Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[Tonji]

Gonna see this next week also Red.

All The Young Dudes.... wish I still had my purple velvet loon pants 

[RED-DOG]

we spent the next day strolling around the antiques market on the Portabello Rd. Listning to the buskers and watching the tourists get ripped off. "Gee honey, will you look at that, it's over 40 years old" (We've got stuff older than that in our fridge)

The characters were great though, and we had a blinding day. I even got ripped off a little myself in a pie related incident.

Click to see full-size image.

[RED-DOG]

I saw this great old Harley. No idea what year it might be.

Click to see full-size image.

[nirvana]

What a great way to take a break

[gatso]

yesterday was subbotnik across the former soviet world, something of which I'm sure you would approve

introduced by lenin everyone is encouraged to work one day for free cleaning up their town/city, fixing up the roads and pretty much anything else that needs doing. it's interesting to see thousands of people on the streets working hard armed with shovels, rakes, brooms or whatever. shame it'd never work in the uk

[RED-DOG]

yesterday was subbotnik across the former soviet world, something of which I'm sure you would approve

introduced by lenin everyone is encouraged to work one day for free cleaning up their town/city, fixing up the roads and pretty much anything else that needs doing. it's interesting to see thousands of people on the streets working hard armed with shovels, rakes, brooms or whatever. shame it'd never work in the uk

In this country you need insurance before you can pick up litter/fix the highway or pretty much anything else that needs doing.

[byronkincaid]

yesterday was subbotnik across the former soviet world, something of which I'm sure you would approve

introduced by lenin everyone is encouraged to work one day for free cleaning up their town/city, fixing up the roads and pretty much anything else that needs doing. it's interesting to see thousands of people on the streets working hard armed with shovels, rakes, brooms or whatever. shame it'd never work in the uk

In this country you need insurance before you can pick up litter/fix the highway or pretty much anything else that needs doing.

and a hi vis vest

[RED-DOG]

So I wanted to watch the new 10 part blockbuster Pacific, made by the same people who made the fantastic 'Band of Brothers' but unfortunately it was on the Sky Premier channel or something, anyway, I couldn't get it.

Then, I was delighted to find it on Sky 3 Wooo Hooo! I Sky plus'ed part one and pressed series link.

Tonight, I settled down to watch parts one and two, but before I did, I checked to see when part 3 was showing. That's when I found out they were only showing the first two parts as a teaser, we don't get to see the rest, it was just a ploy to get us to sign up for a more expensive package.

Well it may backfire. I'm not going to watch the first two episodes now, and I may cancel my subscription altogether.

Tossers.   

[thetank]

Do it. There can be life without Sky.

You can buy a brand spanking new Band of Brothers boxset for £15 now. No adverts, no montly subscription, no satellite dish, no phoning call centres.

[nirvana]

So I wanted to watch the new 10 part blockbuster Pacific, made by the same people who made the fantastic 'Band of Brothers' but unfortunately it was on the Sky Premier channel or something, anyway, I couldn't get it.

Then, I was delighted to find it on Sky 3 Wooo Hooo! I Sky plus'ed part one and pressed series link.

Tonight, I settled down to watch parts one and two, but before I did, I checked to see when part 3 was showing. That's when I found out they were only showing the first two parts as a teaser, we don't get to see the rest, it was just a ploy to get us to sign up for a more expensive package.

Well it may backfire. I'm not going to watch the first two episodes now, and I may cancel my subscription altogether.

Tossers.   

Really not missing very much imo. Episode 1 & 2 average, episode 3 - pretty dreadful with a horrible american take on Ozspeak. Wont watch any more of it

[gatso]

just d/l eps 1-5 like everyone else

[RED-DOG]

Election poll.

Lab 29% = 281 seats.

Con 34% = 257 seats

Lib  26% =  79 seats


Now I'm no politician, nor am I a mathematician, so can someone explain, in simple language, how those figures work please?

[thetank]

Where you be finding this poll?

[TightEnd]

Constituencies are of different sizes, and from time to time the Electoral commission changes the electoral make up of consituencies too

So if a party racks up a lot of votes but in the big constituencies those votes are in effect "wasted" from a seat getting point of view

Very generally, a lot of the Tory safe seats are in the big Shire constituencies and a lot of the Labour seats are in the smaller urban constituencies (eg Manchester has 7-8 seats, all Labour, but Tories have Vale of Rutland where the seat is the size of 5 of those constituencies combined)

So, a smaller percentage vote for Labour can rack up a lot of seats due to demographics and geographical dispersion of seats. Other factors too no doubt

The last electoral boundary changes were about 6 years ago and made it more difficult than it was before for the Tories to secure and overall majority because to do so they need to be (without double checking) 9-10% in the clear on percentage of the vote to overcome the issues above

I seem to remember, but am a bit reluctant to make a political point because I am not sure of my ground on this, that the current government pushed through the last changes with opposition at time from the other parties (they need a vote in Parliament to go through)

At the current time the issue is being brought into stark focus because the rise in popularity of the LibDems since the TV debate looks like giving them a decent increase is share of the vote but only a tiny increase in the number of seats

Political commentators are thus hypothesising that under a possible/probable hung parliament that the pressure for electoral reform away from first past the post voting towards Prop representation or single transferable vote etc will become immense, and a price the LibDems will require to form a coalition, presumably with Labour as the largest party if your figures prove correct.

[Laxie]

Man...I tried.  Really I did.  But now my eyes are watering and me brain is fried.  Translation of above anyone?  Please and thanks.