2015 UK General Election Thread

[Taf]

One Party banned...


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-31751548

Cameron isn't a coward. He is a politician and we're coming up to an election. The debates are not a constitutional requirement of supreme importance to the democratic process. They're a electioneering tool for the parties and cheap TV for broadcasters that we imported from the United States complete with 'spin-rooms' and snap polls declaring a winner.

Miliband wants them because it helps him. Cameron doesn't want it because it won't help him and could help Miliband. It's a political calculation in an election. They're playing politics. It's a winner for Labour because either way Cameron probably doesn't look good from it.

Personally I want the debates because I think Miliband is a better person then he gets given credit for filtered by the press but also because it would be fun to watch the debate.

The politics and the tactics of it are debatable but the moralising over it winds me up.

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by heero_yuy

I remember the "Have I got news for you" quiz where they put a pat of lard in the chair that Roy Hattersley was supposed to occupy.

Perhaps members could nominate a product to occupy Dave's vacant chair?

Yellow custard?

White feather

[Osem]

Cameron has everything to lose and little to gain. Milipede would do exactly the same in his shoes.

[MalteseFalcon]

Exactly. Wasn't Brown playing these exact same games back in 2009/10 before that election? Look how that worked for the incumbent party. People might call him a coward, but actually Cameron is being smart as he knows from experience that he will only damage his party's chances of winning the election.

---------- Post added at 23:19 ---------- Previous post was at 23:09 ----------

Out of interest, does anyone know what the likely result would be if the Liberals had managed to get the AV system in for this election? And also am I right in thinking had Scotland voted yes they wouldn't be voting in this election?

[Matth]

The AV system would allow the eurosceptics to vote UKIP + conservative, would probably increase the green vote as people could choose green + whatever they think the least worst alternative is.

AV would probably have increased the representation of minority parties (though nothing like as much as PR) and also mitigated the "divided opposition" effect.

Personally, I'd favour PR as a topup system, like the London assembly, which combines direct representation and proportionality, though either the total number of MPs would have to be increased, or the number of constituencies reduced to make room for the topups - possibly two MP constituencies where one is directly elected an the other by a proportional formula.

[Derek]

Originally Posted by MarkC1984

And also am I right in thinking had Scotland voted yes they wouldn't be voting in this election?

That was another unknown. The SNP position was to have Scottish MPs until indepence kicked in a year or so after the election.

[techguyone]

Scotland outcome will be interesting, given that they mostly don't support Conservative. I suspect that the SNP will do pretty well and in the likely event of another fricking coalition government, they are somewhat unlikely to go with the Conservatives. I wouldn't discount a Lab/SNP coalition, then we'll all be screwed, it's definitely interesting times we're living in now that the trad Con/Lab two party thing has been diluted by this myriad of small parties. Presumably as a result the FPTP system will need to be reworked, but to what?

They are going ahead with the debates and will empty chair Cameron if he doesn't turn up.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-31771198

[Russ]

Originally Posted by Damien

They are going ahead with the debates and will empty chair Cameron if he doesn't turn up.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-31771198

Have I Got News For You faced a similar problem in the 90s when Roy Hattersley refused to turn up so they replaced him with a tub of lard.

[Osem]

What you mean John Prescott?

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by Russ

Have I Got News For You faced a similar problem in the 90s when Roy Hattersley refused to turn up so they replaced him with a tub of lard.

A tub of lard would look just like Dave.
people will be wondering why he's not saying much though.

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by Damien

They are going ahead with the debates and will empty chair Cameron if he doesn't turn up.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-31771198

Excellent, i do hope they put a cut out of him in the empty space

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Sirius

Excellent, i do hope they put a cut out of him in the empty space

Who would notice, in fact you have more chance of getting a straight answer out of the cut out.

[Kursk]

Tail trying to wag the dog. It will be a ridiculous spectacle that will even send their beloved Goggleboxers to sleep. PM is right not to summoned for trial by television imho. They'll be insisting all our Ministers go in the Big Brother house to tease out their childhood foibles next. Wye aye man.