|
|
Topic Originator: jake89
Date: Fri 13 Dec 18:25
I won't say which parties this pair voted for but may be able to guess. Genuine quotes:
"I voted for them as I'm protecting my family. They want to tax the high earners" (said by person who works as a recruitment consultant and is married to a council worker...)
"Ah dinnae ken who they ur. Ah jist pit ma name in the boax that hud their logo."
Is it any wonder this country is so messed up?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Topic Originator: Buspasspar
Date: Fri 13 Dec 18:37
Ach jake89... Ive been telling the same story for weeks the average man in the street did not know who to vote for as their heads have been minced with all the brexit kerfuffle the fake news and lies against Corbyn the Tory donating press barons allowed carte blanche to print what they want ...Divide and conquer ...works every time
|
|
|
|
|
|
Topic Originator: jake89
Date: Fri 13 Dec 19:34
It's no different to how it was years ago. I remember when you could've put a Labour rosette on a lamp post and it'd get elected in Dunfermline. It just hit home today how thick people are when it comes to voting. Both under 30 so the belief that the future is bright isn't quite true...
|
|
|
|
|
|
Topic Originator: AdamAntsParsStripe
Date: Sat 14 Dec 00:21
That's absolutely true I admit. We live in a small bubble here where we discuss politics and informed. The vast majority rely on the news and papers as if they tell the truth.
The numbers of people I've heard on the news simply repeating a quote or phrase in the media is actually frightening.
Zwei Pints Bier und ein Päckchen Chips bitte
|
|
|
|
|
|
Topic Originator: veteraneastender
Date: Sat 14 Dec 10:35
How do you identify those who can / can't vote ?
Perhaps more importantly.......how do you select those who make that decision ?
However, on a similar tack - I'd like to see some sort of competency exam for potential local council candidates before they are allowed to stand.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Topic Originator: Socks
Date: Sat 14 Dec 11:31
I'm not a fan of contemptuous comments such as those in the first post on the thread. In any aspect of life, if you tell someone often enough that they're too stupid to do something, it's likely that eventually they'll believe it. It's quite common in domestic abuse situations and I'm sure I've read something in the past about some autistic people struggling because throughout their education they've wrongly been treated as if they're not very bright. If you want more people to have some engagement and interest in politics, surely it makes little sense just to dismiss them as stupid?
The majority of people probably don't follow political events closely, but still have some idea as to what they think is right and what they care about. As for relying on the news - don't pretty much all of us do that to some extent? Some will be more selective of their sources than others, but the number of people who take no notice of any websites, radio, newspapers or TV must be vanishingly small. Are we all expected to read transcripts of every debate in parliament ourselves?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Topic Originator: jake89
Date: Sat 14 Dec 12:12
Socks, my suggestion of not being allowed to vote is tongue in cheek. My point is more about the lack of knowledge around voting and the repercussions of this.
Both my examples display why the system is broken. Personally, I'd quite like to see PR trialled. To me it would likely lead to a fairer representation of parties. There's a benefit that people would need to really think about their vote rather than simply stick a cross in a box.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Topic Originator: Wotsit
Date: Sat 14 Dec 12:33
I'd like to see a more targeted education system which teaches people critical thinking skills and, specifically, how to spot misinformation.
I understand that a lot of the nations bordering Russia have already prioritised this.
Our education system, especially in the early years, is far too reliant on formal targets and overly structured learning instead of learning about the culture and society we live in.
The people jake89 quotes aren't aren't necessarily stupid but they have been systematically and deliberately misled.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Topic Originator: sammer
Date: Sat 14 Dec 15:27
I’m sure all countries would claim they have an education system which turns out well-adjusted citizens capable of critical thinking. However the reality is that probably no government really wants this, for a well-informed, critical electorate would be much harder to govern. I agree with your general point that in the UK exam systems, so far as I understand it, there is nothing comparable to the International Baccalaureate exam where the concept of critical thinking is embedded in every subject and also tested as a separate paper.
Maybe as worthy of attention is what used to be called ‘the hidden curriculum’ in schools. If you read the newsletters from the various Fife secondary schools they now resemble parish magazines: full of reports of volunteers at foodbanks, senior pupils laying wreaths on Armistice Day, the local Rotary Club sponsoring a debate, a chat from a local church minister and perhaps a visit to what was the former extermination camp in Auschwitz. These activities may be worthy in themselves, but I am not so sure they amount to much more than gestures if there is no educational element provided alongside. I’m not convinced the Rotary Club would be so keen on sponsoring a debate involving foodbanks or the liberation of Poland in 1945.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Topic Originator: desparado
Date: Sat 14 Dec 15:58
This guy should certainly not have been allowed to vote but he probably sums up most Brexit voters.
*A fella from Scunthorpe has just said on national tv..
"look around you shops are shutting, businesses are closing, the full place is falling down, so I voted for change, that's why I voted Conservative"*
Does he realise that the Tories have been in government for nigh on ten years?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Topic Originator: Socks
Date: Sat 14 Dec 20:18
Sorry Jake, but I don't think either of your examples shows any great lack of knowledge. The second seems particularly poor as you seem to be mocking the form of expression more than the meaning of the words used.
I agree with the later point made about critical thinking. I had a particularly good modern studies teacher in S3/S4 who always encouraged us to challenge things, partciularly in a political context, but I don't think it's something that's especially widespread. In that particular example, it was probably only useful to those of us who already had some interest in politics in our teens.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Topic Originator: OzPar
Date: Sun 15 Dec 03:24
Proportional Representation and Compulsory Voting both apply in Australian elections and while I often find that my vote has been for the losing side, I never come away from an election with the impression that it was rigged in any way.
Faced with the prospect of a hefty fine (over $100) if you don't vote, the vast majority of the voting population turn up to fill in their ballot sheets.
Like the result or not, there's a general acceptance that the people have spoken.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Topic Originator: veteraneastender
Date: Sun 15 Dec 08:57
Compulsory voting is OK if the elector has a "None Of The Above" option.
If it were introduced here many disenchanted voters would go for the "also rans" in protest.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Topic Originator: Wotsit
Date: Sun 15 Dec 11:34
Apparently there was a problem in Australia where enough folk were just picking the top option on the ballot that it was a real statistical advantage to be first on the list.
So folk started changing their name to Aaronn Aaaronson and suddenly the ballot looked like the first page of plumbers in yellow pages.
Point is, it's probably better to have "none of the below" ;)
The enemy travels by private jet, not by dinghy.
Post Edited (Sun 15 Dec 11:35)
|
|
|
|
|
|
