Uk govt

[Walsingham]

- Gordon Brown fails to do anything substantial about regulating the City

 

- Lord Myners approves a golden pension deal to Fred Goodwin

 

- The government spends more money on a campaign to tell people to eat less because it makes you fat and stuff, than on our entire public research budget

 

- Jacqui Smith promises to put more people in jail for low category drugs, without making any new jails

 

- Peter ****ing Mandelson (his official title) returns to Parliament as a 'heavy hitter'.

 

 

 

Just what the **** is going on with our government? I know I'm not the only Brit here by any means. Is it just me? Am I REALLY going to have to break the habit of a lifetime and vote Tory?

[Missy]

They are a useless bunch of characterless muppets. It certainly isn't just you, and yep, I think that currently, I'd rather see a Tory government in power. And that is not a thing I ever thought I'd be saying.

 

Jacqui Smith is just...ugh...

 

Do you read The Daily Mash at all, Walsingham? One of my favourite recent articles - Brown Apologises For Not Being Even More Intelligent.

[Gfted1]

Whats the "Tory" party mean, you guys make it sound like a last resort. Is it like our "Independant" party?

[Missy]

Whats the "Tory" party mean, you guys make it sound like a last resort. Is it like our "Independant" party?

 

The term "Tory Party" is used to refer to the Conservative party, the other main contender.

[Darth InSidious]

Just what the **** is going on with our government?

It's almost exclusively made up of Members of the Houses of Commons.

 

This is also the dying days of a third term. Really, there should be few surprises in what's going on.

 

Admittedly, NuLab politics was never terribly bright ("hai guyz! let's get rid of the Lord Chancellor!" - maybe for an encore you can flog the mace on the Portobello Road? Not to mention the gold scandal, or the Lords "reform"...), but we are now at the bottom of a barrel full of dud apples. Not that I expect any better from the Conservatives - partly because most of the Tories among them are confined to the back benches, post-Thatcher.

 

The more I think about it, the more I reckon the Parliament Act was a terrible mistake. Freeing the Lords would be an enormous check. Another thing which might encourage better ministers is the old policy that when an MP wished to take over an office of profit under the Crown, they had to fight a by-election. Certainly, it would increase the accountability of the contemptible wunch of bankers in the Commons at present.

 

@Gfted1: The Conservative and Unionist Party is the second-largest party in the UK, and one of the oldest. Broadly speaking it covers the right-centre-right spectrum between Margaret Thatcher, Disraeli, and Ken Clarke. It's foundation derives from the split in Parliament in the late 17th Century. The word "Tory" was originally a term of abuse, toraidhe, which their opponents slung at them. The word is a name for something like an Irish outlaw, as opposed to a whig, which was originally a term for a waggon-thief, IIRC. From around 1860 until roughly the Second World War, it was characterised by, for the most part, a belief in One Nation Conservatism. Since the 1980s and the ascendancy of Thatcher (who regarded One Nation Tories as "Conservative wets"), it's been largely characterised by neo-conservative principles.

 

In short, there's little difference at this point between the two major political parties in this country.

[Gfted1]

I see, thanks to you both.

[Walsingham]

Darth InSidious gives a pretty good summary, as far as it goes.

 

I do think that the main problem is the three terms. I'm not advocating some stupid law against three terms, but we as voters ought to give the wheel a serious spin every third term. Having the same people at the top isolated from reality for too long invariably leads to weirdness.

 

Personally, my main feeling is a Chestertonian fear of leadership without any heart.

 

BTW, wasn't Washington a Tory?

[Missy]

Darth InSidious gives a pretty good summary, as far as it goes.

 

Yep.

 

I do think that the main problem is the three terms. I'm not advocating some stupid law against three terms, but we as voters ought to give the wheel a serious spin every third term. Having the same people at the top isolated from reality for too long invariably leads to weirdness.

 

That's definitely something I agree with.

[Walsingham]

I think the most important thing is that I've just discovered the Daily Mash, thanks to this thread. As good as the Onion, if not better.

[Missy]

I think the most important thing is that I've just discovered the Daily Mash, thanks to this thread. As good as the Onion, if not better.

 

The Daily Mash is awesome, I had a feeling you might enjoy it.

[Humodour]

- Gordon Brown fails to do anything substantial about regulating the City

 

- Lord Myners approves a golden pension deal to Fred Goodwin

 

- The government spends more money on a campaign to tell people to eat less because it makes you fat and stuff, than on our entire public research budget

 

- Jacqui Smith promises to put more people in jail for low category drugs, without making any new jails

 

- Peter ****ing Mandelson (his official title) returns to Parliament as a 'heavy hitter'.

 

 

 

Just what the **** is going on with our government? I know I'm not the only Brit here by any means. Is it just me? Am I REALLY going to have to break the habit of a lifetime and vote Tory?

 

Dude, vote conservative. I'm not a fan of the right-wing nutjobs by any means but when your government is that incompetent and have been in power long enough for it to start doing damage, vote 'em out! Seriously, the news stories coming out of Britain these days are starting to scare me.

 

Then vote them back in next election when they've had a chance to clear their heads and purge the ****-ups. You don't want conservatives in power for any longer than absolutely necessary.

 

Actually, this assumes your Labour party is mildly competent and can get it's act together after 3 years. I suspect that's too generous an assumption. You're boned. Enjoy 1984.

[Guard Dog]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-...d--laughed.html

 

Next time Brown should just unzip Obamas fly first. How the heck did this guy ascend to the head of his party. Come to that, I have the same qustions about Obama.

[Humodour]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-...d--laughed.html

 

Next time Brown should just unzip Obamas fly first. How the heck did this guy ascend to the head of his party. Come to that, I have the same qustions about Obama.

 

Are you enjoying socialism yet? When do you think you'll take up arms in response to Obama's obvious communist tendencies?

[Meshugger]

Gordon Brown looks like the archetype british bulldog. From the little info that i have gathered, he seems like the good 'ole statesman, making policies just because he can.

 

I wouldn't be suprised if the house of lords is populated by more sane people, since they shouldn't be bound by the laws of populism.

[Blank]

"The whole modern world has divided itself into Conservatives and Progressives. The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of the Conservatives is to prevent the mistakes from being corrected."

-G.K. Chesterton

[Moose]

I'm going to vote conservative. I don't care so much about the politics as both party's are sh*t. I simply just want to get Brown off my TV.

[Guard Dog]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-...d--laughed.html

 

Next time Brown should just unzip Obamas fly first. How the heck did this guy ascend to the head of his party. Come to that, I have the same qustions about Obama.

 

Are you enjoying socialism yet? When do you think you'll take up arms in response to Obama's obvious communist tendencies?

 

Socialisim is what we are getting too. The treasury secretary is asking congress for the authority to seize private businsess. Several banks and companies have already been nationalized. However there is no need to fight, they way the wind is blowing Congress will change hands next year. I'll only fight when they show up at my door wanting to seize my property, arms, dogs, or person. But this is OT to the discussion here. The Brits are already seeing their freedom, sovreignty, economy, and future flushed down the drain by an incompetent government.

[Wrath of Dagon]

Obama will skip right through socialism and go immediately to bankrupting and destoying the country. He'll accomplish in 4 years what it took Soviet Union 70 years to achieve.

[Trenitay]

And we've been doing so good over the past few years, right?

[taks]

And we've been doing so good over the past few years, right?

no, that one didn't understand sound economic theory, either.

 

what is it with people that think "well, if my guy is so bad, how about your guy?" what happens when both "sides" are wrong? cut off your nose to spite your face.

 

taks

[Monte Carlo]

Obama will skip right through socialism and go immediately to bankrupting and destoying the country. He'll accomplish in 4 years what it took Soviet Union 70 years to achieve.

 

Yeah, meanwhile in the Mid-West some high school kids see parachutes high in the sky... whoah it's Cuban and Libyan paratroopers, part of the One-World Commie government Obama has created! Wolverines! is the kids' battle-cry as they take to the hills and form a resistance movement to fight the socialist oppressors.

 

Who would have thought that Red Dawn was actually a Democrat election video?

[Monte Carlo]

By the way, here is the imdb entry for Red Dawn.

 

Wolverines!

[Enoch]

Who would have thought that Red Dawn was actually a Democrat election video?

Of course it is-- it's a film about the Iraq War from the insurgents' point of view.

 

I actually agree with taks' point about the poor economic understanding of American elites on both sides of the aisle (although we're almost certainly thinking about different ideal economic policies). Simon Johnson, a former chief economist with the IMF, has a fantastic article in The Atlantic on this point-- both sides have become far too beholden to the finance industry over the last 20 years, which is stifling any attempt at real reform. An excerpt:

But there

[taks]

Simon Johnson, a former chief economist with the IMF, has a fantastic article in The Atlantic on this point-- both sides have become far too beholden to the finance industry over the last 20 years, which is stifling any attempt at real reform. An excerpt:

But these various policies

Edited April 2, 2009 by taks

[Trenitay]

And we've been doing so good over the past few years, right?

no, that one didn't understand sound economic theory, either.

 

what is it with people that think "well, if my guy is so bad, how about your guy?" what happens when both "sides" are wrong? cut off your nose to spite your face.

 

taks

 

Instinct of course. Both sides always think they're right, so when one insults two, two wants to insult one back.