Insects are probably the best protein source, but not my favourite!
Eating flies is not high on my list
You can train effectively for our future insectivorous existence by simply riding a bicycle round the reservoir. Non-optional insect eating guaranteed.
On topic, 5-1 on a party just four points behind (UNS klaxon notwithstanding) is still value, right?
5/1 is spoken as "5-1 against". "5-1 on" means 1/5, not 5/1
Not watching, but going by the Guardian commentary, it will be amusing to watch all those attacking Biden having to get behind him if he wins the nomination.
I just woke up and looked at the clock, and realised my fellow LDs are just now going out on their EM delivery runs all across B&R.
Downthread somebody talked about expectations management, with this now seen as a by-election the LibDems must win. Aside from the implications for parliament and the political narrative, this will matter inside the party also. The party has come together for this campaign in a way that hasn’t really been seen since before the coalition (Eastleigh possibly excepted, although that was unusual for so many reasons). It really does feel like the winning days are back, and activists have travelled from all across the UK, even making day trips where travel time has exceeded campaigning time. The impact on morale of either a win or a loss will be considerable.
Doubling, trebling down on this disaster. How on earth are they all going to bluster their way out of this one?
They are not. It will be No Deal Brexit on the 31st, though the initial shocks will be modest. In the longer term the end of the UK and quite likely the Conservative party. Cummings likes to break things.
So the “initial shocks” will now be “modest”? More apocalyptic nonsense that displays little understanding of the direction of the EU nor its inherent weaknesses and contradictions.
I voted ‘remain’ but have co e to change my view. It is immensely tiresome to see this debate framed endlessly in the context of the UK alone, and not of the broader contradictions or unsustainability of the current EU polity and model. Permanent recession in Southern Europe is not a prognosis for stability, regardless of Brexit. And that is what the EU and the euro portend.
We are better off out.
I have always predicted that Brexit goes with a whimper, but is corrosive in the longer term to British prospects. Not just economically, though that matters, but also socially, culturally and politically. I am not one to predict apocalypse, though do concede that I am in the safest of safe jobs. There will always be ill people.
People like Cummings are not conservatives, they are revolutionaries.
It is the Reformation. It is a break with corrupt and increasingly illegitimate corporatism.
In years to come it will be seen as farsighted. That is not how I initially saw it but I have changed my mind.
Lol. Yet big money probably has less influence within the EU than in the US or Uk.
There really is a lot of nonsense spouted on this thread about scotland, usually repetitions of lazy English journalists like Adam Boulton. The Nats are not nearly as popular as they make out - the collapse of Labour is disguising the waning popularity of nationalism, despite Brexit.
Yes, the next administration in Scotland will probably be a Conservative one, although it won't be a majority government.
That is an extremely brave call!
It might take a few more elections. The SNP are bound to run out of steam eventually.
Ah. I see you are predicting next administration after the SNP. Thought you were predicting a Tory administration after the next Holyrood poll. Not quite such a bold prognostication.
It'll be difficult for the Tories to find coalition partners. Maybe it would be a minority arrangement with an agreement from the LDs not to vote them down.
I just woke up and looked at the clock, and realised my fellow LDs are just now going out on their EM delivery runs all across B&R.
Downthread somebody talked about expectations management, with this now seen as a by-election the LibDems must win. Aside from the implications for parliament and the political narrative, this will matter inside the party also. The party has come together for this campaign in a way that hasn’t really been seen since before the coalition (Eastleigh possibly excepted, although that was unusual for so many reasons). It really does feel like the winning days are back, and activists have travelled from all across the UK, even making day trips where travel time has exceeded campaigning time. The impact on morale of either a win or a loss will be considerable.
Meanwhile on BF the Tories are in to just over 6.
Lib Dems to win by 5-7000.. this is now reverse expectations management. They have this in the bag and have had for the last 6 weeks. Even CCHQ know they are going to lose and lose by some margin
I do worry that, whatever the outcome of today’s by-election, the Lib Dems are fighting the last war. The party’s digital efforts have been non-existent verging on pitiful... and meanwhile Wormtongue Cummings is now installed in No 10. You can’t win a GE on Focus leaflets alone.
Does anyone know whether or not they start counting the votes at 10pm tomorrow in Brecon & Radnorshire?
No.
But I did google the local council and found that one of the polling stations only has 14 voters, the next one up has a massive 17.
The Great British democracy in action!
So some poor sods will be manning a polling station for 15 hours and probably seeing just 5 voters! (Unless they all did PVs!)
Googled and got - Poll clerk fees vary from one council to another, but you can expect at least £100 for the day. There are seemingly a lot poorer sods working far harder for far less.
£100 for 15 hours? That's below the minimum wage, so I presume you only do part of the day for that.
Nope, there at 0600 until past 2200. Many people I know enjoy the experience, though most of them are presiding officers who get a bit more. The visiting officers had it even better but this latest time got no more than the presiding officers.
Sounds awful to me, being at the count is way better - sure it is going through the night, but I'd probably be up anyway and get just as much money for less time, and the excitement of seeing the result (for locals anyway, the parliamentary is safe so no excitement).
And it doesn’t need a days holiday, so that is on top of normal salary. Yes, many people who work in local government enjoy it, for the responsibility, the interaction with the public, and the affirmation of their role within our political process and history.
Although I wouldn’t fancy one with a handful of voters, for sure. I bet they are not allowed to close up even if everyone’s voted.
I do worry that, whatever the outcome of today’s by-election, the Lib Dems are fighting the last war. The party’s digital efforts have been non-existent verging on pitiful... and meanwhile Wormtongue Cummings is now installed in No 10. You can’t win a GE on Focus leaflets alone.
Funnily enough I was just thinking the same. It’s a very sophisticated operation, involving a lot of technology, whose end product is still knocking on and posting stuff through doors. The only caveat is whether as a visiting activist I would be able to see an effective digital campaign if there was one?
The Tories and BXP Ltd. seem to be relying on direct mail, which is not that much more modern.
I do worry that, whatever the outcome of today’s by-election, the Lib Dems are fighting the last war. The party’s digital efforts have been non-existent verging on pitiful... and meanwhile Wormtongue Cummings is now installed in No 10. You can’t win a GE on Focus leaflets alone.
I just woke up and looked at the clock, and realised my fellow LDs are just now going out on their EM delivery runs all across B&R.
Downthread somebody talked about expectations management, with this now seen as a by-election the LibDems must win. Aside from the implications for parliament and the political narrative, this will matter inside the party also. The party has come together for this campaign in a way that hasn’t really been seen since before the coalition (Eastleigh possibly excepted, although that was unusual for so many reasons). It really does feel like the winning days are back, and activists have travelled from all across the UK, even making day trips where travel time has exceeded campaigning time. The impact on morale of either a win or a loss will be considerable.
Meanwhile on BF the Tories are in to just over 6.
Lib Dems to win by 5-7000.. this is now reverse expectations management. They have this in the bag and have had for the last 6 weeks. Even CCHQ know they are going to lose and lose by some margin
It felt that way up until this week, and you may still be right. The Eastleigh style split in the Leaver vote gave the LDs a considerable advantage, since it was obvious from the start that the Remain vote would mostly come their way. It’s the visible shift from BXP to Tory as Bozo has taken office that has, surprisingly belatedly, driven the odds much closer.
One factoid from the campaign is the LD view that there is an 85% correlation between referendum vote and by-election intention,
If it is close, it may well be the BXP Ltd. pensioners being too keen to post back their postal ballots that won it for the LibDems.
I do worry that, whatever the outcome of today’s by-election, the Lib Dems are fighting the last war. The party’s digital efforts have been non-existent verging on pitiful... and meanwhile Wormtongue Cummings is now installed in No 10. You can’t win a GE on Focus leaflets alone.
You can in Brecon and Radnor
Provided you have the volunteers to deliver them. That the LDs are attempting an early morning delivery today is remarkable.
I do worry that, whatever the outcome of today’s by-election, the Lib Dems are fighting the last war. The party’s digital efforts have been non-existent verging on pitiful... and meanwhile Wormtongue Cummings is now installed in No 10. You can’t win a GE on Focus leaflets alone.
You can in Brecon and Radnor
Provided you have the volunteers to deliver them. That the LDs are attempting an early morning delivery today is remarkable.
It will only be in the higher density housing areas..i doubt remote farmhouses will get a dawn raid
I do worry that, whatever the outcome of today’s by-election, the Lib Dems are fighting the last war. The party’s digital efforts have been non-existent verging on pitiful... and meanwhile Wormtongue Cummings is now installed in No 10. You can’t win a GE on Focus leaflets alone.
I don't think this is entirely true.
The LibDem leadership election was electronic and very slick. I only had to click a simple link sent to me by email and I'd voted. Just like that, as Tommy Cooper might say.
The Tory leadership election, by contrast, was an exercise in C19th bungledom.
Additionally, the LibDems have been very, very, on the ball with e-mobilisation. I've had a succession of targeted emails for B&R activity.
They may not, yet, be as Machiavellian as Cummings with their social media targeting but in lots of other ways the LibDems are ahead of the game. If we could combine that macro-level messaging with the brilliant local ground work we'd be even more formidable.
There really is a lot of nonsense spouted on this thread about scotland, usually repetitions of lazy English journalists like Adam Boulton. The Nats are not nearly as popular as they make out - the collapse of Labour is disguising the waning popularity of nationalism, despite Brexit.
Yes, the next administration in Scotland will probably be a Conservative one, although it won't be a majority government.
That is an extremely brave call!
It might take a few more elections. The SNP are bound to run out of steam eventually.
Ah. I see you are predicting next administration after the SNP. Thought you were predicting a Tory administration after the next Holyrood poll. Not quite such a bold prognostication.
It'll be difficult for the Tories to find coalition partners. Maybe it would be a minority arrangement with an agreement from the LDs not to vote them down.
I think it's going to be difficult for *anyone* to find coalition partners the next time the Scottish Parliament returns a more "traditional" result i.e. one party not with or close to an outright majority.
The political mindset has drifted back towards a FPTP style of thought, one party having a working majority and the rest doing what they can to vote it down, despite the fact that it's a PR-type set up that was designed to effectively force parties to collaborate on legislation.
I just woke up and looked at the clock, and realised my fellow LDs are just now going out on their EM delivery runs all across B&R.
Downthread somebody talked about expectations management, with this now seen as a by-election the LibDems must win. Aside from the implications for parliament and the political narrative, this will matter inside the party also. The party has come together for this campaign in a way that hasn’t really been seen since before the coalition (Eastleigh possibly excepted, although that was unusual for so many reasons). It really does feel like the winning days are back, and activists have travelled from all across the UK, even making day trips where travel time has exceeded campaigning time. The impact on morale of either a win or a loss will be considerable.
Meanwhile on BF the Tories are in to just over 6.
Lib Dems to win by 5-7000.. this is now reverse expectations management. They have this in the bag and have had for the last 6 weeks. Even CCHQ know they are going to lose and lose by some margin
I just woke up and looked at the clock, and realised my fellow LDs are just now going out on their EM delivery runs all across B&R.
Downthread somebody talked about expectations management, with this now seen as a by-election the LibDems must win. Aside from the implications for parliament and the political narrative, this will matter inside the party also. The party has come together for this campaign in a way that hasn’t really been seen since before the coalition (Eastleigh possibly excepted, although that was unusual for so many reasons). It really does feel like the winning days are back, and activists have travelled from all across the UK, even making day trips where travel time has exceeded campaigning time. The impact on morale of either a win or a loss will be considerable.
Meanwhile on BF the Tories are in to just over 6.
Lib Dems to win by 5-7000.. this is now reverse expectations management. They have this in the bag and have had for the last 6 weeks. Even CCHQ know they are going to lose and lose by some margin
There really is a lot of nonsense spouted on this thread about scotland, usually repetitions of lazy English journalists like Adam Boulton. The Nats are not nearly as popular as they make out - the collapse of Labour is disguising the waning popularity of nationalism, despite Brexit.
Yes, the next administration in Scotland will probably be a Conservative one, although it won't be a majority government.
That is an extremely brave call!
It might take a few more elections. The SNP are bound to run out of steam eventually.
Ah. I see you are predicting next administration after the SNP. Thought you were predicting a Tory administration after the next Holyrood poll. Not quite such a bold prognostication.
It'll be difficult for the Tories to find coalition partners. Maybe it would be a minority arrangement with an agreement from the LDs not to vote them down.
I think it's going to be difficult for *anyone* to find coalition partners the next time the Scottish Parliament returns a more "traditional" result i.e. one party not with or close to an outright majority.
The political mindset has drifted back towards a FPTP style of thought, one party having a working majority and the rest doing what they can to vote it down, despite the fact that it's a PR-type set up that was designed to effectively force parties to collaborate on legislation.
The system of voting used for Scotland and Wales was always a shambles, and also profoundly undemocratic. It means, for example, that Labour will always win most seats in Wales unless it dips below about 25% of the vote.
It urgently needs reform. In fact, that has been recognised for many years. It's just nobody has cared enough to do anything about it.
I do worry that, whatever the outcome of today’s by-election, the Lib Dems are fighting the last war. The party’s digital efforts have been non-existent verging on pitiful... and meanwhile Wormtongue Cummings is now installed in No 10. You can’t win a GE on Focus leaflets alone.
You can in Brecon and Radnor
Provided you have the volunteers to deliver them. That the LDs are attempting an early morning delivery today is remarkable.
It will only be in the higher density housing areas..i doubt remote farmhouses will get a dawn raid
For sure. But a lot of the higher density areas - such as the holiday parks - are extremely difficult to deliver, especially early in the morning, and especially if the delivery is filtered.
I do worry that, whatever the outcome of today’s by-election, the Lib Dems are fighting the last war. The party’s digital efforts have been non-existent verging on pitiful... and meanwhile Wormtongue Cummings is now installed in No 10. You can’t win a GE on Focus leaflets alone.
You can in Brecon and Radnor
Provided you have the volunteers to deliver them. That the LDs are attempting an early morning delivery today is remarkable.
It will only be in the higher density housing areas..i doubt remote farmhouses will get a dawn raid
And, coincidentally, they are the households least in need of one.
I just woke up and looked at the clock, and realised my fellow LDs are just now going out on their EM delivery runs all across B&R.
Downthread somebody talked about expectations management, with this now seen as a by-election the LibDems must win. Aside from the implications for parliament and the political narrative, this will matter inside the party also. The party has come together for this campaign in a way that hasn’t really been seen since before the coalition (Eastleigh possibly excepted, although that was unusual for so many reasons). It really does feel like the winning days are back, and activists have travelled from all across the UK, even making day trips where travel time has exceeded campaigning time. The impact on morale of either a win or a loss will be considerable.
Meanwhile on BF the Tories are in to just over 6.
Lib Dems to win by 5-7000.. this is now reverse expectations management. They have this in the bag and have had for the last 6 weeks. Even CCHQ know they are going to lose and lose by some margin
I do worry that, whatever the outcome of today’s by-election, the Lib Dems are fighting the last war. The party’s digital efforts have been non-existent verging on pitiful... and meanwhile Wormtongue Cummings is now installed in No 10. You can’t win a GE on Focus leaflets alone.
You can in Brecon and Radnor
Provided you have the volunteers to deliver them. That the LDs are attempting an early morning delivery today is remarkable.
It will only be in the higher density housing areas..i doubt remote farmhouses will get a dawn raid
For sure. But a lot of the higher density areas - such as the holiday parks - are extremely difficult to deliver, especially early in the morning, and especially if the delivery is filtered.
I do worry that, whatever the outcome of today’s by-election, the Lib Dems are fighting the last war. The party’s digital efforts have been non-existent verging on pitiful... and meanwhile Wormtongue Cummings is now installed in No 10. You can’t win a GE on Focus leaflets alone.
I don't think this is entirely true.
The LibDem leadership election was electronic and very slick. I only had to click a simple link sent to me by email and I'd voted. Just like that, as Tommy Cooper might say.
The Tory leadership election, by contrast, was an exercise in C19th bungledom.
Additionally, the LibDems have been very, very, on the ball with e-mobilisation. I've had a succession of targeted emails for B&R activity.
They may not, yet, be as Machiavellian as Cummings with their social media targeting but in lots of other ways the LibDems are ahead of the game. If we could combine that macro-level messaging with the brilliant local ground work we'd be even more formidable.
And with the nature of politics it is unlikely that the traditional ways, especially face to face, will disappear. Rather like radio, they will endure despite predictions of demise.
Email communication is already less valuable than it used to be, in these days of spam, e-newsletters from every company you’ve ever dealt with, and so many jobs reduced to clearing emails. A political e-newsletter is really just a reminder you are there, with most of the content going unread. And how effective can online ads be, however micro-targeted, when more and more people have blockers and they have the same weaknesses as other forms of ad media?
I do worry that, whatever the outcome of today’s by-election, the Lib Dems are fighting the last war. The party’s digital efforts have been non-existent verging on pitiful... and meanwhile Wormtongue Cummings is now installed in No 10. You can’t win a GE on Focus leaflets alone.
You can in Brecon and Radnor
Provided you have the volunteers to deliver them. That the LDs are attempting an early morning delivery today is remarkable.
It will only be in the higher density housing areas..i doubt remote farmhouses will get a dawn raid
For sure. But a lot of the higher density areas - such as the holiday parks - are extremely difficult to deliver, especially early in the morning, and especially if the delivery is filtered.
Do they get a vote in Westminster elections?
The holiday parks date back to an age when a week in a non-mobile home was a luxury for many Brits. The trade has long since disappeared and they are now permanent residential.
Anecdotally it seemed to me to be where locals move when they can no longer cope with the long farmtrack up the hill to their home. The homes are very well looked after, lots of pets, gnomes, hanging baskets, water features, dedicated gardening. And a lot of BXP Ltd. supporters live on them.
There really is a lot of nonsense spouted on this thread about scotland, usually repetitions of lazy English journalists like Adam Boulton. The Nats are not nearly as popular as they make out - the collapse of Labour is disguising the waning popularity of nationalism, despite Brexit.
Yes, the next administration in Scotland will probably be a Conservative one, although it won't be a majority government.
That is an extremely brave call!
It might take a few more elections. The SNP are bound to run out of steam eventually.
Ah. I see you are predicting next administration after the SNP. Thought you were predicting a Tory administration after the next Holyrood poll. Not quite such a bold prognostication.
It'll be difficult for the Tories to find coalition partners. Maybe it would be a minority arrangement with an agreement from the LDs not to vote them down.
I think it's going to be difficult for *anyone* to find coalition partners the next time the Scottish Parliament returns a more "traditional" result i.e. one party not with or close to an outright majority.
The political mindset has drifted back towards a FPTP style of thought, one party having a working majority and the rest doing what they can to vote it down, despite the fact that it's a PR-type set up that was designed to effectively force parties to collaborate on legislation.
The system of voting used for Scotland and Wales was always a shambles, and also profoundly undemocratic. It means, for example, that Labour will always win most seats in Wales unless it dips below about 25% of the vote.
It urgently needs reform. In fact, that has been recognised for many years. It's just nobody has cared enough to do anything about it.
Sorry, but I thought that AMS balanced out parties a bit more than FPTP. Didn't think it meant a built in Lab majority. Of course I'd prefer STV in multi-member constituencies; if it's manageable in RoI, then it ought to manageable in Wales.
I do worry that, whatever the outcome of today’s by-election, the Lib Dems are fighting the last war. The party’s digital efforts have been non-existent verging on pitiful... and meanwhile Wormtongue Cummings is now installed in No 10. You can’t win a GE on Focus leaflets alone.
You can in Brecon and Radnor
Provided you have the volunteers to deliver them. That the LDs are attempting an early morning delivery today is remarkable.
It will only be in the higher density housing areas..i doubt remote farmhouses will get a dawn raid
For sure. But a lot of the higher density areas - such as the holiday parks - are extremely difficult to deliver, especially early in the morning, and especially if the delivery is filtered.
Do they get a vote in Westminster elections?
The holiday parks date back to an age when a week in a non-mobile home was a luxury for many Brits. The trade has long since disappeared and they are now permanent residential.
Anecdotally it seemed to me to be where locals move when they can no longer cope with the long farmtrack up the hill to their home. The homes are very well looked after, lots of pets, gnomes, hanging baskets, water features, dedicated gardening. And a lot of BXP Ltd. supporters live on them.
So they're retirement parks rather than holiday homes?
I do worry that, whatever the outcome of today’s by-election, the Lib Dems are fighting the last war. The party’s digital efforts have been non-existent verging on pitiful... and meanwhile Wormtongue Cummings is now installed in No 10. You can’t win a GE on Focus leaflets alone.
You can in Brecon and Radnor
Provided you have the volunteers to deliver them. That the LDs are attempting an early morning delivery today is remarkable.
It will only be in the higher density housing areas..i doubt remote farmhouses will get a dawn raid
For sure. But a lot of the higher density areas - such as the holiday parks - are extremely difficult to deliver, especially early in the morning, and especially if the delivery is filtered.
Do they get a vote in Westminster elections?
The holiday parks date back to an age when a week in a non-mobile home was a luxury for many Brits. The trade has long since disappeared and they are now permanent residential.
Anecdotally it seemed to me to be where locals move when they can no longer cope with the long farmtrack up the hill to their home. The homes are very well looked after, lots of pets, gnomes, hanging baskets, water features, dedicated gardening. And a lot of BXP Ltd. supporters live on them.
So they're retirement parks rather than holiday homes?
Btw, NEW THREAD.
Yes, but still often called Holiday Park. Presumably never renamed.
I do worry that, whatever the outcome of today’s by-election, the Lib Dems are fighting the last war. The party’s digital efforts have been non-existent verging on pitiful... and meanwhile Wormtongue Cummings is now installed in No 10. You can’t win a GE on Focus leaflets alone.
I don't think this is entirely true.
The LibDem leadership election was electronic and very slick. I only had to click a simple link sent to me by email and I'd voted. Just like that, as Tommy Cooper might say.
The Tory leadership election, by contrast, was an exercise in C19th bungledom.
Additionally, the LibDems have been very, very, on the ball with e-mobilisation. I've had a succession of targeted emails for B&R activity.
They may not, yet, be as Machiavellian as Cummings with their social media targeting but in lots of other ways the LibDems are ahead of the game. If we could combine that macro-level messaging with the brilliant local ground work we'd be even more formidable.
No, you are wrong about the Tory leadership election. There is something uncontrovertable about a paper ballot. There have been issues with double counting of members and that is being sorted at the moment. Internal Tory party votes are generally by secure email.
I expect B&R to be lost though - the Tory party is useless at flooding activists and activism into by-elections, and as the LDs show it isn't that difficult. Nor, is there any immediate planning to sort it as all planning is towards the GE, whenever it is.
However, should all that result in a stable Con gov't with a comfortable majority the whole mess of peacetime campaigning will be addressed, it has to be.
Comments
"5-1 on" means 1/5, not 5/1
Says dem debate live in the left corner near the top click and watch advert then it goes to the stream.
http://123tvnow.com/watch/cnn/
I'm only seeing bits and pieces but Warren and Sanders are probably pretty happy with the recent round of debates.
Kamala has occasionally moments but she's patchy, Cory Booker is doing just well enough to take Kamala down as the main challenger.
I know it's still August but I think Biden's got this.
Downthread somebody talked about expectations management, with this now seen as a by-election the LibDems must win. Aside from the implications for parliament and the political narrative, this will matter inside the party also. The party has come together for this campaign in a way that hasn’t really been seen since before the coalition (Eastleigh possibly excepted, although that was unusual for so many reasons). It really does feel like the winning days are back, and activists have travelled from all across the UK, even making day trips where travel time has exceeded campaigning time. The impact on morale of either a win or a loss will be considerable.
Meanwhile on BF the Tories are in to just over 6.
That’s nit going to happen.
Although I wouldn’t fancy one with a handful of voters, for sure. I bet they are not allowed to close up even if everyone’s voted.
The Tories and BXP Ltd. seem to be relying on direct mail, which is not that much more modern.
One factoid from the campaign is the LD view that there is an 85% correlation between referendum vote and by-election intention,
If it is close, it may well be the BXP Ltd. pensioners being too keen to post back their postal ballots that won it for the LibDems.
LD 45%, Con 37%, BRX 11%, Lab 5.5%, Others 1.5%.
I'm not sure who benefits from high / low.
Will the Boris media blitz increase it?
If so will Boris haters cancel out Boris enthusiasts?
The LibDem leadership election was electronic and very slick. I only had to click a simple link sent to me by email and I'd voted. Just like that, as Tommy Cooper might say.
The Tory leadership election, by contrast, was an exercise in C19th bungledom.
Additionally, the LibDems have been very, very, on the ball with e-mobilisation. I've had a succession of targeted emails for B&R activity.
They may not, yet, be as Machiavellian as Cummings with their social media targeting but in lots of other ways the LibDems are ahead of the game. If we could combine that macro-level messaging with the brilliant local ground work we'd be even more formidable.
The political mindset has drifted back towards a FPTP style of thought, one party having a working majority and the rest doing what they can to vote it down, despite the fact that it's a PR-type set up that was designed to effectively force parties to collaborate on legislation.
It urgently needs reform. In fact, that has been recognised for many years. It's just nobody has cared enough to do anything about it.
Is there any real prospect of that?
Email communication is already less valuable than it used to be, in these days of spam, e-newsletters from every company you’ve ever dealt with, and so many jobs reduced to clearing emails. A political e-newsletter is really just a reminder you are there, with most of the content going unread. And how effective can online ads be, however micro-targeted, when more and more people have blockers and they have the same weaknesses as other forms of ad media?
Anecdotally it seemed to me to be where locals move when they can no longer cope with the long farmtrack up the hill to their home. The homes are very well looked after, lots of pets, gnomes, hanging baskets, water features, dedicated gardening. And a lot of BXP Ltd. supporters live on them.
Of course I'd prefer STV in multi-member constituencies; if it's manageable in RoI, then it ought to manageable in Wales.
Btw, NEW THREAD.
NEW THREAD for sure.
I expect B&R to be lost though - the Tory party is useless at flooding activists and activism into by-elections, and as the LDs show it isn't that difficult. Nor, is there any immediate planning to sort it as all planning is towards the GE, whenever it is.
However, should all that result in a stable Con gov't with a comfortable majority the whole mess of peacetime campaigning will be addressed, it has to be.