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[Politics] Tory law breakers











Happy Exile

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Apr 19, 2018
1,913
The system always seems to be broken, when the party of one's choice never gets elected, because you will always be in a minority. Are you consistent enough to recognise and appreciate that this can happen everywhere or just cross, because you can't have it your way?

That argument only worked in a 2 party system but doesn't work now. As it is government is representative of the largest minority not representative of the majority. If you were designing a democracy you'd not do that because its not actually democratic, so why stick with it now things have changed?

The majority in the country don't want the shambles we have or the shambles of the main opposition party. So the majority of the country don't have their views represented: more voted against the Tories than for them, just as more voted against Labour than for them.

In the same way we have far more SNP MPs than Green or UKIP MPs despite the SNP getting less votes and therefore having less support than those other two parties combined.

Similarly the DUP get 10 seats for only 10% of the Lib Dem vote (12 seats), and half of UKIPs vote (0 seats) and roughly half the Green vote (1 seat). How does that even begin to make a democracy representative of the views of the country? The system always looks broken because it is - it doesn't represent the views of the country at all.
 


Machiavelli

Well-known member
Oct 11, 2013
16,804
Fiveways
Actually i really think this is stretching it..Their judgement amounts to them saying he did not have the grounds he stated to prorog parliament. He could argue that "ok so my reasining was wrong" This doesnt make him a lawbreaker and certainly dont think he should resign (BTW i have NEVER voted for anyone in my life so am not a Tory)

Eh? Read this brief paragraph from the summary of the judgment. FYI, I could have selected others:

The Court is bound to conclude, therefore, that the decision to advise Her Majesty to prorogue Parliament was unlawful because it had theeffect of frustrating or preventing the ability of Parliament to carry out its constitutional functions without reasonable justification.
 




Cheshire Cat

The most curious thing..


Pavilionaire

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
30,741
We end today with Parliament being in a stronger position than when we started it, and from this point onwards gaining a majority of seats is key as it is plain a minority government will struggle to get anything through by fair means or foul.

Quite where this leaves First Past The Post remains to be seen. Give or take, Tories are on 33%, Labour 25% so neither likely to get an overall majority and a whopping 43% of the electorate - or 3 in 7 voters - likely to vote for somebody other than Labour or Tory.

One consequence of Brexit is that the Labour Party are now likely to be more receptive to Proportional Representation than they once were, and having worked with the Lib Dems, SNP, Plaid, Greens and Independent Group to defeat No Deal they will be confident that a 'Progressive Party' coalition is achievable and could work.

You wonder who will be prepared to work with the Tories after the Lib Dems were hung out to dry. We also can't rule out Johnson selling the DUP down the river by agreeing to an Ireland-only backstop. As a coalition partner the Tories are toxic and - but for Corbyn being Labour leader - they might be facing a decade or more in the wilderness.
 






Bodian

Well-known member
May 3, 2012
12,223
Cumbria
Eh? Read this brief paragraph from the summary of the judgment. FYI, I could have selected others:

The Court is bound to conclude, therefore, that the decision to advise Her Majesty to prorogue Parliament was unlawful because it had theeffect of frustrating or preventing the ability of Parliament to carry out its constitutional functions without reasonable justification.

I think breaking the law and unlawful are subtly different. There wasn't actually a written law for him to break. Unlawful means that it is not authorised by law because no such law has been passed.
 


Hastings gull

Well-known member
Nov 23, 2013
4,635
That argument only worked in a 2 party system but doesn't work now. As it is government is representative of the largest minority not representative of the majority. If you were designing a democracy you'd not do that because its not actually democratic, so why stick with it now things have changed?

The majority in the country don't want the shambles we have or the shambles of the main opposition party. So the majority of the country don't have their views represented: more voted against the Tories than for them, just as more voted against Labour than for them.

In the same way we have far more SNP MPs than Green or UKIP MPs despite the SNP getting less votes and therefore having less support than those other two parties combined.

Similarly the DUP get 10 seats for only 10% of the Lib Dem vote (12 seats), and half of UKIPs vote (0 seats) and roughly half the Green vote (1 seat). How does that even begin to make a democracy representative of the views of the country? The system always looks broken because it is - it doesn't represent the views of the country at all.

Thanks for that. I presume you thus advocate PR, and this might be a solution. I say "might" but for all the supposed fairness, would we be necessarily any better off. Afterall they are committed politicos and would they be any more prepared to compromise than now?
 


clapham_gull

Legacy Fan
Aug 20, 2003
25,501
Thanks for that. I presume you thus advocate PR, and this might be a solution. I say "might" but for all the supposed fairness, would we be necessarily any better off. Afterall they are committed politicos and would they be any more prepared to compromise than now?

They would have to. The problem with the current system is that is providing us with everything it is supposed not to. Coalitions and Governments with little no majority.

If the system was set up to accept proper coalitions the behaviour would change overnight.

However (importantly), it is quite possible that a system like AV would lead to stronger single parties majorities with a mandate.
The overall winner picking up the second choice votes. The parties would naturally reach out beyond their core vote to get them.

Either way the current system is simply not working.
 




zefarelly

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 7, 2003
21,984
Sussex, by the sea
The system always seems to be broken, when the party of one's choice never gets elected, because you will always be in a minority. Are you consistent enough to recognise and appreciate that this can happen everywhere or just cross, because you can't have it your way?

Yes I am, yes I do, and let's face it, it's not difficult to get cross, but I do my best to avoid it. Nothing to do with getting my own way. I'm an engineer so I know what's right and wrong. It's all quantifiable. Politics is shady shit, and equally shady people!
 


Machiavelli

Well-known member
Oct 11, 2013
16,804
Fiveways
I haven't fully read up on this but didn't all 11 judges reason it was a justiciable (sp?) on the basis of precedent?

If so they didn't jump in at all, and the lower English and NI courts were incorrect (not the Scottish).

Also all 11 judges were unanimous, which seems unlikely if it was a decision based on political bias as you would not expect unanimous agreement on a political issue.

Yes, they did rule that it was justiciable.
 


Machiavelli

Well-known member
Oct 11, 2013
16,804
Fiveways
I think breaking the law and unlawful are subtly different. There wasn't actually a written law for him to break. Unlawful means that it is not authorised by law because no such law has been passed.

You might be right on that.

Edit: Laura Kuensberg on 10 O'Clock News has just stated that he's broken the law.
 
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Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
60,116
The Fatherland
As I have said before, Boris, JRM et al are nowhere near as smart as they think they are. This is a joy to watch.
 










darkwolf666

Well-known member
Nov 8, 2015
7,576
Sittingbourne, Kent
I love the way politics turns some people into patronising know it alls.

I wonder how many people knew the word prorogue even existed until a few days ago, and now it is bandied about in every sentence, being used as frequently as lmfao or lol :lolol:
 


Dick Head

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Jan 3, 2010
13,677
Quaxxann
You normally can’t keep Moggy off the tv and today he’s nowhere to be found

Moggy? Do you mean the patriotic, toffee-nosed Edwardian with a plum in his mouth who lied to the monarch?
 


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