Euro Elections are forthcoming

[Skarclaw]

This will be the first time I'm voting so I'm somewhat excited in a very very nerdy way. Probably the only time I'm going to vote for a "major" party, I think I'll end up spoiling my ballot come a general or even council election.

 

 

[Habakure]

Cheers for that Chimpy, looks interesting what they have said, but like everything in politics actions speak louder than words.

[Chimpy]

Cheers for that Chimpy, looks interesting what they have said, but like everything in politics actions speak louder than words.

 

I think they are dead wrong and all a bit mad but there you go.

 

They currently have a few Euro MPs so if you are interested in them as a party you can go check out their actions.

[Habakure]

To be honest I've never voted and as such don't really take that much of an interest in it. Sayign they are the fourth largest isn't really that impressive, i mean wasn't it the green party that use to be that?

 

I've always felt that it doesn't matter who's in power as they always muck up in some way or form. Also that the choice just doesn't seem enough to me.

[Chimpy]

If you don't participate you can hardly complain when the people that do get elected *fruitcage* up. Or try to ban Airsoft etc.

 

Participation in a democracy is much more than just voting (which you can do at different levels as well) although voting is the primary way in which you can make your view mean something. I think we gain a lot of apathy for voting in this country due to the level of comfort we've attained. It's easy to see no point in doing anything when it doesn't appear to affect your day to day life. The problem is this level of comfort may only exist for the short term if people rest on their laurels.

[Delfi]

I wonder whether the Aussies haven't got it right ... it's illegal not to vote down there.

 

[Stealthbomber]

For the sake of discussion...

 

Is it fair to say that the future of airsoft is probably safest with a Conservative government?

 

Seems, to me, that both Labour and the Lib Dem's are far too eager to bend over backwards to follow whatever happens elsewhere in Europe and decide arbitrarily what's best for us all.

 

Be interesting to see if a Conservative government has the balls to actually repeal some of the laws introduced by Labour in the last 20 years.

There's plenty to choose from seeing as how Labour have, apparently, added more new legislation in the last 20 years than previous governments combined in over 200 years.

[Delfi]

It may seem like 20 years but it's only 12 ...

 

[Stealthbomber]

It may seem like 20 years but it's only 12 ...

Heh, funny that.

I have said the same thing before and been corrected.

I dunno why but I have it in my head that Labour got in at the end of the 80's. I also know that's wrong because I distinctly recall the 90's with John Major in power.

It's just like there's a short circuit in my head that won't let me reconcile the two bits of information.

 

So, ummm, yeah. 12 years then.

[Skarclaw]

tbh if anything I can see that creating even more disdain for politics, if people are not interested in it, they won't change their attitude by being forced to queue outside a voting office in the evening.

 

(in responce to defli, server arsed up so it took a while to actually get this to post)

[Delfi]

I dunno why but I have it in my head that Labour got in at the end of the 80's.

 

The end of Thatcher perhaps?

 

[Chimpy]

Is it fair to say that the future of airsoft is probably safest with a Conservative government?

 

Is this really the best issue to vote on?

 

I suspect we will have a Tory government at the next election but don't imagine for a second they'll dismantle much of what New Labour have put in play. If anything they look like they'll reduce the auditing and regulation of the powers New Labour introduced which is a bit worrying as that increases the scope for abuse. Although on the plus side they do say they want to tackle the use of RIPA legislation by local government even though thats at odds with their plan for everything else.

 

Politically I'm stuck in an uneasy trough between the Lib Dems and the Conservatives.

[Fin]

Im leaning more toward UKIP at the moment, mostly because British standards regulations are easier to learn and simpler to understand/remember than 'new' European norms plus other reasons that i wont go into.

 

 

Flashbacks of V for Vendetta suddenly start assaulting me.

 

I think Children of men more when i think of a BNP victory

[cafemondo]

The tories are really into their knee jerk reactions, anyone remember Hungerford and we all had to have our 8 shot spases converted to 3? And then Dunblane and the loss of legally held handguns meaning all that was left was the illegally held ones? Top tory thinking there.

Yay gods theyd ban airsoft in a wink if they thought theyd get a few more votes.

 

[my_plague_666]

dont know who i'll be voting for, but not the BNP.

[-Angel-]

The tories are really into their knee jerk reactions, anyone remember Hungerford and we all had to have our 8 shot spases converted to 3? And then Dunblane and the loss of legally held handguns meaning all that was left was the illegally held ones? Top tory thinking there.

Yay gods theyd ban airsoft in a wink if they thought theyd get a few more votes.

 

Yeh. Making it easier to identify illegal weapons is a stupid idea... wait, what?

 

How long has it been since the last shooting in the UK that wasn't gang related or a family fued? A spontaneous shooting, ala the US, German, Finland, etc?

 

A thread on arnies decending into gun control... who'd of thought.

[Finius]

Going back to the very first post. BNP can S my D. Don't know who to vote for, but it won't be them.

 

[Chimpy]

A thread on arnies decending into gun control... who'd of thought.

 

With a full two posts vaguely related I'd hope not just yet.

[GuzziHero]

I SO want to vote Socialist Party, but I may vote conservative to cockblock the BNP.

 

I cannot hold my vomit long enough to vote labour

[Banzai]

I think Children of men more when i think of a BNP victory

 

oh yeah hehe. wrong dystopian British future movie x.x

[Dope on a Rope]

 

Let me see...

 

Labour - no way, Tony Blair led us down the path of closer intergration with the EU because it helped further his aim of the EU presidency. Brown has managed to bugger up the economy by letting the watchdogs like the FSA be staffed with his cronies in the financial industry who have largley gutted the watchdog of it's powers and turned a blind eye to some real scams going on - thier solution get rid of the FSA and set up another body with even less powers.

 

More and more unappointed 'advisors' setting policy and law.

 

An dlets not forget all the stealth laws and taxes that Labour have introduced.

 

 

Conservative - Seem to spend most of their time attacking thier leader ! Sold of a shed load of the country (rail, electric, gas, water) to the highest bidder and we the public are still paying a fortune for it.

 

 

Lib Dem - Want more intergration with europe, more immigration (hang on with a country that just doesn't have the infrastructure we want more people in the country?) (Having spent the last 12 year working across the UK - mainly the south east in the construction industry) the last thing the south east needs is more development.

 

 

The other parties ?

 

Greens - ban the car, ban coal and gas power stations, ban nuclear power - Ok so what sort of society are going to have - we've kinda gone from small villages and hunter gatherer society ? Not much in the way of policies bar save the planet.

 

 

BNP very scary bunch - IMO a form of nazi-ism that has been revamped and repackaged for the fed up dissillusioned masses, they have pointed out a group to blame (sound familier).

 

 

When I turned 18 I didn't know who to vote for, so I voted for Lord Such - his campaign at the time was to make Mersea an independant state and give it it's own link to the channel tunnel.

 

I'm 36 in june and I still consider my vote for Lord Such to be the best I've placed.

 

[pjones]

Hmm. I guess the disadvantage of having only two "real" parties is that if they both behave like royal tossers anybody, no matter how loony, can run as a "change" or "I'm not as bad as the old guy."

 

Of course the advantage is that, unlike in Israel, the loony fringe (which will always exist) doesn't have any of the power that comes from being able to make and break coalitions.

 

Question: Is the Euro Parliament like the House of Commons where candidates are assigned geographically or is it a threshold system like the Knesset?

[Chimpy]

Question: Is the Euro Parliament like the House of Commons where candidates are assigned geographically or is it a threshold system like the Knesset?

 

Depends on the country. All use some form of proportional representation. The UK has it divided up into broad geographical areas (e.g. Scotland, Wales, North East England). Some do use a threshold system.

[Habakure]

The reason I don't vote is that there arn't any parties that I want to vote for (same with everything, if there is nothign I want i don't choose the next best thing as it is always a let down). It would be very hypecritical of me to vote just because I feel obliged too, if I had the time I would try to change this fact of not having a party to vote for, and perhaps start my own. But I see everyone as bad as the other and because of that I choose not to vote. Of course if I got wind that the BNP would get in power unless I voted I would vote in a flash just to stop them.

[Dope on a Rope]

 

I wish we could have a none of the above choice !