General News Discussion

[kaosmark2]

I would like to know of an occasion spoiled votes have changed things ir made a difference.

[windy_miller]

If 85% of the voting population had spoilt their ballots instead of staying at home, that would have been a pretty strong message.

[feral chile]

It's not meant to make a difference, it's meant to be a protest at how futile the vote is. Most protests are futile, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try.

[kaosmark2]

Absolute Feral. Exercising your right to vote instead of acting apathetic is incredibly important. There is a difference between spoiling and turnout. Not that it's commonly published or known, but it's still a significant one.

On the women bishops thing, I'm not too worried about what happens in the church. What I'm worried about is how an institutionally sexist group gets to influence other groups. When can we scrap their reserved seats in the House of Lords?

[Jaybles]

C of E vote no for women bishops. .....

I don't understand how they really have much of a right to tell anyone anything. I can't see them recovering from this anytime soon..

[kaosmark2]

I was there today. Running the voting system they used.

Was quite mental all the media attention on it, so I am glad it all ran smoothly (even if it was a negative result)

Overall about 70% of people in the room voted for female Bishops. Its an odd system that it has to pass in all three Synod houses. Only Laity voted no with the Clergy and Bishops all voting strongly in favour. The mood really got quite sombre when they announced the vote.

[Jaybles]

Laity didn't vote no though, they voted 64% in favour. A system that requires 2/3rds majority to make changes favours the status quo hugely.

[kaosmark2]

Who's surprised the Tories put in a 2/3rds majority to disband parliament before 5 years rule? I'm willing to bet they'll attempt in future to use that as a precedent to get it in place for other laws to make things progressively harder to change.

[Jaybles]

The funny thing from earlier on in the day was when they did a test vote. For them to vote they have to enter a randomly generated 4 digit code in their voting keypad which gets displayed on the screen.

The number that was generated was 6666.

It was definitely the comedy highlight of the day

Edited November 21, 2012 by Jaybles

[abdoujaparov]

Who's surprised the Tories put in a 2/3rds majority to disband parliament before 5 years rule? I'm willing to bet they'll attempt in future to use that as a precedent to get it in place for other laws to make things progressively harder to change.

[hot_ice]

greenest government ever?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20451189

I did my masters dissertation on the energy sector (from a town planning perspective) and to say the system is buggered is an understandment!

[eFestivals]

I did my masters dissertation on the energy sector (from a town planning perspective) and to say the system is buggered is an understandment!

there's a suggestion that gas shale could change all of that. Amongst other things, some people are predicting the complete destruction of the Russian economy as a result of shale.

Mind you, there'd be the complete destruction of everything else via the weather along soon afterwards.

[hot_ice]

there's a suggestion that gas shale could change all of that. Amongst other things, some people are predicting the complete destruction of the Russian economy as a result of shale.

Mind you, there'd be the complete destruction of everything else via the weather along soon afterwards.

Edited November 23, 2012 by hot_ice

[LondonTom]

Mind you, there'd be the complete destruction of everything else via the weather along soon afterwards.

[eFestivals]

Since when did that matter to the current generation who want to get elected and hold on to power? (Same could be said for the majority of normal to actually...)

oh yeah, I know. I've been saying for 30 years that we're fucked because not just politicians would rather have their jam now than think of tomorrow.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

oh yeah, I know. I've been saying for 30 years that we're fucked because not just politicians would rather have their jam now than think of tomorrow.

[thesecretingredientiscrime]

I would say, with knowledge of their policies, UKIP is more the kitchen table face of the BNP. However, whatever their views are, I don't think it's acceptable to take the children away, especially considering they had a long history of foster caring.

[feral chile]

Barry, a lot of their members have links with the BNP, and they tend to make stupid remarks like the ones linked to in this article:

http://blog.ukipwatc...-ukip-just.html

And if these are views they openly express, and consider acceptable....

Then they're likely to be racist AND lacking in intelligence. Though in my opinion, those 2 descriptions are by no means mutually exclusive.

Edited November 24, 2012 by feral chile

[thesecretingredientiscrime]

I don't think that is fair... Not at all... Wanting out of Europe and wanting controls over immigration doesn't mean you should be pushed in with the BNP lot. If you do that its almost acting like the boy who cried Wolf I think.

I don't agree with alot of Nigel Farrages points of views... but he does make some good comment. Particular on the waste within the EU. Million miles away from Griffin.

Edited November 24, 2012 by thesecretingredientiscrime

[lost]

its a joke really like saying the SNP or plaid cymru are racist or the czech republic velvet revolution was racist because they wanted to leave the USSR. I'd like to propose labour councillors have their kids taken off them on the basis that they'll grow up thick as pig shit otherwise. Note to Rotherham council 1984 was fiction not an instruction manual.

Edited November 24, 2012 by lost

[feral chile]

its a joke really like saying the SNP or plaid cymru are racist or the czech republic velvet revolution was racist because they wanted to leave the USSR. I'd like to propose labour councillors have their kids taken off them on the basis that they'll grow up thick as pig shit otherwise.

[feral chile]

That link isn't much use... I haven't time to search through it and most of what I randomly clicked on is mostly just not liking them for their stance on Europe.

I have noticed anyone wanting to talk about the restriction on immigration being marked up as a racist which I think is an overreaction.

[feral chile]

So basically nothing for anyone to get worked up over really ? But hell no, lets just brand the whole lot racist

Edited November 24, 2012 by feral chile

[thesecretingredientiscrime]

While I don't agree that policy hardly should get our backs up must. The Tories feel the same way to an extent.

The is just generally a right wing view.

[Ed209]

ol' twatty head Gove seems to think the council are wrong...