UK Election - is it sexy?

[Goldie Munro]

Hey guys - as you will probably all know (I am assuming!) It is election time in the UK. Have you seen any of the coverage? Are any of the arguments or policies sexy? Or do any of you give a damn?

Now that the 'special relationship' is seemingly over what will become of a hung Parliament Britain? Will the US turn to new fresh meat?

I am interested in your thoughts!

 

[manyeyedhydra]

Only if you like S & M.

It's kind of similar. Mark an X next to whichever party you'd like to roger you up the ass for the next 5 years.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

I fail to see how anything involving Gordon Brown can be sexy.

 

[Goldie Munro]

So far not so sexy then?

To be honest I wasn't looking for personality sexiness - more to do with the election in general.

Are British people fired up about this election? Why/why not?

 

[colddiesel]

How can they be fired up about an election with far more important things to worry about?

Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United all knocked out of the Champions League within a week, not one team in the semis.

 

[Liar]

http://5secondfilms.com/watch/keeping_you_safe

 

[trysail]

Queen Ensures She Won’t Decide Who Governs in Hung Parliament
By Robert Hutton and Thomas Penny

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=ab9_qdC32qro

April 9 (Bloomberg) -- For the first time since 1923, a British monarch may have to resolve a stalemate over who will become the next prime minister. The queen’s aides are working to make sure that never happens.

Eighty-seven years ago, King George V had to pick Stanley Baldwin over Lord Curzon after Prime Minister Andrew Bonar Law resigned without suggesting a successor.

Polls suggest neither Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown nor Conservative David Cameron will win the necessary votes for a majority in the May 6 election, resulting in a so-called hung parliament. Civil servants have drafted rules they hope will cover every eventuality to protect Queen Elizabeth II’s neutrality.

“The queen must remain absolutely above politics,” said Robert Hazell, director of University College London’s Constitution Unit, who was involved in drawing up the new standards. “The palace is keen to distance the queen as much as possible in order to protect her.” The rules prescribe procedures to avoid the confusion that followed the February 1974 election, the only time since World War II that no party won a majority. It took four days before Conservative Edward Heath resigned as premier, allowing the queen to name Labour’s Harold Wilson to lead a minority government.

Conservative Lead

A YouGov Plc poll completed April 7 showed the Conservatives ahead in popular support by 37 percent to 32 percent. That would give Labour 287 seats and the Conservatives 272 in the 650-seat House of Commons, according to a formula devised by Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher of Plymouth University.

Their calculations suggest the Conservatives need to win the popular vote by more than 10 percentage points to gain a majority in the Commons. No YouGov poll has showed that since Jan. 7.

U.K. bonds and the pound will stay “under a cloud” unless the election produces a clear winner who can narrow the record budget deficit, according to Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. As the polls tightened this year, Gus O’Donnell, who as cabinet secretary is head of the Civil Service, accelerated plans to codify the conventions that surround elections. Consulting with the queen’s most senior aide, her private secretary Christopher Geidt, and academics, he drew up a draft chapter for the Civil Service Manual.

Impossible Position

When he circulated it in February, lawmakers on Parliament’s Justice Committee questioned whether Brown could be trusted not to put the queen in a politically impossible position by requesting another election if he was unable to form a government, something the Conservatives would likely oppose.

Hazell said two new paragraphs had been added to the as- yet-unpublished final draft to address lawmakers’ concerns.

The rules make clear that “the prime minister must not resign unless and until it’s clear who his successor would be, so that the queen and the country are never without a government,” Hazell said. “Second, it’s a strong duty on the prime minister not to put the queen in an awkward position, not to ask for a dissolution of Parliament if she might refuse it.”

Those standards would prevent Brown from asking for a second election if he wasn’t able to form a government.

Britain has no written constitution, relying on precedent and specific laws instead. The 83-year-old queen, as sovereign, still formally dissolves Parliament, appoints the prime minister and presents the legislative program as that of her government. She has done so since she came to the throne in 1952.

Civil War

Limits on how the monarch exercises those powers go back to the 17th century, when Parliament asserted its right to govern over two of the Queen’s ancestors.

Charles I was beheaded in 1649 after a civil war that followed his decision to rule and raise taxes for 11 years without summoning the House of Commons.

Charles’s son James II, who came to the throne in 1685, was exiled after attempting to rule without Parliament and placing Roman Catholics in positions of power. The 1689 Bill of Rights guaranteed the legislature’s powers and curbed the monarch’s.

Officials now want to ensure that elected representatives, rather than the monarch, make the key decisions. They lay the onus on politicians to make the decisions on any change of government, so that the monarch merely gives her assent.

Anonymous Letter

The last attempt to codify was in 1950, when Alan Lascelles, private secretary to King George VI, the queen’s father, used an anonymous letter to The Times of London to set out the factors the monarch would consider when deciding whether to agree to dissolve Parliament. Those included whether the current Parliament was viable, and whether there was an alternative prime minister.

“The popular myth is that the prime minister loses office if his party is defeated in a general election, but that is not the position,” said Robin Butler, who was Heath’s private secretary in February 1974. “The prime minister remains prime minister until he cannot command a majority in Parliament and somebody else can.”

A confidential report by Robert Armstrong, head of Heath’s private office, has been studied by Brown’s aides. It describes the fall of the Conservative government after Heath tried and failed to reach a post-election deal with the Liberal Party to stay in power.

The Conservatives won the popular vote, though Wilson’s Labour Party took more seats -- 301 to 297. The Liberals won 14.

Heath’s Talks

Heath spent much of the four days after the results were announced trying to persuade Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe that they could govern together before finally going to see the queen to resign. Thorpe demanded that Heath be replaced as prime minister and wanted a promise to make the electoral system more representative. The Conservatives rejected both demands.

Written rules don’t necessarily avoid a crisis, according to Thomas Mann, senior fellow of governance studies at The Brookings Institution, Washington.

“In the end whether or not you end up having a constitutional crisis depends very much on the actions of the party leaders,” he said. “If one side decides to throw in the cards and, in effect, defend the legitimacy of the process, then the institution doing it doesn’t get damaged.”

 

[oggbashan]

There are two good things about this election:

1. It doesn't last long, only a few weeks, and

2. Whichever party wins there will be more new Members of Parliament than at almost any time in our recent history, even more than in 1945. I hope the new crop will do better than the retiring ones. They can't do worse if the polls about the credibility and honesty of UK politicians are right. There are some who will be genuinely missed but far too many who should have gone much earlier.

Og

 

[CharleyH]

Hey guys - as you will probably all know (I am assuming!) It is election time in the UK. Have you seen any of the coverage? Are any of the arguments or policies sexy? Or do any of you give a damn?

Now that the 'special relationship' is seemingly over what will become of a hung Parliament Britain? Will the US turn to new fresh meat?

I am interested in your thoughts!

I used to watch Sky News or at least BBC everyday. Now I'm watching Fox news to get my kicks. Does this say anything? lol

 

[where]

I fail to see how anything involving Gordon Brown can be sexy.

I used to rather fancy gordy.

There are two good things about this election:

1. It doesn't last long, only a few weeks, and

2. Whichever party wins there will be more new Members of Parliament than at almost any time in our recent history, even more than in 1945. I hope the new crop will do better than the retiring ones. They can't do worse if the polls about the credibility and honesty of UK politicians are right. There are some who will be genuinely missed but far too many who should have gone much earlier.

Og

oh god yeah... not like the interminable US elections.

This could be an interesting next few years politically.

 

[Handley_Page]

So far not so sexy then?

To be honest I wasn't looking for personality sexiness - more to do with the election in general.

Are British people fired up about this election? Why/why not?

It's very difficult to get the British People fired up about anything these days, let alone an election (major sports excepted). Especially after seeing so many of our representatives "rip off the system" of expenses (yes, I know the origin was for a good reason, but they just got greedy).

And a Home Secretary (silly b*tch) who's added more stupid little rules to all manner of existing idiocy that any previous incumbent.
A Prime Minister who was not elected (that bloody hurts).
The Scottish MPs get two bites of the cherry; Holyrood and Westminster.

If Westminster does nothing to clear up this bloody mess, I fear there will be a mass demonstration or opposition.

And the first at Tyburn would be Tony Bliar for his slavishly following G W into a War which was badly planned and telling us some real whoppers in the process.

 

[JackLuis]

From 8,498 Km, it doesn't look all that sexy.

Being at the end of a very long information pipeline, it looks boring.

The City of London shapes the course of the nation, elections are just so much window dressing. You could say the same about Wall St. and America, as well.

I guess we still have parts of our English heritage, respect for the wealthy and powerful, inability to ignore superfluous side issues when the actual issues are simple, tight inner focused lives because we realize we are on our own in this unfeeling competitive world, and slow courts.

I guess your history of one bloody stupid Government after another is your lot.

 

[Goldie Munro]

Well? Didn't the Leader's Debate sex it up?

 

[amicus]

I did hear about the first ever televised debate bertween major candidates, but didn't search to find the video...it is said that following that debate the numbers changed a bit, with Gordon on the bottom?

ami

 

[JackLuis]

I Goggled Gordon and found the Clips of the debate. From other reports he didn't fare well in the debates and after seeing the competition it doesn't surprise me.
Caught this from an Un-supporter for Barown. She sounds like she has a beef with Child Services?

"They’d all been beautifully Rada’d,” said my friend from north Oxford next morning. Yes, yes, good point, but how did she rate Cameron? She said she was surprised that Brown got off so lightly. “The others didn’t lay a glove on him, really.” No, but how did she rate Cameron? “What was so interesting was that Nick Clegg did so well.” Me: You are a lifetime Labour voter. How can you be so chipper about little Cleggy? She said, to my horror, “Well, maybe it’s time the big parties were broken up a bit, and a Lib-Lab pact wouldn’t be all that bad, surely?” A Lib-Lab pact. Merciful heaven. Let me shuffle off this mortal coil before I have to live through one of those. "

Exciting times in England.

We have to listen to this for the next two years.

 

[oggbashan]

I did hear about the first ever televised debate bertween major candidates, but didn't search to find the video...it is said that following that debate the numbers changed a bit, with Gordon on the bottom?

ami

Unlike US politicians, UK politicians are used to argumentative debate across the floor of the House of Commons.

Every Prime Minister's Question Time for the past few years has been a rehearsal for the TV debate - with the same participants but with audience participation from their supporters and opposers as well.

None of them were likely to make a major gaffe because they were doing what they do, live in front of TV cameras, every week that Parliament is in session.

Nick Clegg seems to have "won" because Gordon Brown and he were both attacking David Cameron but next time the other two will attack him.

Og

 

[amicus]

In the film, "Into the Storm", Winston Churchill was grilled during the Question Time and it seemed to devastate him...as I recall, this was after the conclusion of the War and he was defeated in the election.

Ami

 

[rorystorm]

to be fair they are all the same, lib dem, labour or the tories.
the uk indipendance party and the bnp could do well this time around. which ever way you look at it they are all shit
as a female friend once said" they are just like a horny man, they promise you everything to get in and once they are in they forget your name"

 

[Handley_Page]

I did hear about the first ever televised debate bertween major candidates, but didn't search to find the video...it is said that following that debate the numbers changed a bit, with Gordon on the bottom?

ami

The televised debate was a bit of a frost, to be blunt. I got so peeved with it on TV that I wend down to my shed and fired up the soldering iron and put on the radio; the debate was being broadcast. I suspect that the questions were very carefully screened.

Frankly, the Liberal (Nick Clegg) was the only one who made any sense (if such a thing can be ascribed to Politicians). El Gordo was too busy making aside remarks and re-hashing policies and El Cameroni was rebutting them.

The Libs polled an increase of 14%.

I don't think that the idea of a televised debate will catch on quickly, although in theory it is a good idea.

And a thought for Goldie:
Sex it up ? this is UK politics ya' know. We don't do 'sex-it-up'

 

[oggbashan]

...And a thought for Goldie:
Sex it up ? this is UK politics ya' know. We don't do 'sex-it-up'

Except for reports on non-existent WMDs to justify joining the US in an invasion of Iraq.

Og

 

[Handley_Page]

Except for reports on non-existent WMDs to justify joining the US in an invasion of Iraq.

Og

Ah - sorry; I forgot that bit.
I'll stop now before I make a fool of myself about that campaign.
[ Anyone want to look after an ex-Prime Minister and Very Rich Person indeed ?]

 

[R. Richard]

I have done considerable review of the UK electon in the Sun newspaper.

My conclusion: "If it's Brown, flush it!"

 

[Handley_Page]

I have done considerable review of the UK electon in the Sun newspaper.

My conclusion: "If it's Brown, flush it!"

I agree whole-heartedly with the conclusion, but would caution against using the Sun as a good reference. It's about as accurate, dispassionate and reliable as a square-wheeled tricycle.

 

[oggbashan]

I agree whole-heartedly with the conclusion, but would caution against using the Sun as a good reference. It's about as accurate, dispassionate and reliable as a square-wheeled tricycle.

Or Fox News, or the Onion...

Og

PS. Their holiday offers are worth the cover price. With them I've been to Bognor Regis, South Wales, Normandy (twice) and Paris.

 

[R. Richard]

Why is it that you UK people are tiptoeing around the Page 3 girls? I mean, you may not agree with the editorial policy, but they got a couple of good points there.