General Election May 2015

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 17 Jan 2015, 08:27

Natalie Bennett radio interview yesterday:
https://soundcloud.com/documentally/nat ... reen-party

Tarrel · Post by **Tarrel** » 17 Jan 2015, 10:06

UndercoverElephant wrote:
Tarrel wrote:Commentary north of the border is even starting to question why the Conservatives should even be invited to a UK- wide TV debate, as they only have one MP in Scotland!

There are more SNP MPs representing Scottish constituencies in Westminster than Conservatives or Greens, yet the SNP are not even being considered for inclusion in a national debate. Go figure!
The presence of the nationalist parties in a national debate would derail that debate, IMO. Everything the SNP says and does is skewed by its nationalist agenda (e.g. the ludicrously optimistic estimates of future oil revenues). The westminster government, by definition, is the government of the whole of the UK, and cannot afford or justify this sort of bias. As a result, whenever the SNP representative said anything about anything at all, the other parties would be forced to respond in a way that kept bringing the discussion back to Scottish nationalism.

We've just had a referendum and the nationalists lost it. At some point we do have to stop allowing the nationalist debate to dominate Scottish, and British, politics.

The view within the SNP right now seems to be that this is a golden opportunity to influence the policies at Westminster and reduce the impact of London-centricism, and why not? I think it would be a mistake to imagine that the SNP would squander their time in Westminster pursuing some kind of "independence or nothing" agenda. Bear in mind that the SNP wants what a lot of the rest of the UK wants; reduced inequality, greater social inclusion and an end to the systematic dismantling of the welfare system.

Besides, having groups of MPs in Westminster standing up for what their constituents want, whether they be SNP, Plaid Cymru or whatever, is no bad thing. After all, isn't that what they are supposed to do?

The fact that we are almost certain to have a parliament in which these minority interests are strongly represented makes even more of a nonsense of a "clash of the Titans" style leaders' debate. Maybe the only way it would work would be to change the format to more of a "Question Time" round table discussion in which the panel respond to questions from the audience, rather than each having to make a statement and having the chance to cross-examine each other. It would be fascinating, for example, to see how the SNP and Greens debated a question around the future of the North Sea oil industry, with the Conservatives in the middle. It might, just might, provide a refreshing alternative to the mainstream narratives projected through the mainstream media (if it was effectively chaired).

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 17 Jan 2015, 13:15

Green Party membership topped 50000 during last night.

Post by **kenneal - lagger** » 17 Jan 2015, 14:20

Tarrel wrote:.............Maybe the only way it would work would be to change the format to more of a "Question Time" round table discussion in which the panel respond to questions from the audience, rather than each having to make a statement and having the chance to cross-examine each other. ..........

I might watch that sort of format. The straight debate format I cannot hack. Never watched one, never will.

UndercoverElephant · Post by **UndercoverElephant** » 17 Jan 2015, 21:16

Tarrel wrote: The view within the SNP right now seems to be that this is a golden opportunity to influence the policies at Westminster and reduce the impact of London-centricism, and why not?

Well, I only live in Hastings and I'd like to see a reduction in the impact of London-centrism. But there's a difference between wanting to rebalance in order to deal with the "London problem", and what the SNP stands for. There's a "common enemy" factor there though, that much is obvious.

The fact that we are almost certain to have a parliament in which these minority interests are strongly represented makes even more of a nonsense of a "clash of the Titans" style leaders' debate. Maybe the only way it would work would be to change the format to more of a "Question Time" round table discussion in which the panel respond to questions from the audience, rather than each having to make a statement and having the chance to cross-examine each other. It would be fascinating, for example, to see how the SNP and Greens debated a question around the future of the North Sea oil industry, with the Conservatives in the middle. It might, just might, provide a refreshing alternative to the mainstream narratives projected through the mainstream media (if it was effectively chaired).

Yes, it might...

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 19 Jan 2015, 11:10

biffvernon wrote:Green Party membership topped 50000 during last night.

It will not end well.

Yes, I know you've said I shouldn't compare the British greens with the Irish. Indeed, the Irish greens were hamstrung, compromised, scapegoated and co-opted, then beaten to death. I hope this doesn't happen to the British greens; I wish them well - they have a powerful and sensible agenda manifesto which naturally enough appeals to oddballs like you and I and - if allowed to be implemented - will go a long way to redressing some of the imbalances in the world.

But I'll say it again. It will not end well.

nexus · Post by **nexus** » 19 Jan 2015, 13:33

Em, that's pretty negative. Sounds like you need to read this book:

It is a truly brilliant book, that I can't recommend highly enough

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 19 Jan 2015, 13:34

I'm not sure that anything will end well; the trick is to go down fighting.

nexus · Post by **nexus** » 19 Jan 2015, 13:35

.... and I again I refer to the above book.....

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 19 Jan 2015, 13:36

http://rebeccasolnit.net/books/

emordnilap · Post by **emordnilap** » 19 Jan 2015, 13:47

biffvernon wrote:I'm not sure that anything will end well; the trick is to go down fighting.

Now we agree.

Solnit is an Irish citizen.

nexus · Post by **nexus** » 19 Jan 2015, 13:57

Em so you're claiming her for yer own now- fairy nuff.

Thanks for the link Biff, more useful than the cover pic I posted....

BTW has anyone else read this book??

AutomaticEarth · Post by **AutomaticEarth** » 19 Jan 2015, 22:55

The Green woman from the Green Party sounds like she's from Oz or New Zealand. Emily Maitlis on Newsnight is doing a very good job of de-constructing her argument....

UndercoverElephant · Post by **UndercoverElephant** » 20 Jan 2015, 02:17

AutomaticEarth wrote: Emily Maitlis on Newsnight is doing a very good job of de-constructing her argument....

That's not good. I've stopped watching Newsnight, partly because Emily Maitlis isn't very good at deconstructing anybody's arguments. Looks nice in an evening dress though...

biffvernon · Post by **biffvernon** » 20 Jan 2015, 08:44

AutomaticEarth wrote:The Green woman from the Green Party sounds like she's from Oz

That's because she is.
Born in Sydney and left Australia in 1995.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natalie_Bennett