XPost: soc.culture.scottish, soc.culture.irish, uk.media.tv.misc   
   From: allan@EASYNET.CO.UK   
      
   "Paul Hyett"  wrote in message   
   news:DP3aFMEcBWbEFwzK@blueyonder.co.uk...   
   > In uk.media.tv.misc on Thu, 18 May 2006, allan connochie wrote :   
   > >   
   > >But 'you' said that Labour lost the election in England! When it is   
   pointed   
   > >out that Labour won a majority of English seats you claim they couldn't   
   win   
   > >an English election as no such thing exists. On that basis how could they   
   > >lose the election in England? It doesn't make sense. Plain common sense   
   says   
   > >that if they won a majority of English seats then they won the election   
   in   
   > >England. No-one is claiming that it was a purely English election.   
   >   
   > AFAICS, he must be referring to the fact that the Tories got a few   
   > thousand more votes in England than Labour, despite winning fewer seats.   
      
   You are I think absolutely right, that is what he is meaning! But I pointed   
   out to him that in Westminster elections a party with an overall majority of   
   seats wins elections and Labour won a majority of English seats. The   
   vagaries of the electoral system is really another matter.   
      
      
      
   > >>   
   > >> The fact that you can't take away the Scottish, Welsh or Irish MP's   
   when   
   > >> voting on  purely English issues is exactly the problem.   
   > >   
   > >Well they could refrain from voting so it's possible. The point I was   
   making   
   > >was that it is often claimed that Labour have no real mandate in England.   
   >   
   > That didn't stop the Tories inflicting the Poll Tax on Scotland...   
      
   Quite and the Tories inflicted measure against the wishes of Scottish   
   opinion in general be it parliamentary or electorate. They treated Scotland   
   as Scotlandshire rather than respecting the views of a smaller partner   
   within the union. Previous governemnts had tended at least to take note of   
   opinion in their decision making. Demographics mean that measures like that   
   could never be forced on a largely hostile England. At most Scottish votes   
   could swing the balance when opinion in England is more or less divided.   
      
      
   Allan   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)