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Post by maxque on Aug 22, 2021 1:16:59 GMT
Did anyone expect the Canadian People's Party to be polling ahead of the Greens? I'd assumed they were still on about 1%. It's only one pollster showing that, and not the best one (EKOS isn't bad, but it's very jumpy).
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Post by maxque on Aug 21, 2021 21:08:37 GMT
Definitely not. American style political police is the last thing needed. They simply don't have the experience or ability to do what is a professional policing role. Politics adds nothing to policing. The police authorities worked because it was not possible for any party to have a majority and we didn't have anything to lose by criticising. The chairs sometimes got too close to the chief con, but there were 16 other members and the chairs party never held more than 5 of those numbers. So party politics wasn't dominant. I was an independent and the Labour chair was desperate to get rid of me because I asked too many questions and wouldn't toe the party line - that's why we were there. Broadly I like that but I think we have to accept police authorities weren't working all that well- if they had been more successful nobody would have got away with "reform". I suspect there weren't enough people doing a Mike and asking those awkward questions. Getting rid of all the "others" was hardly going to improve things, though. I was never directly involved with the police authority for Kent, but we also had a police liaison committee at Borough level which I was on, and the chair of the Police Authority usually attended that. I thought she was good at that and was surprised at how bad she was when she became the PCC instead, I think she needed the support of others around her, and there were some (politically motivated?) hatchet jobs on her which were very effective. Reform happened because the Conservatives wanted a way to give more income to some Conservative supporters.
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Post by maxque on Aug 20, 2021 21:42:28 GMT
What would be the likelihood and consequences of a Liberal - NDP coalition? Pass - I’d suggest maxque or [mention]georgebner [/mention] might be the people to answer that with some knowledge. The likelyhood of a coalition (between anybody) is pretty much 0%, but I would except the NDP to provide supply and confidence against policy concessions if needed.
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Post by maxque on Aug 19, 2021 23:23:54 GMT
Who is Patient Focus? It sounds like a medical publication.
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Post by maxque on Aug 19, 2021 17:51:27 GMT
The only ex-PM of Canada I could name as a child would've been Diefenbaker, due to that show. Anyway, Nova Scotia... the popular vote wasn't that different from the last couple of polls, but there was definitely a late surge towards the Tories and the way the seats fell on the new boundaries mostly ended up punishing the Liberals. There were a couple of peculiar counter-cyclical results with one Liberal gain from the PCs and another riding gained by an independent candidate (the former PC incumbent, in a seat where many objected to the ex-MP Liberal candidate being parachuted in without a proper internal party contest) where the official Conservative trying to defend the seat for the party finished in fourth place. At one point in the evening, the NDP were on 21% of the vote but more than 21% of the seats (13/55), which would be unheard of for a third party under FPTP. In the end they finished on only 6, though, with what looked like some nailed-on gains from the Liberals in the Halifax-Dartmouth area missed and a slight decrease in popular vote from 2017 to boot. Four of their five holds were by huge margins, which means they should always have a presence in the Assembly, but that their vote isn't spread very efficiently at all. Eight years ago they were actually running the province, of course. This time they campaigned mainly on a policy of bringing in rent controls. The Greens have never really got going in this province, in stark contrast to relative successes in New Brunswick and PEI. Liz May couldn't get herself elected federally in Central Nova where she grew up even when the Liberals stood aside amid a Green surge in 2008, when she was party leader. Now they finally have a provincial branch registered, but they still couldn't put up a full slate of candidates. They finished an extremely distant third in one overwhelmingly safe Tory riding. The leader got 4% of the vote in the riding she chose to run in. There's also a small regionalist Atlantica Party who of course won't be a factor next month. They only stood a handful of candidates who all got nowhere. Their leader unwisely chose an extra dose of humiliation by contesting the Tory leader's constituency. The new Premier will now be expected to keep his promises on healthcare. I didn't know much about outgoing Premier Rankin before this week, but on election night itself he did not come across as very likeable and was clearly not expecting to lose the election, especially in such a decisive way in terms of the seat count. Turnout was 55.3%, not particularly high, and probably helped by easier and greater pre-poll and postal voting opportunities, plus a probable slight spike in interest on the day due to confirmation of the widely anticipated federal election call. Atlantica isn't regionalist, it's UKIP/Trumpy.
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Post by maxque on Aug 18, 2021 23:54:10 GMT
So his Majesty Starmer can declare anything disciplinary to stifle debate and criticism. What is next? Soviet style "unique candidate" selections? What’s it got to do with Starmer? He’s not in charge of Party management or its internal rules, there’s something called a National Executive Committee (mostly elected by the members) and a General Secretary to do that. If he were I doubt Mr Corbyn would have been readmitted to membership of the Party. I strongly doubt the General Secretary would take big actions without consulting the leader and the current NEC is pretty subservient to Starmer.
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Post by maxque on Aug 18, 2021 20:44:37 GMT
So his Majesty Starmer can declare anything disciplinary to stifle debate and criticism. What is next? Soviet style "unique candidate" selections? Hello Canada! You are killing your own democratic institutions and you don't even seem to be noticing. I'm merely trying to help.
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Post by maxque on Aug 18, 2021 20:41:32 GMT
Good thing too! Where would we be if local party members were allowed to debate what they want and vote as they wish? Democracy is far too dangerous to allow if you want a socialist society. the point was that CLPs are not allowed to debate disciplinary matters while they are ongoing, something his fellow suspendee (and vice chair of the CLP) Bridget Dunne acknowledged. So his Majesty Starmer can declare anything disciplinary to stifle debate and criticism. What is next? Soviet style "unique candidate" selections?
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Post by maxque on Aug 15, 2021 22:10:12 GMT
I realise Covid issues provoke strong feelings - even on the Canadian politics thread - but can we keep things civil please, with a degree of mutual respect. (Not aimed at any specific post or poster) Thank you. Civil? When one poster literaly behaves in a way that would kill another poster because he is so selfish and nihilistic?
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Post by maxque on Aug 15, 2021 16:24:37 GMT
It's all part of the Chesterfield Conference* "let people who actively oppose the Labour party into the Labour party" tradition. See also affiliation attempts by the Communist party in the 1930s. Michael Crick's book on Militant made the point that Labour Party people with the "no enemies on the left" approach are typically very naive and do not realise (until too late) that the groups they let in will not be allies in the fight with the Labour right, but will purge them from their positions just as happily. And "Labour" right preference to wage war on the Labour Left instead of Conservatives means yet another 20 year period out of power for them. They did not learn in the 80's, they are not learning now.
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Post by maxque on Aug 14, 2021 20:13:18 GMT
Then he needs to learn not to treat the public as fools.... but it is just so tempting for them, as of course, the public are just that, most of the time. look at mak wearing for an instance. I don't think anyone yet proposed to wear the member for Havant.
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Post by maxque on Aug 10, 2021 20:53:16 GMT
I find all these jokes as amusing as anyone, but it has been pointed out that a key reason for the infamous delays in the past was Lutfur Rahman supporters invading counts and intimidating council staff - which is both not such a laughing matter, and hopefully at least largely in the past now. Well we will see. If they are the last to declare this Thursday, we will know something else is going on, like general incompetence. Them being last wouldn't be the sign of a problem given the size of the electorate (c. 7400). Orwell, East Suffolk (electorate c. 7800) is a bit bigger and South Lakeland (c. 4700) is quite smaller. A sample of 3 isn't enough to find a problem. (Scotland usually counts the day after).
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Post by maxque on Aug 8, 2021 14:21:28 GMT
If the speculation is to believed that the Prime Minister will call a general election today, the procedure is remarkably like the UK (prior to the FTPA), namely the Prime Minister drives to Rideau Hall in Ottawa and seeks an audience with the Governor General. There they formally request a dissolution of Parliament and the right to call a general election. The difference between the UK and Canada is that the Governor General is the person who makes that decision, not Her Majesty, therefore they agree, the Prime Minister leaves Rideau Hall (usually after a press conference confirming that an election has been called) and only THEN is Her Majesty informed that an election has been called. www.gg.ca/en/procedures-dissolution-parliament-and-calling-electionIf an election is called today, as Ottawa is five hours behind the United Kingdom, the most likely time is no earlier than 3.00pm our time and no later than 5.00pm our time (and yes, that does clash with the closing ceremony of the Olympics, but according to a friend of mine, that won't bother the television networks in Canada as they never screen it live anyway!) Not today, the Prime Minister published his schedule and it's empty (personal time in Ottawa). However, multiple candidates (of multiple parties) have their campaign launch.
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Post by maxque on Aug 2, 2021 14:33:04 GMT
There appear to be two vacancies on the Common Council of the City of London Corporation, caused by resignations around the beginning of April: 1) Aldersgate ward. Joyce Nash (subsequently died on 13 June) 2) Aldgate ward. Sylvia Moys. And there's a vacancy for Alderman in Cordwainer ward, as Sir Roger Gifford died on 25 May. I assume Aldgate resignation is also due to ill health, as she took a leave of absence for ill-health back in December.
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Post by maxque on Jul 24, 2021 21:52:06 GMT
That ward is majority white and one of the least Hindu of Leicester East, as it was already heavily discussed in the by-election thread.
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Post by maxque on Jul 23, 2021 16:37:34 GMT
Stephen Crabb would have the greater claim to the South Pembrokeshire seat, yes. Although the BCW have still not released their initial recommendations for parliamentary constituencies in Wales it is inevitable at this point how Dyfed's new constituencies will turn out. What's the timetable for BCW? September. No news from Scotland since they published electorates on March 30th. They did not even publish a guide or guidelines yet. Northern Ireland says "autumn".
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Post by maxque on Jul 23, 2021 14:45:55 GMT
mike treats this site as the spine he likes to run down. I am actually getting quite concerned for Mike. Rational scepticism about all existing political parties is one thing, and in our heart of hearts we can actually share something of that, some more than others. Dislike of sentimental attitudes, we can all recognise that especially when it gets really mawkish and irrational,and about things we don't happen to care so deeply about ourselves. A hard-nosed critique of the government's response to the Covid crisis- yes we could sure do with some of that, though I think there needs to be a recognition there are no easy answers. But increasingly I find Mike's response to all these questions over the top. Political parties are not just fallible human institutions, they seem like the embodiment of evil. Dislike of sentimentality seems to be veering into mysogyny- he no longer seems to accept what it is to be human. And something that has already killed 4 million people should be accepted rather than fought with the tools at our disposal, however imperfect. Well, humanity is a disposable asset, isn't it? Am I reading him wrong? He is just a nihilist who doesn't care if millions of people die, he is just a selfish person being who wants to go drink a latte without a mask.
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Post by maxque on Jul 20, 2021 15:29:35 GMT
It would be interesting to see if the Republicans can take the 13th in 2022 or regain any of the other ones. Not happening, given it's the 2016 seats (+ plus any appointment Abbott did this year and who are now on this cycle in the future) which are up. 1st: Only the 2 Republicans left are up 3rd: Only the last Republican is up. 4th: 2 Democrats up, so cannot flip. 5th: Only the 2 Republicans left are up 13th: 1 Democrat up, so best they can do is a tie. 14th: Only 2 Republicans up.
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Post by maxque on Jul 19, 2021 13:36:43 GMT
*If* we are talking about the same group that made a splash (particularly re the Claudia Webbe controversy) during the last GE campaign, then yes they are an almost entirely self-declared group with no official party status. But that could be a mistaken assumption tbf. Even if they are self declared, are they Tory, BJP or not in fact Indian? If they are Indian and genuine Labour supporters then their concerns can't be dismissed as it being a Tory smear or being just a pro Modi issue. As Mike has said not all Indians support Modi, particularly active Labour supporters. Some of them are treating this as an attack on India the state rather than Modi the politician. One of the co-chairs is Darren Jones MP, not indian.
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Post by maxque on Jul 18, 2021 14:16:15 GMT
Any idea why they picked this child? I can’t find any details of his career or education. I think the key there is 'child.' He's young enough to be active whereas the rest were a set of old duffers, in large part trying to get back a job or job prospect they lost 22 years ago. Many of those lords are running in those elections since then. If they were popular and liked by the electorate, they would have been back in the Lords already.
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