Is this the end of UK politics?, page 1

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Topic started on 17-5-2009 @ 08:25 AM by lightchild

There has been little mention on ATS of the huge problems in UK politics.

I think this article in the times sums most of it up

Julie Kirkbride, wife of the shamed Mackay, had a brick thrown through the window of her Worcestershire constituency office. “This has been Westminster’s 9/11,” said one minister. “Not even a terrorist bomb in the Commons could have quite the effect that this expenses scandal has had on the fabric of parliament.”

TOMORROW the action will move to the Commons chamber where Carswell, MP for Harwich and Clacton, will lead the charge to unseat the Speaker. He is expected to have at least a dozen names signed up to his motion of no confidence.

No Speaker in modern times has faced such a challenge to his authority (although during the 15th and 16th centuries six of Martin’s predecessors were beheaded and one was murdered).

Expenses scandal: House of frauds

There is weekly UK television where the public ask questions to a panel about various current affairs issues. Last weeks show

BBC Question Time in 5 minutes

Most of the UK public is very angry about the scandal, in a poll by the Independent newspaper.

The 40 per cent for "none of the above" is compared with 31 per cent for the Tories, 16 per cent for Labour and 13 per cent for the Lib Dems.

Two in five shun three main political parties

This article reflects what many people feel

Dissolve this rotten Parliament before it corrupts public life altogether

So all of the major parties are stealing from the UK taxpayer, we can only hope for a general election.

reply posted on 17-5-2009 @ 08:28 AM by Ace High

I love to see politicians get what is coming to them.

Maybe they will think twice before posting that home renovation, landscaping, or escort service bill to the taxpayers.

reply posted on 17-5-2009 @ 08:39 AM by Albertarocks

This sounds to me to be almost identical (but using different tactics) as what we're witnessing in the USA with the individual states preparing documents that remind the federal government that it's about to be dissolved. Surly that will lead to some sort of revolution, but one that I could envision as being relatively short... with the American people winning. Depends on where the military sides. Will they uphold their oaths an defend the American people from this threat which is both foreign and domestic... or will they just roll over like the cowardly politicians have? I'd like to think that the US military doesn't roll over for anybody.

Plain and simple, if the military keep to their word... the American people win... the FED gets burned to the ground, Rumsfeld and Cheney hang (along with 23,000 other traitors) and the good American people can apply their energies and talents toward rebuilding their lives and their country back to the beautiful thing it once was.

The most beautiful thing of all? Without the FED, the United States would very likely never war again.

reply posted on 17-5-2009 @ 08:50 AM by boaby_phet

im glad to see people taking a stand, if i had access to question any politicians personaly i would be doing the same.

unrelated, but the thing that really gets my goat about this is that none of the current cabinet even deserve to be in their possitions, cabinet is meant to be assigned by a voted in prime minister, something this country (uk) does not have, we are being ruled by a complete bunch of idiots who are watched over by a very poor leader, who was not democraticly voted in, rather he was forced on us .

then, to turn the knife, when his mp's are asked by the public if they will pay it back, they just sneer and say no! ...i mean come on, they could at least have tried to lie like they do, and have done the whole time they have been MP's.

reply posted on 17-5-2009 @ 09:37 AM by purehughness

Whilst I agree with the fact that serious questions need to be asked about MPs' expenses, and the way that MPs are able to claim exprenses, what really gets my goat is the massive knee-jerk reaction by pretty much everyone involved, and that of the public.
Only yesterday I was listening to the radio, and the amount of pig-ignorant vox-pops coming from the public really quite depressed me.

What's even worse is the way that senior politicians are now turning around and caliming to be 'looking into this' or 'doing everything in their power' to make it seem as if they themselves haven't been doing exactly the same thing.

As for 'the end of UK politics', you may be right there, to an extent. What worries me is that the public will act without thinking, on the basis of rectionary news reportage and ill-informed public opinion, and vote in extremist parties such as the BNP or UKIP, who at the moment will probably be capitalising on the failing confidence in mainstream UK politics.

These could be dark days indeed. Do we get shouldered with extremists, or carry on with corrupt incompetents who won't come clean about their own abuse of the system, whilst we all point fingers aimlessly?

reply posted on 17-5-2009 @ 11:20 AM by boaby_phet

reply to post by purehughness

thats the second time i have heard that today (that people may start voting for the far right partys), and it also worrys me, if bnp somehow came to power in UK i would leave the uk, flat out, ukip are not that bad ethicaly (as far as ive seen) but they just are not the kind of party thats good for the country .

this kind of thing has already happened in scotland (where im from), people lost faith in labour and tory (lol.. lib dem, lets just forget them) and in turn SNP got voted into power, which is one of the worst moves for scotland (ive always thought they were a crap party and always marketed in a way that appeals to the patriotic nature of us scots and our so called hate of the rest of the uk (something i also dont buy into)

the way i see it, the BNP, although vasty more racist and nasty, are the english version of the SNP , although both are completly non related to each other, they both run for the same causes (of course, bnp are also racists to the core though .. something ive never heard of the SNP).

could be dark times for politics indeed!

[edit on 17-5-2009 by boaby_phet]

reply posted on 17-5-2009 @ 02:23 PM by purehughness

reply to post by boaby_phet

Never really knew much about the SNP, thanks for the insight.
Totally with you regarding leaving the UK, if we ever got any sort of extremist party in power, I'd be out in a trice, most likely to Norway, out of preference.

To draw a parallel, but not to be too melodramatic, you could compare it to the birth of Nazi Germany. In that case, the German people, disillusioned with the failings of the Weimar Republic, turned to the extremists for a 'quick fix' solution. Their main options were the communist-influenced Spartakists, and the NSDAP. But in their case, it was the series of violent uprisings and 'Putsches' which ultimately swept the Nazis into office, whilst coercing the Reichstag to hand over all power.

Now, whilst I don't anticipate this sort of series of events, I feel it does highlight the potential danger that extremist parties could cause.

Really does seem wishful thinking to say 'I wish those pesky MPs were more honest with their expense claims'.

reply posted on 17-5-2009 @ 02:33 PM by h3akalee

It really take's the buiscuit.....

Think of it like this.

If i walked into a bank with the intention of stealing money would i not be classed as a criminal ?

Further more if i had the intention of returning the stolen money at some un designated time when i got caught for example.

Would this make it all right in the eye's of the law ?

No !!!

So why the hell can these scoundral's get away with simply paying the money back ?

If it was anyone else it would be classed as fraud.

Disgusting double standard's.

The criminal way of life must be acceptable i mean hell's teeth our MP's can do it why not honest joe down the road.

PAY IT BACK SCUM !

Take care.

Regards
Lee

reply posted on 17-5-2009 @ 02:41 PM by purehughness

reply to post by h3akalee

Yeah, that's it. Basic fraud. Straight up.
It's just crazy that we don't know exactly who has been committing the crime. It's not all MPs, but what is required is a full, controlled inquiry, directed at the individuals responsible. No passing the buck, no blame games. We need full transparency and not to let our passions get the better of our logic. That's when it starts to get dangerous.

reply posted on 17-5-2009 @ 03:11 PM by logicalview

Originally posted by lightchild

Most of the UK public is very angry about the scandal, in a poll by the Independent newspaper.

The 40 per cent for "none of the above" is compared with 31 per cent for the Tories, 16 per cent for Labour and 13 per cent for the Lib Dems.

Two in five shun three main political parties

I actually find this very encouraging. I was beginning to think that the British people had lost the will to stand up for themselves. Maybe now the people will get THEIR say.

British politics needs a shake up. It has done for years. The 'unwritten rule' in this country has always seemed to be that it doesn't really matter who you vote for because whichever party is in control, they are restricted in changes to the 'system' because 'thats the way things work'

I am fairly confident that there will always be a minority of law breakers and dole dossers. That inflation will rise and fall, so too for unemployment.

All we want is a just and honest parliament from which to choose a party to run our country.

[edit on 17/5/09 by logicalview]

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