Election UK style
Unlike your homeland Grit, the UK election system, and its political make-up are strange phenomena.
According to your CIA website (Don’t they just get everywhere), we are a constitutional monarchy. That suggests that our Queen has a say in the running the country. However, in reality, the Monarch has no power at all. In addition, unlike the position that George Bush holds, we have no chance of becoming a Queen, or King for that matter, unless one of our parents has bedded a direct Royal descendent (Prince Charles is the favourite). Oh and they had to have done this around nine months before you were born. Step King or Queen is not allowed.
Below that Royal tier, we have the main government, which is split into two houses. The house of Lord’s does not allow itself to be voted on by us mere peasants, so elections are limited to the “old boy” network or by government gift (if you pay them enough that is). If you are a Lady or Lord, you are there for life. There are rumours that some have stayed in place for several months after their demise, but this has not been proven.
It is in the House of Commons and below where public voting decides who rule us. The only set term for a government is that they cannot exceed five years in power. Most parties start playing around with the date after about two and a half years. For example, the Labour party has had two elections since it came to power in 1997, the last one in 2006.
We do have local elections similar to the ones you are about to have, but ours are every year. The main difference is that the people we vote for at that time do not get to serve in the main government, just on local councils. Thus, the crazy part is that we could have all of our councils run by the Conservatives, whilst the government is Labour. Most of the time, these elections are less about what you want to happen in your local area and more related to kicking the ruling government in the pants. Not that it makes a lot of difference, because at the moment Tony Blair thinks he is a dictator, so he acts like one with little regard being paid to the public he is supposed to serve.
Compared to the US our way of voting for the general election is rather primitive. We still in most places have a box that we walk into and have to indicate our preference by hand. We obviously cannot be trusted with computers. Due to the massive cut backs in education the government is of the opinion that the majority of the population can’t write; therefore we all have to put a cross to indicate our choice.
Our voting system is also a bit of a lottery (or should that be mockery?). For example, last time Labour, with 35.2% of the votes won 55% of the seats in parliament. The Conservatives, who had 32.3% of the votes, only got 30% of the seats. We also allow a range of parties to stand for election. These have included the Liberal Democrats, the Raving Looney party and the independents, who will stand for anything they want at the time.
Still there is always the future to look forward to. Our government keeps giving away power to individual parts of the country. It started with Ireland, Scotland, Wales, but other places such as Cornwall now want that sort of independence. At this rate, in a few years, I will soon be able to become Prime Minister of my street and my family will be cabinet ministers.
And so the life of one of the world’s oldest democracy runs on.
The Brit
Unlike your homeland Grit, the UK election system, and its political make-up are strange phenomena.
According to your CIA website (Don’t they just get everywhere), we are a constitutional monarchy. That suggests that our Queen has a say in the running the country. However, in reality, the Monarch has no power at all. In addition, unlike the position that George Bush holds, we have no chance of becoming a Queen, or King for that matter, unless one of our parents has bedded a direct Royal descendent (Prince Charles is the favourite). Oh and they had to have done this around nine months before you were born. Step King or Queen is not allowed.
Below that Royal tier, we have the main government, which is split into two houses. The house of Lord’s does not allow itself to be voted on by us mere peasants, so elections are limited to the “old boy” network or by government gift (if you pay them enough that is). If you are a Lady or Lord, you are there for life. There are rumours that some have stayed in place for several months after their demise, but this has not been proven.
It is in the House of Commons and below where public voting decides who rule us. The only set term for a government is that they cannot exceed five years in power. Most parties start playing around with the date after about two and a half years. For example, the Labour party has had two elections since it came to power in 1997, the last one in 2006.
We do have local elections similar to the ones you are about to have, but ours are every year. The main difference is that the people we vote for at that time do not get to serve in the main government, just on local councils. Thus, the crazy part is that we could have all of our councils run by the Conservatives, whilst the government is Labour. Most of the time, these elections are less about what you want to happen in your local area and more related to kicking the ruling government in the pants. Not that it makes a lot of difference, because at the moment Tony Blair thinks he is a dictator, so he acts like one with little regard being paid to the public he is supposed to serve.
Compared to the US our way of voting for the general election is rather primitive. We still in most places have a box that we walk into and have to indicate our preference by hand. We obviously cannot be trusted with computers. Due to the massive cut backs in education the government is of the opinion that the majority of the population can’t write; therefore we all have to put a cross to indicate our choice.
Our voting system is also a bit of a lottery (or should that be mockery?). For example, last time Labour, with 35.2% of the votes won 55% of the seats in parliament. The Conservatives, who had 32.3% of the votes, only got 30% of the seats. We also allow a range of parties to stand for election. These have included the Liberal Democrats, the Raving Looney party and the independents, who will stand for anything they want at the time.
Still there is always the future to look forward to. Our government keeps giving away power to individual parts of the country. It started with Ireland, Scotland, Wales, but other places such as Cornwall now want that sort of independence. At this rate, in a few years, I will soon be able to become Prime Minister of my street and my family will be cabinet ministers.
And so the life of one of the world’s oldest democracy runs on.
The Brit
posted by Brit & Grit at 2:41 PM
4 Comments:
Prime MInister of the street might not be so bad ..unless, that is, your neighbors complain that you aren't doing your job if you're having a nice game of croquet. It's been the downfall of Prescott already!
Guess I will have to move to a street with only one house then :-)
Paul
Id love to be Prime Minister of my street.
At least you'd get one vote :-)
Paul
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