The UK Election!!!!

African-Americans would also be accepted by the judges

---

It's not enough to bash in heads, you've got to bash in minds
soon I discovered that this rock thing was true
Jerry Lee Lewis was the devil
Jesus was an architect previous to his career as a prophet
All of a sudden i found myself in love with the world
And so there was only one thing I could do
Was ding a ding dang my dang along ling long - Jesus Built my Hotrod Ministry
Live every week like it's Shark Week! - Tracey Jordan
Just a monkey in a long line of kings. - Matthew Good
If "elitist" just means "not the dumbest motherfucker in the room", I'll be an elitist! - Get Your War On
*not an actual doctor

I am happy that I am making you happy. But I am still somewhwt upset that my Friday nights are not more exciting. I hope Mr Jack's answers have made things clearer. On a more serious note - I think the same can be said to some extent anywhere. The debates have certainly put the cat amongst the pigeons for the moment. How temporary or sustained that will be remains to be seen.But currently the third party is riding high in the polls in a way that if translated to actual votes would cause a massive shift in British party politics from the long term status quo.

Alright, I guessed knackered right but nappies had me scratching my temple. Thanks!

---

"Political correctness is tyranny with manners." -- Charlton Heston

I don't think so. I've never seen Buz make comments along the lines of African-Americans being a "tyrannical minority," while he has made that sort of statement (and more) with regard to Muslims.That, and his use of the word "stealth" in reference to Obama was a dead giveaway, because Buz considers Obama to be a "Stealth Muslim," the linchpin of some horrible Muslim plot to take over Good White Christian America (tm).Edited by Rahvin, : No reason given.

Yes but he has before called the election of Obama "racist" claiming that African-Americans only voted for Obama because he's African-American and that by doing so they're showing racism. That plus his general bigotry lead me to think he was lumping AAs into the "army of voters from among the minority element, many who were not previously in the habit of voting."

---

It's not enough to bash in heads, you've got to bash in minds
soon I discovered that this rock thing was true
Jerry Lee Lewis was the devil
Jesus was an architect previous to his career as a prophet
All of a sudden i found myself in love with the world
And so there was only one thing I could do
Was ding a ding dang my dang along ling long - Jesus Built my Hotrod Ministry
Live every week like it's Shark Week! - Tracey Jordan
Just a monkey in a long line of kings. - Matthew Good
If "elitist" just means "not the dumbest motherfucker in the room", I'll be an elitist! - Get Your War On
*not an actual doctor

I suppose we could always ask the source.Buz, were you being a Muslim-phobic conspiratorial bigot, or a Black-hating conspiratorial bigot when you made those comments earlier?

Are you also going to force him to answer the question "Have you stopped beating your wife" with a 'yes' or 'no'?

Well, many blacks have in fact claimed to have voted for Obama because he is black. But they didn't vote for Alan Keyes when he ran for president on the basis that he's black, and I know several black folk who did not vote for Obama. So, I guess his point is moot.*sigh* African-Americans? What a stupid term. Do blacks in Canada refer to themselves as African-Canadians?

---

"Political correctness is tyranny with manners." -- Charlton Heston

/shrugIn this case, Buz has basically already admitted to the beating, and we're just trying to figure out whether he used a baseball bat or (since this is a UK thread) a cricket bat.

I'd have figured Buz as a more of a 'whack round the head with the butt of a shotgun' kinda guy myself.And don't get me started on cricket otherwise this thread will be derailed even more than it already is being by discussions on US politics.....

I know exactly where you're coming from, but I just couldn't go as far as to actually vote Tory. They are the party of privilege. They only exist to look after the interests of the rich and they don't give a damn about anyone else. They made a horrible mess last time they were in government and I don't believe that they have sincerely changed.Realistically, it is a rare MP that makes enough of a difference to his or her constituency that the local decision could completely eclipse the national decision. I think that both ways of deciding are valid though. The local aspect creates a level of accountability. Those MPs who work hard for their constituents generally do well, often bucking national trends. It sounds like a good system mostly. It certainly means that the national vote is fairly represented in parliament, something that our first-past-the-post system is very bad at. I think you're right that it wouldn't wash in the UK though. People are very attached to the constituency system here.Mutate and Survive

Having an actual representative specific to your area and it's concerns, having a specific person you can go and see about whatever local issue there might be, is not necessarily something to be given up without consideration.But basically I agree with what you say about our present system. There must be a way to retain some sort of regional representation without having the skewed and anachronistic results of our current system.

Hi Kitsune, Hey! I like that building! It's shiny. Shiny is good. I can appreciate your frustration. It's another unfortunate side effect of our set up. I think it's one you're going to be stuck with as well, even if the system is revised. I live in Highfields. They don't dare canvass around here. They'd get kicked shitless. Repeatedly.Mutate and Survive

Hi Straggler, Oh I didn't intend to talk it down. I really value being able to see a local MP. I wouldn't want to lose that. On the other hand, not all opposition to voting reform is going to be rational. I think there's going to be a conservative {small 'c'} element who just don't want to see change.Mutate and Survive

In order to properly understand this, I think it's important to appreciate that this sort of attitude is partly a prerational, cultural thing - like supporting a football team you were bought up to hate (no offense intended towards your choice of party, Granny Magda, I'm not saying your political choices are irrational!). I was brought up learning children's rhymes about Margaret Thatcher's death. The thought of voting Tory provokes a strong, negative emotional reaction entirely seperate from the thought of any policies they'd enact.As for the separate question of how to make a fairer voting system without severing the link people have with a local MP, the answer seems obvious. A ower house elected proportionally, an upper house elected by single-member constiuencies. With the upper house not playing a role in the formation of government, it will make local MPs more responsive to their constituents' needs, as the party whip would no longer matter so much. It instantly solves the never-ending question of when Lords reform is going to be completed as well.