home

U.K. Elections

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Elections
Posted on Thu May 06, 2010 at 06:46:33 PM EST
Tags: (all tags)
Share This: Digg! StumbleUpon del.icio.us reddit reddit

< Thursday Afternoon Open Thread | Four Reporters Banned from Omar Khadr Gitmo Hearings >

  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


    • Display: Sort:
    U.K. Elections | 20 comments (20 topical)

    Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment

    Disappointing outcome, (5.00 / 1) (#13)
    by brodie on Thu May 06, 2010 at 10:16:40 PM EST
    it would appear, for the LibDems and their leader Clegg.  And just when I was beginning to work up some hope they could emerge as the dominant partner with Labor in a new gov't with a new PM.

    Depressing too, as Donald notes, to see how the US isn't the only democracy with an antiquated and stupid system of undersupplied polling places and legislative misrepresentation.  Not quite the indication of a deliberate underservicing by one party's political machinery of selected voters from the opposition, as with FL in 2000, but still awful to see people had to wait in line for hours just to cast their vote.

    Well, at least the Brit process is over with and done within a month's time, as compared to our 2-3 yr long elections.

    And the other silver lining note I suppose is that the Brit Tories aren't nearly the far RW group of reactionary neanderthals that our US Repub Tories are.  Cameron in fact would probably fit in well in the DLC wing of the Dem Pty here.

    Yes, I'm a big geek and following this (none / 0) (#1)
    by andgarden on Thu May 06, 2010 at 07:07:33 PM EST
    No, their TV coverage does not turn out to be any better than ours.

    The state of their polling is, in fact, worse.

    So when was the last time (none / 0) (#2)
    by gyrfalcon on Thu May 06, 2010 at 07:19:37 PM EST
    they had to have a coalition government?  I sure don't remember it, but I haven't always paid close attention to Brit politics.

    Parent
    The 70s (none / 0) (#3)
    by andgarden on Thu May 06, 2010 at 07:23:41 PM EST


    Parent
    Ah, yes (none / 0) (#17)
    by gyrfalcon on Thu May 06, 2010 at 11:59:21 PM EST
    "Tax Minister Wilson," as the Beatles sang.  I remember now.

    Thanks!

    Parent

    It's Taxman on the Revolver album ... (none / 0) (#19)
    by cymro on Fri May 07, 2010 at 02:01:07 AM EST
    ... and the actual lyrics in question are:

    Don't ask me what I want it for, (ah-ah, Mr. Wilson)
    If you don't want to pay some more. (ah-ah, Mr. Heath)
    'Cause I'm the taxman,
    Yeah, I'm the taxman.

    Despite the page title, this is the most accurate version of the lyrics I could find in a quick search online. Here's the song, for your listening pleasure.

    Parent

    As the song plays over (none / 0) (#24)
    by gyrfalcon on Fri May 07, 2010 at 09:13:17 AM EST
    in my head, I think that first "Ah-ah Mr. Wilson" is wrong, at least in one go-round of the chorus.  It's "Tax Minister Wilson" and then the second is "Tax Man Mr. Heath."  The Beatles, especially Lennon, very, very rarely used lazy nonsense syllables instead of words.

    Parent
    I can't speak for what's in your head, but ... (none / 0) (#26)
    by cymro on Fri May 07, 2010 at 11:52:46 AM EST
    ... the words I listed match the ones in my head, which got there by actually listening to the song. Revolver is one of the best Beatles's albums IMO, and having listened to it since 1966, I do know the words. That's why I included the YouTube link. Perhaps if you listen to it a few times you can get the right words into your head?

    By the way, "Tax Minister Wilson" makes absolutely no sense, because the words refer to the leaders of the two parties at the time, Harold Wilson (Labour) and Edward Heath (Tory). Also (a) there is no such post as "Tax Minister" in the UK, and (b) Harold Wilson never held the post Chancellor of the Exchequer, so that lyric would have been seen as nonsense.

    Never mind, here are some nice lazy nonsense syllables:

    ob la di ob la da life goes on bra
    la la how the life goes on
    ob la di ob la da life goes on bra
    la la how the life goes on

    And here's a nice pic of the four lads with Harold.

    Enjoy!

    Parent

    Try some decaf, OK? (none / 0) (#27)
    by gyrfalcon on Fri May 07, 2010 at 07:10:56 PM EST


    Parent
    When you make a mistake, try admitting it ... (none / 0) (#28)
    by cymro on Fri May 07, 2010 at 10:53:18 PM EST
    ... because put-downs don't cover it up.

    Parent
    Their polling is not fine (none / 0) (#7)
    by andgarden on Thu May 06, 2010 at 08:40:43 PM EST
    As we know from American experience, national polls have only limited usefulness. And that's pretty much all they have (released publicly anyway).

    Parent
    But what you're talking about (none / 0) (#11)
    by andgarden on Thu May 06, 2010 at 09:59:01 PM EST
    isn't really responsive to my point, except to the degree that it strengthens it: a national poll doesn't tell you everything you need to know.

    Parent
    I think what got him (none / 0) (#25)
    by gyrfalcon on Fri May 07, 2010 at 09:18:09 AM EST
    was the juxtaposition of his smarmy, almost fawning manner with the woman initially.  If he'd bristled at her comments to her face, he wouldn't have come off as nearly such a phony schmuck.

    Haven't there also been stories about his throwing temper tantrums at staff, etc.?

    Parent

    They funny (none / 0) (#4)
    by scribe on Thu May 06, 2010 at 08:17:15 PM EST
    They are commenting on how "Motorway Man" and "Motorway Woman" voted and how important they were, particularly in regards to tactical voting.

    I'm stll waiting for Joe the Plumber to show up.

    Joe the Plumber may be busy (none / 0) (#8)
    by MO Blue on Thu May 06, 2010 at 08:45:00 PM EST
    Samuel "Joe the Plumber" Wurzelbacher, who just won a seat on his Ohio county's Republican committee, told TPMDC that he decided to run for public office to "weed out the liars, cheaters and thieves." He has a few years, he said, before he asks God whether to run for higher office. link



    Parent
    Lib Dems look to have had a big fat flop (none / 0) (#5)
    by andgarden on Thu May 06, 2010 at 08:28:45 PM EST
    The two party system looks to prevail.

    2 predictions:libs+labor more seats than tories (none / 0) (#16)
    by Dan the Man on Thu May 06, 2010 at 11:31:40 PM EST
    2nd prediction: tories < 300 seats.

    Hard to know what to make (none / 0) (#21)
    by andgarden on Fri May 07, 2010 at 08:29:18 AM EST
    of these results. If I were the Lib Dems, I would make two arrangements:

    1. With the Tories, a promise not to topple the government for, say, 18 months, in exchange for a free vote in Commons on electoral reform; and

    2. With Labour, a promise to vote for those reforms, in exchange for a promise to topple the government in 18th months.


    Marvelous. (none / 0) (#22)
    by Cream City on Fri May 07, 2010 at 08:53:54 AM EST
    How many dimensions in that chess game?

    Parent
    heh (none / 0) (#23)
    by andgarden on Fri May 07, 2010 at 08:57:41 AM EST
    Just good ole' horse trading.

    Parent
    U.K. Elections | 20 comments (20 topical)

    Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment