Comments on: Political football http://www.redbadge.co.uk/notes/?p=13 for liberty - against authoritarianism Sat, 16 Dec 2006 17:32:08 +0000 hourly 1 By: Longrider » Political Allegiances http://www.redbadge.co.uk/notes/?p=13#comment-59 Longrider » Political Allegiances Wed, 22 Mar 2006 19:31:42 +0000 http://www.redbadge.co.uk/notes/?p=13#comment-59 [...] Pete in Dunbar raised the issue of political allegiance; that of the unthinking variety; “my party no matter what.” Bob Piper has picked up on the theme, and it has set me thinking. You see, I disagree with Bob’s remark that those of us who leave the party are glory hunters: Those who support one team, and are wedded to that team through history, family, culture and tradition, don’t do that and they have contempt for the ‘glory hunters’ who do. [...] [...] Pete in Dunbar raised the issue of political allegiance; that of the unthinking variety; “my party no matter what.” Bob Piper has picked up on the theme, and it has set me thinking. You see, I disagree with Bob’s remark that those of us who leave the party are glory hunters: Those who support one team, and are wedded to that team through history, family, culture and tradition, don’t do that and they have contempt for the ‘glory hunters’ who do. [...]

]]> By: Longrider » Political Allegiances http://www.redbadge.co.uk/notes/?p=13#comment-52 Longrider » Political Allegiances Thu, 02 Mar 2006 12:28:57 +0000 http://www.redbadge.co.uk/notes/?p=13#comment-52 [...] Pete in Dunbar raised the issue of political allegiance; that of the unthinking variety; “my party no matter what.” Bob Piper has picked up on the theme, and it has set me thinking. You see, I disagree with Bob’s remark that those of us who leave the party are glory hunters: Those who support one team, and are wedded to that team through history, family, culture and tradition, don’t do that and they have contempt for the ‘glory hunters’ who do. [...] [...] Pete in Dunbar raised the issue of political allegiance; that of the unthinking variety; “my party no matter what.” Bob Piper has picked up on the theme, and it has set me thinking. You see, I disagree with Bob’s remark that those of us who leave the party are glory hunters: Those who support one team, and are wedded to that team through history, family, culture and tradition, don’t do that and they have contempt for the ‘glory hunters’ who do. [...]

]]> By: Chuck Ee http://www.redbadge.co.uk/notes/?p=13#comment-48 Chuck Ee Wed, 01 Mar 2006 20:48:26 +0000 http://www.redbadge.co.uk/notes/?p=13#comment-48 Example: If, at the last election you, and everyone who disliked the present system, had voted for the candidate most likely to defeat their sitting MP, we would have a Parliament which had to figure out how to do things from scratch (so wouldn't be hidebound by conventional structures), a Parliament which would be terrified by the power of the electorate to pass judgement on its decisions. And you wouldn't have had Michael Howard as PM. Instead of thinking what you could do, you are among the 22% of the electorate who have returned to power a government intent on installing the apparatus of a totalitarian state. You hate yourselves more than you love Labour. You won't think about what you can do to change things. The other 78% of us are not grateful. Example: If, at the last election you, and everyone who disliked the present system, had voted for the candidate most likely to defeat their sitting MP, we would have a Parliament which had to figure out how to do things from scratch (so wouldn’t be hidebound by conventional structures), a Parliament which would be terrified by the power of the electorate to pass judgement on its decisions. And you wouldn’t have had Michael Howard as PM.

Instead of thinking what you could do, you are among the 22% of the electorate who have returned to power a government intent on installing the apparatus of a totalitarian state.

You hate yourselves more than you love Labour. You won’t think about what you can do to change things.

The other 78% of us are not grateful.

]]> By: Neil Harding http://www.redbadge.co.uk/notes/?p=13#comment-46 Neil Harding Wed, 01 Mar 2006 18:05:43 +0000 http://www.redbadge.co.uk/notes/?p=13#comment-46 I have no loyalty to the Labour party, in fact under a different electoral system I would probably vote and campaign for the Green Party, but under this system it's either a Tory government or a Labour government. With that choice and believing in more egalitarianism policies, I am always going to choose to campaign for a Labour government, which is what I do. Those who slag off Labour and tell people to vote against it are barking up the wrong tree because all that is going to lead to is a Tory government that will accelerate the drift to centralised power. They would be better off joining the Labour party and campaigning from the inside for more devolved power and constitutional reform, which is what I am doing. There is a sign that this is <a href="http://www.progressives.org.uk/uploadstore/cms/docs/pamphlet%20web2.pdf" rel="nofollow">gathering momentum and on the verge of bearing fruit</a>. The Labour party is the only party that is going to deliver this progressive change. The Left have an extremely strong and proud history on civil liberties in this country, the Tories have the opposite record. I have no loyalty to the Labour party, in fact under a different electoral system I would probably vote and campaign for the Green Party, but under this system it’s either a Tory government or a Labour government. With that choice and believing in more egalitarianism policies, I am always going to choose to campaign for a Labour government, which is what I do.

Those who slag off Labour and tell people to vote against it are barking up the wrong tree because all that is going to lead to is a Tory government that will accelerate the drift to centralised power. They would be better off joining the Labour party and campaigning from the inside for more devolved power and constitutional reform, which is what I am doing. There is a sign that this is gathering momentum and on the verge of bearing fruit. The Labour party is the only party that is going to deliver this progressive change. The Left have an extremely strong and proud history on civil liberties in this country, the Tories have the opposite record.

]]> By: David Hadley http://www.redbadge.co.uk/notes/?p=13#comment-44 David Hadley Wed, 01 Mar 2006 11:41:24 +0000 http://www.redbadge.co.uk/notes/?p=13#comment-44 An interesting question. I voted Laborg in '97 despite my - seemingly instinctive - loathing for Tony Blair. I voted for Laborg again the last time, despite Blair, The Religious Hatred bill, ID cards and so on. Despite all the things I didn't like about them, at the time Laborg seem the least worst option and I think it is important to vote. So, through gritted teeth it was. But after what they all didn't do about those cartoons, especially Jack Straw and all the other things they've done I'll never vote for them again. So, where does that leave me? I don't want to be a non-voter, but there doesn't seem to be, or any likelyhood of, anything on offer I could vote for, plenty I'd vote against - from all sides (I have just as much instinctive loathing of Cameron as I have of Blair (and Simon Hughes), but nothing to vote for. An interesting question.
I voted Laborg in ’97 despite my – seemingly instinctive – loathing for Tony Blair.
I voted for Laborg again the last time, despite Blair, The Religious Hatred bill, ID cards and so on.
Despite all the things I didn’t like about them, at the time Laborg seem the least worst option and I think it is important to vote. So, through gritted teeth it was.
But after what they all didn’t do about those cartoons, especially Jack Straw and all the other things they’ve done I’ll never vote for them again.
So, where does that leave me? I don’t want to be a non-voter, but there doesn’t seem to be, or any likelyhood of, anything on offer I could vote for, plenty I’d vote against – from all sides (I have just as much instinctive loathing of Cameron as I have of Blair (and Simon Hughes), but nothing to vote for.

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