Election Debates

[Sundae]

Just got an email from Nick Clegg, which is sweet of him considering he must be busy today. Not that my LibDem vote really counts in Otley; by all accounts the incumbent is a shoo-in.

I did my duty this morning anyway. It's a shame when only people making their protest votes are motivated and give the extreme parties something to boast about. As they did in Aylesbury in the Council elections (a UKIP councillor? what's he going to do, get Quarrendon out of Europe?!) and as someone's parents are doing in this General Election. Aylesbury won't shift from true-blue because of their two votes, but who wants to put a smile on racists' faces?

ETA the above doesn't apply to Dana's vote, obviously.
I am voting differently, but for the same reason. I'm not pro Lib Dem, but I'm not anti. They meet my political ideals better than the current coalition, and why split the vote in this area by ticking Labour?

[Carruthers]

It's unfortunate that General Elections are now such negative experiences when so often we find ourselves voting for the marginally less worse party or casting our vote tactically in order to keep a candidate out rather than voting another one in.
It beggars belief that we still cling to the first past the post system where an MP can be in the position of having more people voting against him/her than voted for him/her.
That peculiarity manifested itself in the governments of both Mrs Thatcher and Mr Blair whereby they were elected on the basis of achieving 42% or thereabouts of the popular vote.
Governments elected by proportional representation are often said to be weak, but at least have the merit of representing the distribution of votes cast.

Anyway, whoever takes up residence at No 10 is going to need a large dose of good luck and the agility to dodge the copious quantities of ordure heading his way.

[Lamplighter]

<snip>Governments elected by proportional representation are often said to be weak,
but at least have the merit of representing the distribution of votes cast.

Anyway, whoever takes up residence at No 10 is going to need a large dose of good luck
and the agility to dodge the copious quantities of ordure heading his way.

As much as I despise the GOP, I end up arguing that a 2-party system is still
better for the U.S than 3rd-party candidates and/or coalition governments .

Of course, the GOP has been reversing the old axiom to
"the devil we don't know might be better than..."
And too, we don't (yet) have a sovereign who could sort out all the tangles.

Sending the Brits a wish for the best of luck...