September 08, 2019, 04:01
BobHaleAmerica does NOT have an absurd political system...
... we do!
Not word related but too
good absurd to not share. In the British political system we have something called a vote of no confidence. This is used by the party in opposition to try to force an election by gaining a majority of members of Parliament who do not have confidence in the government. It works when the majority for the Government is small and some of the members of the ruling party can be persuaded to vote for the motion.
If it passes it triggers an automatic general election.
Boris Johnson, to help him block opposition to a no deal Brexit wants to call an election now but doesn't want to name a date. If he succeeded no new parliamentary business could be introduced until after we crash out with no deal on 31st October. Naturally the opposition parties don't want this so they have refused to go along with his plan.
This is where the absurdity comes in.
He could force an election by calling for a vote of no confidence in himself. Then he, and HIS party, would vote against him and to prevent an election all the people who despise him and want him out would have to vote to say they DO have confidence in him so that parliament doesn't get shut down and measures to prevent no deal can continue.
I think we now officially have the stupidest political system in the world.
September 08, 2019, 17:22
GeoffBut - buttt- ours is based on French ideas! It HAS to be the worst!

October 11, 2019, 19:03
KallehI don't know, Geoff, that does sound a bit more absurd than ours. I honestly can't imagine and Democrat voting for Donald, can you? Very weird, Bob.
The whole political world seems upside down these days. I wonder what is going on.
October 11, 2019, 20:57
bethree5Sure sounds a lot like our prez. Squeaks into office on 50.001 % population so frustrated by 40yrs’ watching their future go down the drain they’re almost convinced they’d be better off w/no govt at all. So he panders to these libertarian-buffaloed dunderheads—crowns each exec agency w/anti-govt CEO types committed to the collapse of their respective agencies. Underfunds & understaffs every one of them, w/the help of legislators cowed by his bullying wielding of that dunderhead core against any legislator up for election. Oops. Something happens abroad, &... nobody home in the State Dept. Like any bully, he himself is cowed by foreign leaders who are bigger bullies, so every move he makes is to the advantage of his nation’s foes.
October 12, 2019, 20:36
BobHaleBut...
"great and unmatched wisdom" that presumably we lesser mortals are unable to comprehend.
October 13, 2019, 18:43
tinmanquote:
Squeaks into office on 50.001 % population
I don't know where you got that figure. Only 46.09% of the people voted for Trump and 48.18% voted for Clinton, so Clinton won the popular vote by 2.09%, about 2.8 million votes. Trump won 57.25% (304)of the electoral votes to Clinton's 42.75% (227). So Trump was elected by the electoral college, not the people.
October 14, 2019, 10:25
bethree5Oh my gosh you wouldn't want a tyranny of the majority now would you?

October 14, 2019, 21:57
BobHaleSee, here's another proof that our system is crazier than yours.
Our Prime Minister, Mad Boris, was put into office by 0.13% of the UK population. Clearly an overwhelming majority.
And I don't mean that his majority was 0.13% I mean that the total number of people voting for him was 0.13% of the population.
October 15, 2019, 06:24
GeoffBoris... Hmmmm... He's a Russian! That explains it.
October 15, 2019, 09:32
BobHaleHis full name is Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson