...And the fighting takes over
49 minutes ago
Thursday, 13 May 2010
Cameron is starting to show his true colours
"...The second and much more fundament problem is the raising of the bar of a no confidence vote in the government to 55% rather than simple majority of those MP’s present and voting. This is a major and fundamental alteration in our constitution and what is being changed is not a right of the PM but a power if the Commons.
"The British constitution is very simple: he who commands the confidence of the House is PM, he who loses that confidence must resign. I simply do not see how such a rule is credible or can be enforced: a majority is a majority is 51%, not 55% or 60% or 80%. But once one concedes the concept on anything other than a simple majority for a confidence vote, then the way is open to Governments to protect their position by passing legislation demanding ever higher majorities before they are forced to resign.
"Indeed why not go the whole hog and pass legislation saying that nothing less than a 100% majority will be sufficient to force the government of the day to resign! As well as being politically dangerous, there is also the fundamental paradox that this legislation need only be passed by a simple majority. If the 55% it had been in place in 1979 when a no confidence motion in the Labour Government tabled by the SNP, and backed by the Tories was carried by one vote, then Callaghan could have stayed in power!
"As well as being politically unjustifiable the 55% rules raises the question of whether the House’s inherent ability to bring down government’s can be limited by legislation. One could of course always try and pass a bill to reverse this 55% doctrine by a subsequent act of parliament and such a bill would of course only need 51% of MP’s in its favour. However to become legislation obviously it would need to pas through the Lords as well, so in effect surrendering the long stop power to bring down the Government to the Lords!"
Frances Gibb @'The Times'
"All contributions by corporations to any political committee or for any political purpose should be forbidden by law" was said by what renowned progressive US President?
Answer
HERE
Answer
HERE
Crater Plume Gassing
Oil and gas stream from the riser of the Deepwater Horizon well May 11, 2010. This video is from the larger of two existing leaks on the riser. This leak is located approximately 460 feet from the top of the blowout preventer and rests on the sea floor at a depth of about 5,000 feet.
Smart Hate
As a college educator I hear it from my friends outside of the academy, especially those of my friends who lean to the right. Intellectuals are suspect. Somehow in America, being smart is a bad thing according to the political right. I will never forget a good friend, who is a staunch conservative sent me an article that smears President Obama by comparing him to a college president. The article is
HERE
He was interested in what I thought. My response was, "how is having a smart president a bad thing?" I never received an answer, which is too bad since that discussion has so much potential.
Now, in America, that discussion has risen to the top again with Obama's nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court.
HERE
Then there's the history teacher's room being vandalized by Tea Partiers:
HERE
He was interested in what I thought. My response was, "how is having a smart president a bad thing?" I never received an answer, which is too bad since that discussion has so much potential.
Now, in America, that discussion has risen to the top again with Obama's nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court.
HERE
Then there's the history teacher's room being vandalized by Tea Partiers:
HERE
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
