Interesting Links for 13-10-2014

[andrewducker]

• Can your "Natural Language Calendar" cope with this?
  (tags: language calendars computers )
• Five Planets In Search Of A Sci-Fi Story
  (tags: scifi )
• 12 sex things men (that are worth sleeping with) really don't give a crap about
  (tags: sex men funny )
• Some great model shorts from the filming of the opening space battle for Star Wars
  (tags: starwars

Comments

[newandrewhickey]

The UKIP-but-not-Greens justification is fairly straightforward -- UKIP are polling at three times the level of the Greens even given the lowest polling numbers for UKIP and the highest for the Greens, recently came first in a national election, and have twenty MEPs to the Greens' three. And while both have one MP *now*, it's likely that UKIP may win at least one more by-election before the general.

I don't like it, but it's a reasonable argument.

[gonzo21]

Plus the whole reason UKIP are getting support is people feel they're not being listened to. Banning them from the leadership debates adds fuel to that fire.

Whereas dragging Farage into the debate might just reveal him for what he is.

And nobody wants the leadership debates to have representatives from every party, otherwise it would take 8 hours and nobody would watch it.

Not good reasons. But understandable ones.

[danieldwilliam]

Surely dragging *Carswell* in to the debate.

I'm not expecting to see Syed Kammall in any of the debates.

[newandrewhickey]

It's a leaders' debate. Farage is leader of UKIP -- though whether that will be the case in May is of course open to question...

[danieldwilliam]

Both good points.

[danieldwilliam]

Have we ever had a situation where the leader of a party in a debate has not sat in the Commons but that party has had representation in the Commons?

I can't remember if Salmond appeared in any debates ahead of GE2010.

[newandrewhickey]

He didn't -- he, Farage, and Lucas tried to get themselves on, but were left out as the debate was "between the people who might form the next government"

[danieldwilliam]

Looking at the opinion polls there is a non-zero chance that the SNP might be part of the next government.

[newandrewhickey]

Depends on Labour's attitude. They could have been part of a 2010 rainbow coalition if Labour hadn't refused to negotiate with them...

[danieldwilliam]

Yeah - the BBC might *look* a little foolish if they apply the likely to be forming the next government criteria to put forward a Labour, Conservative and Lib Dem debate and one of the less likely scenarios involving a Rainbow Coalition or National Government come to pass.

[gonzo21]

I don't know if Farage will allow that. Carswell said some things the other day in the wake of his victory that sounded a lot to me like a shot across the bows of Farage's leadership. I think Farage has maybe got a problem with Carswell.

Which is arguably a good thing.

[danieldwilliam]

I think it's a good thing.

I liked the sound of Carswell UKIP much more than Farage UKIP.

[gonzo21]

Yeah, I think I agree. On the day we had Farage spouting off about how unclean diseased foreigners shouldn't even be allowed into our country, we has Carswell talking about the benefits of multi-culturalism and finding ways to make the country work together.

I mean don't get me wrong, I would want to rescue neither from a burning house. But if I had to choose, I'd want Carswell brand UKIP too.

[danieldwilliam]

Exactly.

[gonzo21]

'We has Carswell'?! I sound like a cat meme.

'We can haz Carswell?'

I think also, Carswell, whatever else he is, is still a parliamentarian, and understands the concept of democratic decisions and power sharing. Whereas Farage has run UKIP simply as a one-man-show dictatorship.

So there is at least a vague chance now UKIP will self-implode.

[danieldwilliam]

There are now multiply nodes of power.

Farage is the Face of UKIP.

Carswell (and probably Reckless) are the actual Votes.

If you want to know UKIP policy is it what Farage says it is or what Carswell actually votes for?

My favourite possible outcome for GE15 would be for UKIP to win about 20 seats but for Farage not to win his.

My how I would laugh.