Feedback

1. He slapped me about the head with a rolled up magazine.

   At the time, I thought it to be a rather mild punishment, considering the gravity of the offence, but having seen the magazine fight in The Bourne Supremacy, I now realise that I was lucky to escape with my life.

   Posted by Andy Wood on 14 April 2005 at 11:37am
   
   

2. Can you answer my question, by the way?

   Posted by Andy Wood on 14 April 2005 at 11:38am
   
   

3. This is the one about whether turnout matters?  I’ve always assumed it doesn’t matter much.  But then again politicians get worked up about it so maybe it does.

   Posted by Patrick Crozier on 15 April 2005 at 05:35am
   
   

4. Actually, I was referring to my question about whether there have been any democracies whose collapse was caused (or even just preceded) by a general election with a low turnout.

   Posted by Andy Wood on 15 April 2005 at 11:41am
   
   

5. Not that I can think of.  I can’t think of democracies ever having low turnouts before recently.

   I wonder if that is because up until 1997 (in Britain at least) there was a constant ideological battle which ended in the post-Thatcher consensus.

   Nah.  There is still a battle out there.  We’re fighting it every day.  But it’s not reflected in the parties.

   I wonder if it’s in part because better market research means that parties have a much better idea of what to say.  The result is that they say more or less the same thing - much as Sainsbury and Tescos sell much the same things at much the same prices in much the same way.

   Posted by Patrick Crozier on 16 April 2005 at 04:29am