Posts by Kyle Matthews
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And while obviously more is generally better, NZ turnout is pretty good compared to some countries.
And any argument which says "a move from a system where a large proportion of the population knew that it didn't matter which box they ticked, their vote wouldn't lead to anyone getting elected TO a system where the vast majority of electors help put a person in parliament has led to a decrease in turnout" would need some pretty strong statistical evidence to be taken seriously.
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Is that true?
Though apart from the first MMP election, the four following have all been a lower turnout than the last five FPP elections. But generally more than the 1978 one (adjusted up to 79% in note 9).
Stating that this is because of MMP rather than, y'know a billion other reasons that people might be less likely to vote is pretty misleading.
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Basically unless you are voting Tory there you are fucked
And some would say, if you vote Tory you're fucked as well. :)
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One thing that would be hilarious if we changed our electoral system to first-past-the-post (or preferential vote or supplmentary member of STV for that matter) would be seeing political journalists try to explain poll results in terms of seats in Parliament.
That's interesting. MMP must be a great thing for polling companies. Now able to say "the numbers we give you actually might possibly relate to reality, rather than being meaningless and bearing little relationship to the election we're heading towards".
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Cowell's decision provoked a storm of protest from BGT fans who blasted him for playing politics and backing a party who plan to slash and burn public services.
They accused him of "selling out" the fans who make his shows, the X Factor and Britain's Got Talent, such a success
Wait. People are protesting that a multiple-millionaire who runs shows where people get voted off in a quasi-darwinist survival of the most popular is a right-winger? FFS.
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And since Big Tobacco didn't carry enough stench for you, you get the guy who does whaling *and* Big Tobacco. Save yourselves some time. Just change your logo to a swastika.
"The Baby-Eating Bishop of Bath and Wells" surely? Can't have you godwinning yourself before the discussion gets started.
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Oh. Is that what "hung" means? Man, I had this thing all wrong.
I think you'll find that there's just the ordinary 'hung parliament', which is what we get after an election while the minor parties sort out who they're going with. Perfectly normal.
What appears likely in the UK is a 'well hung parliament'. Which is where after the elections everyone goes "holy fuck, what do we do now, we don't have a government!" and then a week later it all gets sorted out something like mature adults and the media go on about it for years while everyone pats themselves on the back.
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That's partly down to one of the quirks of the British system -- TV and radio advertising are banned during the campaign.
Their election seems quite strange. First time the debate has been televised (which would raise the question of why they had the debate before that, did it get broadcast on radio and did anyone listen?). No advertising.
And yet on the daily show a week or so ago, they showed the hi-tech talking heads analysis playing with interactive shit on TV. Actually looked cool and vaguely intelligent, as compared to some of what the US channels do where it's playing with toys but making no sense.
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The hippopotamus, for instance, is said to mark jungle trails by excreting a lethal mixture of urine and feces while twirling its tail like a propeller. This may explain the historically sluggish market for pet hippopotamuses.
I saw a hippo do this at the zoo once. One of the craziest things I've ever seen. Literally shit hitting the fan, flies about three or four metres in all directions. My son loved it.
Umm, as you were.
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50 people simultaneously lighting up in separate areas of a city, both publicly and visibly, on a regular basis to encourage old ladies to call the police, will put massive stress on the resources available. and as wrong as it is, the police have more sway with the Government than the people.
No it won't. This happens twice a week on the Otago University campus and only a couple of times in the past four years have the police done anything.
Which might sound wonderful, but the basic premise of Non-violent direct action is that you need to provoke a response from authority. Currently the protest doesn't provoke a response so the need to change the law isn't obviously to wider society.