Will you vote in the UK election?
Mar 31st 2010 | 5:40 am
#31
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 237
From: Blind Bay, BC
Re: Will you vote in the UK election?
Hi Almost Canadian...... of course I will.....it is my right!!
Best wishes, Steve
Best wishes, Steve
Mar 31st 2010 | 10:41 am
#32
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 610
From: Calgary, Alberta
Re: Will you vote in the UK election?
Pointless unless you intend to return, at the end of the day does it really matter who's in power?
Apr 5th 2010 | 10:11 am
#33
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,448
From: Calgary
Re: Will you vote in the UK election?
Looks like the announcement is iminent.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8603591.stm
I did register as on overseas voter fwiw. I noticed on the forms that commonwealth and EU citizens who are UK residents can vote in UK general elections. In Canada it seems only Canadian citizens can vote. Why is voting eligibility so restrictive in Canada?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/8603591.stm
I did register as on overseas voter fwiw. I noticed on the forms that commonwealth and EU citizens who are UK residents can vote in UK general elections. In Canada it seems only Canadian citizens can vote. Why is voting eligibility so restrictive in Canada?
Apr 5th 2010 | 11:22 am
#34
Account Closed
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 7,284
Re: Will you vote in the UK election?
I would like to vote and downloaded the forms. As far as I can make out the ballot papers are sent out a week or so before the election so it is unlikely that the mail will get them back in time. You can go for a proxy vote but that can only be made in the electoral district in which you were last registered and as we don't know anyone there that isn't an option.
So, no vote for us.
So, no vote for us.
Apr 5th 2010 | 11:39 am
#35
Retired
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 34,646
Re: Will you vote in the UK election?
What Canada does is normal for sovereign, independent nations.
Apr 6th 2010 | 6:15 am
#37
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Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,448
From: Calgary
Re: Will you vote in the UK election?
I would like to vote and downloaded the forms. As far as I can make out the ballot papers are sent out a week or so before the election so it is unlikely that the mail will get them back in time. You can go for a proxy vote but that can only be made in the electoral district in which you were last registered and as we don't know anyone there that isn't an option.
So, no vote for us.
So, no vote for us.
Apr 6th 2010 | 4:36 pm
#39
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,448
From: Calgary
Re: Will you vote in the UK election?
I noticed the National tonight had a short feature on the UK election. It mentioned that some academics had produced a report on the experiences of minority goverments worldwide which cited the canadian federal parliament as the prime example of a dysfunctional aggressive parliament. Is the canadian minority government situation one to be avoided at all costs?
Apr 6th 2010 | 9:19 pm
#40
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 13,553
Re: Will you vote in the UK election?
I noticed the National tonight had a short feature on the UK election. It mentioned that some academics had produced a report on the experiences of minority goverments worldwide which cited the canadian federal parliament as the prime example of a dysfunctional aggressive parliament. Is the canadian minority government situation one to be avoided at all costs?
By the way - I'm surprised nobody in the media - especially the Tory-supporting element - have pointed out that, due to uneven population distribution, it takes on average fewer votes to elect a Labour MP than a Tory MP.............
Apr 7th 2010 | 12:03 am
#41
Retired
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 34,646
Re: Will you vote in the UK election?
By the way - I'm surprised nobody in the media - especially the Tory-supporting element - have pointed out that, due to uneven population distribution, it takes on average fewer votes to elect a Labour MP than a Tory MP.............
Apr 7th 2010 | 3:24 am
#42
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,448
From: Calgary
Re: Will you vote in the UK election?
Not sure of the Canadian system, but all PR systems (if that's what they have) run this risk - the UK's first-past-the-post system makes it less likely.
As another poster mentioned Canada is first past the post also. Some PR systems seem to work - I'm assuming the likes of Germany, France, Holland etc where most governments are coalitions so in itself PR isn't necessarily a problem. It seems in Canada the problem is more related to the existence of a regional nationalist party which distorts the process. It looks like the UK could be vulnerable to such behaviour also. I seem to remember in the last years of the Major government ,as the conservative majority declined with resignations and deaths of MPs they were forced to rely on the UU to win votes in the commons.
By the way - I'm surprised nobody in the media - especially the Tory-supporting element - have pointed out that, due to uneven population distribution, it takes on average fewer votes to elect a Labour MP than a Tory MP.............
I think that's mainly due to the distribution of voters - there are more very safe conservative seats than labour ones. I think it's also the case that the constituencies vary in size with conservative ones tending to be a little larger on average. The boundary commission can catch up with population movements in time to even out constituency sizes. I'm not sure what the % is but I'd guess that the conservatives need 4 or 5% more of the popular vote to have parity on numbers of MPs with labour.
As another poster mentioned Canada is first past the post also. Some PR systems seem to work - I'm assuming the likes of Germany, France, Holland etc where most governments are coalitions so in itself PR isn't necessarily a problem. It seems in Canada the problem is more related to the existence of a regional nationalist party which distorts the process. It looks like the UK could be vulnerable to such behaviour also. I seem to remember in the last years of the Major government ,as the conservative majority declined with resignations and deaths of MPs they were forced to rely on the UU to win votes in the commons.
By the way - I'm surprised nobody in the media - especially the Tory-supporting element - have pointed out that, due to uneven population distribution, it takes on average fewer votes to elect a Labour MP than a Tory MP.............
I think that's mainly due to the distribution of voters - there are more very safe conservative seats than labour ones. I think it's also the case that the constituencies vary in size with conservative ones tending to be a little larger on average. The boundary commission can catch up with population movements in time to even out constituency sizes. I'm not sure what the % is but I'd guess that the conservatives need 4 or 5% more of the popular vote to have parity on numbers of MPs with labour.
Apr 7th 2010 | 3:31 am
#44
Binned by Muderators
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 11,708
From: White Rock BC
Re: Will you vote in the UK election?
I noticed the National tonight had a short feature on the UK election. It mentioned that some academics had produced a report on the experiences of minority goverments worldwide which cited the canadian federal parliament as the prime example of a dysfunctional aggressive parliament. Is the canadian minority government situation one to be avoided at all costs?
Apr 7th 2010 | 3:57 am
#45
Magnificently Withering
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 6,908
From: Oakville, ON
Re: Will you vote in the UK election?
Quite. There's a strong school of thought that much of Canada's lauded stability and economically-less-messed-uppedness is a direct result of having a government that has been unable to pass any contentious legislation. While the three-way alliance of Libs, NDP and Bloc collapsed almost before it began at the end of 2008, it served its purpose in a way - Harper persuaded the GG to prorogue parliament to escape the inevitable confidence motion, and when they came back again there was a bit less ideological crap in the throne speech.
