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UK Election Arcana, Explained By Software
An anonymous reader writes "For the first time in 35 years the UK government is looking to be at risk of getting a hung or coalition government. (The most recent previous hung parliaments were in 1974 and 1929.) The voting rules are somewhat arcane and the votes this time are such that there are many strange possible outcomes and a surprisingly large number of permutations of coalitions that could be formed and political strategies that may go into their forming. There are at least 60 permutations, some more politically plausible than others. Adam Back wrote some software to work out the permutations, and lists some of the arcane factors affecting the outcome. If Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown chose to, it would appear even that he could simply refuse to resign, ostensibly trying to form a coalition indefinitely, maybe even forcing the Queen to dismiss the current government, which last happened in 1834 under King William IV."
All that proportional representation guarantees is a hung parliament every time.
They can bring down the larger party by changing sides or simply becoming neutral. If that doesn't constitute holding the balance of power, I don't know what does.
If I wanted simplistic soundbites & claptrap, I'd go to Faux News. Strong government and absolute power are not the same thing. A strong democratically elected government (say the post-war UK Labour one) is nothing like a dictatorship. A dictator who dithers does not deliver strong government.
It has a strong majority government now.
Please forward me the memo. The one about how they reset everything so a new government starts with a clean slate. I appear to have missed it.
More fodder for the peanut gallery. Actions speak louder than words, and thoughts are silent.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
Just how Left do Labour need to be in order to qualify as "Left" in your "Score: 4, Insightful" opinion?
They're recognised as left by independent media, nearly all UK bloggers, the BBC, the Guardian, the Times, and the right-wing media. That's because they are socially progressive left-liberals. They are strongly authoritarian, too, but that's never been incompatible with being "Left", now has it? You seem to imagine that the fact they carried on a few Thatcherite policies somehow makes them exactly the same as her. I guess they should have raised the red flag on day 1 and nationalised the means of production on day 2, yeah?
I wouldn't mind you stating your leftwing extremist opinions if it wasn't for the fact that you're so very, very rude. You insult everyone whose opinion varies from your own. Even for a leftie your arrogance is incredible, matched only by your hatred of free speech. Are you a member of the Green Party by any chance?