The Political Thread

Something Fishy · 04 May, 2015, 11:20:07 AM

Quote from: Banners on 03 May, 2015, 07:06:53 PM
I keep hearing Labour say they are the party of hard-working families, and now Steve Coogan's at it, but as the main breadwinner (currently) of this hard-working family, my combined income tax and NI bill in 2010/11 was 3.8 times more than it was in 2014/2015.

I'm not pro-Tory – I'd vote Left Unity if I could – but I just don't get it.

mostly as a result of one of the few liberal policies that did pass i'd guess , as they got the personal allowances raised.

Modern Panther · 04 May, 2015, 03:11:26 PM

UKIP have launched their Scottish manifesto in my local constituency, where the MEP David Coburn is running for parliament.

Coburn, who is possibly Scotland's most offensive man, has claimed that UKIP will win up to 50% of the vote here in Falkirk, demonstrating a complete lack of attachment to reality that will serve him well in the party. He's also a bloke who compared an asian Scottish Labour frontbencher to Abu Hamza, has called those in favour of gay marriage "Equality Nazis", has publicly called Ed Milliband "a w****r and an ar*****e ", and apparently worries that the Scottish Government will cancel christmas and have him shot.

UKIP have tended not to poll well in Scotland (probably since we have additional parties who can pick up the traditional protest votes), so how do they intend to woo the Scottish voters?

By cutting the Scottish budget, so that England no longer "shovels money over Hadrian's wall".

By cancelling the "Named Person" scheme, which ensures that every child in Scotland is given a contact at social work who can help them if they need assistance.

Fracking.

Less immigrants. They are apparently a problem.

This is, in Mr Coburn's words, "what William Wallace would want". It's also important to vote UKIP, because the SNP want to return Scotland "to the days of William Wallace".

He would love to give you a copy of the manifesto to take home with you, but he doesn't have any because they haven't been delivered by the printers yet, because its a bank holiday.

IndigoPrime · 04 May, 2015, 04:30:01 PM

I've not read the Scottish UKIP manifesto, but have read the standard one. It's not as mental as I expected. Still, anyone voting for that party is either someone I don't want to ever meet or someone who really doesn't know what it stands for (which is mostly an extreme form of the Conservative Party, with the odd exception here and there).

Jock Savage · 04 May, 2015, 04:59:25 PM

Quote from: IndigoPrime on 04 May, 2015, 04:30:01 PM
I've not read the Scottish UKIP manifesto, but have read the standard one. It's not as mental as I expected

No party's manifesto bears the slightest relation to what they'd actually do if given power.

Steve Green · 04 May, 2015, 05:00:32 PM

But, but, the 8'6" stone tablet?

Jock Savage · 04 May, 2015, 05:06:58 PM

Stone is a maleable medium, Steve

IndigoPrime · 04 May, 2015, 05:08:41 PM

Quote from: Jock Savage on 04 May, 2015, 04:59:25 PMNo party's manifesto bears the slightest relation to what they'd actually do if given power.

Have you read them all? I have, from cover to cover. I'd say all of them this time round are a broad reflection of what a party will do if it found itself in power with no limitations. The snag is when that doesn't happen, which means, for example, the SNP won't get its way on all its policies, even if takes every Scottish seat, and the surprisingly impressive Liberal Democrat manifesto will see its major policies ignored but minor ones potentially creep in, if the party ends up in coalition again. (There is of course a certain amount of Bullshit Button required while reading manifestos, not least with Tory cheerleading about the NHS, and indeed UKIP doing the same.)

If you disagree, it'd be interesting to know why and in what areas.

Jim_Campbell · 05 May, 2015, 10:40:05 PM

Here's a thing that's been baffling me of late. I have a lot of gay friends... no, really, a LOT. And of my social media crowd, the number of strongly right wing supporters among my gay friends is waaay higher as a percentage than any other. Now I'm not claiming statistical significance or anything, but how the fuck does that work? They must know that these people —UKIP, for fuck's sake!— actively despise them. It's like black people voting BNP. I do. Not. Get. It.

Cheers

Jim

The Legendary Shark · 05 May, 2015, 10:46:28 PM

My knee-jerk, silly theory: For a long time, gays have been actively despised and victimised, even by governments. This reaction may be a (possibly subconscious) fight back. Revenge, almost - a show of strength, maybe. (Or I may be talking bollocks.)

Professor Bear · 05 May, 2015, 11:47:11 PM

Conservatism makes you gay. It's mother nature's way of making sure you don't reproduce.

M.I.K. · 06 May, 2015, 12:19:46 AM

Perhaps they're secretly left wing, hiding their true political preferences for fear of how they'd be perceived by the society they were brought up in. Or something.

(Slightly unrelated, and not an entirely relevant observation, but I've, (somehow), got loads of vegetarians among my friends, and it often concerns me how many of them are obsessed with zombies, even dressing up as them on occasion. Makes me a bit worried that they're acting out their true, hidden nature and the only reason they're abstaining from flesh-eating is because they know that once they start, they won't be able to stop at mere ham and eggs.)

Jimmy Baker's Assistant · 06 May, 2015, 08:02:42 AM

My MP is a Conservative who came out as gay a few years back. He's basically been at war with his local association ever since (their code for homophobia is that they sympathize with his wife). He managed to avoid de-selection by the skin of his teeth.

I won't be voting for him, but he'll win by miles and I'm of the view he's actually not that bad a guy for a Tory.

Dandontdare · 06 May, 2015, 08:23:03 AM

Quote from: Jimmy Baker's Assistant on 06 May, 2015, 08:02:42 AM
My MP is a Conservative who came out as gay a few years back. He's basically been at war with his local association ever since (their code for homophobia is that they sympathize with his wife). He managed to avoid de-selection by the skin of his teeth.

I won't be voting for him, but he'll win by miles and I'm of the view he's actually not that bad a guy for a Tory.

Whereas my folks' conservative MP is openly gay and has massive support in the constituency, despite him being tried (and acquitted) on multiple sexual assault charges recently.

JayzusB.Christ · 06 May, 2015, 09:40:20 AM

I know a very openly gay man from Sweden (and he really, really fits the 'bitchily camp' stereotype) who believes that Gay Pride marches should be banned. His rationale is that all this whacky, flamboyant showiness gives the wrong impression of gay people, the vast majority of whom dress and behave in a perfectly ordinary way. Which is a fair point, I suppose, and one I hadn't even considered till I met him.

(He also hated Brokeback Mountain.)

CrazyFoxMachine · 06 May, 2015, 10:07:22 AM

Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 06 May, 2015, 09:40:20 AMthe vast majority of whom dress and behave in a perfectly ordinary way

...blimey this is all really opening my eyes guys you mean people who identify as gay might be individuals with their own opinions?!

Sorry let's make this more sarcastic:

I too hope one day to actually meet one of those fine gay folk and find out from them what all of their kind think about Tories/hammers/cheese but until then I will just have to put up with all us straights and our identical thoughts on politics, religion and culture generally. Oh us straights.