World Politics

Discussion in 'Miscellaneous' started by Jacquie, Jan 28, 2010.

  1. Ajbuckly

    Ajbuckly Lab Technician

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    LOL---do you remenber, the George Michael vid? The cartoon one -LOL

    So do you think they will change the elecktoral(?)system? Was that not a demand from the liberal democrats to join the collalition?

    So economic treats are on Spain and Portugal. Where will EU find enough money to save thoose two? Perhaps all the one EU army - stuff will be canned for a while?
     
  2. Ducky

    Ducky Master of the Moos Moderator

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    I think Greece can be saved (even it's poo that they'll eventually pay everything back. Yeah right) but Spain starts to be so big that ... that it will be hard. Even with good things what EU has brought us, we are finally getting hit back to reality that everything is going to fast. If not enlargement, then hurrying with currency.

    As for UK and their silly system. It's odd to have two so different parties together.

    I mean our system is this. We have 200 seats on Parliament. Those who gets most of seats starts negotic...whatever with others. Usually along comes 2nd or 3rd biggest (now we have biggest which is Centre and 2nd which is Conservatives..or Coalition party, anyways they are the rich people :p ) and together they have 101 seats. Then Greens are surprisingly again there (they resigned last time when was voted for nuclear powerplant) and then Swedish People's Party and they'll go to government with anyone so no one touches the language issue (yay, they are like 4%, I thin there are soon more russian speakers than finnishswedish... and still e.g our broadcasting company YLE throws shitload of money to keep their OWN CHANNEL!)
    So in opposition has Social Democrats and Left Wing and True Finns and umm... Christians.
    Last Government was mainly Centre andSocial Democrats (03-07) and 8yrs before that was Social Democrats and Conservatives.

    And of course, nowadays leader of the biggest party is also PM. Which makes this summer interesting, since in June our PM party (My party, Centre) is changing it's leader since curret leader/PM announced that he'll retire so I kind of will be voting for our next PM, since there are elections in April 2011.
     
  3. talkingtocactus

    talkingtocactus Coroner

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    but that's exactly what's happened here this time - although with different numbers. you have some form of proportional representation i guess?

    we normally have outright winners with our system (ie one party governs, the rest are in opposition), but because that only really works when there are 2 parties - there've been other parties here for ages, but only 2 with any real chance of winning, but recently the smaller parties have got more popular and the 3rd party has had a real chance for the first time - but our system really doesn't work for multi-party systems, it doesn't allow for an outright majority in those situations.
     
  4. shazza_018

    shazza_018 A Daily Anthem Moderator

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    I totally understand I was just saying under the system we have right now, they do have the majority of seats in the house of commons and therefore should have the mandate to govern. I hope their is electrol reform cause that's what the lib dems asked for but I doubt it, some in conservative party are against it and labour don't seem too keen on it but well have to see how things go.

    So what is STV? We've done PR and other related ways of vote in my Citizenship class but I haven't heard of STV. And how would that be better?
     
  5. Vickyyy

    Vickyyy Rookie

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    The whole 'Liberal-Conservative' branding seems like a huge oxymoron to me. I was always under the impression that being liberal was the opposite of being conservative!

    Anyway, I'm not too sure how well their coalition is going to work but they appear to be in good spirits and good humour for what it's worth. I did almost expect them to skip off holding hands though after their press conference!

    I really don't see this lasting the five years they are projecting though.
     
  6. Solitaire

    Solitaire CSI Level Two

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    ^ No, I agree I also dont see them lasting 5 years. I am very surprised that the Tories and Lib Dems (also known as the Con-Dem- ned Party!) made an agreement. They have such different idealogies..
    Desert Wind- to answer your question, no im not happy about the Consevatives being in charge, and im even less happy that the Lib Dems (whom I sometimes vote for) have formed an alliance. But realistically I see that the Conservatives did somehow or other manage to get the most seats so I suppose that means they should form the government. And the Lib Dems are trying to get as much as they can, and they must see this as their best opportunity. Its just annoying that in my home region, the North East, something like 90% of the seats arent Conservative, and yet we are still stuck with them.
     
  7. Desertwind

    Desertwind Head of the Day Shift

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    Thank's Solitaire and everyone for answering questions, and [​IMG] to David Cameron your new leader. There's a picture of him shaking the Queen's hand, and BTW she still looks so good:bolian:
     
  8. talkingtocactus

    talkingtocactus Coroner

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    ah, i see, sorry! i think it was actually a requirement of their deal that it be looked into, just before the coalition was announced someone on some news thing said there was a specific clause that, while not saying outright that electoral reform would happen, suggested strongly the conservatives would consider it as part of the deal.

    STV is single transferable vote. basically instead of just Xing one candidate on your ballot, you X several, but in order of preference. if anyone gets over 50% of the first choice votes, they're in automatically. then they get knocked out and leftover votes get allocated to 2nd choice, 3rd etc. that way no votes are wasted (which is a massive problem at the moment) and you get a much more representative spread of power. i think. it's one of those things i can understand in my head but if i try to write it down i get confused!

    i totally agree. and no, i don't either....

    yep, there are already t-shirts available that say "con-dem-nation" :D
     
  9. shazza_018

    shazza_018 A Daily Anthem Moderator

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    oh I see, thanks for the info! :)


    You know I don't trust George Osborne for one second as being Chancellor...this emergency budget on the 30th June also looks fishy. There will be difficult times ahead for all. I hope Labour can get their act together and move their party forward as it's now the only opposition to this coalition. It's needs to move forward from the New Labour era and really go back to some of it's more traditional values. Also an open honest debate within the leadership contest is required, we have to remember that Labour hasn't had a full leadership contest in about 16 years, may this is where it went wrong...
     
  10. Desertwind

    Desertwind Head of the Day Shift

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    OBAMA APPROVAL RATING UP

    For the first time this year, more people approve of President Barack Obama's performance that disapprove, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday morning. The latest soundings come as the White House is seeking to deal with the political fallout from the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and the president has been trying to find a route to bipartisanship by reachig out to GOP lawmakers in the hope of getting help with his legislative agenda. According to the poll American voters approve of Obama's job by 48 percent, up from April when 44 percent approved. The findings are based on the survey of 1,914 people from May 19 to May 24. It has a margin of wrror of plus or minus 2.2 % points. "The increase in President Barack Obama's job approval is a welcome step for the White House. His ratings have been in the no man's land of just below parity for some time, and now the question is whether this is the beginning of an upward trend or just a blip", said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll. The poll follows most other national polls showing a steady erosion of faith in Obaama since he took office. Of course, Obama's popularity then was at an all time high, partly because he was following Bush's admininstration which ended badly with a political thump, and partly from Obama's own upbeat campaign that led him to become the nation's first black president. "I know it's been 18 tough months", Obama said Tuesday night at a fundraiser in San Francisco, and I know I've got more grey hair" , I know some folks say, well you know, he's not as cool as he was". when they had all the posters around and everything, now they put on a Hitler moustache:scream: on these posters" sas Obama "that's quite a change". He acknowledged that he paid a political price. "You know, my political ratings kind of start sinking, and some people are just entirely satisfied", he said. The president blamed his loss of popularity on the reality that governing is harder than winning an election, as difficult as that is. "Remember what the campaign was about-hope & change"? Obama asked supporters, "People weren't paying attention to me when I said 'change is hard', people-a lot of folks, they just missed that part", he said. Complicating Obama's standing administration's inability to find a working relationship with the Republicans. Obama began his administration taking a lets-reason-together approach coupled with the knowledge that Democrats had the votes to try to go it alone on tough issues. That has changed with the Democrats loss of the super-majority in the Senate and the usual posturing that comes in a mid-term election year. It has made the search for bipartisanship a sort of political quest for the Holy Grail and about as likely to succeed, given the results "Look, understand this about bipartisanship, I have a track record in my legislative career working with folks across the aisle" Obama said so I try to get everyone together on all things, regardless of their political affiliation"

    Michael Muskal.. The Los Angeles Times~
     
  11. talkingtocactus

    talkingtocactus Coroner

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    it does look like tough times ahead, and i think the budget could be worrying too - let's hope the lib dems get some stuff in to keep a rein on the tories.

    i hope so too - we haven't had a good opposition for a long time (the tories in opposition were crap!) so maybe this coalition will shake things up a bit? god knows we need it. i wonder who'll win the labour leadership? i think the smart money's on david milliband but some are saying ed balls, but as was said on hignfy that would be so wrong, all the newsreaders would have to say "balls announced...." or "in a press conference, balls said..." it would be hilarious:lol: i know it's shallow to take the piss out of his name but really, he's in for a rough ride if he gets in!

    i also really liked the comment on hignfy last night about the state opening of parliament (surely just another demonstration of our ridiculous monarchy and another reminder of why we need to get rid of it, as they said the queen made a speech saying we need to be austere, while wearing the world's most expensive hat!) when they said "prince philip went too, to represent greece and all the problems it's caused" :lol:
     
  12. shazza_018

    shazza_018 A Daily Anthem Moderator

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    ^Re: the labour leadership, they need some new and different and they definately need to move away from the New Labour and its children (David and the 2 Eds also Andy Burham although I do like Andy). Someone like John McDonnell or Diane Abbot who are more to the left of the party - but it's unlike they'll win and more unlikely that they'll be able to win the general election so yeah the smart money's on david milliband. hahaha I agree with you on Balls :lol:.

    Also the Coalition has it's first bump in the road...Teasury Chief Secretary David Laws has had to resign over his expenses allegations...I feel sorry for the guy but I mean he did act irresponsiblely. Danny Alexander (Scotland's Secretary) will take over that position.
     
    Last edited: May 29, 2010
  13. talkingtocactus

    talkingtocactus Coroner

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    although tbh i'm surprised so few of them have had to go over expenses - so getting away with only one resignation they're doing quite well.

    i'd like diane abbott to be leader too but it's very very unlikely, sadly :(

    we should just run everything like eurovision - sure we'd make a mess of it and come last every time but it'd be good cheesy fun ;)
     
  14. Ajbuckly

    Ajbuckly Lab Technician

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    Did you come last ??

    Eurocision made me think....Italy were not present as they fear loosing (machismo?) and countries I almost know nothing about made top 10. Turkey made 2. but cannĀ“t join EU.

    So I guess I am wondering what is Europe? Is Europe all baltic nation and then some or??
    Because what is then the limit af EU? and as per Eurovision are we prepared to leave old ways (both Sweden and UK out) and go east?
     
  15. talkingtocactus

    talkingtocactus Coroner

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    we did, we usually do :lol:

    i don't know whether italy were not there by choice - they had a different system this time with heats and semi finals, only the countries that made enough points (or something) at semi finals got through to the end - that's why there were only 25 songs, but 39 nations voting. i think this is because in the past when there were 39 nations singing as well the show was far too long!

    yeah it's an interesting question, especially considering the criteria for entering the eu - turkey is only partially in europe but it is a member, etc. we're a member but there are a lot of people here who don't want us to be. i think leaving the eu would be economic suicide for the uk; even with the current crisis in the euro (although we are not part of the single currency), leaving the eu would damage our trade relations really really badly.
     

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