Talk about the election with an American

[Yank Mike]

I don't want to clog up other threads and don't even know if anybody wants to discuss this with me. This is the first time I've looked at a British election beyond seeing the final results. I got home from work a couple hours ago and have been watching the results on BBC America.

1. I love how they make all the candidates stand up and hear the results together. This is very different from America where the parties hold drinking parties at separate locations for all of the volunteers. The great part is seeing all the crazy folks. We have plenty of crazy folks on the ballot in America, but they are usually shoved into the "others receiving votes" category instead of getting their moment in the sun while it's announced that 84 people voted for them.

2. Jesus Christ, Green Party. This is coming from somebody who doesn't own a tie or jacket, but if you want me to take you seriously then take yourself seriously when standing on tv in front of the entire country and much of the world. It seems that most of them don't have a full suit on. Several are wearing t shirts and jeans. Those wearing suits look like they were purchased from the Salvation Army. How much does it cost to go to a tailor and buy a fitted suit? Here's what these people remind me of: Folks who you meet in random conversation where your brain immediately goes to avoiding politics (they might bring up some random Congressional seat in 1824 that might have saved America from X problem) or anything beyond our atmosphere (alien civilizations on earth!!!!). It almost seems that they are playing to a minority crowd with their dress rather than taking politics seriously. I don't trust people who pass their early 20s caring about a style of dress which marks a person as a cultural outsider. I definitely don't think those types should earn any votes in a serious country.

3. On a more serious note, many have noted the corruption of the traditional British parliamentary system on the BBC broadcast (the UKIP winner specifically). I lived in Atlantic Canada for a year and also lived in Alaska which required several multi-day drives across western Canada, so I know that country pretty well. They have a system similar to the British and a similar issue to Scotland with French Canada. They also had a long term split between the Tories and a more conservative Western party in English Canada until they reunited recently. All English speakers in Quebec and conservative French are forced to vote for the Liberal Party because Conservatives there are unelectable in most districts. Based on conversations with Canadians from Quebec, perhaps the solution come from America instead of Europe. A more decentralized party system allowing party primaries and free votes would preserve the left vs. right, two party system, while also preserving first past the post. For instance, Scottish separatist left wingers and Unionist left wingers would battle it out in primaries. The winner would then face a right wing candidate in the general election and would fight for left wing causes in the central parliament if elected. In this way a leftist Scottish separatist wave would not bring a right wing national government to power. This would have no effect on separatist left wingers which would wage their battle in local government. The same would happen with UKIP vs the Conservatives. People bitch about the American system leading to extremist candidates (primary voters are more left or right compared to general election voters) and a dysfunctional Congress where party leaders can't stop the extremists from each side teaming up to stop certain legislation, but these don't seem any more of a problem than the results from the Canadian and British system.

Sorry for the tl;dr.

[Mr Bairn]

I don't want to clog up other threads and don't even know if anybody wants to discuss this with me. This is the first time I've looked at a British election beyond seeing the final results. I got home from work a couple hours ago and have been watching the results on BBC America.

1. I love how they make all the candidates stand up and hear the results together. This is very different from America where the parties hold drinking parties at separate locations for all of the volunteers. The great part is seeing all the crazy folks. We have plenty of crazy folks on the ballot in America, but they are usually shoved into the "others receiving votes" category instead of getting their moment in the sun while it's announced that 84 people voted for them.

I wish the candidates would get pished while waiting to hear the results here

[TheScarf]

I don't want to clog up other threads and don't even know if anybody wants to discuss this with me. This is the first time I've looked at a British election beyond seeing the final results. I got home from work a couple hours ago and have been watching the results on BBC America.

1. I love how they make all the candidates stand up and hear the results together. This is very different from America where the parties hold drinking parties at separate locations for all of the volunteers. The great part is seeing all the crazy folks. We have plenty of crazy folks on the ballot in America, but they are usually shoved into the "others receiving votes" category instead of getting their moment in the sun while it's announced that 84 people voted for them.

2. Jesus Christ, Green Party. This is coming from somebody who doesn't own a tie or jacket, but if you want me to take you seriously then take yourself seriously when standing on tv in front of the entire country and much of the world. It seems that most of them don't have a full suit on. Several are wearing t shirts and jeans. Those wearing suits look like they were purchased from the Salvation Army. How much does it cost to go to a tailor and buy a fitted suit? Here's what these people remind me of: Folks who you meet in random conversation where your brain immediately goes to avoiding politics (they might bring up some random Congressional seat in 1824 that might have saved America from X problem) or anything beyond our atmosphere (alien civilizations on earth!!!!). It almost seems that they are playing to a minority crowd with their dress rather than taking politics seriously. I don't trust people who pass their early 20s caring about a style of dress which marks a person as a cultural outsider. I definitely don't think those types should earn any votes in a serious country.

3. On a more serious note, many have noted the corruption of the traditional British parliamentary system on the BBC broadcast (the UKIP winner specifically). I lived in Atlantic Canada for a year and also lived in Alaska which required several multi-day drives across western Canada, so I know that country pretty well. They have a system similar to the British and a similar issue to Scotland with French Canada. They also had a long term split between the Tories and a more conservative Western party in English Canada until they reunited recently. All English speakers in Quebec and conservative French are forced to vote for the Liberal Party because Conservatives there are unelectable in most districts. Based on conversations with Canadians from Quebec, perhaps the solution come from America instead of Europe. A more decentralized party system allowing party primaries and free votes would preserve the left vs. right, two party system, while also preserving first past the post. For instance, Scottish separatist left wingers and Unionist left wingers would battle it out in primaries. The winner would then face a right wing candidate in the general election and would fight for left wing causes in the central parliament if elected. In this way a leftist Scottish separatist wave would not bring a right wing national government to power. This would have no effect on separatist left wingers which would wage their battle in local government. The same would happen with UKIP vs the Conservatives. People bitch about the American system leading to extremist candidates (primary voters are more left or right compared to general election voters) and a dysfunctional Congress where party leaders can't stop the extremists from each side teaming up to stop certain legislation, but these don't seem any more of a problem than the results from the Canadian and British system.

Sorry for the tl;dr.

tl;dr

[Thumper]

2. Jesus Christ, Green Party. This is coming from somebody who doesn't own a tie or jacket, but if you want me to take you seriously then take yourself seriously when standing on tv in front of the entire country and much of the world. It seems that most of them don't have a full suit on. Several are wearing t shirts and jeans. Those wearing suits look like they were purchased from the Salvation Army. How much does it cost to go to a tailor and buy a fitted suit?

This is something the Scottish Greens have learned, which is part of the reason that they're taken an awful lot more seriously by the electorate.

[banana]

2. Jesus Christ, Green Party. This is coming from somebody who doesn't own a tie or jacket, but if you want me to take you seriously then take yourself seriously when standing on tv in front of the entire country and much of the world. It seems that most of them don't have a full suit on. Several are wearing t shirts and jeans. Those wearing suits look like they were purchased from the Salvation Army. How much does it cost to go to a tailor and buy a fitted suit?

You can't take someone seriously if they're not wearing a suit and tie? Completely mentalist approach to deciding on which candidate in your constituency to vote for, no?

Good call on point 1, fantastic that you have to stand up and be counted for better or worse in front of the people and cameras.

[YassinMoutaouakil]

Can we have more Americans on here and less "EnglishmanAbroad" types?

[P45]

[Yank Mike]

You can't take someone seriously if they're not wearing a suit and tie? Completely mentalist approach to deciding on which candidate in your constituency to vote for, no?

Good call on point 1, fantastic that you have to stand up and be counted for better or worse in front of the people and cameras.

Here's my problem:

I have no issue with voting for a dude who looks strange if he matches my politics.

I do have an issue with an entire party who seems to care too much about their style. Those Green Party folks with misfited suites and t-shirt/jeans thought just as hard (perhaps harder) about their wardrobe choice as anybody else on the podium. The dress they chose shows me that they are a party full of ridiculously vain folks, not a party looking to solve the issues of concern to ordinary citizens.

[Yank Mike]

I wish the candidates would get pished while waiting to hear the results here

Unfortunately the actual candidates stay sober for their interview once the results are announced. All the other folks drink. Occasionally it gets interesting when the losing candidate is trying to congratulate the winner and all of his/her volunteers are jeering drunkenly in the background.

I just assumed that everyone was drinking at one giant party over there. Is that not the case? No booze?

[Yank Mike]

Can we have more Americans on here and less "EnglishmanAbroad" types?

What does this mean?

[Mr Bairn]

Unfortunately the actual candidates stay sober for their interview once the results are announced. All the other folks drink. Occasionally it gets interesting when the losing candidate is trying to congratulate the winner and all of his/her volunteers are jeering drunkenly in the background.

I just assumed that everyone was drinking at one giant party over there. Is that not the case? No booze?

I have never been to a count but I wouldn't say it's a party. The reason the candidates have a team of volunteers with them is to watch the counting staff like hawks and make sure there is no funny business going on.

[Mr Rational]

I wish the candidates would get pished while waiting to hear the results here

We slipped a couple of pills into Tommy Sheppard's drink, he was just about coming up when the announcement was made.

Half an hour later he was cutting shapes at Joanna's pool hall.

[Yank Mike]

I have never been to a count but I wouldn't say it's a party. The reason the candidates have a team of volunteers with them is to watch the counting staff like hawks and make sure there is no funny business going on.

How disappointing. I have never been to a political gathering here (I try to vote most times and watch the results), but I can see from the tv that everyone is drunk as US candidate parties. I just assumed that it was the same over your way, but with all the different political parties together.

[Jambomo]

You can't take someone seriously if they're not wearing a suit and tie? Completely mentalist approach to deciding on which candidate in your constituency to vote for, no?

Good call on point 1, fantastic that you have to stand up and be counted for better or worse in front of the people and cameras.

I get what he means though.

Most people if they are doing something important will make a bit of an effort to look fairly smart. Would you turn up for a job interview in jeans and t-shirt? Why try and get elected in them?

As said above, the Scottish Greens have learned that and they do get taken a lot more seriously (though it helps that they are sensible and have some decent policies as well )

[Fide]

I have never been to a count but I wouldn't say it's a party.

I don't know. Watching Mhairi Black beat wee Dougie seemed rather lively.

[I'm Brian]

That says more about the stupidity of humans than anything else.

The fact that we make decisions about someone's ability simply on their dress sense is not something humans should be proud of.

Or their age

[Wee Willie]

Or their age

I'll second that

[I'm Brian]

Were Messers Curtis and Elton having a Nostradamus moment in 1987, in that the joke candidate in the Rotten borough of Dunny - on - the Wold, Ivor 'jest ye not madam' Biggun, of the Standing at the back, dressed stupidly and looking stupid party, is in UKIP colours, six years before UKIP's formation

[Granny Danger]

Just so I am clear. This is someone from the country that has the Tea Party criticising the Greens?

It's like Pol Pot having a go at someone for littering.

[strichener]

Just so I am clear. This is someone from the country that has the Tea Party criticising the Greens?

It's like Pol Pot having a go at someone for littering.

We are talking about an electorate that can't cope with anything other than a binary choice. Imagine if they had 9 candidates standing, I can just picture their heads exploding.