lefties 7:compare the tory.com

[HerHonesty]

sorry couldnt think of anything else. gideon in charge of the economy..

Animula
I would prefer that a person who is representing out county have a tiny inkling about what it is like to live in the normal UK, the one that most of us live in.

Sadly most of the career politicians don't know that.

lol pol - don't forget that really nice houseboy on St Kitts?

Ham I did an arts degree at Bower. Perhaps I met her too? Think I'm a bit younger than her though.

God yawn another exhausting political day draws to a close.

G'night all.

Could I ask all the politicians to please make any big announcements tomorrow nice and EARLY? Some of us have night-waking children and these late-breaking stories are not convenient.

Clearly Westminster is a bit mad, and it is important that a politician understand what goes on there.

It must be like spending a couple of days in Disneyland then emerging to find that the Small World tune is not played on a loop everywhere and people do not normally go around with Mickey Mouse ears on their heads.

Hello,

not a mbr of your thread but wondered if I can join you for a minute or two.

What do you guys think of fixed term parliaments (apparently part of the deal)? How will that work? If the coalition breaks down they won't be able to go back to the people. Seems v odd to me and means the Tories are at the helm for at least 5 years.

I don't know much of the women tories - i can't see Theresa May in a cabinet post (although i suspect she may sleep in a wooden box) and beyond her I'm struggling to see an obvious cabinet minister. Caroline Spelman?

(Please not Pickles ... please)

I suspect also that the 6 lib dem members will be at the cost of women members.

The lib dems do have some women who'd probably do well in cabinet but I suspect it'll be jobs for the boys first and foremost. One of the lib dem cabinet posts has to be Secretary of State for Scotland ...

So, few women, probably no gay members, and a shitload of Old Etonians. Equality of opportunity for all, for course

Do y'all know (well I know OBM does) that Ed M used to be known by Blair as 'Ambassador from the Planet Fuck' because he was the only Brownite who communicated civilly with No 10?

Blimey everyone on the telly looks as though they've been crying.

Does fixed term = part time dictatorship?

Yes Avocadoes, I don't see how they can guarantee a fixed term. If the govt fails a confidence vote, it's curtains.

Oh god and I still have work to do tonight! And am going to have to watch Newsnight...

Theresa May will get a cabinet post. She must else there will be no women. The Lib Dems are worse than the Tories when it comes to hard hitting women.

'wooden box'. Blimey they have to have a woman, even if it really is a token. Lynne Featherstone? Sarah Teather?

Actually I think fixed term is more radical than changing the voting system. It will stop govnts manipulating the economic cycle (so much) for electoral gain. Think it would also be good to have a limit to two terms as PM (though that't not really possible without a presidential system)

Rumoured that May and Villiers are not getting cabinet seats, poss at expense of Lib Dems.

Hello I tried posting and the thread ate my post was talking about how I am a lib dem voter but not defintely not a closet tory.

Shame my prediction on the earlier thread was wrong, and am really hoping the LDs will curb the worst of the Tories toriness.

Gutted re no Vince in number 11. On the Libdem voters thread they are talking about Paddy Ashdown going to Defence which is interesting.

Policy, you know I usually agree with you but I really don't think that a background in government is sufficient preparation for government. Because the thing about governing, is that it is really about governing on a range of issues. And those people who bring different experiences to government are worth their weight in gold. We need people who know about the military to work in defence. We need people who understand economics and finance to work at the exchequer (which is why Osborne is the wrong man) We need people with a background in healthcare to work in health. They have deep understanding of the real issues

What do career politicians know? Apart from the art of smarm? Nothing, that's what ...

I hope Justine Greening gets a promotion and is a Minister one day. She is very good.

Oh I think it's a great principle NTL, I just don't see how it can work unless they introduce legislation to change the way parliament works PDQ. Which they might do I suppose. Would be very cheering if they did.

How depressing this all is. And I've just found out that a girl I went to school with is now a Tory MP! She beat the Labour candidate by a few hundred votes. Don't think she will be a candidate for the cabinet though. Just as well, if memory serves...

Sarah Teather is an option - had she not lost her seat, Susan Kramer would have been a strong chance.

It's hard to say but I think both Spelman and May were in the shadow cabinet. That May's only notable contribution was kitten heels doesn't recommend her. Spelman was implicated in the expenses scandal, which doesn't help her "fix" anything.

This is depressing - it's looking like genuine tokenism.

worried now about fixed term contracts
Could it possibly override a VONC?

Quattrocento that's really an argument for a US style executive appointed by the president for their expertise. I think it does have some merits to it - hence the increasing use of peers as ministers in recent times. But it would only work with a completely different system of checks and balances.