NationStates Jolt Archive

For all us brits, and for anyone paying attention to British politics i want general thoughts about the upcoming election early next year? Will the fox-hunting act have any say? Views on Blair and other parties? Go nuts... :sniper:

Well after blair made two pretty unpopular decisions (banning fox-huting and going to war) and as most people vote against PM's rather than for them it looks like he's pissed off just enough people to get him out but unfortunately that means the tories will almost definately get in. The libdems will never get enough support and neither will labour unless Tony Blair steps down so it looks like conservatives are in. Blair was quite cleer in losing his support: irst he pissed off the left-wing by going to war with Iraq then he pissed off the right-wing by banning fox-hunting (although labours not going to too popular on that front anyway) so i don't think that baning fox-hunting's going to affect it that much.

Belongs in the General forum, not here.

Hmm, i dont see any problem banning fox hunting. Fox are rare creatures if im not wrong, so why kill them just for the sake of killing?

I think Labour will win, but they will have a not so big majority and will have difficulty in getting anything passed.
I'll be out delivering leaflets for Labour as usual.

Hmm, i dont see any problem banning fox hunting. Fox are rare creatures if im not wrong, so why kill them just for the sake of killing?

For Sport.
And why not? This is obviously a question of relative morals.
Quite a few people would say that a tradition, employment and life-style is more important than some endangered animal species. Hell, they'd most likely suggest that there should be regulations that keep the fox population constant even with the hunt.

Basically Blair (who was more or less trying to stop this unpopular measure) alienated a group that isn't traditionally labor anyways and thereby lost a lot of potential votes. Especially in the more rural areas of which some people legal of age to vote live off of hunting services. (Such as maintaining stables, breeding hunting dogs, keeping the woods healthy and in a specific state for this, etc.)

What is the platform of the Conservative Party? Can someone fill me in?

Fox hunting was getting boring. Now you have Iraqis hunting...Thanks to Blair

Although I'm a Tory, it's pretty blatent Labour'll win again. But by a smaller majority of course. Fox hunting won't make too big a difference, most people who do it are middle/upper class who historically vote Conservative either way.

Although, with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I think the Muslim vote could just swing it for the tories...

VOTE CONSERVATIVE!

For all us brits, and for anyone paying attention to British politics i want general thoughts about the upcoming election early next year? Will the fox-hunting act have any say? Views on Blair and other parties? Go nuts... :sniper:

I voted Green at the European elections and will do so at the General election. I know they won't get in but at least my conscience will be clean.

What is the platform of the Conservative Party? Can someone fill me in?
They will bugger up the economy. Loads of people will lose their jobs and homes. Less police. No funding for hospitals and schools. Bribe people with low taxes.

Really all they want to do is get all the public services in such a bad state that there is no other choice but to privatise them.

Although I'm a Tory, it's pretty blatent Labour'll win again. But by a smaller majority of course. Fox hunting won't make too big a difference, most people who do it are middle/upper class who historically vote Conservative either way.

Although, with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I think the Muslim vote could just swing it for the tories...

VOTE CONSERVATIVE!
How can you support a party that has caused so much pain and misery for people?

Although I'm a Tory, it's pretty blatent Labour'll win again. But by a smaller majority of course. Fox hunting won't make too big a difference, most people who do it are middle/upper class who historically vote Conservative either way.

Although, with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I think the Muslim vote could just swing it for the tories...

VOTE CONSERVATIVE!

how can you say that when the welsh coal mines collapsed under the tories?

I'd like to congratulate Labor for another victory, and this reaffirmation of PM Blair's policies is a clear mandate from the British people to continue on the course they are headed...

*This is a pre-emptive congratulation*

For all us brits, and for anyone paying attention to British politics i want general thoughts about the upcoming election early next year? Will the fox-hunting act have any say? Views on Blair and other parties? Go nuts... :sniper:
I'm ambivalent about fox-hunting, but I'm not sure how unpopular it is overall. There's undoubtedly a very vocal sector who're making a lot of fuss, but what proportion of the electorate are on which side of the debate isn't clear.

I've seen polls which suggest 60% support hunting - but anyone can conduct a poll in such a way as to get an answer like that.

I shall be voting LibDem 'cos they're the only bunch who've consistently opposed this totally unjustified war in Iraq.

Whats so good about Blairs policies? :D

I'm glad that fox hunting is banned, although Blair did not want to ban it himself personally, let's get that right.

However, the fact remains I will never vote Labour again. Never.

The Iraq War put paid to that. Not to mention foundation hospitals to create a two tier health system, and 'elite' schools to create a two tier education system, and student fees, and overall continuation of tory polices.

The Blairites have killed the Labour Party, with their smug, bland, arrogant, patronising way of talking to the public.

And the way the ministers know they are lying, know it. Know they are lying to themselves and the people.

Vote Tory? Which party do you mean? Blair's lot or Howard's lot?

I won't vote for either.

Thatcher was evil, I lived under her dictatorship that saw the end of the British economy and and a unemployment high, the killing off of the coal mines, but at least if she thought you were a piece of shit, she would tell you, you knew where you stood with her and her evilness.


But with Blair, he is a two faced swine, and the big Unions suck up to him just to keep the now mirage that is the Labour Party in power, when it is far from what The Labour Party was, and stood for.

Thatcher herself said that her greatest achievement was 'New Labour'

That, sadly says it all.

Blair, son of Thatcher, Rottweiler of Bush.

The fox-hunting ban may actually increase the suffering of foxes as snares, poisons and guns will be used. Snares and poisons are potentially nasty and cause a slow, painful death that may end up getting otherm rarer animals. Shooting them may kill intantly, but more likely to wound and cause death by bloodloss. Urbanisation is possibly more of a threat to the fox than hunting, hunts rarely even catch anything to be honest. Also the number of hounds that will have to be killed will add up to more death than over 20 years of fox hunts.

Sory, a rant. Back on topic, I probably will turn up for polling day, but will likely spoil my ballot paper unless there is an Independent candidate (or Monster Raving Looney) that I agree with. Simply because I simply cannot trust any of the parties.

The State of It, the current Labour Party may be very different from the old Labour party. But you can't say that this goverment has not done a good job. Unemployment is at an all time low, there are more police, doctors and nurses. Hospitals and schools are no longer being neglected.
I wasn't alive when Thatcher was in power but from speaking to people who were I know that she and Blair are nowhere near being like each other.

I will when I am old enough vote for the labour party.
I will never vote for the party that took almost everything my parents owned away from them and I will never vote for the party that made it so my grandma had to die in a hospital that was dark, unclean and falling down around her.
When I see someone supporting the tories I just want to put my hands round their neck and keep hold of it untill they die.

I'm glad that fox hunting is banned, although Blair did not want to ban it himself personally, let's get that right.I think you'll find he did - he just didn't want to be seen to be the one to blame if it all went wrong.

The ban on fox-hunting will only encourage other forms of cruelty such as one post listed above. The use of snares will indiscriminately catch and kill anything that strays into them, the same can be said about the use of poison. Shooting foxes will increase the likelihood of instantly killing them but that in no way can be guaranteed, while a more popular method is to gas the entire den killing both the adult 'nuisance' foxes but with the added fatalities of the pups.

Actually hunting down the foxes with hounds is a far more conservational method of controlling the fox population as the foxes which generally end up being killed are the older, slower members. Consequently this means that their are fewer elderly, weaker members of the fox population breeding leaving a more youthful, stronger fox population to carry on their line. Granted hunting cannot guarantee this occurring every time, but it is a lot more discerning method than shooting or gassing which can cause mass causalties indiscriminate of age.

Also, the local hunts do more than just kill foxes, they also are responsible for the removal of 'fallen' livestock which the local councils do not claim responsibility for (hence protesters dumping dead animals in the street as a means of demonstration) and the number of jobs that are tied to fox-hunting , though not necessarily a large number, are traditional occupations which represent the character of the rural areas from which they have originated from. The banning of hunting will also mean that tracts of forest land in the countryside where previously the farmers allowed foxes to live and breed will be cleared for more farm land as there will be no reason to keep them.

Lastly, though the government intended to have the ban come into place in a number of years to give time for those involved in the hunts to 'retrain', the grassroots labour jobs which are dependent on fox-hunting are irreplacable and those involved will not be able to 'retrain' as the majority are specifically skilled labourours involved in such un-transferably skilled jobs such as the farriers. And finally, the number of horses and hounds which will have to be put down (if not just left stray) will be an unjustifiably large number compared with the number of foxes killed by the hunts.

Conclusively, the ban on fox-hunting is viewed by many as 'class retribution' (which explains why many hunt-saboteurs when out in the field refer to the huntsmen and women as 'filthy aristocrats') while in Parliament itself the use of the Parliament Act to pass this bill shows that the bill was merely a pawn in the greater power struggle between Commons and Lords.

All of this is ample reason to explain why I oppose the bill . . . but not ample enough reason as to why I posted it in this particular forum . . . shit :confused:

Sorry for the tangent rant I posted prior to this one, but I had to get it off my chest.

My predictions for the upcoming election are:

either it will be a hung Parliament or Labour will win by the most narrow of margins. If it is a hung Parliament, Labour will most likely plead with Charles Kennedy to establish The LibLab pact but only if Kennedy secures the promise of parliamentary reform to abolish proprtional representation. If Labour win by the most narrow of margins then they will have difficulty in implementing policies because of a large Conserative presence in the Commons.

However the Tories could pull off a slim election victory or increase their presence in the Commons by: sacking most of the Tory front benchers including Michael Howard and searching high and low for charismatic leadership. But this looks incredibly unlikely. :)

I would hate to see Blair win a third term, but I would hate even more for the Conservatives to get in (their victory would not be in my country's best interests). I would love the Lib Dems to do a killer campaign and win, but that's unlikely.

What is the platform of the Conservative Party? Can someone fill me in?
The same as the Labour platform with some protectionism and anti-EU sentiment thrown in.

I voted Green at the European elections and will do so at the General election. I know they won't get in but at least my conscience will be clean.
Yes, I also usually vote for the Irish Green Party. The green movement in Europe needs some help right now.

I'd like to congratulate Labor for another victory, and this reaffirmation of PM Blair's policies is a clear mandate from the British people to continue on the course they are headed...

*This is a pre-emptive congratulation*
If Labour wins it's not because the Brits love them. It's because there are no apparent alternatives.

right - first it's those labour backbenches who want fox hunting banned, and of whom (ironically enough) many have "countryside" constituencies...hmmm a tad undemocratic wouldn't you say?!

anyway, i wud say that my political view point is marginally left of centre, however i hate labour as they have gone right wing under the disguise of being "labour", they're a slimey, untrustworthy, patronising bunch of spin doctors (like alastair campbell *wretches") the conservatives too are right wing and basically inneffectual and thirdly the lib dems are just rubbish (plus they want the euro!)....so who should i vote for? i find that undemocratic too, i have no party representing my viewpoint (and that's labours fault for moving their political standing, grrr!)

anyway, i wud say that my political view point is marginally left of centre, however i hate labour as they have gone right wing under the disguise of being "labour", they're a slimey, untrustworthy, patronising bunch of spin doctors (like alastair campbell *wretches") the conservatives too are right wing and basically inneffectual and thirdly the lib dems are just rubbish (plus they want the euro!)....so who should i vote for? i find that undemocratic too, i have no party representing my viewpoint (and that's labours fault for moving their political standing, grrr!)
You shoudl vote for the Lib Dems. You sound most idealogically close to them, and the euro is good anyway. If it is adopted by Britain, trade will increase and thus your economy will be better.

You shoudl vote for the Lib Dems. You sound most idealogically close to them, and the euro is good anyway. If it is adopted by Britain, trade will increase and thus your economy will be better.

but their ideology changes with every new thing they say! and the euro is bigger than just the economy (federal europe, blah blah blah) but i dont wana get into that. what i will say for them is they were against the war and stayed that way :)

The lib dems have got no chance. They just seem to live in a fantasy land. The last idea of theirs I heard about was raising the age of criminal responsiblity. If anything needs changing about it, it needs to be lowered to the age of 4 years old.

The lib dems have got no chance. They just seem to live in a fantasy land. The last idea of theirs I heard about was raising the age of criminal responsiblity. If anything needs changing about it, it needs to be lowered to the age of 4 years old.

Don't forget their ingenious idea of taking joy riders go-karting.

My own personal suggestion for such acts would be: :sniper: