LOL. Anyway I thought the Brand interview was actually quite enjoyable, it didn't go on for too long and actually asked some good questions. Ed was right about the press though, they are losing their influence to new media. Just think of this, Russel brand has over 9 million followers on twitter. The trews has over a million subscribers. Okay they maybe from all over the world but such a voice can carry a lot of power.
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May 7th | UK General Election 2015 OT - Please go vote!
- Thread starter Volotaire
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LOL. Anyway I thought the Brand interview was actually quite enjoyable, it didn't go on for too long and actually asked some good questions. Ed was right about the press though, they are losing their influence to new media. Just think of this, Russel brand has over 9 million followers on twitter. The trews has over a million subscribers. Okay they maybe from all over the world but such a voice can carry a lot of power.
UKIP will get no more than 2 MPs, and that is the scandal of first past the post system, you have a party that will get many more votes than the snp, yet the snp will end up with 40 plus seats and ukip no more than 2... To me that is not democracy
QuicheFontaine
Member
This was a while back now (2008/9...?) A mate of mine was lived up there and ran for a Local Authority seat on the Tory ticket (Scotforth? I've got a poor memory). We went for a night out in Lancaster and ended up back at his flat. Can't remember the specific gin, but he was generous with it!
I actually got married recently in Lancashire (where I'm from originally), and I noticed that in the booklet the registrars send you there were more pictures of gay couples than straight ones! Maybe everyone's started being a tad overprogressive (if that's a word)?
I feel quite happy that in my constituency - Oxford East - I can vote entirely with my conscience (and possibly make a difference; while it's always been Labour for as long as I've been here, 2005 was very close) - without any fear that a party I dislike would get in.
Yeah, it's long past time we allowed unrestricted swordfighting
It blew my mind when i found out that something like 4 million people voting no, almost split a country of nearly 70 million last year.
FlammableD
Banned
You can't tell those people they're important when they try to opt out of your system, then get all offended when they use their proportional voice just because it threatens you.
Audioboxer
Member
I don't see why that's so bad. At least it would lay waste to the claim that Scotland is disenfranchised from British politics.
real_slime
Banned
so you two guys are saying scotland should have less representation in the UK parliament and it should also not be able to hold a vote on its own independence
very considerate, well thought out + good opinions
"please stay we'll give you more of a voice"
*stays, gets more of a voice*
"shut up"
AHA-Lambda
Member
More like, success!
As a Scot who is very anti independence, this is the worst news for me -_-
Frankly I agree with them. Due to the nature of the first past the post system I always resort to tactical voting rather than what I actually want.
watching the brand video. it's nice to have some questions from the left, i just wish they were better. brand just waffles out a bunch of vague terms loosely turned into questions, then miliband calmly walks all over him by agreeing with his tone without actually saying anything difficult or responding to anything pointed. a waste.
ReplacementPelican
Member
I'm a Londoner who is anti independence, although I agree with some of the SNP's policies. One of their main selling points is that they situate themselves (like the UKIP) as outside the Westminster elite. Actually having 54 of them within Westminster would make that position a lot harder to maintain, thus possibly denting their future popularity.
Audioboxer
Member
Being anti-independent isn't that great a reason to discard a party completely. This election is about voting for the ideas and future for our country that sounds best to you, not independence.
Sure the SNP wants independence, but it's up to the people, and we've already had that vote.
Scottish independence wont come from them winning a load of seats at Westminster, however should they get a large majority at the next Scottish Elections they (SNP) will see that as a total mandate...
remember as well if they get a complete shut out of other parties in the Scottish elections they could argue a referendum is no longer needed as the Scottish people have giving them the mandate
remember as well if they get a complete shut out of other parties in the Scottish elections they could argue a referendum is no longer needed as the Scottish people have giving them the mandate
That's basically Brand's manifesto anyway, so I doubt they care.
Napoleonthechimp
Member
If I was Scottish then I'd vote for the SNP (especially now that they're not led by Salmond) but their approach to independence was poorly thought out so I would still oppose it.
I can't imagine the fall out if they tried that. They're not that stupid so it won't happen.
CyclopsRock
Member
It's worth noting that it was the Pro-Union politicians who offered ad-hoc constitutional change in the dying moments of the campaign, not the electorate of the rest of the UK. It's not hard to see why a cessationist party who transparently only care about the interests of one part of the UK whilst propping up a government who'll make decisions that don't affect Scotland in vast areas of legislation doing well doesn't make your average English (or Welsh) voter jizz in his or her pants. They're their seats (if they win them) to do with what they will, however.
don't be surprised Alex Salmon already said as much, as he believed a large vote for the SNP in the Scottish Election was a vote for independence, but I think they will do one more referendum, but the SNP wont stop, and I do agree it is only a matter of time..
Nicole Sturgeon has also said a vote for leaving the Euro zone if the tories win power would trigger another referendum
They are not doing such a great job if I am honest. The Unions still has some power and the civil service itself is reluctant to change as well
To give you an example. I work primarily out of a building that houses 550 civil servants. About 40 are in the department I work for, the rest are DWP.
In 2011/2012 both departments had staff reduction programs running, which meant that alot of people had to apply for their own jobs and whoever was left without a chair was to be made redundant.
5 HEO positions (about 29k p.a) lost there jobs from my department (we are top heavy with few junior grades, most are HEO's). 48 EO positions disappeared in the DWP on about 20k p.a. The vast majority of workers there are AO's.
Reality though is very different. All but one in my department is still there, with the one who left retired last year. Over 40 EO's in the DWP are still kicking about. All of course are collecting their wages.
They are all now just surplus staff, without a job function. They are just waiting for natural wastage to occur elsewhere so they can apply for new positions. The government have tried to force the issue but are tied down in legal with the Unions
Now I cant say much about the DWP because I dont have any dealings with them but the 5 HEO's we 'so called' lost, did so because they all have one thing in common...
They were all fucking useless
Please don't get me started on the civil service. It is *shameful* how little the civil service has been cut compared to other areas of public spending. Eric Pickles department, which has happily slashed and burnt local government more than any other area of public spending, actually increased their staffing levels during the first two years of the coalition.
It literally reads like something out of Yes Minister - you can imagine them asking for more staff to assess the impact of losing staff...
It literally reads like something out of Yes Minister - you can imagine them asking for more staff to assess the impact of losing staff...
Just to warn everyone, there's a IPSOS-MORI poll for the Evening Standard out tomorrow which the twittersphere is claiming is a "corker". It will have the Tories up at something ridiculous like 38 or 39 as Ben Page from IPSOS-MORI is already proclaiming on twitter that swingback has happened.
Is it embargoed or something? Leak dammit!!
CyclopsRock
Member
The Scottish poll earlier today with the Tories 3 points behind labour was Ipsos-Mori too, wasn't it? Wonder if it's a sampling thing.
That will liven up the last week if true.
Embrace it - we all know the Union's dead anyway so you might as well be your own architects rather than clinging on to a system that hates you.
CyclopsRock
Member
Actually that reminds me, one good thing about this election is that whilst all the pundits are open about the fact they don't really know what's going to happen, they're still making bold claims about what's going right and wrong etc. Whatever the result, a lot of pundits will wake up with egg on their face come May 8th.
Any individual poll, especially one from an infrequent pollster like IPSOS-MORI (who despite being a very reputable company haven't been doing national polling that regularly this time around) shouldn't be seen as
If there's real movement the other polling will pick it up over the course of a week. For my money there has been a bit of movement and the Tories are probably 1 or 2 pts ahead but most of the modelling for seat forecasts already factor that movement in.
Cant say much about Pickles department because I dont think I know anyone that works there (the rate civil servants move departments thats pretty unusual). I doubt there are any Westminster departments that anyone can say is really understaffed
What does wind me up is the makeup of people in them departments, as its so inward looking. Virtually all of them are lifers, with not even one days experience out in the private sector. That means if they every had dealings with the private sector, they would virtually always be taken for a ride, as they were baffled with bullshit. Eventually that person will take a job elsewhere in the civil service as they realised they were out of their depth, internal recruitment would commence and its back to square one.
There are exceptions to that rule occasionally, which normally get alot of complaints from the lifers (and I am one of them and my appointment drew 7 complaints). That was because the department bypassed all three internal phases of recruitment and went straight for external, as they wanted experience from my professional trade. Apparently it had approval of the cabinet office because the suggestion was made by a non executive director that was brought in by this government.
There should be more of that if you ask me. If I was allowed to bring in 3 people to work with, along with keeping about 5 civil servants I know to help with the legwork. I know we could replace a whole division currently housing 23 staff. At this time its so inefficient its just laughable.
I did that Position Dial test thing and got 97% Plaid Cymru and 95% SNP as my top two...
Not very useful!
I got 90% Green and then 49% labour after those two though.
I think at this point I'm still sort of undecided between Green and Labour. (Choosing between the ones I agree with the most and the ones I actually think have a shot of winning is hard)
Not very useful!
I got 90% Green and then 49% labour after those two though.
I think at this point I'm still sort of undecided between Green and Labour. (Choosing between the ones I agree with the most and the ones I actually think have a shot of winning is hard)
real_slime
Banned
Psychotext
Member
Could always do the voteswap thing.
Just for a laugh just did the position dial.
83% Conservative
57% Labour
53% Lib Dem
-20% SNP
-25% Green
Surprised by the Labour score as I cant stand that party but in another way not surprised by the result, as if I could vote for this coalition again, I would in a heartbeat
Just laughted at the green and snp scores
83% Conservative
57% Labour
53% Lib Dem
-20% SNP
-25% Green
Surprised by the Labour score as I cant stand that party but in another way not surprised by the result, as if I could vote for this coalition again, I would in a heartbeat
Just laughted at the green and snp scores
Lol, so I finally did the PositionDial test and got some funny results:
Cymru 93%
Green 90%
SNP 88%
TUSC 63% (who the hell are they?)
Labour 47%
Lib Dem 23%
UKIP -51%
Conservative -52%
I think I was a bit too enthusiastic with my answers to the environmental questions, which probably explains why I apparently hold the Greens in such high regard, but I feel happy that the poll reflects that I probably would vote SNP if I could, and that Labour is to me the best of a bad bunch. I'm a bit surprised that I apparently dislike the Tories more than UKIP, but I chuckled that I have them on negative percentages.
Unfortunately the site doesn't seem to have any data on my local candidates. I should probably start finding that out.
Cymru 93%
Green 90%
SNP 88%
TUSC 63% (who the hell are they?)
Labour 47%
Lib Dem 23%
UKIP -51%
Conservative -52%
I think I was a bit too enthusiastic with my answers to the environmental questions, which probably explains why I apparently hold the Greens in such high regard, but I feel happy that the poll reflects that I probably would vote SNP if I could, and that Labour is to me the best of a bad bunch. I'm a bit surprised that I apparently dislike the Tories more than UKIP, but I chuckled that I have them on negative percentages.
Unfortunately the site doesn't seem to have any data on my local candidates. I should probably start finding that out.
As someone in local government, I cannot express the unhappyness folks feel with the civil service. They don't seem to understand *anything*, they are astonishingly inward looking and they have absolutely zero experience in *doing* things.
Local government has a huge host of problems, but it positively shines next to the civil service. Some of the people who work there are fab (I have good friends there), but government needs to take an *axe* to it. The fact that its basically survived unscathed through the austerity depresses me - if this couldn't shrink it, what will?
FlammableD
Banned
CyclopsRock
Member
Is that all based on a uniform swing? I can't imagine the SNP nicking Orkney or the Tory seat, no? Though that would still leave Labour wiped out.
Also amazing how Cam has a higher approval rating than Ed. I guess it's because the SNP have chiefly grabbed voters from Labour, but still.
Also amazing how Cam has a higher approval rating than Ed. I guess it's because the SNP have chiefly grabbed voters from Labour, but still.
Me and my dad would happily vote SNP if they had a candidate in my local elections (St Helens). They have the policies I most agree with and the best leader.
Ashcroft polled the Tory seat (Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale) last month, and put the SNP 4 pts up
SNP 37
CON 33
LAB 20
LIB 4
UKIP 4
GREEN 2
The Lib Dems should still win Orkney but it's not beyond the realms of possibility at all that the Tories could lose Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale. I actually think they're more likely to pick up the neighbouring seat Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk, Ashcroft had them 'up' in his poll there. It's currently a Lib Dem seat
CON 32
SNP 31
LIB 22
LAB 9
UKIP 4
GREEN 1
CyclopsRock
Member
Meeow. Cheers!
Graphics Horse
Member
Even Orkney and Shetland?
Edit: I am late
Edit: I am late
IdreamofHIME
Member
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