is it technically possible for a UK population to vote out an existing parliament

Jalapeno

Ken Clarke's no good as a unity candidate as he's rabidly pro EU

ICBM

Jalapeno said:

Ken Clarke's no good as a unity candidate as he's rabidly pro EU

That's exactly why I think he'd do a decent job of negotiating us out of this mess - the EU would be be to work with him and vice versa. Appointing someone who's spent the last six months roundly insulting the EU and their leaders won't help.

Bogwhoppit

Guy Fawkes nearly did.

TheBigDipper

darcym said:

interesting, the critical difference as you say, is you elect a a parliament not the government.

That's true. But if you ask the people who voted in 2015, they'd say they believed they were voting for the Conservatives as a party and for Cameron as PM. 

jpfamps

ICBM said:

After thinking about this while listening to another round of shadow cabinet ministers resigning this morning, I begin to wonder… could this actually be serious enough for the Queen to step in?

This is almost certainly the worst crisis this country has faced since WWII - it's easily worse than Suez, or the Falklands.

The Prime Minister has resigned, we have almost no effective government, no effective opposition at all, and no clear democratic way forward. We have a non-binding but non-ignorable referendum result. The economy is unstable, the far right is emboldened, the apparently settled Scottish question has been re-opened, and in the worst case the future of the entire continent is potentially threatened.

But other than that?

jpfamps

Belgium haven't had an effective Government for years.

Perhaps that's why they are so pro-EU.

blobb

The leader of the party in power (The Prime Minister) can call an election. The pressure to do this can come from many directions: personal power tactics, media 'crusades', no confidence votes etc.... Cameron nipped this in the bud by stating that elections will be based on a fixed term. That's the answer he just gave to Nick Clegg in PMQ's anyway. SO even if there was insurmountable pressure, calling an early election would go against the mandate to Govern. As we have seen recently, there's no way any credible party is going to default on it's mandate.....is there?

Nitefly

CabbageCat said:

Nitefly said:

Bah -where are the Whigs when we need them?

They are the Lib Dems now.

Cheer,s CC.  I can't understand why they aren't hoovering up disaffected Tory and Labour voters who don't want to go lurching off to the far right or far left respectively.  

Someone made a point about all this now cutting across the recognised Tory/Labour right/left landscape, because the demographic has changed - how true that is.

Heartfeltdawn

blobb said:

SO even if there was insurmountable pressure, calling an early election would go against the mandate to Govern. As we have seen recently, there's no way any credible party is going to default on it's mandate.....is there?

No they won't. There is a clear mandate from the people for the Conservatives to lead as this is what was voted for. What it does mean going by Cameron's words are several years for a Prime Minister who has not been democratically elected. Nick Clegg's words about the next Prime Minister being voted by 0.003% of the electorate (ie. Tory MPs)were absolutely spot on. It's completely bonkers for Leave to have harped on about the undemocratic EU to then be happy with an unelected Prime Minister to rule until 2020. 

TheBigDipper

Heartfeltdawn said:

It's completely bonkers for Leave to have harped on about the undemocratic EU to then be happy with an unelected Prime Minister to rule until 2020. 

No, it's playing the game to their best advantage. There is no "Leave" any more, just a Conservative party with a small Commons majority. 

I don't approve of it, BTW. Nor did I approve of Gordon Brown and John Major inheriting from their predecessors. Sadly, however, the effects of the referendum means a new PM could claim it was in the UKs interest to do the job without calling an election because "we need stability" - which we do, but it sticks in my throat that the Conservatives benefit from a situation they brought about.

 

Heartfeltdawn

lloyd said:

K. Clarke always seemed like a decent chap through all the sleaze of the 90's Tories.

There's no real heavyweights in politics any more are there? Where have they all gone?

Politics in Ken's heyday was about speeches and debate, making quoteworthy points. To be on the front or middle benches now in politics, it's about keeping thing relatively neutral, not coming out with anything that might be used against you. it's the same bland corporate speak you see used in local authority communications. The heavyweights are out there but don't get featured. For instance my favourite MP is Andrew Tyrie. I disagree with him on climate change but you watch him at work in select committees and he's a brilliant Parliamentarian. When I last worked in a local authority, the best part of the job was sitting in on scrutiny committees whose task was to discuss and debate specific proposals. That's pretty much what the seleect committees do. Watch a few of those on BBC Parliament and you'll find who the heavyweights are now. 

Heartfeltdawn

TheBigDipper said:

No, it's playing the game to their best advantage. There is no "Leave" any more, just a Conservative party with a small Commons majority. 

I don't approve of it, BTW. Nor did I approve of Gordon Brown and John Major inheriting from their predecessors. Sadly, however, the effects of the referendum means a new PM could claim it was in the UKs interest to do the job without calling an election because "we need stability" - which we do, but it sticks in my throat that the Conservatives benefit from a situation they brought about.

The divisions are clear within that party in today's parliamentary session. Cameron actually played a blinder today. He was well spoken and dropped a couple of things I actually found funny. Like a man with the shackles released. That isn't a unified party. It's a Tory party with a small majorioty and a fucking great crack down the middle of it. 

It is playing the game. And those so critical of the EU are happy to go along with it if it benefits them. 

SteveRobinson

blobb;1128476" said:

The leader of the party in power (The Prime Minister) can call an election.

Not since the fixed term parliaments act came into force.

It now takes either a vote of no confidence in the government or a two thirds majority vote in HoC.

blobb

^ Indeed^. The PM could call an election until this rule was made law. Funny that, almost like whoever was in power at the time knew they may, at some point, have to face down calls to be judged by the public for their actions? This plan has been worked to perfection and there is nothing the democracy loving public can do about it.

siremoon

TTony said:

ICBM said:

After thinking about this while listening to another round of shadow cabinet ministers resigning this morning, I begin to wonder… could this actually be serious enough for the Queen to step in?

I seriously wish that someone would.

I doubt that HRH would, based on her reluctance to "interfere" with political matters.  But this does seem to be getting serious enough that it's no longer about politics (despite what 650-odd people in Westminster seem to think).

Does anyone know where Winston* is?  I can't really think of anyone with the gravitas and general respect, who is untainted by all the BS politics of the last 20 years, who'd be (a) able to do it, and (b) mad enough to.

(*Churchill, not Smith).

Point of order Sir!.  It is HM The Queen.

HAL9000

quarky;1126486" said:

Leave referendums for things like flags, or bans on fox hunting etc.

Not even those. Things like BoatyMcBoatface and Jedward show what you end up with when you allow British people to vote.

Ro_S

The answer is 'no'.

I think there's only three or four scenarios when a general election can occur:

1. five years are up.  

2. the PM calls one (the recent-ish Fixed Parliaments Act may have affected this in some way, though).

3. a vote of no confidence in the PM/govt, but there are particular, new-ish rules about this process proscribed in the said Fixed Parliaments Act

4. in the event of a hung parliament if nobody is able of form a government on the basis of either a formal or informal coalition.