The 2015 Popularity Contest (aka UK General Election )

[Pienaar's gloves]

Mainly because 1) they're not the Tories and 2) if they get enough votes they can prevent the Tories winning power again.

Agreed on them being hardly inspiring stuff right now but they're the least of the damaging options.

They're not a million miles off being the Tories, and if they want us to believe otherwise then it is probably time to show it.

There are some brilliant individuals within the Labour Party but it seems to be less than the sum of its parts.

They're barely an alternative. In 1997 they were such an attractive proposal but now they don't seem capable of getting it together.

 

[chicoazul]

They're not a million miles off being the Tories, and if they want us to believe otherwise then it is probably time to show it.

There are some brilliant individuals within the Labour Party but it seems to be less than the sum of its parts.

They're barely an alternative. In 1997 they were such an attractive proposal but now they don't seem capable of getting it together.

I wish they were more to the left with a decent leader but as I said above - they're not the tories so that's the main thing.

 

[Garrick]

What that graph fails to recognize though is that the majority - probably the vast majority - of Lib Dem votes are more about beating whichever of the two main parties are dominant locally, rathe than an endorsement of Lib Dem policies. FPTP also has the decided advantage that the person you as a constituent hold to account is someone who has faced election, rather than someone who has faced a party list.

In the German system, you make two votes: one for your local MP, and one for a party. Half of the Bundestag is made up of directly elected members, the other half assigned by proportional vote. So, normally you pick the rational choice of SDP or CDU in your riding, but if the Greens or the FDP or Die Linke or Piraten or whoever actually fits your views better, you can still vote for them in the party vote and have those views represented. Except if you're the FDP and you're so terrible that you fall under the 5% of the vote required for proportional representation. lol FDP.

In the American FPTP experience, the vast majority of Congressional districts are a false choice anyway, so politically skewed towards one side or the other that they're uncompetitive and will always be represented by one party or the other, depending on the demographics. In the competitive districts, the economics of the situation (which are different that the British system with even less incentives for 3rd parties, but are still mostly applicable) dictate a two party system. You're better off supporting a center left or center right candidate that represents some of your views instead of voting for something who actually represents your views, because ideologically "splitting the vote" only helps the other side. And those individual representatives are rarely held accountable for their actions, simply because the average voter doesn't care enough unless there's a scandal.

 

[Kiwi]

In the German system, you make two votes: one for your local MP, and one for a party. Half of the Bundestag is made up of directly elected members, the other half assigned by proportional vote. So, normally you pick the rational choice of SDP or CDU in your riding, but if the Greens or the FDP or Die Linke or Piraten or whoever actually fits your views better, you can still vote for them in the party vote and have those views represented. Except if you're the FDP and you're so terrible that you fall under the 5% of the vote required for proportional representation. lol FDP.

In the American FPTP experience, the vast majority of Congressional districts are a false choice anyway, so politically skewed towards one side or the other that they're uncompetitive and will always be represented by one party or the other, depending on the demographics. In the competitive districts, the economics of the situation (which are different that the British system with even less incentives for 3rd parties, but are still mostly applicable) dictate a two party system. You're better off supporting a center left or center right candidate that represents some of your views instead of voting for something who actually represents your views, because ideologically "splitting the vote" only helps the other side. And those individual representatives are rarely held accountable for their actions, simply because the average voter doesn't care enough unless there's a scandal.

Sounds exactly like what we do in New Zealand. Tends to work ok, fair bit of crossing between parties with legislation and stuff.
If your Party vote MP for the electorate is a bit of a nobhead, you can vote another fella in and still vote for the Party you best believe in.

 

[Coach]

Imagine the press reaction if Milliband was begging Tory voters to save his skin in a bye-election like Cameron is doing by asking Labour and Green supporters to vote Tory in Rochester. LMAO.

This post from the Guardian sums it up

After almost five years of the most right-wing government in British history - NHS privatisation, slave labour, legal aid scrapped, foodbanks, endless divide and rule, Cameron appeals to Labour voters for help.

[Poor language removed] off, puffin face.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

A study by the Centre for Market and Public Organisation (CMPO) at the University of Bristol has found that the diversity in London's schools is a major factor in their success.

Professor Simon Burgess, who carried out the research, said: "We know that ethnic minority pupils score more highly in GCSEs relative to their prior attainment than white British pupils. London simply has a lot more of these high-achieving pupils and so has a higher average GCSE score than the rest of the country.

"Many policy makers, school leaders and commentators enthuse about the major policy of the time, London Challenge, and view it as unambiguously improving schools in London. This unanimity carries weight, and no doubt London schools were improved in a number of ways. But so far at least, catching a reflection of this improvement in the attainment data is proving to be difficult."

 

[Mrk]

Miliband found to be the most unpopular leader since polling began:

He's actually managed to become more unpopular than Michael Foot - an achievement I never thought I'd see - that takes some spectacular incompetence.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Miliband found to be the most unpopular leader since polling began:

He's actually managed to become more unpopular than Michael Foot - an achievement I never thought I'd see - that takes some spectacular incompetence.

Not great that Cameron is kinda tanking as well though. Is it really that both Labour and Conservative are so hopeless or are people believing them to be thus due to the harsh environment we're in financially at the moment?

 

[Coach]

Tory press bias e.g. see above.

Cameron would be a lot worse off and Milliband a lot better off were it not for this.

 

[orly]

Not great that Cameron is kinda tanking as well though. Is it really that both Labour and Conservative are so hopeless or are people believing them to be thus due to the harsh environment we're in financially at the moment?

I think the homogenisation of politics has finally caught up with these chaps. People want choice, even if it is an illusion.

almost impossible to vote for Ed at the moment and he needs a miracle to turn it round. Labour must fear that they'd be a single term only if they got in but had him as the PM

 

[bluemangroup]

I think the homogenisation of politics has finally caught up with these chaps. People want choice, even if it is an illusion.

almost impossible to vote for Ed at the moment and he needs a miracle to turn it round. Labour must fear that they'd be a single term only if they got in but had him as the PM

 

[toffee matt]

I think the homogenisation of politics has finally caught up with these chaps. People want choice, even if it is an illusion.

almost impossible to vote for Ed at the moment and he needs a miracle to turn it round. Labour must fear that they'd be a single term only if they got in but had him as the PM

Orly in sensible post shocker

 

[orly]

Orly in sensible post shocker

to restore normality i voted cheese on toast in the poll

 

[Mrk]

Not great that Cameron is kinda tanking as well though. Is it really that both Labour and Conservative are so hopeless or are people believing them to be thus due to the harsh environment we're in financially at the moment?

Probably a bit of both.

 

[EverBlue86]

I would be interested to know why those who have chosen Labour have chosen so.

They haven't really illustrated what they stand for over the last four and a half years. They've merely played adversarial politics most of the time.

I would still choose them as my realistic best case scenario winners, but they've lost my vote because I don't have any faith in any sort of proactive policy plan.

CUZ DAY ARH NOT DER TORYS LAD.

Sadly it's tribal politics and a guaranteed vote to labour and conservative which has us in the mess we are currently in, both parties know they could send party members round to crap in your mouth and you would still vote for them as "your father always did"