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

I love listening to Parliamentary debates. Sometimes they are deadly dull....sometimes there are only about a handful of members in the Lower House.

Today it was full House in the House of Lords...... and a very good turnout in the House of Commons.

The system has changed, and the result makes fascinating watching and following of world events, and also understanding what is going on in the world around us and of course in the UK.

Congratulations to whatever committee initiated the change. I really am thrilled about it.

I must of course congratulation the BBC who have decided to show the new form of debate which was courteous (mostly), amusing and in some instances very witty.


An enervated, very optimistic viewer and voter.

Christiane
AlsoRan 80

Thursday 22nd January 2010 16. 00 GMT

I'm quite envious. Our legislature in the States has degraded to the schoolyard bullying level of debate.

CZ, Christiane must have been watching something I have never seen. I must investigate this, as since cameras were allowed in Parliament here it seems to me to have deteriorated below school yard bullying, sniping and point scoring. Can it be they have reformed? I really must take a look

Websailor

Christiane, I'm jealous!

As CZ said, it's getting nastier and nastier, not so much on cameras in the houses, though. It's the media interviews, the outing of old issues and the quick comment tossed off by the politicos as they're dashing off to meetings. Congressional members just don't play well with others here.
!

I've seen recent opinion polls that have given Congress and the Senate low marks. Obama's ratings have been falling. Nobody is looking especially good now in the U.S.

The people who have lost jobs are having to spend a very long time finding new ones, on average, and frustration is growing in areas where there are a lot of jobless people. It can't be pleasant for *anyone* to watch the two major parties bicker about important issues such as health care reform. The question is, how do you cut through gridlock? What is the magic ingredient that would get people on both sides to meet each other halfway? I realize that President Obama has said recently (i.e. after watching Massachusetts elect a Republican senator) that he would like to salvage whatever can be salvaged on health care, and seek something both parties can live with. That is easier said than done, as Obama's own party has factions that don't want him to give in on items that Republicans might support. All I can suggest is that Obama do what predecessors like John Adams have done: do the right thing even if it means not getting nominated for reelection. If he angers those on his left in his party but gets a program passed, that may be the best anyone can hope for right now. Meanwhile, the economic recovery is imperilled by rising costs of health care. Getting nothing done is the most hazardous way to go.

Hi Paul,

How beautifully expressed. And so well written.

I also hope that President Abamo completes his tasks, both your Health care reform and the hope for peace in the Middle East. I am sure that he is not a man who would put his personal ambitions above his country. I think it was such a wonderful decision to integrate Hilary Clinton, his opponent for the Presidency, into his Presidential team and give her that extremely important post of foreign secretary - is that what she is called.?

It really is personal ambition which ruins politics I think.

What has happened to our Parliament debating system this year 2010 when it was recalled at the beginning of this year 2010 is the following.

a. The most important portfolios appear to have a special day devoted to them on a weekly basis.

b. Yesterday it was foreign Affairs, Justice and I forget what else.

c. The relevant Secretary of State gave a report on what s/he was doing/had done and then they then answered questions. There was a much better turn out in the |House, and there is a BBC channel which is called "Parliament" and they broadcast it.

They gave a whole programme of the day's activities, and it was really interesting, stimulating and even occasionally the odd joke was related.

I must that what has passed for Parliamentary debate previously was an absolute insult to one's intelligence so i totally agree with you Websailor.

The two leaders if the two principal political Parties just spat out insults to one another and behaved quite disgracefully. Truly I used to cringe with embarassment.

That was why yesterday was such a joy - the way that the BBC switched from the House of Lord, to the House of Commons, and we even had one PMQ session which was very civil except for a few waspish remarls!!

As I said I do think that it has raised the level of debate, and also given information on the duties of the Secretaries of State and generally informed me extremely well on what was going on.

So I remain for the moment a really interested and keen advocate of the "NEW" method of debate in both Houses of Parliament. Long may this new approach be practised and rise to even higher levels of debate.

I think that |I should also pay a tribute to the new speaker of the House whom manages to combine authority with humour.

Go well dear friends,

Christiane
AR80

Saturday 23rd January 2010 9.30 GMT

I am now going to have my breakfast and watch Saturday morning Kitchen, and hope that the problems I am having with my breathing turn out to be an allergy to the cleaning polish on my reclining chair and not a sign of more serious things. !!

Hello Christiane,

It has been a very long time since I have watched the ongoing procedures ine either houses. The standard of speaches made by polticians these days are not as good as they were in the 60's and earlier.

I remember when I went to School in the 60's, even school children could identify the major polticians and trade union leaders. And the speaches were a better quality than they are now.

Katrine

Maybe the 60s were just a very special decade.

Very dear Katrine,

It was actually wonderful the amount of work the various MP's do, but they obviously have no time to report back. to either the House of Lords or the House of Commons.

I have also been watching the Inquiry into the war in Iraq

I have found it really uplifting to find the various MP's actually having a useful, sensible debate insted of those schoolboy tirades with which they started PMQ's. Mind you most of that debating was done that has been in that tone ever sinse i arrived in England twenty years ago.

So they really gave broken iwth tradition now.

Go well my dear friend, and see if you can tune in one day and perhaps we can compare what you think about the debating now to what it was in then 1960's ir even earluer,

Go well,

Christinae
AR80 Saturday 23rd January 2010 17.00 GMT

Hi Christiane,

I've dashed over from the other thread. *waves to Websailor*

How refreshing it must be to have civil and useful debate. I would like to see more of that and less hostile contention on this side of the Atlantic.

I wonder how much of the divisiveness we see in our politics is created by our elected officials being increasingly beholden to their corporate sponsors to the detriment of their constituents and the public good.


HN

Hi Happy Nerd.

Well I do not think that the problem which we have here is due to the sponsors demanding this ir that, If it is it is very discreet,

I really do not think that the tail should wag the cat/dog /or MP.!! Has it always been like that in the political life of the states.? That is really sad.

go well,

Christiane
AR80

24/I/2010 17.10 GMo