UK General Discussion II

[MaxQue]

Does Reckless defection is a reckless move for his career in Westminster?

[MaxQue]

Another Conservative MP, Mark Reckless, has defected to UKIP.

Alienating your party colleagues and resigning from your job with no guarantee whatsoever that you'll regain it?  There ought to be a word to describe the actions of Mr. Reckless.

http://metro.co.uk/2014/09/27/a-very-reckless-decision-second-tory-mp-defects-to-ukip-4884121/

He's resigned from his seat, he'll have to live with the consequences... Admittedly, I'd likely vote for Mr. Reckless, although here's a concern for myself and other right-wingers:

Will the splitting of the vote between the Tories and UKIP allow Labour, who polled 28.5% in Rochester & Strood in 2010, to win?

It's very possible. Labour held the previous seat (Medway) until 2010, the notionals for Rochester Strood (with 2005 results, after the 2005-2010 redistricting) was 43-42 Con-Lab. So, winnable. Wouldn't be my guess, but that's possible.

[MaxQue]

I think the referendum will happen, as the Tories I think are likely to 'win' the next General Election. However I don't think the public will vote to exit. Once 'Europe' is personified during the campaign as cheap foreign flights and employment rights, rather than Romanians and bendy vegetables, people will be reluctant to vote to exit.

I expect to see an renenactment of the Scottish referendum. No leads, a bad poll gives Yes winning, Europe promises things, No wins, Europe changes its mind about the promises.

[MaxQue]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2854421/Minister-staged-obscene-Commons-debate-BET-Tory-says-c-k-six-times-lewd-stunt-sailor-pals.html

Genuinely hilarious.

Through, it happened in March 2013.

[MaxQue]

A graduate tax sounds like it could be a slippery slope to extra charging for all sorts of stuff

Like that doesn't happen anyway. Learning materials, text books, rent, etc.

no I meant on a tax level, like more contribution based things based on your National Insurance payments

mind you, I did chemistry, and some countries charge you extra for courses like that, and some unis here charge bench fees

In Canada, no bench fees at a my university, but I had to buy boxes and boxes of gloves and new students must buy NMR tubes for every lab course where samples must be sent to NMR people (it was free in my time).