Every vote counts. Every election every seat start with zero votes cast and every seat can change hands. Former safe seats can be overturned or become marginals if that is what the local voters want.
If you want to elect a Lib Dem MP you don't need to change the electoral system. You just need more of your neighbours in your constituency to also vote Lib Dem than Tory or anyone else.
The first step to changing anything is to realise your own problems. The problem is not the electoral system the problem is people don't want to vote for your party.
Spouting bollocks as usual.
The issue is how the electoral system mediates the political views of the electorate into parliamentary governance (and vice-versa).
I may think of them as an ignorant, foul, verminous rabble, but UKIP should have had 80-odd MPs (emphasis on the odd) at their height.
And furthermore FPTP does not even accurately reflect the views of the electorate in a single constituency.
No they shouldn't. They were less popular in each seat than anyone else.
Not good enough to sprout ignorant verminous garbage then expect to get into Parliament because of that. FPTP ensures they have to clear the bar of winning more votes than anyone else and because they were ignorant, verminous rabble they failed to do so. Job done.
Name one constituency where the electorate got an MP who didn't get the most votes please.
We may be heading for a worst of all worlds election result. Tories winning a smallish majority, enough to survive 5 years but also not enough that Boris could afford to ignore the ERG types. Labour losing but not a crushing enough defeat for the party to change direction, leaving it in a One More Heave mode. Lib Dems failing to break through so the party slips back into obscurity and isn't able to portray itself as a serious alternative to Labour.
While I still wouldn't rule out a hung parliament despite the polls, it seems like Labour haven't been able to do enough to close the gap this time. Can't see anymore bungs of money swinging it either. Squeezing the Lib Dems into diamonds on the day is about the only hope left for Labour (the possibility of Corbyn as PM has been discussed enough that most of the Tory to Lib dem waverers will have already gone back to the tories, so don't expect much squeeze from that direction)
Sky now reporting on Jewish Labour Movement report confirming anti semitism is rife in labour
For accuracy’s sake you should call it a Submission to the EHRC enquiry, not a report. It is devastating, though, even if entirely expected. Shame on those who enabled the anti-Semitic far left to take control of Labour. They should hang their heads in shame. They won’t, of course. They’ll just keep on denying.
In FTPT every vote for 3rd place candidate and below is wasted. Every vote for the second place candidate is vital. Every vote For the first place candidate beyond the level of support for 2nd place + 1 is wasted.
Its not enough to be anti-racist to everyone except Jews.
Antisemitism is a sub-category of racism. It's a particularly odious one, but a sub-category nonetheless. It is dishonest to rant against AS whilst tolerating other forms of racism, which after all are far more prevalent and damaging.
I don't accept any racism but I view antisemitism as particularly odious. Possibly I'm being biased, I'm not affected by antisemitism personally as an atheist of CoE ancestry but my best friend at school's mum lost her own mum in a concentration camp so any form of antisemitism has always made me feel sick.
FPT: The longer this campaign has gone on, the less inclined I am to vote for any of the three main parties:- 1. Corbyn: no. Lots of reasons - mainly dragging his party into a Far Leftist illiberal anti-Semitic gutter. And the WASPI bribe has really annoyed me. 2. Boris: no. A total charlatan. Has made a Faustian pact with the Hard Brexiteers for the sake of his ambition thereby trashing the main things which made traditional Conservatism worthwhile. 3. Swinson: strategically inept and talking dangerous rubbish over the Gender Recognition Act. Apparently expecting people with gender dysphoria to undergo medical tests is too too ghastly to contemplate but women are expected to put up with having men invade their private spaces and the risk of some of them abusing that. In Lib Dem La-La-land, rape is not as ghastly as being asked questions by a doctor. In my constituency that leaves the Brexit Party (as if!) or the Greens. Or the Meeks option - abstaining in person. What a choice.
How many trans women have raped cis women in women-only spaces, in fact?
As far as I know, all the examples used for this have been trans women in women-only prisons who already had a history of sexual assault. The prison system should never be exposing vulnerable women to people with a history of sexual assault (on women) regardless of their gender presentation. It seems to me that this particular group could (and should have been in the first place frankly) be excluded from women’s prisons without that decision having much to do any other part of the discussion about wider trans issues.
If I am intemperate it is because I have had personal experience when younger of being assaulted by a man in a girls only space. What on earth makes you think that a sexual predator is only going to seek out victims in a prison and not anywhere else? What on earth makes you think that a womens’ prison Is the only place where women are vulnerable?
And what on earth is wrong with asking people who suffer from gender dysphoria - for whom I have the utmost sympathy - to undergo a medical diagnosis before changing their gender? What, exactly, is the problem with this?
Laughing at talk on composite classes. When I was in primary 7 (age 11-12) in Scotland one of 2 teachers left so the top 8 of us sat at the back of a Primary 6 class and the others were in a class of 50+! Three quarters of the year went on to senior secondary (Scottish equivalent of grammar school) or private schools.
The JLM report just read out by Sky actually targets Corbyn directly and is terrible. He wants to talk education today but this report will derail his hopes as Sky confirm they will be seeking his response to the report
Lets be honest this won’t change a single vote.
But it makes all those PB Tories voting for the BJ party feel better about themselves, so there is that.
FPT: The longer this campaign has gone on, the less inclined I am to vote for any of the three main parties:- 1. Corbyn: no. Lots of reasons - mainly dragging his party into a Far Leftist illiberal anti-Semitic gutter. And the WASPI bribe has really annoyed me. 2. Boris: no. A total charlatan. Has made a Faustian pact with the Hard Brexiteers for the sake of his ambition thereby trashing the main things which made traditional Conservatism worthwhile. 3. Swinson: strategically inept and talking dangerous rubbish over the Gender Recognition Act. Apparently expecting people with gender dysphoria to undergo medical tests is too too ghastly to contemplate but women are expected to put up with having men invade their private spaces and the risk of some of them abusing that. In Lib Dem La-La-land, rape is not as ghastly as being asked questions by a doctor. In my constituency that leaves the Brexit Party (as if!) or the Greens. Or the Meeks option - abstaining in person. What a choice.
How many trans women have raped cis women in women-only spaces, in fact?
As far as I know, all the examples used for this have been trans women in women-only prisons who already had a history of sexual assault. The prison system should never be exposing vulnerable women to people with a history of sexual assault (on women) regardless of their gender presentation. It seems to me that this particular group could (and should have been in the first place frankly) be excluded from women’s prisons without that decision having much to do any other part of the discussion about wider trans issues.
If I am intemperate it is because I have had personal experience when younger of being assaulted by a man in a girls only space. What on earth makes you think that a sexual predator is only going to seek out victims in a prison and not anywhere else? What on earth makes you think that a womens’ prison Is the only place where women are vulnerable?
I never suggested any such thing - simply that I do not believe the policy you dislike will make any significant difference.
Every vote counts. Every election every seat start with zero votes cast and every seat can change hands. Former safe seats can be overturned or become marginals if that is what the local voters want.
If you want to elect a Lib Dem MP you don't need to change the electoral system. You just need more of your neighbours in your constituency to also vote Lib Dem than Tory or anyone else.
The first step to changing anything is to realise your own problems. The problem is not the electoral system the problem is people don't want to vote for your party.
Sadly some votes count for a lot more than others. As is blindingly obvious when you look at the results.
No all seats are counted linearly. Every count adds no more and no less than 1 to the vote total in any seat.
The seat winners simply got more votes. Its not like one party gets 12k votes but loses to another that got 7k mythical double-votes. If you want to win, get more votes - its not rocket science!
But it is trolling. You understand the point perfectly well.
Its not trolling, the point is wrong.
Every seat is won by the candidate who got the most votes (unless there's a tie and straws are drawn). If you aren't popular enough try to become more popular, don't change the voting system.
There is no "enough". Some seats are won by candidates with thousands, if not tens of thousands, of votes more than winning candidates in other seats. Some people not elected to parliament get more votes than others who are elected.
Enough is more than anyone else in the seat. The people not elected to Parliament got fewer votes than the winner of their seat.
Which is arbitrary and the source of the capriciousness and iniquity of the system.
Normally your posts are more intelligent than this.
Its neither arbitrary nor capricious. Just because I disagree with you - as do millions of others - on a point of philosophy doesn't make my argument less intelligent.
Is it unfair and capricious that Everton scored 2 goals last night but lost their match, while Man Utd scored 2 goals last night and won theirs? Its not enough to get some votes/goals, you need to get more votes/goals than your opposition in your constituency/match to win.
Every vote counts. Every election every seat start with zero votes cast and every seat can change hands. Former safe seats can be overturned or become marginals if that is what the local voters want.
If you want to elect a Lib Dem MP you don't need to change the electoral system. You just need more of your neighbours in your constituency to also vote Lib Dem than Tory or anyone else.
The first step to changing anything is to realise your own problems. The problem is not the electoral system the problem is people don't want to vote for your party.
Unsurprisingly you support the only electoral system in Europe that will give the Tories total power on 40% of the vote.
When we had a PR Election in May the LDs were second and the Tories 5th. Has that much really changed in 6 months? Have the Brexit Party gone from leading the field in May to 4% 6 months later?
No, the only thing that has changed is that the GE has a different voting system and under FPTP the relentless message from the old duopoly is that unless you vote for one of us you are wasting your vote and they are right so by and large it works.
Unlike France, Spain, Germany or Italy no party has made a meaningful breakthrough and challenged the status quo in the national parliament for 100 years. It is the system, there is no other logical explanation.
Anyway, thanks all for your advice on how to vote. I may end up going Green. Seems somehow fitting for a keen gardener. But still time to decide.
Of course if any party would like to give me a humungously large bribe, one large enough to cover all the bills I am paying to Cumbrian builders, then I will consider it very seriously indeed.......
In FTPT every vote for 3rd place candidate and below is wasted. Every vote for the second place candidate is vital. Every vote For the first place candidate beyond the level of support for 2nd place + 1 is wasted.
This is unarguable fact. End of discussion.
Nobody knows which is the first, second or third placed candidate until after the votes are counted though. Every candidate starts with zero votes until they get cast.
Jo Swinson's latest policy is to require all genders at school to wear the same uniform. Is this really a vote winner?
In future years, there are going to be lawsuits by kids who were allowed to take hormones and have themselves mutilated and later regretted it.
People under 18 are not given hormones or surgery.
They are given medication to delay the onset of puberty though so that they can make a slightly less complicated choice post 18. Whether this is in fact a good idea is controversial.
Indeed, but delaying puberty hardly counts as mutilation
Well I don't count myself as a bleeding heart, anything but, but that sounds terrible to me. We are going into some dark places.
Puberty is what cures a lot of "gender confused" kids - it gives a massive dose of the appropriate hormones, and this tends to make them much more comfortable in their own gender.
My sister was like this. She basically wanted to be a boy until she was about 14. Hormones did their thing, she became pretty relaxed about being a girl. She's now 30, happily married, perfectly normal. Fortunately no one was stupid enough back then to think that rather boyish girls should have puberty blocked followed by lots of surgery and usually mental health problems.
Sample sizes of n=1 do not make the basis of policy.
The story of your sister is common, and is well known to paediatricians/child psychologists. The cases where treatment is considered are much more serious than "basically wants to be a boy"
Every vote counts. Every election every seat start with zero votes cast and every seat can change hands. Former safe seats can be overturned or become marginals if that is what the local voters want.
If you want to elect a Lib Dem MP you don't need to change the electoral system. You just need more of your neighbours in your constituency to also vote Lib Dem than Tory or anyone else.
The first step to changing anything is to realise your own problems. The problem is not the electoral system the problem is people don't want to vote for your party.
Unsurprisingly you support the only electoral system in Europe that will give the Tories total power on 40% of the vote.
When we had a PR Election in May the LDs were second and the Tories 5th. Has that much really changed in 6 months? Have the Brexit Party gone from leading the field in May to 4% 6 months later?
No, the only thing that has changed is that the GE has a different voting system and under FPTP the relentless message from the old duopoly is that unless you vote for one of us you are wasting your vote and they are right so by and large it works.
Unlike France, Spain, Germany or Italy no party has made a meaningful breakthrough and challenged the status quo in the national parliament for 100 years. It is the system, there is no other logical explanation.
No that's not the only thing that changed. For one thing the Prime Minister changed since then! Did you miss that?
Also one was a protest vote marginal election not taken seriously as we are leaving the EU and the other is a real election that chooses who runs the country. Another difference.
FPT: The longer this campaign has gone on, the less inclined I am to vote for any of the three main parties:- 1. Corbyn: no. Lots of reasons - mainly dragging his party into a Far Leftist illiberal anti-Semitic gutter. And the WASPI bribe has really annoyed me. 2. Boris: no. A total charlatan. Has made a Faustian pact with the Hard Brexiteers for the sake of his ambition thereby trashing the main things which made traditional Conservatism worthwhile. 3. Swinson: strategically inept and talking dangerous rubbish over the Gender Recognition Act. Apparently expecting people with gender dysphoria to undergo medical tests is too too ghastly to contemplate but women are expected to put up with having men invade their private spaces and the risk of some of them abusing that. In Lib Dem La-La-land, rape is not as ghastly as being asked questions by a doctor. In my constituency that leaves the Brexit Party (as if!) or the Greens. Or the Meeks option - abstaining in person. What a choice.
How many trans women have raped cis women in women-only spaces, in fact?
As far as I know, all the examples used for this have been trans women in women-only prisons who already had a history of sexual assault. The prison system should never be exposing vulnerable women to people with a history of sexual assault (on women) regardless of their gender presentation. It seems to me that this particular group could (and should have been in the first place frankly) be excluded from women’s prisons without that decision having much to do any other part of the discussion about wider trans issues.
And what on earth is wrong with asking people who suffer from gender dysphoria - for whom I have the utmost sympathy - to undergo a medical diagnosis before changing their gender? What, exactly, is the problem with this?
Farage is still sending out messages to BXP supporters. Latest is below:
"There are just over 7 days to go to the most important General Election of our lifetimes.
This next week could mean the difference between living in a democracy or allowing 17.4m voices to go unheard.
Your input will make all the difference to that outcome - to what happens to our country.
Labour are committed to a second referendum and remain. The Conservatives have shown time and time again that we cannot trust them. Every vote matters for The Brexit Party if we’re to get as many seats in Parliament as possible. Only then can we ensure that the Tories are held accountable to their promises.
This weekend, join us for leafleting and door knocking in Hartlepool, where The Brexit Party Chairman, Richard Tice, is the main challenger. We would love to see you on either day or both!"
The JLM report just read out by Sky actually targets Corbyn directly and is terrible. He wants to talk education today but this report will derail his hopes as Sky confirm they will be seeking his response to the report
Lets be honest this won’t change a single vote.
Maybe not directly, but if Labour want to change votes then they need to be driving the agenda.
It's them that need votes to change.
However (and I'm not watching the TV), I'm not seeing much about it on the major news sites at the moment.
Every vote counts. Every election every seat start with zero votes cast and every seat can change hands. Former safe seats can be overturned or become marginals if that is what the local voters want.
If you want to elect a Lib Dem MP you don't need to change the electoral system. You just need more of your neighbours in your constituency to also vote Lib Dem than Tory or anyone else.
The first step to changing anything is to realise your own problems. The problem is not the electoral system the problem is people don't want to vote for your party.
Unsurprisingly you support the only electoral system in Europe that will give the Tories total power on 40% of the vote.
Mr Thompson probably considers it a good thing that we have a voting system not used by other countries in the European Union.
In FTPT every vote for 3rd place candidate and below is wasted. Every vote for the second place candidate is vital. Every vote For the first place candidate beyond the level of support for 2nd place + 1 is wasted.
This is unarguable fact. End of discussion.
Nobody knows which is the first, second or third placed candidate until after the votes are counted though. Every candidate starts with zero votes until they get cast.
In most constituencies it's obvious. In the North unless the Lib Dems were first or second in 2017 - it's the Tories or Labour.
Heck that's probably true in Hartlepool - it wouldn't surprise me.
Jo Swinson's latest policy is to require all genders at school to wear the same uniform. Is this really a vote winner?
In future years, there are going to be lawsuits by kids who were allowed to take hormones and have themselves mutilated and later regretted it.
People under 18 are not given hormones or surgery.
They are given medication to delay the onset of puberty though so that they can make a slightly less complicated choice post 18. Whether this is in fact a good idea is controversial.
Indeed, but delaying puberty hardly counts as mutilation
Well I don't count myself as a bleeding heart, anything but, but that sounds terrible to me. We are going into some dark places.
Puberty is what cures a lot of "gender confused" kids - it gives a massive dose of the appropriate hormones, and this tends to make them much more comfortable in their own gender.
My sister was like this. She basically wanted to be a boy until she was about 14. Hormones did their thing, she became pretty relaxed about being a girl. She's now 30, happily married, perfectly normal. Fortunately no one was stupid enough back then to think that rather boyish girls should have puberty blocked followed by lots of surgery and usually mental health problems.
This forum is fantastic! So many experts on mental health.....
And you started it, with the eyepoppingly preposterous "delaying puberty hardly counts as mutilation" - so that's all right, then!
Maybe you should look up the dictionary definitions for "delay" and "mutilation" since you seem to be struggling with the difference between the two.....
Jo Swinson's latest policy is to require all genders at school to wear the same uniform. Is this really a vote winner?
In future years, there are going to be lawsuits by kids who were allowed to take hormones and have themselves mutilated and later regretted it.
People under 18 are not given hormones or surgery.
They are given medication to delay the onset of puberty though so that they can make a slightly less complicated choice post 18. Whether this is in fact a good idea is controversial.
Indeed, but delaying puberty hardly counts as mutilation
Well I don't count myself as a bleeding heart, anything but, but that sounds terrible to me. We are going into some dark places.
Puberty is what cures a lot of "gender confused" kids - it gives a massive dose of the appropriate hormones, and this tends to make them much more comfortable in their own gender.
My sister was like this. She basically wanted to be a boy until she was about 14. Hormones did their thing, she became pretty relaxed about being a girl. She's now 30, happily married, perfectly normal. Fortunately no one was stupid enough back then to think that rather boyish girls should have puberty blocked followed by lots of surgery and usually mental health problems.
You sound like an expert on the matter. Please do educate us some more. I assume you have the relevant qualifications?
Every vote counts. Every election every seat start with zero votes cast and every seat can change hands. Former safe seats can be overturned or become marginals if that is what the local voters want.
If you want to elect a Lib Dem MP you don't need to change the electoral system. You just need more of your neighbours in your constituency to also vote Lib Dem than Tory or anyone else.
The first step to changing anything is to realise your own problems. The problem is not the electoral system the problem is people don't want to vote for your party.
Sadly some votes count for a lot more than others. As is blindingly obvious when you look at the results.
No all seats are counted linearly. Every count adds no more and no less than 1 to the vote total in any seat.
The seat winners simply got more votes. Its not like one party gets 12k votes but loses to another that got 7k mythical double-votes. If you want to win, get more votes - its not rocket science!
But it is trolling. You understand the point perfectly well.
Its not trolling, the point is wrong.
Every seat is won by the candidate who got the most votes (unless there's a tie and straws are drawn). If you aren't popular enough try to become more popular, don't change the voting system.
There is no "enough". Some seats are won by candidates with thousands, if not tens of thousands, of votes more than winning candidates in other seats. Some people not elected to parliament get more votes than others who are elected.
Tell me about it ! I have failed to be elected to Cumbria twice with more votes than 70 of the 84 members who were elected.
In FTPT every vote for 3rd place candidate and below is wasted. Every vote for the second place candidate is vital. Every vote For the first place candidate beyond the level of support for 2nd place + 1 is wasted.
This is unarguable fact. End of discussion.
Nobody knows which is the first, second or third placed candidate until after the votes are counted though. Every candidate starts with zero votes until they get cast.
I think if you oppose and hate racism it’s a principled position to not vote for Labour (even if I disagree). But you can’t then vote for the Tories, that just makes you a hypocrite. You could vote for the Lib Dems or the Greens for example, that would probably the most principled thing you could do.
That would be principles without pragmatism. If you want to have any influence on national politics at all you have to vote tactically.
That’s fair enough. But then you (not you specifically) cannot rant about not voting Labour for principled reasons if your tactical vote is Tory.
My tactical vote is the Lib Dems but if my vote actually mattered I’d vote Labour.
In FTPT every vote for 3rd place candidate and below is wasted. Every vote for the second place candidate is vital. Every vote For the first place candidate beyond the level of support for 2nd place + 1 is wasted.
This is unarguable fact. End of discussion.
Nobody knows which is the first, second or third placed candidate until after the votes are counted though. Every candidate starts with zero votes until they get cast.
In most constituencies it's obvious. In the North unless the Lib Dems were first or second in 2017 - it's the Tories or Labour.
Heck that's probably true in Hartlepool - it wouldn't surprise me.
One of the Tories' strengths is that they're always pushing for the most seats possible and very very few 'tactical' shenanigans. Con Gain Gordon in 2017 wouldn't have been pulled off by Labour or the Lib Dems from a similar position.
Heard on R4 this morning that Tory staffers think it will be tight next Thursday.
Two ways to look at this:
1) GOTV operation in swing. 2017 possibly resulted in HP because there was complacency
2) it actually IS tight.
I would probably favour the former but at the same time I have said for a while I could very easily see the sort of result where the majority is very slim.
And what on earth is wrong with asking people who suffer from gender dysphoria - for whom I have the utmost sympathy - to undergo a medical diagnosis before changing their gender? What, exactly, is the problem with this?
For medical treatment they will, like any other treatment, be assessed and diagnosed.
For self-identification of gender, that is a legal issue, not a medical one.
And what on earth is wrong with asking people who suffer from gender dysphoria - for whom I have the utmost sympathy - to undergo a medical diagnosis before changing their gender? What, exactly, is the problem with this?
Gender is a social construct, so the act of reaffirming your gender is a social act, not necessarily a medical one. For many with dysphoria some medical intervention is needed, but equally for many the dysphoria is lessened by just being accepted in society as their gender. As for people here talking about only two genders, etc. there is a long history of other gender identities throughout different cultures, with twospirit people in Native American cultures, the ~6 gender identities in the Old Testament and the Kama Sutra talks about non binary femme people. Indeed, pre Victorian era, European ideas on gender and sexuality were not as rigid as they are now. Many of the myths and arguments against trans people are the exact same arguments used against gay men and lesbians long ago; that of sexual predators, of people who can be cured, that it is a childish phase people will grow out of. Young people know the difference between playing a game and pretending to be a princess whilst still identifying as a boy, and being told they're a boy and feeling that is wrong, just as many young people are aware from a very young age that they feel same sex attraction.
Every vote counts. Every election every seat start with zero votes cast and every seat can change hands. Former safe seats can be overturned or become marginals if that is what the local voters want.
If you want to elect a Lib Dem MP you don't need to change the electoral system. You just need more of your neighbours in your constituency to also vote Lib Dem than Tory or anyone else.
The first step to changing anything is to realise your own problems. The problem is not the electoral system the problem is people don't want to vote for your party.
Unsurprisingly you support the only electoral system in Europe that will give the Tories total power on 40% of the vote.
When we had a PR Election in May the LDs were second and the Tories 5th. Has that much really changed in 6 months? Have the Brexit Party gone from leading the field in May to 4% 6 months later?
No, the only thing that has changed is that the GE has a different voting system and under FPTP the relentless message from the old duopoly is that unless you vote for one of us you are wasting your vote and they are right so by and large it works.
Unlike France, Spain, Germany or Italy no party has made a meaningful breakthrough and challenged the status quo in the national parliament for 100 years. It is the system, there is no other logical explanation.
No that's not the only thing that changed. For one thing the Prime Minister changed since then! Did you miss that?
Also one was a protest vote marginal election not taken seriously as we are leaving the EU and the other is a real election that chooses who runs the country. Another difference.
I'd have more respect for you if you stopped trying to defend a system that demonstrably does not reflect how the nation votes and just admit you like it because it's the only system that will give you the outcome you want and no other system will.
If I am intemperate it is because I have had personal experience when younger of being assaulted by a man in a girls only space. What on earth makes you think that a sexual predator is only going to seek out victims in a prison and not anywhere else? What on earth makes you think that a womens’ prison Is the only place where women are vulnerable?
And what on earth is wrong with asking people who suffer from gender dysphoria - for whom I have the utmost sympathy - to undergo a medical diagnosis before changing their gender? What, exactly, is the problem with this?
Cyclefree, I’m really sorry you were assaulted like that. It’s a horrible thing to happen to anyone.
But the "gender critical" brigade is using the fear of assault to recruit women like you to their cause. The whole point of this rhetoric is to associate "transness" with sociopaths & sexual deviance. It’s exactly the same rhetorical strategy that was used against gay people back in the 70s and 80s - that they would assault boys in toilet & were a danger to the public etc etc. It was false then & it’s false now.
Versions of PR have allowed various new parties to flourish: Vox in Spain; AFD in Germany.....
Perhaps safer than the alternative. Look at the US, with no new party the old one has been captured by Trump instead. Similar story with Labour, we are stuck with Corbyn because of FPTP.
Heard on R4 this morning that Tory staffers think it will be tight next Thursday.
Two ways to look at this:
1) GOTV operation in swing. 2017 possibly resulted in HP because there was complacency
2) it actually IS tight.
I would probably favour the former but at the same time I have said for a while I could very easily see the sort of result where the majority is very slim.
1 and 2 are not mutually exclusive.
A majority of 1 would be entertaining to the media and defections/deaths/byelections can't be ruled out, leading to ... another election?
Will N.I produce more opposition MPs? S.Finn is supporting a Remain alliance which means some anti-Brexit MPs might take a seat. The UUP is now pro-EU too apparently faced with the Johnson 'deal' (a.k.a. No Deal in Dec. 2020).
Comments
Not good enough to sprout ignorant verminous garbage then expect to get into Parliament because of that. FPTP ensures they have to clear the bar of winning more votes than anyone else and because they were ignorant, verminous rabble they failed to do so. Job done.
Name one constituency where the electorate got an MP who didn't get the most votes please.
While I still wouldn't rule out a hung parliament despite the polls, it seems like Labour haven't been able to do enough to close the gap this time. Can't see anymore bungs of money swinging it either. Squeezing the Lib Dems into diamonds on the day is about the only hope left for Labour (the possibility of Corbyn as PM has been discussed enough that most of the Tory to Lib dem waverers will have already gone back to the tories, so don't expect much squeeze from that direction)
Every vote for the second place candidate is vital.
Every vote For the first place candidate beyond the level of support for 2nd place + 1 is wasted.
This is unarguable fact. End of discussion.
But yes I agree all racism as unacceptable.
And what on earth is wrong with asking people who suffer from gender dysphoria - for whom I have the utmost sympathy - to undergo a medical diagnosis before changing their gender? What, exactly, is the problem with this?
Is it unfair and capricious that Everton scored 2 goals last night but lost their match, while Man Utd scored 2 goals last night and won theirs? Its not enough to get some votes/goals, you need to get more votes/goals than your opposition in your constituency/match to win.
When we had a PR Election in May the LDs were second and the Tories 5th. Has that much really changed in 6 months? Have the Brexit Party gone from leading the field in May to 4% 6 months later?
No, the only thing that has changed is that the GE has a different voting system and under FPTP the relentless message from the old duopoly is that unless you vote for one of us you are wasting your vote and they are right so by and large it works.
Unlike France, Spain, Germany or Italy no party has made a meaningful breakthrough and challenged the status quo in the national parliament for 100 years. It is the system, there is no other logical explanation.
Of course if any party would like to give me a humungously large bribe, one large enough to cover all the bills I am paying to Cumbrian builders, then I will consider it very seriously indeed.......
The story of your sister is common, and is well known to paediatricians/child psychologists. The cases where treatment is considered are much more serious than "basically wants to be a boy"
Also one was a protest vote marginal election not taken seriously as we are leaving the EU and the other is a real election that chooses who runs the country. Another difference.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/feb/26/trans-patients-in-england-face-soul-destroying-wait-for-treatment
"There are just over 7 days to go to the most important General Election of our lifetimes.
This next week could mean the difference between living in a democracy or allowing 17.4m voices to go unheard.
Your input will make all the difference to that outcome - to what happens to our country.
Labour are committed to a second referendum and remain. The Conservatives have shown time and time again that we cannot trust them. Every vote matters for The Brexit Party if we’re to get as many seats in Parliament as possible. Only then can we ensure that the Tories are held accountable to their promises.
This weekend, join us for leafleting and door knocking in Hartlepool, where The Brexit Party Chairman, Richard Tice, is the main challenger. We would love to see you on either day or both!"
It's them that need votes to change.
However (and I'm not watching the TV), I'm not seeing much about it on the major news sites at the moment.
Heck that's probably true in Hartlepool - it wouldn't surprise me.
New Thread
My tactical vote is the Lib Dems but if my vote actually mattered I’d vote Labour.
For self-identification of gender, that is a legal issue, not a medical one.
Is there a lawyer in the house?
Many of the myths and arguments against trans people are the exact same arguments used against gay men and lesbians long ago; that of sexual predators, of people who can be cured, that it is a childish phase people will grow out of.
Young people know the difference between playing a game and pretending to be a princess whilst still identifying as a boy, and being told they're a boy and feeling that is wrong, just as many young people are aware from a very young age that they feel same sex attraction.
Vox in Spain; AFD in Germany.....
But the "gender critical" brigade is using the fear of assault to recruit women like you to their cause. The whole point of this rhetoric is to associate "transness" with sociopaths & sexual deviance. It’s exactly the same rhetorical strategy that was used against gay people back in the 70s and 80s - that they would assault boys in toilet & were a danger to the public etc etc. It was false then & it’s false now.
Will N.I produce more opposition MPs? S.Finn is supporting a Remain alliance which means some anti-Brexit MPs might take a seat. The UUP is now pro-EU too apparently faced with the Johnson 'deal' (a.k.a. No Deal in Dec. 2020).