And in OUR country people died so that we could have the vote!  And 35% of the voting population couldn't be bothered to get up off their backsides and go to the polling station

I'm not against the idea of electoral reform if a viable alternative is put forward,but I would like to see it linked to compulsory voting - provided of course that there was an opportunity for people to register their opposition to all candidates by having a 'none of the above' box on the ballot paper.

Change can be a frightening thing for many people, and they will produce many reasons for not wanting change.
They may come up with many reasons why the situation we find ourselves in will not work.
Sometimes their reason is that they fear they will lose their power and influence; they choose to forget that many citizens feel they are not represented at all.
They put forward this reason or that reason why this or that system will not work.
But I don't fall for this.
I am convinced that it is not beyond the wit of man to make it work. To amend and change as necessary. And proportional voting does not have to be a system that already exists. If the current PR systems do not suit, then surely they can devise another. They are supposed to be people of intellect. But much of the resistance to PR is fueled by a desire to hang on to power. But I think it is time for fairness to play a part.
If people are well-intentioned (rather than greedy and selfish) it can work.
I am happy to wait before passing judgment. I wish it well.

Excellent point. I saw a Labour MP from Scotland on TV today talking about how complicated the AV ststem is whereby you vote 1,2,3,4 ...........apparently some voters (when it was introduced) were in tears as they found it all so confusing as there were local elections running alongside. Have to admit he made it sound a bit alarming.
However - as you say - surely there must be a better way.

But you don't need your polling card to vote or to apply for a postal vote. I've no doubt that there were a very few people who weren't able to vote for various reasons beyond their control, including a small number of people who couldn't vote because they were still in the queue at 10 pm, but they wouldn't account for the huge proportion of people who couldn't be bothered to vote.

Well said! This sums up exactly how I feel too....I sincerely hope it all works out for the coalition and that our political system gets the shake up it needs.

My boys are 12 and 7 and have loved this election.....my youngest had a massive barney with me cos I wouldn't let him stay up to watch the debates!!! My eldest watched them all and also stayed up way beyond normal hours on election night watching results come in. The down side was the embarrassment at the school gates on election day when my youngest announced to all and sundry that his mum and dad weren't voting for the 'silly, scottish tw*t'...... .....MrB has now been instructed (in my loudest shouty voice) to make sure little ears are not listening when saying stuff like that...or he does the school run!!

I have my fingers crossed too. As I have said before I hope the extremes of Conservative and Lib-Dem are tempered and that we get a long term stable Government that gives the country to recover somewhat. It also gives the Labour party the chance to regroup and decide exactly where they now have to sit in the political spectrum to form a meaningful and grassroots supported opposition



Z.

My 11 year old was very interested in the whole thing...he got up early last Friday to watch the results coming in...and my 17 year daughter was moaning hat she wasn't old enough to vote.

Hi Croc

If nothing else this election has certainly got a lot of people talking and thinking which cannot be a bad thing


Z.

Yeah and all the kids from Alfie's age upwards seemed to be interested...which can only be a good thing.

 My 11 year old has just recovered from a brain tumour and while his doctor was officially given us the nod that he was in remission () he performed some cognitive tests on my son. My son let it slip that he likes Cameron and wants him to be PM. The neurologist blinked and then said......."Oh dear, I may have to review your prognosis"

Blimey suzy, I had no idea, hope your son makes a full recovery

Comedian neurologist

Z.

oh Suzy.... seriously so pleased for you!  I had no idea you'd been going through all that! 
 &  &  &   

I voted in the Scottish Parliament elections,I found it very easy,all instructions were cleary printed on the voting form ,the two sheets were differnt colours,one for council,one for parliament.Some folk just didn't take the time to read the instructions,their own fault.

Oh and as others have stated you don't need to show your polling card,as long as you are on the register you can vote.

Big hugs to Suzy & Son! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thanks.....It's been a absolute nightmare but he has confounded everyone. After 2 weeks on life support...and 3 weeks of radiotherapy he made the most dramatic recovery quite a few of his medics had ever seen (one called him a 'phenomenon' ). He has had no further physio and limited speech and language therapy....and I'm proud to report that he is taking his SATS this week even though he has missed the nearly 3 months of revision/booster classes. But enough about him, he doesn't like me or anyone making a fuss

thank god!  I am sooooo pleased....   talk about dodging a bullet!   well done him!  well done the medics!  & well done you for still being sane!

I can't imagine how scary that must have been for your, Suzy. I'm very glad to hear that your son's made such a good recovery

Excellent news suzy

Just don't try and get Ditty to pronounce the word though



Z.

i think gordon has had a shit time of it, first he's  banished to being  blairs lackey and made a pretty good chancellor, blair rides on a wave of popularity,leaving gordie in his wake, then when blair cocks it all up, he hands over to gordie and makes a run for it, gordie gets a tainted party,foot and mouth, earthquakes and disasters,bad advice and scary youtube smiles and finally the  global collapse of the banking system and practically capitalism itself. 

some folks are just plain unlucky i guess...

I think that's an understatement!!

"Once you go through something you think will kill you and it doesn’t, every day is like a present" ~Elissa B. Terris~

Are you sure? Anyway, that's partly why I'm so optimistic. My friend sent me that up there and I look at it everyday...

(Glad to hear your good news Suzy)
I agree  with Jackson.

But an awful PM....IMO anyway!

  I sat here and tried... but the uber painkillers make it even harder than usual!

so many say.

its hard to pin point any decisions he made as pm that were  particularly bad.

pesonal gaffs a plenty but bad political decisions?

I've heard that from others that have looked death in the face and then recovered...

I also agree with Jackson  I bet Blair and his wife are having a good chuckle over the end of Gordon. I think he left with dignity.

What's the matter?

At the end of the day though, PM is just one big PR job....the dudes we don't see make all the decisions and the PM has to convince us they are for the best....and GB was soooo bad at PR! The labour party shot themselves in the foot when they allowed him to become unelected PM....he just seemed to lack the ability to connect with the public.

I think Gordon Brown is an essentially decent bloke but I perceive he lacked the ability for consensus and cooperation with others and consequently was seen as a tad dictatorial and unwilling to consider alternate viewpoints.


Z.

 Oh Suzy  So glad he's recovered

Spot on. I also agree with Zaphod about his dictatorial demeanour. I simply don't buy all this 'unelected PM' stuff, though. No-one complained when it was Major, did they?

Blitzz

Nor Churchill.

Surely we should wait until they have actually had a chance to govern before judging them? Their upbringing SHOULD be irrelevent....besides...I have never heard any tory condeming anyone for NOT being privately educated....
I am a working class girl..born and raised on a council estate...yet I don't begrudge anyone their chances in life. Instead of complaining about it and feeling sorry for myself (I was the only councilestate kid in my sixth form class) it actually encouraged me to work harder and make something of myself. These days, after 13yrs of labour rule, kids aspire to be wags, footballers or to be famous via the x-factor. They are not encouraged to go out and try cos they know the govt pays them better than a proper job. Our kids need something other than celebrity of benfits to aspire to. I'm not saying that we should bring back the yuppie or anything...just that we need to motivate our kids to do well....not to rely on others...to want to have 'normal' jobs and see the good in that...the self respect etc. I'm also not saying that the benefit syatem should be scrapped...it needs modifying so that it isn't a lifestyle choice.

Isn't this situation going to be resolved by one of Camerons policies to make it law that any one that takes over a PM mid term  has to go to the country within 6 months of taking over.  This was the talk during the campaign .

I've heard of Labour being blamed for a lot, but Simon Cowell?
As for the footballer/WAG syndrome, that's all the fault of Sky Sports ploughing senseless millions into the Premier League - courtesy of Tory-loving Rupert Murdoch.