Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 16, 2023 8:52:15 GMT
Well, Midnight with Mercian was a bit of a damp squib last night wasn't it? There he was, "catching up" like a non-stop one-man right wing rebuttal unit and "we no likey" any of his posts. Not even Lord Haw Haw from British Columbia. Maybe Big Col will come in with some retrospective stroking. Mr mercian has been relieved of his post as presenter of Midnight with Mercian. Following rumours of attempted grooming of fellow members of the board with offers of “chess” lessons it was decided that his ending of the show two minutes before it was due to begin was the final straw. Very low viewing figures and likes also contributed to this decision. The midnight slot will be taken up with repeats* of the popular “Satire with Steve” posts. * You won’t be able to tell the difference between new and repeat ones of course. |
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Danny
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Post by Danny on Aug 16, 2023 8:58:37 GMT
Bankers decide to pay themselves more. Bankers decide wage driven inflation requires higher interest rates. Have I missed something? Chaos generates opportunity for profit? |
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pjw1961
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Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.
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Post by pjw1961 on Aug 16, 2023 9:03:27 GMT
*(Before the, 'UKIP were a successful pressure group' argument is wheeled out, I have no interest in belonging to a pressure group and UKIP were only successful because Cameron folded to them - he should have faced them down. But he put party before country as Tories typically do.) I wonder how Labour would have reacted had (say) TUSC got 3.8 million votes in the 2015 GE? What we can say as an non-hypothetical is that Labour were the only major UK wide party that went into the 2015 election without an EU referendum in their manifesto - the Conservatives, Lib Dems and UKIP all did. Ed Miliband didn't bow to Faragist pressure and got that right - I recall Farage being annoyed by it. |
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Post by leftieliberal on Aug 16, 2023 9:07:30 GMT
An interesting view of compulsory voting from Australia: My partner is Australian and regards compulsory voting as a complete non-issue. There's an Aussie tradition of election day 'sausage sizzles' - you go and vote and get yourself what social media now dub a 'democracy sausage'. I've also heard of the ' donkey vote' in Australia. Voters give preferences to candidates in the order they appear on the ballot paper. Perhaps compulsory voting is not such a good idea. Even in the UK, candidates with names earlier in the alphabet usually do better than candidates with names later in the alphabet (not so much of a problem now, since Party names and logos have appeared on ballot papers). For several decades now, my Party's internal elections have used a randomised order of candidates. |
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pjw1961
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Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.
Posts: 8,572
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Post by pjw1961 on Aug 16, 2023 9:15:17 GMT
neilj - I'd love to see a similar poll done in the aftermath of Labour being elected with a landslide majority. That's not meant in a snide way - I'd be genuinely curious to see whether Labour voters' views about the system would change with the onset of a likely prolonged period of unchallenged power. It's a good question, for me I have been a supporter of PR even when Blair won in 1997 I see it as a question of democracy, people being more able to vote for who they want, rather than vote against who they don't want, which the current system often leads to It may mean compromise if the party I support is in the winning coalition Government, but that often happens within political parties anyway. I also think it will mean if smaller parties get to share power they will be forced to face the realities of governing and the sometimes hard choices that have to be made Would make no difference to me. I have been a supporter of PR since I discovered it in 1979, long before I joined the Labour Party. I settled on STV as the best system in around 1983, mainly because it puts more of the decision making power in the hands of voters rather than party machines. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 16, 2023 9:18:31 GMT
An interesting view of compulsory voting from Australia: My partner is Australian and regards compulsory voting as a complete non-issue. There's an Aussie tradition of election day 'sausage sizzles' - you go and vote and get yourself what social media now dub a 'democracy sausage'. I'm interested in a potential benefit that your sources don't mention, namely that in the UK very few of the poorest and most marginalised people vote, so their needs are neglected by both Con and Lab governments. If voting were compulsory parties would be more motivated to appeal to them. Perhaps in turn they might feel they had more of a stake in society, creating a bit of a virtuous circle. A really nice idea. |
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Post by leftieliberal on Aug 16, 2023 9:24:35 GMT
The Constitution Unit at UCL with the Institute for Government is currently publishing summaries of their proposals in the report Rebuilding and Renewing the Constitution: Options for ReformThis third article, with its coverage of territorial issues should interest some contributors like oldnat here. You can read the whole report using the link here. |
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pjw1961
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Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.
Posts: 8,572
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Post by pjw1961 on Aug 16, 2023 9:24:51 GMT
Well, Midnight with Mercian was a bit of a damp squib last night wasn't it? There he was, "catching up" like a non-stop one-man right wing rebuttal unit and "we no likey" any of his posts. Not even Lord Haw Haw from British Columbia. Maybe Big Col will come in with some retrospective stroking. Mr mercian has been relieved of his post as presenter of Midnight with Mercian. Following rumours of attempted grooming of fellow members of the board with offers of “chess” lessons it was decided that his ending of the show two minutes before it was due to begin was the final straw. Very low viewing figures and likes also contributed to this decision. The midnight slot will be taken up with repeats* of the popular “Satire with Steve” posts. * You won’t be able to tell the difference between new and repeat ones of course. I much prefer "Midnight with Mercian" to the endless trolling of another regular poster. Gives me something to respond to for one thing! |
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pjw1961
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Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.
Posts: 8,572
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Post by pjw1961 on Aug 16, 2023 9:34:47 GMT
By the way Crofty (@fecklessmiser ) in your Englebert Humperdinck tribute act, which of his works do you play extracts from - the opera Hansel and Gretel is obviously the most famous.  |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 16, 2023 9:38:11 GMT
Mr mercian has been relieved of his post as presenter of Midnight with Mercian. Following rumours of attempted grooming of fellow members of the board with offers of “chess” lessons it was decided that his ending of the show two minutes before it was due to begin was the final straw. Very low viewing figures and likes also contributed to this decision. The midnight slot will be taken up with repeats* of the popular “Satire with Steve” posts. * You won’t be able to tell the difference between new and repeat ones of course. I much prefer "Midnight with Mercian" to the endless trolling of another regular poster. Gives me something to respond to for one thing! It’s nice to read this PeeJay. mercian has been a very popular presenter for a long time now and there is no truth in the rumours that he has been removed from the midnight spot because his posts are widely regarded as “rubbish” - something we entirely refute. On the related issue of voting methods, I am all for compulsory voting being added to PR. |
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domjg
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Post by domjg on Aug 16, 2023 9:39:40 GMT
My partner is Australian and regards compulsory voting as a complete non-issue. There's an Aussie tradition of election day 'sausage sizzles' - you go and vote and get yourself what social media now dub a 'democracy sausage'. I'm interested in a potential benefit that your sources don't mention, namely that in the UK very few of the poorest and most marginalised people vote, so their needs are neglected by both Con and Lab governments. If voting were compulsory parties would be more motivated to appeal to them. Perhaps in turn they might feel they had more of a stake in society, creating a bit of a virtuous circle. A really nice idea. It would also negate the dominance of the older generation who are more likely to vote and so often have policy making skewed towards them. I would really welcome compulsory voting but I don't see any chance of it happening here. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 16, 2023 9:45:03 GMT
It would also negate the dominance of the older generation who are more likely to vote and so often have policy making skewed towards them. I would really welcome compulsory voting but I don't see any chance of it happening here. Yeah. Privileged old sods.Force the young to vote to Beat the Geriatrics. |
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steve
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Post by steve on Aug 16, 2023 9:54:37 GMT
mercianI think you might have misunderstood my posting regarding a timetable for rejoin. It would be entirely possible to do so by 2030, provided two elements were in place, a preparedness by the European union to consider the optics of a nation leaving and then within a decade wanting to rejoin worth them facilitating our prompt return on an amicable basis. And the political will of the leadership of the party that's highly likely to have to lead the negotiations to do so without procrastinating. I think the former is significantly more likely than the latter which is why I think this time scale unrealistic with vanilla extract Brexit Starmer at the helm. However, the Labour party aren't doctrinal nutters like the deranged Brexit fundamentalists in the Tory ranks and I do believe they will take their responsibilities to act in the public interest far more seriously. That's why something akin to an EFTA arrangement is I suspect highly likely within the next parliament. It's inferior to membership in every fundamental way but an order of magnitude better than the current shambles and it's a major step in the right direction.
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steve
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Post by steve on Aug 16, 2023 10:04:42 GMT
Just thought as a gentle reminder as people have brought up the family backgrounds of leaders in relation to their grasp of the economic crisis facing working people now. Here's Jeremy Corbyn's family home it's actually rather nicer than that experienced by Sunakered as a child and far nicer than the modest family homes where keir Starmer and Ed Davey grew up.  |
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Post by athena on Aug 16, 2023 10:05:58 GMT
I should perhaps say that the term 'compulsory voting' is a bit of a misnomer - there's nothing to stop Australian citizens voting informally (what we would call spoiling the ballot paper).
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 16, 2023 10:06:31 GMT
By the way Crofty (@fecklessmiser ) in your Englebert Humperdinck tribute act, which of his works do you play extracts from - the opera Hansel and Gretel is obviously the most famous. I just keep repeating “Please Release Me” with its very dramatic - but tricky - key change. Sometimes “The last Waltz” ( though that always makes me cry. ) |
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Post by graham on Aug 16, 2023 10:09:25 GMT
neilj - I'd love to see a similar poll done in the aftermath of Labour being elected with a landslide majority. That's not meant in a snide way - I'd be genuinely curious to see whether Labour voters' views about the system would change with the onset of a likely prolonged period of unchallenged power. It's a good question, for me I have been a supporter of PR even when Blair won in 1997 I see it as a question of democracy, people being more able to vote for who they want, rather than vote against who they don't want, which the current system often leads to It may mean compromise if the party I support is in the winning coalition Government, but that often happens within political parties anyway. I also think it will mean if smaller parties get to share power they will be forced to face the realities of governing and the sometimes hard choices that have to be made I suspect that were a Referendum to be held on PR ,support for it would quickly fade away. To many the idea sounds appealing but the reality would sound more complex and confusing even than the AV system voted on in 2011.Many voters were put off even by the relatively simple process involved in AV - PR would deter far more. |
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Post by athena on Aug 16, 2023 10:12:43 GMT
Re donkey votes
Rather than dismiss compulsory voting because of the possibility that some citizens might cast a formal but uninformed vote, I'd prefer to see it an incentive to make sure that all citizens are adequately educated and therefore able to use their vote purposefully.
Donkey votes should even out across the seats, provided the electoral commission avoids idiocies like listing candidates in order and, unless my memory deceives me, even in UK elections candidates are no longer listed in alphabetical order.
There have been plenty of studies of whether Australian voters understand how to cast a formal vote. I've skimmed a few and the verdict seems to be that on the whole informal voting rates are low enough to suggest this isn't a serious problem. All the Australian parties publish cards advising their supporters how to use their other preferences.
Voters can also choose whether to vote above or below the line. Voting above the line allows you to rank the parties, voting below the line allows you to rank individual candidates, but is more hassle. Australia recently introduced a reform to make it easier to cast a formal below the line vote, to encourage more people to take advantage of this option.
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domjg
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Post by domjg on Aug 16, 2023 10:18:22 GMT
It would also negate the dominance of the older generation who are more likely to vote and so often have policy making skewed towards them. I would really welcome compulsory voting but I don't see any chance of it happening here. Yeah. Privileged old sods.Force the young to vote to Beat the Geriatrics. Or... make policy making and campaigning more balanced towards all groups of voters. Increasingly the older are going to dominate more demographically in any case. |
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domjg
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Post by domjg on Aug 16, 2023 10:20:55 GMT
I should perhaps say that the term 'compulsory voting' is a bit of a misnomer - there's nothing to stop Australian citizens voting informally (what we would call spoiling the ballot paper). Of course, but once the vast majority of people are actually hovering over the ballot paper they'll give some thought to who to vote for, however fleeting, even if they would never have been in the polling station of their own volition. |
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Post by athena on Aug 16, 2023 10:26:43 GMT
I should perhaps say that the term 'compulsory voting' is a bit of a misnomer - there's nothing to stop Australian citizens voting informally (what we would call spoiling the ballot paper). Of course, but once the vast majority of people are actually hovering over the ballot paper they'll give some thought to who to vote for, however fleeting, even if they would never have been in the polling station of their own volition. The point is that if you really don't want to indicate a preference, you don't have to. |
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c-a-r-f-r-e-w
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A step on the way toward the demise of the liberal elite? Or just a blip…
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Post by c-a-r-f-r-e-w on Aug 16, 2023 10:37:54 GMT
Interesting video on the European union introducing " right to repair" environmentally sound and will end the absurdity of unrepairable sealed tech devices. Current generation I pads for example make it impossible for independent technicians to replace a 50p connector because Apple have designed the device in such a manner that it won't work if this is done , instead a Apple repair will cost around £350-500, most users will simply not bother and replace. Similarly sealed batteries, the European union legislation will require that these are easily replaceable with no special tools by the owner, just as they used to be. A few £'s instead of a new handset or tablet. The legislation has given the manufacturers a three year run in and hopefully the size of the European union market will mean brexitanians benefit as well, but of course there's no guarantee here because our removal from the European union has made satisfying the U.K. market far less important. youtu.be/Fo-k-Qosy8AHope folk are enjoying the game. Anyways, having been through this the hard way, carrying an iPad Pro in a folio on the way to my office, and not realising one day I had left it partly unzipped, resulting in the iPad slipping out and cracking the screen on the pavement… …then realising that a replacement screen would cost £400. And realising before buying my 12.9 inch iPad it would cost around £600 IIRC to replace the screen on that if anything bad happened, since then have taken Apple Care out on three subsequent iPad purchases. If you break the screen or connector it covers most of the cost of such repairs along with a replacement battery down the line. You need to get it paid monthly though soon after buying the iPad - if you do it yearly I don’t think you can keep renewing it. (And maybe check in case they changed the terms recently or summat) |
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neilj
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Post by neilj on Aug 16, 2023 10:49:37 GMT
The Lionesses roar - one nil to England
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Post by graham on Aug 16, 2023 10:50:51 GMT
The Lionesses roar - one nil to England Come on Australia! |
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neilj
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Post by neilj on Aug 16, 2023 10:59:16 GMT
Biggest issues voters are concerned about,
climate change is creeping up.
But no surprise inflation and the economy are the top two, with health care sharing third place with climate change
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neilj
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Post by neilj on Aug 16, 2023 11:00:00 GMT
The Lionesses roar - one nil to England Come on Australia! The Wallabies are wallowing 😀 |
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neilj
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Post by neilj on Aug 16, 2023 11:01:24 GMT
No surprise to me
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neilj
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Post by neilj on Aug 16, 2023 11:07:14 GMT
Scottish Westminster Voting Intention:
SNP: 36% (-1)
LAB: 32% (+4)
CON: 15% (-2)
LDM: 6% (-2)
GRN: 6% (+1)
RFM: 3% (+1)
Via
@yougov
, 3-8 Aug.
Scottish Independence (IndyRef2) Voting Intention:
No: 44% (-1)
Yes: 42% (+3)
Excluding Don't Knows:
No: 52% (-2)
Yes: 48% (+2)
Via
@yougov
, 3-8 Aug.
Changes w/ 17-20 Apr.
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Post by graham on Aug 16, 2023 11:10:45 GMT
The Wallabies are wallowing 😀 You appear to want Tory England to beat non-Tory Australia. |
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Post by athena on Aug 16, 2023 11:20:47 GMT
The Wallabies are wallowing 😀 Do get your terminology right! Australia's women's football team are the Matildas. Wallabies = men's RU Wallaroos = women's RU Socceroos = men's football |
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