Why do they want to kick out the British PM

1. 59

   chigoiykeposted 14 years ago

   ....soonest it will be; why did they kick out the British PM - what's his name again? Gordon Brown. I have been following the British election with some amount of attention but I still don't get why a serving PM is about get kicked out through the votes (atleast with all indices, polls and forecasts availaible, the odds are very much against him). I hear the conservatives are about to clinch it. So can I get any British hubber in the house to comment on these or put me through. I got some love and respect for Gordon Brown though. Whats the sell out point now?

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      seanorjohnposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      The British public are disillusioned with all politicians because of the expenses scandal.
      100 leading economists back Gordon Brown's plans to get our economy back on track.Cameron's conservative party will plough £9 biillion pounds into giving millionaires tax breaks.This money will go to investment bankers who brought this country to the brink of economic collapse.
      The Conservatives will probably get the highest number of MP's and do a deal with other parties but I would be surprised if they weren't calling for another election in six months. The Labour party would then have a new leader and perhaps have a better chance of winning a majority in the second ballot.
      Most surveys show that "who will handle the economy best" wins elections.

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         EmpressFelicityposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Speaking for myself, my disillusion with politics goes back way before the expenses scandal.  Which was sleazy I grant you, but was piddling in terms of the actual sums of money involved.
         
         
         
         
         I don't have much faith in economists - since NONE of the ones who back our mainstream politicians ever mention just what a Ponzi scheme our whole money/banking system is. 
         
         
         
         
         Gordon Brown hasn't exactly been averse to getting into bed with big business.  Private finance initiatives, anyone?
         
         http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/electio … aunch.html  ("The premier was also challenged over why the taxpayer was paying £2.5 billion for the ''superhospital'' under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) deal, when the costs of construction were only £600 million.") - This sort of thing is why I can't raise much ire over the MPs' expenses scandal.
         
         
         

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            ilmdamailyposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            "I don't have much faith in economists - since NONE of the ones who back our mainstream politicians ever mention just what a Ponzi scheme our whole money/banking system is. "
            
            Spot on. The emperor has no clothes - how bad do things have to get before people realise that the ship is sinking? Until then, we're just polishing the brass on the Titanic.

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      Twenty One Daysposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Brown made his usual muck.
      Perhaps his luster has dimmed and the ever busy bees have new plans.
      The PM is still a handyman for HRH. So until William or Harry is in, they'll keep erecting whomever causes the least trouble and manages to keep up appearances.

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         EmpressFelicityposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I don't want to sound rude, but... WTF???  Could you explain this in plain English for the verbally challenged among us?

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   rebekahELLEposted 14 years ago

   yes, I would like to hear also. I'm surprised there has been no discussion from across the pond.

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      chigoiykeposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah, I just want to hear from the people over there about their thoughts but it seems they are all still in the voting field. There is still time though

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3. 91

   AdeleCosgroveBrayposted 14 years ago

   Here in the UK, a General Election has to take place at least once very four years - which is what we're holding right now, today.
   
   Gordon Brown wasn't elected to be Prime Minister, as such; he took over the job from Tony Blair - a controversial act in itself.
   
   Brown hasn't been "kicked out"; Labour's term of office is simply at an end.  Labour may be re-elected, but this won't be known until all the votes are counted, which will probably be in the early hours of this morning.

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   CMHypnoposted 14 years ago

   If Gordon Brown gets kicked out (some of us live in hope) it is because he is useless.  The UK now has a bigger debt than Greece, all built up by a man who, when he was chancellor, used to pride himself on his prudence!
   
   Under this Labour government spending has doubled in the NHS, but front line services are worse, criminals only serve about half of their sentences before they are let out, there are now millions of Britons unemployed or on incapacity benefits whilst immigration has soared sky high, and far too many of our children leave school without being able to read, write or do basic maths.

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   rebekahELLEposted 14 years ago

   so who would you like to see in office? or who do you think will take it?

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6. 83

   CMHypnoposted 14 years ago

   Unfortunately, it looks like it could be a hung parliament where no one party gets a majority.  This potentially could cause mayhem as the markets and the credit ratings agencies are waiting to see if a firm strategy for substantially decreasing the deficit is put in place immediately after the election.
   
   For example, LIFFE has granted permission for it's traders to start trading at 1am tomorrow morning for I think the first time.  This is because if the markets don't like the election results people worldwide will start to offload UK Gilts, and the UK traders don't want to lose out overnight while the other side of the world is awake and trading.

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   rebekahELLEposted 14 years ago

   I'll certainly be watching to see what happens. thanks for sharing.

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   iantoPFposted 14 years ago

   There may be some confusion over here about the way the UK electoral system works. The electorate neither vote in or vote out the Prime Minister. Constitutionally, Parliament acts as the advisor to the Crown. The electorate within their constituencies vote for a meber of a poitical party. The political party that wins the most seats in Parliament then chooses their leader who will be the Prime minister to the Crown. He or She speaks for Parliament to the Monarch and advises on the Government program.
   It's important to note that the head of state is the monarch. The Prime Minister is the Majority leader in the Parliament. That leader is appointed or rejected by the Party, as in the case of the Conservatives when they realized that Margaret Thatcher was no longer presenting a positive image. They removed her and replaced her with John Major. The party did this, the electorate went on to elect the conservatives with Major as the leader.
   British elections are also different from American ones in that there are strong alternative parties to the two main ones. The Liberal Democrats and the Scottish and Welsh separatist parties have strong following at local council level. They are frequently overlooked at general elections because they are unlikely to form a national government. What makes this election so interesting is the large numbers of the electorate that have lost faith in the policies of the two main parties and are now willing to vote for these minority parties thus causing a parliament where no party has an overall majority and the choosing of the Prime Minister becomes a matter for negotiation among the parties in Parliament.
   Damn that's long winded. Hope it helps.

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      earnestshubposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      That was very informative and accurate.

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9. 61

   theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

   Brown - its does what it says on the tin

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10. 63

    ns1209posted 14 years ago

    Gordon Brown is not exactly very well liked over here.  He is not terrible but while he was in power the recession was started and he was never really voted in and he does some stupid things (e.g. calling an old labour supporter a bigot!).  He is not being kicked out as such but there is a general election today where you vote for a party not a leader but Labour are pretty much going to lose the Conservatives and maybe the Lib dems

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    chigoiykeposted 14 years ago

    I was really tutored. The election seems so complicated so the best is to wait and see who emerges. Thanks @iantoPF and everybody who responded for the nice info piece

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    LaMamaLoliposted 14 years ago

    I just want to remind everyone that can, to go VOTE! I know a lot of people don't see the the point, but even if you go and abstain, at least you voted. I don't particularly want to, but I did, i want to show my kids that to make change you need to get heard - idealistic I know. But I do believe in baby steps. This election has given the two main parties a kick up the arse, they finally realise they have to acknowledge the Liberal Democrats. Who knows, by the next election maybe the Green Party will be the next to make it up there- at least in terms of debates. We need more challengers to the two main parties to give us more choice. We also need electoral reform - but I won't get started on that - I have to put the kids to bed and finish my laundry before the election starts on TV!!!  45 minutes and counting....lol

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       Polly Cposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I have just voted. Do you know, in the ward of Norwich where I live, which is only one small part of the city, but still...the Green Party have won the most votes in the ward by a significant amount for the last three years or so, so there you go...

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    Polly Cposted 14 years ago

    It's funny, though, isn't it...I can't actually remember a time when the British public were happy with their prime minister, Everyone moaned about Margaret Thatcher until she got booted out, no one liked John Major, Tony Blair was popular for five minutes until everyone realised he couldn't be trusted and Gordon Brown was never wanted at all.

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       EmpressFelicityposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       When I'm feeling even more cynical than usual LOL, I start to wonder whether the real role of a PM is to provide a visible focus for people's discontent.  When in fact a lot of the stuff that happens in Britain (and other Western countries) is beyond party politics: it's down to things like international trade, consumer (over)spending, the European Union, the welfare state, companies outsourcing jobs to China/India, fractional reserve lending etc.
       
       Perhaps those of us living in a democracy ascribe too much power to politicians.

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          Polly Cposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Yes, I think you're right. The public want the Government to sort out every little thing, but that just isn't possible. The outsourcing thing is a big problem - my partner works in IT and suffers a constant threat of this. And now not much manufacturing either. Sometimes I wonder if there will be anything for my children to do when they grow up!
          
          Whoever gets in tonight will not be popular for long as they are going to have to make huge cuts to lower our enormous debt.

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14. 62

    calpol25posted 14 years ago

    I voted before, It looks like the liberal democrats are going to win our votes lol
    
    Gordon Brown has caused a lot of bother here in the north, in fact he is one of the most disliked people up here because of what he did with the 10pence tax rate (he abolished it) so that people who worked part time would pay the same in tax as full time workers, causing mega problems with single parents and students.
    He also brought in the smoking ban, in my city alone of carlisle
    70 pubs and 3 bingo halls have closed down because of the smoking ban and the loss of earnings due to people not going out.
    
    Then the bloody expenses scandal well that was the icing on the cake all over britain if we did not like politicians then we certainly dont now after hearing and reading some of the stupid things that they claimed for, and there are hundreds of people homeless and jobless.

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    jimmythejockposted 14 years ago

    I Have voted and  chose Gordon Brown and the Labour Party as probably most of Scotland will, we remember Maggie thatcher and her Conservative government here.
    Scotland was brought to its knees,It will take another Generation or 2 of Scottish Voters to trust the conservatives again.
    I trust Gordon Brown to get our economy back on track people seem to forget that it was a global recession we just went through and it wasnt only the uk that suffered.
    Gordon Brown was hailed by world leaders and finantial institutions for his help in ending it.....jimmy
    why dont you vote in my Election hub and check out the results as they come in.
    http://hubpages.com/hub/Election-2010-Britain-Votes

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       IzzyMposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       Scotland never wanted Maggie's government to be in power. I think when she was first elected Scotland had something like 16 conservatives MPs and the majority of the rest were Labour. By the following election Scotland had booted all but 3 Tory MPs out.
       But then West Central Scotland would vote a monkey in if it wore a red rosette, true or not, Jimmy?

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          jimmythejockposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          
          Probably lol and a monkey would probably do a better job than any of the MP's we have at the moment in any party.....jimmy

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             IzzyMposted 14 years agoin reply to this

             Too true!
             
             I can't get excited about this election because from all the parties, it just looks like more of the same.
             Bring back the Monster Raving Looney Party!

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    CMHypnoposted 14 years ago

    The exit poll shows that the Tories are ahead, but not with a big enough majority.  Labour and the Lib Dems will probably get a kicking in the polls, and yet in the rules will possibly be able to get together and form a government.  The people of the UK could decisively reject Brown, but still end up with him as PM? Ain't democracy grand!

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       Polly Cposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I don't think Gordon Brown would still be seen as Prime Minister if it is a hung parliament. It looks like it will be David Cameron, with the other party/parties having something of a say when passing bills etc. Have I got this right?

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          IzzyMposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          In a hung parliament, the prime minister will be chosen from by the party with the most MPs. I don't know what happens if they both have the exact same number - I don't know if that's ever happened.
          Then the winning party will need to make a deal with a third party, perhaps the Liberal Democrats or whoever is the third biggest party. In exchange for allowing them to push through one or more of the policies they promised the electorate in their manifesto, this third party will then vote with the ruling party to get bills passed. It has to be be done this way, because without an outright majority, the ruling party will not be able to do anything at all.

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          CMHypnoposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          I think that the protocol is that in the event of a hung parliament, the party that is currently in power is allowed to try and form a govenment.  Therefore, potentially Brown could do a deal with Clegg and stay in power

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    waynetposted 14 years ago

    Every party talks shit and that's why I've never voted ever, if conservatives get in, then the child tax credit will be abolished and the child trust fund too and that to me will put alot of people back and Camerons face is just one you want to smack!

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       IzzyMposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I don't blame you for feeling this this - none of the parties have done anything good for decades. The Tories started by taking away some grants from students, and Tony Blair's New Labour (which was more right wing than the conservatives, but for some reason no-one seemed to notice) not only completely stopped all grants to working class families, he added student loans. Now none but the rich can afford higher education in the UK.

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          waynetposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          Yeah come to think of it, whoever gets in will change something or other so they can give themselves a wage increase and go through the loopholes of finance and scrounge more money through taxes of us workers whilst they have 3 or 4 houses and will more than likely still claim stupid expenses on pot noodles and chocolate bars!

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          Polly Cposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          True, no one can afford it but the rich, but young people go anyway and then leave with debts of thousands of pounds...just at a time when they really want to be buying a house...which they'll probably never be able to afford anyway as they are so expensive. Not very motivating!

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    kimberlyslyricsposted 14 years ago

    How horrible to kick out a brit cause they're pre mensural. geez.

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    Lady_Eposted 14 years ago

    Slow down. lol.
    
    The votes are still being counted. its about 12am now and the results should be out by 2am.
    
    May the Best man win.

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    2uesdayposted 14 years ago

    This is the first general election we have had that has featured a TV debate between the three main parties. 
    
    If the labour party do not win the election there is a strong possibility that the labour party will select someone else as their leader instead of Gordon Brown. A bit like football teams and managers - if you lose they might not want you in charge any longer.
    
    When we vote in the UK the present system means that if I vote for Z in my area and Y wins my vote does not count (in any other way) towards who forms the new Government. The candidate with the most votes in your area wins the seat in Parliment for that area. The party with the most seats in Parliment (the majority) form the new Government. They are thinking of changing the system, maybe.

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    waynetposted 14 years ago

    Well it turned out to be a hung parliament...but no one got hanged...I'm gonna complain!!!

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    Twenty One Daysposted 14 years ago

    Wow, about 20 seats shy. Not bad for the Conserves.
    I dunno much about this fellow Cameron, but conservatives always make my itchy. Anyway, back pints and bints.

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    Cheeky Girlposted 14 years ago

    Well, David Cameron is now the Tory Party Winner who gets the top job as Prime Minister, and Nick Clegg - the head of the Liberal Democrats, usually a third minor party of British politics suddenly finds himself as Deputy Prime Minister.
    
    Suddenly the Lib Dems have gone from Zero to Hero. Since I voted for Lib Dem, I am happy. As for hung parliament, it was a long time coming. We all lost faith in the 2 party system of British politics. The expenses scandal was the last straw.
    
    I am glad the shouting is over. Maybe in time people might warm to the idea that Brown left the country in better shape than some might be willing to admit. It's all over now, and they are deciding who gets what job. I Hope Paddy Ashdown gets well rewarded, he's a good guy. I wonder will the three party politics system or multi party system ever make it to the shores of the USA? Oooh, now that IS worth thinking about...

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