Well, lots of things have happened this week...
As many of you probably know, the UK has had a general election this week. After doing a bit of research and also watching the Prime Ministerial debates; (the first of their kind) I had narrowed down my choice between that of either the Liberal Democrats led by Nick Clegg, or the Scottish Nationalist Party - led by Alex Salmond. Both parties seemed to have pretty solid manifestos for me, and lined up with what I believe personally. Also, I'm not really that bothered about Scotland separating. I think that if Scotland wants to separate, then they can - it's economically viable - I mean - we have all this oil up here and stuff. Plus, Scotland survived for hundreds of years before the Union, so what's the big deal if they separate now? Also, Alex Salmond, the leader of the SNP is dead quirky and funny. Check this out...
My opinion on this matter probably sounds pretty naive to a lot of folks out there, but frankly I don't care. Take it or leave it. In the end though, I wound up voting for the Liberal-Democrats. This was mainly because I didn't feel either choice would have been bad, but I just had a feeling at this time that I should vote for the Lib-Dems. In the end, it didn't make a difference in my constituency anyway, because the Labour candidate nabbed it.
So, the result of the election is what is known in these parts as a "hung parliament". There has been much amusement among my Canadian friends with regards to this term... my facebook status the morning of the election said something along the lines of "Well, hung parliament is a good thing..." I had many comments in my inbox about that particular choice of word. However, what a hung parliament means - is that we - the people of the United Kingdom have elected a more balanced parliament. The Conservatives had the most votes of any party, but all of the other parties combined had WAY more votes than the Conservatives. It's very much like the minority government in Canada at the moment. The situation we have is quite interesting really because there are a number of choices that could be made. In the end the man that seems to have all the power is Nick Clegg - the leader of the Liberal Democrat party. Depending on whom he decides to align himself with, this government could swing either way - Conservative or Labour. Here is a more detailed explanation of this hung parliament...
Nick has started by talking to the Conservatives to see what sort of offer they can make that could entice him to allow his party to form a coalition with them. He has made no official decision at this moment. However, there have also been offers from Labour, and the SNP / Plaid Cymru (in Wales) to form an alliance against the conservatives. Nick has all the power in the end, and it's very interesting to watch. He better not screw it up!!!
One principle of the Liberal-Democrat Manifesto is that of Parliamentary Reform... the idea of Proportional Representation has been kicking around in the UK for more than 20 years. PR has been used in many countries around Europe for years and years... here's a video from the 80's with John Cleese in it to explain how it works...
So - yeah - I'm all for PR. I think it's a brilliant idea. Since the results of the election have come out, more and more people are becoming aware that there is something wrong with the current system of voting. Parliamentary reform at this point is inevitable. This is one of the main points that Nick Clegg will be pushing right now in his negotiations. (or better be!) If you believe that parliamentary reform is important for the future of Britain, then I would recommend that you sign this petition... (link)
I have... I hope that the outcome of this whole thing will be a positive one that will reflects the wishes and desires of the British people, as opposed to the wishes and desires of a few greedy politicians.
So yeah - there's my unfashionable political post. As I said, take it or leave it. I'm not much of a debater, so don't even try to start one up with me... I believe what I believe, and I stand by it.
Other than that, not much has happened this week. I was just really glad to have a reasonably restful week after the events of the past few weeks.
Have a good week peeps, and pray for us Britons. Thanks. x
*post-scrip*
Here's a video of the protests for parliamentary reform from yesterday...
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