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

Would moving the seat of government to Manchester or Birmingham help break the London-centric focus?

Probably not the City would just get all of its lobbyist to decamp to the new location, although I do like the idea of making MPs and their entourages live in Birmingham - if we are all suffering it is only fair that they should too.

I don't know what a federation of regions would be or how it would work. If someone has the time could they explain to me please?

"The Union came about because England wanted to secure its northern border from nuisance raids which were drawing troops away from the more important business of fighting serious empiral rivals like France and Spain, and Scotland had bankrupted itself in a farcical attempt to found its own overseas empire and was desperate for English gold" [tucuxii]

My grasp of Scottish history has never been extensive, so I thank you for illuminating that portion of it. Alas, knowing that little bit leaves me wanting a bit more. What parts of the world did Scotland try to colonize? Can anyone point to evidence that modern-day Scotland could rule itself better than its 18th-Century version did?

Not that it will need to try, given that independence failed to win the day in the referendum.

The Scots once tried to establish a colony in the Darien Gap country of Central America, through which would run the last missing section of the All American highway.

Heavens knows why they made the effort, the most hellishly untameable jungle on Earth.

Meanwhile, on England leaving the UK, in a sense its been the United Kingdom since times of Alfred the Great, the independant kingdoms of the era prior to his unification of the realm becoming Earldoms.

Maybe dey's goin' ta strike earl in Inglan' too!

...already have. There's oil underlaying the grounds of Buckinham Palace...

>On the origin question I do not think that people in Plymouth, Sheffield, Manchester or Newcastle want to be governed according to the needs of the City and the home counties anymore than people in Glasgow, Stirling, Ayr or Fort William. There are also a lot of people in the Highlands and Islands who woud rather not be be governed according to the needs of Edinburgh and Glasgow, and people in North Wales who have no love for Cardiff and south Wales.
The is a lot to be said for a federation of regions.
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One thing that rather horrified me with the level of debate coming from people like Nigel Farrage is that the only English MPs voting on Enlgish business (whatever that may be - and if I may digress a little) - is that this is clearly a Tory wet-dream as they will - if historical voting patterns are anything to go by* - forever have a majority in England. one party rule yay.

Then I remember I live in Wales now. So - to the English - HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
(I'm sure the North would be jumping with joy at this prospect)




*Yes, yes, Tony Blair's 1997 election is the exception that proves the rule (and look how *that* turned out)

I am not denying this is an issue, disparities in representation and between regions but the biggest and most important issue that we need to deal is the difference between rich and poor and the widening of that of gap and that is something that effects the whole of the UK.

That is something that is getting very lost while UKIP, Tory back benchers get to set the debate.

On this issue Labour have to come in strongly with we give Scotland was promised,in the time we have promised. Then cross party discussion to look at the West Lothian question and will consider ALL proposals, no matter how unpalatable they are for them as a party. We have to period of time to allow for public debate just as the Scots have had and if we are talking fair I don't see why we shouldn't have a referendum as well.

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I'm presuming this would be because a majority of English people voted for them. Are you suggesting majority voting is a bad thing?

Did the majority of England vote Tory? Only 304 of the 650 Parliamentary seats are Tory, and as they don't have the majority is the reason why there's the Con-Dem alliance. I know a lot of people who voted Lib Dem against the Tories, anticipating a resumption of the historic Lib-Lab Pact, only to be betrayed by the Lib Dem's power sharing. If the Lib Dem's allied with Labour again, isn't there every reason to believe we could have a left-of-centre Government?

<BB<

Having done a quick google, yes they did have a majority in England

Con 297
Lab 191
Lib 43

For Scotland

Lab 41
Lib 11
SNP 6
Con 1

Wales

Lab 26
Con 8
Lib 3
PC 3

Really hammers home the different political outlooks doesn't it?

Don't blame me - I've never voted Tory.

<BB<

In terms of numbers

10,703,654 people voted Conservative

8,606,517 people voted Labour

6,836,248 people voted Liberal

As the majority voted Conservative then the Libdems can say that they were therefore obliged on the face of it to go with a form a coalition with the Conservatives.

Nevertheless, of those that tactically voted for the libdems, I think the majority did so to do as you say to keep the Conservatives out, so betrayed those votes in the intention in which they were cast

Yes swl, it really does,

and I am tying myself in knots at the hypothetical prospect of referendum in which I feel that I will have to vote for what I believe to be democratically fair if the proposals are that but goes against everything else I believe in

The biggest thing for me is

Number of seats

Con 307
Lab 258
Lib 57

Percentage of votes

Con 36%
Lab 29%
Lib 23%

that percentage of votes shows that uk is not conservative as a whole. That´s the same in Spain.

Conservatives are in office now, but most of spaniards didn´t vote them . left is the choice of the most. but the electoral laws and the parties decisions about whom to match to form a coalition give what we have now.

on the other hand, the political and the social left are divorced. that can be seen not only here or in the uk, it´s everywhere.

fortunately, in spain a new party has appeared in scene, it´s now the third political party that people would vote. and the official traditional stale parties (conservatives and the fake socialists) are terrified.

that party, Podemos, is now the only hope in this waste land of corrupt politicians. they are ordinary citizens, they take the indignados claims and they are refreshing democracy and the political scene.
I wish ukanians move in a similar way since there are lots of british indignados, they should get together and make a party.

At the moment Maria we have a complicated political scene.

The reality is in England certainly that any new party/political force in this atmosphere and circumstance will not come from the left, but from the right and that is the force we are reckoning with.

Good to see you here btw and Perculiar