Quote: Marc P @ May 12 2010, 10:51 PM BSTErrr yeah... George - Dave's old fag - is the Chancellor and Vince does what exactly? Sharpen pencils and order buns and mumble in the background?
I waited for an hour outside The Newt earlier, you bastard!
General Election 2010 Page 131
Quote: Aaron @ May 12 2010, 10:52 PM BSTMarc's gone all angry. Quite amusing.
I just find it funny that some people still take politics so seriously lol.
Quote: Aaron @ May 11 2010, 11:54 PM BSTI assume that the 'fixed term' deal is just that the PM can't can an election at a point when it's politically advantageous to them. Something like a vote of no confidence would still lead to the dissolution of Parliament.
Looks like it isn't quite that and in fact adds up to something pretty undemocratic. The new government want to ensure they have 5 years unless at least 55% of MPs give them the thumbs down. Seems like ganging up together to agree on a kind of dictatorship to me. Welcome to the new politics everyone!
I'd go and live in China or North Korea before you start throwing around words like dictatorship.
Quote: Timbo @ May 12 2010, 8:07 PM BSTThe LibDem conference is not stage-managed into impotent sterility like that of Labour, so, yes, it will be interesting, but then that is democracy for you.
I was talking about the blue-rinsed Tories at conference time as well as grass-roots Lib Dems. I doubt they like it much either.
Quote: chipolata @ May 12 2010, 11:08 PM BSTI'd go and live in China or North Korea before you start throwing around words like dictatorship.
Would you really? 
If dictatorship is the wrong word, then at least it is a gang of winners changing the rules to ensure they stay in power (except in this case none of them actually won and this change didn't appear in either manifesto as far as I know). Isn't that the sort of thing we criticise undemocratic countries for?
The reasoning is to assure stability, something coalitions famously don't have. And if this goes wrong they'll hate being tied together for 5 years and long for an election.
Quote: Badge @ May 12 2010, 11:06 PM BSTLooks like it isn't quite that and in fact adds up to something pretty undemocratic. The new government want to ensure they have 5 years unless at least 55% of MPs give them the thumbs down. Seems like ganging up together to agree on a kind of dictatorship to me. Welcome to the new politics everyone!
To be honest I don't quite see the purpose of the 55%. Given the practical maths of this Parliament it seems academic. 50% or 55% if the LibDems back the Tories they win and if they don't they lose.
Anyway I am not quite certain how this can all work anyway. Isn't it the Queen's prerogative whether to dissolve Parliament?
Quote: chipolata @ May 12 2010, 11:14 PM BSTThe reasoning is to assure stability, something coalitions famously don't have. And if this goes wrong they'll hate being tied together for 5 years and long for an election.
The *stated* reasoning is to ensure stability, but the only way to ensure stability is to whip the coalition to buggery. If they can't do that we don't have stability, and a change to the fixed term rules won't alter that a jot.
Quote: Timbo @ May 12 2010, 11:17 PM BSTAnyway I am not quite certain how this can all work anyway. Isn't it the Queen's prerogative whether to dissolve Parliament?
Yeah, like she's always going around doing that when she fancies. 
Quote: Badge @ May 12 2010, 11:22 PM BSTYeah, like she's always going around doing that when she fancies.
It is not so much that she might choose to dissolve Parliament as that she might choose not to. it is the confusion between the lifespan of the Government and the lifespan of the Parliament that I find puzzling. Are the two synonymous? I did not think that a vote of no confidence in the Government necessarily resulted in the dissolution of Parliament. I thought the Queen could ask the Opposition to try and form a Government.
Quote: Badge @ May 12 2010, 11:22 PM BSTYeah, like she's always going around doing that when she fancies.
Be a laugh if she did though!
'Y'know, Melchie, I think I'll dissolve Parliament !'
'Oh, very good Majesty.'
Quote: EllieJP @ May 12 2010, 10:20 AM BST100% yes. I can't wait to marry him.
Don't do it. Getting married is like having two jobs. I feel like I've not had any spare time for several years.
Quote: Oldrocker @ May 12 2010, 11:50 PM BSTBe a laugh if she did though!
'Y'know, Melchie, I think I'll dissolve Parliament !'
'Oh, very good Majesty.'
There is kind of of a precedent, as recently as 1975 in Australia, where Gough Whitlam was trying to cling onto power. The High Commissioner (the Queen's representative) dismissed Whitlam as PM, and then, observing the constitutional nicety, asked Malcolm Fraser to form a Government, on the condition that his first act would be to recommend that Parliament should be dissolved.
Quote: Timbo @ May 12 2010, 11:40 PM BSTIt is not so much that she might choose to dissolve Parliament as that she might choose not to. it is the confusion between the lifespan of the Government and the lifespan of the Parliament that I find puzzling. Are the two synonymous? I did not think that a vote of no confidence in the Government necessarily resulted in the dissolution of Parliament. I thought the Queen could ask the Opposition to try and form a Government.
I'm not a constitutional expert but I think you are right. However, the circumstances in which a Government would fall and the Opposition would command enough confidence of the House to form their own Government are pretty rare so it is usual for Parliament to be dissolved when the Government goes tits up.
Quote: Timbo @ May 12 2010, 8:07 PM BSTA parliamentary majority, but not an electoral mandate. The LibDems believe in proportional representation, which presupposes the necessity of coalition government. Which works fine in many parts of the world, where they are more grown up and less tribal than here.
Your frequent use of the word 'tribal' to reduce other people's heartfelt choices to the level of ignorant reflexes shows you up as a floating voter, Timbo, albeit a well informed one. And this time round you voted Tory. Thanks for doing that.
Clegg and Cameron should ring up David Byrne and see if he's still got that big suit from the Stop Making Sense tour. They could both get in it for press conferences and Prime Minister's questions, the useless f**ks.
Good stuff from Badge and Oldrocker in this thread.
Quote: Rob H @ May 12 2010, 11:54 PM BSTDon't do it. Getting married is like having two jobs. I feel like I've not had any spare time for several years.
Ah, but Ellie loves planning things!
Quote: Oldrocker @ May 12 2010, 11:50 PM BSTBe a laugh if she did though!
'Y'know, Melchie, I think I'll dissolve Parliament !'
'Oh, very good Majesty.'
That would be rather good.
I wish we had a mad queen.