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

Any one here from Engalnd???

Hi. Welcome to The Circle. We're just getting it launched. I'm sure we will have some people here from England.

I'm from the US- Missouri.

H

How is that election thing going on over there, I watched on it on CNN or something and your elections sound hidiously complicated!!!

The process for selecting candidates is a bit strange. Each state sends delegates to the major party conventions in the summer. There are several ways of selecting the delegates. Party caucuses, primary elections, internet voting....and some states have a combination. It's hard for us to keep straight. We must look crazy to everyone else.

Anyway, that's what all the hoopla is about right now - selecting delegates to the party conventions who will vote to select the party's nominee fir the general election in Novemver. My state had a primary Tuesday and 50% of voters selected Kerry. So at the convention, 50% of the delegates will be committed to Kerry. A candidate that received fewer thatn 15% of the vote recieves no delegates. That percentage becomes uncommitted.

It was decided that the primaries would be instituted because people thought that a party selecting a candidate without the people's input was undemocratic.

So it's complicated, but not entirely without purpose

So will the pensioners in Florida muck up the elections again or are they all going to get Easy step by step instructions in big colourful letters this time?

Well, where's the sport in that?

About the same place as Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson at halftime in the robbery of Carolina on Sunday

Did they go ahead and get rid of the punch cards in Florida?

Yeah their making the voters punch-bags if they muck up again

We use punch cards and have never had a problem. I think the problem was with the punchor not the punchee.

Yeah those poor hamsters working behind the scenes. After a while their teeth must warn down a bit...

Ah no... *chants to himself "serious, serious"*

What would you say to proportional representation in America?

The Liberal Democrats over here in England have been going on about it for a while now. Based on proportional representation, Al Gore would have got in last time, instead of "W.". It would have been interesting to view the last four years (well three and tiddly-bit) but with Gore in Bush's place.

Is the monkey still the mayor of Hartlepool or did Mandleson leave

Does anyone know why the Social democrates changed there name to Labour and then to New Labour, what is the point of rebranding in politics!!!

<"New Labour in a can. The product you used to know as Labour, now available in many different and contrasting flavours. Take one home, show all the family, and if you don't like it you can take it back">






Why have names at all, eh?

In all honesty, if a party is limited to one policy they are going to get tired very quickly E.g. The Green Party. Thats why most sensible parties try to cover the middle ground - what ever the middle ground happens to be at the time.

Or you could try to alter the political environment I suppose, but would be considerably more difficult.

What I would really like in the US is a third party. A real one not run by wackos or so tiny that it is totally insignificant. Neither one of our major parties is honest. All they're interested in is posturing and automaticlly attacking the other side and to with getting the business of running the country done. And neither of them gives a rip about John Q. Public, regardless of all their rhetoric.

What do you expect if both your major parties are right-wing!!!

The thing is, In the UK as a whole there are in reality only 2 parties, the Old Tories and the New Tories, sorry Labour

It is really quite hard to tell the difference between them sometimes. Labour had to give themselves a complete re-alignment to get themselves into power.

You were'nt a fan of IDS then!!!

To be quite honest, I lost all interest in politics shortly after I was able to vote. It is all the same, just overpaid blowbags arguing the toss from marginally different standpoints that no-one really cares about (hence the resounding turnout stats at the last few elections). I think that these people were never really in touch with reality in the first place.


Stick with the lawyers and shoot them all off into the sun. A world free of POliticians and lawyers, what joy

Fan of anarchy then!!!