emony | (no subject)

Me either. *stares*

Do you think they are contesting any seats anywhere? I think this needs investigation.

It does. Question is, if there's any in places we know people though, really.

According to their website, they have two candidates standing, one in Crosby and one in Hackney South and Shoreditch.

Never even heard of Crosby...

I doubt whether the good people of Crosby (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/vote2005/html/168.stm) have heard of you either, but they have a Communist party candidate standing in their constituency regardless.

I didn't think they had :) Just that I knew where Shoreditch was. I've heard of Southport of course, tho.

I did. Comes off living in a town that would be a Tory safe seat if it wasn't for all the mad students demanding the Morning Star in practically every newsagent.

It's nothing compared to France though, which has at least three significant communist parties.

Ah, good old mad students and their Morning Star fetish. Do they vote Communist, or do they vote strategically to challenge/keep out the Tories?

The French have always been better at that whole Communism thing than us. We still have a monarchy and a state religion, after all.

I checked out that tactical voter site you mentionned and I think it's all about voting Labour to keep out the Tories. *sigh* I will have to look into a vote swap.

French politics is so cool, although I kinda lost track of what was going on after I stopped having to read French newspapers for A-Level. I need to get better informed about world politics in general.

I think it's about voting for whoever you have to vote for to keep the Tories out. Lib Dems in my case. Labour in some cases. Vote swapping does sound like a good concept though.

I don't know a whole lot about French politics, but I'm sure they have their moments of coolness politically speaking.

True dat.

I was taking my French A-Level about the time of the presidential election so I had to learn a fair bit about it. Although the biggest fact I remember is that there were three Communist parties who all got about 5% of the vote each.

Aah, if they'd banded together as one party they could've got 15% and .. well, done something 3 times better. They've got proportional representation in France though, haven't they, so I guess three lots of 5% is just the same as 15% if they've got similar ideas.

Yes, it was quite irritating. Especially that's partly why the fascist bastard Le Pen almost got in. There seems to be many more political parties in France. The French come across as much more politically motivated, I guess.

I don't think it's that. I think it's just that proportional representation is a system that encourages small parties. Under our First Past the Post system, small parties don't really stand much of a chance, because they have to not just get votes, but get more votes than anyone else in the constituency they're standing in. That's why, over here, smaller parties like the Greens and the Communists only stand in a very small number of seats, the ones where they stand a chance of at least getting enough votes to get their deposits back. Under proportional representation the proportion of the vote is represented, so even if a party doesn't get enough votes to beat all the other candidates, it may still get, say, 2% of the overall vote, which would entitle it to maybe one MP, depending obviously on how the system works. So, in conclusion, I talk too much, but there are more political parties in France because of the PR system of elections.

I like it when people talk politics at me. Makes me feel all intelligent and stuff.

That's probably true, but from what I've read the French do seem more inclined to political activism. Probably a mix of both factors.

Hey, look who exists! Hi VT. *g*

What? I thought that was just a random stranger who'd wandered into my LJ through some happenstance of coincidence. You know her? How odd. ;)

:p

I have privacy and a net connection again. (I'm back up at uni once). One thousand variations on w00t!

Does this mean you'll be back around? You've been missed!

Not be my, obviously, I'm too cool for that. *cough* ;)

I've been missed? Awww.

(You didn't miss me? *defriends*)

Yup, I'm back. Should be around for a bit - even started fic last night - until major exam stress sets in. Wait, I always end up writing fic in the mornings before I have exams so yeah, I'm around.

I didn't either. But then why would I? I learn all my British politics from Whose Line Is It Anyway.

But what I really dropped by to say was, ha ha, I love Warren's face in that moodpic! Shh, I know I made it. It still needs to be said.

Whose Line Is It Anyway never mentioned the Communists? For shame.

Haha I love it too :)