Just what's so bad about a hung parliament?

[Anbrig]

Sure, just found a few links. Luckily, it is voluntary, but why get people to drop their education to go on random residential trips and care for old people? Seriously? I'd understand that some would want to do it, but I plan on going to uni, last thing I want is to have a half-year gap in my education because Cameron thinks that 16-year olds need to care for old people and do voluntary things that public sectors should be doing instead.

Here the BBC link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6980830.stm

So don't do it and go to uni anyway.

Seriously, why so much anger for an option?

Because they're expected to do it and because Cameron actually wanted to make it compulsory. It's sort of like giving to charity: while legally optional (at least on a personal basis), socially you have to do it.

[Blouman Empire]

Sure, just found a few links. Luckily, it is voluntary, but why get people to drop their education to go on random residential trips and care for old people? Seriously? I'd understand that some would want to do it, but I plan on going to uni, last thing I want is to have a half-year gap in my education because Cameron thinks that 16-year olds need to care for old people and do voluntary things that public sectors should be doing instead.

Here the BBC link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6980830.stm

And he wants everyone to do it as well - seriously, he wanted to make it compulsory. Since six weeks is about the length of half a term, that's like asking every 16-year-old to take half a term off their education to act like a "patriotic" citizen. No thank you. Education is more important than being moulded into some random liar politician's view of what society should be like.

Where does it say he wanted to make it compulsory?

And you know what, doing community service can lead to better experiences which are good for job interviews and it is something that you can put in your CV.

If you think education is all you need in this world then you are mistaken. And once again it is your choice if you take that six weeks (which in my article said over summer holidays and so not cutting into your education) off.

[Birnadia]

A hung parliament would mean behind closed doors politics.

Political wrangling would dominate.


Vote for change. Vote Conservatives.

Blatant voting propaganda is blatant.

[Blouman Empire]

Because they're expected to do it and because Cameron actually wanted to make it compulsory. It's sort of like giving to charity: while legally optional (at least on a personal basis), socially you have to do it.

I'm not going to ask where he said he wanted to cause I just asked that and not enough time has elapsed.

And socially? Bitch please just because a government would like everyone to do it doesn't mean that society demands everyone to do it. Stop listening to the scaremongering and think for yourself for once.

[Self--Esteem]

Sure, just found a few links. Luckily, it is voluntary, but why get people to drop their education to go on random residential trips and care for old people? Seriously? I'd understand that some would want to do it, but I plan on going to uni, last thing I want is to have a half-year gap in my education because Cameron thinks that 16-year olds need to care for old people and do voluntary things that public sectors should be doing instead.

Here the BBC link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6980830.stm

So don't do it and go to uni anyway.

Seriously, why so much anger for an option?

Because they're expected to do it and because Cameron actually wanted to make it compulsory. It's sort of like giving to charity: while legally optional (at least on a personal basis), socially you have to do it.

Only if you are born without a spine.

[Helertia]

A hung parliament would work wonders for the UK if there weren't a risk of plunging back into recession.

If the parties all work together, than everything runs smoothly, but I don't think they will. It doesn't help that we've got a very rightwing crop of new MP's this time.

[Blouman Empire]

Apparantly Tories are going to introduce nation service. >.<

Is there anything to back this up?

Yes: they have posters all over the place saying it. And they're introducing it for 16-year-olds as well.

Great Britainnica, are you trolling?

And they aren't just as I expected the people who are against the tories are making shit up.

Young people would not be legally obliged to take part in the "national citizen service", but each teenager who did volunteer would be eligible for a cash sum on completion, with half going to a charity of their choice and the rest to the organisation that ran the project

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2007 ... tionpolicy

So it would appear that he is introducing something for 16 year olds where they can if they want do a national serivce for two months. But they aren't being forced to do it.

It does say, though, that they'd be expected to do it...

But they don't have to, expected simply means they hope. I was expected to go to all university lectures. Doesn't mean I did and nothing came from it.

[Neu Leonstein]

Just thought of another thing that's bad about a hung parliament:



Hung parliament = less confidence in bond markets about UK government bonds = higher yields = more money the UK government has to pay to borrow = bigger bill for the British taxpayer.

[Anbrig]

Sure, just found a few links. Luckily, it is voluntary, but why get people to drop their education to go on random residential trips and care for old people? Seriously? I'd understand that some would want to do it, but I plan on going to uni, last thing I want is to have a half-year gap in my education because Cameron thinks that 16-year olds need to care for old people and do voluntary things that public sectors should be doing instead.

Here the BBC link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6980830.stm

And he wants everyone to do it as well - seriously, he wanted to make it compulsory. Since six weeks is about the length of half a term, that's like asking every 16-year-old to take half a term off their education to act like a "patriotic" citizen. No thank you. Education is more important than being moulded into some random liar politician's view of what society should be like.

Where does it say he wanted to make it compulsory?

And you know what, doing community service can lead to better experiences which are good for job interviews and it is something that you can put in your CV.

If you think education is all you need in this world then you are mistaken. And once again it is your choice if you take that six weeks (which in my article said over summer holidays and so not cutting into your education) off.

I quote:

He said he had initially favoured a compulsory scheme...

Also, where in the article does it say summer holidays? It says "school leavers and those going to college". Nothing about holidays.

I never said education was all you needed in the world. I said it was more important than doing compulsory service.

Also, Cameron said he wanted to see everyone doing it, and there are more ways to make something compulsory than enshrining it in law. So while they may theoretically have a choice, chances are a lot will end up doing it because it's the status quo.

[Anbrig]

Sure, just found a few links. Luckily, it is voluntary, but why get people to drop their education to go on random residential trips and care for old people? Seriously? I'd understand that some would want to do it, but I plan on going to uni, last thing I want is to have a half-year gap in my education because Cameron thinks that 16-year olds need to care for old people and do voluntary things that public sectors should be doing instead.

Here the BBC link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6980830.stm

So don't do it and go to uni anyway.

Seriously, why so much anger for an option?

Because they're expected to do it and because Cameron actually wanted to make it compulsory. It's sort of like giving to charity: while legally optional (at least on a personal basis), socially you have to do it.

Only if you are born without a spine.

Most people are.

[Georgism]

A hung parliament would work wonders for the UK if there weren't a risk of plunging back into recession.

If the parties all work together, than everything runs smoothly, but I don't think they will. It doesn't help that we've got a very rightwing crop of new MP's this time.

Do we?

[Anbrig]

A hung parliament would work wonders for the UK if there weren't a risk of plunging back into recession.

If the parties all work together, than everything runs smoothly, but I don't think they will. It doesn't help that we've got a very rightwing crop of new MP's this time.

Do we?

Haven't the BNP and UKIP been gaining ground? Also, the Labservatives have shifted to the centre-right, which leaves the Dems and the Greens.

[Blouman Empire]

Also, where in the article does it say summer holidays? It says "school leavers and those going to college". Nothing about holidays.

I never said education was all you needed in the world. I said it was more important than doing compulsory service.

Also, Cameron said he wanted to see everyone doing it, and there are more ways to make something compulsory than enshrining it in law. So while they may theoretically have a choice, chances are a lot will end up doing it because it's the status quo.

Ok I missed that bit, my mistake. Though he isn't proposing compulsory so your anger is still misplaced.

The article I provided (which is what I said) in regards to 16 year olds doing it. "Every 16-year-old will be expected to devote their summer to "patriotic" national service, under radical proposals unveiled today by David Cameron."

Not only that so what about school leavers? You don't get a big break in between finishing high school and going to uni? It is straight away? Some people even take a year off and do a gap year some of them doing volunteer work (a mate of mine joined the ISV) for a 6 week stint and did other work before starting uni.

Again, you are having a laugh if you think it will become the status quo and will be social suicide if they don't do it. A government wanting things to happen pretty much have to force people or offer incentives for them to do it. You will most definitely have the choice to go do this service which isn't compulsory (so stop calling it that).

[Anbrig]

OK, now I see your point...

[Risottia]

It doesn't damage the economy, but it slows the recovery that we've just entered and may cause a double dip recession, as government is slow to pass legislation.

Mh.

In Italy, back in the '60s, no single party ever won the majority of parliamentary seats - and most cabinets lasted less than one year. The economy went extremely well.
Nowadays, with parties or coalitions winning clear-cut parliamentary majorities (due to new electoral law), the economy is going to the dogs.

[Nadkor]

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with a hung parliament.

There is one reason, and one reason only, that the two big parties are all warning against it; self-interest.

Ideally what each of them wants is a majority of 650 come May 7th.

[Asovium]

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with a hung parliament.

There is one reason, and one reason only, that the three big parties are all warning against it; self-interest.

Ideally what each of them wants is a majority of 650 come May 7th.

Surely you mean two big parties? Far as I know, the Lib Dems haven't warned against a HP at all. Quite the opposite, they would benefit most from it.

[Nadkor]

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with a hung parliament.

There is one reason, and one reason only, that the three big parties are all warning against it; self-interest.

Ideally what each of them wants is a majority of 650 come May 7th.

Surely you mean two big parties? Far as I know, the Lib Dems haven't warned against a HP at all. Quite the opposite, they would benefit most from it.

Sorry, yes, that should have been two.

[Virtualila]

There might be a thread for this already, but I haven't seen it. My apologies if it was already there.
Anyway, everyone in the UK seems afraid of a hung parliament for some reason. Those that actually cite one say it's because it'll damage the economy or because there's no strong government in a hung parliament.
I see a couple of problems with this. How exactly does it damage the economy, for a start? And why is everyone's idea of strong government an outright majority? In America, for example, hasn't there been quite a lot of partisanship slowing down government despite (well, probably because of) the "strong government" of an outright majority? Having not lived through a hung parliament myself, I can't really say I have any experience, but during the TV debates the parties seemed more intent on blaming each other for the past and future messes than making pitches (especially after the initial pitches were made), and Labour and the Lib Dems' election broadcasts both blamed other parties. Wouldn't a hung parliament encourage the parties to finally agree on something instead of letting the country fall apart while they quibble?
Discuss, rebut, argue, debate, explain, whatever.

Look, I live in a country in which we haven't had more than a marginal minority in roughly 4 years, after 3 elections. Let me tell you, almost nothing gets done in the House of Commons anymore here. We had 3 elections in as many years because the opposition parties kept passing non-confidence motions (and the only reason it didn't happen this year was because the polls for everyone but the party in power plummeted as soon as the word "election" came to their leader's lips.

Minorities are generally a good thing in parliment (no one party gets free reign in legislation), but hung parliaments are terrible.

[Fartsniffage]

Don't worry they aren't.

It is misinformation spread by the anti-tories in an attempt to get people to vote against them and to cause fear.

Exactly what one would expect during an election campaign but still doesnt make it right.

The fuck?

I go past a massive billboard on the way to work that says "We will introduce civilian national service for 16 year olds".

It was put up by the conservative party so if anyone is spreading mis-infomation about their policies it's them.

[Mad hatters in jeans]

Don't worry they aren't.

It is misinformation spread by the anti-tories in an attempt to get people to vote against them and to cause fear.

Exactly what one would expect during an election campaign but still doesnt make it right.

The fuck?

I go past a massive billboard on the way to work that says "We will introduce civilian national service for 16 year olds".

It was put up by the conservative party so if anyone is spreading mis-infomation about their policies it's them.

srsly? you got a picture of this?

[The Imperial Navy]

Just what's so bad about a hung parliament?

We'll need a magnifying glass to see it.

[Fartsniffage]

srsly? you got a picture of this?

No, but I'll get one on the way in tomorrow.

[Birnadia]

Just what's so bad about a hung parliament?

We'll need a magnifying glass to see it.

I don't get it...

[The Imperial Navy]

Just what's so bad about a hung parliament?

We'll need a magnifying glass to see it.

I don't get it...

Just sit and think for a bit. It'll come to you.