General Election May 2015

[UndercoverElephant]

With very few MPs to show for it, the pressure will be ramped up for proper electoral reform.

Dream on...

[Tarrel]

With very few MPs to show for it, the pressure will be ramped up for proper electoral reform.

Dream on...

Last time we had a referendum on it the turnout was 42%

[emordnilap]

What's all this shite I heard in passing on the radio today, about Nicola Sturgeon being 'the most dangerous woman in Britain'? Dafuq?

[Tarrel]

What's all this shite I heard in passing on the radio today, about Nicola Sturgeon being 'the most dangerous woman in Britain'? Dafuq?

It's OK, we're used to it up here. A re-run of the pre-referendum "Project Fear" campaign. The next logical step would be a last minute "vow" to Scottish voters to try to swing them away from the SNP. Only this time that won't work, as any promises of preferential treatment for Scotland by the main two parties would have negative consequences south of the border.

At the end of the day, the dilemma that the two main parties find themselves in is not the making of the SNP, or any of the other smaller parties. It is a result of decades of focus group-based politics, leading both parties to try to occupy the centre ground with hardly the thickness of a ballot paper between them. It's not surprising that the polls are showing them neck-and-neck with no prospect of a clear majority.

I think we're entering an era of collaborative rather than adversarial politics, and the two main parties had better get used to it. In most strategic situations (e.g. running the country) consensus-based decision making leads to better decisions.

[Tarrel]

Nice Tongue-in-cheek article by Mark Steel in the Independent, about the threat the SNP poses from north of the border..

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/com ... 96366.html

They’re HOLDING the country to RANSOM, these SNP thugs! Luckily The Times has alerted us, with its headline: “John Major warns of SNP coup.” And you can see this just from looking at Nicola Sturgeon, she’s got coup written all over her. She’s like Idi Amin in a red dress.

[AutomaticEarth]

Listening to the Andrew Marr show this morning, and it is clear that Miliband is trying to distance himself from the SNP.

Most folk I've spoke to (who are looking to vote Labour) generally welcome the inclusion of the SNP (and other leftie outfits) to prop up a Labour minority government.

Whatever happens, it is looking quite likely that we'll have minority Labour government that'll limp on until the SNP (or one of the others that are likely to be in the coalition) vote against something ie Trident, then we'll be back to the ballot box for a 2nd general election........

As UE said further up this thread, UK politics has changed, and one has to wonder whether the 'first past the post' system is fit for purpose anymore.

[Little John]

It was never fit for purpose, save to serve the purposes of our elites by allowing them to stick their lackeys in control on a minority share of the vote.

[biffvernon]

Whatever happens, it is looking quite likely that we'll have minority Labour government that'll limp on until the SNP (or one of the others that are likely to be in the coalition) vote against something ie Trident, then we'll be back to the ballot box for a 2nd general election........

I doubt whether a vote on Trident would trigger another general election.

[AutomaticEarth]

Biff - Trident is just used as an example. There could be many other issues that may cause a collapse of a minority government.

If there is another election., it will be the parties with enough money to run GE2.0 .

[the_lyniezian]

The first past the post system is definitely fit for purpose if we understand how it's designed to work.

Basically people are so obsessed by the party system they fail to see it's about voting for the person as well as simply the party. What is really not fit for purpose is that we have no real separation of powers between the legislature and the executive- the latter being made up from whatever sitting MPs lead the party with the most seats or whatever coalition is formed that can gain the confidence of the House (and the Crown). In something more like the American sort of system, where the executive is elected separately from the legislature, only with the difference of having direct election of the head of government rather than the questionable electoral college system that exists Stateside, we would not need to worry about FPTP with respect to electing members of parliament.

Now certainly if we were to maintain this lack of separation of powers, some sort of alternative voting system which still allows us to have a specific local MP who is directly accountable to the electorate in a given locality might be a worthwhile compromise, but a full proportional-representation system would not be something I could support, as it removes that link and does not give us any idea (beyond party leadership) who are the people who will be elected to Parliament.

As for the SNP, perhaps the Tories are putting up the fear factor/alarmism thing as it suits their political ends, but I do not see their likely success as not being a cause for concern, nor is pointing this out somehow bigoted against the Scots. The fact is that for all their rhetoric, they exist to serve the interests not of the whole UK but of Scotland, and it is not wrong to suppose that just because one lives north of a magic wiggly line, one is somehow deserving of special treatment when much of England is remote from, and not being served by, the Westminster government either.

[UndercoverElephant]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2015-32472190

Nicola Sturgeon: Miliband 'will have to change tune' on SNP

Now this is why I really do not like the SNP. Do we really have to listen to more of this cr*p? They spent the entire referendum campaign telling everybody that the westminster establishment would "change its tune" on allowing a currency union.

It's like they have some problem understanding what politics looks like to the rest of the UK. Ed Milliband would be very foolish indeed to categorically rule out a formal coalition when the polls are predicting a hung parliament with the SNP as the third biggest party, if he doesn't mean to keep that promise. And yet the SNP, just like in the referendum, think it is OK to go around telling people that the Scots know what is best for the English, and it just happens to be what the Scots want.

It's ridiculous. And yet I'd bet there are plenty of Scottish people who swallow it down without question.

[AutomaticEarth]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2015-32472190

Nicola Sturgeon: Miliband 'will have to change tune' on SNP

Now this is why I really do not like the SNP. Do we really have to listen to more of this cr*p? They spent the entire referendum campaign telling everybody that the westminster establishment would "change its tune" on allowing a currency union.

It's like they have some problem understanding what politics looks like to the rest of the UK. Ed Milliband would be very foolish indeed to categorically rule out a formal coalition when the polls are predicting a hung parliament with the SNP as the third biggest party, if he doesn't mean to keep that promise. And yet the SNP, just like in the referendum, think it is OK to go around telling people that the Scots know what is best for the English, and it just happens to be what the Scots want.

It's ridiculous. And yet I'd bet there are plenty of Scottish people who swallow it down without question.

The problem is that the SNP are seen to wield too much power over the rest of the UK - ie they have too many seats for the population they have. As of yet, I (or anyone AFAIK in Northern Ireland or Wales), are unable to vote for the SNP at this time.

I'd go a bit a bit easier on the Scots - as one of them said to be today - 'if it's so good up there, what am I doing down here?' made me laugh.

Anyway, who cares? It's only Labour who are suffering with the rise of the SNP - they are effectively gone in Scotland.

[Tarrel]

The problem is that the SNP are seen to wield too much power over the rest of the UK - ie they have too many seats for the population they have. As of yet, I (or anyone AFAIK in Northern Ireland or Wales), are unable to vote for the SNP at this time.

That may be the perception but, in actual fact, Scottish seats represent around 10% of the total number in the Commons, which equates to their roughly 10% share of the UK population.

If the Scots choose to elect the SNP to the majority of those seats, it is their democratic right. If the English choose to split theirs roughly equally between tories and labour, that is also their choice.

Either way, the make-up of the Commons is going to be interesting after May 7th.

[Little John]

Hang on a minute. Some of you complain that the SNP want out of the UK but also complain when, as a legitimate part of the UK, the Scottish vote is seen to potentially have an effect on the policy of the UK as a whole via the SNP being the democratically elected largest party in Scotland. You don't get to have it both ways,

[Little John]

....in actual fact, Scottish seats represent around 10% of the total number in the Commons, which equates to their roughly 10% share of the UK population......

exactly