Do Republicans care about integrity, or is it a nuisance?

[DinoDoc]

I do like how the great levelling democracy now requires many potentially successful politicians to have vast amounts of funds at their disposal in order to be elected.

It's a consequence of the individualized nature of the campaigns in the US rather than the people voting simply for the party as in the UK.

[kentonio]

Cameron is like a throwback to early 20th Century Conservatism.

Yep, and as a tory voter it makes me very uncomfortable to be honest.

It's a consequence of the individualized nature of the campaigns in the US rather than the people voting simply for the party as in the UK.

Huh? We don't vote for parties in the UK.

[DinoDoc]

My issues education number 1
infrastructure jobs national defense
then
just about everything else
for education alone i cannot vote republican

Given the fact that by its very nature in the US education is a state responsibility and not a federal one, why not?

[DinoDoc]

Huh? We don't vote for parties in the UK.

Do the parties control who runs under their banner in a particular district or not?

[DaShi]

Given the fact that by its very nature in the US education is a state responsibility and not a federal one, why not?

You're begging the question.

[kentonio]

Do the parties control who runs under their banner in a particular district or not?

Absolutely, it's usually decided at local party level, however the main party can impose a candidate. If this happens it often leads to local problems such as popular candidates running as independants etc.

How is that the same thing as voting for parties exactly?

[DinoDoc]

How is that the same thing as voting for parties exactly?

Perhaps it was a mistaken impression on my part, however I was under the assumption that no one actually voted for Cameron per se rather for the Tories in general.

[kentonio]

Perhaps it was a mistaken impression on my part, however I was under the assumption that no one actually voted for Cameron per se rather for the Tories in general.

Ah no, we don't vote for a Prime Minister. We vote for an MP to represent our constituency, and then the party with a majority of MP's can form a government including choosing the Prime Minister from their MP's. Cameron was elected as a member of parliament and the Conservatives chose him as leader.

[Hauldren Collider]

Ah no, we don't vote for a Prime Minister. We vote for an MP to represent our constituency, and then the party with a majority of MP's can form a government including choosing the Prime Minister from their MP's. Cameron was elected as a member of parliament and the Conservatives chose him as leader.

But unlike in the US, your MPs are basically automatons who vote how their leaders tell them, unless the leaders ask for something truly outrageous. Is this accurate?

In the US, individual representatives and senators actually can and do break with their party frequently.

[kentonio]

But unlike in the US, your MPs are basically automatons who vote how their leaders tell them, unless the leaders ask for something truly outrageous. Is this accurate?

In the US, individual representatives and senators actually can and do break with their party frequently.

Huh? MP's often vote outside the party line, it's only when the government is trying to pass important legislation that the parties will usually 'whip' their MP's to follow the party line. Even then it's down to the individual conscience of the MP. A recent example would be over the Lord Reform when 91 Tory MP's rebelled against the party line. The party can choose to remove MP's from the party, but it's extremely rare, as it takes a fair amount to make the parties give up seats.

[giblets]

It looks like the UK is not nearly as screwed up as Canada in this regard.

[Asher]

It looks like the UK is not nearly as screwed up as Canada in this regard.

No, it's the same as Canada from what kentonio described.

It's still (demonstrably) a better system than the US's duopoly of like-minded but theatrically polarized parties.

[Wezil]

Party control/discipline is much stronger here.

[regexcellent]

Senators in particular in the US don't have a huge amount of party loyalty, and their positions can vary a lot within a party; witness characters like Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Jim Webb of Virginia, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, and Olympia Snowe of Maine.

[Hauldren Collider]

No, it's the same as Canada from what kentonio described.

It's still (demonstrably) a better system than the US's duopoly of like-minded but theatrically polarized parties.

I'd love to know how you demonstrate this. You use the word "demonstrably", that implies that you have some non-subjective basis for saying this.