Unpopular Opinions You Hold

[leicsmac]

3 minutes ago, Aus Fox said:

Most of the issues of the world, including racism and sexism and many other isms are far more about class and keeping the “elite” at the top and keeping the poor at the bottom. 
Over centuries we have been conditioned to believe certain people and ways of life are better than others, in order to maintain the status quo... see any newspaper which is primarily aimed at less educated parts of any country and look at their front page headlines. 
A pill isn’t going to change this, even if we all looked the same, we’d be divided by our class, our occupation, or lack of, our education or lack of.

Unfortunately there will always be an elite trying to divide us. The best way to stop this is education, the more educated a community is the less the discrimination will take place - no pill will stop it.

No war but class war and identity politics is just a part of that, eh? Tbh I can see where you're coming from there, though I'm not sure I'd totally agree.

 

I'd certainly agree that better education is part of a solution, but I do think that "walking a mile in someone's shoes" is educational in of itself.

[BenTheFox]

6 hours ago, peach0000 said:

From a purely ideological standpoint that is certainly true. New Labour pushed towards the centre but in reality ended up on the centre right. It's one of the worst things to happen to our democracy as in reality all it means is there is no real choice at elections. You either can vote for 'Red Centre Right' or 'Blue Centre Right'. 

I'm not sure that I agree with claims that New Labour were 'tory lite' or 'blue labour', especially when it took the coalition or let's face it, tory government no time whatsoever to drastically change or scrap a number of their policies. 

[peach0000]

3 hours ago, BenTheFox said:

I'm not sure that I agree with claims that New Labour were 'tory lite' or 'blue labour', especially when it took the coalition or let's face it, tory government no time whatsoever to drastically change or scrap a number of their policies. 

Every set of people will have their own view points. Even in the Tory party itself people disagree with each other over different issues. Therefore it’s only natural that when the Conservative party took over after 13 years out changes would be made.

 

Look I’ll be honest I have researched this topic for a phd and the evidence is pretty sketchy. It was concluded in the paper that there had been a general swing right across all political parties but there was insufficient evidence to really draw any more conclusions than that. It was a proper waste of many years of my time  😂

[Sampson]

I've never quite understood when many call Blair/Brown's Labour government right-wing, or "Red Tories".

 

Obviously they were more right wing in terms of public ownership of industries than the Attlee government, but Blair and Brown still showed plenty of Keynesian policies and were not some kind of staunch Classical Liberals.

 

Under the Blair/Brown governments we saw:

*Percentage of GDP spent on the NHS under Blair went up from 5%-7% - one of the very highest % of GDP on their health service in Europe - this also helped see a pretty significant drop in mortality rates between 1997-2008.

*The largest per capita increase in doctors and nurses since Attlee formed the NHS also came about as a result of this

*Spending on education went up from 4% of national income to 6%

*Blair radically upped the number of people going to University to go along with that. Making loads of Polytechnics into universities. Now over 50% of people go to university.

*Number of teaching assistants went up by around 250,000 under Blair

*Increased spending on police force and increase in the number of police force by around 14,000

*Cut 66% of debt owed to the UK by developing countries - to lower the burden on developing nations..

*Created the minimum wage to the UK

*Created Paternity Leave in to the UK

*Created state-funded nursery for 3-4 year olds into the UK

*Brought in schemes for state-funded computers and help for children with learning disabilities and gave state money to poorer families to help support their children in school through the 

*Increased minimum paid holiday days to 4 weeks for all workers

*Banned fox hunting

*Repealed section 28 and created civil partnerships and the right for same-sex couples to adopt

*Not to mention, his obvious obsession with multi-culturalism, which allowed much easier immigration and integration of immigrants.

*Then following the 2008 financial crisis under Brown, New Labour originally rejected austerity and tried to react with it with Keynesian quantitative easing policies - by pumping money into the economy, which were reversed by Cameron for policies of austerity.

If you consider the left-right divide to be solely about how much of the economy is nationalised/privatised, then yes, Blair didn't really do much to renationalise industries which Thatcher privatised. But they clearly weren't just "red Tories" and Blair/Brown had very different philosophical ideas to Thatcher or Cameron and were far more in favour of higher public spending into public services like the NHS, education, police force etc and brought in plenty of progressive labour laws as well.

New Labour made a huge positives difference to millions of people's lives while remaining very electable with the average person and on the side of the media, that's why I'll never understand people slating Starmer for trying to shift that way - while the likes of Michael Foot and Jeremy Corbyn only led to years of Tory rule. The UK is a conservative country, you have to play up to the electorate whether you like it or not and making a real positive impact on people's lives isn't anything to be scoffed at.

Edited 14 February 2021 by Sampson

[foxile5]

BLM, 'taking the knee', and other enforced tolerance doesn't have a positive effect on society. 

 

It does nothing but make those who already agree with equality feel like they're doing something and promote hostility in the sectors it's supposed to address. 

[LanguedocFox]

People who call the Prime Minister 'Boris' as if he is their mate. Even Labour politicians and labour-supporting newspapers do it, and it merely reinforces his self-created 'brand' as a kind of jolly fellow who may be a bit untidy but whose heart is in the right place. Whereas the reality is that he is a lazy, dishonest, incompetent narcissist who is, to quote Eddie Mair, a nasty piece of work.

[leicsmac]

21 minutes ago, foxile5 said:

BLM, 'taking the knee', and other enforced tolerance doesn't have a positive effect on society. 

 

It does nothing but make those who already agree with equality feel like they're doing something and promote hostility in the sectors it's supposed to address. 

To be honest, over time this is probably true.

 

The unfortunate question that has to follow, however is...what course of action does address the very real problem in a timely (because that's important) and successful fashion?

[foxile5]

36 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

To be honest, over time this is probably true.

 

The unfortunate question that has to follow, however is...what course of action does address the very real problem in a timely (because that's important) and successful fashion?

Education has demonstrated the ability to change bigotry over a period of time. 

 

Harsher punishments short term. 

 

All this gesturing and grandiose motioning does nothing except promote apathy. It isn't action. 

[Izzy]

58 minutes ago, LanguedocFox said:

People who call the Prime Minister 'Boris' as if he is their mate. Even Labour politicians and labour-supporting newspapers do it, and it merely reinforces his self-created 'brand' as a kind of jolly fellow who may be a bit untidy but whose heart is in the right place. Whereas the reality is that he is a lazy, dishonest, incompetent narcissist who is, to quote Eddie Mair, a nasty piece of work.

Are you @Facecloth

Are you @Facecloth

Are you @Faceclothin disguise?

Are you @Faceclothin disguise?

[Facecloth]

3 minutes ago, Izzy said:

Are you @Facecloth

Are you @Facecloth

Are you @Faceclothin disguise?

Are you @Faceclothin disguise?

I like him, seems like a good poster 

[leicsmac]

16 minutes ago, foxile5 said:

Education has demonstrated the ability to change bigotry over a period of time. 

 

Harsher punishments short term. 

 

All this gesturing and grandiose motioning does nothing except promote apathy. It isn't action. 

A period of time that, while I'd agree with you, many people in the firing line (not in the UK necessarily) believe to be too long and are running out of patience - as well as the unfortunate fact that some people simply do not wish to be educated no matter what form it takes.

 

As you infer with the harsher punishments line, there does need to be an adjutant to it short-term.

[Tuna]

1 hour ago, LanguedocFox said:

People who call the Prime Minister 'Boris' as if he is their mate. Even Labour politicians and labour-supporting newspapers do it, and it merely reinforces his self-created 'brand' as a kind of jolly fellow who may be a bit untidy but whose heart is in the right place. Whereas the reality is that he is a lazy, dishonest, incompetent narcissist who is, to quote Eddie Mair, a nasty piece of work.

Brand Boris has been underway since about 2000 when he first started appearing on Have I Got News For You.

[Nod.E]

Roses are red 

Violets are blue 

Valentine's is stupid 

And so are you

Edited 14 February 2021 by Nod.E

[Dr The Singh]

12 minutes ago, Nod.E said:

Roses are red 

Violets are blue 

Valentine's is stupid 

And so are you

Your wasted on here 

 

[LanguedocFox]

1 hour ago, Tuna said:

Brand Boris has been underway since about 2000 when he first started appearing on Have I Got News For You.

Earlier than that, I think. Interestingly, no-one among his family and friends calls him 'Boris' - that's how much of a created brand he is. Tw@t.

[LanguedocFox]

1 hour ago, Facecloth said:

I like him, seems like a good poster 

A man of immense taste and perspicacity, if I may so vouchsafe.

[Claridge]

20 hours ago, leicsmac said:

Thank you for providing evidence of my above hypothesis.

No problem, went uni there for 3 years, loved it, but blimey there are some grim uns up there.it is not a myth I can tell you from first hand experience. Far more than Leicester and we have plenty

[UpTheLeagueFox]

6 hours ago, LanguedocFox said:

People who call the Prime Minister 'Boris' as if he is their mate. Even Labour politicians and labour-supporting newspapers do it, and it merely reinforces his self-created 'brand' as a kind of jolly fellow who may be a bit untidy but whose heart is in the right place. Whereas the reality is that he is a lazy, dishonest, incompetent narcissist who is, to quote Eddie Mair, a nasty piece of work.

 

3 hours ago, LanguedocFox said:

 Interestingly, no-one among his family and friends calls him 'Boris' - that's how much of a created brand he is. Tw@t.

He's done pretty well creating that brand then (regardless whether you like him or not) and that brand has helped him win twice in London (not a Tory heartland overall), the Tory leadership and a whopping majority as Prime Minister.

A lot of people clearly like him and buy into Brand Boris.

[Manini]

4 minutes ago, UpTheLeagueFox said:

 

He's done pretty well creating that brand then (regardless whether you like him or not) and that brand has helped him win twice in London (not a Tory heartland overall), the Tory leadership and a whopping majority as Prime Minister.

A lot of people clearly like him and buy into Brand Boris.

Not sure “he” deserves any credit for that, to split hairs. I’m sure he has a very good and very well paid team of PR and marketing professionals working for him, who I agree with you, have done very well in building his brand. 
 

 

If anything, he’s done more to harm his “brand” than build it tbf  the episode in the freezer is the obvious gaff that comes to mind. But he isn’t the first and won’t be the last politician to completely set about destroying their own public image. 

Edited 14 February 2021 by Manini

[UpTheLeagueFox]

3 minutes ago, Manini said:

Not sure “he” deserves any credit for that, to split hairs. I’m sure he has a very good and very well paid team of PR and marketing professionals working for him, who I agree with you, have done very well in building his brand. 
If anything, he’s done more to harm his “brand” than build it tbf  the episode in the freezer is the obvious gaff that comes to mind. But he isn’t the first and won’t be the last politician to completely set about destroying their own public image. 

The episode in the freezer ... the "gaffe" that 'harmed him' ... was just before he won an unexpectedly massive majority yeah? 

[Manini]

1 minute ago, UpTheLeagueFox said:

The episode in the freezer ... the "gaffe" that 'harmed him' ... was just before he won an unexpectedly massive majority yeah? 

If you honestly truly believe he won an election because of his personality and what he represented as opposed to there being no viable opposition and the promise of getting Brexit done then fair play mate I respect your opinion. The bloke regularly comes across as an absolute turd who I imagine has that well paid PR team with their head in their hands - which is what we’re on about here. 

[UpTheLeagueFox]

2 minutes ago, Manini said:

If you honestly truly believe he won an election because of his personality and what he represented as opposed to there being no viable opposition and the promise of getting Brexit done then fair play mate I respect your opinion. The bloke regularly comes across as an absolute turd who I imagine has that well paid PR team with their head in their hands - which is what we’re on about here. 

Brand Boris works.

It's baffling to many people, yes.

But it clearly works.

The gaffe-prone walking-disaster is in charge of a party which has led in 16 of the past 17 opinion polls.

Brand Boris works.

[Unabomber]

23 minutes ago, UpTheLeagueFox said:

Brand Boris works.

It's baffling to many people, yes.

But it clearly works.

The gaffe-prone walking-disaster is in charge of a party which has led in 16 of the past 17 opinion polls.

Brand Boris works.

He’s an absolute idiot! Folk are just voting Tory not brand Boris. 

[sdb]

23 minutes ago, UpTheLeagueFox said:

Brand Boris works.

It's baffling to many people, yes.

But it clearly works.

The gaffe-prone walking-disaster is in charge of a party which has led in 16 of the past 17 opinion polls.

Brand Boris works.

As someone who appears to be a big Mr Johnson fan from what I've seen you post/tweet, what is it about that brand that you find appealing? Genuine question.  

[Unabomber]

Just now, sdb said:

As someone who appears to be a big Mr Johnson fan from what I've seen you post/tweet, what is it about that brand that you find appealing? Genuine question.  

Big Mr Johnson fan? Surely not