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

After reading about 2legs' sleeping patterns over the last couple of years, I don't feel right complaining when I lose a few hours of sleep any more.

Woohoo congrats Pastey that's great! (The licence part, not the less sleep part!)

( Tod )

'Grats, Pastey!

I slept less than I wanted to last night, but fully acknowledge that it was my own fault and wouldn't make a different decision if I could.

*sips *

[G7]

Dread to think how much sleep I'll get this weekend as a leader on Guide camp with a toddler in tow. Said camp is now scarily real: our hallway is full of the food I need to take for the weekend. The theme is Hogwarts so I'm going to be Professor Snape and Sprogling is going to be Dobby.

I've been following Grexit news all morning. It seems like the UK is imploding, so sad.

The whole thing has achieved nothing but hatred and division.

Now Scotland is looking to leave the UK and remain in the EU, which is actually possible as their referendum was based on the UK being in the EU.

Northern Ireland is looking to be reunited with the Republic, which is possibly the only way to stop the return of the Troubles once border controls have to be brought back in and people feel separated again.

And Cornwall wants guarantees from the EU that it'll still keep getting its EU funding, even though it won't be part of the EU.


Personally I think that seeing as the whole Leave campaign was based on lies the vote should be run again (due to cheating) or completely ignored.

http://www.h2g2.com/dna/h2g2/brunel/F19585?thread=8316292&show=20&skip=160#pi172 See post 161 in the internal link above. Divisive politics are always to be suspected.

You may want to try this link instead (the one above doesn't w*rl for me): http://h2g2.com/dna/h2g2/alabaster/F19585?thread=8316292&post=110999350#p110999350

Thanks for sharing that thread! It's super useful to my paper as an example of political discussion about a current issue happening on the guide.

Pierce's link in post 429 is the same intended in my post 428.

I can say that among among my colleagues and friends I was just about the only one who was going to vote remain. When asked why they were voting leave they all replied to stop immigrants coming to the UK. Perhaps if the Labour party hadn't abandoned the white working class it would have turned out differently....

It sucks that so many of the things that your colleagues have been frustrated by were put in place by a rightward moving Labour and the right wing proper from Thatcher on. It sucks even more that they will bear the brunt of the negative effects too. This is definitely not a win for the working class, white or otherwise. Then again the free trade agreement enabled by the EU (though I am less familiar with it than North American ones) also from what I hear has has a lot of toxic effects. This isn't about the white working class versus "them foreigners" but a bout capitalism and neoliberalism screwing everyone over, IMHO.

From an outsiders perspective, the whole Brexit vote appears to be what happens when the disgruntled people vote without thinking consequences through, while the gruntled folks don't vote without thinking of the consequences.

I guess what I'm trying to say is always think of the consequences when it comes to politics. Bob knows, I hope that the US learns a lesson from all of this.

*sips *

On criticisms of the voting process, the low voter turnout, the absence of anything like quorum rules on referendum (or in California, 'voter initiative') processes, I can't help but think of the Australian answer to the problem.

In Australia, voting is a mandatory civic duty.

One is required by law to vote, with legal penalties if one fails to do so.

I'd be all for mandatory voting ONLY if every ballot had a 'none of the above' option. And if 'none' wins, a new election is called and the candidates involved are not qualified.

In Canadian federal politics we are currently exploring election reform. JTru has pledged that this last election would be the last first-past-the-post one (something that won him a share of the progressive vote, and which he has of course back peddled on) and we are looking into kinds of proportional representation and also things like online voting and mandatory voting. Oh course, different parties favour different kinds of proportional representation (or else first past the post like the conservatives) because they favour different parties. Ranked ballots, for example would favour the Liberals because they are in the centre of the spectrum so could potentially be second choices for more voters on both he right and left.

The UK had a referendum on introducing Alternative Vote back in 2011 - as one of the Lib Dem's principle conditions of the then coalition with the Torries. With 41% turnout, 67.9% of voters voted to keep First Past the Post.

<BB<

Yes I can remember voting to keep the first past the post system. I was not persuaded that voting needed to be any more complecated than that. A candidate tells you what he/she stands for and what they are going to do and you put your mark next to that name...simples.

It may be simple, but it all but assures an unfair, undemocratic, two party system.


C.G.P. Grey can explain it better than I can.

http://youtu.be/s7tWHJfhiyo