Congrats to the Labor party today.......

[GepperRankins]

My understanding is that you basically had all your votes split three ways, ergo the winning party (Blair's) is a political rather than an absolute majority, and that the remaining 66-67% are by no means similarly enough-minded to effectively oppose the Labour party.

In any case, considering that one of the parties on the sidelines in the U.K. is Conservative, and must, by virtue of Blair having remained in office, be worth approximately a third of the vote also, or all you liberals would all be jumping for joy because you'd have won, rather than Blair, right?

Either that, or Blair's party is worth a good bit more than the aforementioned 33%...

Have you been experimenting with a "newer" new math?

I mention all this by way of pointing out that since your neighbor on the sidelines is even further from you politically than Blair's Labour party (and would likely get my vote were I a citizen there), the overwhelming evidence lends to my conclusion that the U.K., as represented in this forum, is indeed not politically reflective of the larger population over there.

umm... err... come again?


after reading that a few times i think i know what you're saying... but you're wrong IMO.


theres too many idiots that vote labour and maybe some conservative that vote their way because newspapers told them too or they just have for as long as they can remember. they don't consider the options they just think "i vote so-and-so, cos that's what i do".

there's also been, i reckon, the same basic arguements in most peoples' mind;
"tony blair's an arse, so i'll get him out and vote conservative"
"tony blair's an arse, but a conservative government would be worse, i'll vote labour"
"lib-dems would be good but no-one else will vote for them, so i'll vote against labour or conservative"

something like that anyway, but i feel i'm babbling. it's past my bedtime


p.s. i'm not saying all labour or conservative voters are stupid. i'm saying those who don't actually know why they vote fluck up democracy, so they just shouldn't vote.

[Busyman]

The day I bend to the colonies will be my last.

Our national anthem reflects not bending to the British. Cool

I hear it before every sports game.

[uNz[i]]

Our national anthem reflects not bending to the British. Cool

I hear it before every sports game.

We know, we know.

[bigboab]

Our national anthem reflects not bending to the British. Cool

I hear it before every sports game.

You mean you are forced to hear it before every sports game. If they played it at the end most people would just leave. As happened here when they played it in the theatres and movies 40 years ago and more. They eventually dropped playing it.

[JPaul]

I am one of the no-thinking idiots who vote labour, without knowing the reason why.

Having said that I've not known why for quite a long time. Including the heights of the last Conservative Government.

Feck my idiocy goes right back to the time when huge quantities of the countries assets, including housing and telecommunications were sold-off in order to finance inept management of the economy.

[GepperRankins]

I am one of the no-thinking idiots who vote labour, without knowing the reason why.

Having said that I've not known why for quite a long time. Including the heights of the last Conservative Government.

Feck my idiocy goes right back to the time when huge quantities of the countries assets, including housing and telecommunications were sold-off in order to finance inept management of the economy.

so that's why you don't vote conservative, but there's other parties out there. why vote labour over them?

[lynx]

I am one of the no-thinking idiots who vote labour, without knowing the reason why.

Having said that I've not known why for quite a long time. Including the heights of the last Conservative Government.

Feck my idiocy goes right back to the time when huge quantities of the countries assets, including housing and telecommunications were sold-off in order to finance inept management of the economy.

No-thinking is right. Just hoodwinked by Alistair "Goebbels" Campbell's propoganda spin.

What's changed since Labour took office in '97? Massive tax increases, millions looking forward to pension deficits, catastrophic housing price increases and unheard of levels of private borrowing caused by irresponsible loss of control of interest rates, extortionate increases in local government taxation and absolutely no improvement in public services. And absolutely no change in the attitude by government to the very things you complain about.

One thing people seem to have overlooked. There's been massive private borrowing, which means that record levels of VAT have been collected on the things bought with that borrowing. When the borrowing stops, and it must soon, so does the VAT income. How is the government going to fill that little gap?

Phew, at least when Blair goes and Brown takes over that will all change, won't it. Won't it? It's Brown who is responsible for this economic "miracle", not Blair. God help us all.

[Biggles]

My understanding is that you basically had all your votes split three ways, ergo the winning party (Blair's) is a political rather than an absolute majority, and that the remaining 66-67% are by no means similarly enough-minded to effectively oppose the Labour party.

In any case, considering that one of the parties on the sidelines in the U.K. is Conservative, and must, by virtue of Blair having remained in office, be worth approximately a third of the vote also, or all you liberals would all be jumping for joy because you'd have won, rather than Blair, right?

Either that, or Blair's party is worth a good bit more than the aforementioned 33%...

Have you been experimenting with a "newer" new math?

I mention all this by way of pointing out that since your neighbor on the sidelines is even further from you politically than Blair's Labour party (and would likely get my vote were I a citizen there), the overwhelming evidence lends to my conclusion that the U.K., as represented in this forum, is indeed not politically reflective of the larger population over there.

Labour got 36% of the vote Tories 33%, Liberals 23% and other parties 8%

Because of the way the votes split in individual constituencies, Labour got 356 seats, Tories 197, Liberals 62 and others 30 (with one seat still up for grabs as one of the candidates died during the campaign) On the whole the Liberals and the Others are more likely to side with Labour than the Tories (with the exception of the 9 DUP MPs)

Much is made of Blairs reduced majority. However as the 5 Sinn Fein members won't come to Westminster he has a working majority of 71. This is generally considered pretty damned good (when not being compared to record landslides). What Blair has to be mindful of is that those Labour MPs who were vociferous against the war and some of his more authoritarian moves on liberty increased their vote, whereas those who lost their seats were his most loyal backbench supporters. In short the electorate has retained Labour comfortably in power but strengthened the hand of the left wing.

On the whole, it would appear that Mr Blair is aware of this message and appears content to knuckle down and get on with things that really matter - like his promise to improve the NHS (although I have to say that my experience so far with my daughter going through various tests and consultations is that they are, in some areas at least, already pretty damned good). Hopefully, there will be no more madcap foreign adventures but I guess the European Constitution is just around the corner - if the French don't put that to bed we will no doubt be up to our ears in Yes/No referendum pamphlets.

For the record, I am never entirely sure why I vote the way I do either.

[JPaul]

so that's why you don't vote conservative, but there's other parties out there. why vote labour over them?

Because, in my opinion they are the best party to lead the country. From both an economic point of view and a social justice point of view.

I do not think that they are perfect, far from it, however I do believe that they are the best of what is available.

[GepperRankins]

Because, in my opinion they are the best party to lead the country. From both an economic point of view and a social justice point of view.

I do not think that they are perfect, far from it, however I do believe that they are the best of what is available.

fair enough. but you're not "no-thinking" like some people are.