Laura Corin Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 (edited) I've learned so much about the US system on this board and am happy to reciprocate. I won't get too political, but am happy to talk about general political trends. And just the weirdness of sudden elections. I'm by no means an expert, and the UK's constitutional system is also tricky. ------- - Today's the day. Dogs at the polls here https://www.theguardian.com/politics/gallery/2024/jul/04/dogs-uk-election-polling-stations-in-pictures?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other The local polling station at the pub near where I am staying in Wales. ------ Results - gifted link Live Updates: Labour Party Wins U.K. Election in a Landslide https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/07/04/world/uk-election-results?unlocked_article_code=1.400.yiJ7.rneJqm0sJ7t5 Edited July 5 by Laura Corin 11 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innisfree Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Following with interest… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 I am very interested to know about it. I think it is important for us to know what is up with so very many world leading governments. We have so many crisis points, and right now I think farm policy is one really big issue. Farm and environmental policy across this planet ties directly to climate change, mitigation or lack thereof (looking directly at my own country with an evil eye), feeding the world, reduction in use of fossil fuels (looking again at our leadership for lack of public transport, and moving more freight by rail), etc. I would love to know more about your elections, Laura! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 I should also probably say that I experienced a certain level of disappointment the year that BucketHead did not win the PM election! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted May 24 Author Share Posted May 24 1 hour ago, Faith-manor said: I should also probably say that I experienced a certain level of disappointment the year that BucketHead did not win the PM election! Lord Buckethead has traditionally stood as a candidate in the sitting Prime Minister's constituency, but would not have become PM if successful - just the Member of Parliament for that area. The party with the most MPs would just have chosen another leader who would have been the new PM. If the current PM Rishi Sunak loses in his constituency on 4 July and the Conservative party by some miracle has the most MPs, he will be out of a job twice over. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Can you start with the basics of the parliamentary system? What are the responsibilities of a Member of Parliament? Of the Prime Minister? Do Members of Parliament represent geographical areas? Is the area determined by boundaries or by population density or something else? How long does a person serve as a Member of Parliament? As Prime Minister? Does someone have to be a Member of Parliament to be Prime Minister? How many parties are there in the UK? Is the Prime Minister elected by popular vote of the citizens? Who votes (age, citizenship, etc)? What does it mean when the Prime Minister has to “form a government?” Is that cooperation/alliances between parties? How long are those alliances maintained and what happens if they break down? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted May 24 Author Share Posted May 24 (edited) 3 hours ago, Faith-manor said: 1 hour ago, TechWife said: Can you start with the basics of the parliamentary system? Each voter votes for a candidate to be Member of Parliament for their local area - maybe about half a county. What are the responsibilities of a Member of Parliament? Listening to constituents - people in the relevant area - and trying to solve their problems; helping to put forward and vote on new laws in the Parliament in London. Of the Prime Minister? Leading on policy and attempting to have the laws passed to implement it. Chairing the cabinet of other ministers - health, home office, finance etc. Do Members of Parliament represent geographical areas? Is the area determined by boundaries or by population density or something else? It's basically population, I think, so the boundaries can change if population grows or shrinks. How long does a person serve as a Member of Parliament? They can be re-elected indefinitely. There has to be a general election at least every five years, I think. As Prime Minister? As long as their constituents want them to be the member of Parliament and their party wants them to lead. Does someone have to be a Member of Parliament to be Prime Minister? They could also be a member of the House of Lords, but that hasn't happened in maybe 100 years? How many parties are there in the UK? Two main ones - Conservative and Labour - and a few prominent smaller ones - Liberal Democrats, Scottish Nationalists, Welsh Nationalists, two Northern Irish parties - one of which does not come to London if elected - Reform and Green. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/may/24/a-guide-to-the-six-main-parties-what-will-be-their-campaign-messages?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other Is the Prime Minister elected by popular vote of the citizens? Not directly. The PM is usually the leader of the party with the most MPs. Who votes (age, citizenship, etc)? Citizens. Age 18 for General Elections. What does it mean when the Prime Minister has to “form a government?” Is that cooperation/alliances between parties? How long are those alliances maintained and what happens if they break down? Usually a single party has a majority, so forming a government is pretty automatic. Coalitions do sometimes happen and can last years. If they break down, the PM might need to call a General Election to attempt to secure a majority. Sorry, can't get rid of the Faith-manor quote box. Edited May 24 by Laura Corin 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted May 24 Author Share Posted May 24 (edited) 3 hours ago, Faith-manor said: I am very interested to know about it. I think it is important for us to know what is up with so very many world leading governments. We have so many crisis points, and right now I think farm policy is one really big issue. Farm and environmental policy across this planet ties directly to climate change, mitigation or lack thereof (looking directly at my own country with an evil eye), feeding the world, reduction in use of fossil fuels (looking again at our leadership for lack of public transport, and moving more freight by rail), etc. I would love to know more about your elections, Laura! Environmental policy is a mess. Much used to fall under EU regulations and post-Brexit farmers are in limbo. Water supply companies were privatised and have been poorly regulated, leading to bad sewage spills into rivers and sea. On the other hand, renewable electricity is big https://www.nationalgrid.com/stories/energy-explained/how-much-uks-energy-renewable Edited May 24 by Laura Corin 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 2 hours ago, Laura Corin said: Lord Buckethead has traditionally stood as a candidate in the sitting Prime Minister's constituency, but would not have become PM if successful - just the Member of Parliament for that area. The party with the most MPs would just have chosen another leader who would have been the new PM. If the current PM Rishi Sunak loses in his constituency on 4 July and the Conservative party by some miracle has the most MPs, he will be out of a job twice over. And this is why I need a "Parliament for Dummies" course! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 1 hour ago, Laura Corin said: Environmental policy is a mess. Much used to fall under EU regulations and post-Brexit farmers are in limbo. Water supply companies were privatised and have been poorly regulated, leading to bad sewage spills into rivers and sea. On the other hand, renewable electricity is big https://www.nationalgrid.com/stories/energy-explained/how-much-uks-energy-renewable That's a big improvement over my neck of the US. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted May 24 Author Share Posted May 24 (edited) 26 minutes ago, Faith-manor said: And this is why I need a "Parliament for Dummies" course! Think of choosing the PM as a little like a beefed up electoral college. You don't elect the leader directly. Instead your vote chooses a local representative (MP) eta and the party leader with the greatest number of MPs is PM. Edited May 24 by Laura Corin 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 2 hours ago, Laura Corin said: Think of choosing the PM as a little like a beefed up electoral college. You don't elect the leader directly. Instead your vote chooses a local representative (MP) eta and the party leader with the greatest number of MPs is PM. Okay, that makes sense to me. It seems just a little bit like electing the Speaker of the House here which has to do with the party that has the most votes among the elected representatives. Can I ask what you would say are the primary issues that UK voters have on their minds? I am sure for most farm policy, subsidies for family farms, and encouraging regenerative farming (all near and dear to me, and makes me an email nuisance to my own representatives and senators) probably do not make the top ten. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 When I was in England over the holidays….things did not seem well. I know Sunak has to call elections before the end of the year, constitutionally, and he is likely to lose. Is there any sense of a coherent plan by any party to pull the UK out of the mess it seems to be in? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted May 24 Author Share Posted May 24 1 hour ago, Faith-manor said: Okay, that makes sense to me. It seems just a little bit like electing the Speaker of the House here which has to do with the party that has the most votes among the elected representatives. Can I ask what you would say are the primary issues that UK voters have on their minds? I am sure for most farm policy, subsidies for family farms, and encouraging regenerative farming (all near and dear to me, and makes me an email nuisance to my own representatives and senators) probably do not make the top ten. Cost of living. And the political chaos of recent times - three PMs in three years, one of whom only lasted 44 days. A decline in public services. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted May 24 Author Share Posted May 24 25 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said: When I was in England over the holidays….things did not seem well. I know Sunak has to call elections before the end of the year, constitutionally, and he is likely to lose. Is there any sense of a coherent plan by any party to pull the UK out of the mess it seems to be in? The Labour Party is treading carefully. I suspect it has plans - the leader Keir Starmer is a bright and serious man - but the Conservatives are leaving the cupboard bare, with little room for grand gestures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 If you guys don't mind the swearing, The Juice Media put out a UK election vid a few days ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 3 hours ago, Laura Corin said: Cost of living. And the political chaos of recent times - three PMs in three years, one of whom only lasted 44 days. A decline in public services. Boy, I get that! 3 in 3 is tough. We have the never ending parade of House Speakers and it feels like an Saturday Night Live skit instead of real life, but it's real life which is just insane. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted June 7 Author Share Posted June 7 On 5/24/2024 at 3:54 PM, TechWife said: Do Members of Parliament represent geographical areas? Is the area determined by boundaries or by population density or something else? Good article about how parliamentary constituencies are designated and borders are changed as necessary - BBC News - How Scotland's new election map reshapes the race https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-69053055 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 We arrived in Southampton May 12th and have been traveling around GB (mostly England). We were here when the election was called. Dh is a TV addict so he always turns it on in our hotel rooms. We've been watching the news regarding the election and are getting an immersive education in your system. It's really interesting. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 Update in first post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innisfree Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 Okay, prompted by your photo: can you vote at the polling station in Wales, or did you vote before leaving Scotland? Is early voting an option? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 4 Author Share Posted July 4 7 minutes ago, Innisfree said: Okay, prompted by your photo: can you vote at the polling station in Wales, or did you vote before leaving Scotland? Is early voting an option? Postal or proxy voting are possible. I voted by post last week and my vote will count in my normal residential area. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 It looks like Starmer will be your next PM. U.S. pre-election polls as well as exit polls have been off for the last few election cycles but from what I understand UK exit polls are usually accurate. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 Looks like big changes are afoot. Curious to hear your perspective. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 5 Author Share Posted July 5 (edited) 7 hours ago, Harriet Vane said: Looks like big changes are afoot. Curious to hear your perspective. It's an interesting result. A big Labour majority, but a lot of that vote was for 'anything but the Conservatives'. Smaller parties - right wing Reform, Liberal Democrats and Greens, as well as independents - did well. The Scottish Nationalist party has lost a lot of seats after recent financial scandals. Lots of big Conservative figures lost their seats - I fear this will just push the Conservatives further to the right. Labour has a hard row to hoe. Post-Brexit, there is not a lot of money to play with. Reform will be pressuring on immigration, but the UK needs immigrants who are willing to work in health, care and agriculture. Gifted link https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/07/04/world/uk-election-results?unlocked_article_code=1.400.yiJ7.rneJqm0sJ7t5 Edited July 5 by Laura Corin 3 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolt. Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 (edited) On 5/24/2024 at 8:54 AM, TechWife said: Can you start with the basics of the parliamentary system? What are the responsibilities of a Member of Parliament? Of the Prime Minister? Do Members of Parliament represent geographical areas? Is the area determined by boundaries or by population density or something else? How long does a person serve as a Member of Parliament? As Prime Minister? Does someone have to be a Member of Parliament to be Prime Minister? How many parties are there in the UK? Is the Prime Minister elected by popular vote of the citizens? Who votes (age, citizenship, etc)? What does it mean when the Prime Minister has to “form a government?” Is that cooperation/alliances between parties? How long are those alliances maintained and what happens if they break down? In terms of Canadian Parliamentary System (which was modeled on the UK)... 1. Responsibilities of Member of Parliament: To present themselves at the capital to sit in various seating sections in the House of Parliament, and vote (almost always along party lines) either for or against "Bills" (which become "Acts") -- which are proposals for new laws or government activity. Any MP can propose an Act. Usually only a party with a majority (or a coalition that forms a majority) bothers to do so, because only they can pass them. Certain MPs are designated by their party leadership to be in charge of overseeing and guiding various government departments. Not all of them get one. These roles can be shifted at any time. Generally the MP most closely related to the the department of government that is being impacted will be the one to personally propose a Bill. 2. Responsibilities of the Prime Minister: To, with the guidance of many professionals on their staff and in coordination with other leading members of their party, decide the direction and goals of the party -- which become the direction and goals of the country when that party is in power. To be the "face" of the government in official roles, international diplomacy, etc. To have the final say and sign-off on the actions of other party members and MPs. To be empowered to act precipitously as an individual decision maker only in very rare circumstances, like, maybe during a war. 3. Geographical Ridings: Yes, MPs come from a geographical area called a riding, and they technically are supposed to represent the interests of those living there. In reality, they mostly form another vote for their party, and voters know that, so they vote mostly keeping in mind the party they want to become empowered, not necessarily the personal sense of representation. In Canada, these are population-sensitive (large ridings in rural areas, smaller when they represent portions of cities) to some degree, but not really in an up-to-date way. 4. Terms: There are no term limits. An MP can serve for as long as the voters in their riding keep re-electing them. The Prime Minister can serve for as long as they are (a) elected by a riding (any riding) and serving as an MP, and (b) voted by the members of their party to keep on being their party leader, and not having resigned. (Yes they have to be an MP. If they are voted out by their own riding, they also stop being their party leader and being Prime Minister by that action. Edited to add: sometimes, in this situation, a different MP from the same party will strategically resign, opening another riding where the Prime Minister can be the candidate and potentially be elected there and become an MP again. I think if this happens quickly, they can continue to be the Prime Minister the whole time.) It is traditional for a sitting Prime Minister to resign after the loss of an election for their party. They also sometimes choose to resign before an election, if they feel a new party leader (ie a new potential Prime Minister) would have a better chance of leading the party to success. Or they might resign in disgrace of some kind. If a Prime Minister needs to resign when their is no election going on, the party (who is still the majority party) votes on a new party leader. The new party leader automatically becomes the Prime Minister, and the resigning-one steps down that same day. 5. Parties: There are unlimited political parties in Canada. Some of them are tiny, some of them want to be start-ups and change the landscape, but some of them are one-candidate parties that someone has crafted for themselves, and some of them are even jokes (as far as I can tell). In Canada, there are 5 that matter, and 2 that are core. 6. Popular vote: The popular vote has nothing to do with the Prime Minister (or with anything, really). Each riding elects and MP. The party with the most MPs forms the government, and the leader of that party becomes the Prime Minister. (The Prime Minister is not a surprise: everyone knows who the party leaders are, all during the election season.) If the party that forms government has more than 50% of the MPs that's called a 'Majority Government' and they can basically pass any Bills that they want to. If the party that forms the government has the most MPs, but it's still less than 50%, that's called a 'Minority Government' and they have to form partnerships with other smaller groups of MPs from different parties if they want to pass anything. 7. Voting: I think it's just 18yo and Canadian citizen for us. 8. Forming a Government: It's an interesting turn of phrase. It's a reference to the way that a Monarch is still the technical ruler of the country. Pedantically said: It is a pretense that 'in this way' (holding elections) that the Monarch has 'freely decided' (not!) to surrender aspects of rulership to some other body. That other body is 'a government' which must be 'formed' over and over again. It's almost like the king says, "Well, let's just take a little non-binding poll to find out who the people would like to govern them. Then, coincidentally, I'll just happen to request that those exact people do the ruling for me!" Then, from time to time, the king 'finds out' that the people don't like that government any more, so he 'dissolves' it, takes another 'poll' and invites new people to 'form' another government for another little while. Once a party leader is asked to 'form a government' that make them the Prime Minister and empowers them, and other MPs under them, to do the actual work of governance. So, forming government doesn't always involve a coalition -- if a party has a Majority Government they just form the whole government themselves by deciding who among them will serve in which roles. If a party has a Minority Government they may begin building a coalition by inviting MPs from other parties into some governmental roles -- but to do so would be a very deep form of cooperation. The more usual form of cooperation is either negotiation for ongoing support from a whole small party (in exchange for also advancing some of the goals of that small party in an ongoing way) or negotiation for small party support for individual Bills (by making individual bills appealing enough that other parties find them votable). It's essential that a Minority Government has the support of enough other MPs to get themselves past 50% (or they can't pass anything, not even a budget) and it's important that the voting commitments are clear and known in advance. That's because if a sitting government proposes a bill and it is defeated on the floor -- that automatically triggers the next election. Even if it's only been a few weeks since the last election! It's called a no-confidence vote. They hardly ever happen because the negotiations are carefully done and shenanigans don't benefit anybody -- and frequent elections are not something anyone wants. Plus you don't have to be snakey to get a no-confidence vote. If you want a present Minority Government out, as an MP, all you would have to do is propose your own bill (that you don't have confidence in them) and get more than 50% yourself. Therefore coalitions are generally reliable, and parties give each other clear signals if they are planning to withdraw support. Elections are held every 4 years unless there is a disruption or an election that is called earlier than that. Elections can be called any time by the party in power, or they can be precipitated by a no-confidence event. --- I know you were curious mostly about the UK, but I had the time and wanted to help! Edited July 5 by bolt. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 10 hours ago, Laura Corin said: I fear this will just push the Conservatives further to the right. Do you think they'll team up with the Reform Party or is that too far right for the Conservatives? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 5 Author Share Posted July 5 Just now, Lady Florida. said: Do you think they'll team up with the Reform Party or is that too far right for the Conservatives? The leader of Reform seems to be planning a takeover. Some of the Conservatives are pretty far right but they won't relish being taken over. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 5 Author Share Posted July 5 Moving into the PM's residence BBC News - Moving into Downing Street: life behind the iconic black door - BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3gvwxk75xno 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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