Meenzer

Starting to make good on a vague new year's resolution to finally watch all the unwatched/shrinkwrapped DVDs and Blurays on the shelves before deciding whether to keep them or give them to the charity shop and belatedly embrace the Netflix age. They're alphabetised (because I'm a normal person) so I figured I might as well work from left to right and start with Amadeus, which I remember seeing as a little kid and being freaked out by the death scene. Quite why I was still watching by then I've no idea since it's (a) about classical music and (b) so bloody long (even more so with this being the director's cut) but as ridiculous and historically wonky as it is, I can't say I didn't enjoy it this time round. May have done a bit of air conducting once or twice.

₱

If it gets as far as there being food shortages, there'll definitely be power outages too, so no problem.

Meanwhile, closer to home:

Anyway, that's Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston gone too. Can't blame them really.

Yes, that'd have to be in there too. The German system makes some sense - you cast two votes, one directly for your local constituency MP (i.e. for a person) and one for a party list. The parties have to get over five percent to be allowed into parliament, but the MPs elected directly in the constituency votes are allowed in regardless of their party. So you keep out some of the loonier factions that would otherwise get in on pure PR (like when the BNP got nearly 2% of the national vote in 2010) but allow for local concentrations of votes like for Caroline Lucas in Brighton, that Kidderminster Hospital campaigner who won as an independent that time etc. to be rewarded. (That's an oversimplified description and there are exceptions, but you get the general idea.) You'd have to tweak it to allow for Scotland/Wales/NI but it's not a bad compromise. And it deals with some of the concerns with PR about losing touch with your local MP, as constituencies are only twice the size they would be otherwise, which I think is all right.

Available for a bargain price. Fat Mike will be happy.

I think you're right if that view of "left wing" is allowed to encompass the left-leaning centre. Especially if every vote actually counts so people can actually give a more nuanced view of what they want without feeling they have to pick a certain team or else their vote is wasted. This is where I'm still fine that Corbyn happened, in an Overton window kind of way. Temper his ideas a bit in a coalition that's still broadly left-leaning and you've achieved something palatable and useful. It's just unfortunate that the figurehead of that movement happens to be desperately ill-suited to the unprecedented big-picture challenges facing the country right now. All of which is moot since we'll never get PR anyway.

Aye, you know what I mean though. The shit hitting the fan tends to prompt people into action. With the honourable exception of our current PM...

I like to think that power and the reality of actually having to do things would force the Corbyn wing to compromise in ways that they don't have to when they're in opposition.

Almiron to score two goals a minute in a resounding 180-1 triumph (Joselu OG)

But how are you saying it?

The Maybot cannot be destroyed.

My local MP, that was. So proud.

Hah

If you look closely I believe you'll find there are 62 empty seats