On The General Election and Voter Apathy.

Let me get one thing straight - I am glad we live in a democracy and so have a chance to have our say on matters. I just think it could be better. Allow me to explain...

We appear to have an electorate who do not feel that there is any point to voting. Why is this? Some would say that it is because the ideological differences between the main political parties is small and so there is no real choice. Others may say that no politician (or prospective politician) has any intention of serving the interests of the populace and therefore they have nobody to vote for.

~ Opinion Polls and the Media ~

While there may be strands of truth in the above, I believe the media has a lot to answer for. For me, it all comes down to a simple observation that could be made by a lot of people.

As we approach 6th May, the opinion polls are, increasingly, being reported daily with every fluctuation and variation being analysed and the election result being extrapolated. Is this really necessary? I think it's doing harm to our democracy because, for the people who haven't taken part in the opinion polls (i.e. most of the populace), is not the following thought a logical conclusion?

"The result of the election is being reported as if it has already been made. Nobody has asked me what I think so surely I don't need to bother voting if the decision has been made without me?"

I'm not saying that the media shouldn't report on the opinion polls but I do think they should give them less precedence and it should be reinforced that despite these polls, it is the electorate as a whole who decides and, if they want to go against the opinions of a minority, then it is quite possible.

~ Safe Seats and the First-Past-the-Post Electoral System ~

This brings me to my next point. Surely the idea of a 'safe seat' only adds to making people feel like there is no point in voting since their existing candidate (or party) is "guaranteed" to be re-elected. Add to the mix how very little campaigning is carried out in safe areas and you surely have yourself a circular situation where only a few people vote (the 'regulars' who probably always vote the same way anyway) and little effort made to change this situation through campaigning. So of course the result is going to stay the same!

As a quick aside I'm glad the internet is making it easier to keep track of what work an MP is undertaking on behalf of their constituency and our country as a whole. So while it is easier to hold your MP to account it is still disappointing to me that the only time you see any campaigning is in marginal seats at election time.

It does annoy me when people vote habitually and not for any thought-out reason. Saying "I vote for Labour because I'm working class" (or the other way around for the Tories) is nonsense these days. For a time, yes, this was true but I don't think that being of a certain social class has to inevitably lead to you voting for a particular party anymore. Besides, in our current voting system I believe we are meant to elect our best representative and not necessarily a political party. Not that I believe in a two party political system - but I'll come back to this later.

So in theory at least, the MP for a constituency is supposed to represent the people of their area at a national and international level. I believe that their political allegiance should be used only as a shorthand to gauge a candidates ideology but that they should, primarily, represent the interests of their constituents. I won't go into my dislike of the party whip system since I've discussed that here before (though saying that I can't find the link!) instead I'd like to question what happens in the case of an MP (or a party) with a safe seat? Where or what is their impetus to improve things for their electors?

I believe that while the existing first-past-the-post voting system seems like a good idea on paper, I believe it is causing complacency in our politicians and is leading to a discrepancy between the share of the vote and the representation of those votes in the House of Commons.

To demonstrate this discrepancy I shall choose some choice figures from the 2005 general election results:

• Labour received 35.3% of the vote which gave them 55.2% of the total number of MP's
• Conservatives had 32.3% of the vote, giving them 30.7% of MP's
• Lib Dems got 22.1% of the vote which equated to 9.6% of MP's
• UKIP got 2.2% of the vote but won no seats (so 0% of MP's)
• Health Concern won 0.1% of the vote and had 0.2% of MP's

So how can we get past this problem of safe seats and make Parliament more representative of the people? One answer that I am finding myself increasingly drawn to is a voting system based on Proportional Representation (PR). There are many variants of PR and I can not claim to have studied the differences and so I do not have an educated opinion on which form would be the best. However, I do believe that any system that vastly reduces the possibility of a safe seat and that reduces the difference between votes cast and MP's elected has to be a move in the right direction.

I do not believe those that say that coalition governments are weaker governments. Why should having to debate and compromise be a bad idea? Surely that's the the whole point of a parliament? Why should one political party (supported by a minority of the electorate) dominate and be able to force its ideas onto everybody else? Surely that is closer to a dictatorship than it is to a democracy?

I believe in a parliament that is representative of the populace and I doubt that the ideologies of the people of this fair country fall neatly into two groups (i.e. Labour & Conservative). With a proportional parliament I think we will get better governance. Okay, so there will be disagreements but if Parliament is truly representative of the electorate then surely the decisions taken will also be in line with the thinking of the majority of the country? Then the compromises hammered out in the House of Commons will be as if all of the electorate in this country had got together at a big table and discussed it themselves.

There are some schools of thought that say that PR can vastly reduce the effect of polls on the election outcome. So notice that I used the word "electorate" (meaning all citizens who are eligible to vote) in the above paragraph and not "voters" (meaning that proportion of the electorate who actually voted). I would hope that implementing a PR electoral system would go a long way to reducing voter apathy and increase voter turnout but I would not be adverse to making voting obligatory.

To be able to vote is a hard-won right that we in this country have taken for granted. Our present and previous governments have taken full advantage of this (and who can blame them). Our political system has worked well in the past but I think that we the electorate have now reached the point (like a coming-of-age) at which we are ready to take more control of our government. I think we are ready for proportional representation.

Two Hours Later...
...and I've finished a short 12 mile bike ride. Not bad after so much non-exercise! I ventured along the Stratford Canal today. There are some seriously dodgy spots on the tow-path but it's a nice trip.

I was hoping to head a little further down the canal to Hockley Heath but the cold wind was getting to me so I turned back.

Once I'd got back in to 'civilisation' it was a bit warmer so I meandered my way back to the house.

While I was in Shirley I tried to follow the cycle path but it kept stopping suddenly and then reappearing a bit further down the road, on the opposite side! Not a very good way of doing things if you ask me.

White Christmas.

Happy New Year to one and all.

The Blog Changes Its Design.

Today I decided it was time to update the layout of the blog. Technology has moved on and the layout is now easier to maintain but to do this I had to choose a 'standard' layout. I've customised it a bit so hopefully it doesn't look like every other blog!

Lee Goes to Norfolk (and also covers a bit of Suffolk).
Yesterday, me and Tracy got back from a lovely long weekend in Norfolk. We visited many places (589 miles worth) and I would like to share some of our experiences of those places.

Day One
We started with a long drive across to the place where we were going to stay. We stayed at Moor View near the village of Dickleburgh in Norfolk). This was a lovely place to stay, run by a friendly family and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to visit the area. I only wish I'd taken my telescope to take advantage of the nice dark sky!

Day Two - Thetford
The Ancient House was an interesting old house to have a look around. It also acts as a museum of local life and centres on some notable characters from the town. People such as Thomas Paine and Maharajah Duleep Singh. We spent a couple of hours going around this place!

The town itself is nice enough to walk around on a nice day. We had in our possession a tourism leaflet that took us on a tour of the town (see pages 3 and 4 of the haunted leaflet for the trail we were on). The highlights for me though were the aforementioned Ancient House and Thetford Priory - even if we didn't have time to go in to the grounds.

In my opinion, you could spend a couple of days in and around Thetford and not get bored. That was praise for the town by the way (in case you missed it).

Day Three - Framlingham Castle and Melford Hall
The castle was our first stop of the day. I believe English Heritage should be proud of this site. The audio tour catered for both adults and children (though Tracy found listening to the childrens version just as entertaining). We both found the history of the place fascinating; for instance, Mary Tudor was proclaimed Queen whilst at Framlingham (she had gone there to gather her supporters and troops).

The museum in the old poor house had activities for the kids as well as displays for the older visitor. We managed to spend a couple of hours at this place and would say it is worth visiting. It seemed quite popular with families when we were there and only one or two of the kids seemed bored.

Melford Hall, however, didn't seem as organised a tour compared to other places we have been to and so I don't think we got the most out of it. There didn't seem to be much information supplied about the rooms we were looking at and I have to say that I was a little disappointed. Perhaps we were doing it wrong and were supposed to keep pestering the stewards (who, I want to point out, mostly seemed approachable and friendly enough) for information?

That said, the grounds were nice (I even got to play croquet) and the link with Beatrix Potter (and accompanying memorabilia) was interesting. The stained glass window 'collection' in the entrance room was nice too.

Day Four - Holkham Hall
Now this place was impressive and I am grateful for the recommendation to visit this hall. You could spend a day here with no problem whatsoever and I would suggest a visit to see for yourself as my description will not do it justice.

The grounds were lovely and open to the public; deer were seen to be roaming freely and we saw a boat on the lake that I assume was taking people for short trips.

The hall was used as one of the filming locations for film "The Duchess" and you can see why. Buying the guide book for this property was useful for that extra depth of information but in a few of the more significant rooms the stewards would tell you about the room and what was so special. So it felt like a well organised tour and even though my jumper was all crinkled from the suitcase I didn't get one dirty look. I was impressed!

The Bygones museum was worth a visit, though I was more interested in the vintage cars than the rest of the exhibition or the history of farming section; though I'm sure that many would find it fascinating as it was well presented.

And finally...
In conclusion, it was a very nice long weekend and I would like to thank all of the nice people that we met along the way for helping to make the trip that bit better.

Oh Dear, I've Done it Again
Yes, I've left it far too long to post anything here. AGAIN!

And even now I'm only updating due to the closure of Yahoo's Geocities service.

You see, after 9 or so years of neglecting having a website, I think it's time to call it a day. There will still be this blog to neglect though, so don't despair!

By way of a general update - we are getting settled in here now and I'm starting to spend less time unpacking/arranging/fixing/constructing and more time on hobbies. Fingers crossed for this trend to continue.

If only I were a millionaire...

Inspiration Arrives!

Happy nNew Year to one and all. Yes, after an eight month absence I have finally accrued some things in my life worthy of note.

Firstly - an update. I managed to move from Wales but not without a mad rush to get out of the house in time for the next occupant to move in! I ended up having to drive home with my car boot taped shut (thanks go to Sian for the tape). It was hectic but all went well.

The training to become a bus driver wentsmoothly and I am now fully qualified and herding people from a to b across the Dudley borough; a task that I actually enjoy. Alas I have noticed just how scarce manners are in the community. I never realised just how much of a difference a thank you can make to somebody's day.

Fortunately though there are the occasional happenings that restore your faith in humanity.Take today's random act of kindness for example - a gentleman got on my bus but didn't have enough money for his fare. So one of my passengers (who I don't think knew him) gave him the 30p he needed. "How kind" I thought and smiled to myself for a few minutes.

Winter Hath Arrived...

Yes indeed, since my last blog we've barely had a summer worthy of note and now it's ruddy freezing. Quite literally - the temperature is going down to minus 10 Celsius tonight according to the forecast.

The high point of my summer was a trip to Denmark with Tracy. It was for a week and I enjoyed their museums and architecture. The food was good too but it was all so expensive so we didn't really get to sample a lot of the local delicacies. Which I regret but I don't think it could've been helped. We'll have to try harder next time.

Anyway, back to winter. The snow this morning was beautiful as I left for work at 04:45hrs. None too surprisingly I was the first one to walk down our street and the blanket of snow was just begging for me to make patterns in. So I did.

Something has me perplexed though. For the last couple of months we have had an ice cream van doing the rounds around our estate. He comes round twice a day nearly every day. I don't see how he can be making any money - is there really a market for ice cream in the winter? I'm yet to be convinced that there is.

One good thing about these cold winter nights is the occasional clear skies. This gives me the perfect excuse to get my new telescope out and disappear to the back garden for a few hours. I've seen my first nebula (the Orion Nebula) and have enjoyed learning my way around the sky. All I need now is less light pollution and a better tripod. The former may necessitate a trip to a secluded lay-by in deepest darkest Shropshire whilst the latter will probably be an Ebay job.

And Finally...

Well a post just wouldn't be complete without something sci-fi related would it?!

We have a new Doctor Who! I've seen his interview and I must say that I can see why he was chosen. It'll be interesting - and positive I feel - but must they keep getting younger? This guy is only 8 months older than me; does this mean that I am capable of commanding that level of authority if I were to try?

The new Star Trek film has been delayed, delayed and then delayed again so i hope it's good when it finally arrives in May. I have my reservations - again with the age of the cast for some reason. I think it may be to do with trying to make it appeal to a wider audience. But if it's Hollyoaks in space then I'm walking out of the cinema.

I also want the special effects to be more like the re-imagined Battlestar Gallactica rather than Transformers. I found that you never got a good look at the Transformers and all of the fleeting glances just got on my nerves. I want to revel in the imaginary creations of mankind in all their slow, magestic glory.

Perhaps I expect too much.

Until next time folks - take care :-)

Success at the Weekend.

Well after a long and dramatic Saturday I have successfully moved house.

I also spent most of Saturday wearing slippers instead of shoes because I was in such a manic rush I forgot to change. By the time I'd realised, I'd packed the shoes!!!

Anyway,I got mentioned in a local paper (see image, left). It was about our concert. A fantastic time was had by all.

*editors note - forgot to press publish on this post, so it's a few years late, being actually posted August 2010!

Happy April!

Yo dudes! If you've been on either my Facebook or Youtube pages you'll have realised by now that I resigned from my job on Thursday. I'm looking forward to the new experiences a career change will give me and I will miss a few of the guys and gals way over here in the middle of nowhere.

Anyway, before Dr Who starts I felt like posting to say hi. With all this excitement I've got a bit carried away and sent friend requests to quite a lot of people; some of whom I don't think will be too pleased to have received them. Oh well, if they tell me to f**k off then I can't say it's not deserved.

I've done a fair bit of sorting already. I've cancelled my phone-line and broadband. I've taken my collection of IET magazines (5 years worth) to the recycling centre and I've even finally gotten rid of all of the clothes that don't fit me anymore. And it's only Saturday! Go me!

Tomorrow I begin on the housework as I have a sort of inspection on Monday and I want the place to be lovely. Luckily there's not much to do.

I feel like I may be coming down with a cold. I have a funny sore throat (high up in my throat rather than tonsils) and a chesty cough. So I hope I'll stay healthy cos I have lots to do.

Something that's going to work out quite nice is happening with the choir. Specifically, my last concert with them is going to be on the day I move. Even more than that - it's a concert in the town where I was born. What better way to end what has been a fantastic association with a tremendous group of people. I will miss the Caernarfon choir, but I'm hoping to join a new choir. Don't know who'll have me, but I'll keep you all informed (whether you want me to or not!).

Right, Dr Who is on in 5 so I'm offski. Have fun wherever you are, whoever you are and whatever you're up to.

Sunday Arfternoon.
Well, as some of you may know a lot has happened these past few days. Firstly, I finally succumbed to joining Facebook. I really don't know why I didn't do this sooner as I'm already able to talk to most of my former classmates and it's only been 3 days! Catching up has been fun and this method of keeping in touch with folk suits my laziness to a T!

Where does that phrase come from?

Anyway, other news. Last night (Saturday) I was singing at Shrewsbury Music Hall. I like Shrewsbury - the area I was in was so quintessentially Medieval I forgot to watch where I was walking! And the music hall was brilliant. No idea how old - there were what looked like 16th century parts but most of it looked 18th century to me. But what do I know. I'll have to look it up on Wikipedia.

Having looked it up on Wikipedia, I see that I am completely wrong. The oldest bit is, in fact, 13th century and the rest of it is 19th century. Still, you can't blame a guy for trying ;-) I loved it none-the-less.

As for the concert - well that was a treat. It's the longest show I've done with the choir - 12 songs as opposed to the usual 6 songs. Two soloists joined us and they were fantastic. They really were. Not just good singers, but also charismatic and excellent performers.

I was selling CD's after the show and it was nice to be in and around the audience as they were leaving. Some people even came up to me and asked me to pass on their thanks to the rest of the choir for a brilliant performance.

Well after the performance we had something to eat and drink before setting off home. I got back to my house just after 2am but couldn't sleep. So I lay on the sofa watching various rubbish and finally drifted off around 5am. I slept until 10am so I'm feeling a tad tired today.

Our next concert is in Swindon in a couple of weeks. I'll post details here and on Youtube a bit nearer the time.