h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Since Tony Blair instigated a new number system to make himself look better.
Didn't work though

can anyone tell me how to change my name?

Go to your user page, go to my details, and change your nickname.

i want to know, if you change your nickname how do other people know you're still you.

For those of you who haven't heard, I'm sad to have to report that the driving force behind the Monster Raving Loonies was found hanged at his home today. It was assumed to be suicide.

Who can say how much his depression was worsened by those control freaks in government (both parties) increasing the deposit and depriving the voter of their democratic right to protest against the system by being silly?

R.I.P. Screaming Lord Sutch, the world needs more politicians who are upfront about the fact they're completely barmy.

Sorry - I had to remove the 'like' to stop myself sounding like a teen angst drama.

My point about quorums, however, is that in any other corporate vote, 19% DOES count as nothing...

So if somthing is on sale at a shop for 19% off, does that mean it is the same price it was in the begining?

Good point.

But under the first-past-the-post voting system, winning 19% of the votes cast usually gets you no representation!

I hope the low turnout doesn't get blamed on the use of PR (though the closed list system is inherently corrupt and corrupting), or on anti-European sentiment. For my money it was a product of:
1) The news media barely mentioning it until it was over - partly because of Kosovo, but partly because it wasn't good copy until something unexpected had already happened;
2) Voter fatigue, coming so soon after Council elections
3) The complete lack of visibility of the effect of the European Parliament on people's lives.

Now, if we were to get rid of the various national subsidies and instead have the EU funding raised by direct and indirect taxation set by a European finance minister, and if the European Parliament were headed up by a Prime Minister-equivalent (and cabinet) who made real decisions over subsidies and trade and so on, you'd soon see people getting out their and putting their crosses in the appropriate box.

Or unappropriate boxes as the case maybe.

The other solution is to get out of Europe and just vote for our Parliament

If you needed a quorate percentage to get a reduction, and it was over 19% then YES!!!

(is this so hard to understand?)

Yes it is.

Oh well... there you go...

I can understand anything, now you gave me that babel

Ah Oui - bien sur!

whats going on here?? 42 freaky statements about politics? talk about chaos!! blah

42 would actually be a very good number of MP's to have - something like 2 per county.

2 Per county?

But then first past the post really wouldn't work...

Like it does now, you mean (41% of the vote = 150+ majority)

It would work.
About 5 people standing, 2 to be elected and the 2 who got most votes get in.

easy

Nonononono!!!

First past the post DOESN'T work if you have to elect more than one candidate. Think about it - if one candidate was very popular, and got 98% of the vote, then the next person would be decided by 2% of the electorate...