It would seem that not only does the UK Labour Party need to accept that it lost the election and is now the Opposition, but it would also appear that Conservatives need to understand that their party did not win sufficient seats to form a government without the aid of the Liberal-Democrats.
It would also seem to me that there is no point in calling an election immediately on the same basis as the last in the hopes that there might be a decisive verdict. The system needs fixing. The last election was worthy of a third world country: skewed constituencies, insufficient polling stations and ballot papers, polling stations shutting early, opportunity for large-scale fraud, political leaflets ‘lost’ in the post… need I go on? Get that fixed and then see what an honest election brings.
The UK is broke and needs surgery immediately, and all I read are people complaining that there are two doctors working to deal with the problems. There is a coalition, no one party has a mandate, as understood by the UK’s quirky constitution, to impose its cure on the country. The sooner people realise and accept that and start looking at the proposed cures the better.
Has anyone bothered to read this ?
There are bits of it I that would have thought should be bringing people into the street cheering:
Civil liberties
The parties agree to implement a full programme of measures to reverse the substantial erosion of civil liberties under the Labour Government and roll back state intrusion. This will include:
A Freedom or Great Repeal Bill.
The scrapping of ID card scheme, the National Identity register, the next generation of biometric passports and the Contact Point Database.
Outlawing the finger-printing of children at school without parental permission.
The extension of the scope of the Freedom of Information Act to provide greater transparency.
Adopting the protections of the Scottish model for the DNA database.
The protection of historic freedoms through the defence of trial by jury.
The restoration of rights to non-violent protest.
The review of libel laws to protect freedom of speech.
Safeguards against the misuse of anti-terrorism legislation.
Further regulation of CCTV.
Ending of storage of internet and email records without good reason.
A new mechanism to prevent the proliferation of unnecessary new criminal offences.
and
The parties will bring forward early legislation to introduce a power of recall, allowing voters to force a by-election where an MP was found to have engaged in serious wrongdoing and having had a petition calling for a by-election signed by 10% of his or her constituents.
What I have always admired about the British is their ability to accept a situation. Oh yes they complain, but then they get up and work with what they’ve got. The UK has got a Coalition, give it a chance to see what it can produce before talking it down…
Boadicea's Chariot 
I agree.
Yes yes yes!!!.
I agree, and I think there is a chance it might just work!
Well said, and I agree, Boadicea. What have we got to lose, exactly?
Thanks Pseu! Thanks Araminta!
I, personally, think it might be better than just one party’s ideas being foisted on everyone else.
PS: I’m really really hopeful, and I think it may just be better for the UK than an outright victory by the Tories.
It is early days but…
Yes Araminta. The country has been so divided that a ‘joint-effort’ has to be more inclusive than a single-party solution. Part of the problem, as I see it, is that the UK has had such a ‘negative’ culture (how could it be otherwise?) for so long that people are failing to look at the positive that could come out of this.
Funnily enough, Boadicea, this rather strange situation, which was a bit of a blip, was sorted in four/ five days.
Yes, the electoral system could certainly be updated, but in an odd sort of way, it proved that democracy is not dead. But time will tell; I am amazed and surprised by this, but I hope it works.
It is amazing how self-serving “democracies” can be. These problems have existed in the USA for quite some time. Chicago, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Seattle are all notorious for their crooked elections. In Philadelphia, for example, to discourage conservatives or groups who tend to be more conservative from voting the Black Panthers, a militant black nationalist group, force voters to turn away. The electoral commission is well aware of this but encourages their actions regardless.
In 2006 when there was a referendum on a temporary suspension of a tax payer’s rights law in Colorado the state government intentionally shorted conservative areas by hundreds of thousands of ballots. Generally what is done is that there is one ballot for every registered voter in the district and a certain per centage over that to account for mistakes.
The problems encountered during voting have been blown out of proportion. They affected a total of a few thousand voters whose local and total votes would have made no difference to the results. Sorry to disappoint the vultures! 😮
Janus – it doesn’t matter whether it would have affected the outcome of the election, it’s the fact that several thousands of people had their right to vote denied to them by sheer incompetency.
I too am hopeful that this alliance will work well. But I do hope too that all the police investigations – about 64, I believe – into ballot rigging, particularly in the Asian community, will be carried out very rigourously.
Sheona: I don’t have the figures here – so thank you for those. I heard / read that some 25% of votes were Postal Votes – that’s ludicrous and open to fraud on a massive scale.
Agreed of course! But no instance justifies a rerun.
Boa, I’ll have look but my gut feel is that such a figure is way off beam. That would mean 7.5 million postal votes. I think the Post Office would have mentioned that!
Janus, I believe a lot of the postal votes were collected up and delivered by hand, presumably by the organisers or “landlords” of 27 Bangladeshis in one flat.
Janus:
The figure was quoted as an ‘excuse’ by the Electoral Commission (quoted in the Telegraph) as to why there were insufficient polling stations – they didn’t expect the physical turn out to be so high.
No, I’m not talking about a re-run, but I am talking about making sure that it doesn’t happen in the next election.
Has anybody bothered to read this:
I’ll be living somewhere else when he lights go out.
PS. I note again, that the only reason the election produced a hung parliament was the 40-odd Labour MPs elected from Scottish Conatituencies where they represent the constituents in nothing, but are allowed to vote on matters affecting only England. England voted overwhwlmingly for a Conservative government.
Rather with you on the energy bit bravo, too much touchy feely, feel good crap by half!
Don’t like the lack of women in the cabinet either, hardly representative of the country is it?
As to voting, in the Uk any stray ‘foreigner’ can fill in the form illegally, there is no burden of proof of nationality to get the vote in the UK. White offshore British like myself are deliberately denied a vote by clever timing but every immigrant in receipt of benefits, but not naturalised and therefore unable to vote are doing so! It has been a disgrace for decades.
In the US to get on the electoral role you have to turn up in person at the Town Hall with birth certificate and paperwork to prove who you are and where you live, no foreigners are allowed to vote, even as a long term resident alien I am not allowed to vote here so am effectively disenfranchised. But some bloody bangladeshi gets as many votes as they can con postal forms!
Bloody wonderful!!!
I doubt any of this bunch will do a thing about it either, too bloody keen to look after the immigrants.
I’m not sure why anyone who chooses to live abroad should have any right to vote in the UK.
I understand they do, but I do question why this should be so.
Paying UK taxes or owning property here; well possibly, but I would say that those who are resident in the UK should have rather more right to have a say in who governs the country.
I agree that the system is in dire need of reform though.
Lack of women in the cabinet?
Are you suggesting some sort of positive discrimination would be desirable? Perhaps there were no suitable female candidates? Not the sort of view one would expect from you, Tina.
When I moved out of the UK – I lost my right to vote. I noticed adverts in the papers before this election to the effect that if I had voted in any election within the last fifteen years I was entitled to a vote.
I’m of the opinion that, unless one can prove a continuing connection with the UK (such as still paying taxes there) one should not have a right to vote. However, having said that all Ozzies living overseas have the right to vote in the elections here.
Britain has always been far too free with its citizenship and voting rights. I never understood why the Southern Irish were allowed to vote in UK elections – but they were, and presumably still are.
The only exceptions to non-citizens voting here are those with British passports who were residents before about 1980 something. Apart from that, one has to produce evidence of citizenship to enrol. And one can’t just get a postal vote because one feels like it – as I know since the Electoral Commission refused to grant me one because they ‘thought’ I’d applied before the election was called…
Not that it is any of my business, but originally the idea was to go for four year fixed terms. I see that they have changed that to five. Far too long.
I’ve already heard disgruntled rumblings from Scots that they will be ruled by a non-representative government in London. I’m beginning to think that the only solution is total separation with another level of some sort to deal with Foreign Affairs and other such stuff.
The five year fixed term, Boadicea is a bit of a nonsense; if you read the fine print a vote of non-confidence can still force a general election at any time.
or even no confidence!
I saw that – and I rather think that this mob will end up going before the five years are up. The problem is that an unpopular party can hang on to the last minute by their fingernails.
Hi Boa
Interesting times that we live in, indeed.
On the fixed term, this means that the next UK election will be held on the same day as the next but one Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly elections (both four year fixed terms) and eleven months after the next European elections (five year fixed term). Then, in 2019, we would have Scottish and Welsh elections in May, European election in June and a UK election in May 2020. Not even going to start thinking about throwing the local elections into the mess or even mention the fact that an elected Upper Chamber will complicate matters even more. Certainly not going to wonder if the next Northern Ireland Assembly elections will be held in 2011 and then 2015 or postponed again and have absolutely no intention of speculating about whether there will be an election for an English Parliament to slot in as well.
Briefly, it’s all a total guddle and maybe, just maybe, the boy David and his pal Nick are right to come up with the fixed term idea if only to force the issue and get us to sort this all out once and for all and work out a proper election cycle of some sort.
Major problem for me is their suggestion that an election can only be called earlier if 55% of MP’s vote for it. It must still, I believe, be the case that if a governnment loses a vote of confidence by a single vote, it is out on its ear instanter.
I’ll be back about the Scots perspective in my own post in due course. Just to say that I am feeling absolutely gruntled about the fact that my government now has 12 MP’s in Scotland and not just 1 and that Wee Sleekit Salmond’s nose is seriously out of joint about the whole thing.
Hi John – It certainly is a ‘guddle’ – and it sounds as if it was about time it was sorted properly. I had, of course, forgotten about Scottish, Welsh and other Assemblies – there being no such thing when I voted in the UK. I wouldn’t go so far as to say we were one ‘jolly family’, but at least the arguments were all under one roof.
Perhaps (I say hopefully) the idea is to have this one five year term (and I think they are being hopeful) and then go to four years terms in line with the Scottish and Welsh Assemblies..
I’ll agree that a vote of no-confidence by one vote should mean ‘out’, otherwise there’s no point to having such a vote.
I shall be interested in the Scots perspective – I was hoping that you’d comment. I need to go well forearmed before I head for Scotland in the next month or so!
I have finally seen and heard ‘Wee Sleekit Salmond’. He’s quite an ‘amazing’ character, how long will it take, do you suppose, for him to catch up with the real world?
Look forward to your post.
As an owner of two properties, a rate payer and an income tax payer, I am entitled to a bloody vote!
but they make damn sure I don’t get one!
were the tax regime a little more kindly we would both live in wakes, but there really isn’t much contest when the taxes are double in the UK, yes, income tax to us would be DOUBLE because husband is retired and therefore not considered earned income.
Plus we are white and he is American, believe you me they really have not liked the Americans in the Inland Revenue.
I just know this is colour related, all the tourists who use the N health for free, when my stepdaughter went into hospital in Wales I had the bill presented before she left! £3000 or so.
had she been some down and out Somali do you seriously think I would have been presented with an account?
Not on your life!
As it was we had no intention of taking it for free, but it was the way it was done!
Plus, funny she had a student visa that allowed her to use the Nhealth, that didn’t seem to work too well as an arrangement when one is white, middle class and not from Africa!
Frankly the whole thing makes one want to puke!
Quite apart from the fact that we are UK citizens, Australia has reciprocal medical arrangements with the UK – if you can find a doctor to give you a prescription for under £60 …
CO, if your spousal unit bought annuities, wouldn’t they be treated as pension income in the UK and subject to allowances, etc?
Bravo, “…I’ll be living somewhere else when he lights go out.” Under Labour the lights would have gone out sooner and at higher cost, as usual.
Janus, probably yes, but then he wouldn’t be able to shelter his income in a 401K in the USA!
Bit of the devil and the deep blue sea, the way money is dealt with after work is stopped it is fairly incompatible between the USA and the UK compared with earned income.
We spent a lot of money with international tax accountants trying to find ways round this, there weren’t any, not legal ones anyway!
The best we could do is that I retain all the UK assets and he retains all those in the USA as individuals but leave a sufficiency to each other! Which gives us the best deal tax wise possible and live over here in the USA. He can spend 6 months at a time in the UK but then has to leave, all quite ridiculous!
But I do get so very angry over this disenfranchisement.
If I wasn’t paying I wouldn’t feel half so angry!
CO, I think your entitlement depends on how long you have been resident abroad without your UK vote, doesn’t it?
CO, see:
http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/register_to_vote/british_citizens_living_abroad.aspx
J been there done it got the T shirt!
The only way is postal for me, BUT they have a system that they send out the postal votes so late there is not time to deliver them to the USA and get them returned by ordinary airmail post!
Quite deliberately!
Evidently you can just about get them to the EU countries and back but no where else!!!
they refuse to send them earlier, I have been into this till I am blue in the bloody face over it!
I have made complaint to the electoral commission, the political parties and my MP and have got precisely nowhere!
Remember I float back and forth so I am always eligible under the 15 year rule and have NEVER been able to exercise my right to vote! I have always retained a house in the UK and have frequently been there in October when they make up the electoral rolls, but seemingly rarely there when there is an election! Haverfordwest Town Hall knows me of old on this subject!
The only solace being that it is a tory constituency and no BNP has ever stood there so I doubt I would have bothered to vote anyway! I would have voted for the local elections though so I suppose I would have either spoiled my vote by writing what I thought about it all or reluctantly given the UKIP a cross! As far as I am concerned it is the principle of disenfranchisement made worse by ineligible immigrants usurping my rights as a UK national.
BUT they still want my taxes.
NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!
CO, can’t you have a proxy vote? Then your proxy gets the bumf in time to ‘represent’ you.
J I could, but unfortunately all my real friends have moved out of that constituency just recently, there has been a positive diaspora! Which would leave me asking ex staff or paying my lawyer to do it! Both unsatisfactory solutions. A proxy vote has to be registered in person in the constituency where you vote it cannot be arranged by post within the UK. I tried that for my sister in Devon already, not allowed.
Again, investigated thoroughly and found the system totally stacked up against any expatriate!
I tell you I have thoroughly investigated the whole thing when I was back in the UK last time, they were beginning to run for cover up Haverfordwest when I hove to!!
Next time I’ll dress in fancy ‘letter box’ dress as a Somali refugee that wants to vote from Libya or somesuch, you can bet your sweet XXXXX that will be totally in order somehow!
but forget it if you are middle class and white!
I know just how they felt at the Boston Tea party!
CO, commiserations!