tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876862148358784705.post8377099709175371376..comments2024-03-11T19:40:23.089+00:00Comments on Views from the bike shed: Politics - the policy voidThe bike shedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05195882998271591934noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876862148358784705.post-70093518838193741742010-03-25T06:59:28.339+00:002010-03-25T06:59:28.339+00:00You elucidate the reasons why there is such a grea...You elucidate the reasons why there is such a great abstention rate in UK elections. Not many people could explain as clearly as you have, but none the less, people sense that they would be casting their votes into this void, and can't be bothered.Mark In Mayennehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14987723233401368368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876862148358784705.post-91852896957891766822010-03-24T09:50:00.001+00:002010-03-24T09:50:00.001+00:00For a while I kept up my UK voting rights, but a y...For a while I kept up my UK voting rights, but a year or so ago I decided that it was a lost cause. I wouldn't have known the local candidates from our last voting address (Winchester, seat of the infamous Mark Oaten). And in case people think that a couple of votes can't make a difference - Oaten was elected by a majority of two.<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester_by-election,_1997French Fancy...https://www.blogger.com/profile/04941577892849157015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876862148358784705.post-85715994550704368132010-03-24T09:50:00.002+00:002010-03-24T09:50:00.002+00:00This comment has been removed by the author.French Fancy...https://www.blogger.com/profile/04941577892849157015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876862148358784705.post-9105631311275824872010-03-24T09:16:02.989+00:002010-03-24T09:16:02.989+00:00Sadly conviction politics has been overthrown in f...Sadly conviction politics has been overthrown in favour of personality politics (or to be exact reality TV politics). Beliefs and ideals no longer win you votes or save your career should it be on the skids. Instead everyone (literally everyone) is made or broken by trial by media. There is something ineffably sad, mediocre, transient and inconsequential about the whole political circus these days. And how do our political parties combat this? By searching for the most dynamic, young, thrusting, "visionary" leader they can find for us to focus our attention on... not seeing that what we really want is dynamic, thrusting, visionary policies.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876862148358784705.post-45127934663289381112010-03-23T21:43:05.100+00:002010-03-23T21:43:05.100+00:00I was doorstepped by our local Lib Dem/Dim candida...I was doorstepped by our local Lib Dem/Dim candidate last week. By the time I had finished with him I really hope he wished the hadn't. The last two parliamentary elections have seen absolutely disgusting campaigning from the Lib Dems. We have had leaflet after leaflet, none of which are printed locally, all telling us why we shouldn't vote Conservative.<br /><br />"Don't vote Conservative", not "vote Lib Dem". So I asked Sandy Walkington why they campaigned so negatively, why they spent leaflet after leaflet slagging off the opposition without ever putting so much as a policy across. He had the gall to tell me that I could find out their policies on the internet. Yes, I know the man has the time to be a full time loafer/parliamentary candidate used to be a high up honcho at BT, but does he really need to push their broadband to this sort of extreme?Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09622441892958864311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-876862148358784705.post-59625650882833530202010-03-23T19:32:40.020+00:002010-03-23T19:32:40.020+00:00The idea of the 'good society' seems to ha...The idea of the 'good society' seems to have disappeared. I agree about the period of 'conviction politics'. One disagreed about what the good society was, or about the means of achieving it, but it was an aim.<br /><br />We seem to me to be returning to a version of the politics described by Namier -The Structure of Politics at the Accession of George III - the purchase and maintenance of 'interest'.<br /><br />Thw difference being that now 'interest' is not used to carry policies, rather to keep vocal and influential groups on board.<br /><br />I am very worried about the growth of the 'civil society' phenomenon, which governments can use to validate their actions rather than having to get to grips with actual people.<br /><br />How have we come to this pass?the fly in the webhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04563871975125538755noreply@blogger.com