[Politics] How have you political views changed during your life?

[cheshunt seagull]

Interesting question. In my early 20s I was basically a badge-wearing lefty straight out of central casting. 3 years ago I decided to become active again and re-joined the Labour Party. I quickly found that I struggled with the views of many fellow members. These were things like a rigidity on economic policy, a focus on identity politics, an unwillingness to give a platform to other views and an evasiveness on sensitive issues like radical Islam. This wasn’t everyone but was widespread enough to alienate me.

I left realising that my views had changed in many ways. I had become more socially radical but had become economically a believer in innovative capitalism (alongside a well-funded public sector), as opposed to the crony capitalism of the large corporates and banks.

No party is now a particularly good fit but I have continued to vote Labour as at least I share their prioritisation of problems, if not always supporting their solutions. My contempt for the Tories has grown more intense although it is less ideological. There seems to be callousness, venality, cruelty, cynicism and ill-founded arrogance at the heart of the party which if anything is increasing as the membership declines. The centre-right voters in this country deserve better.

 

[TSB]

Always been a centrist up to 30.
Still a centrist now.
Not feeling overly represented in Westminster.

 

[BadFish]

Always been a centrist up to 30.
Still a centrist now.
Not feeling overly represented in Westminster.

Not sure centrism works for those in power, who will win if we try to find Middle ground?

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[ZizkovClaret]

Pre uni - Mid-Right
Post Uni - Rabid leftie
Now i've grown up - Left leaning centrist/pragmatist

 

[ZizkovClaret]

Not sure centrism works for those in power, who will win if we try to find Middle ground?

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The secret is not in who you win by being a centrist, but in who you don't lose.

 

[Guinness Boy]

I've mellowed as i've got older. In my teens I would have been maning the barricades for Corbyn , hence my user name which is a joke at my own expense. Now I'd say I'm more of a social democrat. I'm also less dogmatic( not on here though obviously) and less willing to fall into the lab /con tribalism. As a lot of my peers get more bitter as they get older I've found I'm more and more likely to be sympathetic to a range of views. Apart from libertarianism, that really is a selfish morons charter which doesn't stand up to basic scrutiny.

Apart from the user name bit this is me.

Or your not thinking properly or not listening to what people are saying. Bottom line is hard boiled socialism in the form of communism has always failed, libertarianism as expressed in freer markets, speech and societies has always succeeded. Your numbers dont add up.

Wrong, there isn't one single pure libertarian country out there whereas communism is thriving in North Korea. Not that I in any way support communism (see above) and obviously it takes complete removal of freedom and state control of everything, but again you are over generalising and therefore wrong. Pure libertarianism simply isn't there. Libertarian guru Ayn Rand had to resort to a group of cohorts called "the Collective" to support her views. The name started off as a joke but it wasn't by the end. Trump is supporting his free markets with central government control and tarriffs. And you, yourself are against the neo-liberal economics of the EU according to your Brexit posts. Or maybe you like that and don't like the federal law side of it. But either way one tends to come with the other.

You don't find many old, sick or feeble libertarians. There's a good reason for that.

 

[The Clamp]

Watching online. So critisism, or in this case basic logic is anti-left abuse?

Classy.

It was just plain abuse. Can we expect you to call the police over it? Moron.

 

[BadFish]

It was just plain abuse. Can we expect you to call the police over it? Moron.

If they choose to charge him retrospectively the charge sheet will be pretty long.

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[sussex_guy2k2]

Economically I’m a Tory. Most other things I fall to the centre on. But the Lib Dem’s have been a joke for most of my life and i live in a Tory hot seat anyway, so it’s irrelevant where I fall.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

I've definitely become more left-wing as I've grown older and seen the establishment steal more and more from the average citizen.

But mostly I'm horrified and disgusted by the low calibre of the leading politicians on both sides. How is it that utter no-marks like May, Rudd - who has been a director of a number of companies that have gone bust and thank goodness she's gone - Gove (a former colleague in what was known as Fleet Street) and Johnson reach the Tory front bench when there are alternatives of integrity and intelligence such as Tugendhat and Ellwood? Why are dimwits such as Corbyn, McDonnell and Abbott in positions of power in the Labour party and Jarvis and Eagle aren't?

 

[Bob!]

If anything I have moved further left. Getting older just shows you how much more inequality there is in the world and how much power and money is given out to those "in the club". This needs to end.

This is where I sit.

I have moved from a Liberal/LibDem voter for 30 years or so to a Labour/Green voter .

 

[Wardy's twin]

left, right, left, right , left , right as I marched through my life.

 

[Albion my Albion]

Front to back and back to front. I must be getting "behind."

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Wrong, there isn't one single pure libertarian country out there whereas communism is thriving in North Korea. Not that I in any way support communism (see above) and obviously it takes complete removal of freedom and state control of everything, but again you are over generalising and therefore wrong. Pure libertarianism simply isn't there. Libertarian guru Ayn Rand had to resort to a group of cohorts called "the Collective" to support her views. The name started off as a joke but it wasn't by the end. Trump is supporting his free markets with central government control and tarriffs. And you, yourself are against the neo-liberal economics of the EU according to your Brexit posts. Or maybe you like that and don't like the federal law side of it. But either way one tends to come with the other.

You don't find many old, sick or feeble libertarians. There's a good reason for that.

Of course there will never be a pure Libertarian nation. Look at all the pathetic sheep that keep voting Labor and Conservatives. Even when their parties do nothing for them the morons still keep voting for them. How can you expect simpletons like that to be able to function without the Government pulling their puppet strings?

Libertarianism is an individual philosophy first and foremost. Built on taking responsibility for your own life and respecting others life choices even if you don't agree with them.

I've never met a Libertarian who thinks a whole nation would employ the philosophy. Which is fine as it's a personal choice. Unlike a lot of the social engineering shit that is forced upon people against their own will.

 

[TSB]

Not sure centrism works for those in power, who will win if we try to find Middle ground?

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The population would win. Imv.

 

[paulpaulblue]

wife was labour,she now votes UKIP
I was always Conservative now vote UKIP
First time ever agreed with the Mrs

 

[Guinness Boy]

Of course there will never be a pure Libertarian nation. Look at all the pathetic sheep that keep voting Labor and Conservatives. Even when their parties do nothing for them the morons still keep voting for them. How can you expect simpletons like that to be able to function without the Government pulling their puppet strings?

Libertarianism is an individual philosophy first and foremost. Built on taking responsibility for your own life and respecting others life choices even if you don't agree with them.

I've never met a Libertarian who thinks a whole nation would employ the philosophy. Which is fine as it's a personal choice. Unlike a lot of the social engineering shit that is forced upon people against their own will.

Then you've not met [MENTION=277]looney[/MENTION] since he said "Or your not thinking properly or not listening to what people are saying. Bottom line is hard boiled socialism in the form of communism has always failed, libertarianism as expressed in freer markets, speech and societies has always succeeded". If not a single whole nation has adopted the philosophy then how on earth can it have been demonstrated to have succeeded? Market based economies dominate the Western world for sure but none is libertarian and many are not even neo-liberal. How has it succeeded in the US the "land of the free" when Trump has to round up immigrants and impose 25% tariffs? Do we grade the UK as having succeeded more than say, Sweden? Has the introduction of the market in China given them freedom of speech? All that can be demonstrably stated is that communism has largely, but not totally, been abandoned (thank Christ, it's awful) and that countries that were already developed and wealthy use some form of regulated markets to develop wealth and promote meritocracy. But "society" exists everywhere, again thank Christ.

 

[The Camel]

Was extreme left wing as a kid. I used to sell Militant newspaper on the streets.

Moved to more and more pragmatic left as I've grown older.

Have always had a soft spot for Jeremy Corbyn and the only politician I have respected more was Tony Benn. He has more integrity in his little finger than most politicians have in their entire body.

But cannot deny some of the parade of clowns on the front benches of the current Labour Party do worry me somewhat. I'd much prefer it if the likes of Yvette Cooper, Andy Burnham, Hilary Benn and Lisa Nandy were in line for the major jobs in governmanet instead of John McDonnell, Diane Abbott, Chris Williamson and Rebecca Long-Bailey.

 

[looney]

Apart from the user name bit this is me.



Wrong, there isn't one single pure libertarian country out there whereas communism is thriving in North Korea. Not that I in any way support communism (see above) and obviously it takes complete removal of freedom and state control of everything, but again you are over generalising and therefore wrong. Pure libertarianism simply isn't there. Libertarian guru Ayn Rand had to resort to a group of cohorts called "the Collective" to support her views. The name started off as a joke but it wasn't by the end. Trump is supporting his free markets with central government control and tarriffs. And you, yourself are against the neo-liberal economics of the EU according to your Brexit posts. Or maybe you like that and don't like the federal law side of it. But either way one tends to come with the other.

You don't find many old, sick or feeble libertarians. There's a good reason for that.

Straw man argument, Libertarianism is an ethos not an ideology, ie Leibertarian Conservative rather than social Conservative, its ideological bedfellow would be anarco-capitalism and I dont know many of them.

This?

"And you, yourself are against the neo-liberal economics of the EU"

Such as and in what conrtext?

Yet again there is no straight answer to your posts as you are an inherently dishonest, or to be be fairer delusional poster, its another exercise in correcting your interpretations and your misconceptions of what others are saying.

North Korea is thriving where thriving =starving.

 

[looney]

It was just plain abuse. Can we expect you to call the police over it? Moron.

Put a sock in it you mentally disturbed twaat, Im not bothered you have el presidente backing you up with the panel, the more he abuses it the more people will see him as biased and incompetent.