Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[Jon MW]

According to which ever party happens to be in opposition, has any government ever done anything right?

One of the main problems with our political system Red, it's not government for principles but government for power at all costs. No consensus politics, no willingness to find common ground, sadly they're so entrenched that any change which would encourage some sensible attitudes gets rubbished - like proportional representation - which usually leads to more coalition politics (and not of hte type of capitulation coalition adopted by the Lib-Dems).

Legally Her Majesty's Opposition has to oppose Her Majesty's Government; they can and do work together for a number of things but constitutionally they're not allowed to just say they've done a good job

-

My main opposition to PR is that it leads to coalitions which tend to give a disproportionate amount of power to small parties (like Greens or UKIP); but if First Past the Post ends up with the same situation then I'd probably prefer the switch to PR for the underlying fairness of it.

[RED-DOG]

According to which ever party happens to be in opposition, has any government ever done anything right?

One of the main problems with our political system Red, it's not government for principles but government for power at all costs. No consensus politics, no willingness to find common ground, sadly they're so entrenched that any change which would encourage some sensible attitudes gets rubbished - like proportional representation - which usually leads to more coalition politics (and not of hte type of capitulation coalition adopted by the Lib-Dems).

Legally Her Majesty's Opposition has to oppose Her Majesty's Government; they can and do work together for a number of things but constitutionally they're not allowed to just say they've done a good job

 

I take your point, but the constant child-like bickering and petty point-scoring drives me nuts, it's all "Do as I say, not as I do".

What ever happened to leading by example?

I think Aesop got it right:

We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.

[tikay]

According to which ever party happens to be in opposition, has any government ever done anything right?

One of the main problems with our political system Red, it's not government for principles but government for power at all costs. No consensus politics, no willingness to find common ground, sadly they're so entrenched that any change which would encourage some sensible attitudes gets rubbished - like proportional representation - which usually leads to more coalition politics (and not of hte type of capitulation coalition adopted by the Lib-Dems).

Legally Her Majesty's Opposition has to oppose Her Majesty's Government; they can and do work together for a number of things but constitutionally they're not allowed to just say they've done a good job

 

I take your point, but the constant child-like bickering and petty point-scoring drives me nuts, it's all "Do as I say, not as I do".

What ever happened to leading by example?

I think Aesop got it right:

We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.

Or even.....

Our leader was a silver tongued man
He deceived the people of the land
And when he got caught he couldn't stand
It's a little off-beat and a little off-track
But it says in the farmer's almanac, it says
'In rivers and bad government the lightest things flow to the top'

[Rod Paradise]

According to which ever party happens to be in opposition, has any government ever done anything right?

One of the main problems with our political system Red, it's not government for principles but government for power at all costs. No consensus politics, no willingness to find common ground, sadly they're so entrenched that any change which would encourage some sensible attitudes gets rubbished - like proportional representation - which usually leads to more coalition politics (and not of hte type of capitulation coalition adopted by the Lib-Dems).

Legally Her Majesty's Opposition has to oppose Her Majesty's Government; they can and do work together for a number of things but constitutionally they're not allowed to just say they've done a good job

 

I take your point, but the constant child-like bickering and petty point-scoring drives me nuts, it's all "Do as I say, not as I do".

What ever happened to leading by example?

I think Aesop got it right:

We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.

Or even.....

Our leader was a silver tongued man
He deceived the people of the land
And when he got caught he couldn't stand
It's a little off-beat and a little off-track
But it says in the farmer's almanac, it says
'In rivers and bad government the lightest things flow to the top'

Or Billy Connoly "I think, roughly, the desire to be a politician, should ban you for life for ever being one. Don't vote, it encourages them."

[RED-DOG]

According to which ever party happens to be in opposition, has any government ever done anything right?

One of the main problems with our political system Red, it's not government for principles but government for power at all costs. No consensus politics, no willingness to find common ground, sadly they're so entrenched that any change which would encourage some sensible attitudes gets rubbished - like proportional representation - which usually leads to more coalition politics (and not of hte type of capitulation coalition adopted by the Lib-Dems).

Legally Her Majesty's Opposition has to oppose Her Majesty's Government; they can and do work together for a number of things but constitutionally they're not allowed to just say they've done a good job

 

I take your point, but the constant child-like bickering and petty point-scoring drives me nuts, it's all "Do as I say, not as I do".

What ever happened to leading by example?

I think Aesop got it right:

We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.

Or even.....

Our leader was a silver tongued man
He deceived the people of the land
And when he got caught he couldn't stand
It's a little off-beat and a little off-track
But it says in the farmer's almanac, it says
'In rivers and bad government the lightest things flow to the top'

Or Billy Connoly "I think, roughly, the desire to be a politician, should ban you for life for ever being one. Don't vote, it encourages them."

Or on a slightly darker note..


Freedom isn't free. It shouldn't be a bragging point that 'Oh, I don't get involved in politics,' as if that makes someone cleaner. No, that makes you derelict of duty in a republic. Liars and panderers in government would have a much harder time of it if so many people didn't insist on their right to remain ignorant and blindly agreeable.
Bill Maher

[Rod Paradise]

According to which ever party happens to be in opposition, has any government ever done anything right?

One of the main problems with our political system Red, it's not government for principles but government for power at all costs. No consensus politics, no willingness to find common ground, sadly they're so entrenched that any change which would encourage some sensible attitudes gets rubbished - like proportional representation - which usually leads to more coalition politics (and not of hte type of capitulation coalition adopted by the Lib-Dems).

Legally Her Majesty's Opposition has to oppose Her Majesty's Government; they can and do work together for a number of things but constitutionally they're not allowed to just say they've done a good job

 

I take your point, but the constant child-like bickering and petty point-scoring drives me nuts, it's all "Do as I say, not as I do".

What ever happened to leading by example?

I think Aesop got it right:

We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office.

Or even.....

Our leader was a silver tongued man
He deceived the people of the land
And when he got caught he couldn't stand
It's a little off-beat and a little off-track
But it says in the farmer's almanac, it says
'In rivers and bad government the lightest things flow to the top'

Or Billy Connoly "I think, roughly, the desire to be a politician, should ban you for life for ever being one. Don't vote, it encourages them."

Or on a slightly darker note..


Freedom isn't free. It shouldn't be a bragging point that 'Oh, I don't get involved in politics,' as if that makes someone cleaner. No, that makes you derelict of duty in a republic. Liars and panderers in government would have a much harder time of it if so many people didn't insist on their right to remain ignorant and blindly agreeable.
Bill Maher

Hopefully one day I'll be a citizen in a republic....

[Tonji]

Click to see full-size image.

Another photography interlude for you Mr Red, you being from Yorkshire like.

This is by Martin Parr. West Yorkshire. Elland. Jubilee street party. 1977.

[RED-DOG]

Click to see full-size image.

Another photography interlude for you Mr Red, you being from Yorkshire like.

This is by Martin Parr. West Yorkshire. Elland. Jubilee street party. 1977.

Thank you Mr T. I remember it well.

On the 7th of June 1977, while everyone else was street partying, my friend Evergreen & I went trout fishing in Thirsk, North Yorkshire.

We didn't catch and trout, but we did catch a few grayling, one of which my mate used as bait on a pike line. Almost as soon as he cast it in it was taken by a huge pike which, after a titanic struggle, he managed to land.

I have a photograph somewhere, but it's a real one, taken on film and printed on to paper so I'll have to wait until I stumble across it before I can post it.

[Nakor]

Believe its the only UK resident species I have never landed.

I have tried my whole life to catch a Grayling and you just throw it out there, and then use it for pike bait.

Awesome pic Tonji.

[RED-DOG]

Black Friday question.


Someone has the last example of the bargain item you went into the shop for. Is it legal to take it from his trolley and put it into yours?

[bobAlike]

Black Friday question.


Someone has the last example of the bargain item you went into the shop for. Is it legal to take it from his trolley and put it into yours?

Are they bigger than you?

[RED-DOG]

Black Friday question.


Someone has the last example of the bargain item you went into the shop for. Is it legal to take it from his trolley and put it into yours?

Are they bigger than you?

Yes, but I'm prone to going in low and dirty.

[bobAlike]

Black Friday question.


Someone has the last example of the bargain item you went into the shop for. Is it legal to take it from his trolley and put it into yours?

Are they bigger than you?

Yes, but I'm prone to going in low and dirty.

Then it must be legal

[TightEnd]

Hello

did you manage to catch the 4 episodes of

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04plfkb/the-mekong-river-with-sue-perkins-episode-1 ?

iirc you like travelogues etc

this was a really good one

[RED-DOG]

Hello

did you manage to catch the 4 episodes of

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04plfkb/the-mekong-river-with-sue-perkins-episode-1 ?

iirc you like travelogues etc

this was a really good one

Hello yourself.

Although I'm not a huge Sue Perkins fan, I've seen two of the four episodes and I thought they were excellent.