Explain for an Outsider - election outcome

[Alistair]

I feel this may be a little provocative, but can someone explain why it is so imperative to increase voter turnout? Everyone seems to think that this will drastically change the outcome of the elections, but why would it? Lack of interest in politics isn't limited to any one party, so chances are there will be a similar percentage of support for each party in the 40% that didn't vote as there is in the 60% that did. All that compulsory voting will achieve is what someone was complaining about earlier- lots of disinterested, uninformed people ticking any old box based on what their mates suggest just for the sake of avoiding a fine. Is that really something to aspire to? Bear it in mind that the bbc exit polls have a sample size in the 100000s at most, and gave a pretty damn accurate indication of 'the voice of the people' as a whole. I reckon the current system is pretty good in that respect; those who care and take an interest can make an informed decision based on their opinions on the matter and those who don't care either way are free to express that opinion too.

 

[private fraser]

Yoda, your provocative, insulting attitude is likely to get Another thread removed.
It's an interesting and sometimes amusing thread that I for one am enjoying.

So please....GIVE IT A BLOODY REST.

Thank you

I have received the following brief "reply" from Yoda to my above request (post #100) ....

"Don't threaten me sonny"

It came as a visitor message at 01:28 today.
I thought I would give it the light of day.

 

[private fraser]

I feel this may be a little provocative, but can someone explain why it is so imperative to increase voter turnout? Everyone seems to think that this will drastically change the outcome of the elections, but why would it? Lack of interest in politics isn't limited to any one party, so chances are there will be a similar percentage of support for each party in the 40% that didn't vote as there is in the 60% that did. All that compulsory voting will achieve is what someone was complaining about earlier- lots of disinterested, uninformed people ticking any old box based on what their mates suggest just for the sake of avoiding a fine. Is that really something to aspire to? Bear it in mind that the bbc exit polls have a sample size in the 100000s at most, and gave a pretty damn accurate indication of 'the voice of the people' as a whole. I reckon the current system is pretty good in that respect; those who care and take an interest can make an informed decision based on their opinions on the matter and those who don't care either way are free to express that opinion too.

It's a good thing in principle to encourage folk to vote but other than that I can't see the point. I think there's no point in forcing them to vote.
Here's another way to look at it... every person who doesn't bother to vote gives the votes of those who do more relevance.
To give an extreme example...if nobody but me bothered to vote then I'd get to decide the whole thing .
Pretty unlikely odds on that though.

 

[deeangeo]

If you look at the number of votes cast per seat gained the current system looks decidedly unfair in a multi party society. As an example -

SNP, votes received - approx 1.4 million , no of seats won = 56
UKIP, votes received - approx 3.9 million , no of seats won = 1

So the SNP has 56 times the number of MP's of UKIP while receiving only 35% of the number of UKIP votes.
the SNP received about 50% of the votes in Scotland but won 95 % of the seats
The system definitely needs to be changed.

- Yup! I'd go with that - we do need proprtional representation....even if the representation is just another politician.

 

[Cloudhopper]

Can someone PLEASE explain why the economic crash is blamed on Labour, when it was a GLOBAL crash that orginated in the USA?

I think the Tories have pulled a very neat trick by convincing an awful lot of people that it was Labour's fault, when I think the worst they can be assused of is failing to regulate the banks rigorously enough. The crash was not caused by traditional Labour policies - it was caused by very poor decision making within a laissez faire financial system regulated in a way much more in accord with Tory ideology.


Irrespective of the global banking crisis the labour government spent taxpayers

But we've made out beds... I'm happy to have been in about the only constituency in Scotland where there was a reaslistic chance that my vote actually mattered. Poor Ian Murray - he must feel like a shipwreck survivor clinging to the wreckage...

Irrespective of the global banking crisis the labour government spent taxpayers money like it was going out of fashion, why wouldn't they, they're socialists. As Mrs Thatcher once said socialists will go on spending until they run out of other peoples money and Gordon Brown went out of his way to prove her right.
CH

 

[teyhan1]

I don't see why that should scare you. It provides the opportunity for an entrepreneurial Scottish Government to make shrewd investments to secure the Country's future. I believe there are currently great opportunities in Darien Province in Panama ...

 

[sikamalc]

I have received the following brief "reply" from Yoda to my above request (post #100) ....

"Don't threaten me sonny"

It came as a visitor message at 01:28 today.
I thought I would give it the light of day.

Why does it not surprise me that any discussion to do with politics will lead to people becoming aggressive and threatening.

If people cannot discuss issues without spitting their dummies out of the pram ................

 

[bogtrotter]

Why can't people be civil, for some of us this was an interesting and at times an amusing thread ,even a bit tongue cheek at times why does someone have to spoil it.

 

[sikamalc]

Why can't people be civil, for some of us this was an interesting and at times an amusing thread ,even a bit tongue cheek at times why does someone have to spoil it.

keyboard warriors Boggy?

Admin will take appropriate action if needed.

 

[caorach]

I don't see why that should scare you. It provides the opportunity for an entrepreneurial Scottish Government to make shrewd investments to secure the Country's future. I believe there are currently great opportunities in Darien Province in Panama ...

Well, it is good to get a laugh of a Saturday afternoon. It is also shocking how many have never heard of it or, more tellingly under the current circumstances, the Scottish Enlightenment.

 

[Cootmeurer]

One takeaway coming to light from this side of the pond is "Don't Hire Anyone from the Obama campaign to run your campaign".

Seems Obama sent his top advisors not long ago to Israel to run the Anti- Netanyahu campaign, and got trounced. The news reporting today is that Obama sent his chief strategist David Axelrod to run the Labour campaign.

Or, alternatively, if you want to win an election, hire Obama's team - for your opponent - it will be money well spent.

 

[Mungo]

I wonder if the vastly different budgets available here make a difference. I imagine that campaigners from either side in the States must be horrified by just how little is spent here - and how short the campaign period is.

It may be that they simply aren't able to translate an approach that works well when you have over a year and untold millions to a campaign that lasts 6 weeks and runs on a comparative shoe string.

I wonder who Nicola had on her back room!

 

[paul k]

Not true, the corporation tax breaks offered to banks trading in the UK were a joke (still are!)

the only upside is all these ****** bankers everyone hates were individually propping up the economy by dropping 50% of their bonuses in income tax

And presumably spending some of their net income in the UK supporting businesses, employing people and paying VAT.

 

[paul k]

- Yup! I'd go with that - we do need proprtional representation....even if the representation is just another politician.

The fundamental problem with PR is that we had a referendum to change the system to PR and quite a big majority voted against. I do sympathise with parties like UKIP who were 3rd in the share of the vote and get one seat but the country had its chance and decided against.

 

[2130martin]

Compulsory voting

Is that really your starting point for a democratic system??????

 

[2130martin]

One takeaway coming to light from this side of the pond is "Don't Hire Anyone from the Obama campaign to run your campaign".

Seems Obama sent his top advisors not long ago to Israel to run the Anti- Netanyahu campaign, and got trounced. The news reporting today is that Obama sent his chief strategist David Axelrod to run the Labour campaign.

Or, alternatively, if you want to win an election, hire Obama's team - for your opponent - it will be money well spent.

Jim Messina(?) was advising the Tories......

 

[JTO]

My dad, a member of the AEU all his life, used to say. "We only indulge in majority rule(democracy) to avoid civil wars, but majority rule doesn't come up with the best result because the majority of people are fools". He always voted Liberal until we had a Labour local MP, due to an Anti-Common Market candidate splitting the Tory vote, and then voted Tory to get Labour out.

 

[JTO]

Somewhere in the Bible it says that one day we will be ruled by our slaves. I suppose the writer could foresee social democracy. Look what has happened in South Africa and the USA.

 

[2130martin]

somewhere in the bible it says that one day we will be ruled by our slaves. I suppose the writer could foresee social democracy. Look what has happened in south africa and the usa.

civil servants rule us.....

 

[caorach]

Is that really your starting point for a democratic system??????

Well, exactly. The next step is compulsory voting for the person I tell you to vote for.

What this country most needs is compulsory minding your own business, taking responsibility for your actions and letting others take responsibility for theirs without having to listen to someone else demanding they do this, and ban that, and believe the other thing...