Blog on Demand: Political Inactivity

[innerbrat]

And back, to the Blogging on Demand meme, which is proving remarkably fun for me. matgb wants to know:Given your strong views, why you're not more involved politically, either parties or issue groups.
The short answer is: I have no time. The self-deprecating but somewhat honest answer is that it's easier for me to be strident and opinionated in words at

Comments

[kadrin]

**** Yes, yes, I know. P.Z. Myers. Not the point.

He wouldn't do it as well as you.

Yes, I said it, with full knowledge of the implications, and I stand by it.

[pmoodie]

You think very much like me on this matter.

I think that if you become a member of a political party, it almost seems to become a matter of pride and loyalty to "toe the party line" rather than make your own mind up. When the party makes a blunder, you might find yourself making excuses for them rather than condemning them, because presenting a unified front serves the interest of the party.

I never want to have my ability to think for myself compromised in that way.

And I don't have the time either.

[sdelmonte]

I'm curious: do you have the option as a voter to register to join a party, as we do in the US? (I'm assuming you do.) And once you are a member, are there any sort of primaries where you get a say in who represents the party?

I'm asking because there are a lot of places (like NYC) where you pretty much have to be a member of one of the parties to have any say in who's elected, since one party controls everything and the primary is tantamount to the general election. Which means people like you either have to join the party despite having reservations, or be deprieved of a voice.

I'm also asking because it seems that Gordon Brown got to be the new PM because the party said so and not because anyone cast any votes for him in so much as a primary. Was there at least some sort of rank and file Labour member vote?

[innerbrat]

*looks askance at matgb*

Thing is, the Prime Minister is appointed by the Queen. It's not an elected position.

She usually appoints the head of the majority party, who as head is tied by predominant party opinion. He's elected by the party, but in effect the vote is tied to which party is most popular. It's much more of a team effort than just electing a president.

[davegodfrey]

Several people have become Prime Minister in much the same way that Gordon Brown did. John Major became PM after Margaret Thatcher was deposed as leader of the Conservative party, although at least in that contest there were several people standing for the job.

As for who gets to vote for party leader, that depends on the party. Until recently the Conservative MPs decided who got to be the leader, and the wishes of the members was not accounted for.

People in the UK very rarely think about the individual they are voting for an election. When this does happen (as with Martin Bell ousting Neil Hamilton in 1997) its pretty big news.

[matgb]

do you have the option as a voter to register to join a party, as we do in the US? (I'm assuming you do.)Not as you do in the US, no. In fact, the US system is weird compared to the rest of the world, I don't know of any other significant country that does things the way the US does when it comes to party membership

[matgb]

(C/P as my other comment him the character limit anyway)

@ Debi: I understand. It's where I was 2 years ago (well, 2 and a bit, I joined end of Feb 2006). But: being involved' in the Lib Dems would, to me, sign me up to all and every Lib Dem stance whether I agreed ... or not. No. Really, no. I can (and sometimse do) speak for them. But most of the higher ups know I disagree with a fair few policies, and think others don't go far enough. A well known activist/Cllr once said "I didn't join the Liberals to get told what to do", and that definitely applies-policy comes from the bottom up, the leader gets to say what he thinks, but then we can vote him down if we don't like it. So if he knows we won't like it, he tends to not force a vote. That rebellion on Europe last week? The only real news there is it doesn't happen more often

[buongiornodaisy]

I was going to say I won't join a party for the same reasons. I did, at first, but now my refusal has more to do with my not trusting either major party than not agreeing with everything that party stands for. I'm pretty comfortable joining a group whose views I don't entirely support, as I don't believe that joining a group means you automatically subscribe to everything that group says. I like diversity of opinion in one group. I guess, for me, being part of a group has more to do with identity than beliefs.

And right now I'm comfortable enough to remain an independent. And until the Democratic party cleans up its act, or until I meet a third party I like, I'm going to stay independent.