Our separatists hold their seats in Parliament as a matter of...

OK, actually, nobody really has ever understood how or why our separatists attend Parliament, but it probably has something to do with an eventual opportunity at achieving a deciding vote.

Are you one of the LibDems in the above vote? I take it the poll was responded to in jest by all. There really aren't any LibDems here, are there?

The JREF is probably more liberal (small "l) than the general population. Lib Dem policies chime better with my values than either Tories or new Labour, both of which have authoritarian streaks.

Lothian · 8th May 2010, 05:08 AM

Originally Posted by Evilgiraffe

Um, yes. What's your problem with Lib-Dems?

I have no problem with them. They would probably be my party of choice. However the Lib Dem candidate in Durham ran an exceedingly negative campaign. I received copious amounts of literature from her. 90% contained criticisms of the Labour party, Gordon Brown and the sitting MP.

By contrast the Labour MP's campaign simply listed the positive things that she and Labour had done for the area. She did not mention the Lib Dems once.

The contrast was really stark. I put aside my national preference and voted against the Lib Dem candidate's negative campaign strategy.

City of Durham was expected to go Lib Dem. I heard that, privately, the Labour MP was expecting to be defeated. The profile differs here from the North East generally. Lib dems dominate the City council wards. I know a lot of people who, like me, voted on the basis of the campaign rather than the policies.

I understand that the Lib Dem candidate's losing speech was equally ungracious, confirming that I made the right choice. I am considering sending all the material received to the Lib Dem head office so they can see exactly why this winnable seat was lost.

One other bad thing about the local campaign, I have realised is national. "Liberal Democrats Winning Here" signs everywhere. I think it tells the Lib Dem supporters they don't need to vote, it is in the bag, and gives the opposite message to the other parties. Crazy.

Delscottio · 8th May 2010, 05:14 AM

Originally Posted by Lothian

I have no problem with them. They would probably be my party of choice. However the Lib Dem candidate in Durham ran an exceedingly negative campaign. I received copious amounts of literature from her. 90% contained criticisms of the Labour party, Gordon Brown and the sitting MP.

By contrast the Labour MP's campaign simply listed the positive things that she and Labour had done for the area. She did not mention the Lib Dems once.

The contrast was really stark. I put aside my national preference and voted against the Lib Dem candidate's negative campaign strategy.

City of Durham was expected to go Lib Dem. I heard that, privately, the Labour MP was expecting to be defeated. The profile differs here from the North East generally. Lib dems dominate the City council wards. I know a lot of people who, like me, voted on the basis of the campaign rather than the policies.

I understand that the Lib Dem candidate's losing speech was equally ungracious, confirming that I made the right choice. I am considering sending all the material received to the Lib Dem head office so they can see exactly why this winnable seat was lost.

One other bad thing about the local campaign, I have realised is national. "Liberal Democrats Winning Here" signs everywhere. I think it tells the Lib Dem supporters they don't need to vote, it is in the bag, and gives the opposite message to the other parties. Crazy.

The Lib Dems ran something similar here (North Tyneside) not the winning boards like. However the biggest reason I couldn't vote for them was the amount of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors in their local flyers. It was shocking and doesn't endear confidence if they couldn't be arsed to employ a proof reader.

I accept now I've written that that I will have made a load of said errors in my post, however I ain't running for office

MarkCorrigan · 8th May 2010, 07:02 AM

Originally Posted by stilicho

Our separatists hold their seats in Parliament as a matter of...

OK, actually, nobody really has ever understood how or why our separatists attend Parliament, but it probably has something to do with an eventual opportunity at achieving a deciding vote.

Are you one of the LibDems in the above vote? I take it the poll was responded to in jest by all. There really aren't any LibDems here, are there?

I'm a paid up member. Got a problem with that?

zooterkin · 8th May 2010, 10:03 AM

Originally Posted by stilicho

Are you one of the LibDems in the above vote? I take it the poll was responded to in jest by all. There really aren't any LibDems here, are there?

Just as a matter of curiosity, what do you think the LibDems stand for?

Labour	8	13.33%
Conservative	5	8.33%
Liberal Democrat	31	51.67%
Scottish Nationalist	6	10.00%
Plaid Cymru	0	0%
Green	1	1.67%
Ulster Unionist	0	0%
Democratic Unionist	0	0%
SDLP	0	0%
Sinn Fein	1	1.67%
UKIP	0	0%
BNP	0	0%
Respect	0	0%
Other Socialist	0	0%
Communist	0	0%
NSDAP	0	0%
Cthulhu	5	8.33%
V for Vendetta	3	5.00%
Independent	0	0%
Other	0	0%
Voters: 60. You may not vote on this poll

5th May 2010, 02:34 PM	#1
commandlinegamer Philosopher Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Mazes of Menace Posts: 5,889	Unofficial general election poll A quick and dirty poll to see what the voting intentions are of the posters here. No names necessary; we already know where you live. And remember the golden rule: vote early, and vote often.
	__________________ He bade me take any rug in the house.

5th May 2010, 02:41 PM	#2
Professor Yaffle Butterbeans and Breadcrumbs Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Emily's shop Posts: 15,329	...waits for poll to appear.
	__________________ I think you'll find it's a little bit more complicated than that. My blog "Well I think I've made it abundantly clear in this thread I have no idea what I'm talking about..." - truethat

5th May 2010, 02:45 PM	#3
andyandy anthropomorphic ape Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: up a tree Posts: 8,190	I protest the lack of poll options I'm going to vote Lib dem. My reasons: I think the best possible way of achieving electoral reform is by having the lib dems with as big a share of the votes as possible - to create something of a moral pressure for reform. In my own constituency it's a straight fight between lab-con - neither of which i can possibly bring myself to vote for. I was previously planning to vote Green, because their policies most closely match my own ideas. But taking a long term view, i see a vote for the lib dems as the best chance of allowing a greater left wing voice in politics in the future....
	__________________ "Contentment is found in the music of Bach, the books of Tolstoy and the equations of Dirac, not at the wheel of a BMW or the aisles of Harvey Nicks." Last edited by andyandy; 5th May 2010 at 02:47 PM.

5th May 2010, 02:50 PM	#5
commandlinegamer Philosopher Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Mazes of Menace Posts: 5,889	I forgot to add option 21 - Monster Raving Loony.
	__________________ He bade me take any rug in the house.

5th May 2010, 02:45 PM	#4
Debaser Muse Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: West Yorkshire, UK Posts: 806	You know, when you lay out all our choices like that... ...somebody wake me up in five years time, I'm off to bed for a little while.

5th May 2010, 02:53 PM	#6
Rolfe Anti-homeopathy illuminati member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NT 150 511 Posts: 34,312	I feel I ought to snapshot this while it lasts.... SNP ahead! Rolfe.
	__________________ "The way we vote will depend, ultimately, on whether we are persuaded to hope or to fear." - Aonghas MacNeacail, June 2012.

5th May 2010, 03:00 PM	#7
GlennB Jellied eel and offal fancier Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arcadia Posts: 8,923	I protest the implicit inclusion of "Miss Whiplash" under "other".

5th May 2010, 03:17 PM	#8
Debaser Muse Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: West Yorkshire, UK Posts: 806	Oh for the days of Natural Law and their yogic 'flying' (it was bouncing FFS, everyone could see it you fools).

5th May 2010, 03:32 PM	#9
Architect Chief Punkah Wallah Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: UK Posts: 8,477	SNP/Lib pact, here we come!
	__________________ When the men elected to make laws are but a small part of a foreign parliament, that is when all healthy national feeling dies. James Keir Hardie (1856 - 1915): Politician, Founder of Scottish Labour Party

5th May 2010, 03:59 PM	#10
Rolfe Anti-homeopathy illuminati member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NT 150 511 Posts: 34,312	Nah, the LibDems'll never agree to a coalition.... Rolfe.
	__________________ "The way we vote will depend, ultimately, on whether we are persuaded to hope or to fear." - Aonghas MacNeacail, June 2012.

5th May 2010, 04:08 PM	#11
Debaser Muse Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: West Yorkshire, UK Posts: 806	Sorry Gordon, but to be talking about reforming the House of Lords 13 years after you started the process? And not content with England simply being a land of 'regions' rather than a nation, you would further divide us into 'city-regions', presumably to compete with each other for the crumbs that fall from London's table, rather than co-operate and try to bring prosperity to a whole country. No Gordon, this time at least, it's the public schoolboy out of The Peoples Republic of Sheffield...Cleggover and his hopefully liberal Liberals.

5th May 2010, 10:51 PM	#12
Evilgiraffe Scatterer of X-rays Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Oxfordshire Posts: 741	Awesome. Lib-Dem with 47% of the vote (as of this post). Landslide win for Nick Clegg!

5th May 2010, 11:45 PM	#13
uk_dave Philosopher Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 7,866	Odd, I seem to recall seeing one regular JREF poster state categorically on another thread that the JREF forum has a far left bias.... c'mon commies, get voting!
uk_dave Philosopher Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 7,866

6th May 2010, 12:14 AM	#14
Professor Yaffle Butterbeans and Breadcrumbs Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Emily's shop Posts: 15,329	By US standards, the Lib Dems ARE far left.
	__________________ I think you'll find it's a little bit more complicated than that. My blog "Well I think I've made it abundantly clear in this thread I have no idea what I'm talking about..." - truethat

6th May 2010, 12:27 AM	#15
DC dedicated aphilatelist Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Switzerland Posts: 21,643	damn i voted green and now i only realise this is for Brits only. i vote for a new queen
	__________________ AGW is a fact, including the A, face it

6th May 2010, 12:28 AM	#16
Architect Chief Punkah Wallah Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: UK Posts: 8,477	Quote: By US standards, the Lib Dems ARE far left. By US standards, the Conservative Party is far, far left
	__________________ When the men elected to make laws are but a small part of a foreign parliament, that is when all healthy national feeling dies. James Keir Hardie (1856 - 1915): Politician, Founder of Scottish Labour Party

6th May 2010, 12:31 AM	#17
Aitch Guest Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: StAines Posts: 2,731	Originally Posted by Evilgiraffe Awesome. Lib-Dem with 47% of the vote (as of this post). Landslide win for Nick Clegg! The problem is that the way the boundaries are rigged, the LibDems could get 80% of the vote and still only have a couple of dozen seats.

6th May 2010, 01:12 AM	#18
Professor Yaffle Butterbeans and Breadcrumbs Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Emily's shop Posts: 15,329	Do you think they will insist on electoral reform as a condition of joining up with another Party in a hung parliament?
	__________________ I think you'll find it's a little bit more complicated than that. My blog "Well I think I've made it abundantly clear in this thread I have no idea what I'm talking about..." - truethat

6th May 2010, 02:39 AM	#19
Dave Rogers Bandaged ice that stampedes inexpensively through a scribbled morning waving necessary ankles Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: In a world lit only by fire. Posts: 17,894	Originally Posted by commandlinegamer And remember the golden rule: vote early, and vote often. 8:25am, and I voted twice. Dave
	__________________ "We will punish the murderer together. Our punishment will be more generosity, more tolerance and more democracy." - Fabian Stang, Mayor of Oslo SSKCAS, covert member

6th May 2010, 02:40 AM	#20
Dave Rogers Bandaged ice that stampedes inexpensively through a scribbled morning waving necessary ankles Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: In a world lit only by fire. Posts: 17,894	Originally Posted by Professor Yaffle Do you think they will insist on electoral reform as a condition of joining up with another Party in a hung parliament? Is the Pope a ~~paedophile~~ Catholic? Dave
	__________________ "We will punish the murderer together. Our punishment will be more generosity, more tolerance and more democracy." - Fabian Stang, Mayor of Oslo SSKCAS, covert member

6th May 2010, 03:07 AM	#21
funk de fino Dreaming of unicorns Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Alba Posts: 10,789	Originally Posted by Professor Yaffle Do you think they will insist on electoral reform as a condition of joining up with another Party in a hung parliament? Yes, and I am sure Labour would give them most on this. Not so sure about the Tories though.
	__________________ Stundie - Avoided like the plaque, its a scottish turn of phrase. Christopher 7 - There is no need to contact them for conformation. That is just a denial tactic

6th May 2010, 04:53 AM	#22
Rolfe Anti-homeopathy illuminati member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NT 150 511 Posts: 34,312	Originally Posted by Professor Yaffle By US standards, the Lib Dems ARE far left. Originally Posted by Architect By US standards, the Conservative Party is far, far left So what does that make the SNP? Communist? Rolfe.
	__________________ "The way we vote will depend, ultimately, on whether we are persuaded to hope or to fear." - Aonghas MacNeacail, June 2012.

6th May 2010, 04:57 AM	#23
MarkCorrigan Winter is Coming Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Middle of nowhere, UK. Posts: 7,099	Originally Posted by Rolfe So what does that make the SNP? Communist? Rolfe. We're ALL communists. Duh, don't you know anything about British politics?
	__________________ Naturalism adjusts it's principles to fit with the observed data. It's a god of the facts world view. -joobz "the captain gives the order to osedlání/ he drives the horses to the groin/ There on the lunch/waiting women"

6th May 2010, 05:29 AM	#24
Rolfe Anti-homeopathy illuminati member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NT 150 511 Posts: 34,312	You're right. I forgot. And the Swiss are slaves.... Rolfe.
	__________________ "The way we vote will depend, ultimately, on whether we are persuaded to hope or to fear." - Aonghas MacNeacail, June 2012.

6th May 2010, 03:39 PM	#25
jimbob Uncritical "thinker" Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Derbyshire, UK Posts: 5,161	Originally Posted by Professor Yaffle By US standards, the Lib Dems ARE far left. Also, Labour isn't really. They bought into a lot of the Tory ideas
	__________________ OECD healthcare statistics http://www.oecd.org/document/16/0,33..._1_1_1,00.html 2010 Data UK 9.6% of GDP of which 83.2% is state expenditure = 8.0% of GDP from taxes US 17.6% of GDP of which 48.2% is state expenditure = 8.5% of GDP from taxes

7th May 2010, 12:53 AM	#26
Architect Chief Punkah Wallah Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: UK Posts: 8,477	Jings, how innacurate was our poll or what....
	__________________ When the men elected to make laws are but a small part of a foreign parliament, that is when all healthy national feeling dies. James Keir Hardie (1856 - 1915): Politician, Founder of Scottish Labour Party

7th May 2010, 01:16 AM	#27
funk de fino Dreaming of unicorns Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Alba Posts: 10,789	Originally Posted by Architect Jings, how innacurate was our poll or what.... Oh, I dont know. 6 SNP votes here and 6 seats retained. Spooky.
	__________________ Stundie - Avoided like the plaque, its a scottish turn of phrase. Christopher 7 - There is no need to contact them for conformation. That is just a denial tactic

8th May 2010, 01:18 AM	#28
zooterkin Nitpicking dilettante Moderator Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Berkshire, mostly Posts: 24,549	Originally Posted by Architect Jings, how innacurate was our poll or what.... I suspect it's possible we're not representative of the general population. I do remember the thought crossing my mind after the TV debates and the opinion polls that went with it that it was a shame if voting was going to be determined by the personality of the party leaders, and how well they were judged as doing in the debate would translate to votes for their parties. However, that was the way it was being presented, and I assumed (you'd think I'd have known better) that the media presenting it knew what they were talking about. It's also may be worth discussing the way the result of the election is talked about as being something the electorate wanted, as if it was one body which decided consciously that an inconclusive result was what it wanted. (This is not a new phenomenon, it tends to be how things are talked about after any election.) I doubt very much as if any individual voter wanted what we have now, yet the politicians in particular seem to be trying to put blame on the voters for the situation. Finally, there was some good news in the local elections. The BNP has lost all 12 seats it held in Barking and Dagenham.
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8th May 2010, 01:29 AM	#29
Fiona Guest Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 8,238	It is interesting from that point of view and it is one bright spot in a dismal landscape. The media does not have as much power as it thinks it has and as I feared. Though the politicians seem to have been moving to a more presidential system and they seem to think that is a good idea it does not seem to have taken much. I hope they will scrap the idea: though I think they will not. But it is not impossible. BNP result is encouraging as well
Fiona Guest Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 8,238

8th May 2010, 01:46 AM	#30
stilicho Trurl's Electronic Bard Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 4,714	Originally Posted by Fiona It is interesting from that point of view and it is one bright spot in a dismal landscape. The media does not have as much power as it thinks it has and as I feared. Though the politicians seem to have been moving to a more presidential system and they seem to think that is a good idea it does not seem to have taken much. I hope they will scrap the idea: though I think they will not. But it is not impossible. BNP result is encouraging as well I warned some Brit ex-pats here about this. Sinn Fein could mathematically balance the power. Now what's with this "hung parliament"? We've typically had minority governments in Canada for extended periods of time. Why is this such a problem in the UK?
	__________________ "Suppose you're thinking about a plate of shrimp. Suddenly someone will say, 'Plate' or 'Shrimp' or 'Plate of shrimp,' out of the blue. No explanation and there's no point in looking for one either. It's all part of the cosmic unconsciousness." -- REPO MAN LondonJohn: "I don't need to cite."

8th May 2010, 01:51 AM	#31
stilicho Trurl's Electronic Bard Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 4,714	Originally Posted by commandlinegamer A quick and dirty poll to see what the voting intentions are of the posters here. No names necessary; we already know where you live. And remember the golden rule: vote early, and vote often. This must be a "joke poll". There aren't even that many LibDems in all Britain, are there? Don't they want to burn all the people who earn more than they do? Don't they want a cosier relationship with the EU and abandon the GBP in favour of the ~~Greek insano-drachma~~ euro?
	__________________ "Suppose you're thinking about a plate of shrimp. Suddenly someone will say, 'Plate' or 'Shrimp' or 'Plate of shrimp,' out of the blue. No explanation and there's no point in looking for one either. It's all part of the cosmic unconsciousness." -- REPO MAN LondonJohn: "I don't need to cite."

8th May 2010, 02:07 AM	#32
zooterkin Nitpicking dilettante Moderator Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Berkshire, mostly Posts: 24,549	Originally Posted by stilicho I warned some Brit ex-pats here about this. Sinn Fein could mathematically balance the power. The Sinn Fein MPs don't take up their seats in the House as a matter of principle, so they don't really enter the equation, except by reducing the number of seats needed for an effective majority.
	__________________ The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.Bertrand Russell Zooterkin is correct Darat Nerd! Hokulele Join the JREF Folders ! Team 13232

8th May 2010, 04:02 AM	#33
stilicho Trurl's Electronic Bard Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 4,714	Originally Posted by zooterkin The Sinn Fein MPs don't take up their seats in the House as a matter of principle, so they don't really enter the equation, except by reducing the number of seats needed for an effective majority. Our separatists hold their seats in Parliament as a matter of... OK, actually, nobody really has ever understood how or why our separatists attend Parliament, but it probably has something to do with an eventual opportunity at achieving a deciding vote. Are you one of the LibDems in the above vote? I take it the poll was responded to in jest by all. There really aren't any LibDems here, are there?
	__________________ "Suppose you're thinking about a plate of shrimp. Suddenly someone will say, 'Plate' or 'Shrimp' or 'Plate of shrimp,' out of the blue. No explanation and there's no point in looking for one either. It's all part of the cosmic unconsciousness." -- REPO MAN LondonJohn: "I don't need to cite."

8th May 2010, 04:09 AM	#34
Evilgiraffe Scatterer of X-rays Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Oxfordshire Posts: 741	Um, yes. What's your problem with Lib-Dems?