Wasn't really such a great idea, was it?

[groak]

Last time I voted was 1970.

As you might expect, as someone who couldn't care less which party's in governance I don't find it hard to be objective.

After only a few weeks of ConDem it's kind of just beginning to be apparent that there wasn't really much point in getting quite excited about something "new".

Ok. That's putting it tactfully.

Reality: This lot are worse, and sillier, than the last lot. You can almost smell government-inspired disaster on the way.

Hope I'm wrong.

[randlemarcus]

groak said:

Last time I voted was 1970.

Which means you have ceded the right to an opinion, in mine.

Politicians are all the same lizardy shape. This lot seem slightly more committed to the real world, and less to the Master Plan hidden in Party HQ.

[groak]

randlemarcus said:

groak said:

Last time I voted was 1970.

Which means you have ceded the right to an opinion, in mine.

Last time I graced the rugby field was 1970 too. Have I ceded the right to an opinion on rugby ? In fact has no-one the right to an opinion on ANYTHING in which they don't actively participate? Please expand on this bizarre notion.....

[fido]

Give it some time. I just can't wait till they start rolling out schemes like below:-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/features/7919409/M...

If there is any criticism of the new coalition, it's that they are too scared to take on the infantilised electorate, but they are getting there slowly.

[randlemarcus]

groak said:

randlemarcus said:

groak said:

Last time I voted was 1970.

Which means you have ceded the right to an opinion, in mine.

Last time I graced the rugby field was 1970 too. Have I ceded the right to an opinion on rugby ? In fact has no-one the right to an opinion on ANYTHING in which they don't actively participate? Please expand on this bizarre notion.....

Voting being slightly more important than rugby, I feel it my responsibility to make the damned effort. If I disagree with the choices, I have the option of spoiling the ballot, in the absence of a "none of the above".

If you truly can't be arsed to make an effort every couple of years, I'm fascinated as to why you bother expending calories on typing here. Just as bizarre, IMHO.

[dandarez]

randlemarcus said:

groak said:

randlemarcus said:

groak said:

Last time I voted was 1970.

Which means you have ceded the right to an opinion, in mine.

Last time I graced the rugby field was 1970 too. Have I ceded the right to an opinion on rugby ? In fact has no-one the right to an opinion on ANYTHING in which they don't actively participate? Please expand on this bizarre notion.....

Voting being slightly more important than rugby, I feel it my responsibility to make the damned effort. If I disagree with the choices, I have the option of spoiling the ballot, in the absence of a "none of the above".

If you truly can't be arsed to make an effort every couple of years, I'm fascinated as to why you bother expending calories on typing here. Just as bizarre, IMHO.

+1

When did citizens die so the populace could embark on playing a game (sport)?

[Bibbs]

I haven't noticed the diffenence yet to be fair. But from what I hear it is improving.

Cut anything that isn't essential. Smaller government.

You want more, pay for it.

What is the problem?

I'd vote for that!

[groak]

randlemarcus said:

groak said:

randlemarcus said:

groak said:

Last time I voted was 1970.

Which means you have ceded the right to an opinion, in mine.

Last time I graced the rugby field was 1970 too. Have I ceded the right to an opinion on rugby ? In fact has no-one the right to an opinion on ANYTHING in which they don't actively participate? Please expand on this bizarre notion.....

Voting being slightly more important than rugby, I feel it my responsibility to make the damned effort. If I disagree with the choices, I have the option of spoiling the ballot, in the absence of a "none of the above".

If you truly can't be arsed to make an effort every couple of years, I'm fascinated as to why you bother expending calories on typing here. Just as bizarre, IMHO.

So you think people who don't vote avoid it because they're too lazy, do you? And you've somehow formed the opinion that "spoiling the ballot" is a more noble option to withholding that vote, haven't you? But then, you find it fascinating that someone who doesn't vote should post on an internet forum when what's far more fascinating is how you come to link voting and forum-posting in the first place. Could I ask you again, do you feel no-one should opinionate on ANYTHING in which they don't participate, or is this bizarre notion confined only to things political? Could I THEN ask you to post a reply to the original post (without digressing into curious ideas of what people should or shouldn't have the right to think and opinionate about).

[groucho]

What I have noticed is you don't hear much from government anymore. Unlike the last lot, tackle this, tackle that. That's got to be good.

[groak]

dandarez said:

randlemarcus said:

groak said:

randlemarcus said:

groak said:

Last time I voted was 1970.

Which means you have ceded the right to an opinion, in mine.

Last time I graced the rugby field was 1970 too. Have I ceded the right to an opinion on rugby ? In fact has no-one the right to an opinion on ANYTHING in which they don't actively participate? Please expand on this bizarre notion.....

Voting being slightly more important than rugby, I feel it my responsibility to make the damned effort. If I disagree with the choices, I have the option of spoiling the ballot, in the absence of a "none of the above".

If you truly can't be arsed to make an effort every couple of years, I'm fascinated as to why you bother expending calories on typing here. Just as bizarre, IMHO.

+1

When did citizens die so the populace could embark on playing a game (sport)?

Is the problem with the quality of the analogy, or don't you completely understand what's going on, presumably because right now it's not your turn to use the brain-cell.

Just in case you live in some dimly-lit twilight of semi-consciousness, what's being asked is whether or not active participation in anything is a prerequisite of the right to hold an opinion on it.

It's Saturday afternoon. You could go shopping, or do The Daily Star crossword or something....

[turbobloke]

A punt such as 'worse than the last lot' is revealing - no objectivity in the OP.

Nothing imaginable could be remotely close to as bad as the last lot, except (obviously) if they get in again when it could be a close call.

Bibbs said:

...

Cut anything that isn't essential. Smaller government.

You want more, pay for it.

What is the problem?

I'd vote for that!

Agreed and plenty did although as another poster said, infantilised sections of the electorate will want to go back to the dreamworld of a nannnystatist nation spending far more than it earns while pretending that the incompetent and poisonous individuals at the heart of nulab, those wasting £billions of cash it (we) didn't have, could do anything that would help in the long run.

The only thing ahead of us under Clown was national bankruptcy at least now there is some chance of returning to reality and sanity.

[eldar]

groak said:

So you think people who don't vote avoid it because they're too lazy, do you? And you've somehow formed the opinion that "spoiling the ballot" is a more noble option to withholding that vote, haven't you? But then, you find it fascinating that someone who doesn't vote should post on an internet forum when what's far more fascinating is how you come to link voting and forum-posting in the first place. Could I ask you again, do you feel no-one should opinionate on ANYTHING in which they don't participate, or is this bizarre notion confined only to things political? Could I THEN ask you to post a reply to the original post (without digressing into curious ideas of what people should or shouldn't have the right to think and opinionate about).

You voted neither for nor against the government. That indicates to me that you aren't too bothered who wins or loses. Yet you complain about the result that you could have influenced in some small way.

You do of course have that right, no problem. Trouble is makes you look like a apathetic winger.

[groak]

groucho said:

What I have noticed is you don't hear much from government anymore. Unlike the last lot, tackle this, tackle that. That's got to be good.

"tackle this, tackle that"...knew that rugby analogy was a bad 'un! More seriously, what you may be saying is that you prefer their absence to their presence. O me too, me too. I'd be totally happy if they didn't exist, but I have no alternative workable organisational framework to offer. I just don't get the impression of any competent alternative to their predecessors. I also don't think IDS' "discovery" of failed areas of the benefit system which have been obvious for decades, or CMD disparaging Pakistan in India have even common sense to commend them.

Hopefully there's better to come.

[tamore]

groak, what exactly would you like to have seen happen within 12 weeks of new government?

[Fittster]

turbobloke said:

The only thing ahead of us under Clown was national bankruptcy at least now there is some chance of returning to reality and sanity.

Ah, but the current system must be destroyed before it kill be replaced. Gordon would have brought it about more quickly but it will still happen with Dave.

The fundamental problem of a large proportion of the population feeling disenfranchised and governments spending more than they take in via the tax system in order to win votes won't be fixed with our current system.

[5unny]

groak said:

Last time I voted was 1970.

As you might expect, as someone who couldn't care less which party's in governance I don't find it hard to be objective.

After only a few weeks of ConDem it's kind of just beginning to be apparent that there wasn't really much point in getting quite excited about something "new".

Ok. That's putting it tactfully.

Reality: This lot are worse, and sillier, than the last lot. You can almost smell government-inspired disaster on the way.

Hope I'm wrong.

What have they done in the past couple of months to make you say this lot are worse?

And given you haven't voted since 1970 you've missed Wilson vs Heath, Thatcher vs Callaghan, Thatcher vs Foot, Thatcher vs Kinnock, Major vs Kinnock, Blair vs Major/Hague/Howard and the election just gone.

Did you not see any differences at all between the aforementioned candidates and their governments? If you did see a difference then why did you not care to vote?

[turbobloke]

Fittster said:

turbobloke said:

The only thing ahead of us under Clown was national bankruptcy at least now there is some chance of returning to reality and sanity.

Ah, but the current system must be destroyed before it kill be replaced. Gordon would have brought it about more quickly but it will still happen with Dave.

The fundamental problem of a large proportion of the population feeling disenfranchised and governments spending more than they take in via the tax system in order to win votes won't be fixed with our current system.

More important than a few zealots and a few more activists feeling disenfranchised was the last lot disenfranchising parliament and announcing policy via the Guardian. Just about everybody will make another cup of tea.

Spending more than the government takes in taxes won't be fixed overnight because the insanity accelerated at the end of the last 13 stretch of leftist delusion to eyepopping proportions, however a start has been made and the direction is now the right one.

Wolfie Smith & Co may howl at the Moon but the only problem will be if the last lot get in again under bananaman and kickstart the idiocy again.

[frosted]

I find it funny that we managed to elect a gov formed multiple millionaires and yet we are looking fwrd to be governed by them

[groak]

eldar said:

groak said:

So you think people who don't vote avoid it because they're too lazy, do you? And you've somehow formed the opinion that "spoiling the ballot" is a more noble option to withholding that vote, haven't you? But then, you find it fascinating that someone who doesn't vote should post on an internet forum when what's far more fascinating is how you come to link voting and forum-posting in the first place. Could I ask you again, do you feel no-one should opinionate on ANYTHING in which they don't participate, or is this bizarre notion confined only to things political? Could I THEN ask you to post a reply to the original post (without digressing into curious ideas of what people should or shouldn't have the right to think and opinionate about).

You voted neither for nor against the government. That indicates to me that you aren't too bothered who wins or loses. Yet you complain about the result that you could have influenced in some small way.

You do of course have that right, no problem. Trouble is makes you look like a apathetic winger.

Okay. So what do YOU think. You're right, I'm NOT bothered. But you're wrong, I'm neither complaining about the result nor whingeing. What I AM saying is that, so far, there appears to be the seed-sowing of even worse than what the last lot achieved.

Ok, it's PH, and there's a pretty universal crackpot notion that somehow Brown etc caused All The Ills Of The World. He didn't. But there IS a mess. And regardless of The Blame For The Mess, there is the issue of its resolve. It does not so far appear that any new direction has arrived along with ConDem governance which has anything resolutory to offer. In fact it's got the uneasy feeling of the opposite. Am I wrong?

[tamore]

frosted said:

I find it funny that we managed to elect a gov formed multiple millionaires and yet we are looking fwrd to be governed by them

what has someone's wealth got to do with their ability to govern?