Re: Hunting is banned!

From: Old Codger (oldcodger_at_anyoldwhere.net)
Date: 11/27/04 

Date: Sat, 27 Nov 2004 18:00:49 -0000

Rooney wrote:
> On Thu, 25 Nov 2004 00:40:11 +0000 (GMT), John Cartmell
> <john@cartmell.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> In article <41a52244$0$43606$ed2e19e4@ptn-nntp-reader04.plus.net>,
>> Old Codger <oldcodger@anyoldwhere.net> wrote:
>>> Rooney wrote:
>>>> On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 19:09:15 +0000, Oz <oz@farmeroz.port995.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Rooney <pvrooney@aol.com> writes
>>>>>> On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 18:25:08 +0000, Oz <oz@farmeroz.port995.com>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> One function of a working democracy is to allow freedom for
>>>>>>> minorities within it, where what they do does not affect others.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> That's nothing to do with the definition of democracy. It's just
>>>>>> majority rule - no more, no less.
>>>>>
>>>>> I didn't say definition, I said 'one function of a working'.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> The function of a working democracy is to enact majority rule - no
>>>> more, no less.
>>
>>> So we haven't got a working democracy. Young Tone did not get a
>>> majority vote, just a majority of the parliamentary seats.
>>
>> I think you're (deliberately?) misunderstanding the meaning of
>> 'majority vote'. The last time the majority vote didn't produce the
>> next government was in 1951.
>
>
> I think Old Codger means that there was no referendum.

No, I meant that the majority of the votes in the last election were cast
for MPs who were not* members of the Labour party.

> That's by the
> by. There was an enormous majority in the commons - and that's the
> system we've got. Some people are happy enough to praise our system
> until they get a result they don't like.

No, I was pointing out that by *your* definition of a democracy ("The
function of a working democracy is to enact majority rule") we do not have a
democracy (the majority of those who voted did *not* vote for a member of
the incoming government).

For as long as the second chamber is independent of any political party (the
members are not dependent on a party to *retain* their seats) I am quite
happy with our electoral system. It enables firm government. I am not
always happy with what the government (any party) does but that will be the
case whatever electoral system we have. 

-- 
Old Codger
e-mail use reply to field
What matters in politics is not what happens, but what you can make people 
believe has happened. [Janet Daley 27/8/2003]

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