Re: The UK General Election Thread

[Shoeshine]

However, it's worth pointing out that no far right candidate has EVER won a seat in a Westminster election, and that's extremely unlikely to change now.

It's interesting that you label them 'far right' but the general concensus on this thread seems to be that they are pinching support mostly from Labour.

Ye-es. But they're still far right, obviously. Extremist parties have always won support from poor areas, which are also the heartland of moderate social democrat/democratic socialist parties like Labour. Indeed, the BNP are a fascist party in the true sense of the word.

Hmm, I'm not sure that fascists are right wing at all. To my mind, the further Right you go, the more you want laissez-faire capitalism. Fascist parties such as the BNP want strong state controls on the economy and protectionist trade policies. The BNP seem quite socialist to me, except that they only want to better the lot of white people living in the UK.

This tool The Political Compass positions the BNP as highly authoritarian, as were Hitler and Stalin, who were socialist to a lesser or greater extent respectively.

It ultimately comes round in a circle, whereby far left and far right have a great deal in common. National Socialism (i.e. fascism) and Communism arrive at the same point, from different directions. Nevertheless, it's customary to describe fascists as far right and communists as far left.

[Guest]

It ultimately comes round in a circle, whereby far left and far right have a great deal in common.

Yeah.

[Allan D]

However, it's worth pointing out that no far right candidate has EVER won a seat in a Westminster election, and that's extremely unlikely to change now.

Not quite true. In September 1917 a group of dissident Conservative MPs resigned the party whip and formed the National Party, whose policy one writer has described as "xenophobic imperialism" (combined with a strong dislike for the then PM, David Lloyd George). The party fielded 23 candidates at the 1918 General Election and two, Henry Page Croft, the party leader, and Sir Richard Cooper, retained their seats (previously won when they were Conservative) at Bournemouth and Walsall respectively. However in 1921 the party was dissolved and Page Croft and Cooper were readmitted to the Conservative Party. Between 1940 and 1945 Page Croft served as Under-Secretary of State for War in Churchill's wartime Coalition Government when xenophobic nationalism was acceptable once again in all parts of the political spectrum.

[Allan D]

It ultimately comes round in a circle, whereby far left and far right have a great deal in common. National Socialism (i.e. fascism) and Communism arrive at the same point, from different directions. Nevertheless, it's customary to describe fascists as far right and communists as far left.

In his famous broadcast following Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union on 22June 1941 Churchill said:

The Nazi regime is indistinguishable from the worst features of Communism

That proved rather an understatement as Uncle Joe was rather more effective at killing people (particularly his own people) than Hitler was and had already slaughtered the Polish Officer Corps at Katyn the previous year.

The BNP has much in common with the far left as they both oppose the use of military force by the West in Iraq and Afghanistan and inveigh equally against "greedy bankers" and corporate finance.

[Dello]

http://wisdomofcameron.com/

[Allan D]

Interesting...but stupid. :silent:

[Basil]

Labour Party clearly trying to commit political suicide - Geof Hoon trying to talk up the possibility of a secret ballot about the party's leadership.

You couldn't make it up.

[PeterCS]

Geoff Hoon is an opportunist nincompoop of the first water.

[PeterCS]

http://wisdomofcameron.com/

Where are the cricket questions?

[Basil]

So, where are we then - Tory lead down to six points, which is barely enough to make them the largest party in a hung parliament never mind an overall majority. And accusations surface about Brown's alleged bullying inside No 10.

All the fun of the fair here - roll up, roll up!

[Dello]

What a beat up this "bullying" thing is.

The head of a confidential charity helpline in which no names or specifics are ever asked for or given decides to "reveal" that several people in the prime minister's office had contacted the anti-bullying charity in recent years.

She later clarifies that none of the allegations were about Gordon Brown. (That part won't make the news.)

She also admits to having been contacted and supported in her actions by some Conservatives, but that she's not "politically motivated".

David Cameron's got his righteous hat on and is demanding answers from number 10. His right hand man at Tory HQ, incidentally, is Andy Coulson, who was named as the ring-leader in a "culture of bullying" during his time as editor of News of the World, in an employment tribunal where a sacked journalist received a record £800,000 in compensation.

So far, three patrons of the anti-bullying charity have resigned - the latest being Tory MP Ann Widdecombe - in protest at the "revelations". Not only has Miss Pratt (the woman in question) destroyed her own charity, seemingly for political benefit, but I would imagine "confidential" help-lines and support groups all over the country will be damaged by the notion that there are people out there who might happily drag their private information, private conversations, into the public realm, for their own political (or other) benefit.

The joke of it all is, why is anyone trying so hard to make Gordon Brown look bad? Just point a camera or a microphone at him. The rest will fall into place.

[JKLever]

Tories need to come out with some real policies to be honest.

[Basil]

So far, three patrons of the anti-bullying charity have resigned - the latest being Tory MP Ann Widdecombe - in protest at the "revelations". Not only has Miss Pratt (the woman in question) destroyed her own charity, seemingly for political benefit, but I would imagine "confidential" help-lines and support groups all over the country will be damaged by the notion that there are people out there who might happily drag their private information, private conversations, into the public realm, for their own political (or other) benefit.

The joke of it all is, why is anyone trying so hard to make Gordon Brown look bad? Just point a camera or a microphone at him. The rest will fall into place.

If I was a patron of this charity, I would be doing my damndest to make sure that the Chief Exec resigned, rather than jumping ship myself.

[Basil]

Tories need to come out with some real policies to be honest.

When they do, they're bollocks - selling shares in the nationalised banks? Oh, please!!!! just how long do they think it will be before the shares can be sold at a profit? Not in the lifetime of the next Parliament, I'll wager - not that the next Parliament looks like being a very long one.

[Dello]

So far, three patrons of the anti-bullying charity have resigned - the latest being Tory MP Ann Widdecombe - in protest at the "revelations". Not only has Miss Pratt (the woman in question) destroyed her own charity, seemingly for political benefit, but I would imagine "confidential" help-lines and support groups all over the country will be damaged by the notion that there are people out there who might happily drag their private information, private conversations, into the public realm, for their own political (or other) benefit.

The joke of it all is, why is anyone trying so hard to make Gordon Brown look bad? Just point a camera or a microphone at him. The rest will fall into place.

If I was a patron of this charity, I would be doing my damndest to make sure that the Chief Exec resigned, rather than jumping ship myself.

Seems the charity is just a front for her husband's business anyway...

http://thebullyinghelpline.blogspot.com/2009/08/why-not-to-ask-for-independent.html