Britain - The Official Thread

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How will you vote in the 2024 UK General Election?

  • Conservative Party

    Votes: 2 6.9%

  • Green Party

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Labour Party

    Votes: 14 48.3%

  • Liberal Democrats

    Votes: 2 6.9%

  • Other (Wales/Scotland/Northern Ireland)

    Votes: 1 3.4%

  • Other Independents

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Other Parties

    Votes: 2 6.9%

  • Spoiled Ballot

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Will Not/Cannot Vote

    Votes: 8 27.6%
  • Total voters
    29
  • Poll closed .
KSaiyu
It is your contention that the sole motive for his fixing of planning permission of a Mosque, a man who has defended the Queen's Road Mosque and refused to condemn the death threats against a Leyton Imam who held a debate on Islam and evolution is one of self interest? Someone who left the Labour party in disgrace following suspension for his conduct in bringing his religious agenda to the fore?

You....you want to stand there and still call me the forum Islamophobe? Seriously? :lol:
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Almost. I said that dishonest people act in their own interests, not that Akram acted solely in self-interest. Somebody didn't read the post.

I take no issue with discussing Akram's dishonesty.

The reason I believe that you're Islamophobic is your incessantly blinkered view in which the-few-are-the-many. Statements like your latest

KSaiyu
An interesting case is at the top left, where there's a cluster of Labour seats showing red. This is Greater Manchester, the scene of the Rochdale grooming gangs....
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only serve to reinforce that view, in my opinion. Why even make a point of Rochdale in this context? What's actually interesting about those areas is their history of allegiance to a unionised labour party and the resultant shift in the balance since New Labour.

It's all I really expect from you by now after you've explained to us how all Muslims are looking to destroy Western society, based on your extensive experience way beyond that of anyone else in the discussion.

KSaiyu
I have to mingle in the Birmingham, Bradford and Leicester ghettos to experience the real world.
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Really.
 
TenEightyOne
Almost. I said that dishonest people act in their own interests, not that Akram acted solely in self-interest. Somebody didn't read the post.

I take no issue with discussing Akram's dishonesty.
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So if it's not solely in self-interest, what would be the other factor...

TenEightyOne
only serve to reinforce that view, in my opinion. Why even make a point of Rochdale in this context? What's actually interesting about those areas is their history of allegiance to a unionised labour party and the resultant shift in the balance since New Labour.
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Why make a point of Rochdale? Do you really view the world so innocently?

TenEightyOne
It's all I really expect from you by now after you've explained to us how all Muslims are looking to destroy Western society, based on your extensive experience way beyond that of anyone else in the discussion.
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Proof plea...oh what's the point, you won't find it.

TenEightyOne
Really.
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Huh?
 
It amuses me how some people in 2015 still throw around the 'Islamophobe' accusation, as if it would mean anything to their opponent.
 
That is just like The Left and the overly PC crowd to use trite terms as a pejorative and dismiss their opponents!
 
Apparently my vote is worth 0.276 and my constituency is described as "fairly safe". Latest Ashcroft polling has shown it's a three horse race between Lab/Con/Lib here.........

I know what they're getting at but using 2010 data ignores a lot of the swings we've had since then, depending on where you look. Searched some Scottish constituencies and most come up as very safe Labour seats where you vote means squat apparently.........tell that to SNP voters!

I like how West Belfast in the bottom 10 there too, it's a particularly special case really (along with most NI seats) - sure if I was a staunch unionist my vote couldn't do anything.........but if I was I probably wouldn't have been brought up/be living in West Belfast :p

(And not to bang on about it again, but if the government is a coalition then everybody's vote is worth exactly 0...........)
 
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TRGTspecialist
(And not to bang on about it again, but if the government is a coalition then everybody's vote is worth exactly 0...........)
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No. Let's say you're a Labour voter whose constituency returns a Labour MP with a Conservative goverment. That MP votes according to the party whip regardless of who's in power. Let's say that there was actually a Labour or coalition government... your MP still votes the same way.

If you're worried about inequality in policy and law then you should really turn your attention to the Upper House.
 
0.154

48% of votes discarded.

48.50% did not vote for the winning candidate in 2010. These votes count for nothing in the First Past the Post system.

Interesting.... I'm making a trip to essentially throw my voting slip into the bin. Why do I tell my sister men died for this again?
 
I put in my Dad's postcode in Birmingham, and I got a score of 0.499.
 
TenEightyOne
No. Let's say you're a Labour voter whose constituency returns a Labour MP with a Conservative goverment. That MP votes according to the party whip regardless of who's in power. Let's say that there was actually a Labour or coalition government... your MP still votes the same way.
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They will vote the same way, but if they're part of the coalition, the party whip and what they're voting on may have changed according to the coalition deal, which is my point. The policies/pledges people use to go "ah yes I want them to represent me and this party to govern" no longer apply. 2010 Lib Dem voters neither got their MP in opposition voting (mostly) against the government, nor in government voting for what they pledged. My bottom line still is, if Coalition X isn't an option on the ballot paper, then how can anyone vote for it?
 
Voter power 0.045 :lol:

This is why I don't bother voting - there's more chance of the sun not rising over the horizon tomorrow morning than Runnymede & Weybridge not electing a Conservative MP. Better things to do with the time.

If Labour get in I will still complain... and if they align with the SDP I will complain even more.
 
TRGTspecialist
if Coalition X isn't an option on the ballot paper, then how can anyone vote for it?
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There will be no option on your ballot paper for David Cameron, Nick Clegg, Ed Milliband and so on. You vote for your MP, not for a government. The makeup of the government that's returned is purely a function of that.

TRGTspecialist
They will vote the same way, but if they're part of the coalition, the party whip and what they're voting on may have changed according to the coalition deal, which is my point.
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But if they continue to vote according to the manifesto for which you chose them then nothing has changed. No manifesto predicts the bills of the next 5 years though. If a politician turns tail and starts standing completely differently on matters then that's another issue and nothing to do with the Cabinet make-up.

TRGTspecialist
2010 Lib Dem voters neither got their MP in opposition voting (mostly) against the government, nor in government voting for what they pledged.
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That's true but I'd say that the Lib Dems have pretty much disgraced themselves in the last government, at least in the eyes of a lot of people who voted for them based on their strong manifesto. That behaviour isn't a necessary nor normal part of coalition.

Did you look at the Upper House and their (unelected) role in policy-making?
 
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Stotty
Voter power 0.045 :lol:

This is why I don't bother voting - there's more chance of the sun not rising over the horizon tomorrow morning than Runnymede & Weybridge not electing a Conservative MP. Better things to do with the time.

If Labour get in I will still complain... and if they align with the SDP I will complain even more.
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Weybridge. I know it well. Everywhere is either a shop, house worth at least 300k or green space.
 
haitch40
Weybridge. I know it well. Everywhere is either a shop, house worth at least 300k or green space.
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£300k? You might get a 2 bed flat for that but a 2 bed cottage can cost half a million plus :lol:

It's a lovely place to live though... green, good transport links, very safe, good shopping/eating, good golf courses :)
 
Stotty
£300k? You might get a 2 bed flat for that but a 2 bed cottage can cost half a million plus :lol:

It's a lovely place to live though... green, good transport links, very safe, good shopping/eating, good golf courses :)
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True. That was a bit on the cheap end.
Although my sister has an old 2 bed house that needed a bit of work doing to it for about the same in Chertsey.

Her dad has a place worth nearly 1m and that is a semi although quite a large semi.


I feel like I am really odd though because that area is my background yet I am a socialist.
 
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TenEightyOne
There will be no option on your ballot paper for David Cameron, Nick Clegg, Ed Milliband and so on. You vote for your MP, not for a government. The makeup of the government that's returned is purely a function of that.
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Well since our system mixes two things into one election - constituency representative and governing party - I would argue that voting must take both into account. But since an MP is a representative of the party I'd imagine for a lot if not most voters they are one and the same. And I agree, the party leader influence is a separate thing entirely.

TenEightyOne
But if they continue to vote according to the manifesto for which you chose them then nothing has changed. No manifesto predicts the bills of the next 5 years though. If a politician turns tail and starts standing completely differently on matters then that's another issue and nothing to do with the Cabinet make-up.
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But if they are in coalition then they won't vote according to their manifesto; the manifesto has to change so that both coalition parties will vote the same way and create a workable majority government. And since the 2010 coalition manifesto was produced after the election (in sickly green, fittingly), it wasn't something anyone could use to decide their vote - not until now, anyway.

TenEightyOne
That's true but I'd say that the Lib Dems have pretty much disgraced themselves in the last government, at least in the eyes of a lot of people who voted for them based on their strong manifesto. That behaviour isn't a necessary nor normal part of coalition.
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For better or worse looks like we'll be finding out if the Lib Dems' behaviour was normal or not in a matter of weeks :p

TenEightyOne
Did you look at the Upper House and their (unelected) role in policy-making?
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I'm well aware of the problems with the Lords - I think I'm in favour of it becoming an elected senate, although if that just made it a clone of the Commons then it would fail to serve it's purpose. It's not something I want to discuss though if that's OK - moaning about one part of parliament at a time is all I can manage :D
 
So Ed has a large following of teenage girls. :lol:

So that's why he wants 16 year olds to vote.
 

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