Politics answer time

I was hoping to do this last week, but some last minute stresses, including moving house, stopped me. Sorry folks.

Let’s get to it.

Steven the Rill wanted to know:

I know that you’re a Liberal Democrat supporter – but have you ever voted for candidates from any other parties (or, indeed, of no party)?

Indeed I have done both.

May 1997. There was a general election and I was a newly minted registered voter. After living basically all my life under a Tory government, and not agreeing with the vast majority of their policies, I had decided that I was going to vote Labour. And so I did, in my old primary school that I hadn’t been back to in about a decade.

Then things started to go wrong. About the only thing that Labour did that I agreed with was the referendum on Scottish devolution. When they brought in student loans and tuition fees (a move that even former Tory PM John Major stated he would never have done) I gave up. By this time I was paying more attention to politics and realised that the Liberal Democrats were more in line with me and I have supported them ever since.

As for not voting, the European elections I don’t bother with. This is ever since I found out that the elected MEP’s have absolutely no power whatsoever over laws that are passed.

Equanimous asked:
What do you think devolution will lead to in Scotland? Dissolution of The Union?

Not for a while. I know the fact that the SNP form the government in the Scottish Parliament may seem to indicate that the people of Scotland want independence but there are two things to remember:

1) Most of that was a vote against Labour.

2) They may form the government but it is a minority government. Most of Scotland didn’t actually vote for them. While I respect the push for an independence referendum, even if it does get past parliament, it is likely to lose. Most likely is that the Scottish Parliament will get more power devolved to it. (The Lib Dems actually want that to appear on a referendum as a third option. The SNPs refusal to budge on the issue is the main reason there is not a coalition government.)

Can I see dissolution of the union? Possibly, although I do think that Britain is too small an island for that to be good for anyone involved. I think it’s more likely that it’ll keep going like this, with Holyrood slowly getting more and more power.

Rodge challenged me:
I live in the Odsal area of Bradford, postcode BD6. Who is my MP?

Find that out, and get it right, and I will be impressed.

Well, thanks to google and this site I can tell you that your MP is Gerry Sutcliffe, representing Labour. He won the seat in a by-election in 1994.

And finally, dear_gertrudeperkins wondered:
Well seeing as it’s today’s breaking news, what’s your take on the release of al-Megrahi?

I’m not really sure. Admittedly, I think that if he is in as poor health as I’ve heard, I think he should have been released. And I know that there are those who will say ‘life should mean life’ but to them I have to ask, the longest I’ve heard that the guy will live after release is 10 months. How is that NOT life ?

What I really disagreed with was the reception he got on his return.

And that’s it. Well, kinda. If anyone wants to ask anything else, ask away and I’ll answer.

Will

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