What Political Persuasion Are You?

[loveme4whoiam]

So, I'm interested in where your political affiliations lie. For ease of understanding and better global grouping I've not used any national party names (Labour, Republicans etc), just where they are on the slider. Feel free to explain what subsection of the group you are, and why and how you came to be a part of it.

 

For myself, I'm in the Far Left as a Marxist. Technically (apparently) I'm a Libertarian Marxist, but frankly I tend to just think my own thing and it generally lands me in that box. I used to be a bit of a mix of things (Monarchist, yet Marxist - go figure) but now I have looked more deeply into both politics and my own beliefs I came out where I am. I'm not currently a part of any organisation, although I plan to join the Free People's Movement when I go to University.

 

If the mods think this would be better placed in The Lounge, by all means move it. I just stuck the poll in here since a debate is bound to arise from this thread.

[karkarinus]

Can I tick more than one? I believe we are all equal, some more equal than others, and I would kneecap terrorists (and then kill them)and hang rapists by their blolocks. And then kill them. I only ever vote for the one with no chance of getting into power, so my conscience is clean when whoever does get in c*cks it all up.

 

Does that make me a Fascho-Marxist Centralite? :unsure:

[Marxist ßastard]

Groucho Marxist.

[Alanador]

I'm a constitutionalist/independant, not sure they have a category for me. :( I suppose by different reasoning I end up on the "right" side of many arguments. On some things I'm liberal, and there's even a bit of conservatism thrown in there...I think. :) Maybe if I look real hard. I'll do some research tonight on what I consider the most important topics for me, personally, and I'll vote on the party I have most in common with by tomorrow. But I would like to bring something up. The whole party line thing itself seems..inefficient. I know many people will vote along party lines and that seems dangerous, almost reckless. I know someone personally who voted for Bush both times soley becuase he was a republican. He didn't like the man at all. That seems somehow wrong.

 

Ok I voted "right" but I still dont feel 100% sure about that :) For instance I wouldn't back a Hillary run, not becuase she's a woman, but because that would be two families running this country for 24 years...consecutively. I think it's time for some fresh faces and hopefully some new ideas and approaches.

[loveme4whoiam]

If I were going to categorise you karkarinus, based on what you've just said I'd say that you are between the left and the far left. Just because you would do bad thigns to people who have done bad things doesn't make you a fascist - when you start wanting to do bad things to people on the basis of nationality, religion, race, or any other ridiculous discrimination is when you join that dispicable group :)

 

I'm interested in what you mean by "some more equal than others".

 

As for party politics Alanador, I've left it all behind. Following the party line on something in order to keep in favour with the head of the party, even when it goes against your constituents' beliefs, is what is wrong with the "democratic" system that we have now. You might be familiar with the term "whipping" in British politics - its when there is a controversial Bill that "needs" to be passed, so the Party turns itself inwards and pressures its members to vote their way, regardless of what both the MP and the people (s)he is supposed to represent believe.

[karkarinus]

I'm interested in what you mean by "some more equal than others".

 

 

 

By this, I mean that Communism is pie in the sky. No country or political state can have real equality when someone needs to be running the place, and therefore will inevitably be superior to others. And richer. And I understand this - some people have to be more "equal" than others. I don't like it, but it is a necessary evil.

 

As the years go by, the more I realise that I don't fit into any comfy little nomenclature, but rather pretty much all political persuasions have something that fits in with what I think.

 

As for parties, the only one that would satisfy my desires would be my own. Hence nowadays I practise my constitutional right to abstain from voting. :dry:

 

Oh, and I have a new sig......

[Morgoth]

I would suggest to expand a bit on the meaning of the choices that have been provided. Does ticking off the "Far right" radio box imply that a user wants to tell us he is very conservative, or that he is an ultra-nationalist/fascist? The same applies to the "far left" choice. People tend to interprete these terms very differently, so in my eyes it is necessary to define them more clearly within the frame of this thread.

[Alanador]

I'd agree with Morgoth. Now I'm really worried about what I clicked. "Right Wing" I thought meant liberal, for the little guy over the big guy type of framework, and I thought center was right in between...walking the line. Not sure what these alignments mean in a global arena. I'm a liberal (as far as US politcal alignmets would go), although there are a few issue I side with conservatives on, and a few more issues I don't agree with either party on. Here's the definition from Hyper Dictionary on "liberal"...

 

Liberal. [n] a person who favors a political philosophy of progress and reform and the protection of civil liberties. -- HyperDictionary.com

 

Here's a quote that also sheds light on the definition...

 

"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety".

Pennsylvania Assembly, dated November 11, 1755, in a letter to the then governor of Pennsylvania, (Pre Ben Franklin, though he served with that assembly at that time).

[karkarinus]

In England, the "Conservatives" are right-wing, the "Labour Party" is left-wing, and the Liberals are centre. Then you havce the various ramifications from back in the 80s when the 2 leaders of the Liberal Party split up and formed the "Liberal Democrats" (LibDems) and "Social Democratic Party" (SDP).

 

 

 

Then you've got the Green Party (all Greenpeace and CND stuff - nice idea, and I even voted them when I turned 18, but they don't stand a chance.)

 

Screaming Lord Sutch, an ex-Glam-Rock singer set up "The Monster Raving Looney Party". They only ever got one seat by straight vote - in a small town in Devon, full of OAPs who were actually delighted with the way the MP Stuart Hughes ran things. He had a real interest in the well-being of his community.

 

For me, Stuart Hughes was the only MP who never took himself too seriously, rather he put the needs of his small constituency first, and was well respected for it.

 

Unfortunately, Sutch hanged himself in 1999. A great loss.

 

(I've edited this post due to a few contextual errors.)

[Alanador]

I wish more people like that would be drawn into politics. It seems all the folks who really want to help people focus on medical careers, or emergency services (police, firemen/women, etc). It seems politics gets overlooked as a profession in which someone can do massive amounts of good on a larger than your community, even on a global scale. I know in school it was never presented to me like that, maybe I just wasn't receptive but...I was pretty attentive even then, in general that is. Lately I am really drawn to senator Feinstein (D), who also serves on the intelligence commitee here. In light of this, is there any way a Mod (erator) can change my vote to left-center? Thanks for the clarification Karkarinus!

 

I must admit I do not know much about Lord Sutch, although I do have a few photos of Jimi (Hendrix, I'm a HUGE collector of all things Jimi) with him, I'll have to look back and see what the circumstances were. Why wasn't he taken seriously? I'll do some of my own research rather than badger you over it, but surely we need more people like him, but perhaps their most alluring feature (their sensitivity), is their ultimate weakness.