so what now?

[RedHerring2]

To rule you need to have a majority i nthe house, you need to win 326 seats.

More twaddle. If Brown resigns Cameron could form a minority government.
Each issue would have to be discussed and amended until a majority are prepared to vote for it.
As long as the Queens speech is passed you're up and running.
Sensible government, that's how it's been working in other minority governments around the world and even around the UK in local councils where there is NOC

 

[oompah]

What jobs do you think the Libs will want in a coalition government,and what about PR will Clegg demand this as part of any deal.Clegg is caught between a rock and a hard place,he could demand too much and end up going to the Labour ranks to try and prop them up with more than likely, I would have thought another election this year. He might be the kingmaker at the moment but the decision he and the rest of the Libs have to make may well have, more far reaching consequences than perhaps they realise.

 

[Lincsbodger]

To rule you need to have a majority i nthe house, you need to win 326 seats.

More twaddle. If Brown resigns Cameron could form a minority government.
Each issue would have to be discussed and amended until a majority are prepared to vote for it.
As long as the Queens speech is passed you're up and running.
Sensible government, that's how it's been working in other minority governments around the world and even around the UK in local councils where there is NOC

See, i do hate people who cant be arsed to read political history, then pontificate in ignorance about current events.

If you want to rule without being held to ransom, you need 326 seats, otherwise your a minority or coalition government.

EVERY SINGLE minority government in the last 120 years has collapsed within 3 weeks - 7 months, all six of them, except one (Ramsey Macdonald lasted 43 months, but then he did nothing, and therefore upset no one)

and, as ive said before, what goes on in other countries is nothing to do with us. WE have had strong majority governments thats why WE have a cracking credit rating. If we do NOT have strong government, and no coalition brings strong government, just a mess of fudge, compromise and obfucation, then the markets WILL take fright, sterling will collapse, the FTSE will plummet, and they pull our credit rating. Thats makes our debt interest payments bigger, and makes it harder and longer to get straight. Its already starting to happen, sterling has drooped to a 1 year low and the FTSE lost 7.5% today.

Other countries may get on fine with coalitions, we in the uk have had strong government for 37 years, thats why we did so well, and why we nee dto have majority government to get out the very deep horse poo Labour has lead us into.

 

[joinerjohn]

I think ( and have for years) that the main problem with the political make up of parliament is the lack of a free vote. The party whip is the one with the real power. He can make or break MP's in an instant.
Very rarely in government do MP's go against the party whip. It's a bit like political suicide, although there have been times in the Labour Govt where MP's have voted against a Labour proposal ( but very rarely do they do such a thing. MP's usually toe the party line. Specially as the Whips are there to make sure they do.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

I'm all for whipping them!

 

[Donkmeister]

I've heard people make blase comments about coalitions and how they seem to work on the continent...

Yet Italy has had over 60 governments since WW2... at one point the average term of a government was 9 months! This was all down to coalitions being formed between whoever could form a coalition, because the combination of PR and a multitude of parties made it nigh-on impossible to get a majority.

PR is undoubtedly a more fair system as it makes every vote count. Unfortunately it results in everyone losing. Bipolar governance is what is required, with the tiebreaker party in the middle.

I find it hilarious that Labour claimed FPTP was a fair system in 2005 when they got in by the skin of their teeth, yet now they are crying for PR because they're "only" 3 million votes behind the winners.

 

[RedHerring2]

See, i do hate people who cant be a***d to read political history, then pontificate in ignorance about current events. Not worthy of a reponse

If you want to rule without being held to ransom, you need 326 seats, otherwise your a minority or coalition government. Or: If you want to push through your party's policy with little discussion and no compromise you need a majority. Hence so many bad laws, especially in then last 13 years.

EVERY SINGLE minority government in the last 120 years has collapsed within 3 weeks - 7 months, all six of them, except one (Ramsey Macdonald lasted 43 months, but then he did nothing, and therefore upset no one) Opinion again. But also points to the immaturity of politicians to not act in best interests of the country, putting their party first. Oh BTW we won the Second World War with a 3 party coalition!

See, i do hate people who cant be a***d to read political history, then pontificate in ignorance about current events.

I fully agree

and, as ive said before, what goes on in other countries is nothing to do with us. Yeah right, like Greece who have a majority government. WE have had strong majority governments thats why WE have a cracking credit rating. Germany, New Zealand and others have a minority government and their credit rating is superior to ours. If we do NOT have strong government, and no coalition brings strong government, just a mess of fudge, compromise and obfucation, I suggest you read up on other country's systems before taking such a biased and immature view. then the markets WILL take fright, sterling will collapse, the FTSE will plummet, and they pull our credit rating. The Greece situation and the international response to it is affecting our financial markets. The balanced parliament has been priced into our financial market for days if not weeks now. Thats makes our debt interest payments bigger, and makes it harder and longer to get straight. Its already starting to happen, sterling has drooped to a 1 year low and the FTSE lost 7.5% today. You're taking a real event and applying your cause to it.

Other countries may get on fine with coalitions, we in the uk have had strong government for 37 years, that's why we flip flop between policies instead of steering a steady, sensible, mature course through history. thats why we did so well, and why we nee dto have majority government to get out the very deep horse poo Labour has lead us into. You think we've done so well???

[/b]

Perhaps you ought to also look up the record of Local Authorities with NOC and see the steady, sensible, mature course that they are steering now instead of flip-flopping their way through history.

 

[Lincsbodger]

See, i do hate people who cant be a***d to read political history, then pontificate in ignorance about current events. Not worthy of a reponse

If you want to rule without being held to ransom, you need 326 seats, otherwise your a minority or coalition government. Or: If you want to push through your party's policy with little discussion and no compromise you need a majority. Hence so many bad laws, especially in then last 13 years.

EVERY SINGLE minority government in the last 120 years has collapsed within 3 weeks - 7 months, all six of them, except one (Ramsey Macdonald lasted 43 months, but then he did nothing, and therefore upset no one) Opinion again. But also points to the immaturity of politicians to not act in best interests of the country, putting their party first. Oh BTW we won the Second World War with a 3 party coalition!

See, i do hate people who cant be a***d to read political history, then pontificate in ignorance about current events.

I fully agree

and, as ive said before, what goes on in other countries is nothing to do with us. Yeah right, like Greece who have a majority government. WE have had strong majority governments thats why WE have a cracking credit rating. Germany, New Zealand and others have a minority government and their credit rating is superior to ours. If we do NOT have strong government, and no coalition brings strong government, just a mess of fudge, compromise and obfucation, I suggest you read up on other country's systems before taking such a biased and immature view. then the markets WILL take fright, sterling will collapse, the FTSE will plummet, and they pull our credit rating. The Greece situation and the international response to it is affecting our financial markets. The balanced parliament has been priced into our financial market for days if not weeks now. Thats makes our debt interest payments bigger, and makes it harder and longer to get straight. Its already starting to happen, sterling has drooped to a 1 year low and the FTSE lost 7.5% today. You're taking a real event and applying your cause to it.

Other countries may get on fine with coalitions, we in the uk have had strong government for 37 years, that's why we flip flop between policies instead of steering a steady, sensible, mature course through history. thats why we did so well, and why we nee dto have majority government to get out the very deep horse poo Labour has lead us into. You think we've done so well???

[/b]

Perhaps you ought to also look up the record of Local Authorities with NOC and see the steady, sensible, mature course that they are steering now instead of flip-flopping their way through history.

1. check your facts, it is factually correct that every single minority UK government in the last 120 years except one has collapsed within 7 months. This is not 'opinion' as you imply.

2. War governments are by nature coalitions and hardly normal circumstances or conditions, so you cant really include them.

3. Greece was let into the Euro even though it failed to meet the criteria set out for entry, so its not surprising the knobs fell off, and thats nothing to do with the Greek governement but more to do with the rampant federalism of the EU, wh o are so desperate to form the United States of Europe they throw caution to the wind and ignore there own advice.

4. Whatever goes on in other countries bears NO RELATION AT ALL to the conduct and economic status of the UK as far as minority governments go. Ive posted this before, but ill repeat it for your benefit, we have a triple A credit rating **BECAUSE** we have had majority governments for 37 years, strong stable government that has made us consistently one of the top 7 economies in the world.

5. Balanced Parliament? you mean one where 59 Lib Dem MPs can hold the other 520 or so to ransom? Hardly 'balanced'!!!

6. The last time we were hung, the financial markets lost 40% of there value in 6 months as a direct result. Its a provable link

7. Local Authorities are also nothing to do with National Government in this respect, either, yet again its entirely different. The financial markets and other governments and Institutions do not give one toss what Guildford Borough Council spends on its xmas lights of how much money Haringay Council owes to Corus Waste Control. Local Governments do not borrow on the markets, do not control interest rates, do not dictate national policy and pass national laws. There nothing to do with it, and not comparable.

8. We did fine until labour came along. The boom that labour wasted was due to the financial polices laid down by the previous Tory government, which only fell apart because John Major became a minority government and then collapsed within 6 months (oh look, another real life example of what happens to coalitions and minorities)

by the way, please quote posts correctly, it becomes exceedingly tedious and time consuming to pick all the points out when all you do is colour them in like a five year old If you carry on with this silly crayoning in practice i shall not respond to the post. Use the dam n QUOTE and /QUOTE tags like the rest of the planet.

 

[ColJack]

see, I still don't get it..every one of those seats is filled by someone that we voted for.
shouldn't every single seat get a say in what rules we live by and what decisions made?
what's the point of having all those seats otherwise..
we should just vote for a new "king" instead if the party with the majority has all the power, what's the point of the other 49% turning up to work? might as well sit at home if your vote / voice doesn't make a blind bit of difference..

it's a stupid system of governing.. might as well call it what it is, a dictatorship as the one with the majority dictates what we do

lets scrap the lot and let the queen decide it all again like she's supposed to..

 

[Lincsbodger]

see, I still don't get it..every one of those seats is filled by someone that we voted for.
shouldn't every single seat get a say in what rules we live by and what decisions made?
what's the point of having all those seats otherwise..
we should just vote for a new "king" instead if the party with the majority has all the power, what's the point of the other 49% turning up to work? might as well sit at home if your vote / voice doesn't make a blind bit of difference..

it's a stupid system of governing.. might as well call it what it is, a dictatorship as the one with the majority dictates what we do

lets scrap the lot and let the queen decide it all again like she's supposed to..

Because you need someone to govern, and someone to present the opposite and alternative view - government and opposition. Its perfectly sensible, when it works properly, which is when there only two partys. It is not a system designed to work with three partys. Even the seating in the dam Houses of Parliament is designed for only two partys, sitting opposite each other. The rise of three party politics is seriously buggering it all up.

a dictatorship as the one with the majority dictates what we do

no, thats rule by majority, its otherwise called 'democracy'.