Election Year or Fear!

[Geoff Parkstone]

Estonia is the new Rwanda ☺️

[Trickytreesreds]

Well thats me done, Never thought I'd find myself in the same corner as Owen Jones
But even I have to admit, he's got this one nailed on for an analysis.
If ever we need a rethink on politics today, it's now.
Proportional representation raises its head again for me please,

https://www.thenational.scot/politics/24615933.owen-jones-left-proved-correct-keir-starmer/

[MadAmster]

Well thats me done, Never thought I'd find myself in the same corner as Owen Jones
But even I have to admit, he's got this one nailed on for an analysis.
If ever we need a rethink on politics today, it's now.
Proportional representation raises its head again for me please,

https://www.thenational.scot/politic...-keir-starmer/

PR does have its drawbacks too as we in NL know only too well. Splintered results with lots of parties passing the % vote bar to seats. Multi party coalitions needed to get a majority. Coalition negotiations that can, and often do, take 6 to 9 months, during which time, the old Cabinet is still running things, managing ongoing business. Any new stuff has to be passed by the new Parliament.

We had elections on November 22nd. New coalition formed July 2nd. Next elections will be 2027. There are again, something like 20 parties with MPs in our Parliament. There are 150 MPs, the largest party has 35 and the coalition consists of 4 parties. In a survey at the end of last week, 43% said they expected the Coalition to fall inside the next 12 months. A similar number thought the coalition would last the 12 months but would fall inside 3 years. 80 odd %, thus, don't see this coalition lasting the course.

[Trickytreesreds]

PR does have its drawbacks too as we in NL know only too well. Splintered results with lots of parties passing the % vote bar to seats. Multi party coalitions needed to get a majority. Coalition negotiations that can, and often do, take 6 to 9 months, during which time, the old Cabinet is still running things, managing ongoing business. Any new stuff has to be passed by the new Parliament.

We had elections on November 22nd. New coalition formed July 2nd. Next elections will be 2027. There are again, something like 20 parties with MPs in our Parliament. There are 150 MPs, the largest party has 35 and the coalition consists of 4 parties. In a survey at the end of last week, 43% said they expected the Coalition to fall inside the next 12 months. A similar number thought the coalition would last the 12 months but would fall inside 3 years. 80 odd %, thus, don't see this coalition lasting the course.

I wouldn't presume it to be perfect MA.
I think most folks are just fed up with a party saying one thing, then doing the complete opposite after the election. The last lot, were given a majority based around, we'll get Brexit done and sort out all the stuff that goes hand in hand with it. They didn't.
This lot made promises that are being welched on already and their master plans have no substance at all.

At least with PP, your side of the fence has a voice. That means you don't have to wait 4- 5 years to sling mud at them

FPTP, would I am sure be brilliant if-
1. the whole party sang from the same hymn sheet
2. The actually did as a group, what they promised.

[MadAmster]

FPTP, would I am sure be brilliant if-
1. the whole party sang from the same hymn sheet
2. The actually did as a group, what they promised.

That is exactly what's wrong with PR. Not everybody sings from the same hymn sheet. When someone doesn't like the song, they leave the choir, keep their seat and either form a "party" of their own, a bit like a one man band OR they join up with one or more individuals who had left their party. That's how the previous parliament finished up with something like 23 different parties in Parliament. This one already has 2 or 3 more parties than there were immediately post election. Disgruntled folk leaving the ship to hang on to a piece of flotsam.

[Trickytreesreds]

Will the foreign secretary now accept that the climate disaster, isn't his first priority?
The tempo is going up now and the **** could really hit the fan in the next week.
Forget net zero Labour, its folly we don't need at this moment in time.

https://news.sky.com/

[SithHappens]

I thought climate was millibands job anyway

[Trickytreesreds]

I thought climate was millibands job anyway

So did I, but Lammy claims its his top priority?
Bonkers

[Trickytreesreds]

Starmer says the UK stands with Israel. Brilliant, make it a policy across the board then. It concerns me, when the FS is imposing arms embargo's on Israel and people with the LP are on Pro Palestine marches. Even Rayner was sucking up to that in the UK.

a UK governments first priority is to the defence of its people. The middle east has many who are in no way our friends.
If this goes tits up, we had better be ready

[MadAmster]

I might have said this before but... in no particular order

1. Israel should stop building ever more settlements on land they've just driven Palestinians off of.
2. Israel should start prosecuting people who kill Palestinians in order to steal their land/home.
3. Israel should start prosecuting people who burn a Palestinian's olive trees
4. Hamas should immediately return all the hostages
5. Hamas should stop firing rockets into Israel
6. Hamas should never again kidnap Israelis
7. Hezbollah should stop firing missiles of various kinds into Israel
8. Hezbollah should get the hell out of Lebanon
9. Israel should withdraw from Gaza
10. Israel should stop all attacks on Gaza
11. Israel should withdraw from Lebanon
12. Israel should stop all attacks on Lebanon
13. Other groups in the region, in Yemen etc should stop firing rockets into Israel and at ships
14. Israel should stop attacking those groups
15. Palestinians, legally resident in Israel, should have the same rights as Israeli Jews
16. Iran should get back to restoring equality in Iran for women and gays etc

There's more to be done but IF we could achieve all 16 points, it would be a great start towards permanent peace in the region and a huge leap away from WW3

[Trickytreesreds]

I might have said this before but... in no particular order

1. Israel should stop building ever more settlements on land they've just driven Palestinians off of.
2. Israel should start prosecuting people who kill Palestinians in order to steal their land/home.
3. Israel should start prosecuting people who burn a Palestinian's olive trees
4. Hamas should immediately return all the hostages
5. Hamas should stop firing rockets into Israel
6. Hamas should never again kidnap Israelis
7. Hezbollah should stop firing missiles of various kinds into Israel
8. Hezbollah should get the hell out of Lebanon
9. Israel should withdraw from Gaza
10. Israel should stop all attacks on Gaza
11. Israel should withdraw from Lebanon
12. Israel should stop all attacks on Lebanon
13. Other groups in the region, in Yemen etc should stop firing rockets into Israel and at ships
14. Israel should stop attacking those groups
15. Palestinians, legally resident in Israel, should have the same rights as Israeli Jews
16. Iran should get back to restoring equality in Iran for women and gays etc

There's more to be done but IF we could achieve all 16 points, it would be a great start towards permanent peace in the region and a huge leap away from WW3

I would agree, but Iran should get its beak out of all middle east meddling.
I have a feeling the USA has been waiting for this, to give Iran a good slap

[Trickytreesreds]

This has to be some sort of record for a newly elected government. 1 point in front of a shambles Tory party.

https://www.markpack.org.uk/155623/voting-intention-opinion-poll-scorecard/

and the top issue in the country just gets worse.

https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/uk-opinion-polls

[Geoff Parkstone]

But all the polls in the world won't change anything. We have 4 or more years of KS barring something extraordinary happening.

You sound a bit like rA moaning about the Tories for years whilst also knowing their majority meant nothing would change.

As to the IPSOS issues poll, I can understand the sentiment in the key issues but I don't believe any cohesive strategies are in place (yet?) to address them but I don't think any government can bury their head in the sand for ever

[Andy_Faber]

You sound a bit like rA moaning about the Tories for years whilst also knowing their majority meant nothing would change.

He sounds a lot like it but it's (currently) a free world so he can, to use that famous phrase from v*tal Rams all those years ago, sp~nk off all he wants

[ramAnag]

He sounds a lot like it but it's (currently) a free world so he can, to use that famous phrase from v*tal Rams all those years ago, sp~nk off all he wants

Actually he sounds nothing like it…the differences being that 1. I reply in my own words not via YouTube etc. 2. The Tories had been in power for six years (!) before I ever contributed to this forum whereas Labour/KS have been in power for approximately three months. 2. Most of my objections were aimed at the dishonesty involved in the Referendum and the wrongdoings of Boris Johnson between 2016 and 2022…all of which now seem thoroughly well founded and did actually lead to the overthrow of 2019’s massive Tory majority.
Anyway down to Jenrick, Cleverly and Badenoch I see now…so that’s the last decent(ish) Tory out of the race to elect a new leader of the opposition.
Reap what you sow and let’s hope against hope that those in the U.S. show a great deal more sense in a little under a month.