I'm going to be very lawyerly here and question the definition of "premeditated". Is wandering off to get a brick so you can hurl it through a window premeditated? How long do you have to have to think about your actions before it crosses the line?

Wasn't intending to flog any horse. I'm merely pointing to what No2AV have said in the past and extending it, not necessarily explicitly advocating that view. My use of "seal" refers to the 20 point poll lead according to some pollsters.

Haven't had a chance to read your link, but I'm curious about how we know the results of previous elections had they been held under AV without actually holding the election, since we don't know the second preferences. Should be an interesting read.

Curious about "predictable spending decisions". Won't the predictable decisions be the hardest to respond to, as they're likely to be the easiest to justify?

Sorry about the problems people have been having posting comments. I've just signed-in with OpenID successfully so things should be fixed now. Having said that, I couldn't logout until I cleared all cookies from Chrome, so I'm afraid there may still be a few glitches.

Can't help but feel that it would be in Labour's interest to sit things out for a bit. They need to accept that they are in opposition, and work out what they're doing. As much as it is less damaging to not have a "bloodbath" of a leadership contest, it means there is no proper battle between left and right that was lurking beneath the surface during the Blair/Brown era. I'm not sure a focus on getting back into power without any direction is going to be particularly effective unless the coalition falls apart, and even if it is the divide will just emerge again whilst in office.

I suppose the question really is what is meant by "broken Britain"? I'd argue that many people (including those who employ the term) are misusing the phrase to conjure up images of "feral" youths hurling bricks through windows and running wild.

I suspect that much closer to the mark is the impression of an "I want" culture, whereby individuals are entirely concerned with their own immediate needs apparently oblivious to the consequences for themselves and others.

The impression given, rightly or wrongly, is one where individuals want to go out and get drunk without regard to health, want more immediate access to money and so get an enormous mortgage, or want some immediate peace and quiet and therefore sit the children in front of the television with a microwave meal. Whether this is an accurate representation of even part of Britain will always be debatable.

A good teacher imparts knowledge, but a great teacher makes a student thirsty for more knowledge. Whatever the definition of "broken Britain", can an education system ever teach moral and cultural values? Can a thirst for knowledge override a potential self-interest?