To those who felt that I had been conned by iDave, I would merely say that I am of the same view as the Englishman.
Cameron – He is still wrong on Europe and green policies, still waffling on the need for cuts and downsizing. He has already lost, if a Tory can’t build and maintain a consistent lead over this Labour government then there is something very wrong. But we need him in No.10 as there is no other option, but only just. He needs to know every day that we didn’t want him to win, just not lose as badly as the others.
I haven’t been conned at all. My eyes are wide open. We have a lousy choice – well, you have, I have no say in this one. As for PR, well, I have mixed views. FPTP is a pretty awful system with its safe seats and huge majorities on the back of a minority vote, but PR isn’t a panacea either. Democracy is pretty shit whichever way you look at it. It just isn’t as shit as the other systems.
I feel pretty much the same way, I’d rather “Call me Dave” was in power on Friday than either Clegg or Brown. But that’s only because I know UKIP, the English Democrats or LPUK can’t win, not yet anyway.
Still not going to vote for his party though.
It’s the spectre of another Labour government that keeps the other parties out of the mainstream at the moment.
I just could not imagine what those idiots would do if they got another five years.
And I’d be MORE than happy to take back my ‘you’ve been conned’ comment if Ca Moron does end up in power (even as part of a coalition) and does have as ‘the centrepiece of the next Queen’s speech’ is this ‘great repeal bill’.
But I can’t see it happening.
If he is elected I suspect other things will be way more pressing than what is listed in that Times article. Specifically that which you highlighted – from the first paragraph – “This would scrap ID cards, home information packs and dozens of rarely enforced criminal offences introduced by Labour over 13 years.”
PR (or whatever fudge they come up with) is no panacea – but it is NOT FPTP – and it is that which keeps smaller parties out of any say in how the state is run – and this effectively disenfranchises millions. A change is long overdue.
There’s only one way that we will find out, isn’t there? I certainly haven’t been conned, both the Tories and the LibDems have been consistent on this one. And, frankly, in the short term, a Cameron victory with a small majority – or even a minority government is the least worst outcome. Anything that has Labour having a part in government will be more of what we have had for the past thirteen years.
I will always have mixed feelings on changing the system. I hate the present one as it delivers large majorities that are undeserved. When Labour won its landslide in 1997, I felt it a good thing after the uncertainty of Major’s minority administration. How wrong can you be? A smaller majority that can be overturned by rebels against a bad bill is a good thing and a smaller majority might have seen the ID cards bill, for example, killed stone dead. Certainly the 42 days detention would have died sooner than it did.
PR – well that all depends on the system adopted. What it can do is entrench the party toadies whom we can never eject. It can also give those small parties a disproportionate voice, thereby disenfranchising millions of others.
As I see it, it’s a no win situation. One approach may be a bit less bad than another. But both are bad, both lead to a tyranny of the majority – or minority. Whatever happens, the politicians and bureaucrats will continue to shit on us.