Politics

[Embattle]

Damn it makes me laugh. I did vote the last election but I don't think I can be bothered this one since tbh it seems like they're all full of shit.

Look at the conservatives. They are going to spend more and cut taxs at the same time, lol. Then today they said they would bring in a minimum fine of £100 for any one who was found to have drugs on them, now I may not do drugs of any kind but do they think that 1. the police will be able to enforce such a law and 2. that people are actually gonna go there bank and pass over £100.

Makes you laugh, they must think we are all stupid

 

[old.Delboy]

"They are going to spend more and cut taxs at the same time, lol"

Exactly what Presidential Candidate Bush is promoting atm.
Sat up and watched a good part of their Debate, cos I'd mostly ignored it b4.

They've done all their short and longer term sums. What is it going to be? "Gordon Brown" Stealth Taxes all over again from a different party?

 

[Embattle]

Originally posted by Delboy
They've done all their short and longer term sums. What is it going to be? "Gordon Brown" Stealth Taxes all over again from a different party?

They all screw you, but you have to figure it on who will screw you less

 

[old.Necro]

Under electoral systems (such as FPTP and other plurality-based ones) that encourage two party systems, populism and blatent two-facedness is commonplace. Anyone remember their proposed 50mph minimum motorway speed..?

 

[Xavier]

I think that seeing as the government believes that this is the internet generation that we shouldn't vote, Mr Blair shoud get his cronies together and assemble with the opposition for a few games of Counterstrike to determine who takes government...

 

[old.ED209]

hague drinks 14 pints a day and he wrestles gorrilas for a hobby!
hes got my vote!

 

[Mr_Horus]

One day i was bored shitless and decided to watch the Parliament Channel. It was actually funny to see what we pay our taves for: people to sit in comfy chairs and SLAG EACH OTHER AND EARN 40K A YEAR FOR IT!!!
What a l33t job. You just stand and insult your "right honourable friend" and get paid 40k a year to do so.
VOTE HORUS IN THE NEXT ELECTION!!!! =]

 

[old.Davehart]

Politics, its a load of wank.

Blair = Twat
Hague = My God another twat

 

[xenon2000]

VOTE HOUSON!

 

[old.Necro]

Consider the hours MPs work: REGULARLY stay in HoC 10:00-22:00, and occasionally being asked to stay in the chamber overnight without any prior notice (anyone remember that debate on early prisoner releases in NI?..it spanned 3 days non-stop).

In many professions, 40k is a bit tame. Now guess why there are very few scientists or engineers in Westminister..

 

[granny]

Scientists??

Erm... science is piss poorly paid mate, I'm a molecular biologist with 10 years specialist training and £40k sounds like a fucking dream to me... I'm on half that and am at the top of my pay scale ie. I'll never get any higher.

Also don't forget that the base £40k salary for an MP doesn't include the perks and *many* other opportunites that MP's have - most of them are consultants on business boards of one kind or another and pull in way in excess of £40k. And how many of them actually do those kind of long hours you talked about - have a butchers at parliament on telly (if it's still on) and see how empty the HoC is most of the time.

And besides, surely a political career isn't something someone should do for the money, don't we want people who genuinely feel passionate about their politics there? Or do we just want people who want a good income?

Regardless, the whole politics thing is a bit of a sham, governments are never really in power, only in office, it's the unelected heads of industry, judges, etc that really hold power. No real change can ever come through parliament.

 

[stu]

Originally posted by Horus^
One day i was bored shitless and decided to watch the Parliament Channel. It was actually funny to see what we pay our taves for: people to sit in comfy chairs and SLAG EACH OTHER AND EARN 40K A YEAR FOR IT!!!
What a l33t job. You just stand and insult your "right honourable friend" and get paid 40k a year to do so.
VOTE HORUS IN THE NEXT ELECTION!!!! =]

I've been doing that for the past year

Although I've just moved to a new desk, and my chair is broken.

(cunts )

 

[stu]

More seriously, granny is right, industry and the judiciary hold most of the power these days. Is that so wrong though? I'd say the judiciary are certainly more qualified to make law than someone who's never had legal training.

Or, maybe the right question should be, why are we surprised that the government is run like any other big business? It's essentially two big departments: one for strategy, one for marketing. In a society so based on capitalism, it's hardly surprising.

 

[old.Delboy]

"I'd say the judiciary are certainly more qualified to make law than someone who's never had legal training. "

Afaik, a majority of MP's are comprised of Lawyers and Accountants with a small sprinkling of Engineers.

Example is ppl like John Smith and Donald Dewar who both were in legal profession. Tony blair himself practised as a barrister.

[Edited by Delboy on 18-10-00 at 10:42]

 

[stu]

ok fair point... but all of them have been out of the profession for a while. It's no different to anything else, once you're away from it you lose touch (surprisingly quickly).

Besides, Tony Blair etc do not make law in the same fashion judges do. If Tony wants to change something, he needs to go through a ridiculously long process, get it discussed in the Commons and Lords, actually get his own party on board, please all the cynics, and usually dilute it down to a point where it doesn't do anything it was supposed to. And then some judge will just decide he didn't like it and ignore it anyway.

 

[Mr_Horus]

Thats England for ya innit?
Up in Scotland it works kinda different. Our big top l33to judges make our laws, with only elements like the Budget and Defence being controlled "down south".
But our legal system is better cos in England the Police decide wether or not to prosecute. Up here the "Procurator Fiscal" decides.

 

[old.Necro]

Originally posted by granny
Scientists??

Erm... science is piss poorly paid mate, I'm a molecular biologist with 10 years specialist training and £40k sounds like a fucking dream to me... I'm on half that and am at the top of my pay scale ie. I'll never get any higher.

I come from a family that has a high concentration of scientific/engineering degrees (some doctorates), and i can assure you that they would be substantially worse off as MPs.

And how many of them actually do those kind of long hours you talked about - have a butchers at parliament on telly (if it's still on) and see how empty the HoC is most of the time.

Thats very different from what the last MP (few days ago) i met said.

 

[Mr_Horus]

Yeah exactly. He hardly gonna go "yeah i spend sod all time in the debating chamber and instead i go the the local pub round Westminister" is he? =]

 

[old.venturer01]

tony's ace card on the fuel thing
ready
he say's to the lorry ppl (lp).
tbk you can have cheaper fuel
lp:think
tb:but you must fit one of the new exhaust cleaning things
lp:think
tb:and get a new uk mot to say the exhaust thing works, even if it's a new lorry.
lp:think
tb:and you get an electronic card from the post office when you get road tax, to say that you have the new exhaust cleaning thing. when you use the card fuel is cheaper.
lp:think

so now only lorry's mot's and taxed in the uk will get cheaper fuel in the uk. the mot for a lorry cost a few pounds, the exhaust this is say £500 of this 17.5 % is vat

are we onto a winner lol just an idea.
would you like more detail tony well come to our lan
http://www.glasgowgamers.co.uk oct 28th and 29th 2000
in fact you cold come up by high speed train if you think railtrack who make cash from the railways can do health and safety and make money at the same time.

 

[Testin da Cable]

imho politicians are right up there next to marketeers and sales reps
I intensely dislike all forms of manouvering/dishing out sh*t/setting up a fall guy/whatever.
I see it happening all the time and sometimes I really wonder how such disgusting wastes of carbon made it into the positions they hold.

ugh *shudders*

 

[old.relay]

There is nobody to vote for.

They are all twats.

Tony is pissing me off though.

Erm, thats Politics for you.

I wont be voting.

UNLESS, there is a Monster Raving Looney Party candidate in my area. They want to scrap all duties on alcoholic beverages....

 

[Xavier]

politics - a breakdown

poly means 'many'

and a tick is a blood sucking insect...

-end of-

 

[stu]

Originally posted by Horus^
But our legal system is better cos in England the Police decide wether or not to prosecute. Up here the "Procurator Fiscal" decides.

Actually, the CPS or (exceptionally) the A-G decide whether to prosecute or not.

testin, relay and Xavier, if you have any ideas for a universally popular taxation system, a reformed road policy or a new defence budget, I'm sure Westminster would love to hear them. No personal offence, but that is the typical sort of attitude people often have. "Politicians are shit". "Why?" "Errr..." Do you actually know in detail the policies of the parties, what people stand for, what has actually been done, etc. Or do you just believe what the Sun tells you. testin, you say you abhor marketing/spin, but are you actually looking at the facts - or just listening to marketing/spin from other people? It's Microsoft syndrome. "I hate Microsoft, although I use Windows, and I couldn't do without DirectX, etc etc" "So why do you hate them?" "Well... theyre just cunts aren't they"

Don't get me wrong, I don't think the government is perfect. They've made some crazy policy decisions, and some things I don't agree with. Point is, you can't please everyone all the time, and generally decisions are made for a reason.

[Edited by Stu- on 20-10-00 at 16:37]

 

[old.venturer01]

Originally posted by Horus^
But our legal system is better cos in England the Police decide wether or not to prosecute. Up here the "Procurator Fiscal" decides.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

i think i could be well out of order but.
in england & wales, a question is asked by the police,
"would you like to press charges" or somethig like that.
in scotland once something has been reported to the police
and a report has been made, you have no choice in the matter it's down to the procurator fiscal. this blah blah

 

[old.relay]

Hohoho

Stu - Do you think your saying anything new?

 

[old.Delboy]

I don't believe politicians who have spent 5 years learning "General Law" and then went on to practise as Barrister which involves more study can quickly get out of touch as you've suggested.

It's certainly not a rapid changing environment like the IT Industry. The only relatively new specialist subjects are the application of law towards less tangible things such as virtual property such as software code and the internet.

But yeah, I see what u mean about chain of command etc