The totally off-topic thread

[erkpod]

Glad to hear that things have gone reasonably smoothly.

That was the short version. Spent quite a few hours on it!

 

[erkpod]

You did well, Erk.

My NBN cost me six (count them, 6!) 4 hour absences from work and three months.

On the plus side, we do get FTTH/96Mbs, but it was a painful delivery (equivalent to forceps and episiotomy)

Wow. I got off lightly!

 

[erkpod]

Not worthy of a TR but I'm in Adelaide briefly on social media guy duties for my ice hockey team this weekend. There's a game both days this weekend in the afternoon. Flying home Monday afternoon.

My flying's been fairly limited since my OS trip last June & this could be my last weekend as a VA WP. I'll be just short of retaining but I'm not sure retaining is worth it to me with a soft landing to SG & not many flights in the next 12 months planned/possible right now.

 

[medhead]

Not worthy of a TR but I'm in Adelaide briefly on social media guy duties for my ice hockey team this weekend. There's a game both days this weekend in the afternoon. Flying home Monday afternoon.

My flying's been fairly limited since my OS trip last June & this could be my last weekend as a VA WP. I'll be just short of retaining but I'm not sure retaining is worth it to me with a soft landing to SG & not many flights in the next 12 months planned/possible right now.

Coming to dinner tomorrow?

 

[erkpod]

Coming to dinner tomorrow?

Probably will be having dinner with the team after the game tomorrow night. They zoom out to to the airport straight after Sunday's game but I'll be here until Monday arvo.

 

[medhead]

Probably will be having dinner with the team after the game tomorrow night. They zoom out to to the airport straight after Sunday's game but I'll be here until Monday arvo.

I thought that be it. Was only semi-serious.

 

[Flashback]

Yes with the Tories taking power there has been further gains on the Euro by the Stirling

 

[cove]

Every time the GBP goes a pound equalling $2 AUD I start thinking I had better start making pounds. Fortunately I then leave England after a couple of weeks and I dismiss that thought.
This visit I have used our U.S. Credit cards to pay purchases in pounds as I have spare US currency at 0.864 in the U.S. It only works if there is no foreign exchange fee on the credit card. Getting 1.5 AA miles per pound on a Visa card is sweet.

 

[cove]

Now with the Tories back in full power in the UK it makes governing so much easier than in Australia. Greens scored a little over 3% of the vote and the system is a first past the post wins with no preferences.

 

[anat0l]

Now with the Tories back in full power in the UK it makes governing so much easier than in Australia. Greens scored a little over 3% of the vote and the system is a first past the post wins with no preferences.

In theory, an absolute majority should make it easier to rule, especially relative to the last fair few installations of regimes.

Whilst I don't know which system is more dysfunctional, in Australia at various governmental levels we have had anything from one seat minorities to full landslides, yet the incumbents have proven in a few years they've robbed tax payers of an exorbitance to do SFA.

Surprised - not that I have a foot in either camp per se - that UKIP didn't garner much more than they got. Seems the plan to jettison from the EU will be on ice for a while.

 

[amaroo]

In theory, an absolute majority should make it easier to rule, especially relative to the last fair few installations of regimes.

Whilst I don't know which system is more dysfunctional, in Australia at various governmental levels we have had anything from one seat minorities to full landslides, yet the incumbents have proven in a few years they've robbed tax payers of an exorbitance to do SFA.

Surprised - not that I have a foot in either camp per se - that UKIP didn't garner much more than they got. Seems the plan to jettison from the EU will be on ice for a while.

UKIP got the votes - third largest party vote @ 12.6% ... problem is that only converted into 1 seat. For comparison - SNP only achieved 4.7% but ended up with 56 seats.

Election 2015 - BBC News

 

[Flashback]

In theory, an absolute majority should make it easier to rule, especially relative to the last fair few installations of regimes.

Whilst I don't know which system is more dysfunctional, in Australia at various governmental levels we have had anything from one seat minorities to full landslides, yet the incumbents have proven in a few years they've robbed tax payers of an exorbitance to do SFA.

Surprised - not that I have a foot in either camp per se - that UKIP didn't garner much more than they got. Seems the plan to jettison from the EU will be on ice for a while.

UKIP got the votes - third largest party vote @ 12.6% ... problem is that only converted into 1 seat. For comparison - SNP only achieved 4.7% but ended up with 56 seats.

Election 2015 - BBC News

Exactly what I was about to say. As a number of votes - they did quite well. The spread however didn't result in them garnering more than 1 seat though.

 

[anat0l]

UKIP got the votes - third largest party vote @ 12.6% ... problem is that only converted into 1 seat. For comparison - SNP only achieved 4.7% but ended up with 56 seats.

Election 2015 - BBC News

Exactly what I was about to say. As a number of votes - they did quite well. The spread however didn't result in them garnering more than 1 seat though.

Someone may need to explain the system to me, because the way I see it the only important bit of info is that UKIP only won 1 seat. Nothing else - including the fact they got 12.6% of the vote - matters.

 

[RooFlyer]

As far as representation in the Commons is concerned, sure. But any of the majors that ignore that % of vote would be foolish.

Won't take UKIP long to figure out to be more strategic in its standings.

 

[amaroo]

As far as representation in the Commons is concerned, sure. But any of the majors that ignore that % of vote would be foolish.

Won't take UKIP long to figure out to be more strategic in its standings.

Indeed. Look how the Greens are starting to consume ALP long held seats.

 

[medhead]

As far as representation in the Commons is concerned, sure. But any of the majors that ignore that % of vote would be foolish.

Won't take UKIP long to figure out to be more strategic in its standings.

Not sure how being strategic in standings is going to help when you don't have a majority of supporters in any electoral area.

SNP I assume means Scottish national party. The population of Scotland is 7.8% of the UK and there are 59 constituencies in Scotland. Is there any wonder that the vast majority of those went to the party that scots would mostly support?

I also assume ukip is some kind of party for right wing nutters. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, such people can live anywhere. Once the party get all their supporters concentrated in 156 constituencies (56*12/4 to see how I estimated that number) then they'll win more than one seat.

 

[medhead]

Anyone watching this Victoria police press conference? How bout the sign language lady's facial expressions?!

 

[RooFlyer]

Not sure how being strategic in standings is going to help when you don't have a majority of supporters in any electoral area.

<snip>.

Like analysing where you are likely to do well, then pour much more of your resources into those ridings. Its just a general comment and I would think common sense for aspiring minor parties.

<snip>

I also assume ukip is some kind of party for right wing nutters. <snip>.

Ah, spoken like a true elitist (but I know you are not). The 'right wing nutters' you refer to tend to be quite numerous and, at the end of the day, pretty ordinary folk in many countries and when the mainstream parties eschew them, they go looking for some-one who will represent their views. As with Pauline Hanson (who is NOT my cup of tea), the people and parties who put themselves forward to represent these folk get sneered at and derided by the media elites until they realise that there are actually folk who don't live in Paddington, Brunswick etc and vote in significant numbers! Then its too late.

 

[drross]

anyone having problems with their Qantas account?? Just logged in to book a flight and all 8 of my already booked flights over the next few months hacve gone."no flights associated with this frequent flyer number" . Wife's account is fine

 

[medhead]

Ah, spoken like a true elitist (but I know you are not). The 'right wing nutters' you refer to tend to be quite numerous and, at the end of the day, pretty ordinary folk in many countries and when the mainstream parties eschew them, they go looking for some-one who will represent their views. As with Pauline Hanson (who is NOT my cup of tea), the people and parties who put themselves forward to represent these folk get sneered at and derided by the media elites until they realise that there are actually folk who don't live in Paddington, Brunswick etc and vote in significant numbers! Then its too late.

I call them nutters because generally they are one issue people. When you apply their logic to a different situation they often have a different opinion. By way of an example a family member expressed the opinion that the Lindt cafe nutter shouldn't have been given bail. It seems entirely valid given his subsequent actions. But when I asked the family member if he'd be happy to have no legal right to bail if he faced similar accusations, it was a different story.

This isn't so much hypocrisy, more a case of not considering the consequences. At the risk of invoking Godwin's law national socialist Germany is an example of a popular nutter taking people for a ride that has ultimately proven to be completely unsupportable. Hanson is another example. As we see with the history of protest and attacks against Greek and Italian immigration to australia, there is nothing unique or special about the current immigration question.

And these are just examples, I don't know the ukip issue dejour, I assume it might be different to immigration because they aren't the British nationalist party.

Btw if using my brain to think beyond one issue, situation or person makes me an elite, I can only say thank you