16Likes
 |
|

8 May 2015
|
 |
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: GOC
Posts: 3,358
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Threewheelbonnie
I told my MP ( Ed Balls himself no less) I wanted direct democracy. An online vote for policies not parties or people. Would you believe he didn't agree? Could it be the huge salary, expense account and job security based on getting promoted to the house of lords might sway his thinking there?
Andy
|
I'm sure you've already heard that Mr Balls has ballsed it up and is no longer on a fat salary and expenses. He may of course now be heading to the House of Lords.
It's said that politics is Hollywood for ugly people. That's certainly true in in red Ed's (x 2) case.
Gorgeous George got binned too. I wonder if he will now have others able to salute his indefatigability.
|

8 May 2015
|
 |
Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: The Garden of England
Posts: 478
|
|
Well, I wasn't expecting that. Were you expecting that? I wasn't.
__________________
Paul "Every county of England, every country of Europe and every (part of every inhabited) continent of the Earth" 94% done! What's left? Central America, East, Central and West Africa, Australia & New Zealand
|

8 May 2015
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 4,343
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Matty Gofun
Thats why some people believe we should have proportional representation!
|
That was my point in fact.
Another statistic from the reporting:-
About 7% of the UK population get 56 seats (Scotland) and about 14% get just 2 (if the forecast at present turns out to be correct).
So, things have changed but they haven't; the constitution of the UK is very amiss; it could be best described as dysfunctional.
And, if the turnout of voters is analysed then it is likely to show that politics in Scotland is far more important to that electorate than it is the case in England et al.
Prediction:
The way it will go for the next 5 years is that UKIP will morph into some form of an English Independance Party (that is where they are receiving their support of nearly 4m votes) while both the Scots and Welsh continue to plough their own furrows (along with Northern Ireland of course).
__________________
Dave
Last edited by Walkabout; 9 May 2015 at 09:31.
|

8 May 2015
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: West Yorkshire UK
Posts: 1,785
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by chris
I'm sure you've already heard that Mr Balls has ballsed it up and is no longer on a fat salary and expenses. He may of course now be heading to the House of Lords.
|
Can't say I'm that upset. He was actually the best of the Red Rosetted Pork Pies we've had since they gave the plebs the vote and the Yellow lot couldn't bribe enough voters anymore (We were a prober bent Borough back in the olden days, three voters; the MP, his brother and the bloke they got ****ed on polling day to make sure).
We had Merlyn-Rees who was just dumped here to hide from the IRA after his stint in Ulster. It was a sort of retirement/care in the community sort of job. He once actually told me I was wasteing my vote not picking red as they'd always hold the place. Then we had Colin Challen who I think was some trade union reject, but he never actually turned up. You could at least check that Red Ed made it nearer to the chamber than the members bar. He'll have to learn to recognise parked cars and yellow lines now he's rejoined the minions though.
Andy
|

8 May 2015
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 4,343
|
|
Done and dusted, for now
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walkabout
That was my point in fact.
Another statistic from the reporting:-
About 7% of the UK population get 56 seats (Scotland) and about 14% get just 2 (if the forecast at present turns out to be correct).
|
Quite apart from the absolute population figures, what happened is:-
37% of those who voted got some 331 seats and the govn they voted for.
31% of those who voted got 232 seats
13% of those who voted got 1 seat (the Kippers)
8% of those who voted got 8 seats (the Liberal-Dems)
7% of those who voted got 22 seats (the Others)
5% of those who voted got 56 seats (in Scotland)
So, it's another minority government that has to govern with a very thin majority in the parliament.
That will work then!
__________________
Dave
Last edited by Walkabout; 9 May 2015 at 09:30.
|

8 May 2015
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Bristol, UK
Posts: 380
|
|
3.6 million UK voters are undecided
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wildman
Well, I wasn't expecting that. Were you expecting that? I wasn't.
|
Me neither - shocked and really hoping (praying) for the compassionate brand of conservatism promised years ago. Feel sorry for Clegg - I thought that overall the ConDem government did a decent job in difficult circumstances - a better job than the Tories would have delivered alone.
Conscious that is a personal opinion and as per the intro to this thread, respect that others will have different views which are as equally valid as mine
|

8 May 2015
|
 |
Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: The Garden of England
Posts: 478
|
|
I'm with you; the brakes are off and I'm a little concerned.
__________________
Paul "Every county of England, every country of Europe and every (part of every inhabited) continent of the Earth" 94% done! What's left? Central America, East, Central and West Africa, Australia & New Zealand
|

9 May 2015
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 4,343
|
|
Coming full circle
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim Cullis
According to the YouGov survey
.
|
This class of people are now crying into their glasses of pinot noir and half pint lager shandies while proclaiming that their game will continue and they will do better next time; any excuse applies for failing to do what they claim to do but they never mention that politicians lie and the public have learnt to lie to the pollsters.
There is only one poll that counts.
__________________
Dave
|

9 May 2015
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Bristol, UK
Posts: 380
|
|
3.6 million UK voters are undecided
I think the polling issue is quite interesting.
My gut instinct is that it gave a misleading picture for 3 reasons:
1. The undecideds went right not left at the end - and there were enough of them to make a big difference
2. Overall the left wing vote is more ideological than the centre right one and hence more likely to commit earlier, thereby distorting the poll
3. In some circles at least voting left is viewed as socially more 'acceptable' (certainty among my mates you'd believe the no one with any shred of decency could possibly not be left wing - total rubbish but there you go). As such those voting left are more open about it.
|

9 May 2015
|
 |
Super Moderator
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: London and Granada Altiplano
Posts: 3,146
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walkabout
13% of those who voted got 1 seat (the Kippers)
8% of those who voted got 8 seats (the Liberal-Dems)
7% of those who voted got 22 seats (the Others)
5% of those who voted got 56 seats (in Scotland)
|
There has to be a better solution than the above. At the moment a massive percentage of votes cast have no impact whatsoever on the results, so no wonder that many people think they are disenfranchised. I think everyone's vote should have some impact even if it's a much diluted one.
If you apply the SNP results (4.7%) to the UKIP percentage (12.6%), UKIP should have got 150 seats.
According to the Electoral Reform Society, if the election had been run under the D'Hondt method of converting seats to votes, UKIP would have had 83 seats, LibDem 50 seats and SNP 25 seats. But this sounds too extreme in the opposite direction, maybe the ideal result lies a formula that gives a result somewhere in between.
But... back to lies, damned lies and polls...
According to the pollsters there was a sudden last minute shift in voting intentions. OK, so if this was the case you'd expect it to be reflected in this morning's polling.
Yet when YouGov poll asked this morning what respondents thought of the result of the election, a full 50% said they were disappointed or worse. This demonstrates that clearly the respondents are NOT representative of the voting public at large. So I won't be paying much attention to polls in the future.
.
__________________
"For sheer delight there is nothing like altitude; it gives one the thrill of adventure
and enlarges the world in which you live," Irving Mather (1892-1966)
Last edited by Tim Cullis; 9 May 2015 at 12:59.
|

10 May 2015
|
 |
Contributing Member
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: The Garden of England
Posts: 478
|
|
Well, put your thumbs in your braces and tell us all about it.
__________________
Paul "Every county of England, every country of Europe and every (part of every inhabited) continent of the Earth" 94% done! What's left? Central America, East, Central and West Africa, Australia & New Zealand
|

11 May 2015
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 4,343
|
|
Ed Miliband, born 24 December 1969; died, May 7 2015. He leaves behind a smug clique
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wildman
Well, put your thumbs in your braces and tell us all about it.
|
"Ed Miliband, born 24 December 1969; died, May 7 2015. He leaves behind a smug clique of elitist a**eholes"
There are others who can tell the tale far better than I:
The 25 Hour News and Dead Ed: An Obituary
The Sunday Post: A Right Kick in the Balls
__________________
Dave
|

11 May 2015
|
Registered Users
New on the HUBB
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 18
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Walkabout
|
I followed the links but didn't read them. If they had an opinion that they were prepared to put their name behind maybe i would have. Without some credentials their opinion is just that 'their anonymised opinion' and therefore no more valid than yours or mine and therefore not worth quoting, though clearly thats just my opinion.
|

13 May 2015
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: UK
Posts: 1,232
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Matty Gofun
I followed the links but didn't read them. If they had an opinion that they were prepared to put their name behind maybe i would have. Without some credentials their opinion is just that 'their anonymised opinion' and therefore no more valid than yours or mine and therefore not worth quoting, though clearly thats just my opinion. 
|
well, that's a matter of opinion!
__________________
1990 Landcruiser H60. Full rebuild completed 2014
|

14 May 2015
|
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 4,343
|
|
Yep, that's life.
Be careful not to countenance any view that may clash with current belief systems.
__________________
Dave
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 3 (0 Registered Users and/or Members and 3 guests)
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...
2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.
"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)

Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.
Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance™ combines into a single integrated program the best evacuation and rescue with the premier travel insurance coverages designed for adventurers and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes.
(ONLY US RESIDENTS and currently has a limit of 60 days.)
Ripcord Evacuation Insurance is available for ALL nationalities.
What others say about HU...
"This site is the BIBLE for international bike travelers." Greg, Australia
"Thank you! The web site, The travels, The insight, The inspiration, Everything, just thanks." Colin, UK
"My friend and I are planning a trip from Singapore to England... We found (the HU) site invaluable as an aid to planning and have based a lot of our purchases (bikes, riding gear, etc.) on what we have learned from this site." Phil, Australia
"I for one always had an adventurous spirit, but you and Susan lit the fire for my trip and I'll be forever grateful for what you two do to inspire others to just do it." Brent, USA
"Your website is a mecca of valuable information and the (video) series is informative, entertaining, and inspiring!" Jennifer, Canada
"Your worldwide organisation and events are the Go To places to for all serious touring and aspiring touring bikers." Trevor, South Africa
"This is the answer to all my questions." Haydn, Australia
"Keep going the excellent work you are doing for Horizons Unlimited - I love it!" Thomas, Germany
Lots more comments here!

Every book a diary
Every chapter a day
Every day a journey
Refreshingly honest and compelling tales: the hights and lows of a life on the road. Solo, unsupported, budget journeys of discovery.
Authentic, engaging and evocative travel memoirs, overland, around the world and through life.
All 8 books available from the author or as eBooks and audio books
Back Road Map Books and Backroad GPS Maps for all of Canada - a must have!
New to Horizons Unlimited?
New to motorcycle travelling? New to the HU site? Confused? Too many options? It's really very simple - just 4 easy steps!
Horizons Unlimited was founded in 1997 by Grant and Susan Johnson following their journey around the world on a BMW R80G/S.
Read more about Grant & Susan's story
Membership - help keep us going!
Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.
You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.
|
|
|