Does Britain suck?

MrTAToad,

Being an American I won't jump anymore into this Brit debate (although I find it amusing). All I can say to you is, living in France for a number of years, the French think exactly like you. Believe me. Brussels, for them is it numero uno ballbuster (see the famous cheese debate).....except when the cash (from the EC) comes in to "help" certain farms or other structures.
On one hand one does not want to be ruled or dictated by Brussels but at the same time one looks for a certain aid when things go wrong (especially in agriculture). It's a tough nut to crack.
One thing is sure... it costs a lot of shillings.
 
The CAP is crap. The only worse case of agricultural protection is Japan's. A close third is America's.

All of these plus the innumerable imitators in Korea, China, India etc have had an horrific effect on world trade and the economic plight of the poor nations.

Typically the exploiting rich countries make a great deal of how they offer "Aid" to the poorer countries, which is only a fraction of the damage they do to them with their agicultural subsidies.

Like raining bombs on them, then tossing them a box of band aids.
 
you forgot Corsica rubaiyat.
And no...band aids first....THEN the bombs. Big difference.
 
Corsica has a separate agricultural policy?

The band-aids thing reminds me of how the Americans were dropping both cluster bombs and food parcels and toys for the kids on the Afghanis. The Afghanis didn't know whether to run out and catch the things or hide in the cellar.

Should have dropped Happy Meals on the Taliban. That way they would end up being too fat to fight.
 
The Queen has agreed to pay taxes on income and capital gains from 1992. We are working on getting the Lords at least partially elected.
 
Should have dropped Happy Meals on the Taliban. That way they would end up being too fat to fight.
Have you seen the Top Gear episode where the team (The Hamster, Captain Slow and Clarkson) is in American. If you haven't - well, I wont spoil it for you...

All I can say to you is, living in France for a number of years, the French think exactly like you
Indeed - France was one of two countries that voted against a constitution.
 
Hmmm, from memory someone let the cat out of the bag in the early 90's. By coincidence not long before HRH suddenly decided to do "the right thing".

So when exactly do you plan on approximating a real democracy? Or is this like metric conversion, you never quite get around to it?
 
"Have you seen the Top Gear episode..."

No but I enjoyed The Onion's front cover at the time of Bush's first victory.

They had Serbian troops maintaining peace and order in Washington s:)
 
Whilst metric conversion was proposed mid 19th century, its the implementation thats been poorly thought out - what should be done is allow metric and imperial measurements to be used interchangeable - unfortunately, because using imperial measurements is illegal (for certain things), it causes a backlash, especially when the older generation has trouble using the system.

To approximate a real democracy, you need to able to allow the population to control (or at least guide) all governmental policies. But it wont come about because the government is both afraid of the general populous and contemptuous of it. Which is why proportional representation is disliked.

We wouldn't know what would happen if we left - but the only way out would be to leave.

No but I enjoyed The Onion's front cover at the time of Bush's first victory.
Yes, it was good :)

As an aside, who provides the voices for George "Dubya" Bush amd Dick Chaney (the loveable little troll) ?
 
We do have PR for elections in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland though, including local council elections now (in Scotland at least).
 
Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa all went metric about the same time as Britain and got the job over and done with a long time ago. I believe it saves a year and half of schooling, which is better spent on other matters.

There are a lot better methods than straight proportional representation. If you saved that year and a half of schooling and were less parochial you could study up on them.

Either way actually allowing a vote is always the first step away from a corrupt and undemocratic regime, or is that too "European" ?
 
1. Happy meals on the Talibans. Check.
2. Dick Cheney needs no voice. He needs a colonic. Check.
3. Tony the phony bent over. Check
4. Real democracy. Iran? Israel? Check.
5. Pubs use to close at 10 o'clock in Scotland. Check
 
Forgot this rubaiyat

Of course Corsica has a different status from the "metropole." Like all "islands" under French rule...be it Tahiti, Martinique, St. Pierre or wherever. Subsidies à go go, tax exemptions and State workers getting double pay. As starters. That's why they are corrupt...both with Paris and Brussels. They can't get enough. Only a few nut cases want independence.

But get back to the UK question guys. Rangoon, out.
 
You get to vote for the European Parliament, that is if you bother.

The complaint that the Executive is unelected is a circular argument.

You use it as an argument against a European constitution, which would give you the right to vote for the Executive.

As a result you are insisting on an unelected Executive, so that you can lambast it for being undemocratic.

etc etc.
 
There are a lot better methods than straight proportional representation. If you saved that year and a half of schooling and were less parochial you could study up on them.

Actually the Scottish Parilament is elected by the additional member system, which is a hybrid of FPTP and PR. I think it works quite well in that it's more representative, however it does pretty much require coalition (it was put in place to make it harder for the SNP to get a majority). The Scottish council elections are using Single Transferable Vote for the first time, not sure about Wales/NI.
 
We have several sophisticated voting innovations in the ACT.

First is the secret ballot, developed in Victoria, which removed the bribery and corruption endemic in voting and now is virtually universal around the world.

Second is compulsory voting which avoids all possibilities of stacking and manipulation of votes.

Third is the preferential voting system, another Australian innovation, which means that a voter need not concern themselves their vote will be wasted because they chose a smaller political group. Basically it is an elimination system. The vote of failed candidates is redistributed to the next preferred candidate until one candidate achieves a majority.

Fourth is the rotating ballot paper which eliminates the donkey vote. No one candidate has all the ballot papers with their name at the top so gathering up the lazy (or donkey) vote.

Fifth is the absence of party names on ballot papers and the banning of political parties from approaching closer than 100m to voting booths. This (in theory) is to make voters research and make decisions based on the candidates' qualities. As I said this is the theory. The practice is different, people bring in their own "How to vote sheets" into voting booths. All the law can do is forbid them to leave them in the booths.

Sixth is the Hare-Clarke or multiple-candidate seat (invented in Tasmania) which is the ideal combination of proportional and representational voting. The pool of candidates is eliminated preferentially till the allocated 4-5 candidates is elected. This usually ensures you have a candidate who represents your view in your electorate. It also gives a much better chance for independents to get in.

This system has been put into effect to give the fairest and most representative system. We look on the disastrous and clumsy systems in place around the world and wince. Especially the American and British systems which supposedly are the homelands of democracy and instead are effectively "managed" democracies.

The only step we have not yet completed is the achieving of a republic and the elimination of the monarchy. This was mainly due to the macinations of our present prime Minister who made sure we had Hobson's choice when it came to the vote.

Despite Australians' being overwhelmingly for a Republic, the vote was rejected because we were not offered the option of an elected President in the model of Ireland's President.

Does this give us better candidates or candidates who are not just rich or from elite groups? Can't say it succeeds 100% but it certainly works against the manipulations of the politicians and gives smaller parties and popular independents a chance.

Oh and I forgot the most important of all is the independent Electoral Commission. This ensures the electoral laws are enforced and gerrymanders are avoided by redrawing electoral boundaries within strict parameters as populations shift and grow. This is one "innovation" the Americans desperately need.

btw Any organisation or union can call on the Electoral Commssion to aid in the fair and correct running of their elections. Even smaller Pacific Nations are assisted in their own elections.
 
where is Bbloke when you need him?
Yes Bbloke, where are you? Our hour of need is present.

1. Happy meals on the Talibans. Check.
2. Dick Cheney needs no voice. He needs a colonic. Check.
3. Tony the phony bent over. Check
4. Real democracy. Iran? Israel? Check.
5. Pubs use to close at 10 o'clock in Scotland. Check
Rock On Reed!

... and then you've got the weird EU rules (or would have if we had decided these rules were enforcable) :

Bananas must not bend abnormally
Bananas should be at least 5.5in long and 1.05in round
Peaches below 2.2in diameter must not be sold between July and October
Carrots must be 0.75in wide, apart from baby carrots
Jeez, have you seen the regulations British superstores, Tesco and Sainsburys insist on for their veg?

Have you seen the Top Gear episode where the team (The Hamster, Captain Slow and Clarkson) is in American. If you haven't - well, I wont spoil it for you...
Yes a lot of fun, but I wonder how staged it was. And Clarkson is a bigot. I like Americans (except Dick Cheney of course).

We have several sophisticated voting innovations in the ACT.

First is the secret ballot, developed in Victoria, which removed the bribery and corruption endemic in voting and now is virtually universal around the world.

Second is compulsory voting which avoids all possibilities of stacking and manipulation of votes....
A great system.
 
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