I have to take issue with some of this. No argument on the House of Lords (other than to point out that replacing hereditary peers with politically appointed life peers was no more democratic) but PR is a system whereby nobody gets the government they voted for (at least our system generally delivers a government that around 40 to 45% of electors voted for), referenda are actually brought into effect by acts of parliament: not just the PM, and fixed terms are a terrible idea that led to situations like the zombie parliament of 2017 to 2019 — where no party had a majority but an election could not be called until the opposition agreed to it — and the presidency of Gerald R. Ford, who was never even elected as VP.
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The House of Lords can only delay government legislation, but has to give way to the elected house in the end. If you have an elected upper house as you do in the USA, France etc, if each house is held by opposing parties and by dint of being elected then legislative deadlock occurs.
If you want PR, just look at Germany, Holland, Belgium etc for the problems of forming a functional government, the same problem that Cameron faced in 2010. A minor party may at anytime collapse the government. A minority government may govern alone but is at risk of collapse or there is a ‘confidence and supply’ agreement in place. That is usually predicated on an agreement on a government budget, which is usually the dealbreaker. A government who cannot get a budget through the HoC by default must fall.
There have only been three referenda that I can remember, 1975, to remain in the EEC approx 2012 to change the voting system and in 2016 to leave the eu. The latter one was ratified MPs on a 2:1 majority, then by political Machiavellianism that they could use Parliament and various wrecking amendments to overturn the original result in particular the Benn Act.
Then there is Carter, Clinton, Reagan, GW Bush, Obama who had never been VP either, yet were elected President.
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#sundaypolitics
Beards are political
A mere digression.
Beards can be a reason for divorce, or at least radio silence until SWMBO is happy. WOs, they are more easily dealt with.
If i shaved id probs end up single, she seems to be quite adament i must remain bearded
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That’s because you without a beard looks so baby faced she looks like a cradle snatcher.
I do look 12
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And some SWO would scream, ‘who is that thing impersonating a WO’
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Genuinley get a little nervous entering a mess in uniform, some proper WOs would have worked 34 years before even getting WO
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And I suspect that you have the good grace if the CMC is there to introduce yourself and if in the bar buy them a beer.
I remember a CI walking into the mess at Waddington some years ago when I was a CI before joining the service. A CI from another Squadron walked in and the SWO (who was a really nice guy) asked him What’s your name…Pxxxx Sir came the reply…I asked who you are, not what you are from the SWO.
I know we are off topic and I’ll come back to it in a moment.
The point that the poster was making is that in the US system you elect the President and you know who their running mate is. So if you voted for Bill Clinton you were also voting for Al Gore as VP and you knew of something happened to Bill Clinton that Al Gore would become President.
In 1972 people elected Richard Nixon with his running mate Spirow Agnew, however in 1973 Agenew resigned and was replace by Gerald Ford, when Nixon subsequently retired Ford became President of the USA without a single vote cast for him in any role.
Anyway back to beards.
This is pretty accurate, looking online the arguments against seem to be:
a) “Well I couldn’t have one”
b) “What about CBRN”
c) “I don’t like beards”
None of which are compelling quite frankly, to quote something I saw on the subject yesterday “Dinosaurs gonna Dinosaur”
The only legitimate concern is CBRN, for HM Forces, the TTW period would give time for a shave unless like the Mayor of Hiroshima…what was that. For civil first responders, that maybe a little different with the use of PPE being required fairly quickly, unless the newer masks allow for beards, my experience was with the S6 respirator.
As a CBRN responder even back when we were using S10’s and the Civil Responder/Quick Don suit there was no need to be clean shaven, your live respirator which had been fitted and Porta-counted was in a box with a razor and the expectation was that initial attending units would use gas tight suits with positive pressure.
Police Scotland recently tried to ban beards for no reason citing Health and Safety and subsequently backpedaled like nobodies business.
The reality is that for the armed forces they aren’t routinely carrying CBRN kit and I’m sure if going somewhere exotic and told “your going to need your CBRN kit” that no one is going to be suprised or upset if anyone order to shave comes down.
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I’d rather have Gerald R Ford returned as US President next year than either of the two Vietnam War dodgers who are in the running. We can add GW Bush and Bill Clinton to the list of Fortunate Sons as well. Ford was in the US Navy in WWII.
Proportional Representation isn’t that bad: I helped to make the happy, healthy, safe and secure country of Iraq into a democracy which uses that system in early 2005, and look how the country has prospered ever since!
However, the two-party system that we have in the UK and they have in the US means that political issues become polarised, with each side entrenched in their views and throwing brickbats at each other… a lot like the topic of beards in the British Army and RAF amongst the snowflakes and dinosaurs (my money’s on the snowflakes winning this one: if there’s enough of them, it means that an ice age is coming, which will wipe out the reptiles).
I’m just going off now, to reserve my place in the Tar Pit Retirement Community. 
Topic
Far from causing polarisation, I would argue that our system forces any party serious about forming a government to the centre. Rather than forming coalitions with extreme minor parties, our main parties become coalitions in their own right, which need to appeal to different types of voters (blue wall, red wall, etc.) at the same time. Anyway, it’s Monday now so enough of the #sundaypolitics.
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Didn’t the conservatives have to kiss the ring of the DUP?
We need political nuance, not broad churches that disengage voters who never feel they have a real choice.
It’s also harder for the rich to buy and control lots of smaller political parties and independent candidates.
Anyway, topic.
The beards were in my last post, with reference to them polarising opinion, such as what happens with a confrontational political system like those in the UK and USA, rather than a system in which all parties reach an agreement about the best course of action. And then everyone can then be united in being annoyed by the result.
So far no-one cares enough to organise anti-beardie protest marches in our cities. “From the parade ground to NAAFI, chins from beards shall be free!!”
I don’t think it’ll work, somehow. 
(I know NAAFI went bust decades ago, but the alternative: ‘Subsidiary company of the Halliburton Corporation registered off-shore and paying dividends to retired US Neo-conservative politicians and their UK poodles responsible for the Global War on Terror and all the benefits that enlightened period of history has bought us, who are making a monopolistic takeover of all food outlets on your RAF station’ doesn’t rhyme or scan).