Politics Thread!

[gravy]

Politics Thread!

Shall we have one then? Quite a few threads veer into the political and tend to get a bit animated.

It's interesting times right now. Despite being lead by a clump of undried lettuce Labour's walloping the coalition in the mid term polls.

Any incumbent is at a disadvantage this far through their term but it's still amazing that Labour are doing so well given Milliband's failings don't seem to be going unnoticed.

And Clegg? Clegg's dead baby, Clegg's dead Joint 3rd with flipping UKIP. Ooof.

[Jimaroid]

I've never been a fan of Ed Miliband but I was hoping that there would be more substance to him as time went on. But no. I still don't see how he's electable purely on the basis of it being impossible to photograph him without him looking a complete bloody idiot. And what comes out of his mouth doesn't fair much better.

Labour should have been running away with the easiest opposition in years, with a near certainty to re-election at the end of it, but the thing that's most shocking is not that the coalition is a bit of a mess but that the labour opposition is so ineffectual and directionless.

[merman]

It's hilarious when the Tories persist on calling him Red Ed saying he's a union puppet.

But Ed needs to demonstrate there are clear differences in Labour's policies. Reinstating 50p tax rate on the richest isn't enough.

[gravy]

Nah, he has to demonstrate that he's not an awkward spock.

I mean it should be policies if you want to be electable but the truth of it it is it's not.

Labour know this, all of the pre-speech press briefing seem to be concentrating on what an ordinary bloke he is rather than a near alien, Oxford graduated 2nd generation politico full of buzzword bingo. I suspect this is going to be a tough sell

[llamaprotector]

They all have to demonstrate they are amenable to Anarchy and that they don't suck Zionist cock 24/7 really, never mind all this other bullshit they send out to the press

The Pirate Party UK FTW

(all the other Illuminaté/Zionist supporters can fuck off out my face with their slave labour "Mandatory Work Activity" forcing post graduates to work at charity shops without even travel expenses)

[Dio]

I've never been a fan of Ed Miliband but I was hoping that there would be more substance to him as time went on. But no. I still don't see how he's electable purely on the basis of it being impossible to photograph him without him looking a complete bloody idiot. And what comes out of his mouth doesn't fair much better.

Labour should have been running away with the easiest opposition in years, with a near certainty to re-election at the end of it, but the thing that's most shocking is not that the coalition is a bit of a mess but that the labour opposition is so ineffectual and directionless.

And, worst of all, there's no obvious choice to replace him because the entire front bench team look equally inept. I can't think of a single one of them with any kind of intellectual stature. They're just a bunch of bloody politicians. With this is what the media teams and focus groups and the fundamental disconnection between people and politics have left us.

I fear for this country, I really do. I can't face any more of this bloody Tory bollocks - who genuinely appear to be dismantling the fundamental principles I hold dear in this country - but neither can I hold any enthusiasm for the opposing bunch of narcissistic hacks.

The gobsmackingly astonishing thing is that part of me is almost beginning to consider voting libdem again because they genuinely have more intellectual talent to turn to.

(Not that it matters a flying fuck how I vote under FPTP.)

Disillusioned, of Newcastle.

[gravy]

They all have to demonstrate they are amenable to Anarchy and that they don't suck Zionist cock 24/7 really, never mind all this other bullshit they send out to the press

The Pirate Party UK FTW

(all the other Illuminaté/Zionist supporters can fuck off out my face with their slave labour "Mandatory Work Activity" forcing post graduates to work at charity shops without even travel expenses)

This is POLITICS mate, not WALLYTICS

[KlaxonCow]

They all have to demonstrate they are amenable to Anarchy

You'll have a long wait. Notoriously, turkeys don't vote for Christmas.

Those found in central governance, or vying to form the next central governance, tend not to be, unsurprisingly enough, those who subscribe to a fundamental disbelief in any form of central governance.

The one tends to inherently imply the other, if you see what I'm saying.

[gravy]

Anyone here Ed Balls on Today this morning?

Let's unpack the facts!

SHUDDER

[Space Cowboy]

Politics leads to a feeling of ennui, at least in this country. Although the ConDem coalition of the useless has impressed me in that it has, somehow, managed to be a worse government than the days of El Gordo, which is quite a feat really.

I don't think Labour are the party they once were, nor the Conservatives. They've all converged on this 'voter friendly' middle ground and seem to be driven by 'focus groups', not real conviction. I can't help but think we've seen the last of the 'real' politicians. Increasingly politics is just the ultimate goal of career politicians who start out on the path in University without a trip through 'real life' to temper them.

[Ratsoap]

What are people's thoughts on Scottish independence? Unworkable, irrelevant, super duper?

I've gone from being a real anti, to ambivalent, to rabidly pro over the course of the last couple of years. Various factors at play, with the Conservative's vision of a Britain's future (and Labour's prospect's of doing anything about it) being quite high up the list.

Although I don't like Salmond, I do think the SNP are a credible alternative to the 3 main parties.

[venusian]

I don't think Labour are the party they once were, nor the Conservatives. They've all converged on this 'voter friendly' middle ground and seem to be driven by 'focus groups', not real conviction.

I don't know. People with convictions are dangerous; it's just a nice word for dogma.

[Dio]

Increasingly politics is just the ultimate goal of career politicians who start out on the path in University without a trip through 'real life' to temper them.

Yeah. That, exactly.

[gravy]

What are people's thoughts on Scottish independence? Unworkable, irrelevant, super duper?

I've gone from being a real anti, to ambivalent, to rabidly pro over the course of the last couple of years. Various factors at play, with the Conservative's vision of a Britain's future (and Labour's prospect's of doing anything about it) being quite high up the list.

Although I don't like Salmond, I do think the SNP are a credible alternative to the 3 main parties.

I live up here and will probably vote. The trouble is I'm a fucking idiot who likes change so I'd probably vote for independence.

It's interesting talking to people at work though, quite a lot are either ambivalent or pro-union with the independence supporters being in the minority.

[venusian]

What are people's thoughts on Scottish independence?

In years past I've been in favour of independence within Europe for any area that can russle up enough support: Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Northern Ireland, or Rutland. This on the basis that geographical ties (which are unassailable) are stronger and more meaningful than political ties and local flexibility (politically, philosophically, fiscally) within a beneign framework would result in general embetterment. However the growing Europe has turned out to be an increasingly centralising force rather than one intent on subsidiarity and it's just too big to work like that IMO. So now I think we're better off sticking together as a geographical block on the fringes of Europe. The UK seems to be large enough to work as a functioning country but small enough to have manageable internal tensions most of the time.

Given the ebb and flow of opinion about independence in Scotland itself it seems to me that an unpopular Westminster government combined with a worldwide economic downturn is being used as a mechanism to inveigle independence rather than it being a considered long term collective decision. A vote for independence shouldn't be based on the SNP not being the Tories/Labour/whoever.