bickster

A Canberra out of RAF Luton obviously

Yep after much thought last night, This was probably the most likely, sabotage your own, now redundant, pipes as a threat to the ones that aren't yours At least it shows that Putin realises he's not selling energy to Europe again, anytime soon

I'd get a second opinion, it's obvious you are a count...ry music fan (WB and glad you are ok)

To be a conscientious objector to voting, it would be democracy you'd be objecting to. To not vote in a free election because you don't like the current voting system seems like an extreme reaction I, however, agree about not having mandatory voting

Mobilised "reservists" in Crimea "Don't panic, Don't panic!" "We're doomed"

I'm not picking you up on anything in your post, it's just this little phrase has been thrown about by a lot of people in the Tory Party of late and it reminded me. The UK doesn't have an unemployment problem, it has an employment problem. There are more vacancies than people to fill the roles already

What the absolute f*** does... (I think it will, but it's not looking good.)... actually mean? Is he having treatment for his ailment?

Indeed

It won't. All cutting Stamp Duty will do, is increase the price of houses We don't have enough builders and we don't have enough building materials or enough people to make building materials

Sorry I read it like this... and thought what fresh hell have I entered

Yet the SNP has about 25,000actual members more than the LibDems. It really does depend on what Metric you use

Wow that’s developed as a story since the last time I looked at it

This hasn't happened The Nord Stream pipe has ruptured, it was turned off anyway, which is probably why its ruptured

China doesn't really give a shit about RUssia, it may even like some of its disputed territory back at some point. A weak Russia actually makes CHina more powerful

China can't force talks. The will be no talks until Russia leaves all of Ukraine. There is literally nothing to discuss

There's a reason for that. I reckon that less than 5% of the population and probably only about 50% of the LibDem membership, actually know what the word Liberal actually means in terms of a political philosophy Most of the country don't even know it is an ideology

IIRC David Steel many years ago made a point of how European the LibDems were by standing as a candidate in the EU elections in Italy? He knew he didn't stand a chance but he was doing it to make a particular pro-Eu point iirc

This ignores the effect a PR system will have over time on parties themselves. There will be far less broad church in each party, there will obviously be some but within a much narrower "ideological framework." Taking the Labour Party as an example, there will absolutely be no need for 4th Internationalist Trotskyite entryists to ever join Labour. They can all quite happily sit in their nice little TUSC environment because, if they campaign across the country and get enough of the votes they will get some effective representation in their own right and a much better opportunity to further their aims. As it stands now that won't happen, TUSC will always be a minority with no representation etc, they are left with infiltration of another party as their only opportunity to effect change. With their own possible representation, they may even get to a stage where they can effect some meaningful change. PR will naturally narrow the ideological imprint of all parties. The Tory Party will be no different. Those that left during the Brexit debates, the likes of Anna Soubry et al, formed a new party. It was always doomed to failure because of FPTP. FPTP absolutely prevents the formation of effective new parties with new fresh ideas

This has always been the way

And seriously, as f***ed up as it is, give me Johnson's response to Ukraine rather than Corbyn's. Both of them are compromised by Russian influence but at least Johnson forgot that on the surface, Corbyn is still wittering on about talks even now after blaming NATO for the the lead up and first month of the war. The electorate were not wrong about Corbyn, it just gave them the choice of the other dickhead. A choice they wouldn't have faced under a PR system

That might not be an option for long if they lose

You are giving them way too much credit

IMO thats part of the role of a second chamber, just in my idea of how a UK democracy should work but you'd do it on a more regional PR basis unlike the current constituency basis. Say for example 5 MPs elected from the larger Meseyside Region. So everyone has a choice of local representatives.

Not having a Government isn't necessarily a bad thing. We could do without one right now