Election 2010: Sweeping victory for Tory Richard Drax (From Dorset Echo)
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Election 2010: Sweeping victory for Tory Richard Drax
10:35am Friday 7th May 2010 in News By Laura Kitching and Catherine Bolado
Smiling Conservative victor Richard Drax
TORY Richard Drax comprehensively defeated Labour’s Jim Knight in South Dorset.
Jubilant Mr Drax won the constituency seat by a huge margin of 7,443 votes when results were announced at 5.35am after a tense count at Weymouth Pavilion.
The victorious Tory polled 22,667 votes compared to 15,224 for the deflated and defeated Labour candidate. It was a massive swing from the 2005 election when Mr Knight received 20,231 votes against 18,419 for the Conservatives. The Lib-Dems trailed in third with 9,557.
Mr Drax pledged to perform as Member of Parliament for the area ‘with a straight bat’ and said: “I want to do this my way.”
He added: “The campaign has gone very well – I’ve had the most fantastic time.
“We played the campaign with a straight bat, with facts and the politics and not the personalities.
“I really think, having picked up on the door, that people are tired of the spin, personality contests and lies.
“The electorate are fed up with it, with the political situation we are now in.
“As MP I will continue to play with a straight bat and be honest because it’s going to be an incredibly tough next year.”
Mr Knight arrived at the Pavilion’s Ocean Room at 3am and kept a brave face throughout the count.
But following his defeat he said he was not sure what the future held.
He said: “I will be taking my son back to university on Saturday, going to watch Arsenal on Sunday and clearing out my desk in the Commons on Monday. I will have to sort out my staff and then I will see what crops up.”
“The campaign down here couldn’t have gone any better – I had a really good team.
“A huge number of people were helping out from all over the place, even flying in from overseas. It’s been magnificent.”
Liberal Democrat candidate Ros Kayes spoke in support of the former MP.
She said: “It’s not Jim the voters don’t like, it’s Gordon Brown.
“He’s had an impossible struggle given the unpopularity of the Prime Minister.
“I’ve been working really hard in the community and there’s been a lot of support for the Lib-Dems.
“We’ve had a 30 per cent increase in our membership during the last three weeks and there’ve been a lot of Lib-Dems who have been dying to come out of the closet.”
There was a 68.2 per cent turnout for the whole of the South Dorset constituency, which included a postal vote of 16 per cent.
Green Party candidate Brian Heatley said that he had hoped for a good turn-out but was more focused on the local council elections, which will be counted today.
He said: “I am standing for Wey Valley. It’s more important and interesting for me than the general election.”
UKIP candidate Mike Hobson pledged to ‘keep fighting’ for the younger generation.
He said: “I’ve been a businessman for 50 years and I’ve never given up.”
Movement for Active Democracy (MAD) candidate Andy Kirwood said: “We had a serious message – that everybody can join in a referendum.”
Comments(70)
says...
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Baxters
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10:45am Fri 7 May 10
bungy
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10:47am Fri 7 May 10
Kim Jong-Il
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11:02am Fri 7 May 10
theusualsuspect
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11:21am Fri 7 May 10
handel
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11:24am Fri 7 May 10
a well-endowed
b as in rancid meat
c that all politicians should be hung
Wey-Dave
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11:37am Fri 7 May 10
Dorset Boy
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11:39am Fri 7 May 10
handel wrote:I'll supply the rope
define hung parliament, does it mean a well-endowed b as in rancid meat c that all politicians should be hung
pigfarmer
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11:48am Fri 7 May 10
Now phone the 'one-eyed Scottish idiot' and tell him to go as well.
CHEVAL
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11:56am Fri 7 May 10
Tru belle
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12:01pm Fri 7 May 10
theusualsuspect wrote:As I am from Wool also, I absolutely agree with you. We have lost a fine energetic MP, Jim Knight was all things to all of us. We will miss him so.
Looking at the Labour and Lib dem vote I make it 24781 people who didn't want Drax, so now we have an MP voted in by the minority - how democratic
I wonder if any one has told the fox that the Tories want to return to barbaric countryside habits?
Tru belle
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12:02pm Fri 7 May 10
theusualsuspect wrote:As I am from Wool also, I absolutely agree with you. We have lost a fine energetic MP, Jim Knight was all things to all of us. We will miss him so.
Looking at the Labour and Lib dem vote I make it 24781 people who didn't want Drax, so now we have an MP voted in by the minority - how democratic
I wonder if any one has told the fox that the Tories want to return to barbaric countryside habits?
pigfarmer
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12:05pm Fri 7 May 10
High taxes, unlimited immigration, benefits culture, huge national debt, rampant public spending, doubled council tax, dubious foreign wars with badly equiped troops, denied us a referrendum on european treaty..............
..ad infinitum
He did us a mischief as chancellor, and finished it as PM.
I stand by my statement.
Dispirited
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12:10pm Fri 7 May 10
heinrich
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12:20pm Fri 7 May 10
a bit rich considering that G.B.
removed 5 billion pounsds a year causing devastation to the
pensions industry,which was recognized as the best in Europe and the uk pension is among the lowest.People on retirement are now struggling.
Age Concern and the National
Pensioners Convention both state.that some thirty thousand
pensioners a year die from
hypothermia and cold related
illnesses.
I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY DON'T LIKE THE NEW ECHO WEBSITE
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12:21pm Fri 7 May 10
.
"there’ve been a lot of Lib-Dems who have been dying to come out of the closet"- well, I couldn't possibly comment on this accusation, but I hear that the News Of The World will have some exclusive footage of this.
Bladen
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12:21pm Fri 7 May 10
Maybe his unelected party leader, or Jim's error in his expenses let him down.
Forget the party politics... I hope Mr Drax is as good for the region as Jim was. As it says above. Hard act to follow.
pigfarmer
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12:24pm Fri 7 May 10
Tally Ho!
Tru belle
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12:27pm Fri 7 May 10
pigfarmer wrote:Mmm, same old nasty party trougher!
Oh yes, I forgot the pensions grab. Tally Ho!
fortuneswell
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12:55pm Fri 7 May 10
Tru belle
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1:12pm Fri 7 May 10
fortuneswell wrote:That is a very kind sentiment that I am certain we all echo.
Whoever forms a government it will be a weak one and very probably not a long lasting one and I don’t envy either of the party leaders as they will have to make big concessions to their policies, I just hope that to a large extent they hang onto their policies and not sell themselves down the river the saddest thing for me is that the minority parties in Scotland Ireland and Wales will have a lot of bargaining power that is going to cost us English dearly. It is a great shame for Jim Knight but I think he can rest easy in the knowledge that he has done a good job for South Dorset and can live to fight another day with his head held high and if Richard Drax can say the same when his time comes he will have done us proud.
Life is cruel isn't it.
PoetPeter
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1:22pm Fri 7 May 10
Nationally it's a terrible result, exactly what we didn’t need. It is a disaster. Overwhelmingly I am dismayed that so many Britons have voted for the tired, dishonest, discredited Labour party. I’m really not sure that I want to live in a country where there are eight million people who can behave like this.
Congratulations also to Caroline Lucas for winning the first ever Green seat.
Two of the blackest, bleakest events: Ed Balls retaining his seat, Harriet Harman back on the TV spouting her usual nonsense.
I feel sorry for the Lib Dems. It is a gross injustice and we are all diminished by their failure to gain more influence.
A terrible result.
http://peterreynolds
.wordpress.com/2010/
05/07/a-terrible-res
ult/
muttleyhanna
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1:40pm Fri 7 May 10
martaaay
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2:14pm Fri 7 May 10
hoopeybird
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2:17pm Fri 7 May 10
Yes -maybe the so called errors had something to do with it-but I dont care what the reason is-hes out and thats great news.
Kim Jong-Il
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2:39pm Fri 7 May 10
Fredman
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3:00pm Fri 7 May 10
PoetPeter
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3:37pm Fri 7 May 10
Fredman wrote:Thank God that you're in a minority
Terrible result. Disgrace that we now have a Tory MP.
state
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4:01pm Fri 7 May 10
The country cant afford five more years of sky high taxes yet even higher spending.
Reduce peoples benifits by 10% for every 6 months they are out of work, soon the lazy layabouts will get hungry and may see the benifit of work and paying there way in life.
I am sorry for Jim Knight though as me was a good MP shame it was for Labour
FitterC
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4:54pm Fri 7 May 10
RobinofLocksley
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5:35pm Fri 7 May 10
PoetPeter wrote:Ah, PoetPeter, the voice of Sutton Poyntz |-)
Fredman wrote: Terrible result. Disgrace that we now have a Tory MP.Thank God that you're in a minority
Mamma Media
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5:42pm Fri 7 May 10
In my opinion it all comes down to class and money.
heartfelt
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6:14pm Fri 7 May 10
a healthy majority.In the case of
South Dorset ,Lord Ashcroft must feel his money was well spent,and is now
preparing to fund the inevitable next election which must shortly follow.
Pity Mr Knight never found a similar benefactor--but that's politics for you.
PoetPeter
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6:30pm Fri 7 May 10
RobinofLocksley wrote:Off with his head!
PoetPeter wrote:Ah, PoetPeter, the voice of Sutton Poyntz |-)
Fredman wrote: Terrible result. Disgrace that we now have a Tory MP.Thank God that you're in a minority
poor old taxpayer
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6:47pm Fri 7 May 10
Genghis
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6:54pm Fri 7 May 10
poor old taxpayer wrote:Why not ask the Conservative run W&PBC that question? The party of ever increasing Council Tax and stealth taxes (such as car parking fees). Weymouth and Portland - Tory run and Tory taxed to the hilt. A hint of things to come?
If Jim was so great how come we have the second highest council tax in the Country? Didn't he have any sway in central grants to local councils?
heinrich
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7:09pm Fri 7 May 10
100% increase since labour
came to power Dorset amongst
the lowest funded in England
where was Jim when the under
funded free bus pass forced up
council tax?Don't forget that the
majority of tax goes to county
the police and fire authority.The
police and fire authority was
once the responsibility of government and was changed by Labour
dun hoping
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7:17pm Fri 7 May 10
theusualsuspect wrote:If you look at the figures for the previous elections that jim won you will find that in 2005 the tory and liberal vote was 26,000 to jims 20,000 and in 2001 the tory and liberal vote was 26,000 to jims 19,000 . So by your own reckoning we have had a labour mp elected by a lesser minority for 9 years .
Looking at the Labour and Lib dem vote I make it 24781 people who didn't want Drax, so now we have an MP voted in by the minority - how democratic
HOW DEMOCRATIC you pathetic Labour losers .
Genghis
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7:25pm Fri 7 May 10
heinrich wrote:From what I can remember of 17 years of the last Tory Government Dorset was not well funded from Central Government then either. As long as the big two bully parties rule the roost that won't change either.
council tax now theres a thing
100% increase since labour
came to power Dorset amongst
the lowest funded in England
where was Jim when the under
funded free bus pass forced up
council tax?Don't forget that the
majority of tax goes to county
the police and fire authority.The
police and fire authority was
once the responsibility of government and was changed by Labour
The real result of this election is that the electorate has told Labour and the Conservatives they don't want either in the position of Dictator. Time for electoral and Parliamentary change. A hung Parliament is when the "smaller" parties now have to get the bullies to accept changes. What a farce our system is. Conservatives 10,700,000 votes and 306 seats, Labour 8,600,000 votes and 258 seats, Liberal 6,800,000 votes and a miserly 57 seats! As much as I detest the BNP they polled 563,000 votes and didn't get a single seat to represent that half a million people. The Scottish National Party got 491,000 votes and 6 seats. Time for change.
dun hoping
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7:49pm Fri 7 May 10
lovetheuk
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9:53pm Fri 7 May 10
PoetPeter
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10:05pm Fri 7 May 10
lovetheuk wrote:You may be right about the future of Cameron's government but your paranoia about the press, non-doms, Tory estate/country house politics is like something out of Arthur Scargill land. What's that great big chip on your shoulder?
Time for Cameron to be brave and step up to the truth, he will not be in government very long. History has shown that deals don't work out very well. John Major was propped up by the Irish and look what a complete failure that government was. The conservatives will be taking all the bad feeling over the next couple of years, this could kill them off after the next election for years. So far the tory's have been so wide of the mark over the economy over the world wide crisis they have been completely clueless. Most ENGLISH people have not voted for policies they have voted because the press especially skynews assassinated Gordon Brown. This election was bought and paid for by tax dodging non doms, who by the way are not in it with us at all they pay NO UK TAX. Now we have tory estate / country house politics running the UK again like in the early 1900s having lovely taxbreaks and making other people pay for it big time.
lovetheuk
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10:32pm Fri 7 May 10
PoetPeter wrote:I have two shoulders so two chips ;-). As for the noia, well I love being conned by the press, if you can't see the wood for the tree's! As for Scargill if Clegg dances with Camewrong we could see Scargill style unrest soon.
lovetheuk wrote:You may be right about the future of Cameron's government but your paranoia about the press, non-doms, Tory estate/country house politics is like something out of Arthur Scargill land. What's that great big chip on your shoulder?
Time for Cameron to be brave and step up to the truth, he will not be in government very long. History has shown that deals don't work out very well. John Major was propped up by the Irish and look what a complete failure that government was. The conservatives will be taking all the bad feeling over the next couple of years, this could kill them off after the next election for years. So far the tory's have been so wide of the mark over the economy over the world wide crisis they have been completely clueless. Most ENGLISH people have not voted for policies they have voted because the press especially skynews assassinated Gordon Brown. This election was bought and paid for by tax dodging non doms, who by the way are not in it with us at all they pay NO UK TAX. Now we have tory estate / country house politics running the UK again like in the early 1900s having lovely taxbreaks and making other people pay for it big time.
weypaul
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10:32pm Fri 7 May 10
Cameron is behaving with probity ( a concept not known to Labour) in his dealings with the liberals, but my guess is the liberals really want to deal with labour, in exchange for labour's damascene conversion to the cause of PR in the last 2 weeks of the campaign.
I think however that propping up the deeply dishonest and intellectually bankrupt labour party will come back to haunt the liberals.
Bottom line - as Cameron always said, and as we are now seeing, hung parliaments are really bad news. that is just sinking in and will no dount be remembered at the next election, in about a year.
Watch this space. Tory landslide next time
weypaul
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10:34pm Fri 7 May 10
lovetheuk
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10:37pm Fri 7 May 10
franchise
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11:09pm Fri 7 May 10
"The conservatives will be taking all the bad feeling over the next couple of years, this could kill them off after the next election for years."
It wont if the IMF is called in to do the bookeeping of Brown's government which is being suggested at the moment. If this is the case, Brown will have to take the flak for years.
lovetheuk
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11:12pm Fri 7 May 10
lovetheuk
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11:18pm Fri 7 May 10
franchise wrote:Sorry currently no loss of AAA rating but that could happen under Mr Camewrong. If you mention the gold then you really don't understand economic's and the current assett speculation bubble on gold.
Lovetheuk
"The conservatives will be taking all the bad feeling over the next couple of years, this could kill them off after the next election for years."
It wont if the IMF is called in to do the bookeeping of Brown's government which is being suggested at the moment. If this is the case, Brown will have to take the flak for years.
PoetPeter
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11:35pm Fri 7 May 10
lovetheuk wrote:Love is blind
So what we need to know is does Mr D pay UK tax is he dom or non dom? Does he have offshore income? If he's all clean then great excellent but if he is non dom or has offshore income/investments then he better not be voting on tax issues as a new MP in a conservative government that would be slightly double standards. Oh and could we have a wind farm on your vast estate, you could sell cheap electricity to all those hard up farmers that can't afford to run their 4x4 Chelsea tractors.
Kronstadt21
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11:44pm Fri 7 May 10
"Love is blind"
No more so than parochialism
lovetheuk
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12:08am Sat 8 May 10
PoetPeter wrote:Praise or blame has but a momentary effect on the man whose love of beauty in the abstract makes him a severe critic on his own works.
lovetheuk wrote:Love is blind
So what we need to know is does Mr D pay UK tax is he dom or non dom? Does he have offshore income? If he's all clean then great excellent but if he is non dom or has offshore income/investments then he better not be voting on tax issues as a new MP in a conservative government that would be slightly double standards. Oh and could we have a wind farm on your vast estate, you could sell cheap electricity to all those hard up farmers that can't afford to run their 4x4 Chelsea tractors.
or if you prefer
The only means of strengthening one's intellect is to make up one's mind about nothing, to let the mind be a thoroughfare for all thoughts.
potterguy
says...
7:51am Sat 8 May 10
lovetheuk wrote:I beleive there are rules now or always has been that people in the house of commons have to be UK tax payers so yes he does
So what we need to know is does Mr D pay UK tax is he dom or non dom? Does he have offshore income? If he's all clean then great excellent but if he is non dom or has offshore income/investments then he better not be voting on tax issues as a new MP in a conservative government that would be slightly double standards. Oh and could we have a wind farm on your vast estate, you could sell cheap electricity to all those hard up farmers that can't afford to run their 4x4 Chelsea tractors.
weypaul
says...
11:57am Sat 8 May 10
BREAKING NEWSLiberal Democrat sources have told the BBC's Jon Sopel that Gordon Brown delivered a diatribe laced with threats when he spoke to Nick Clegg last night by phone. It was in sharp contrast to the respectful and constructive talk between David Cameron and Mr Clegg, they added.
biggestoaf
says...
12:51pm Sat 8 May 10
1234: More about that phone call between Gordon Brown and Nick Clegg. A Lib Dem source has told BBC chief political correspondent Laura Kuenssberg that it was a perfectly amicable conversation, and not an angry exchange.
weypaul
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2:29pm Sat 8 May 10
Both he and the Liberals lost the election. If, as seems likely, we are to be governed by a Lib/Lab alliance, it will have zero legitimacy and will last less than a year.
Hands up all those who think hung parliaments and proportional representation are good ideas? Permanent king making rights for the liberals - schizophrenia institutionalised!!!
Yes, lets have a referendum on PR - the country will reject it out of hand; then we can re-run this election. In the meantime, our economy will have demonstrated that it is Greek, and the IMF will be in charge.
stevefraggle
says...
2:31pm Sat 8 May 10
theusualsuspect wrote:By the same token, that means that over 33,000 DIDN'T want Knight - spin, or democracy?
Looking at the Labour and Lib dem vote I make it 24781 people who didn't want Drax, so now we have an MP voted in by the minority - how democratic
biggestoaf
says...
3:20pm Sat 8 May 10
The problem is that no-one won this election. And before you say the Conservatives did, you need to remember that we do not elect our executive, only our legislature. Any government requires the support of our elected House of Commons and, at the moment, no single party can claim that support. So for the time being Gordon Brown is constitutionally correct to wait and see if Cameron and Clegg can reach an agreement that will allow either a minority Conservative government (with informal LibDem support) or a coalition. I have no doubt that, if that agreement is reached, Brown will resign.
I agree we should do "hands up" to see who wants electoral reform. I don't share your view that the British people would reject it out of hand. Let's have a referendum and find out.
weypaul
says...
7:50pm Sat 8 May 10
constitutional niceties are one thing, the political facts of life are another.
Mr Clegg seems to know that if he props up the dishonest discredited morally and intellectually bankrupt labour party, he will pay a very heavy price at the next election, which will be in about a year. He and his party failed to achieve any sort of mandate, especially not a mandate to keep labour in power and squatter GB in no 10. However, the bulk of liberal members feel otherwise and may not let him do a deal with the Tories.
Either way its a win for the Tories, either now or next year. Next year may be better, then they wont even get the blame for the second recession which is just around the corner.
I'd be happy with a referendum on PR; the Tories are wrong not to concede that, but then Cameron has to pander to his members too.
Perhaps all us passionate contributors to this column should form a COFFEE HOUSE!!
RobinofLocksley
says...
8:22am Sun 9 May 10
With such a range of opinions expressed here, would we ever agree on which one ? |-)
Nice idea, though.
PoetPeter
says...
9:51am Sun 9 May 10
RobinofLocksley wrote:Weypaul and Robin Hood, I agree. It would be good to find a coffee house (or a pub) in the area where there is good conversation with passionate, articulate people. It's something that is missing in Weymouth
"............Perhaps all us passionate contributors to this column should form a COFFEE HOUSE!!"
With such a range of opinions expressed here, would we ever agree on which one ? |-)
Nice idea, though.
Genghis
says...
11:45am Sun 9 May 10
weypaul wrote:A hung Parliament? Yes it's good news if only as a temporary break from the eternal swinging between two thoroughly distasteful and bankrupt political parties. Tag in the totally corrupt nature of the political system we now have where all the political parties are up to their necks in the trough and yes it's time for a change. Not only has the electoral system got to be overhauled but the whole political system has to be looked at. A continuation of the last thirty years (and beyond) of one party or the other dishing out the favours isn't on.
Brown is just a squatter, and a very nasty one at that.You know the type - tattoos, dangerous dogs,(ieCharlie Whelan, Mandelson, Alistair Campbell) etc.
Both he and the Liberals lost the election. If, as seems likely, we are to be governed by a Lib/Lab alliance, it will have zero legitimacy and will last less than a year.
Hands up all those who think hung parliaments and proportional representation are good ideas? Permanent king making rights for the liberals - schizophrenia institutionalised!!!
Yes, lets have a referendum on PR - the country will reject it out of hand; then we can re-run this election. In the meantime, our economy will have demonstrated that it is Greek, and the IMF will be in charge.
It's interesting to note that as the discussions continue all parties are paying lip service to what's beneficial to the national interest. It takes a hung Parliament to wake them up to the fact that they should be running the country in the national interest! For far too long the country has been run for the interest of either the Labour Party or the Conservative Party and stuff the rest of us.
Never again should Labour or Conservatives be allowed to put their own bankrupt visions of perfection over the interests of everybody else. There are more viewpoints than those spouted by Labour and Conservatives and it's time we had governments that take on board some of those other opinions rather than the stale dogma that has been rammed down our throats by the big two.
Gordon Brown hanging on in 10 Downing Street? Sadly just a constitutional formality until the discussions have run their course. No need for the rabid complaints from the Tories. It's something that has happened in the past and has been used by other parties. Edward Heath in early 1970s being the last time if I remember correctly. Another symptom of the need for Labour and Conservatives to cling to power for as long as possible?
PoetPeter
says...
11:54am Sun 9 May 10
http://peterreynolds
.wordpress.com/2010/
05/09/new-politics/
Try some optimism. Things might just be changing!
Genghis
says...
8:10pm Sun 9 May 10
PoetPeter wrote:No I'm hopeful that with a hung Parliament that the political parties will finally see that change is needed. The statements coming from quite a number of the Labour and Conservative MPs today still leaves me short of being optimistic that they will actually do that.
Genghis! Too much slash and burn cynicism from you!
http://peterreynolds
.wordpress.com/2010/
05/09/new-politics/
Try some optimism. Things might just be changing!
The result of the election is an obvious defeat for the Labour Party but in no way is it a victory for the Conservatives. The result given by the electorate leaves neither of them in control. So let Parliament try working together as the electorate wants. I'm hoping they will but won't trust that will be the case until there are actions rather than words. The behaviour of politicians over the years has ruled out optimism and blind faith as a basis for change. Let's see proof of the pudding and then trust can be restored.
George Bubb D
says...
10:05pm Sun 9 May 10
God bless Maggie thatcher!
Giblet
says...
10:42pm Sun 9 May 10
dun hoping
says...
1:26pm Mon 10 May 10
Giblet wrote:As your comment proves talking from your uranus lol .
Draxula the Slave Trader
notreally
says...
3:17pm Mon 10 May 10
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