Lets talk politics

buartha · 2014-11-08T17:44:15+00:00

I'm a social democrat, which basically means that I'd advocate for a universal welfare state. I'm dubious about the long term benefits of the current UK government's austerity measures as they seem to rely on the idea of Expansionary Fiscal Contraction, which is controversial for a reason.

In terms of social policies, my views on some hot-button topics are pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, pro-legalization and heavy regulation of many (though not all) drugs. I would support reforming the prison system to have more of a focus on community integration and rehabilitation, particularly for non-violent crimes.

I'm also fond of Milliband's idea of devolving the UK into smaller regions than England/ Scotland/ Wales/ NI for political purposes.

Since I live in England now, I alternate between voting Labour and for whatever independents best represent my views (preferring independents because have you seen Labour these days?) I have some sympathies with the Greens, but their opposition to nuclear power is a deal breaker for me. Things are a bit more complicated in terms of who I'd support back home (Northern Ireland.)

[deleted] · 2014-11-08T14:48:50+00:00

I am an Objectivist and a minarchist

MissPearl · 2014-11-08T17:01:17+00:00

I'm a Canadian, so our Conservatives try to downplay a lot of the more socially conservative aspects that affilation tends to be known for.

I'm a union oriented (as opposed to sovereignty), pro-bilingual and cultural accommodation, pro-union, pro-social programs and big on personal liberty in matters like how you personally choose to define your family.

I think a properly managed society tries to provide a certain safety net for its people and then stands back and let's them do their thing.

I believe you have to keep tweaking things because humans are both selfish and altruistic in what is effectively randomly balanced levels.

fizolof · 2014-11-08T14:59:10+00:00

Economically I am right wing, socially I am left wing. I support capitalism, if only because the alternatives that sound better in theory just don't work in real life, but when it comes to society people should be free to do what they like as long as they aren't harming others. I guess you could call that libertarian but I don't really identify with that whole movement because it's very US-centric and often a bit extreme.

[deleted] · 2014-11-08T17:11:26+00:00

I think the libertarian/leftist(collectivist) divide between red and blue is another manifestation of the deep divide on fundamental philosophical first premises between us

moggymojo · 2014-11-08T21:47:05+00:00

Aussie here so different parties - I vote Greens (yay throw my vote away) and lean towards being a lefty pinko.

That said I do NOT follow politics at all, I avoid the news, for ages I had no idea that Australia was in terrorist alert mode (or if we still are) or that ISIS was no longer a reference to Archer.... and the only reason I vote is because it is mandatory here.

Mr___F · 2014-11-08T19:03:53+00:00

I'm liberal, socially and fiscally.

I usually vote democrat, but if there's a Green Party candidate I'd vote for them (Jill Stein was running in the last presidential election and she was awesome).

I wish the democratic party actually followed through on what they claim are their beliefs. I wish the green party actually won elections or at least got any significant number of votes.

soylentblueissmurfs · 2014-11-08T20:07:05+00:00

I'm a socialist and vote for Vänsterpartiet (ex communist party), which are basically social democrats but a bit more to the left. I wish they'd take our immigration problem more seriously, either by advocating some sort of assimilation program that absorbs the immigrants into our culture or lower the amount of refugees and economic immigrants we accept.

For running small operations in which each member has some social connection to the others I believe anarchism is the best way to do things. Voluntary problem solving and duty to the group gets things done so much better than top-down control mechanisms.

fizolof · 2014-11-08T20:56:33+00:00

I support decentralization of power, so that people would be able to live under different rules. Personally, I agree with capitalism, I'm socially conservative (I support religion, tradition, patriotism, oppose gay marriage etc). Also, I'm an atheist, I believe there's no god.

In America, I'd probably vote for the Republicans because, to paraphrase Matt Stone, "I hate Republicans, but I really fucking hate Democrats". Generally, I find the Democrats more retarded.

drok007 · 2014-11-08T15:19:21+00:00

Libertarian pretty much. I vote republican, but populist since neo-con's are shit, because FPTP is a bitch. I wish republicans were more libertarian, actually in some areas they are which is nice.

Libertarian left sounds interesting, using socialism in the traditional sense, but it seems unfeasible.

Bakerofpie · 2014-11-09T00:05:16+00:00

In the midterms my husband and I voted democrat and libertarian - not respectively, I mean for different offices. We are still somewhat evolving in our political views, as we prefer to go by numbers as much as possible as opposed to feelings. Norway is doing really well, and I think we would probably move there if it weren't for being so close to our family in the US and the fact that I hate the cold. Universal healthcare is a net gain economically speaking, as is public education and a living minimum wage. It's kind of fun to look at tax rates in other countries, standards of living and cost of living. On the other hand, it sucks to realize that taxes in the US are really not particularly low, except we don't get shit from our tax dollars aside from an overly inflated military and a government that spies on us and everyone else.

babyguineapig · 2014-11-09T07:13:46+00:00

From each according to their ability, to each according to their need. Green is more important than left or right, though.

cxj · 2014-11-08T20:40:17+00:00

I don't vote because none of the candidates represent my interests. For every policy position i agree with in a given politician there are 3 i despise. In the USA voting is basically a choice between scumbags who will trample all over civil liberties and privacy and steal your income to finance foreign wars to support their friends business interests, and scumbags who trample all over your civil liberties and privacy and steal your income to finance welfare parasites and vast inefficient beaurocracies with overpaid positions to put their friends in. Most people vote on highly emotional but ultimately inconsequential issues like abortion and gay marriage. I am a 100% supporter of those things being legal but this country has serious economic and infrastructural issues in dire need of attendance that are far more important. Unfortunately, the average dumbass cannot understand them in any remote way, and people are voting emotionally and not practically. Actually, i dont even understand a lot of the issues myself very well, and i sincerely believe ive put way more effort than most people into doing so, but economics are extremely complicated and probably only well understood by people of elite intelligence. The human psyche is adapted to a social world with 100 or so relevant people in a hunter gatherer tribe, not a complex global economy of billions. If an issue doesn't affect people directly they probably won't care about it and won't understand. I think democracy worked in early America where it was small towns of people voting on issues they could all easily understand and that were relevant to their lives. I don't think it works as intended on a grand scale. Imo democracy merely creates an arena for charismatic sociopaths to compete in a contest of who can best manipulate public opinion. I have no faith in democracy because i have no faith in humanity. Im not convinced another system (ie fuedalism, communism, monarchy) would be better, because it still involves shitty people. Fuck politics. Fuck the world.

[deleted] · 2014-11-08T17:13:30+00:00

Libertarian right. With liberal views on some social issues like gay marriage and abortion (for the most part). I will vote Republican in the 2016 election because fuck Hillary Clinton. I don't think we should have a female president. Especially not her.

TomHicks · 2014-11-08T15:36:22+00:00

Are you liberal or conservative? On social and fiscal terms.

Economically, moderate libertarian. Socially, strictly libertarian.

What party d'you vote for?

Regarding American politics? Libertarian Party.

What do you wish the party you support did different?

Consolidate their support for the Singaporean model of healthcare.
Be more moderate about safety regulations/the mere existence of government departments.

SirNemesis · 2014-11-08T16:43:30+00:00

I'm classically conservative (a la American Conservative magazine), with a bit of a leftistish lean on some class issues and on abortion. I.e. I'm fiscally and socially somewhat conservative but strongly disagree with neocons on foreign policy and policy towards big business. I don't see it worthwhile to vote for the Republocrats, so I tend to vote for the Greenies or other third parties when able.

Reginleifer · 2014-11-08T17:17:57+00:00

Economically more to the left , Socially mostly right

Because I consider rights and resources more important than feelz, I tended to vote much more Democratic because they were the only party interested in actual gains, they spoke money and effort into social programs and solid investments into education, and infastructure investment. Shit that needed to be funded, the Republicans were just kicking the can on or insisting their magical free market (gaaaaaaaaawwwwwwd) would take care of.

Thing is I regret a lot of it now.....Democrats promised the world, and delivered little, if anything devoting an incredibly chunk of their time on their gay/womyn/environut (feelz) demographic leaving chumps like us in the central valley to lose our water. :/ They proposed laws that weakened the amendments, like speech/religion, and the right to bear arms, AND what we actually got in increased funding for good projects came in this jumbled innefficient mess that had shitloads of corruption...... look at the California high speed rail fiasco.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/californias-high-speed-rail-to-nowhere/2012/01/09/gIQAZQDamP_story.html

I'm seriously considering voting for republicans to balance out this mess, even aware of the crazy shit they believe and implement in their red state shitholes.

Interestingly enough pro-choice not because I support the slaughter of the unborn, or because a womyn's right right to chooooooose is more important than anything ever in existence..... but because I've been to countries that have banned it and read up on the news of a couple more it always ends up the same, women being thrown into jail on some trumped up charges of infanticide that are hard to disprove and incredibly invasive of people's privacy. I support current laws, with a mandatory sonogram, and maybe some PSA's against the procedure. (The exact fucking thing we ought to do for cigs and beer)

nomdplume · 2014-11-08T18:59:45+00:00

From an American political perspective, I would probably most identify as a liberal Republican, which, I could argue, is not as oxymoronic as it might sound if one looks at our political history.

It is, however, quite outside the current American political landscape.

I generally vote Democrat these days, not because I love Democratic ideas, but simply because I'm unconvinced that the current batch of Republicans have a commitment to anything beyond a utopian/dystopian ideology.

[deleted] · 2014-11-08T19:39:23+00:00

I'm a libertarian but also a pragmatist, which I guess makes me a conservative.

I have sympathies with neo-reactionaries though I'd never label myself as one.

jacks1000 · 2014-11-09T00:44:16+00:00

I am non-ideological. Ideologies are for fanatics who can't think for themselves. My approach to politics is strictly pragmatic. I've never voted for a Republican, only a few Democrats, a few third parties, but stopped voting a decade ago.

I look forward to a post-democratic age, which we are thankfully progressing toward. Mass democracy brought us mostly mass warfare in the last century. Let's not regress back to that.

meehan666 · 2014-11-09T05:50:08+00:00

Ideally, I'm for libertarian anarchism. Realistically, I side with "conservatives" on most issues. I think fiscally I am more right wing than the typical conservative; the main difference I have with them is their religious morality showing up in the public space. I don't vote since I live in NYC and candidates sharing similar views to mine can't win here. I guess if you want to say the republican party is the one I support, the thing I would want them to do differently is stop talking about shrinking government and actually get it the fuck done. However, it is foolish to think they would actually do this, since shrinking government just takes power out of their hands, and why would they want that? It is a nice talking point to rally their base though.

adrixshadow · 2014-11-09T08:17:54+00:00

I am Conspiracy Theorist.

I like to know what really is going behind the scenes.

Voting at best is only a delay until the march towards full fascism. And people still voted Republican, so much for that.(for the delay you needed democrats)

Democracy, capitalism and communism fail as systems, just not at the same rate.

The only hope is if they are some good elements within the pentagon and the intelligence apparatus that will facilitate a civil war at the top.

Any resistance or movement from the populous is low, the fighting between sexes has done its job, promoting feminism and the stupid religious traditionalism has been very effective.

Aerobus · 2014-11-08T15:01:51+00:00

Red, radical centrism. Capitalism is great. Democracy sucks.

Aerobus · 2014-11-09T03:38:24+00:00

Fiscally conservative, socially moderate leaning conservative.

I think both parties are shit, but Republicans better represent my views. My views are more libertarian. I have not voted, but I plan to for 2016, and most likely for the Republican candidate.

Title	Lets talk politics
Author	TomHicks
Upvotes	4
Comments	76
Date	November 8, 2014 2:44 PM UTC (11 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/PurplePillDebate
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/PurplePillDebate/comments/2locrp/lets_talk_politics/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/PurplePillDebate/lets-talk-politics.284408 https://theredarchive.com/post/284408

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