The Silk-lined Observatory #3 + tactical voting
You know, when I started this 'bit', I was faced with a difficult choice when it came to naming the piece. In the end I settled for the slightly flowery 'Silk-lined Observatory', but it could so easily have been 'C***watch'.
Reading this article on The Independent Online, I am starting to think I should go back to the drawing board on it. Here's more at ePolitix.
Are immigrants coming to these shores to forcibly mug people's of their job then? I can only assume there are filing clerks being manhandled out of their seats and out of office buildings around the country by, boo hiss, nasty foreigners intent putting in an 8 til 4 and possibly some flexi overtime so they can leave early on Friday and 'SCREW OUR COUNTRY FOR ALL THE BENEFITS THEY CAN GET', no doubt. Grrrr and so on.
Also, RK-S speaks of having an honest debate. This from a man who simply hectors and yells maniacally about 'speaking the truth', without knowing checking the truth of the 'factual' statements he is so keen to make.
Sigh. Apparently Veritas has 159 canidates lined up. We shouldn't be too worried with RK-S at the helm, but then I'm not entirely sure of the climate out there. Perhaps I am wrong to be so flippant.
Another thing I notice trawling the net news is that the Tactical Voter people are starting up their engines again in time for the impending election, intent on removing high-profile Tories, hell any Tories, from Parliament.
Now, I'm not Tory. I just can't bring myself to vote for them even if their candidate is clearly the best in a local election (more on that later), but is this the way to go?
Should we resign ourselves to Labour ad infinitum, as this seems to be what it's all about in essence. Billy Bragg is a flag waver for tactical voting (which I'll admit I encouraged in 1997 as change WAS needed, but this is 2005, 8 years and a 'war on terror' later) and as much as I love ol' William Bloke, surely in this democracy we cherish, we need to encourage effective opposition rather than a liberal-left autocracy, and I happily say that from my position on the liberal left.
For the record, I was a card-carrying Liberal Democrat member between 1996 and 1999, but left when I couldn't justify delivering leaflets for a candidate I thought much weaker than the Conservative in the Borough Council elections. I did not vote at that election for the reasons I describe above. I have voted for the Lib Dems at elections since then though, and also for Greens, Independents and Socialist Labour on various other occasions.
I do not desire the Conservatives in power. I would just like the Labour Party to not be able to rest on the laurels of their substantial majority. Keep the Tories out of power, sure, but why try and obliterate them altogether? I fear this may encourage those on the centre-right, who believe their voices are not heard as Tory representation diminishes, to drift further out and possibly toward the extremes.
It may seem pie in the sky for UKIP, Veritas and the BNP to benefit totally from this, in terms of seats in the Commons, but European and Council seats only serve to increase their credibility.
There will always be a right-wing but let's keep 'em moderate, if we can.
Reading this article on The Independent Online, I am starting to think I should go back to the drawing board on it. Here's more at ePolitix.
Are immigrants coming to these shores to forcibly mug people's of their job then? I can only assume there are filing clerks being manhandled out of their seats and out of office buildings around the country by, boo hiss, nasty foreigners intent putting in an 8 til 4 and possibly some flexi overtime so they can leave early on Friday and 'SCREW OUR COUNTRY FOR ALL THE BENEFITS THEY CAN GET', no doubt. Grrrr and so on.
Also, RK-S speaks of having an honest debate. This from a man who simply hectors and yells maniacally about 'speaking the truth', without knowing checking the truth of the 'factual' statements he is so keen to make.
Sigh. Apparently Veritas has 159 canidates lined up. We shouldn't be too worried with RK-S at the helm, but then I'm not entirely sure of the climate out there. Perhaps I am wrong to be so flippant.
Another thing I notice trawling the net news is that the Tactical Voter people are starting up their engines again in time for the impending election, intent on removing high-profile Tories, hell any Tories, from Parliament.
Now, I'm not Tory. I just can't bring myself to vote for them even if their candidate is clearly the best in a local election (more on that later), but is this the way to go?
Should we resign ourselves to Labour ad infinitum, as this seems to be what it's all about in essence. Billy Bragg is a flag waver for tactical voting (which I'll admit I encouraged in 1997 as change WAS needed, but this is 2005, 8 years and a 'war on terror' later) and as much as I love ol' William Bloke, surely in this democracy we cherish, we need to encourage effective opposition rather than a liberal-left autocracy, and I happily say that from my position on the liberal left.
For the record, I was a card-carrying Liberal Democrat member between 1996 and 1999, but left when I couldn't justify delivering leaflets for a candidate I thought much weaker than the Conservative in the Borough Council elections. I did not vote at that election for the reasons I describe above. I have voted for the Lib Dems at elections since then though, and also for Greens, Independents and Socialist Labour on various other occasions.
I do not desire the Conservatives in power. I would just like the Labour Party to not be able to rest on the laurels of their substantial majority. Keep the Tories out of power, sure, but why try and obliterate them altogether? I fear this may encourage those on the centre-right, who believe their voices are not heard as Tory representation diminishes, to drift further out and possibly toward the extremes.
It may seem pie in the sky for UKIP, Veritas and the BNP to benefit totally from this, in terms of seats in the Commons, but European and Council seats only serve to increase their credibility.
There will always be a right-wing but let's keep 'em moderate, if we can.
posted by skif at
11:30 am
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