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

'Well I realised about the age of 18 that politicians are just well politicians who I would trust about as far as I can spit.'

This, too is my normal frame of mind, but every now and then, the treacherous thought surfaces 'well they can't ALL be self-interested and out for what they can screw out of us' and I vote for one of them.

Then you get Gordon Brown on TV saying that the majority of the public have no sympathy with the protest - the protest, mark you, not the way they chose to carry it out - and you think 'either you haven't seen ANY opinion polls or you're just making it up to avoid admitting that you misjudged the public mood'.

The cynical thought also arises that an inner city school stands a good chance of having a Labour MP, whereas I live in Deepest Toryland in West Sussex. The County Council's Tory too. And the District Council. We seemed to do a lot better under the previous govt (thinks - surely they wouldn't be quite that obvious? - hmmmm).

To summarise:

How well you locality does is dependant on the flavour of your local MP when compared to that of the Government.

...well to some extent yes but I would at least hope that any extra funding would be based on the level of need....and yes governments ARE that obvious. So do you think that any extra resources should be given to all equally regardless of need? On the other hand the reason for the disparity may be that a labour council supporting a labour government would be only too happy to spend extra resources as quickly as possible whereas a Tory council may be less keen to help labour get re-elected....no surely not..that can't be right. I would suggest that the political leaning of a council would be far more influential than that of the MP. Lets face it Tony Blair dislikes a great chunk of his own MPs. Governments aren't actually allowed to formulate legislation on which funding is dependant on the political allegiance of an MP or area, but they naturally formulate rules which favours their bed rock support. Therefore the conservatives reduce the level of top rate tax which proportionately benefits their supporters or more importantly their funding contributors and labour spends more on the unemployed and public services. It's called politics - you seem surprised.
I vote labour generally because I believe its generally going to benefit my situation not because I think Tony Blair is a great guy. This crisis has cetainly exposed his weaknesses.
What I simply can't understand is the mentality in this country which wants better public services, sound government finances, low inflation but doesn't actually want to pay for it in some form of taxation. This must be frustrating for politicians. Good.

Gooday,

Think yourselves fortunate: here in Oz it is COMPULSORY to vote in elections - I guess the powers that be figured no-one would bother if it was optional. But whichever system is in place, voting for politicians just encourages them - they call it their mandate, which is trotted out endlessly to justify their hypocrisy, cheating, rorting, self interest, self servingness, blunders and astounding MEDIOCRITY. Thank goodness for the much-maligned public service, who administer the country as well as they are allowed and do a terrific job of the impossible - sometimes making their political masters look something more than totally inept. But the truth will out. Thus no surprise that Blair has feet of clay. It was ever thus, the only surprise is that he concealed it from general view for so long.

Walter.

How can they force you to vote?

~~A~~

I've always wondered about that. In your list of boxes to tick, is there one marked 'abstain'? If not, can your MPs abstain in votes in the House?

Given my opinion on politicians, I'd guess the answers are 'No' and 'Yes'.

I remember a Tasmanian ex-flatmate of mine talking about an election at a time when a big local issue was about opposing the construction of a hugs dam (apologies for the vagueness but this was 6 years ago).
Apparently lots of people wrote 'No dams' all over the ballot paper as a protest instead of voting. Whether this counts as abstaining or just spoiling ballot papers (is that illegal?) I don't really know.
If it's compulsory to vote in Oz, is it still anonymous and if so how do you prove you fulfilled your national duty and voted.

Because it isn't an anonymous ballot.

Your ballot paper has a unique number on it, and in a large file held by the returning officer is everyone's name and number.

Has no-on noticed that here too. Every ballot paper has a number on it, the same number that is written against your name at the polling station. We do not have anonymous voting in the UK, they just make us think we do. Furthermore the voting patterns are analysed and recorded for future reference. So watch out next time you vote Monster Raving Looney - it'll probably appear on a 'reference' check next time you apply for a job.

I addition to having an actual 'abstain' box to tick, I think a good idea would be allowing negative votes, so if you didn't actually want to vote *for* anyone, you could at least vote against the person you dislked the most.
That way, even if someone got in essentially as a result of a protest vote against another candidate, it'd be harder for them to honestly claim much of a mandate.

In my eyes, the whole idea of the UK being governed by a "Party" is as out as being ruled by a "Monarchy". If all MP's were party independant (like Tatton MP, Martin Bell), then there would be less squabbling between rival factions and more getting down to work.

Failing that, give the Lib Dems a chance. The other two have proved they're crap so it is only fair that they can too.

Gooday everyone,

Yes, some of you are quite right, it is not actually compulsory voting as such, but rather compulsory attendance and registering at the polling booths. When you arrive, you are shepherded into the queue with your appropriate initial, like W for Walter, and you have to give your name and address to an electoral officer, who then 'ticks' your name off the electoral roll and gives you your ballot papers. What you write, or don't write, on the papers is entirely a matter of choice. Not registering to vote brings a 'please explain' from the electoral office (I know, I've had dozens of them) and if the explanation is not satisfactory of forthcoming you get fined, and if you don't pay the fine you are consigned to the slammer for however long is required to remit the fine.

Metal Chicken, your memory is terrific - that event you mentioned was I think in 1982. It was a referendum. Voting in them is compulsory too. Voting in local government elections is not compulsory, it was changed about ten years or so ago to voluntary voting. The result is that instead of about a 75% in council elections, the figure nowadays is about 20%, or it is for my council.

So the 'right' to vote here in Oz is not a right at all, it is a legal requirement. Or it is a legal requirement that one turns up at and registers at the polling booth.

Walter.

Rather than consider the demands made by last week's protestors and a vast majority of the British public, the Government is proposing bringing in legislation to stop future protests.

They propose making fuel an essential commodity (like electricity and water), thereby enabling them to force the fuel companies to supply fuel in the event of a strike/protest. What they have overlooked is the fact that their justification for the endless tax increases on fuel was to stop as many people as possible from using it. Surely you cannot impose taxes to stop people from using something, and then declare it an essential commodity?

Is our Government blimmin thick or what. I wouldn't put it past them to start taxing us for the amount of oxygen we breathe, disguised as a CO2 emissions clampdown. If anyone should clamp down on CO2 emissions its MP's. Sorry that shopuld be methane emissions because politicians speak out of their other hole

The idea of endless fuel tax increases was a Conservative one. Despite that, there is still much to be said in favour of it. I understand the process of above-inflation increases was halted at or after the last budget anyway, so it would be seriously short-sighted at best to blame the current government for all but a tiny part of the current fuel taxes.
I don't remember it being raised as any kind of issue at the last election by any parties.

Just because something is deemed essential in no way means people should be encouraged to use more of it. Water and elctricity are pretty essential, but generally speaking, the less of them people use, the better.

I'm in agreement there about it the Snorey party's fault first. But as I said earlier, all Governments this country has had recently have all been the same. This is supposed to be a democracy, but when it comes to major decisions, Joe Public doesn't get a say. in my eyes this is wrong wrong wrong. The only way to get decisions through is to either through referenda, or through a benevolent dictator. Sorry, Tony Blair's already acting like the latter so the former looks better to me.

bloody hell !! I didn't expect that much of a response.

Long forum - late night to "tired" to read it all but my solution is as follows;

As these protestors are incapable of basic mathematics there should be a instant drop in fuel duty and instant tax on stupidity and ignorance.

Anyone without simple educational qualifications should be subject to 40% tax - they would be to stupid to notice anyway.

Anyone who reads a tabloid paper *and believes and acts on what it says* should have an extra 10% tax imposed.

Anyone who in the same month slags off the french (in English) for disrupting their holidays as well as cheering on the ignornant protestors should be shot and all their property taken oven by the state, and their children sterilized and sold into slavery.

CH

C Hawke.

When I saw your way of thinking, I thought of something I saw once.. And I dug it up for you to see as well...

http://www.userfriendly.org/cartoons/archives/98feb/uf980218.gif

I'm afraid that it speaks the truth...

Put petrol tax up
(shut up u can afford it
Mr Mondao)
But only if its really
going to be used to
improve public transport
and environmental stuff

Jk