Politics you say..? Nope, doesn't ring a bell... Might as well be a parrot with fleas as far as I'm concerned...

Well I understand Dutch Politics Never really had all that much interest in the UK system for the obvious reason it never really affected me that much. Personally I think having at least some basic understanding of politics is important. Why do political parties make the decisions they do combined with some basic history like why do we have subsidies on milk / butter etc do give you a better insight why a country works as it does.

Many people will say that politics have nothing to do with me and in most cases they have a very valid point. However if enough people think that you get a problem as in that case every vote does count But many of the things you see in the macro level politics scale down very well to micro level. Take for example your work enviroment if you have a position higher than the lowest branches of the tree you will have to deal with politics of some sorts. As everyone with power tries to play out their own agenda and this takes all the skill of a good politician (back stabbing, lieing etc)

Politics affects you every day of your life, whether you're aware of it or not. The more you know (as with anything really) the better off you will be.

Knowledge is the bomb

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by Spikeo
Politics affects you every day of your life, whether you're aware of it or not. The more you know (as with anything really) the better off you will be.

Knowledge is the bomb

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True, but only if you've also got the time and motivation to put your knowledge to work.

I've no problem without people choosing to remain ignorant of politics, provided they leave the debates to people who are not, and never come within 100ft of a polling booth.

At the end of the day, it bores the excrement out of me.

I live my life by its means. If something happens that impedes or restricts me doing that then so be it.

Really.. can I be bothered watching or listening to people who earns shedloads of money just for saying a few words when there are others out there like you and me who actually have to do hard graft? Nah.

I am fairly interested in politics, particularly the economic bits and bobs of politics for obvious reasons. And one of my papers is politics since 1945 which has just completely fascinated me!! (*geek* )

But day-to-day politcs is not a strong point of mine, unless it's economics based, and especially recently i haven't had the time to watch the news i feel somewhat out of the loop.

I kinda think that politics is not particularly accessible for people, it's so complicated and gets such a bad reputation that it puts people off, which is a shame but quite understandable, and when they do try to make it more accessible for everyone, it seems to me so dumbed down and diluted it doesn't have any importance anymore.

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by Ethan
At the end of the day, it bores the excrement out of me.

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Why start the thread then? Surely it must hold some interest or you wouldn't have bothered. As for example, I've certainly never felt the urge to question holding Big Brother in less regard than something I've just dispatched to journey round a U-bend.

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by Ethan
At the end of the day, it bores the excrement out of me.

I live my life by its means. If something happens that impedes or restricts me doing that then so be it.

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Ditto

I've not read all the inbetween posts, just the first and last couple, but anywho, here's my two penneth...,

I'm part of the "WTF" group when it comes to politics. I've tried many a time to get my head round the whole left wing/right wing malarky and it's never stuck. I've asked Matt a gezillion times and i even tried AS politics for a while, but it made me even more confused!

Having said that though, i still am interested in what's going on in parliament to a certain degree as it's important stuff mostly. A society cannot exist without politics, as politics is everywhere...

Doesn't mean we have to like it or understand it though

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by Byron
(quotes)
Why start the thread then? Surely it must hold some interest or you wouldn't have bothered. As for example, I've certainly never felt the urge to question holding Big Brother in less regard than something I've just dispatched to journey round a U-bend.

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Uhh, I start a thread because:

1. This is a discussion site isn't it?

2. Politics confuses me, thanks to the inane drivel that people just talk over a bench in the House of Commons (Or parliament or whatever it is called). Therefore it bores me. I take it you're so great that nothing confuses you? I mean seriously, "Right honourable gentleman this, right honourable gentleman that". I saw it at lunchtime, not through choice I might add, and why/how television gets made from this, I have no idea.

3. Am I questioning the existence of politics? No. It runs our country inevitably.

The question of the thread is 'Who actually understand politics?'. And as everyone on this site has in one way or another unfortunately witnessed.. I assume your answer is 'Me, Me, Me'.

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by Byron
(quotes)
Why start the thread then? Surely it must hold some interest or you wouldn't have bothered.

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by Ethan in the 1st post!!
The closest I came was when I heard about the 24 hour drinking motion.

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Don't they teach you to listen (Or indeed read) these days?

(posts combined -- staff)

(Edited by Staff 16/11/2005 19:11)

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by Ethan
(quotes)
Uhh, I start a thread because:

1. This is a discussion site isn't it?[/b]

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Sure is, it's just that the tone of genuine inquiry in your first post jarred with the forceful dismissal of your second one, which left me a bit baffled why you wanted to discuss something that bored you so much.

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2. Politics confuses me, thanks to the inane drivel that people just talk over a bench in the House of Commons (Or parliament or whatever it is called). Therefore it bores me. I take it you're so great that nothing confuses you? I mean seriously, "Right honourable gentleman this, right honourable gentleman that". I saw it at lunchtime, not through choice I might add, and why/how television gets made from this, I have no idea.

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It's admittedly creaky, but as a term of formal address I would have thought its meaning is self-evident, and it's a far easier to understand than many other argots out there. The street dialogue in your average Shield episode is far more impenetrable, yet no one claims that's inaccessible, which leads me to believe there's a grain of inverse snobbery here.

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The question of the thread is 'Who actually understand politics?'. And as everyone on this site has in one way or another unfortunately witnessed.. I assume your answer is 'Me, Me, Me'.

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As the only place I comment on political matters is in political threads, it can't bore you as much as you claim!

First things first, I don't read the political threads here to read about the actual politics, I read them as they are almost certain to offer some sort of entertainment value as I can't remember the last one here that didn't have a rather strong (And not in the case of the topic) argument lol

Secondly, I just find that the way people 'hold themself' for want of a better term, in the place (I still can't rememeber what it's called) seems rather stick-up-the-ass-ish. I can maybe understand addressing people as 'Mr. whatever' but 'The right honourable sir'? Please, from what I saw on TV today it looked like Tony Blair (See!? I do know his name lol) was just taking the urine outta the other guy. There was certainly enough chortling in the background, so I'm assuming that's the case.

Following on from that, this is meant to be the country's leader? Yet he is sat there just joking with other people? Obviously he hasn't got much on his plate at the mo (not).

Lastly, the 24 hour drinking motion didn't bore me. And that's the first time that's happened lol

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by Ethan
First things first, I don't read the political threads here to read about the actual politics, I read them as they are almost certain to offer some sort of entertainment value as I can't remember the last one here that didn't have a rather strong (And not in the case of the topic) argument lol

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Glad to be of service.

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Secondly, I just find that the way people 'hold themself' for want of a better term, in the place (I still can't rememeber what it's called) seems rather stick-up-the-ass-ish. I can maybe understand addressing people as 'Mr. whatever' but 'The right honourable sir'? Please, from what I saw on TV today it looked like Tony Blair (See!? I do know his name lol) was just taking the urine outta the other guy. There was certainly enough chortling in the background, so I'm assuming that's the case.

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Of course the juxtaposition of flowery etiquette and schoolyard rivalry is ridiculous, no one, especially the MPs, take it remotely seriously. Just adds to the entertainment value.

Most real politics takes place outside the Commons anyway. That's only the stage, the scripts are written elsewhere. As Tony Benn said in the 2001 election, "I've resigned my seat to devote more time to politics." Politics and the arcane world of Westminster really aren’t synonymous. I'm interested in the way power shapes our society, not whether you should have to wear a top hat to make a point of order. (You no longer do, incidentally.)

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Following on from that, this is meant to be the country's leader? Yet he is sat there just joking with other people? Obviously he hasn't got much on his plate at the mo (not).

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Actually he spends on average less than an hour a week in the commons. The bits you see in parliament have as much relevance to how government functions as Ronald McDonald does to corporate strategy.

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Lastly, the 24 hour drinking motion didn't bore me. And that's the first time that's happened lol

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To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, drink is the worth of the political classes.

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by Byron
Of course the juxtaposition of flowery etiquette and schoolyard rivalry is ridiculous

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So..many..lines..must..resist

I am really interested in politics as I think it's really important to know what decisions are being made that are going to affect my life, either in a direct or indirect way. I also take History so it's very interlinked, although I must admit I find the historical politics more interesting than modern politics.

And alot of the debating that goes on over tiny things is really tedious...

Although I'm not sure that I'd say that if someone does not have a knowledge of politics then they should stay away from the polling booth. The extent of my parents interest in politics is reading the manifesto during the election and vote for the one that seems best.

And next time round I'll be able to vote! (I'm growing up so fast)

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by Ethan
(quotes)

So..many..lines..must..resist

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Any good hack welcomes Gripper Stebson comparisons, but me encountering etiquette, flowery or otherwise ... well, more chance of you taking out a subscription to Private Eye.

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by Miss Corrupt
Although I'm not sure that I'd say that if someone does not have a knowledge of politics then they should stay away from the polling booth. The extent of my parents interest in politics is reading the manifesto during the election and vote for the one that seems best.

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That's actually more than a significant number of MPs manage!

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by Byron
(quotes)
True, but only if you've also got the time and motivation to put your knowledge to work.

I've no problem without people choosing to remain ignorant of politics, provided they leave the debates to people who are not, and never come within 100ft of a polling booth.

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I agree about that completely. Personally I'd be in favour of some sort of voting licence where in order to vote you'd have to prove you know what you were voting for. I think it's very very worrying that a tabloid paper can just say "vote for Mr X" and thousands of people do so, without knowing why or what they're voting for and thus impact upon the country like that.

It might seem very controlling but I think it's only sensible to let folks who understand what they're doing have a hand in these sorts of decision. Afterall, you'd not be happy if the Sun printed a guide to brainsurgery and that was all that was needed to allow folks to work as a surgeon!!!

I think Mon's suggestion is a good one, but should be applied to a far more serious and important part of society. The music charts. In order for the records you buy to affect the Top 40 you should first have to prove that you actually know something about music. I mean how can we as a nation expect to be taken seriously when our christmas number 1's consist of Mr. Blobby, Bob the Builder and Westlife?!