Referendum

[highlandsflyer]

As said earlier if people don't understand the new system they shouldn't be allowed to vote.

If those "people" are good enough to pay taxes into this country, then as far as I'm concerned, they're good enough to get a vote. Denying the vote to some poor sod simply because they don't understand the complex electoral contrivances of the political classes is a ridiculous suggestion. If the average man-in-the-street can't understand WTF is going on in British politics, then the onus is on the political classes to pull their heads out of their own arses and try harder at communicating with the ordinary people who provide them with power, privilege and a big, fat pension.

Got to agree with this.

Even amongst my group of friends there is a huge variety of responses to the question, "Why are you voting for ----?".

I would not dream of suggesting someone should not be allowed to vote on the basis of their understanding of the system, no more than I would suggest someone is denied the vote on the basis they would not consider voting for any other party than the one their father voted for...

 

[Neil]

As said earlier if people don't understand the new system they shouldn't be allowed to vote.

If those "people" are good enough to pay taxes into this country, then as far as I'm concerned, they're good enough to get a vote. Denying the vote to some poor sod simply because they don't understand the complex electoral contrivances of the political classes is a ridiculous suggestion. If the average man-in-the-street can't understand WTF is going on in British politics, then the onus is on the political classes to pull their heads out of their own arses and try harder at communicating with the ordinary people who provide them with power, privilege and a big, fat pension.

Agreed.

Clapham omnibus.


yes, I know, it's almost tantamount to a mixed metaphor

 

[Neil]

Would it not be better to force them to compromise some of the policies that the majority of voters were not strongly enough in favour of to vote for them as their first preference?

HF, that is a spectacularly good argument.

It took a string of election failures from 1979 to 1992 to force the Labour party to re-think its policies and re-write its manifesto to be more in line with what the people of the country actually wanted.

If we had had proportional representation in 1979, we could have had a Lib-Lab coalition throughout the 1980s whose policies would have been agreeable to Lenin.... *shudders*

You've only to read Blair's book to realise that he is largely of that view.

And yes, I know he had an axe to grind, the whole "All you need is me..." and New Labour, but all the same, there's a certain cyclical nature to it, plus progressives that realise that compromise is significant, and dogma and traditions are more often than not, millstones.

 

[Drencrom]

Clapham omnibus.

Who wants to be bald.

 

[Neil]

Clapham omnibus.

Who wants to be bald.

Bowler hat.

 

[highlandsflyer]

I wouldn't mind being bald.

Save a lot of hassle.

Anyhoo, I got in a bit late to catch Question Time, but apparently AV was being discussed so going to take a look now.

It is really interesting to have something like this being discussed widely, a lot of people are actually finding out things about the system.

Now will they want to know more?

 

[JohnH]

It is really interesting to have something like this being discussed widely, a lot of people are actually finding out things about the system.

Now will they want to know more?

Maybe, maybe not. The subject of this referendum is the choice of a small political elite.

However, I would bet good money that the people of this country would be far more interested if we were offered a "Let's get the f*** out of the EU" referendum, rather than some Lib-Dem wet dream about electoral reform.

 

[highlandsflyer]

But I don't think it is up to us to kick the French out of the EU.

 

[cyfa2809]

But I don't think it is up to us to kick the French out of the EU.

haha