Posts by Rich of Observationz
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Hard News: Interesting Britain!, in reply to Russell Brown,
I truly think the best approach for the UK is to break up into London, Scotland, NI and the rural rump (an independent Brighton would also be good).
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Any delay in the Queen’s speech would be difficult to accommodate, given the monarch is scheduled to attend Royal Ascot from next Tuesday until the end of next week
Obviously, a great advantage of choosing your head of state on the basis of their parent's magical status is that the process of government needs necessarily to defer to the social and sporting commitments of said magical beings.
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Hard News: Interesting Britain!, in reply to John Farrell,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speaker_of_the_House_of_Commons_(United_Kingdom)
Deputies have the same powers as the Speaker when presiding. Akin to the Speaker, they do not take part in partisan politics, and remain completely impartial in the House. However, they are entitled to take part in constituency politics, and to make their views known on these matters. In general elections, they stand as party politicians.
Two of the current deputies are Labour and one Conservative, ensuring the loss of MPs to each party is balanced. (the speaker is currently a former Conservative - and not just ex-officio, I suspect).
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Hard News: Interesting Britain!, in reply to simon g,
Your implication is that it wouldn't happen. In practice, after 14 days, an election would be triggered by an automatic process (no further vote needed) unless either the incumbent were to find the numbers for a second vote, or the opposition were to acquire enough support to form a government with the confidence of the house.
(Like much of the Tories recent programme (see also EVEL), the Fixed Term Parliaments Act was constitutionally ill-conceived. I notice May intended to repeal it - whether she'll actually try remains to be seen).
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It is possible that they could lose a vote of confidence in Parliament, but even that won't automatically trigger an election.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed-term_Parliaments_Act_2011
Unless there was a second positive vote of confidence, in the same or a different governmental group, a vote of no confidence does trigger an election.
You know, the UK political system is extremely well documented. There are lots of good resources out there. Whatever ones argument, it strengthens it if you don't post gratuitous factual errors.
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Hard News: Interesting Britain!, in reply to Rich Lock,
every single one of her MPs needs to turn up, every single time in order for any legislation to pass
You should check the numbers:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_general_election,_2017#ResultsShe has 317 nominally Tory MPs. The opposition have 314 (that excludes the 7 Sinn Fein MPs who don't take their seats). She also has the DUP. So in general, she will win divisions by about 13 votes. So actually, thirteen of her MPs would need to abstain, or seven vote against, to lose her a vote.
Which isn't to say that the opposition might be able to craft an amendment on the single market that would attract Ken Clarke and his supporters over, but it'll be hard procedurally and politically.
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Hard News: Interesting Britain!, in reply to Rich Lock,
Every single expat was barred from voting in the EU referendum
Not this one - and not any 'British citizens (but not other British nationals), who had once lived in the United Kingdom, but had since and in the meantime lived outside of the United Kingdom, but for a period of no more than 15 years"
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Hard News: Interesting Britain!, in reply to Zach Bagnall,
Postal voting doesn't work - they send the papers out by snail mail a week before the election, ensuring that with the possible exception of people in Calais or Dublin, it's utterly impossible to get them back in time.
I get a member of my family to proxy vote for me.
British people should be to vote at the embassy like 'merkins can. I think they don't really want the votes of renegade expatriates.
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Hard News: Interesting Britain!, in reply to Ray Gilbert,
It's to be noted that the SNP will still (per the Grauniad) be expected to have a majority of the Scottish vote - as they had in the Scottish Parliament election.
There is a (smallish) sectarian majority in Scotland who believe that independence will lead to their being forced to say the rosary and give allegiance to the Pope. It's one of those 15th century echoes they have in parts of Europe. I think those people, along with the Posh Scots, have settled on the Tories.
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Hard News: Interesting Britain!, in reply to Russell Brown,
He was really bad at some of the basics.
Perhaps that's intrinsic to making a radical change - he isn't playing by the *rules*.
I'd suggest that any of the Blairite candidates would have done considerably less well yesterday.
The main thing if issues with is Corbyn's support for Brexit - perhaps after this election, the opposition (I don't see Labour getting a majority) will coalesce behind advocating an alternative to the Tories bandwagon and offering an alternative (around fast-track negotiations with the EU) as their programme becomes obviously hopeless.