Bibliogryphon

Muhammad Ali described his boxing style as "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee". It seems appropriate to me. In addition a Butterfly has the appearance of a transient ethereal thing, like a spitrit departing the earth. I get it.

Bloody hell.The House of Commons s going to have more fathers in the next parliament than Katie Prices children ! There will be only one Father. Assuming they all get re-elected then it will be the one who made their maiden speech first.

I'm sure he'll stay another day So he is Back For Good? I think that might be a Take That song title.

OK they were not the Sex Pistols but there is a middle-class rebellion angsty punk to the Undertones. What would be the alternative description?

A few more names into the pot Katie Boyle, Pete Murray & Jimmy Hill (who is definitely his own rhyming slang)

Looking at the list in your signature there are about 5 names that I do not recognise. Some US politicians do get UK obits but it wouldn't be guaranteed. But your personal list is just that and we would respect your right to post about anyone on it. I'm just asking out of curiosity - who didn't you recognize? George Ryan, Marla Gibbs, Gov Pat Quinn, Richard Daley & Carol Burnett

That might be hyperbole. The 1992 election was very close. The BBC were planning to go to broadcast with a picture of Neil Kinnock to start with but at the last minute they changed it for a split screen of both him and John Major. The two elections of 1974 are of course very close and the 2010 election was the closest of them all resulting in the first formal coalition for over 70 years. The question is why is this election close we have had five horrible years where it has become evident that we are not "All in it together". My only conclusion is that the Conservatives have created an illusion that it is all the Lib Dems fault and it will all be great tomorrow. Just a note on Cameron and the Third Term issue. What you have to remember about Cameron, for all his faults and insincerity he is as nice as the party gets. If you take a look over the possibly replacements bastards to a man (including Theresa May). Cameron is there because his party need him, not because the want him.

03rd May 6pm BST

PR, D'Hondt method. Does this work well?

I'm amazed as you are MH, sadly in the UK unless you are a footballer or darts player, I think it less rather than more likely for a qualifying obit. (Ooh, darts players for next year...*makes note*). To be fair many footballers may not get the national coverage because there is such a long gap between their career and their death. If they die early or are a national hero they may only get coverage in the regional press for the team they played for.

Why have we not heard of this woman she seems a perfect fit for this site. Claire Lorrimer aged 94 and still writing with over 80 books to her name.

To be honest on slow news days they would probably run an obit for your pet dog but deaths often cluster and you can lose some reasonable bankers amongst the noise. I am still surprised Jane Baker didn't get one. (Not my pick btw)

Looking at the list in your signature there are about 5 names that I do not recognise. Some US politicians do get UK obits but it wouldn't be guaranteed. But your personal list is just that and we would respect your right to post about anyone on it.

Forgive my ignorance but what system do you have for electing your representatives. Do you use First Past the Post or a proportional system?

The Belfast Telegraph would be considered a regional paper. The key is finding something that will run Nationally. For both Val Biro and Gene Kemp there were very good and timely obits from the local press (which didn't count) but the Guardian took a little time to catch up. By expecting a UK national obit you at least keep this on a level where everyone has at least a vague interest in the picks. I am sure we are all aware of people who we know of, who would obit locally and who are very ill but without the celebrity angle this will become a list of "I know more sick people than you" There is always the Deathrace for former Mayors of Devizes

As in seats or as in percentage of votes? Seats for sure. Vote percentage, it depends. I think UKIP will take more votes over larger areas but Lib Dems will take them in their held seats. Certainly I don't see the Greens overtaking either! That's what I was thinking. I'm going positive on the Liberal Democrats too (only half their MPs going *is* positive, currently!). Assuming they hold onto Kennedy, Cable, Clegg, Hughes, etc. If those types start dropping, they're really fucked on the night. I think the Fixed Terms thing will go swiftly into the new parliament though with these types of numbers. I think Cable will be safe and possibly Hughes but Sheffield Hallam has a high student population who might decide to punish him for the whole tuition fees thing. However if he has a good campaign he might hold on. In Scotland I think all bets are off but if I understand it correctly the SNP power is located in the cities rather than in the remote communities. I think CK has the largest constituency in terms of land area.

My Mum used to watch Pebble Mill at One everyday and she went to an open day and Bob Langley actually picked me up and held me whilst he talked to my Mum. I must have been about 5 at the time but still have vague recollections of it.

I am not that familiar with American Sitcoms but some of these names are really famous for other work. Am I right in thinking that George Gaynes played the hopeless actor who always read the autocue in Tootsie?

He is considered lost, but he's a bit further down that list as the LofL and LotM are now running the other way round than previous years, with the latest stiff first, just as with the normal hits. Talking of which the scoring pages have now been updated. I forgot to upload those pages last night... Ah, should've gone to Deathrace, then, where his obituary - since deleted online - in The Stage would have counted for points. Is Segal actually dead? The Stage obituary was the only online news report I ever saw, is there anything else to confirm it? Seems odd that The Stage have deleted the page and that theres been no other obituary to a pretty recognisble character actor? That is a very good question. This had occurred to me but following on from the Gerald Sim issue I wasn't quite sure what to believe. How do we get a definitive answer? Email The Stage and ask? Next best thing I sent a tweet.

The Liberal Democrats have the advantage of local power bases and some incumbant MPs. They also actually have some target seats where they have a strong local candidate. I think in the end they will have between 20 & 30 seats. I can believe msc's figures above which still makes the maths hard. If Labour are as high as 300 then 30 Lib Dems would provide the magic number for a Lib/Lab Coalition but only just.

I know who i'm supporting now. Hope New Zealand do it . I hope NZ win it as well. Maybe the World read the script (see post #24)

Wasn't wasted on me, in fact just last week I watched all 3 series and the Christmas Special on Youtube. One of my favourite shows ever in my otherwise awful childhood. I was considering a DDP team but after counting the actors and even production team I couldn't reach 20. Tragedy of this show is the young man who played Matt the stable lad, Sean Flanagan, died in 1981, only 3 years after the show finished. The quality of actors in this so called children's show is amazing, though I do guess after about three series of "spirit" jokes, you do begin to run out. They don't make them like this any more, sadly. I remember The Ghosts of Motley Hall!! Brilliant show, Sheila Stefal was one of the best actresses ever. FACT! Rentaghost is my favourite of all time, I can still watch it now and laugh. Thing is, these shows were made in an era where Childrens Television had a proper budget, a dedicated department and the quality was never skimped on, we wuzz the envy of the World we wuzz. Now, I would imagine, its all cheap shite. This is one problem of the digital age is that Children's TV has been ghettoised. With a lot of older shows they new some adults were watching and passing comment. However from my daughter's childhood there were a few good shows Raven, Stupid and I'm Sorry I've Got No Head and there are some brilliant bits in the first two series of Young Dracula. Did we grow up in a Golden Age?

I have frequently lamented the loss of most of the cast of the BBC children's series Rentaghost with only Sue Nicholls and Christopher Biggins being left but Peter Sallis starred in a series about Ghosts which was contemporary The Ghosts of Motley Hall which has a better track record for cast survival. Of the regular cast only Arthur English has died. Freddie Jones was last seen on Emmerdale, Sheila Stefal is still alive and Nicholas le Provost was on stage recently with Ralph Fiennes. The actor who played the other regular character left the industry. Admittedly many of the guest cast have long depared like Alfred Marks, Joan Sanderson and Brian Wilde. It is worth looking out for as it was inventive and witty and probably wasted on kids.

There are 85 MP's stepping down. I have picked 20 out very unscientifically but I suspect that a more significant issue is those who are staying on like Denis Skinner. Francis Maude Sir Hugh Robertson Sir Richard Shepherd Sir Tony Baldry Sir John Randall Sir Peter Tapsell Sir Malcolm Rifkind Sir Jim Paice Sir John Stanley Richard Ottoway Sir Hugh Bayley Frank Dobson Peter Hain Sir Tony Cunningham David Blunkett Austin Mitchell Ann Clwyd Bob Ainsworth Sir Alan Beith Sir Menzies Campbell Of course many other may lose their seats.

He is considered lost, but he's a bit further down that list as the LofL and LotM are now running the other way round than previous years, with the latest stiff first, just as with the normal hits. Talking of which the scoring pages have now been updated. I forgot to upload those pages last night... Ah, should've gone to Deathrace, then, where his obituary - since deleted online - in The Stage would have counted for points. Is Segal actually dead? The Stage obituary was the only online news report I ever saw, is there anything else to confirm it? Seems odd that The Stage have deleted the page and that theres been no other obituary to a pretty recognisble character actor? That is a very good question. This had occurred to me but following on from the Gerald Sim issue I wasn't quite sure what to believe. How do we get a definitive answer?