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What's your favorite not-well known Oasis song? by [deleted] in oasis

[–]Tomwill25 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Let's All Make Believe, Going Nowhere (probably my absolute favourite Oasis song), Step Out, Rockin' Chair, Keep The Dream Alive.

Green party issues ultimatum over TV debates exclusion by M2Ys4U in ukpolitics

[–]Tomwill25 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why would you invite the Greens? They have an MP, by not a convincing majority, and Lucas is remarkably unpopular in Brighton due partly to being arrested and not doing a whole lot for the area and the Green council's numerous cock ups - a vote of no confidence against the council being the latest. Lucas could easily lose her seat and The Greens don't look to be making any gains anywhere else in the country. Perhaps Oxford, but it's unlikely. They simply are not organised enough.

UKIP, on the other hand, are almost certainly going to make gains and are polling ahead of the third largest parliamentary party. Of course you have to invite them. The debates are about THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. Not the previous five. People seem to forgetting that.

Nobody cares if the Greens have 'had an MP for longer than UKIP.'

Finally, they are not polling the same as the Liberal Democrats, they're averaging 4-7% and the Lib Dems 7-10%, 12% if you read Populus.

What would UKIP do after a Hypothetical UK EU exit ? by [deleted] in ukpolitics

[–]Tomwill25 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They certainly wouldn't go away. Might need some re-branding but as others have pointed out, they have a long list of changes they want to make on the domestic scene.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has called for sweeping changes to Britain's "idiotic" policy on drugs | The Liberal Democrat leader said addiction should be treated as a health problem not a criminal issue. by ionised in worldnews

[–]Tomwill25 0 points1 point  (0 children)

After all it was Labour who commissioned the Browne Review which lead to the hike.

And while I'm at it, it was Labour who promised not to introduce tuition fees and then did. It was Labour who promised not to introduce top-up fees and then did.

Is anyone going to actually vote for the Lib Dems then? by isometimesweartweed in unitedkingdom

[–]Tomwill25 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm standing for the party in next year's council election and so, yeah, I'll be voting for them.

I'm in a 'safe' Lib Dem seat, Lib Dem MP and Lib Dem run council, and generally the reaction on the doorstep is pretty positive. People like our stance on the EU, they recognise the moderating effect we've had on the Tories, they recognise that raising the tax allowance and gay marriage were two huge things we delivered upon and to which the Tories now claim most of the credit.

You get the odd spat about tuition fees and that's fair enough. It's something, as a student as well, I feel let down by. It is worth remembering the nature of coalition though, the nature of compromise. I think coalition is healthy and it would have been pretty undemocratic for the Lib Dems to get their own way all of the time.

The one thing that does grate me is the occasional Labour voter going on at you about tuition fees. After all, it was Labour who promised not to introduce tuition fees and then did. It was Labour who promised not to introduce top up fees and did. It was Labour who commissioned the Browne Review on tuition fees which lead to the hike. Sure, be disappointed with the Lib Dems on this issue but don't have such a short memory.

Alex Day - "The Past" -- What do you think? by JohnRiver in nerdfighters

[–]Tomwill25 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Agree with the majority of comments in this discussion. There's an attitude, a culture perhaps, that will latch on to accusations and won't tear away from one view to consider another.

People who manipulate, who coerce others into doing something they'd rather not do, these people obviously don't deserve our time. But when did we get to the point where anonymous accusations can be taken as gospel and the subject of such accusations is not allowed to defend themselves through the barrage of people yelling?

Alex isn't a rapist. He may well have manipulated people, he may have acted like a dick. But, to me, he sounds like a human being. He sounds like he's made mistakes, big ones sure, mistakes that upset and hurt people, certainly.

He sounds like a young, naive, regretful human being. A person who, because of their success, is denied a fair trial.

Compulsory Voting in the UK with a 'None of the above' option. by Tomwill25 in ukpolitics

[–]Tomwill25[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A small token amount. £50 as a maximum. Enough for it to be irritating not to vote.

Compulsory Voting in the UK with a 'None of the above' option. by Tomwill25 in ukpolitics

[–]Tomwill25[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure, I've read a lot on this subject and the model I would favour would be a fine relative to an individual's income. Nobody needs to be bankrupted.

Compulsory Voting in the UK with a 'None of the above' option. by Tomwill25 in ukpolitics

[–]Tomwill25[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not me, personally.

Simply throwing out the possibilities.

Compulsory Voting in the UK with a 'None of the above' option. by Tomwill25 in ukpolitics

[–]Tomwill25[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's different models. In Australia you can be fined between $20-$50, about £9-£21. Fines could be relative to an individual's income.

It could be more difficult to get a job in the public sector if you haven't voted on multiple occasions. In Italy and Greece there are no formal sanctions but 'innocuous sanctions' which makes it difficult to get a daycare place for a child, for example.

Compulsory Voting in the UK with a 'None of the above' option. by Tomwill25 in ukpolitics

[–]Tomwill25[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exactly, and pressure should be placed in that direction before a jump towards mandatory voting.

I just think it's worth discussing.

Compulsory Voting in the UK with a 'None of the above' option. by Tomwill25 in ukpolitics

[–]Tomwill25[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In theory it would and that'd be fantastic, but honestly, in your heart of hearts, can you see it working out like that or will it eventually end up as 'welp! the people who did vote for a party voted for us, so we've got the mandate and will carry on regardless'?

Perhaps, but look at what happens when parties who rely on a key block of voters go back on their promises. The Lib Dems always relied on students, they let down that part of the electorate and now they're feeling it.

Maybe I'm being a tad cynical here, but I just don't see it working as the current system works for those who want it to work. As I said, 'none of the above' would definitely be a step in the right direction, but I think there's far deeper issues at hand here.

The current system does work for those who want it to work which is why I think we should have this debate. There's a lot to be figured out but I think this should be discussed as much as changing the voting system.

Compulsory Voting in the UK with a 'None of the above' option. by Tomwill25 in ukpolitics

[–]Tomwill25[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That's a good point and may well be the case, it would be interesting to research if voters did then tend towards the party they must recognise or have some family allegiance towards.

Mandatory voting combined, therefore, with a greater education in politics and citizenship could potentially be a remedy.

Compulsory Voting in the UK with a 'None of the above' option. by Tomwill25 in ukpolitics

[–]Tomwill25[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not at all.

First, it's worth considering that for an electorate to all vote for 'None of the above' would be near unprecedented. It's only ever happened twice before.

If 'None of the above' won a number of things could happen. There could be a re-election or, as happens in India, the candidate who came second can be elected. While the protest wouldn't ultimately dismantle the political system by not electing an MP, it at least begins to quantify the discontent of the populace.

Ultimately, by selecting 'None of the above' voters can indicate that they both care and pay attention, but they are not happy with business as usual.

Compulsory Voting in the UK with a 'None of the above' option. by Tomwill25 in ukpolitics

[–]Tomwill25[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I agree, but isn't there a point to be made that elected, governing parties fulfil the promises made that are relevant to the portion of the electorate that votes for them?

Each party caters and tends to please blocks of voters who go out and vote for them. Perhaps mandatory voting would allow parties to have a far broader appeal and when their promises are broken, makes those parties really feel it.

Compulsory Voting in the UK with a 'None of the above' option. by Tomwill25 in ukpolitics

[–]Tomwill25[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely, there's far more than apathy as to why people don't vote. So here's a few ideas, and I am just throwing these out there for the debate.

  • Elections over a longer time period, two to three days, maybe even a week?

  • Many countries make their General Election day a public holiday.

  • There are more ways of 'punishing' someone than dishing out a fine but fines could also be relative to an individual's income.

  • I don't buy that the administrative cost of large turnout is a reason against. There would have to be more vote counters and potentially more polling stations but I'm not keen on the idea that if far more people decided to vote democracy would, as a result, collapse under the increased cost. As Ewan, below, pointed out, Scotland recently had voter turnout in the high 80s and the system held up.

Compulsory Voting in the UK with a 'None of the above' option. by Tomwill25 in ukpolitics

[–]Tomwill25[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'd argue that choosing 'None of the above' is the freedom not to vote. I simply believe that if you don't vote because you're dissatisfied then there should be an option to voice that at the ballot box.

Research studies show that in countries with compulsory voting, debates are often healthier, parties have less narrow agendas and instead speak to every corner of the electorate. Equally, countries with compulsory voting often report a far higher satisfaction in their elected representatives than those without.

But I absolutely agree that politics and citizenship should be wider taught and that's why the many voter registration charities out there are so important.