Richmond Park by-election

Well first of all well done to Zac Goldsmith going though with his threat he would resign his seat if Heathrow was green lighted but I feel he should never had stood again and called it a day, after all he is loaded with pots of money.

Yes a good result for the LibDems but will they hold the seat with just under 2,000 majority in 2020? As for the great labour revival looks like it's still in intensive care trying to convince itself all is well again.

Can the LibDems pull off a double on Dec 8th Sleaford and North Hykeham by-election where the Tories are sitting on a even bigger majority?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-DHqFikHoA


Well if she conducts herself like a dish mop then there is no hope in holding the seat in 2020.

Heh, nah, the Lib Dems are toast for at least a decade or two. The only reason they did well here is because the Tories and UKIP didn't bother to field a candidate.

Sleaford and North Hykeham by-election candidates -

Official Monster Raving Loony Party
UKIP
Bus Pass Elvis Party
Labour
Conservatives
Lincolnshire Independents
LibDems
Independent
And two others classed as No label

Conservative Majority 24,115 at the 2015 general election

Rgr that :yep:

Was listening to the radio last night and they really didn't think through the 'English Votes for English Laws' movements abbreviation, did they? :hmmm: :har:

It's been the butt of more than a few jokes up here.:03:

Easiest way around the West Lothian Question is full federalisation with devolved parliaments for each home nation (plus London, since it has it's own assembly - West Ham Question anyone?) with Westminster reduced drastically in size and scope.

Simples.

Although maybe a bit too simple, since it hasn't happened yet.

Mike.

The simpliest plans are often the last to be implemented.

Still, I do wonder how much extra bureaucracy it will create in an already fairly heavily overloaded system, and to be honest, right now, I think we need to Scots around to stop our parliament doing something stupid. :yep:

Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales already have that additional layer of bureaucracy with the devolved assemblies. It's part of the price to be paid for devolution - England shouldn't be any different in that regard if it wants greater control over it's own affairs.

Either way, it's better than trying to hijack what are British institutions and turn them into English ones, which is what EVEL is. Westminster may have been the location of the English Parliament prior to 1707, but it holds the British one now. If England were to have it's own parliament, which no-one in Scotland would object to, it would be better placed somewhere other than London, TBH. But that would be up to the people of England, assuming they're ever asked the question in the first place.

As for Scotland acting as a brake on the Tories that would require people up here to vote for them in large numbers. A phalanx of Scottish Tory MP's would certainly timmer them up! But thats not likely to happen anytime soon - the Tories up here are Unionists first and foremost as opposed to many English Tories who are Conservatives first and Unionists second so you have a conflict straight away.

Mike.

Round 1

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38200115

I hope by the end of this carry on that the British public actually have a proper understanding of how the democratic process in this country actually works.

Something everyone should be taught at school.

Mike.

Scottish Conservative Leader Ruth Davidson "warns against 'divisive Brexit'": LINK.

Fair bit of sense in that one. Part of the reason why she's doing so well up here despite a lack of solid policy.

Debating dualism: the Article 50 court case by Brian Taylor, BBC Scotland's Political Editor.

Brexit: The business view from Brussels by Douglas Fraser, BBC Scotland's Business/Economy Editor.

Borders and Brexit: What can Scotland learn from the Irish frontier? by David Allison.

If this is what we're getting from the BBC in Scotland, what sort of coverage are the regional news teams in England giving their viewer? I hope it's at the same level.:hmmm:

Mike.

Fancy waking up and seeing that the first thing in the morning!

Hopefully the former will in fact be the case seeing as how it is all being broadcast live :o