A bad day for the world

Having spent many years working in schools where children had racist views passed on to them by their parents I can tell you that listening really doesn't help. A firm 'that is unacceptable' worked much better. Interestingly although they would use abusive and racist language about people in general many of the children had relatives who were in relationships with people of a different race and had children. The family members were just accepted.

It's certainly not what I would prefer Jalima
I think our system works very well, done any other way we would likely end up with a coalition every GE which would never be good ( now and then maybe but not every time) sometimes a Party has to be in single power in government to get anything done.

Well, Jalima, you can't discount people's choices just because you don't like what they choose. At least, that's what all this hoo haa about the referendum and 'the people have spoken' seems to be saying.

If we'd had a democratic vote which more truly represented what people want from their country and their governemnt perhaps there wouldn't have been so many people voting leave in the referendum because they felt that their voices were never truly heard and that their needs had been ignored and mrginalised because of that. Perhaps if we'd had a more truly democratic system UKIP might never have achieved such a high profile. Perhaps with a more democratic system people might have taken far more interest in party policies and manifestos because they felt that their vote did count and there was more chance that their concerns were addressed.

trisher I don't see that a more democratic system precludes a firm 'that is unacceptable'.

roses If our current system works so well why are there significant numbers of the population who feel ignored?

Are you actually serious, Maizie? In what way was Jalima discounting people's choices?

What would be a democratic vote which more truly represents what people wants from their country and their government?

This is a really interesting article which, I think, goes a long way to explaining how society splits and what motivates people to vote the way they do

www.the-american-interest.com/2016/07/10/when-and-why-nationalism-beats-globalism/

Im afraid I can't find a paragraph in it which sums up the writer's thesis; I hope people feel they have time to read it.

(P.S I hope the article is still free to read...)

I think that Jalima was discounting choices by pointing out that by share of the popular vote UKIP would have 83 seats in Parliament. I inferred from that that she thought it would be a bad thing to happen and it shouldn't be encouraged.

Anyway, I'm off to bed now and away for a couple of days without time to access the internet. Will be interested to see if this discussion develops at all.

I wasn't discounting anything, just pointing out the result of PR had it been in system at the last GE.

In fact, there would have been fewer SNP MPs (31)
More Lib Dems (51)
More Greens (24)

But whether that would be good or bad - I did not express an opinion.

I could infer from MaizieD's last few posts that she is a UKIP supporter if we are inferring things from what is unsaid in posts.

It could be getting even worse for the world.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-elections/donald-trump-security-officials-quitting-torture-waterboarding-a7413291.html

So why did you bother to quote the UKIP 'seats' figure, Jalima?

Just caught up and thank you THATBAGS for the article by Neil Oliver yesterday.Apparently he had to withdraw from social media due to nasty viscious threats from SNP supporters.
He could 'abandon the protected,privileged life he leads ' has been the suggestion.His father was a commission only double glazing salesman who never resorted to benefits when times were tough ,and his mother worked several part time jobs.He was educated in the local Academy, went to Glasgow Uni and only got a break into television after a self funded dig with a friend relating to Zulu history came to the attention of a production company.
Dan Snow - scion of a television dynasty,Oxford educated, married to Lady Edwina Grovesnor,presenter of BBC history programmes and very vociferous post referendum on social media about not accepting the democratic vote of June 23rd.Has anyone told him to abandon his protected ,privileged life ?Just wondering.

Yes, the Neil Oliver article was really good, and spot on.
MaizieD the voting system works well ( people feeling ignored is a different thing altogether, ) because , even if the Party of their choice gets into power, politicians of whichever persuasion have often ignored the concerns of whole sections of society.

MaizieD
Brilliant article. Sums it all up.

It is not his origins or his progress in life that the remark about Oliver's protected life referred to it was the idea that for everyone in the UK life is safe and comfortable. Comparing this to a life in Africa added to the problem. Not everyone in the UK lives in a place where they are safe, and their children are exposed daily to risks and dangers involving drugs, guns, gangs and poverty. Just as some in Africa lead privileged lives. The idea was that he could find the same sort of challenges here if he went to look for them. The article was badly thought out and failed to recognise that part of a democracy is the right to protest. Civil rights, peace, even universal suffrage have all used this mechanism in the past.

US Erection – Trump scores

What happened to Cassandra? She went mad, didn’t she?

… I see elephants dancing on Mars… I see Trumplets cavorting in Hades..

‘Hey non nonny, nonny, hey nonny’

Perhaps people will pay more attention to me now. Brexit spoilt the last 2 days of my (week’s) holiday in June. Thank God, I wasn’t on holiday this week.
Political parties, companies, should stop wasting a fortune on pollsters – they should just consult me on the feeling in my water. I’d tell them the future for a pittance (well a few grand maybe)

Will someone pinch me... I don’t like this dream. Ophelia, wait for me, Love…

grandparentsunited - Are your 'Trumplets cavorting in Hades' anything to do with the 'US Erection', not to mention 'Trump scoring'? Just thought I'd ask.

Brexit was at the start of my holiday so ruined the whole of it .

Seems that some students who would like to go to UK for their Erasmus year have been told their Universities are now stopping it for anyone who would be going next year or after - todo with the fact that if the UK starts the process next March there is great uncertainty how it will pan out. Students in French Unis have been told to look to other EU countries - what a great pity that our students will be denied this opportunity.

Grandparentsunited

You're having a laugh, aren't you!
Your name I mean
not many united on here

I agree about the polls though

Sorry, roses, the voting system works well because politicians ignore the electorate? Is that what you are saying?

It's either the system that needs changing or your mindset, in that case.

For anyone who thinks that Trump is going to become a moderate, he's chosen a white supremacist as his chief strategist in the White House.

www.politics.co.uk/blogs/2016/11/14/stop-deluding-yourself-about-the-nightmare-donald-trump

This is how so many of us are feeling right now.

I am speechless.
Well, nearly

I thought he would be all bluster
There must be many in the government over there who are uneasy - how much power does a President actually have?

I remember the Bay of Pigs incident and how scared we all were, before I had any DC or DGC but had little nephews and nieces.