Metal Reviews

Why do people dislike Harriet Harman so much?

Trying to change the Freedom of Information act to keep MPs' expenses private? That's what did it for me, anyways.

Yes but she's also been "criticised for anti-male bias", which is a sure sign that she must be right about some key things.

Haha, nah, that's just a front to make you think she's normal. Apart from anything else, she's absolutely useless at Parliamentary debate - even worse than Ming Campbell, bless, which is saying something.

I'm beginning to hope we go with the Tories, reading what some Labour MPs are saying about how they won't even vote for AV. A Lib-Lab coalition seems like it would be very unstable.

You'll be trading in the Lib Dems reputation, and probably a good portion of your vote in the future in exchange for:

a) maybe a seat or two in a tory government
b) a referendum that the Tories will campaign against, and maybe even ignore the result of
c) the satisfaction of turning your nose up at a couple of Labour MPs who don't support AV. (In favour of, what, the Tories who do?)

Don't do it!

But if Labour right-wingers are already saying they won't support AV, then there is no majority even before they've started talking to the Scots etc! Labour seem determined to wreck this before it's begun and if they can't even control their own party, I'd hate to see the fallout when the Irish, Welsh and Scots have finished with them. Our choice is between a very weak Lab coalition with knives already out for us both within and from a Tory exterior, and a strong Tory one with the knives hidden internally but with a resurging Labour anti-Tory vote ready to fall on us. Unless either can deliver full PR there'll be a section of the LibDems cross, and neither party wants that. Dear god, I'm glad I'm not Chris Huhne.

Edit: Caroline Lucas won't join a Lab-Lib coalition, the cow.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2 ... -coalition

Who and what are these "markets" we have to appease at every opportunity?

From the Graun



Sounds more to me like cosmopolitan millionaires blackmailing us to accept the government they want.

Zizek would say it's like living with the Aztecs. Instead of "oh the crops are bad this year, better sacrifice a virgin to the Sun god to appease him" it's "oooh the markets look worried, better cut health and education to appease them".

I think it's more the sheer unstability of a pack of shrieking nationalists tugging in every direction that disturbs said "cosmopolitan millionaires". Plus, as I said, Labour MPs are cutting their own party's throat - they seem to want opposition at all costs. Hardly the basis of stable, financially prudent government.

Yeah but the point is that what is "financially prudent" for this country is determined by people without any real connection to the national environment, who essentially spend all day speculating on imagined money and resources.

Hence, the blackmail of these people threatening to sell up and wreck the UK economy if a government that is less aggressive on cutting than the Tories (i.e. everybody except the Tories) gets in.

These markets exist in a dreamworld of high finance and eight figure sums and yet we essentially have to do as they say. Not even that, actually- we have to sort of guess at what we think they might want and do that.

It's not that bad, you old reactionary. They have our best interests at heart, our economic masters across the sea.

I just think the parallel is amusing, is all. "The markets" is this shadowy thing with little tangible terrestrial rooting, and we basically self-harm in order to satisfy them.

Labour's ruled out coalition with the SNP, so we'd be in a Lab-Lib minority government. I'm now convinced they're trying to push us towards the Tories.

Dream scenario:

Libs and Tories ally. Get through a referendum on electoral reform which passes, but then fall apart trying to get public sector cuts through in the face of widespread opposition.

Meanwhile, Cruddas gets the labour leadership and the party is resurgent with a re-energised base and also (grudgingly) broader appeal because they shove some telegenic young people in high positions.

The government collapses, the Libs are discredited ( ), and Labour come back stronger on an anti-Trident anti-Blairite platform in the following election.

And then I wake up and realise it was all a beautiful dream Not only this, but britain is being run by a race of super-intelligent giant ants, who pick us out of our world only occasionally to perform biological tests, and..... etc. etc.

Not sure what my dream scenario is. Successful Lib-Tory coalition which gets limited cuts and AV through, before a new election, stabilising economy and proving how awesome Lib Dems are. Balls wins the Labour leadership with his union backing, and the Tory extreme right defects to UKIP in anger at Cameron. Liberals and Tories fight election seperately and take seats from Labour, resulting in another hung parliament where we have a slight majority due to a higher UKIP vote punishing the Tories (and wiping out the BNP!). A rump Labour provides enough votes for a Liberal majority, and Clegg is Prime Minister. Life is awesome.

Clegg then goes mad with power, refusing to walk into a room where everything isn't sort of orangey-yellow, and periodically shouting out from nowhere, "listen to them both arguing! You're both the same, you're both the same!" to the bemusement and worry of people standing nearby.

Heh, although this behaviour is a relief to Downing Street staff used to being verbally and physically abused by Pa Broon.

Oh so it turns out that the labour MPs that have bemoaned a liblab coalition are Blunkett and John Reid... the two turdiest MPs in recent labour history.

What a pair of prats. They're not the only two, though.

If I was in Labour I'd probably do the same, because I like to disagree with people for the sake of it, and am generally averse to making new friends.