Off Topic Political Debate

I've felt disenfranchised for some time. Couldn't vote Tory, and there are some very questionable politics about a lot of their number; Blair and Brown moved the 'Labour' Party so far to the right increasing the gap between rich and poor (unforgivable), but Miliband has moved back a bit (should I then reward that with my vote? ), Clegg would flog his arse for a vote; the Greens have had my vote for some time because they are the closest to my ideas.

Forgot to mention the beer swiller. Naughty I know, but I think I can guess what colour shirt he would have worn in the 30s.

 

I have done it now.. signed up for them.......

 

Rather than have one eye on ratings, they need to consider their funding. If, for example, the SNP are not included, they will find their revenue greatly affected.

As for their being a public service broadcaster, that may well be their stated remit - but for some time now they have been little more than a government propaganda tool.

 

Which one - Al Murray?

 

oh yes!!!!!!

 

A more realistic option for my vote than Farage.

 

I would vote for him

 

So true.

 

Funny - Tories I know claim the exact opposite - that they are trendy lefties who deliberately set up Cameron by including UKIP but not the Greens and SNPfor their debate.

That probably means the BBC have it about right when those on the left and on the right both complain about bias. It is a known fact that we tend to see bias against our own view in the media

 

I'm not sure that one follows the other, Leo. I think the Tories complain to give the impression it's all above board.

 

Like Andy I will struggle to vote and may even consider creating my own box for "none of the above".

I dislike Cameron and almost everything about him and cannot think of a decent Tory MP - I also think they are less competent on the economy than previous Conservative Governments and essentially that was the only reason anyone ever had for voting Tory - to sort out the ecoonomy so that a more caring party had some money to spend. Do the Tories have any decent policies on anything?
Miliband is just silly. What a shame his brother did not get his job. There are quite a few Labour MPs I like and respect. I just wish they were not so ready to bankrupt the economy with poor economic policies
Lib Dems - my usual bolt-hole but Clegg and co are not up to it - they need a radical revamp
UKIP - never
Greens - I like a lot of their policies but they are naive (expect Cologne to refute this ) They are really more of a pressure group than a party you could seriously think of as a Government. Perhaps though if they could only get a few MPs they would be able to be a more effective pressure group.

 

There is no tendency about the BBC at all, leo. In the cases I am thinking of, they have been forced to admit to having been "inaccurate and incorrect" in favouring the Establishment. But, typically, they claim it was unintentional...

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02gsh40

It wouldn't let me embed this..... but here it is..

I really enjoy these two minute type guides..... used to help me teach my students!

Anyway this is the Paley intelligent design v natural selection Darwin argument,

 

Did you mean to post this here or on the Charlie Hebdo thread Yorkie?

 

I am sure a Tory could dig up his own counter examples - I regard quoting one or two examples that suit your case as not being helpful - Spurf did that all the time in the Scottish Independence debate. He convinced nobody with them. The BBC has a charter that demands neutrality and to my knolwedge has never been indicted for failure to meet that overall. Of course everyone makes mistakes _- I am told I did once as well when I was about 8 years old

 

Is it not more naive to think that the present economic model is either environmentally or socially sustainable ? The necessary transformation of our economic model must also go hand in hand with a democratic re-foundation involving a more direct and participative democracy - from below. As European Greens we want more sustainable agricultural policies - and more transparency and corporate responsibility. The English Green Party are members of the European Greens, and so share core values with them. To assume that they are more of a pressure group than a party, and that they will remain so, forgets that the Greens have formed a share of ruling coalitions in Germany, France,Belgium,Finland, Ireland,Austria and Latvia (and Worldwide also in New Zealand). Whilst I am a member of Bundnis 90 die Grünen (The German Green Party) and cannot be expected to know everything which goes on in the English Party - could you be more explicit as to which policies you regard as naive ? and I will attempt to answer them. Another point - regarding Miliband. Does it matter that you find him silly ? He is not the party - or has Britain gone so far down the road of personality politics ? Everybody thought here that Angela Merkel was little more than a frumpy housewife when she took over but she has grown into the role, as, I suspect, Miliband would do. I think very few Prime Ministers actually fit the role when they assume office.

 

Reply on Greens will take longer to devise - unless it is just that I like cabbage and sprouts - sorry !!
I think leaders are immensely important. Not only in politics but most walks of life. Where I have worked for good and effective leaders I have seen good things achieved - the wishy washy generally fail. True especially in football. Ed strikes me as being a really nice guy but I cannot see him leading a Government. Heath - rubbish; Thatcher -immensely effective; Wilson - not bad; Callaghan -rubbish and so on - their parties reflected the drive from the top -or not

 

Excellent post, cologne.

I totally agree with you about the Miliband thing. I don't want some smarmy tw@t who has had all the right TV training. That's why Clegg and Cameron are so indistinguishable and people fall for that guff about Farage. He's picking up working class votes from people seeing him drinking beer and from those on the far right for old school tie. He picks them up from the middle ground from those who "want to shake things up" ( Mosley was plausible in the 30s then?).

Miliband is more in the cast of Attlee, I would hope. If he tries to compete with the smarm brigade, all is lost.

The attitude to the Greens as a pressure group is akin to the treatment of the Labour Party at its birth. Maybe the power of the media and these media-trained baboons could keep it down though, which is a major worry for real democracy. I am not a member of the Greens - they just happen to be nearest the mark at the moment. But give me Miliband over the other 'main parties' any day.

 

Agree or be sacked is not a creditable leadership style.

 

This Train Don't Stop There Anymore - Sir Elton John