Swedish referendums on the constitution are mandatory votes and require a clear majority, we would not be in this mess if we had taken this approach.
I would counter that we would not be in this mess if Edward Heath had had an ounce of integrity or honesty but there you go. One way or another, a 40-odd year mistake is going to be corrected.
My google book of swiss government is shut for the day so I'm doing a runner before my argument falls apart.
Nope. It’s my end, apparently although quite a few others have the same issue. I have tried not hitting ‘reply’ and letting it hang: it does just that and never completes. Have tried refreshing after first post reply press while it’s hanging: doesn’t always apply the post. Have tried moving off the page while it hangs: normally the post is gone. I also have a pagination issue on safari both iPad and iPhone, where the smiley button is half down the screen but when I press it, instead of opening the smilies it opens another page. Got fed up of both, so rarely delete my second post and use less smilies
Today In Germany the traditional partner in government, the SPD are having a party vote as to whether to follow the leaderships new proposed deal to once again, go back into partnership with Merkels CDU party. It initially looks as though the SPD pulled out of the traditional alliance when Merkel took a right old pasting in the German elections. It also didn't help that for the first time since ww2 an alleged far right party gained seats in the Bundestag. The SDP refused initially to join the CDU as they felt, like the lib dems and tory coalition, that the coalition between the CDU and SPD had badly harmed the SPD at the elections, which it did. Schultz, a very recent eu comissioner and now leader of the SPD said never again but seems now to have negotiated a deal which has to be approved by the party membership and it is this that is the worry. It seems many of the traditional and young/new SPD members/voters agreed with Schultz's initial assessment that any further coalitions will be damaging not only to the SPD but Germany also. Merkel has already been quite damaged by the election and month's after the election, still has no majority government. If the vote goes against another coalition then the Germans will have to go to the polls again with every chance the far right will increase it's seats in the Bundestag and Merkel will lose even more. An eu with a destabilised Germany would be both beneficial and a nightmare to both sides at various times. Meanwhile Macron seizing the initiative "the queen is dead long live the king", is riding high and is being seen as the new top dog in the eu. Today's vote could influence where the eu goes next not only for Brexit, but the eu also.
Actually, while we're on the MacBot (see what I did there) I find it rather interesting, in fact, refreshingly honest if not for the fact that he'd deny his voters the opportunity, that he's admitted that the French would likely also vote to leave the EU. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/21/emmanuel-macron-uk-yes-no-brexit-vote-mistake I think the most annoying thing is that when Cameron was asking for change nobody else within the EU wanted to listen, so with the greatest of respect to Macron hindsight is a wonderful thing, but saying openly his own countrymen would likely vote to leave given chance is clearly an indication that they all know there's an issue but have chosen not to do anything about it They know that there's a huge globalisation push back because it doesn't work for the majority of people, and yet even now there's no major discussion of reform, no major discussion of the free movement of labour, just a lot of soundbites saying the same thing which is pretty much 'yes we know you don't like it, but here are the threats you'll face by not being part of it' Kinda like the remain sides argument in the run up to the vote.
think yourself lucky that you are getting soundbites, there seems to be a media blackout about last weeks events in the uk parliament regarding the brexit bill, article 11 and the 13 Scottish torys, effectively voting for the beginning of the end of Devolution. aye, you will be taking back yer control soon enough.
