British Election

At one holiday gathering a lot of the ladies were drinking Cold Duck, a popular fizzy wine at the time. One of my MIL's daughters had imbibed a little too much and while heading for a refill asked her mother if she would like a little cold dick. Needless to say it cracked everybody up, even my MIL...
 

Ameriscot said:
My dad was a democrat and my mom would never say who she voted for as she thought it was private, but we all knew she often voted republican. They got along very well and this didn't cause any issues. My siblings were split, two republicans, two democrats, but that has changed to only one still being republican - a brother. We love him anyway.
Click to expand...

My father as a businessman, was a typically staunch Tory and I never knew who my mother voted for, we never really discussed politics as a family as far as I can recall. I have voted for all sides during my life, but I feel now, although their ideologies are different, there isn't much between them in practice.
 
merlin said:
My father as a businessman, was a typically staunch Tory and I never knew who my mother voted for, we never really discussed politics as a family as far as I can recall. I have voted for all sides during my life, but I feel now, although their ideologies are different, there isn't much between them in practice.
Click to expand...

I don't remember a lot of discussions about politics when I was a kid, but I wasn't interested then so wouldn't have paid attention. My dad would volunteer his time for democrats during elections. So has my brother, his son, and my son.

I could never vote for a Republican in the US as they do not hold my values. I could never vote Tory in the UK. But I think you're right about the parties becoming closer in their ideologies. Milliband has lost a lot of Labour votes by implying he'd rather see the Tories stay in power than work with the SNP. I'm a card carrying Labour member but I did not vote Labour this election.
 

Last edited:
Ameriscot said:
I don't remember a lot of discussions about politics when I was a kid, but I wasn't interested then so wouldn't have paid attention. My dad would volunteer his time for democrats during elections. So has my brother, his son, and my son.

I could never vote for a Republican in the US as they do not hold my values. I could never vote Tory in the UK. But I think you're right about the parties becoming closer in their ideologies. Milliband has lost a lot of Labour votes by implying he'd rather see the Tories stay in power than work with the SNP. I'm a card carrying Labour member but I did not vote Labour this election.
Click to expand...

I agree that Milliband shot himself in the foot with his SNP remarks, IMO they have all behaved badly and don't deserve any votes. I hate what the Tory party has done to this country, and it will only get worse if they get in again, in whatever form that is.
 
merlin said:
I agree that Milliband shot himself in the foot with his SNP remarks, IMO they have all behaved badly and don't deserve any votes. I hate what the Tory party has done to this country, and it will only get worse if they get in again, in whatever form that is.
Click to expand...

Agree. I'm guessing it will be same old same old - Tories and LibDems - helping the rich and screwing the poor.
 
I fully admit to being ignorant about the British political process... In fact I was just saying to DH this morning after hearing a news blurb about your election. "So how does that work? OK.. someone wins the vote, but doesn't really win, because they first have to build a coalition, and if the loser or the incumbent builds one then they win?" or something like that? Not sure.
 
QuickSilver said:
I fully admit to being ignorant about the British political process... In fact I was just saying to DH this morning after hearing a news blurb about your election. "So how does that work? OK.. someone wins the vote, but doesn't really win, because they first have to build a coalition, and if the loser or the incumbent builds one then they win?" or something like that? Not sure.
Click to expand...

You don't vote directly for a PM. You vote for who is running for MP in your county/region. The leader of the party with the most MP's wins. A bit simplistic. Polls show no one will get a clear majority in this election, same as last election. So in order to have a majority you have to bargain with another party which, of course, does not agree with all your views so lots of compromising. Last election the Tory was PM, and the LibDem leader was deputy PM. Seats on the cabinet were divided up between both parties, but of course the most important seats went to the PM's party.
 
Continued....

There are several nationalist parties - SNP for Scotland, one for Wales, one for Northern Ireland. They have MP's in parliament (as well as their parliaments) but they can't have a coalition like the other parties. However, they can agree to back a party which would get that party a majority and they would win.

Confused? Me too. Better a native born Brit explains it.
 
QuickSilver said:
Ok.......................clear as mud.
Click to expand...

Thought so. I know how coalitions work but don't know how it works the other way. Not ideal, but I'd like a Labour government and backed by the SNP, even though they have some huge differences. But at least it wouldn't be the Tories.

My DH is getting fed up with trying to explain it all to me.
 
"it's too complicated to explain why Scotland is more left than right."

Simple really - the Scots have always been exploited!

"I fully admit to being ignorant about the British political process..."

Technically we don't vote for a party, in fact it's only recently candidates have been allowed to put their party affiliation on the ballot paper.

We only vote for our local representative, our MP.

If any one of those MPs can command enough support to defeat all those who don't support him/her the Queen will ask him/ to please form a government.

In practice, of course, very few manage to get elected without the massive machinery of a large party organisation behind them, though some, a very few, do. Those parties have leaders who automatically become Prime Minister if their party wins a majority of seats.

In some areas which always vote the same way, the voters have little to do with it - the MP is effectively chosen by the dozen or so members local party selection committee who decide who will stand in their area.

It used to be said that if they pinned a Labour rosette on a donkey in the Rhondda Valley it would get elected, and in Glasgow they didn't count the Labour vote , they weighed it.

I understand this is a little like your caucus system
 
I'm hoping the exit polls are wrong, but it looks like they've been quite accurate in the past. BBC has got the Tories far ahead of Labour. But it has the SNP winning all but one seat in Scotland.
 
Well both of us went to the polling station tonight as soon as hubs got home ..as we always do..thank goodness it doesn't close until 10pm..because he doesn't get home often until almost 10pm..

Anyway..all done now..I'm gonna be avidly watching the results as they come in from all around the country.. we both vote for the same party, locally and nationally


...although I did have trouble making my mind up this year..it was such a difficult choice..

o-EUROPEAN-ELECTION-BALLOT-PAPER-facebook.jpg
 
Exactly Shali...Our Monarch is also the Sovereign of Australia , Canada, New Zealand, Grenada, Jamaica, The Bahamas, Belize, Barbados, The Solomon Islands and more..
 
Speaking of Royal visits - Prince Harry has been in OZ for the last 4 weeks and had now moved on to New Zealand.

This photo was taken on his last day here. The old lady is a war widow and he spotted the V.C. medal she was wearing and stopped to talk to her. Needless to say, she was delighted and one very happy old lady.

Prince Harry & VC widow.GIF
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top