The moronic state of British Politics

[rory_20_uk]

lets not mix AV with STV, which was not on offer.

the study i read was quite categoric that AV would increase the chance of coalitions, for all that coalitions were becoming more likely due to a more plural voting pattern.
in doing so it would damage the utility of the manifesto mandate.
and it would lead to less radical policy due to the need to tailor policies to the expectations of potential coalition partners, and yes, this was the australian experience.

The manifesto mandate is an abortion of an idea. Every party makes impossible promises to the voters and as things never work out over the 5 years as planned things have to change. And manifestos are mainly advertising ploys - so need simple ideas for the people to grasp: "save the NHS!" "New Labour, New Danger!"

It's getting older, but the invasion of Iraq was not on any party's manifesto - nor was any stipulation about the party's level of Jingoism. Labour wanted to do it, and the Tories didn't want to be the party not in on it should things go well. Most people were against it - but so what?

Radical swings of ideals means that we get a decade of stripping out levels of bureaucracy, giving power locally followed by a decade of centralising and targets (inaccurate broad brush statements I know). Structures take time to be sorted out, and often before they've even started to get into swing they're being radically altered by the other lot. A more nuanced approach with slow, subtle changes would work a hell of a lot better.

Manifestos would have to become more... grown up. Core beliefs that can not be altered and those which can. If parties could avoid suicidal statements that would be good too. Allow the voters to see the likely outcome of groupings in Parliament as opposed to two diametrically opposed forces.

[Furunculus]

your opinion not mine.

i am willing to risk a great deal that the ideas which i oppose won't be so damaging as to completely counteract the good in the ideas which i support.

i loathed the labour years and pretty much everything they did, but i believe the damage a worthwhile compromise to achieve a system of governence that is more flexible and more able to adapt.

not everyone shares my particular brand of political nihilism and that is completely understandable, but i expect the mother of all parliaments to keep on outperforming the the vast majority of others, and I will laugh if we are so diminished as to use this power to direct the country into permanent decline. we will have got what we deserve.