Welcome one and all to UK Politics.

Welcome to UK Politics.

I hope you thoroughly enjoy this forum and find it a place you want to return again and again to.

I thought I'd write a little welcome to this esteemed place at the behemoth that is PTS/ATS/BTS site today.

I am your UK Politics FSME (Forum subject matter expert) but that certainly doesn't mean I know it all (I wish!).
We have the demanding luxury of several centuries of British political evolution to draw from so I trust you'll accept that 'expert' is a decidedly relative term here!

I'll be here to help, comment, cajole, question, provoke and generally try and help kick ideas around and develop interesting and challenging debate here, as well as handing out PTS applause and points (which will soon enable you to get a lot more cool stuff).

It's all part of an on-going revamp and a new system here to help organize and bring PTS the recognition it deserves.

Politics is life and life is politics.
British politics have helped shape and continue to help shape the modern world, for better or worse.
There's a hell of a lot we can all talk about here.

I'm pretty tolerant as regards posting guidelines.
Follow the Terms and Conditions and we'll all get along great.
I welcome any and all discussion, regardless of viewpoint, so long as it abides by the above T&C.

But there are certain things I will not put up with.
Trolls and spammers will be given fair warning and then dealt with, no exceptions!

So, over to you guys.

Post as before, and remember, l'll be around often and no slouch to reward members who make insightful, unique, well researched, brilliantly argued, pertinent or thought provoking posts with applause and a large wedge of cool PTS points!

If you have any questions on anything, feel free to u2u me and I'll help if I can.

Just don't always expect instant replies, especially at this point in the year, cos I do have a 'real life' that needs attending to, some of the time at least!

Terms & conditions

[edit on 1-1-2007 by sminkeypinkey]

Sminky,

What's it called when Tony Blair goes in front of Parliament (not sure which House) and has to answer questions and dodge rotten fruit from the backbenchers?

That's a hoot, we get it on CSpan (I think). How often does he do it?

Have to hand it to him though, Jr. would be hemming and hawing like the dickens. Blair has a good grasp of the issues and seems to crack them up quite a bit. No one's holding back, that's for sure.

Originally posted by psyopswatcher
What's it called when Tony Blair goes in front of Parliament (not sure which House) and has to answer questions and dodge rotten fruit from the backbenchers?

Its called Prime Ministers Questions. And if you've missed it you can see it here.

Commons Q Time

Originally posted by psyopswatcher
That's a hoot, we get it on CSpan (I think). How often does he do it?

He usually does it on Wednesday around Noon GMT I believe. I enjoy it too. Dubya that would be great

[edit on 19-7-2006 by danwild6]

Thanks Dan.

Loverly...

Prime Minister's Question Time - history and processes

Prime Minister's Question Time (often referred to as PMQs) is an opportunity for MPs from all parties to question the PM on any subject.

It lasts for about 30 minutes and usually focusses on the key issues of the day.

The PM answers questions every week that Parliament is in session - so for about two hours per month. This is twice as long as his chief cabinet colleages or their junior ministers.

PMQs were introduced fairly recently, in 1961, after a successful experiment while Harold Macmillan was Prime Minister.

The half hour session starts with a routine question from an MP about the Prime Minister's engagements.

Following the PM's reply, the questioning member can put a supplementary question about anything relating to the PM's duties or any aspect of Government policy.

House of Commons speaker is permitted three or four supplementaries in succession to his or her first question. The leader of the next largest party is allowed two.

The Prime Minister will often use PMQs as an opportunity to make a statement on Government policy or to give an official reaction to a topical issue.

Just loverly.

Around here we get Tony Snowjob, the surrogate hem and hawer. And some weekly radio spot that's scripted by slamdunkers and never off the top of his head--lord forbid.

Then if he needs to explain any law Congress passes, he uses 'signing statements' that in his estimation gives him the power to disobey.

He should go in front of Congress and explain those face-to-face.


One thing about Blair though, he pulls it all off with grace and wit and the proper degree of seriousness when called for. Cudos to Macmillan for bringing the PM front and center and on the carpet, so to speak.

Blair is an extremely competent, media savy, intelligent prime minister. If it wasn't for Iraq, and the WMD's, he'd still be popular.

New Labour HAS done alot for this country. They had the balls to ditch their old socialist 'value's that simply weren't acceptable in this nation. Although Blair will always maintain that he's just 'redefined' socialism.

Cameron i feel, will be the next PM. Either that or a hung parliament. He impressed me in PMQ's today. Theres still plenty of spin and image being put into his leadership, but this was the case with New Labour, and across the pond. Cameron just looks like a leader, he speaks with fantastic English (well he is from an aristocratic family and related to the royal family) and would be a good statesman on the world stage.

Have the tories learnt there lessons, do they deseve another go? I'm not sure. There is a sizeable contingent of modern tories who are trying to escape from the old guard. But I still think there isn't enough for an effective government.

Rats! It's Wednesday noon and I just took the dog for a walk to the post office, instead of glueing myself to the tube for the PMQ's. :p

Maybe there's a time difference stateside and I can catch it later. Here we go...

C-SPAN: PRIME MINISTER'S QUESTIONS
Prime Minister's Questions airs LIVE Wednesday mornings at 7am ET on C-SPAN2 & reairs on Sunday nights at 9pm ET on C-SPAN. BRITISH PARLIAMENTARY LINKS ...
www.c-span.org/homepage.asp?Cat=Series&Code=PMQ&ShowVidNum=9&Rot_Cat_CD=PMQ&Rot_HT=206&am

psyopswatcher in addtion to the link dan provided you might also like to know the BBC website carries a link where PMQs can be seen each week.

You'll find it here - news.bbc.co.uk...
in the middle of the page there is a section called 'video and audio news'; it'll appear there after ever wednesday lunchtime 'event' (starting with the 1st of the new session on the 22nd).

Enjoy.

Thank you sminkeyminkey for the welcome.
I am not surprised that Labour is slipping in the opinion polls.
I have a list of question's i would love to ask Mr Blair and co.
They have really opened my eye's with their dogmatic way's and ill thought out policies.
I am a life long supporter of Labour and i would'nt vote any other way, but they need to be told before it's too late! How can i make them listen, before our country falls into the hands of the tories with no policies?
In the begining the Labour party promised forum's for ordinary people to have their say. I never saw any evidence ofthis in my area or anywhere else come to that!
I get very upset as i still have'nt got over the 18 years of tory folly.
People unfortunately have very short memories, very short!
They have forgotten when their Sons, Dads and Grandads queued up outside the jobcentre in all weather's to sign on! Inflated prices in the shop's, buy now pay later! get into debt. I suspect there are people still in debt from those days.
Will Mr Brown listen? I hope so. I think Blair is a good Primeminister at home, but on the international stage he's a jelly, a wimp!... call him what you like. So while he's away Mr Prescott calves up the south east of england and calls it progress! It's not progress from where i'm standing it's a disgrace. Everywhere you go in the south east there are new homes being built. For who? The wealthy Londoners who sell their properties at over inflated prices and buy 3 or 4 to rent out down south sending any profit to their families abroad. I rest my case! Maybe u2u is my next option.

UK Politics seems like a puzzle!

UK Politics seems like a puzzle!

reply to post by happinness


Well it all seems very prophetic now doesn't it. We didn't elect the tories but they still assumed the mandate to reform every aspect of British society. Change is needed, but the Conservatives are purely the party of business. They will reform the benefits system, the NHS, education, transport and trade, in the interest of big business. Look no further than the proposed privatisation of the roads. Won't be long before every aspect of British live directly benefits the profit margin of some Chinese mega corporation. Labour are not a party I support, but at least they have good people on the backbenches, the tories just have a load of relics of the aristocratic age as their base...
A COUNTRY IS NOT A BUSINESS... I am not a shareholder of UK plc.

presidential election on sunday in france!!

reply to post by theGreatunhosed


agree with everything you said. Why is UK a plc, and not a public company? if public shares are limited why should the majority of us care about it? people seem to have blindly excepted the concept without realising they are employees and not shareholders.

American and British dirty foreign policy...
US and British foreign policy always raised many questions that stayed unanswered until these days. Former British diplomat and human rights activist Craig Murray disclose some interesting facts you can find on his page. I'll give you just a couple of examples that might be a little bit stale but still good to understand the idea.
CIA Plot against Correa funded by drug money – www.craigmurray.org.uk...
As you see highest American authorities use dirty tricks and money to fight the unwanted regimes worldwide. After all see Murray's denouncement of western support for brutal Uzbek regime – www.craigmurray.org.uk...
Finally we see that America and Britain bear responsibility for all these political apocalypses whether it is South America, Middle East or Central Asia... There are no doubts in Murray's words because he is experienced diplomat and knows how everything works.

reply to post by Grame


He knows how everything works?

We really need either a UK forum or EU one.
I struggle to find an appropriate forum often.

originally posted by: boymonkey74
We really need either a UK forum or EU one.
I struggle to find an appropriate forum often.

This should probably be moved to the World War Three section.

Just sayin'