Comments on: On the Political Landscape

by: British Politics: The Future - Voting TaKtiX

Wed, 20 Sep 2006 22:41:08 +0000

[…] My post yesterday described the ideas of broad church politics, and pressed the point that each of the three main parties are electoral coalitions designed to maximise the vote share of those with broadly similar ideas. It seems to have gone down rather well in diverse quarters. What it didn’t do is really explain why these coalitions form, nor analyse the electoral advantage that such alliances can create. […]

by: Gavin Ayling at GavPOLITICS » Renaming the Tory Party

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 03:50:38 +0000

[…] As I said previously the excellent Mat GB of Great Britain, not little England has highlighted the change already. The Tories are realigning themselves as the party of the liberal economics (as it was already) and liberal social policy (which is a major and welcome change). Pragmatic Conservatives are more and more understanding that the “Back to Basics” policy of Major and the unenlightened social policies of Thatcher were off the mark. […]

by: The Cameron Leadership � Blog Archive » Renaming the Tory Party

Tue, 03 Jan 2006 03:16:52 +0000

by: GavPOLITICS » Renaming the Tory Party

Tue, 03 Jan 2006 03:06:16 +0000

by: Gav

Sat, 17 Dec 2005 23:58:03 +0000

Tax without representation (the old US independence argument)? Well, as you rightly say, that questions the validity of VAT but, more importantly, it questions the lack of an English Parliament.

by: Ken

Sat, 17 Dec 2005 23:32:11 +0000

Lib Dems are far more likely to pick up 16 year old voters than other parties, I think - they certainly get a very large part of the student vote as is (especially because of Iraq). I know some of them have perfectly well-thought out reasons for allowing votes at 16, but as a party I think their policy may well be formed by getting a bit of an electoral boost (as for votes for prisoners, that’s a hair-brained idea).

The strongest argument in favour of votes at 16 is that you can earn a living and thus pay taxes at that age. But really, anyone who comes across money can buy things, and is thus subject to the sales tax of VAT. Does that mean any person, however young, who has committed a transaction in the electoral period should be allowed to vote? I don’t think so, really…

by: Not Little England

Sat, 17 Dec 2005 05:49:22 +0000

British Politics: The Future

My post yesterday described the ideas of broad church politics … What it didn’t do is really explain why these coalitions form, nor analyse the electoral advantage that such alliances can create … To defeat Labour, in those seats where Labour is …

by: Gav

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 17:33:46 +0000

It may just be me, but this seems soft:

Currently Anti-Social Behaviour Orders have a 44% failure rate. That’s much too high. Unless there is a strategy for changing the behaviour of offenders, we either push the problem behind closed doors, or shunt it from one community to another. That’s why Liberal Democrats propose Acceptable Behaviour Contracts with action to tackle the underlying causes of problems.

But maybe I’ve been swallowing the media’s summaries, because this seems sensible:

As a punishment, prison is necessary. But when offenders just come out and commit more crime, the system as a whole has failed. It makes no sense letting prisoners sit around in their cells all day, when three out of four are functionally illiterate and so have little chance of finding legitimate work on their release. Prisoners will be subject to a tough working day, with education and training a top priority so they learn the skills to get a legitimate job.

But reading their manifesto gives a sanitised view: They believe in giving murderers and 16 year olds the vote. I don’t know a single 16 year-old who knows the slightest thing about politics and even fewer (Ed. Than none, what are you talking about Gav?) who have well-thought out opinions on serious matters. Maybe younger people are more likely to vote LibDem?

On other policy issues which I missed, they do not support swingeing tax cuts (even though everyone accepts that there’s plenty wasted at the moment) and they treat the environment much as Labour do (as a tax-raising tool) rather than pragmatically.

But the biggest problem is the EU. The EU is not democratic in any modern sense of the word and its policies on extradition and international policing should sit at odds with LibDem thinking…

by: MatGB

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 17:06:54 +0000

Hah! I was replying to you while you typed this. Thanks for the link, etc, there’s a response post planned soon as well, I’m really glad I got past the writers block on that article, what was supposed to be a brief dig at Boris turned into a pretty good statement of principles. I think a theoretical follow up may be a good plan.

I like your political compass article as well. Can you be a bit specific on the crime/punishment problem you have with them?