UK General election

[Alison]

I've not heard of any former cricketers who have gone into politics in this country

[Zainub]

I've not heard of any outside the subcontinent. I just wanted to confirm.

In any case, by the looks of thing, it looks like you guys are mostly swing voters, either undecided or so unsure as to note vote altogether.

[Ernest]

I don't know of any Zainub, the nearest was David Sheppard was Bishop of Liverpool.

On to our UK election is this man John Prescott happy in his job I wonder, does he look like a deputy prime minister expecting a result.

[Ernest]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4422705.stm Today.

We in britain no longer make cars, rover has gone into recievership, all that was needed was £100 m, they will spend that on the hustings.
Tony Blair yesterday http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4415099.stm.

The BBC's business editor Jeff Randall described the situation as "the most shambolic and chaotic end I've ever encountered for a UK company

Tragic I would say.

Well Rover deny this.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4422705.stm

Originally Posted by BBC

While Trade Secretary Patricia Hewitt said on Thursday night that the firm had called in the administrators, MG Rover quickly denied this was the case.

LOL I saw he saw sitting on a see saw???

[Beny]

Originally Posted by Zanuib

Imran Khan has his own political party

My Understanding is that he is a great politicion and a fantastic man.

Originally Posted by Ern

Maybe Rich WOMD was not as great an IMMEDIATE threat as was first thought, but Sadam was working on developing them, he had used them before on Iran, and against the Kirds.So what do we do, wait until he aquired the tech know how to deliver them to Europe, and the UK?.that would be leaving the problems for our children to sort out.Ern

Yes but the kurds could'nt srtike back... Any use of WMD's against a powerfull nation such as the UK or USA would be suicide. Following the instant trade embargo's and the full scale invasion, I doubt anybody would be keen to do it again. The problem people were worried about was, what if Saddam gave WMD's to terrorists??? Still suicide in my oppinion and dosent really convince me but hey... I don't really care.

Long live the House of Lords, is my view - and you wouldn't have heard that from me say, five or ten years ago.

Interesting point OF. I spose the fact that these people are not bound by political posturing and vote grabbing is a major bonus. I have to say, there are few politicians who I trust and the ones I do trust would never get in.

non-competitive sport in schools

So that's why you all suck at sport??

No seriously, I think this is another case of listining far too much to the child psyc's. The Idea that children shouldent have to undergo anything difficult or unfair and should be brought up in a little bubble. Load of bull if you ask me...

I'm afraid that it doesn't say too much for the education processes, if university level students can't see the wood for the trees.

Speaking from a Last year of High School point of view (non-compulsory), it's fairly scary to see some of the people who are voteing having just reached 18 years of age. Half of them couldent even tell you who the leaders of the repective parties and the rest generaly just follow the crowd, weather the crowd be going left or right.

Mind you, I had to explain to my Mum what the differnece between the House of Reps and the Senate is... And she still got it wrong (ended up voteing for a minor party in the HOR, effectively wasteing her vote and then the liberals in the senate. Contributing to their mojority of both houses).

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by Beny

Yes but the kurds could'nt srtike back... Any use of WMD's against a powerfull nation such as the UK or USA would be suicide. Following the instant trade embargo's and the full scale invasion, I doubt anybody would be keen to do it again. The problem people were worried about was, what if Saddam gave WMD's to terrorists??? Still suicide in my oppinion and dosent really convince me but hey... I don't really care.

Hmmm I suspect this was one of the main reasons we invaded Iraq, not just the point that he had them, but who he might give then to.

Originally Posted by Beny

So that's why you all suck at sport??

No seriously, I think this is another case of listining far too much to the child psyc's. The Idea that children shouldent have to undergo anything difficult or unfair and should be brought up in a little bubble. Load of bull if you ask me...

You probably have a point.

[Occasional Fan]

You and I have divergent views on the EU, Ern, and the gap between us is not one that we are going to be able to bridge by e-mail or cricket chat site posts. And I am certainly not going to try to influence anyone's vote here - not the place. Vote according to your conscience, and I respect your right to do so. For the record, I disagree with about 98% of your post, but again fully respect your right to the beliefs you set out there.

[Ernest]

That is how it should be OF, without differing views "even 98%" we may as well live in a dictatorship.

[Occasional Fan]

Originally Posted by Beny

I spose the fact that these people [the Lords] are not bound by political posturing and vote grabbing is a major bonus.

In my view, yes. Many of our senior politicians, when they retire from the electoral fray, are "promoted" to the Lords, and I am consistently impressed to hear the good sense that many of them speak once they get there. Although they generally retain a party allegiance, they are generally much readier to question the official line when they disagree with it. Although there is an in-built Conservative (capital C) bias in the House of Lords, in my view it is their permanence (once you're there, barring very unusual circumstances, you are there for life) and conservativeness (small C) which has kept the UK in the middle of the political road for centuries.

To think of just a couple of people who wound me up as MPs but to whom I would happily listen as Lords, those who immediately spring to mind are the late Lord Stockton (formerly Harold McMillan, one time Conservative prime minister), Lord Whitelaw (one time Conservative home secretary), and Lady Williams (Shirley, one time Labour education secretary and founding member of the Social Democrats in the 1980s). Sometimes even Baroness Thatcher doesn't make my blood boil as much as she used to, but to be honest that might be because we hear little from her these days.

[Oliver]

Originally Posted by Occasional Fan

a couple of people who wound me up as MPs but to whom I would happily listen as Lords, Lady Williams (Shirley, one time Labour education secretary and founding member of the Social Democrats in the 1980s). Sometimes even Baroness Thatcher doesn't make my blood boil as much as she used to, but to be honest that might be because we hear little from her these days.

Agh! Lardy Williams, that name is like a red rag to this bull. Bloody non-competitive sport issues, and Grammar schools.
Grrrrrrrrr stupid bloody woman.

Baroness Thatcher is off her trolley. She must be very proud of her son.