The Janus faces of the commentariat

You wonder what planet these people are from sometimes. Iain Macwhirter writes: The whole point of proportional representation is that it is supposed to prevent one-party rule. No, the whole ‘point’ of proportional representation is that seats in the chamber should reflect votes. As it turns out, in Scotland, it has prevented one-party rule. A… Continue reading The Janus faces of the commentariat

Simon Jenkins: how many points can one person miss?

I suspect that one of the things that most irks Simon Jenkins is that despite the fact that he clearly loathes the Lib Dems, so many of us have a grudging affection for the old git (okay, not all of us). Maybe we’ll end up killing him with kindness. His article in the Guardian today… Continue reading Simon Jenkins: how many points can one person miss?

Chicken Entrail Psephology

One of the things about elections is that after them there is no shortage of people talking absolute nonsense about what the results ‘mean’. Take Alex Salmond, who has been quick to claim that Labour has lost the “moral authority to govern”. Leaving a philosophical argument about what morality actually means in this context to… Continue reading Chicken Entrail Psephology