Fuel Duty increase

[SupremeSpod]

No really, I just want them to behave with integrity. Just because they are in politics does not mean they can behave like scumbags.

Oh Ffs. Do you want to buy some magic beans?

[AtW]

No really, I just want them to behave with integrity. Just because they are in politics does not mean they can behave like scumbags.

[speling bee]

No really, I just want them to behave with integrity. Just because they are in politics does not mean they can behave like scumbags.

Why else are they in politics then?

[AtW]

Why else are they in politics then?

They do it because that's the best way they can serve their country...

[MyUserName]

no, the idea of opposing everything is a sytemised way of providing a devils advocate, which is a good idea. Anyone who has worked in a management that is stuffed with 'yes men' or 'good news men' will understand that.

So the job of the opposition is to simply oppose everything the party in power says and does, even if it is something they agree with? I would have thought their job was to produce their own policies and explain why theirs would be better.

The end results would probably be similar but the intent seems quite different.

And if the government come up with a very popular idea, the opposition claim to have invented it first and say they would have implemented it sooner

I pretty much said this myself so no argument here.

[EternalOptimist]

So the job of the opposition is to simply oppose everything the party in power says and does, even if it is something they agree with? I would have thought their job was to produce their own policies and explain why theirs would be better.

The end results would probably be similar but the intent seems quite different.

First off it is not a job, it is a duty. In other words they have an obligation to do it and to do it right.

there are rules, a budget and they have a lot of rights and also powers.

your understanding is perfect for parties that are not in government, but that is not the same thing as 'Her majesties loyal opposition', which is the largets party not in government.

and they do have a duty to oppose

[moggy]

So the job of the opposition is to simply oppose everything the party in power says and does, even if it is something they agree with? I would have thought their job was to produce their own policies and explain why theirs would be better.

The end results would probably be similar but the intent seems quite different.



I pretty much said this myself so no argument here.

IMO opposition parties are scared of offering up their solutions in case A) they are not liked and they lose votes, or B) they are liked and get used by the party in power for their benefit.

The Tories were much the same when in opposition, although they agreed to match everything that labour was doing.

[MyUserName]

First off it is not a job, it is a duty. In other words they have an obligation to do it and to do it right.

there are rules, a budget and they have a lot of rights and also powers.

your understanding is perfect for parties that are not in government, but that is not the same thing as 'Her majesties loyal opposition', which is the largets party not in government.

and they do have a duty to oppose

Sorry I cannot determine the answer to my question

Are you saying that the opposition is obliged to oppose anything and everything that the government in power puts forward, regardless of whether they think it is a good idea - which seemed to be what you said earlier?

Or are they producing their own ideas in accordance with their own policies and explaining why they are superior to the governments, or agreeing with the government after due analysis (although I presume this rarely happens)?

My assumption was the latter but I do not know much about this.

[MyUserName]

IMO opposition parties are scared of offering up their solutions in case A) they are not liked and they lose votes, or B) they are liked and get used by the party in power for their benefit.

The Tories were much the same when in opposition, although they agreed to match everything that labour was doing.

Probably, I was more talking about what the opposition is meant to do rather than what they actually do!

[original PM]

in my view it all fails because they forget the most fundamental part of being an MP

you are there to represent the people not for your own self serving aims...

until we have honest people as MP's you can forget the government being full of anything but spoilt little tulips whos sole interest is lining their own pockets and spouting absolute bollocks to anyone who points a camera their way.