Westministenders: Before the Fire Alarm of Rome goes off

[RedToothBrush]

I’m going to keep this one very simple.

THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER TO VOTE IS 22ND MAY.
www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

Postal votes start to go out on 23rd May.

Your challenge is to persuade someone to register to vote or to get someone who is considering not to, to get their arse to the polling station.

Go forth and harass. Especially women and the young.

That’s it. No frills OP.

The education system has been subverted to benefit the Universities rather than the students.

Same way the NHS has been subverted to benefit the trusts rather than the patients.

Same way the justice system has been subverted to benefit the legal profession, the police and the prison service rather than support the victims of crime.

The Church (any church) has been subverted to support the clergy rather than the faithful

It's almost as if there is a pattern here.

Is it possible to be too cynical ?

When I marched, in 1985, I had this idea that education should be free to all, for as long as they could demonstrably (i.e reasonably pass exams) benefit from it. For some that might be CSEs., for others a PHd. Also I passionately believe that education should be a lifelong opportunity, so people who may not have been degree material aged 20, could have a shot aged 30 or 40.

Hang on, did I say I had the idea ? I still have FFS ...

And another thing: he risks alienating those LibDem sympathisers who voted Leave.

I am voting Tory because of this.

By making the Lib Dems the official Remain party, it has stopped me from even countenancing voting for them (and I have before, twice).

When Brexit is delivered in whatever form it may take, then I will be looking for a centrist party again - at this time, in this election, it's all about Brexit.
(And Labour have not only ignored it, they seem to be trying to make the UK as unattractive as possible to businesses & high earners/net tax contributors).

Taoiseach Enda Kenny steps down, new PM by June 2nd.

Lurking - you're surely not suggesting that your neighbour goes by the name of copper sulphate on here??

Charmaggedon, would you otherwise have voted Lib Dem? Do you support the rest of their manifesto?

Lurking - you're surely not suggesting that your neighbour goes by the name of copper sulphate on here??

No ... I was suggesting that CuSO₄ (and I am guessing they're anhydrous) might have been told by two people that they are voting Tory because of their argument as it was probably easier than picking it apart.

You know the old advice to not fight with pigs ?

I know, LH - it was my attempt at a joke

Charmaggedon, would you otherwise have voted Lib Dem? Do you support the rest of their manifesto?

Tbh I haven't had a chance to catch up on it today - am cramming for an exam!

I agree with the penny on income tax which has been headlined previously, but in all honesty their Brexit stance (2nd Ref) overrides all else, so it doesn't matter what else is in it.

Once the shape of Brexit is decided (next election minimum) and dependent on how the Tories are performing at that point, I will probably swing back to Lib Dem I would imagine.

Ah, is that me pranked then

Generally I have no problem telling people who I am going to vote for - and I intent to enjoy that until Treeza makes us a one-party-state. However sometimes, just to shut people up. it's best to pretend you have taken their lead. Shudders as he remembers MIL.

Loosely connected, I do worry about the surge in postal votes which simply enables cultures where womans rights are non-existent, and the "head of the house" gathers all the ballots together to fill in according to his - or his mentors - direction. It's slightly axiomatic that the disconnected political class we have in the UK decided the answer to low voter turnout was not to improve politics, but to lower the obstacles to electoral fraud.

So we're ready to go on June 9th:

Historical studies suggest that it takes 3.5% of a population engaged in sustained nonviolent resistance to topple brutal dictatorships

:www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/feb/01/worried-american-democracy-study-activist-techniques

Shame they've 'paused' the NI Youth Parliament programme.

We have made the very reluctant decision to pause UK Youth Parliament programme in Northern Ireland, while we seek sustainable funding. This will mean we will not run elections for Members of Youth Parliament, for the term starting in March 2017

www.ukyouthparliament.org.uk/news/uk-youth-parliament-programme-paused-in-northern-ireland/

Excellent scheme the UK youth parliament, up till now.

EU position on Data Protection and Facebook
Does this still apply till 2019?

I have certainly heard anecdotal evidence of postal voting fraud in care homes - 'put your cross here, dear' and the befuddled old person goes and puts a cross against a name that they would never in a million years have voted for when they were fully in possession of their faculties.

When Brexit is delivered in whatever form it may take, then I will be looking for a centrist party again - at this time, in this election, it's all about Brexit.

Lets just bookmark this for that moment in 5 years time when people who voted on the basis of Brexit-only start claiming they didn't vote for the destruction of the NHS or the education system.

The 'But Tuition Fees' and 'But the Coalition' is starting to seem more and more like 'But her emails'.

There are other reasons you might not like the LDs and plenty of reason to like Labour but I do think that there is a blindness to what happens if this reasoning is the driving force behind a lot of decisions over and above how people feel about leaving the EU.

It has wider implications for British politics which are not healthy. Plus everyone seems to have a selective memory whereby they hold the LDs to a higher standard than Labour and the Cons who both have had very big roles in the tuition fees thing and austerity.

Like what is going on with regard to 'Its May v Corbyn' without a mention of Farron, that's what 'But Tutition Fees' is about and where it is coming from. Its about pushing the LDs out and making it about a straight Lab v Con political battle.

Personally I'm not sure there is much of a way for the LDs to push back against it, but I do think its worth pointing out.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nigel-farage-brexit-rifle-pick-up-uk-eu-withdrawal-ukip-leader-liberal-democrat-a7741331.html
Nigel Farage would 'pick up a rifle' if Brexit is not delivered
It is not the first time the former Ukip leader has threatened civil disobedience over Brexit

Nigel Farage has said he would, “don khaki, pick up a rifle and head for the front lines” if Theresa May fails to deliver Brexit in the fashion he wants.

Lets just bookmark this for that moment in 5 years time when people who voted on the basis of Brexit-only start claiming they didn't vote for the destruction of the NHS or the education system.

Bookmark away.

Who would you suggest gets my vote?
An anti Brexit party?
Or a party which has no plan at all for Brexit, and has instead focussed its resolve on making Britain unattractive to business & net tax contributors?

charm
Vote for who or what you like, but own the consequences.

'Own the consequences'?!

For goodness sake, I'm perfectly ok with where my vote is going - I was quite clear on that in my earlier post.

The only reason I posted in the first place was in reply to Red's musings about whether or not Lib Dem had turned people off by their anti-Brexit stance.

On Farage, when did the laws on incitement get repealed?

But her emails
In more innocent and less threatening times, this would be OK. Would that we had that luxury right now. Personally, I think one should vote for anyone who will reduce her majority.

Why get so irate when it's pointed out what is being sold out then?

If you vote for the Tories because they will deliver Brexit, you are also voting for their other policies that you may or may not wish

. Trade deals like TTIP, with more of the NHS sold off to US private health companies
. Any of Trump's wars May has to join, to get TTIP
. Further NHS cutbacks
. Further benefit cuts
. Grammar schools
. Hunting
.....

NY Times reports Israel was the source for the intelligence that Trump spilled to the Russians (about a laptop bomb)

www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/world/middleeast/israel-trump-classified-intelligence-russia.html?article-sidebar

I have to say I find it incredibly hard to understand how someone who would normally support the Liberal Democrats would be comfortable voting for the current UKIP-infused incarnation of the Tories.