Friday 25 November 2011

An electoral enigma.

A little summary of Welsh Labour's position on various electoral issues:

AGAINST: reducing number of Welsh MPs from 40 to 30 in order to achieve a consistent MP to voter ratio of around 1:76,000 voters.

FOR: reducing number of Ynys Môn Councillors from 40 to 30 in order to achieve a consistent Councillor to voter ratio of around 1:1,750 voters.

AGAINST: any top-down changes to Wales's electoral system without the "agreement of Welsh people".

FOR: top-down changes to Ynys Môn's local government electoral system from single member wards to exclusively multi-member wards without the agreement of Ynys Môn residents.

13 comments:

In the Know. said...

Labour's Gerrymandering in one easy lesson.

Anonymous said...

David Cameron says: "no cuts in frontline NHS services"

David Cameron does: "Let's demolish the NHS and hope no one notices"

Clegg says:
Clegg does:

C'mon Druid, you can do better than this.

I'd offer a comment on what the Welsh Conservatives had been saying and doing but I couldn't find anything (joke, awright?).

Whoeveer you vote for, the bankers always win.

Richard Sletzer said...

ANONYMOUS: If David Cameron really DID promise to "demolish the NHS" - and then actually FULFILLED that promise - he'd certainly get my vote.

The NHS is a massive, insatiable parasite which is sucking the life out of the nation. If Cameron only only could destroy it we would all feel so much better.

Meanwhile, to get around to The Druid's original comment, one has to wonder, given the appalling judgement displayed by Anglesey voters over the years, whether the island isn't a darn-sight better off without "democracy".

Democracy is a great idea in theory - but, in practice, the snag is that uniformed and unthinking people tend to outnumber (and out-vote) intelligent and perceptive people. The result is the election of a "Government of Thickies" - which is no good for anyone.

....Regrettably this is an all too familiar phenomenon to people in Anglesey.

mairede thomas said...

As I have said our democracy is not perfect but if you believe in education then you must also think it is possible to better inform the decisions of voters. In a world as uncertain and unstable as ours is just now it is dangerous to substitute the democracy we have for undemocratic or autocratic government.

Paul Williams said...

I think Churchill got it right when he said:

"Many forms of Government have been tried and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time."

Ultimately I would prefer democracy with all the flaws we had in Ynys Môn to the present situation. I would also draw your attention to this excellent article by Simon Jenkins yesterday on a similar topic:

"http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/nov/24/inevitable-eu-democracy-survive-mess

kp said...

To be honest, I don't think even Churchill would have allow Wales to have democracy and control over its own education policies.

If you don't educate the kids voting intentions will be always be allied to those peddling perpetual welfare (be it in the form of social security or state created employment).

This isn't new. Here in Anglesey we have had one of the very worst education systems since the closure of the grammar schools. And that's why all out local politicians are so pathetic. And our voters worse.

I despise Welsh democracy!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous is totally wrong to say that David Cameron is demolishing the NHS in Wales. Its about time the people of Wales realized that NHS has been devolved to Welsh Assembly government, and its the controlling labour party and Lib Dems in Wales who are cutting the budget of NHS in Wales.
The NHS should have stayed with the UK government and never been devolved !!

Un o Fon

Rhys Williams said...

To KP you are priceless, and I feel your pain - I've started a collection to buy you a one way train fair to England.

Un o Fon - Would that be the NHS in England that even though a person might have cataracts in both eyes will only operate on one eye, as opposed to both being done in Wales?

Anonymous said...

@Richard Sletzer

Of course, Anglesey would be better with democracy abolished and you at the helm dictating the rights and wrongs to us "thickos".

You sound like a right tyrant!

An Eye On... said...

Ice Cold, mark me in for a fiver.

kp said...

Ice Cold & Red Flag:

You two guys are wonderful. Despite all evidence to the contrary you continue to believe that everything is okay just as it is, with a slight change here and another slight change there.

Haha, I guess you were both educated here in Wales.

No offence but I think you have proven my point!

Rhys Williams said...

KP when someone say no offence or with respect, that normally means the reverse. Don't worry none taken.

Let me ask you straight, seeing how much you hate Wales why are still here?

kp said...

Ice Cold, I do not hate Wales, I live in Wales, Wales is my home, the home of my children and grandchildren. Wales is where I have my friends, my livelihood, my future and my past. Wales, to me, represents all things good in my life.

But, I suspect, my kind of Wales is very different to your kind of Wales.

And, whilst I'm happy for you to have your kind of Wales and make what you want of it, I am also of a mind to ensure that my kind of Wales survives and prospers too.