I enjoy following elections in countries where I cannot vote. Sometimes I think I like it better than when I can vote. Perhaps because I don't have as much invested, or perhaps because I don't have to make a choice. Or perhaps because the Norwegian system is somehow more sinsible (or, more likely, the crazy stuff does not stand out for me because I grew up with it).
Likewise with me, although I can spot the crazy in the Irish system (which has plenty). Still the Irish system is far more sensible than the first past the post system, personally I find it ridiculous that someone could achieve a parliamentary majority with less than 50% of the vote, let alone less than 40%
Yesterday was another moment of glory. I read that Nick Clegg had said that Brown could not expect to continue to be Prime Minister if he lost the election and came third of the parties. My brain said "yeeeeees?", wondering a little if Clegg had run out of things to talk about since he had apparently turned to statements of the obvious.
Stating the obvious is a time honoured tradition of politicians everywhere. I'd guess that he was just trying to dampen done the tories claim that a vote for the Lib Dems is a vote for Brown, while still giving himself enough wiggle room to g into coalition with Brown
But. And here is the wonderful thing that makes following British politics a bit like a glorious car boot sale: today's paper makes clear (what it probably assumed I knew yesterday) that there is in fact a "constitutional convention" that in a hung parliament the Prime Minister is allowed to try to form a government first. So there is a genuine possibility that a man with the least votes gets to be PM. What happens if the LibDems turn down Labour the first time around (ie Gordon as PM) and then when it becomes their turn decides to run with Labour over Conservatives (which, let's face it, is the sensible thing to do for them), would Brown then say yes? Does anyone know?
This is what comes from having your head of state effectively appoint the Prime Minister, if it was just left to the house of commons to appoint the prime minister it would be much simpler.
Also, why would Clegg want a coalition with the Conservatives? He doesn't agree with a word they say!
Because when your party have been out of government since 1945, anybody starts to look good.
We have seen it in Ireland recently, we have had some very odd coalitions of parties who previously could not stand each other and in fact claimed that they would not go into government with each other before the elections.
Once known as Hochopepa
You cannot kill a vampire with an MDF stake; werewolves can't fly; zombies do not run. - Simon Pegg
You cannot kill a vampire with an MDF stake; werewolves can't fly; zombies do not run. - Simon Pegg
British politics is ... like a basket of crazy muffins. But they taste nice.
- 26/04/2010 09:34:57 AM
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British politics or muffins taste nice? Or both?
- 26/04/2010 10:52:35 AM
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- 26/04/2010 10:52:35 AM
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Both 
- 26/04/2010 05:11:54 PM
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- 26/04/2010 05:11:54 PM
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Indeed
- 26/04/2010 11:01:30 AM
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Re: Indeed
- 26/04/2010 11:06:10 AM
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Didn't mean to put the effectively in there
- 26/04/2010 11:17:20 AM
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That makes more sense
- 26/04/2010 11:24:33 AM
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- 26/04/2010 11:24:33 AM
584 Views
Yeah, I follow elections in lots of countries.
- 26/04/2010 11:11:28 AM
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Re: Yeah, I follow elections in lots of countries.
- 26/04/2010 05:17:55 PM
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It's all very entertaining.
- 26/04/2010 01:46:25 PM
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Re: It's all very entertaining.
- 26/04/2010 05:21:25 PM
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- 28/04/2010 02:49:51 PM
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- 28/04/2010 02:49:51 PM
590 Views
It works alright when you have a two- or 2½-party system with support divided geographically.
- 26/04/2010 04:40:31 PM
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Would it really be so bad if the BNP gained seats?
- 26/04/2010 05:03:06 PM
577 Views
I don't have a problem with it as such (I dow ith the fact that people want to vote for them)
- 26/04/2010 05:15:02 PM
612 Views
Re: It works alright when you have a two- or 2½-party system with support divided geographically.
- 26/04/2010 06:14:44 PM
490 Views
Big fucking deal. Coalitions of less than 5 parties = LAME *NM*
- 28/04/2010 12:03:36 AM
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Rather a bigger deal when it happens in a first past the post system. *NM*
- 28/04/2010 08:20:42 AM
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