Vocal Voices

It has to be.
Has there even been a campaign?
Labour know that if they say what they are going to do post-election, it would cost them votes; so they say nothing.
The Conservatives know they have lost, no matter what they say. They sound beaten and they are.
Whilst Ed Davey of the LibDems tries to re-invent himself as a loveable buffon by repeatedly falling into paddling pools and lakes.
The only one who has actually mixed with the public is Farage, even if it has cost him in dry cleaning.

Agree with the first points. However, Fartcage has not done his pub, beer and smokes thing with the public this time. What he has done is to play to the media, and those fools have fallen for it hook, line and sinker.

I have just voted ABC - eight to choose from - but as it is a new constituency it is anybody's guess who will get in.

Welcome to elections in the 21st century. "You don't like the other guy, I'm not the other guy, vote for me".

It is only going to get worse with the dumbing down of everything.

In the US we have a totally classic example of this right now. "Anybody but Trump". Including a senile dementia sufferer who has been legally judged as incompetent to stand trial. But apparently competent to be national command authority and have control of the largest arsenal of Nuclear weapons in the world.

Anybody but Trump? Really? Got a great candidate called Atilla!.

You see this rolling week after week, month after month. All the "convictions", otherwise identified as "lawfare", have failed to reduce the vote for Trump. So the next one in the pile has been pulled out to show the "monster" for "what he is". A 2016 accusation in the Epstein list which never went to court because they believed it would be impossible to get a conviction with the evidence at hand. But in an election campaign you don't need a conviction do you? Just the accusation. Even though the two convictions that have gone through so far have been rejected by the voters.

As this kind of skullduggery continues, the quality of representatives available to vote for falls.

So both parties try to destroy their biggest threat to winning. The discerning voter!

We don't have a two party system in the UK, that's why we need PR, and reading round various political blogs it looks to be coming as it now seems that a majority want it. And while they are at it, England needs its own devolved parliament separate from Westminster. same as for S.W. & NI.

We could then get rid of the HoL.

I agree to the devolved parliament for England. But that was Blair, he didn't want to water down his power when he brought in the regional assemblies. After all England is the country England and not a region right? Except Scotland is a country too. Blair was never a strong thinker.

My loosely thought out plan would be that the HoC would be like a Senate for the whole of the UK with the four countries having their own "Parliaments". It would be a bit like the Bundestag and Federal States in Germany although we could never, ever, describe it like that, the Gammon would go bonkers.

Indeed.

However federal existence is not in our DNA and not sure how it would work. There might be a lot more graft at the lower levels.

The UK parliament would do things like health, defence, the overall economy and such. The various "Parliaments" would deal with local laws and such. Other countries do it - it's not hard.

Graft is always done at the lower levels.

PR really would help.

You know, I will settle for boring politics, for a good while. The last 8 years, since the Bee-word, have been nothing but drama. Bring it on zzzzzzzzzzzz

PR should definitely be on the agenda. A lot of voters have got tired of either or. Why should it be the winner takes all. We all need to be heard and to have our views listened to.

To be honest I don't like devolution. It was at its worst during Covid when Boris Johnston was followed by Nicola Sturgeon for the nightly broadcast. We are one government so one voice was all that was needed. I agree with you Frank that Westminster should govern overall. Otherwise the United Kingdom does not make sense.

On another note I think it is rude the way the media refer to Farage. They don't say Sunak, Starmer, or Davey. It comes across as disrespectful. Just a thought,