tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719459558369549533.post844811659438911365..comments2023-07-28T11:57:04.354+01:00Comments on Malc in the Burgh: Why bother: a response from an apathetic mindMalchttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18191161151984519900noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719459558369549533.post-63506912471478343402009-10-16T23:32:03.219+01:002009-10-16T23:32:03.219+01:00Malc
"You think there is a distinctive diffe...Malc<br /><br />"You think there is a distinctive difference between Labour and the Tories?"<br /><br />I suppose it depends what day of the week it is!<br /><br />But it's difficult to tell, I suppose, because both Cameron and Brown seem to lurch around from one week to the next for reasons of short-term politicking.<br /><br />Of course, the parties are still distinctive, but perhaps not regarding the leaderships and actual policies pursued.<br /><br />Perhaps the most obvious difference in the recent past has been Labour's more interventionist approach to the recession as compared to the Tories.<br /><br />To that extent I would favour Labour as the best of bad lot, but on the other hand getting rid of Labour next year would be no bad thing.<br /><br />And I'm not so sure if the SNP are really all that differenet either, apart from the independence question, of course. But, like Labour and the Tories they seem to be a fairly disparate bunch held together by matters other than day-to-day policies.<br /><br />And from a purely personal perspective my view of the parties has been coloured by the local perspective, and at the council level I really can't see much difference between the councillors, at least in relation to the things that interest me.Stuart Wintonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02772436419630464325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719459558369549533.post-42096012086947039942009-10-16T16:53:38.509+01:002009-10-16T16:53:38.509+01:00Stuart,
Fair(ish) point. Though I'd argue th...Stuart,<br /><br />Fair(ish) point. Though I'd argue that the "radical alternatives" are not alternatives to government, simply protest vote opportunities or single-issue/ constituency issues parties. <br /><br />People ARE turning out to vote for them - look at the European election. But because of the electoral system for Westminster, voting for a Green, BNP or UKIP candidate tends to make little or no difference; even if they are elected there are so few of them to make any kind of inroads into political change.<br /><br />You think there is a distinctive difference between Labour and the Tories?Malchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18191161151984519900noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719459558369549533.post-43593095512973910522009-10-16T16:47:03.811+01:002009-10-16T16:47:03.811+01:00So if there's plenty of radical alternatives t...So if there's plenty of radical alternatives to fill the gap vacated by the mainstream parties drifting to the centre then why aren't people turning out to vote for them?<br /><br />Perhaps one explanation is that when voters complain that "they're all the same" they're alluding to cynicism rather than ideology.Stuart Wintonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02772436419630464325noreply@blogger.com