Political Ramblings of an 18-year-old

[FuriousFox46]

I'm only 18 and not an expert in the field by any means so go easy on me (I'm trying)

http://thechriswhitingshow.wordpress.com/2013/07/16/political-ramblings-of-an-18-year-old/
 

 

 

I did another blog too on under-rated songs but it's not exactly enthralling
 

http://thechriswhitingshow.wordpress.com/2013/07/16/hidden-gems-2/

 

 

[Guest MattP]

UKIP could probably take you to court for the lies levelled at them in that article. To describe them as far-right is ludicrous.

The reason people don't vote Lib Dems is because over history they have wrong over big decisions so often, imagine if they had got hold of us, we would now be the Euro zone.

[ozleicester]

Good to see anyone discussing and being passionate about politics, if we think its bad now.. imagine if  people dont care at all!

 

worldwide what the major parties (and a large part of the media and public at large) fail to realise is, that society in the digital age is all about options, diversity and niche markets.

 

Thanks to the internet if my thing is brazilian fart porn, then there is a place (or a party if you will) for me. The same applies for government, if im a racist vegan who supports the colonisation of Mars, then somewhere there is a group of others with similar beliefs who will eventually put forward an independent wannabe MP that will closely match my wants.

 

The times of single party government are pretty much at an end, governments across the world are more and more being filled by independents and we as a society need to learn a different way of governing. No longer does a government get elected with a mandate to do this or that, it needs to be more conciliatory and negotiable.

 

Alternatively, these could just be the ravings of a middle aged person.

[lavrentis]

Stopped reading when you called UKIP "far-right". Terrible "facts", coming from the site which has your opinion down as "100% accurate". Don't give the excuse you are not an expert either.

[SOCCERROO FOX]

Stopped reading when you called UKIP "far-right". Terrible "facts", coming from the site which has your opinion down as "100% accurate". Don't give the excuse you are not an expert either.

 

I stopped reading after Political Ramblings

[MooseBreath]

I hope you haven't based your political preferences on the results of that first quiz you linked to. It has long been suspected as being at least sponsored by the lib dems and perhaps even created directly by one of their members. The questions are designed in such a way as to ensure anyone answering casually based on their initial instinct will always be led towards the dems. Which makes it quite an ironic thing to post given how much you talk about people being misinformed.

To be fair you know a lot more about politics than I did at 18, and you'll soon grow out of the whole lib dem thing as long as you keep paying attention.

[purpleronnie]

UKIP or tories are great yey!!!!!  any other party is rubbish boooooo!!!!!

[leicsmac]

Our resident KIPpers aren't too impressed then? 

 

I personally wouldn't call UKIP "far right", but they are further to the right than any other mainstream party (BNP being fringe, obviously). 

 

Considering that most 18 year olds don't give a fvck about politics (mainly because the primary parties don't give a fvck about them, they're not an established key voting block after all) it's good at least to see that some are interested in the system as a whole. 

[Alf Bentley]

A good effort, mate - better than 95% of the political ramblings I read on here (and I'm no Lib Dem supporter).

Keep it up and don't let aging reactionaries like MattP put you off...in fact, I'd sue him for defamation if I were you. 

 

Where you see UKIP on the spectrum will depend on where you stand yourself. I expect Hitler saw Mussolini as a moderate and Franco as a pinko liberal! UKIP aren't an overtly racist party, but nationalism is certainly a cornerstone of their politics. There's also a lot of "Poujadism" in the mix (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Poujade). They're certainly well to the right of any British political party in my lifetime, apart from the likes of the BNP, NF etc.

 

In seeking to explain the continued dominance of Tories and Labour, you could usefully put more emphasis on our electoral system. In truth, the only votes that matter are those of swing voters in marginal seats, so the political parties end up tailoring their message primarily to those people, many (not all) of whom are fairly uninformed about politics. It doesn't matter what people in big cities or rural areas think, as the 2 parties can mainly rely on them to vote in Tory and Labour MPs, respectively.

 

The only places that matter politically are small towns and suburbs - and their non-aligned voters. The unhealthy slant that this gives to national politics is all the more egregious as England has one of the most centralised political systems in the democratic world so there are few alternative centres of political power (except the business lobby, which has more or less morphed into part of national government, whether NuLab or ConDems).

 

Some ideas for future blogs:

- Why did the SDP fail to "break the mould" of politics in the 1980s, as it promised? At times, it topped the opinion polls and looking like breaking the 2-party system. It won several parliamentary byelections (more than UKIP has done yet)...but ended up winning just 6 seats (I think) in the general election - and then merging with the Liberals to remain even a minor force.

- What exactly are the core politics of UKIP? Nationalism? Poujadism? Populism? Protection of white middle-class/SE England?

- To what extent is the political message of the main 3 parties determined by polling, focus groups etc?

- Are there certain quite plausible policies that would simply be electoral suicide ("taxes need to rise"; "privatise the NHS", "the EU is good", "immigration needs to rise", "bring back national service", "nuclear power is the best green energy", "GM foods are a good idea")? Why is political debate so constrained?

- Just how would politics be different if we had proportional representation? The policies espoused by the parties, not just the electoral arithmetic....

 

Keep up the good work, mate! A better contribution than MattP or Lavrentis has ever made to this forum. 

[Alf Bentley]

The reason people don't vote Lib Dems is because over history they have wrong over big decisions so often, imagine if they had got hold of us, we would now be the Euro zone.

 

Thank God for Gordon Brown, then, eh, Matt? Kept us out of the Euro - and then led the way in saving the global economy from the effects of malfunctioning globalised capitalism.... 

[leicsmac]

A good effort, mate - better than 95% of the political ramblings I read on here (and I'm no Lib Dem supporter).

Keep it up and don't let aging reactionaries like MattP put you off...in fact, I'd sue him for defamation if I were you. 

 

Where you see UKIP on the spectrum will depend on where you stand yourself. I expect Hitler saw Mussolini as a moderate and Franco as a pinko liberal! UKIP aren't an overtly racist party, but nationalism is certainly a cornerstone of their politics. There's also a lot of "Poujadism" in the mix (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Poujade). They're certainly well to the right of any British political party in my lifetime, apart from the likes of the BNP, NF etc.

 

In seeking to explain the continued dominance of Tories and Labour, you could usefully put more emphasis on our electoral system. In truth, the only votes that matter are those of swing voters in marginal seats, so the political parties end up tailoring their message primarily to those people, many (not all) of whom are fairly uninformed about politics. It doesn't matter what people in big cities or rural areas think, as the 2 parties can mainly rely on them to vote in Tory and Labour MPs, respectively.

 

The only places that matter politically are small towns and suburbs - and their non-aligned voters. The unhealthy slant that this gives to national politics is all the more egregious as England has one of the most centralised political systems in the democratic world so there are few alternative centres of political power (except the business lobby, which has more or less morphed into part of national government, whether NuLab or ConDems).

 

Some ideas for future blogs:

- Why did the SDP fail to "break the mould" of politics in the 1980s, as it promised? At times, it topped the opinion polls and looking like breaking the 2-party system. It won several parliamentary byelections (more than UKIP has done yet)...but ended up winning just 6 seats (I think) in the general election - and then merging with the Liberals to remain even a minor force.

- What exactly are the core politics of UKIP? Nationalism? Poujadism? Populism? Protection of white middle-class/SE England?

- To what extent is the political message of the main 3 parties determined by polling, focus groups etc?

- Are there certain quite plausible policies that would simply be electoral suicide ("taxes need to rise"; "privatise the NHS", "the EU is good", "immigration needs to rise", "bring back national service", "nuclear power is the best green energy", "GM foods are a good idea")? Why is political debate so constrained?

- Just how would politics be different if we had proportional representation? The policies espoused by the parties, not just the electoral arithmetic....

 

Keep up the good work, mate! A better contribution than MattP or Lavrentis has ever made to this forum. 

 

Good reason why FPTP is not fit for purpose. In 90% of constituencies your vote doesn't matter as the voting block is entrenched one way or the other. Hence the manifestos aimed at 'swing' voters every election time and the persistence of two major parties at the top.

 

Still, it may well change in 2015 with a hung Parliament and no Lib Dems (who shot themselves very neatly in the foot) to form a coalition with. Perhaps in the political merry-go-round that follows that electoral reform will get more onto the agenda.

[MooseBreath]

Thank God for Gordon Brown, then, eh, Matt? Kept us out of the Euro - and then led the way in saving the global economy from the effects of malfunctioning globalised capitalism....

"Gordon Brown... led the way in saving the global economy"

What the hell am I reading?

[ealingfox]

Get rid of this Lib Dem supporting rubbish and you'll do well my son. Vote Labour.

[leicsmac]

Get rid of this Lib Dem supporting rubbish and you'll do well my son. Vote Labour.

 

[Guest MattP]

Thank God for Gordon Brown, then, eh, Matt? Kept us out of the Euro - and then led the way in saving the global economy from the effects of malfunctioning globalised capitalism.... 

 

When you look at the Gold sales and the baking deregulation you have to wonder how he managed to get something right.

 

Any excuse for this though lol

 

Get rid of this Lib Dem supporting rubbish and you'll do well my son. Vote Labour.

 

How anyone can seriously go out and vote for them with a straight face after the last reign is beyond me. (unless you have appeared on shameless etc)

[Guest MattP]

A good effort, mate - better than 95% of the political ramblings I read on here (and I'm no Lib Dem supporter).

Keep it up and don't let aging reactionaries like MattP put you off...in fact, I'd sue him for defamation if I were you. 

 

Where you see UKIP on the spectrum will depend on where you stand yourself. I expect Hitler saw Mussolini as a moderate and Franco as a pinko liberal! UKIP aren't an overtly racist party, but nationalism is certainly a cornerstone of their politics. There's also a lot of "Poujadism" in the mix (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Poujade). They're certainly well to the right of any British political party in my lifetime, apart from the likes of the BNP, NF etc.

 

Let's face it Alf the Labour party from your era is pretty much the BNP manifesto without the racism thrown in.

[Rincewind]

Since Tony Blair became a Tory there's been no 'Idealist' young people wanting to change things. Where have the revolutionaries gone? I'll tell you. Eton.

 

Maybe that is too much but since MT the working man has been encouraged to turn on each other.

So basically politics is fected and most MP's are out of touch with the ordinary man.

It is hard to have any faith in them. I wish I could.

[Guest MattP]

Since Tony Blair became a Tory there's been no 'Idealist' young people wanting to change things. Where have the revolutionaries gone? I'll tell you. Eton.

 

Maybe that is too much but since MT the working man has been encouraged to turn on each other.

So basically politics is fected and most MP's are out of touch with the ordinary man.

It is hard to have any faith in them. I wish I could.

 

My MP is great, Stephen Dorell, had a few drinks with him and he always replies when I send him a question or viewpoint.

 

Most people who come out with the "they dont care, out of touch" etc etc are generally the sort of people who have never even tried to contact them.

[Rincewind]

Maybe. I heard that Grenville Janner was always good and AShworth is OK but where does IDS live? I heard that it was rent free on a relatives estate which includes a swimming pool. How can he know what it is like for a working family on a low wage daily life is like trying to feed and clothe their children.

The high profile MP's do not impress me.

At one time I was leaning to the Lib Dems because I believed they were moderate and because their chance of getting into power were slim to no chance they could come out with sensible proposals which helped everyone. The two main parties had 'ideals' to maintain and had to toe the party line.

Anyway I hate argueing politics.

I think I have worked out David Cameron's plan. Make as many as possible either to be homeless or in prison because those two groups are unable to vote. Although word on the media grapevine is there are campaigns afoot to allow them the right.

 

[Alf Bentley]

Let's face it Alf the Labour party from your era is pretty much the BNP manifesto without the racism thrown in.

 

"From your era"?! It's still my era, you cheeky swine! 

 

However much I've disagreed with just about every Labour manifesto, I'm not sure any were particularly close to being "the BNP without the racism", an equation that would apply much more to UKIP or the Tories these days, I think.

 

To be fair, though, as a keen young thing I canvassed for Labour's "longest suicide note in history" in the 1983 election, and it included withdrawal from the (then) EEC. One day, I doorstepped a bloke who said he normally voted for the National Front, but would be voting Labour this time because of their anti-EEC policy. Tongue in cheek, I asked him whether he'd want to repatriate me, according to NF policy, as I was English-born/bred, but of Irish parentage....he said that he would! 

[leicsmac]

Maybe. I heard that Grenville Janner was always good and AShworth is OK but where does IDS live? I heard that it was rent free on a relatives estate which includes a swimming pool. How can he know what it is like for a working family on a low wage daily life is like trying to feed and clothe their children.

The high profile MP's do not impress me.

At one time I was leaning to the Lib Dems because I believed they were moderate and because their chance of getting into power were slim to no chance they could come out with sensible proposals which helped everyone. The two main parties had 'ideals' to maintain and had to toe the party line.

Anyway I hate argueing politics.

I think I have worked out David Cameron's plan. Make as many as possible either to be homeless or in prison because those two groups are unable to vote. Although word on the media grapevine is there are campaigns afoot to allow them the right.

 

 

It is. Big estate owned by his father-in-law in Swanbourne, Buckinghamshire. Lots of land, not sure about the swimming pool though. 

[Rincewind]

Took the test. Surprised a little at my second choice.

 

Liberal Democrat     53 Green     39 UK Independence -8     Conservative -9     Labour -11    

Your recommendation: Liberal Democrat

[Guest MattP]

"From your era"?! It's still my era, you cheeky swine! 

 

However much I've disagreed with just about every Labour manifesto, I'm not sure any were particularly close to being "the BNP without the racism", an equation that would apply much more to UKIP or the Tories these days, I think.

 

To be fair, though, as a keen young thing I canvassed for Labour's "longest suicide note in history" in the 1983 election, and it included withdrawal from the (then) EEC. One day, I doorstepped a bloke who said he normally voted for the National Front, but would be voting Labour this time because of their anti-EEC policy. Tongue in cheek, I asked him whether he'd want to repatriate me, according to NF policy, as I was English-born/bred, but of Irish parentage....he said that he would! 

 

I'm gone as well then being of Irish-Austrian stock

 

UK Independence     34 Conservative     26 Labour     0 Liberal Democrat -4     Green -22    

You expected: CON

Your recommendation: UK Independence Party

Took the test. Surprised a little at my second choice.

 

Liberal Democrat     53 Green     39 UK Independence -8     Conservative -9     Labour -11    

Your recommendation: Liberal Democrat

 

Labour -11 lol That's as surprising as Acooling coming out a Liberal.

[Harry - LCFC]

UKIP's policies are pretty right wing in Britain. I don't think it's such a huge error to label them "far" right, it's not quite the right word but you know what he's getting at.

 

I also don't appreciate the harshly worded criticism this young man is getting. Explain any errors you think he may have made but bear in mind that there are better ways to phrase what you're saying.

[Guest MattP]

Maybe. I heard that Grenville Janner was always good and AShworth is OK but where does IDS live? I heard that it was rent free on a relatives estate which includes a swimming pool. How can he know what it is like for a working family on a low wage daily life is like trying to feed and clothe their children.

I think I have worked out David Cameron's plan. Make as many as possible either to be homeless or in prison because those two groups are unable to vote. Although word on the media grapevine is there are campaigns afoot to allow them the right.

 

 

I don't understand why an MP should have to know what its like to live on an average wage to be one?