NationStates Jolt Archive

We've heard a great deal about how British people are too involved with the American elections - now lets reverse the situation. To all Americans:

Do you know what Parliament is or how it functions?

Do you know what the main political parties are in the UK?

Can you name any of the minor parties?

Can you name the leaders of any of the parties?

Can you name any senior members of the Government other than Tony Blair?

Do you know how British elections work?

Do your news media highlight the British elections?

Do you think British democracy is out of date?

Do you think Britain is a socialist nation (odd but the other day on the news I heard an American decribe Europe as "basically socialist")?

I am just really curious to see how much Americans know about the British politics in comparison to how much we know about theirs. After all our news stations constantly bombard us with tripe from the US elections whether we want (or care) to hear about it.

Ooooo. This could be fun!

I played pol uk, very respectable.

And so we wait, wheres the intelligent answers? :D

Do you think Britain is a socialist nation (odd but the other day on the news I heard an American decribe Europe as "basically socialist")?

No more than China is "people's republic".

Umm . . . Parliament: the party with the most people in it gets their PM in office, rite?

Or am I dead wrong

To answer the Question whether Parliament is out of date, Canada is now considering altering/changing the way we determine the number of seats for each party via proportional representation. This system would strictly benefit one major party (NDP) and one minor party (The Green Party, which had 2% of the national vote but failed to win one seat) that only gets around 20 seats but with proportional rep would get around 40. All other parties would lose several seats or remain the same. I'm against proportional representation and actually see British Parliament acceptable for Canada.

Umm . . . Parliament: the party with the most people in it gets their PM in office, rite?

Or am I dead wrong



Correct, unless there is a minority government but thats a very complicated process.

The difference is: we aren't trying to influence your elections. I think you should know, though, that the campaign of letters and the 'Guardian' telling Americans to assassinate the president today won't have the effect you guys want.

Truth be told, I know more about Jpanese politics. I think that a big problem is that neither side of the pond understands the political processes of the other. A big thing I see is confusion over what the parties in each country believe.

Before I start I'm going to admit beforehand that I know next to nothing about British politics, but I'm gonna give it my best shot for a good laugh.

Do you know what Parliament is or how it functions?
I've always assumed it works fairly similar to Congress, but I have no clue on the details.

Do you know what the main political parties are in the UK?
Labor and Lib-Dem. I'm not sure if there are others that would be considered "major", and I sure as hell don't know their names

Can you name any of the minor parties?
No, unless your minor parties have the same name as ours.

Can you name the leaders of any of the parties?
I could, but they'd all be wrong and I'd make even more of an ass out of myself.

Can you name any senior members of the Government other than Tony Blair?
I heard Queen Elizabeth can still command the army.

Do you know how British elections work?
Is it the popular vote that wins?

Do your news media highlight the British elections?
No, CNN seems to like Iraq and our election too much.

Do you think British democracy is out of date?
From the little I know/think I know, the Queen has too much power over the military for a non-elected official.

Do you think Britain is a socialist nation (odd but the other day on the news I heard an American decribe Europe as "basically socialist")?
No, but it seems to have more socialist tendencies than the US. It's easy to think of a lot of US corporations, but I don't think I could name one British one, but the UK definitely isn't socialist.

Do you know what Parliament is or how it functions?

Absolutely no clue.

Do you know what the main political parties are in the UK?

Conservative Party...that's it. I don't know the others...

Can you name any of the minor parties?

I can only name one major party lol

Can you name the leaders of any of the parties?

I sure can't

Can you name any senior members of the Government other than Tony Blair?

I think a Parrot that can talk has an equal shot as me at guessing here...

Do you know how British elections work?

No, no I do not.

Do your news media highlight the British elections?

LOL

Hell no.

Do you think British democracy is out of date?

I don't know anything about it to begin with...

Do you think Britain is a socialist nation (odd but the other day on the news I heard an American decribe Europe as "basically socialist")?

Eh, not Socialist. But I dunno the word for it. But I find it hilarious that the DNC (Our Left Party) would be considered extremely right wing in Europe. I just find that hilarious.

I travel over to the UK a lot and have family in Scotland, so I'll consider myself unqualified to answer these questions (as I'm not the run of the mill American). Even so, I don't think I could name /any/ of the minor parties over there without looking them up.

And to answer some of your other questions, no, the US news media doesn't cover the UK politics at all unless it's some back-page "we need to fill some room" kind of story, or unless something huge just happened. Even if it's huge, it's usually not even front page on the "world" section in our papers. It'll never be on TV.

As to the UK being socialist, it's considered slightly so in this country because of the many government run public works (though we have a few as well), the health care system, and simply the larger government involvement in many parts of daily life like education and social services. So I wouldn't say people think the UK /is/ socialist, just relatively (compared to the US) /more/ socialist.

dp

Isn't the whole coalition government thing sort of unstable? That is what I fail to understand about other governments...why hobble yourself so much by having to reorganize so much? Granted, the US has its share of problem areas...

Isn't the whole coalition government thing sort of unstable? That is what I fail to understand about other governments...why hobble yourself so much by having to reorganize so much? Granted, the US has its share of problem areas...

Hahaha! "Problem areas", indeed! Your whole system is a disgrace (not that ours is that much better).

The difference is: we aren't trying to influence your elections.Pepe Dominguez...from Venezuela :D

You know what i find interesting: The Brit "prez" is a libbie (liberal left wing)...and the French Prez is from the Righ wing...

Well if any Americans want the answers ( I doubt you do) then either telegram me or wait a few days and I will post the answers on here.

You know what i find interesting: The Brit "prez" is a libbie (liberal left wing)...and the French Prez is from the Righ wing...


Umm... I know that's in quotation marks but still, we don't have a "prez" over here due to constitutional monarchy. We have her Majesty's Prime Minister. Though I still don't see how the political standpoints of the French President and the British Prime Minister is so interesting.

I'm not sure if I should be disturbed or relieved that none of the Americans have been able to list either Sinn Fein or the BNP as minor political parties in the UK - whether this says more about their ignorance or the low profile these political parties get internationally I dont know.

Do you know what Parliament is or how it functions? Parliament is the British legislative body, elected in a "first-past-the-post" manner just as Congress is in the U.S. It has two houses, the House of Lords (which is pretty much the Supreme Court, really) and the House of Commons (which actually votes on bills.)

Do you know what the main political parties are in the UK? Conservative (aka Tories, roughly the equivalent of U.S. Republicans, except more organized), Labour (roughly U.S. Democrats, except usually more to the left, though recently that's changed), and Liberal Democrats (regional third party to the left of Labour.)

Can you name any of the minor parties? I believe there are Scottish, Welsh, and perhaps Northern Irish national parties, not to mention the BNP, Greens, etc.

Can you name the leaders of any of the parties? Tony Blair, Labour; Ian Duncan Smith, Tory Leader; Charles Kennedy, Liberal Democrats

Can you name any senior members of the Government other than Tony Blair? As I stated above, Ian Duncan Smith and Charles Kennedy, though they are the only ones who come to mind right now.

Do you know how British elections work? Elections must happen a minimum of once every five years, though the PM can call them beforehand if he thinks they will be advantageous to his party. Parliament can also issue a vote of "no confidence" against the PM and select a new one.

Do your news media highlight the British elections? Haven't heard it do so, no.

Do you think British democracy is out of date? No more than American democracy is.

Do you think Britain is a socialist nation (odd but the other day on the news I heard an American decribe Europe as "basically socialist")? Nah, certainly to a lesser degree than mainland Europe.

Umm . . . Parliament: the party with the most people in it gets their PM in office, rite?

Or am I dead wrong
Correct, unless there is a minority government but thats a very complicated process.

Not quite - it is at the Queen's discretion to whom she offers the post of Prime Minister - traditionally it has always been the head of the party that holds the majority of seats, or the person but forward by a coalition, but it doesn't constitutionally have to be. The monarch would be within their rights to offer the post to another person or party, and this is often described as being a final bulwark against extremism.

We've heard a great deal about how British people are too involved with the American elections - now lets reverse the situation. To all Americans:

Do you know what Parliament is or how it functions?

Do you know what the main political parties are in the UK?

Can you name any of the minor parties?

Can you name the leaders of any of the parties?

Can you name any senior members of the Government other than Tony Blair?

Do you know how British elections work?

Do your news media highlight the British elections?

Do you think British democracy is out of date?

Do you think Britain is a socialist nation (odd but the other day on the news I heard an American decribe Europe as "basically socialist")?

I am just really curious to see how much Americans know about the British politics in comparison to how much we know about theirs. After all our news stations constantly bombard us with tripe from the US elections whether we want (or care) to hear about it.

All I know is the labor party and the tory party, however for the past 4 years I have been so caught up in our own government, for reasons that need no explaining I have had no time to look at the English government.

The difference is: we aren't trying to influence your elections. I think you should know, though, that the campaign of letters and the 'Guardian' telling Americans to assassinate the president today won't have the effect you guys want.
In other words, no, you don't.

Umm... I know that's in quotation marks but still, we don't have a "prez" over here due to constitutional monarchy. We have her Majesty's Prime Minister. Though I still don't see how the political standpoints of the French President and the British Prime Minister is so interesting.
I think its the fact that Blair, as a supposed liberal, has his nose up Bush's arse, but Chirac, a supposed conservative (although he was more leftwing than the person he was running against), is considirably more willing to tell Bush that he IS an arse.

Quite impressive Ice Hockey Players.

But not 100%.

The leader of the Conservative party is now Michael Howard, this changed from IDS some months ago.

The House of Lords DOES vote on bills and has the power to block them (though technically this is only a delay due to a little thing called the Parliament act- which looks likely to come into play over fox hunting).

The leaders of the opposition parties aren't technically in the government, and so don't count as members. You'd want to look at, say Gordon Brown (chancellor), David Blunkett (home secretary) or Jack Straw (foreign secretary).

To most Britons- and I'd guess somewhere like NS ALL Britons- these are very very familiar names. It's strange to think of the US knowing so little about British Politics. Probably since we hear SO much about theirs.

Anyway. Still impressive.

Do you know what Parliament is or how it functions? Parliament is the British legislative body, elected in a "first-past-the-post" manner just as Congress is in the U.S. It has two houses, the House of Lords (which is pretty much the Supreme Court, really) and the House of Commons (which actually votes on bills.)

Do you know what the main political parties are in the UK? Conservative (aka Tories, roughly the equivalent of U.S. Republicans, except more organized), Labour (roughly U.S. Democrats, except usually more to the left, though recently that's changed), and Liberal Democrats (regional third party to the left of Labour.)

Can you name the leaders of any of the parties? Tony Blair, Labour; Ian Duncan Smith, Tory Leader; Charles Kennedy, Liberal Democrats

Can you name any senior members of the Government other than Tony Blair? As I stated above, Ian Duncan Smith and Charles Kennedy, though they are the only ones who come to mind right now.
Just a couple of things worth mentioning:

The House of Lords does have some more responsibilities than the Supreme Court with regard to legislation passing.

Lib Dems have until very recently been considered centrist compared to the right wing Tories and left wing Labour.

Conservatives are to the left of the Republicans. In fact, it wouldn't be completely out of line to say that the Conservative party is to the left of the Democrats, but not everyone would agree there

Ian Duncan Smith is not the leader of the Conservative party any more, now its Micheal Howard.

Neither Ian Duncan Smith nor Charles Kennedy would really be considered senior members of the government if you ask me. Significant political figures certainly, but the government thing would be questionable.

Labor and Lib-Dem. I'm not sure if there are others that would be considered "major", and I sure as hell don't know their names



That would be my idea of heaven, two left wing parties as major parties :D

That would be my idea of heaven, two left wing parties as major parties :D

...if you can still consider the Labour party of today as being left-wing...

Can you name the leaders of any of the parties? Tony Blair, Labour; Ian Duncan Smith, Tory Leader; Charles Kennedy, Liberal Democrats



I'm impressed someone outside the UK has even heard of quietman. ( IDS)

We've heard a great deal about how British people are too involved with the American elections - now lets reverse the situation. To all Americans:

Do you know what Parliament is or how it functions?

Do you know what the main political parties are in the UK?

Can you name any of the minor parties?

Can you name the leaders of any of the parties?

Can you name any senior members of the Government other than Tony Blair?

Do you know how British elections work?

Do your news media highlight the British elections?

Do you think British democracy is out of date?

Do you think Britain is a socialist nation (odd but the other day on the news I heard an American decribe Europe as "basically socialist")?

I am just really curious to see how much Americans know about the British politics in comparison to how much we know about theirs. After all our news stations constantly bombard us with tripe from the US elections whether we want (or care) to hear about it.

I sometimes don't even understand how things work in America.:D

Here I go.

Do you know what Parliament is or how it functions?

Let's see...well it's similar to our Congress but theres the House of Lords that are appointed and that can override them unless Parliament uses some law. Basically very similar.

Do you know what the main political parties are in the UK?

Labor, Tory (Conservative), Liberal Democrats

Can you name any of the minor parties?

Green, UKIP, and all those nationalist parties.

Can you name the leaders of any of the parties?

Um...labor is Tony Blair and Tory is Michael Howard.

Can you name any senior members of the Government other than Tony Blair?

Gorden Brown and Geoff Hoon (just because of his awkward name) and Alastair Campbell .... or did he resign?

Do you know how British elections work?

Well for one thing they're easier for little parties. And other than that I don't know much except that Parliament elects the PM.

Do your news media highlight the British elections?

Mabye for about 30 seconds every week.

Do you think British democracy is out of date?

As an American I don't think so. I mean it was Britain that gave the world Parliamentary democracy. And your leaders seem to be more open to the people they represent.

Do you think Britain is a socialist nation (odd but the other day on the news I heard an American decribe Europe as "basically socialist")?

Not to the degree that the rest of Europe is, although many Americans see the rest of the world as socialist because we one of the most free-market economies anywhere in the world and we don't have socialized medicine.

Yay I get the high score. Thank you Government class!

This should answer many questions. http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/uk.html

To answer the Question whether Parliament is out of date, Canada is now considering altering/changing the way we determine the number of seats for each party via proportional representation. This system would strictly benefit one major party (NDP) and one minor party (The Green Party, which had 2% of the national vote but failed to win one seat) that only gets around 20 seats but with proportional rep would get around 40. All other parties would lose several seats or remain the same. I'm against proportional representation and actually see British Parliament acceptable for Canada.

We have Mixed Member Proportional here in New Zealand. It works pretty well. It's more democratic than FPP. In our system a party has to reach 5% of the party vote to actually get seats in parliament. There's also the separate electorate vote too. Also, two minor parties can benefit if one party does not hold the balance of power on its own. As has happened here.



I heard Queen Elizabeth can still command the army.

...

From the little I know/think I know, the Queen has too much power over the military for a non-elected official.


The Britons can correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm fairly sure you're attributing too much power to Her Majesty. She's more a figurehead, sure she theoretically has these powers, but they're a throwback to earlier times, she has no 'real' power of the military. In fact, I'd say she has very little 'real' power at all.

Oh and just to clear up some confusion I've had, wasn't there something about the House of Commons or the House of Lords being abolished?
I thought it was the House of Lords, but that made no sense to me because they're the highest court of appeal in your country. Was their another role they had that got abolished...?

Oh and just to clear up some confusion I've had, wasn't there something about the House of Commons or the House of Lords being abolished?
I thought it was the House of Lords, but that made no sense to me because they're the highest court of appeal in your country. Was their another role they had that got abolished...?
The House of Lords is still there, but 'reformed' - decreased numbers of hereditary peers and increased numbers of appinted members. The supreme court function is in some ways separate already from the House of Lords legislative function (see previous posts) - the Law Lords are all appointed, and don't take part in legislative debates. If the House of Lords is abolished, the supreme court function would continue. There are plans in hand to spin it off to a separate body, anyway. With New Labour in power, that'll probably mean privatisation to the highest bidder.

The key thing to know about British politics is that Tony Blair has outsourced British foreign policy to George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, et al. Since the British government no longer operates under the premise that they represent the best interests of the British people when it comes to foreign affairs it is best to adopt the same position as Brits, which is to ignore politics and engage in a more meaningful debate:

Who will win the Premiership and do Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, or Man U have a shot at the Champions League title?

(I'm not slightling Celtic, but since they haven't won a Champions League match yet, well...)

Do you know what Parliament is or how it functions?
Parliament is the legislative branch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Like most countries with a Unitary System, sovereignity resides within Parliament itself. While the national Parliament has given Scotland, and Wales, and measure of Home Rule, it can be revoked as in the example of Northern Ireland.

Parliamentary representation is through districts with a magnitude in the low teens (I can't remember the exact number off the top of my head). The party, or coalition, that can secure 51% of the seat of the House of Commons has its leader invited by the Queen to create a Government. The leader of the party, in this case the Labour Party, will almost certainly become Prime Minister. The Prime Minister then selects his Cabinet from among his own party and/or from his coalition partners. (Although the United Kingdom has usually been a two-party system for all practical purposes).

The Prime Minister and his Cabinet are "the Government". If they cannot pass legislation then they have lost the confidence of their own party and the Government collapses. Unlike in a Congressional system, in a Parliament the "out" parties have very little power.

Parliament functions as the living continuation of the British nation. Its laws, due to the lack of a written constitution, are sacrosanct.

Do you know what the main political parties are in the UK?
Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat

Can you name any of the minor parties?
Sinn Fien, United Britain, and the nationalist parties of Scotland and Wales.

Can you name the leaders of any of the parties?
Labour- Tony Blair
Conservative- Michael Howard
Liberal Dems- Kennedy


David Blunkett, Jack Straw, Gordon Brown, Geoff Hoon, John Prescott

[quote]Do you know how British elections work?
Yes.

Do your news media highlight the British elections?
Yes.

Do you think British democracy is out of date?
As is what is happening with both Federal and Unitary Systems, they are evolving into a hybrid state of democracy. British democracy isn't out of date, its just evolving at its own pace.

Do you think Britain is a socialist nation (odd but the other day on the news I heard an American decribe Europe as "basically socialist")?
First of all, Europe is qualified as "moderate socialism". Britain, due to New Labour and the Conservative Party, is much more to the right that most of Europe. Britian is a just right of "social democratic" nation but left of the United States ideal of a lassiez-faire government.

....

Parliamentary representation is through districts with a magnitude in the low teens (I can't remember the exact number off the top of my head).

....

Sinn Fien, United Britain, and the nationalist parties of Scotland and Wales.

.....



I can't remember the current exact number (it's not fixed), but around 635 members of parliament; and I've never heard of United Britain. If you're including Sinn Fein, you ought to also include at least the Ulster unionist parties (is that who you mean by United Britain?), UKIP, the Greens and the Monster Raving Loony Party.

But the rest of your answers are pretty much spot on.

I can't remember the current exact number (it's not fixed), but around 635 members of parliament; and I've never heard of United Britain. If you're including Sinn Fein, you ought to also include at least the Ulster unionist parties (is that who you mean by United Britain?), UKIP, the Greens and the Monster Raving Loony Party.

But the rest of your answers are pretty much spot on.

I know the numbers of MPs, I was talking about the district magnitude during the elections. As for United Britian, I meant to say the UKIP.

As for the Greens, I only mention one crack-pot party per post. As I already mentioned the Liberal Dems...

I know the numbers of MPs, I was talking about the district magnitude during the elections. As for United Britian, I meant to say the UKIP.



In which case, my apologies. But what do you mean by district magnitude?

Do you know what Parliament is or how it functions?

I believe it's the legislative body, and that it elects the Prime Minister.

Do you know what the main political parties are in the UK?
Labor's one.

Can you name any of the minor parties?
The green party claims to be international, so it must be in the UK.

Can you name the leaders of any of the parties?
Presumably Blair leads one.

Can you name any senior members of the Government other than Tony Blair?
The queen. Otherwise no.

Do you know how British elections work?
I imagine it's divided up by region. The public elects people to the House of Commons. IIRC you only get to vote for a party, not a person.

Do your news media highlight the British elections?
No.

Do you think British democracy is out of date?
If it still has a House of Lords, then yes.

Do you think Britain is a socialist nation (odd but the other day on the news I heard an American decribe Europe as "basically socialist")?
No. Probably more socialist than the US, but that says very very little.

In which case, my apologies. But what do you mean by district magnitude?

District Magnitude-
(Examples)
United States of America- in races for the House a single Representative is elected from a district. The district sends only one representative. The District Magnitude is 1.

Israel- the entire Parliament comes up for national election. There is only one nationwide district. The District Magnitude is 120 (or however many seats there are in the Knesset).


If for the US House of Reps a district would elect two people, then it would have a District Magnitude of 2.

The House of Lords is still there, but 'reformed' - decreased numbers of hereditary peers and increased numbers of appinted members. The supreme court function is in some ways separate already from the House of Lords legislative function (see previous posts) - the Law Lords are all appointed, and don't take part in legislative debates. If the House of Lords is abolished, the supreme court function would continue. There are plans in hand to spin it off to a separate body, anyway. With New Labour in power, that'll probably mean privatisation to the highest bidder.

Ah right, I thought it was something like that. I know the Law Lords don't have any legislative function, that would undermine the separation of powers doctrine a little. I hadn't realised that House of Lords had any legislative function at all though, I thought that was all in Parliament and the House of Commons... I guess that's because I'd treated House of Lords as synonomous with the Court.

Privatisation of courts...hmmm...seems a little odd. I'd be a little concerned at turning it into a business, I wonder how that would affect the dispensation of justice...

We've heard a great deal about how British people are too involved with the American elections - now lets reverse the situation. To all Americans:

Do you know what Parliament is or how it functions?

If its anything like the US senate, its a bunch of incompotent morons. If its anything like the South African parliament, its a bunch of incompotent, corrupt morons. Based on my last visit to Britain, im guessing the latter. For this reason i dont care much.

Do you know what the main political parties are in the UK?

The Conservatives, the Labor Party... cant remember some of the others. Not much reason for me to care about this either.

Can you name any of the minor parties?

No

Can you name the leaders of any of the parties?

No

Can you name any senior members of the Government other than Tony Blair?

I used to be able to, cant anymore

Do you know how British elections work?

We dont know how our own are supposed to work.

Do your news media highlight the British elections?

LOL. We hardly notice Britain, let alone care who you guys elect. One of our presidential canidates has even failed to notice your help in Iraq.

Do you think British democracy is out of date?

We couldnt care less. We have enough problems to deal with here

Do you think Britain is a socialist nation (odd but the other day on the news I heard an American decribe Europe as "basically socialist")?

Moreso than the US, but certainly not as bad as on the European mainland. I would pick the British economy over say, the German economy. Also, statistics show that Britain is slowly becoming more capitalistic, in some respects even beginning to emulate the US. Highly social capitalist systems are a symptom of high population density, which makes sense, somewhat.

I am just really curious to see how much Americans know about the British politics in comparison to how much we know about theirs. After all our news stations constantly bombard us with tripe from the US elections whether we want (or care) to hear about it.

Thats logical. The US is still a widely hated and widely noticed nation, and many western news stations focus on it since it is such an important nation, being the financial center of the entire western world, and one of the best trade links the west has to Asia. The US media itself is lazy, cynical, and profit-hungry, and any internation news services we get are quite crappy. The only exception to the cynicism and sensationalism is Fox, which reports selectively to glorify US efforts, giving it a diffrent set of weaknesses. You British are lucky to have SkyNews, which, last time i was there, was quite watchable. On the other hand, your government also spawned a streaming propaganda network known as the BBC World Service, something which the South African government used instead of Al-Jazzera. Thats for a diffrent thread though


Ultimately politics dont matter all that much, what matters is what the people do collectively under this corruption and stupidity. I wonder why we care so much about our own.

District Magnitude-
(Examples)
United States of America- in races for the House a single Representative is elected from a district. The district sends only one representative. The District Magnitude is 1.

Israel- the entire Parliament comes up for national election. There is only one nationwide district. The District Magnitude is 120 (or however many seats there are in the Knesset).


If for the US House of Reps a district would elect two people, then it would have a District Magnitude of 2.

OK, got it now. Our district magnitude is one for the UK parliament. Each constituency sends one member of parliament to the Commons. European elections have multiple member constituencies though, hence possible confusion.

Ah right, I thought it was something like that. I know the Law Lords don't have any legislative function, that would undermine the separation of powers doctrine a little. I hadn't realised that House of Lords had any legislative function at all though, I thought that was all in Parliament and the House of Commons... I guess that's because I'd treated House of Lords as synonomous with the Court.

Privatisation of courts...hmmm...seems a little odd. I'd be a little concerned at turning it into a business, I wonder how that would affect the dispensation of justice...
The House of Lords review and amend bills debated by the Commons. But the Commons can invoke the Parliament Act to over-rule the Lords if they can't reach a mutually acceptable outcome.

(The privatisation line was a joke.)

I'm not sure if I should be disturbed or relieved that none of the Americans have been able to list either Sinn Fein or the BNP as minor political parties in the UK - whether this says more about their ignorance or the low profile these political parties get internationally I dont know.
It is just not relevant to me so I don't pay it any mind. If the US election wasn't being shoved in your face by the BBC, would you really even bother to look it up?

my thought on British Goverment structure?

What ever works for you and if you're happy with it... Great!

It is just not relevant to me so I don't pay it any mind. If the US election wasn't being shoved in your face by the BBC, would you really even bother to look it up?
no.

It is just not relevant to me so I don't pay it any mind. If the US election wasn't being shoved in your face by the BBC, would you really even bother to look it up?no.
There you go. The once in a blue moon I watch the House of Commons on CNET it's for the laughs and to enjoy the level of oratory. It's refreshing as opposed to the bland meanderings of Congress.

British politics? I know I don't care, that's for damn sure. ;)

no to all but the first one.. and frankly i dont care either. :p

It is just not relevant to me so I don't pay it any mind. If the US election wasn't being shoved in your face by the BBC, would you really even bother to look it up?

The fact that I don't have a TV, and still have some knowledge of the US election is probably sufficient to answer your question: whether we like it or not, when the populace of the US vote, they vote for the world.

The fact that I don't have a TV, and still have some knowledge of the US election is probably sufficient to answer your question: whether we like it or not, when the populace of the US vote, they vote for the world.

Which is why the Republican Party should have nominated McCain in 2000...*sigh*

Well, Great Britain will have an election of its own soon enough. Three cheers for "Three Term Tony".

Do you know what Parliament is or how it functions?

The UK Parliament is based on a two chamber system. The House of Lords and the House of Commons sit separately, and are constituted on different principles. However, the legislative process involves both Houses.
Parliament has three main functions:
• to examine proposals for new laws;
• to scrutinise government policy and administration;
• to debate the major issues of the day.

Do you know what the main political parties are in the UK?

Main Political Parties in UK Government Since 1900: Liberal, Labor (or Labour) and Conservative

Can you name any of the minor parties?

UK Independence Party
Jinnah League
Democratic Party
Islamic Party of Britain
Legalise Cannabis Alliance Party
The Natural Law Party; to name a few

Can you name the leaders of any of the parties?
Going on is Prime Minister Tony Blair is in Birmingham where he will visit a community centre before going on to a series of other engagements.
Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith is taking his party's campaign to Sale, in north west England before heading to Halifax and Leeds in Yorkshire.
And Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy kicked off his day's campaigning in Milton Keynes before going on to Oxford
Can you name any senior members of the Government other than Tony Blair?
Mavis McDonald, Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office

Do you know how British elections work?
Yes, Today in the United Kingdom there are five distinct types of elections: general, local, regional, European and mayoral. Five different electoral systems are currently used in the United Kingdom, the most in any country. These are: First Past the Post, Party list, Single Transferable Vote, Additional Member System and Supplementary Vote.

There is an entry on the practicalities of campaigning in British elections at political campaigning.

Elections in the UK are traditionally held on Thursday. I hope that is enough
Do your news media highlight the British elections?
Okay, it does your news media highlight the British elections, and no they do not.

Do you think British democracy is out of date?That is my opinion, and that does not matter

Do you think Britain is a socialist nation (odd but the other day on the news I heard an American decribe Europe as "basically socialist")?
Again, that does not matter

Anyways, I am from Omaha, Nebraska in the United States. I hope this helps.

Do you know what Parliament is or how it functions?

Men (and homely women) dress up and yell, with affected accents that no one would use on the street. Those who aren't yelling busy themselves harrumphing, grunting, groaning, or saying "hear, hear."


Can you name the leaders of any of the parties?

I'm sure there's a guy named Nigel somewhere in there.


Can you name any senior members of the Government other than Tony Blair?

I'll go with Nigel again.


Do your news media highlight the British elections?

No, because Japanese politics are more interesting: They murmer a lot for a long time, then shout for a few seconds, then physically assault each other. No one gets hurt because Japanese politicians don't know karate.

There has never been a single instance of an American news organization ever covering any Brit actually voting. That means that Brits do not vote.

American coverage of Britain is not done on the news shows, it's on the daytime talk shows. And the talk is all about Charles and Di (still), Willie and Harry, Lord Mick, Lord Elton, and Lord Larry.

Oh, and some of us more better educated people watched "Yes, Minister" faithfully.

Do you think British democracy is out of date?

So what if it is? It is Britain's duty to steadfastly cling to its charming anachronisms -- good for tourism and all that. Without it, where would people go to see "Merry olde England"? And what tourist would set foot in an English hardware store if it weren't called an Ironmonger?

Do you think Britain is a socialist nation (odd but the other day on the news I heard an American decribe Europe as "basically socialist")?

Trick question!! Britain is not part of Europe, really. I mean, there's that EU thing, but it's nothing but a trading bloc and some border policies. Britain won't really be a part of Europe until there are snakes in Ireland and rabid dogs on the streets of London. Oh, and single-spout sink faucets.


I am just really curious to see how much Americans know about the British politics in comparison to how much we know about theirs. After all our news stations constantly bombard us with tripe from the US elections whether we want (or care) to hear about it.

I guess that's because America matters and Britain... well, British Glory is more a hazy memory preserved in textbooks now, isn't it? Don't despair, though. No one makes better shortbread than the Scots; Triumph motorcycles are better than ever, and Boddington's Ale is the world's best.

Do you know what Parliament is or how it functions?

Parliament is Britain’s equivalent of Congress, maybe, I think, pretty sure

Do you know what the main political parties are in the UK?

Labour and some other guys

Can you name any of the minor parties?

no

Can you name the leaders of any of the parties?

no

Can you name any senior members of the Government other than Tony Blair?

Uh, Queen Elizabeth II

Do you know how British elections work?

People like vote

Do your news media highlight the British elections?

no

Do you think British democracy is out of date?

It’s a democracy?

Do you think Britain is a socialist nation (odd but the other day on the news I heard an American decribe Europe as "basically socialist")?

One American doesn’t represent the masses and not at this point but heading in that direction.

The House of Lords review and amend bills debated by the Commons. But the Commons can invoke the Parliament Act to over-rule the Lords if they can't reach a mutually acceptable outcome.

(The privatisation line was a joke.)


Maybe a joke, but in the USA, some civil cases are being not privatized, but capitalized, with idiotic show such as People's Court, Judge Judy, etc., clogging the airwaves and changing housewives' ideas about American jurisprudence.

We've heard a great deal about how British people are too involved with the American elections - now lets reverse the situation. To all Americans:

Do you know what Parliament is or how it functions?.Yes to both, although let's face it the House of Lords (technically part of Parliment) is of little purpose (except for the court thing), maybe it is time to abolish it.

Do you know what the main political parties are in the UK?. Which are you refering to Labour and Conservative only, or do you also consider the LD major? Main Parties is a pretty broad category and the The Greens despite having few (no?) seats in Parliment has a significant impact on policy well out of proportion to its size, as does, for other reasons, the BNP.

Can you name any of the minor parties? . Quite a few actually, I always liked the Monster Raving Loonie Party myself.

Can you name the leaders of any of the parties?. Well Blair of course. Unless you mean the whips who aren't really leaders in which case I cannot.

Can you name any senior members of the Government other than Tony Blair?. I must admit the only one's I can rememner are Staw, Brown and Blunkett unless Hoon is still in office.

Do you know how British elections work? . Not as well as I should, those at-large seats confuse me. Some MPs are elected directly in a first past the post manner like in the US, others are lumped together and those recieving the most votes get seats (Scottland has the mixed system, the British Parliment is straight first past the post). Sorry, didn't see you went to Britain from the UK, ignore it I understand the British system.

Do your news media highlight the British elections? .Highlight, no, not really. Most mention them and carry something on them, but Britain is not likely to have any major upsets worthy of highlighting like Switzerland did, or Austria a few years back, or even Holland the last time round (and yes I do know I should say The Netherlands). Actually far more worthy of highlighting is the controversy about the showdown over the EU government. There was a considerable ammount of attention paid to the 1997 election when things were in flux, but Labour's really got a solid lock and unless the BNP picks up a seat there is little likehood of anything important outside Britain is going to take place in a British election these days. maybe the next election.

Do you think British democracy is out of date?. Not really. I kinda think it is worthwhile to consider switching from the first-past-the -post system, but I don't think you should go from consideration to implementation. Now that you have PR you should spend a few more decades getting used to it before rushing headlong into a new variation. I suppose if Britain were conquered or something and had to set up an entirely new government than adopting an at-large-system might make sense, but at this point it is really more of fad in government than a more modern type.

Do you think Britain is a socialist nation (odd but the other day on the news I heard an American decribe Europe as "basically socialist")? . Yes actually, to some extent it is socialist. More of a semi-reformed Fabianism but socialist. I understand you have minimum wage laws, pollution laws and even a dole. I wouldn't say you were a communist nation or anything, but defintetly socialist. I'd say much further along on one of the 3rd Way (3rd Way in the old sense, a combination of socialism and capitalism not in the curent rhetorical vogue of the UK) paths than the US, but certainly less socialist than Sweeden. I'm just not sure which 3rd Way path Britain is really on though. In the sense that for the most part you consider the good of the whole to outweight the rights of the individual, then you are basically socialist (pretty much the US standard for using the term). One of the things very few Europeans understand about Americans is how steadfastly individualistic they are, this is changing and more of us are actually trusting of the government, but a large part of our cultural mythos is still based upon individualism and individual rights are to a great degree sacrosanct.

I am just really curious to see how much Americans know about the British politics in comparison to how much we know about theirs. After all our news stations constantly bombard us with tripe from the US elections whether we want (or care) to hear about it.[/b] Well, have an election which might shake things up and we'll pay attention. Canada had one a few months back and the we paid a fair ammount of attention to it, and even the Australian election got play because of the projections of a rejection of Howard, but Blair is pretty darn safe, there is little need to report that the staus quo is going to be maintained in the UK.

...if you can still consider the Labour party of today as being left-wing...
IMNSHO, they've strayed so far towards the right, that I've seen a few Conservative policies that are more left...

Sorry but I like the house of lords, alot more than those party driven numpties that profess to represent the electorate but follow what ever misguided illeducated prat happens to be party leader.

But now Two faced Tony has spat out his dummy and taken his ball home we will be in for more changes to the upper house, so that it becomes easier to bring party politics to the house and makes it easier for the commons to push any law they want through.

Do you think Britain is a socialist nation (odd but the other day on the news I heard an American decribe Europe as "basically socialist")?

One American doesn’t represent the masses and not at this point but heading in that direction.

The only way the UK is currently heading in the direction of becoming a socialist nation is if we go so far right we come out back round the other side.

Hoon is still in office which scares the hell out of me.

Britain's socilaism is largely a remnant of the post war Labour government with other "socialist" aspects coming from Europe.


I agree that the FPTP system is out of date but the funny thing is it is only supported by the parties who dont have any power and who would gain most by it....

We've heard a great deal about how British people are too involved with the American elections - now lets reverse the situation. To all Americans:

Do you know what Parliament is or how it functions?

Do you know what the main political parties are in the UK?

Can you name any of the minor parties?

Can you name the leaders of any of the parties?

Can you name any senior members of the Government other than Tony Blair?

Do you know how British elections work?

Do your news media highlight the British elections?

Do you think British democracy is out of date?

Do you think Britain is a socialist nation (odd but the other day on the news I heard an American decribe Europe as "basically socialist")?

I am just really curious to see how much Americans know about the British politics in comparison to how much we know about theirs. After all our news stations constantly bombard us with tripe from the US elections whether we want (or care) to hear about it.

I have no interest in answering these questions as I do not want to give away the answers. I do find parliamentary democracy fascinating. I wish the British election process was used over here as well.

Hoon is still in office which scares the hell out of me. Oh well, with all the calls for his resignation (how many now, a score?) I figured Blair would at least shuffle him to some less noticable post before the election. I looked it up, and he still has defence, not that he is incompetent at the job really but he is a bit of a political liability. I imagine the political calculators have figured the hit from the "disloyalty" of dumping Hoon would outweigh the disadvantages of his name. They're probably right, they are usually pretty good about that sort of thing, but I expected it to go otherwise.
Britain's socilaism is largely a remnant of the post war Labour government with other "socialist" aspects coming from Europe. Yes/no. Americans tend to use socialism in a differnet sense than Europeans, while Europeans tend to view socialism and fascism as opposites, Americans tend to view socialism and individualism as opposites. Euorpe in general, as well as Britain, does not have the US's cultural distrust of governemnt and idolization of the individual, that is what was probably ment by the statement that "Europe is basically socialist". It has more to do with the way the word is used than anything else.

An interesting observation is that just about any American political debate does not come down to a consideration of the best policy, but into an argument of competing individual rights. What is the best policy is rarely the issue once the gloves come off, which policy best protects rights is. Europeans, in general, sometimes use this sort of argmument, but it is uncommon while in the US it is almost the sole type of argument. A look at these forums should show this.

Do you know what the main political parties are in the UK?. Which are you refering to Labour and Conservative only, or do you also consider the LD major? Main Parties is a pretty broad category and the The Greens despite having few (no?) seats in Parliment has a significant impact on policy well out of proportion to its size, as does, for other reasons, the BNP.

Do your news media highlight the British elections? .Highlight, no, not really. Most mention them and carry something on them, but Britain is not likely to have any major upsets worthy of highlighting like Switzerland did, or Austria a few years back, or even Holland the last time round (and yes I do know I should say The Netherlands). Actually far more worthy of highlighting is the controversy about the showdown over the EU government. There was a considerable ammount of attention paid to the 1997 election when things were in flux, but Labour's really got a solid lock and unless the BNP picks up a seat there is little likehood of anything important outside Britain is going to take place in a British election these days. maybe the next election.

I am just really curious to see how much Americans know about the British politics in comparison to how much we know about theirs. After all our news stations constantly bombard us with tripe from the US elections whether we want (or care) to hear about it.[/b] Well, have an election which might shake things up and we'll pay attention. Canada had one a few months back and the we paid a fair ammount of attention to it, and even the Australian election got play because of the projections of a rejection of Howard, but Blair is pretty darn safe, there is little need to report that the staus quo is going to be maintained in the UK.


The Liberal democrats are still considered to be a main party, especially since it is possible that they may end up as Her majesty's opposition or what could be worse for both the country, and them, they could end up as Her Majesty's government. *shudders* If this happens (the latter, not the former, the former they need to do) the government would swiftly collapse and another election would be called. The Lib dems. (well the liberals, the Lib dems. have never been in power) have been out of power too long to be an effective government at this point; they need to be in opposition before becoming the government. And just for the record the only major parties within Britain are the Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrats. All the others are considered minor parties, although all continue to pick up votes in elections. However they don't stand in all of the main constituencies and as such unless all would unite and attempt to form a coalition (highly unlikely considering you have left, centrist and right wing parties) government none are likely to come to power.

As for the BNP they have, if I remember correctly picked up seats in the last few elections they have stood in so I don't see why them getting any should cause greater coverage. In actual fact, since the European Elections, they have dropped out of the political limelight over here so most people ignore them. The more likely party to gain seats in the next election would be UKIP due to the greater coverage granted to them by the media, however since their party leadership battle they are slowly dropping out of the limelight also.

While stating that Blair (and the Labour party's) position is safe, although I wish to believe it; I wouldn't like to say for a fact that it is so. I think we might end up with a coalition government this time.

Anyway, all said and done good answers Squi. :)

Ultimately politics dont matter all that much, what matters is what the people do collectively under this corruption and stupidity. I wonder why we care so much about our own.
Thats logical. The US is still a widely hated and widely noticed nation, and many western news stations focus on it since it is such an important nation, being the financial center of the entire western world, and one of the best trade links the west has to Asia. The US media itself is lazy, cynical, and profit-hungry, and any internation news services we get are quite crappy. The only exception to the cynicism and sensationalism is Fox, which reports selectively to glorify US efforts, giving it a diffrent set of weaknesses. You British are lucky to have SkyNews, which, last time i was there, was quite watchable. On the other hand, your government also spawned a streaming propaganda network known as the BBC World Service, something which the South African government used instead of Al-Jazzera. Thats for a diffrent thread though.


First I've heard of the BBC world service being governmental propaganda machine. Last I checked it was an independent media source, started to grant the public an independent media source. Indeed the service is owned by the public. And as for it spewing governmental propaganda, if it indeed was an institute for the propoganda machine, why then would the BBC and the government get into so many arguements concerning the BBC's coverage of the governments policies and decisions? In fact I highlight one very recent collision the Hutton Enquiry.

The NHS and the greater social role of the government really came about after the World War as it seemed a bit tight that all these people had fought in teh war and yet were not cared for at home, hell, the vote wasnt extended till after the war.


But yeah, the US was basicallly created to escape the government and to promote individuals rights, most important events in teh US history have stemmed from this basic idea, the fight against communism, the wars and the evolution of the political system