Has the forum made you more left wing?

[zigackly]

I don't really stand for anything left or right. It's a bizarre way to define yourself.

 

It's a fair point. I don't believe much power should reside in the state, but at the same time I do want a socially responsible society.

 

According to that test thingy, this makes me a bit madder than Ghandi. That can't be a bad way to define yourself.

[Saintslfc13]

double post
 

[Saintslfc13]

 But don't you see the issue that, on the current path, your small government just becomes an agency that is farming out its massive budgets to a handful of small powerful elites?

 

How does it help you to have power centralised not in a democratic government but in the hands of the Koch brothers and a few of their mates?

 

I don't think it helps me at all, but I also don't think the solution is the government either. In my opinion they create the problems with there tax exemptions for certain people, corporations, etc. and regulations and fees that only people such as the Koch Brothers can really afford. Now obviously some regulation is neccessary because a lot people are cunts who will try to scew everyone over for their own benefit but I don't see the government as the ones who'll magically save the day. For example if a private regulatory agency gets caught taking bribes to pass a company then their entire credibility is shot, people stop trusting them, companies disassociate from them, etc. When the government gets caught in a scandal like that nothing really happens, sure media outrage and a bunch of people going "look at these assholes running the country" but they still get funded, paid and it all blows over.

 

In short I think the government tends to create more problems, both socially and fiscally, than it solves.

[zigackly]

The function of government should be to enable personal freedoms whilst limiting corporate excess. Everyone should be entitled to a basic standard of living whilst being able to enhance it with hard work, but not to the degree that wealth and power is concentrated in the hands of the few. There's my manifesto. I'm not qualified to define all the details of how that would work except to say it would be quite a lot different to the dystopian corporate police state we seem to be heading towards.

[Jose Jones]

I don't really subscribe to the notion of wings, I just support whatever will give people more liberty.

 

In order for this forum to drive me leftwards, it would need to demonstrate that concentrating more power in the hands of the state would give individuals more freedom.

 

How do you define liberty and freedom though?  Hmm?

[Bobby Hundreds]

I've always thought of myself as a little from column A and a little from column B. Its this coalition that's made me realise I'm more to the left whatever that means, the sheer vindictiveness and hate I've seen from right wing people aimed at decent people just because they lost their jobs or life dealt them a poor hand and they played it badly, really took me by surprise. I would take less if it meant others could have something as opposed to nothing or next to nothing. This forum has a pretty decent mix there's plenty of times I've had my opinion changed or anger tempered or facts straightened. There's plenty of people I disagree with completely on a lot of things but nobody I disagree with completely on everything. Most on here seem decent regardless of their views, racist or homophobia or anything that reeks of pure ignorance gets shot down quickly and on the internet that seems quite rare.. for a hardly modded site anyway.

[Fowlers God]

Not really, only to the extent that it has often brought information to my attention that I wasn't aware of. Having a strong moral compass and then informing myself has dragged me to the left, it's not a lot more complicated than that really. It's hard not to sound like arrogance or closed-mindedness but I honest feel that to not be on the left at this current time (in that thinking small government is best for everyone) requires someone to be ill-informed or morally deficient. I'm yet to see a case from the right founded on the reality of where we are at that I feel is honest and genuinely designed to improve the lot of the majority.

 

It has probably been very helpful as a training ground for refining opinions though. Opposing views, whether valid or not, can help to make you look again at something, knock off the dead bits of skin on your current opinion and shine up something better formed.

Whether we share the same views and beliefs on a certain subject, Stu Monty for me is someone that challenges my instinctive views and on occasions has challenged my moral compass.

 

Although gingers should still be culled and I stand by that,

[lifetime fan]

I don't think it helps me at all, but I also don't think the solution is the government either. In my opinion they create the problems with there tax exemptions for certain people, corporations, etc. and regulations and fees that only people such as the Koch Brothers can really afford. Now obviously some regulation is neccessary because a lot people are cunts who will try to scew everyone over for their own benefit but I don't see the government as the ones who'll magically save the day. For example if a private regulatory agency gets caught taking bribes to pass a company then their entire credibility is shot, people stop trusting them, companies disassociate from them, etc. When the government gets caught in a scandal like that nothing really happens, sure media outrage and a bunch of people going "look at these assholes running the country" but they still get funded, paid and it all blows over.

 

In short I think the government tends to create more problems, both socially and fiscally, than it solves.

You mean like G4S and Serco?

 

Deliberately and fraudulently overcharging for people out of prison on a tag, fucking up the security contract at the Olympics, having people die in their care due to staff being not properly trained etc

 

Because they won't be awarded hundred million pound contracts from the government ever again will they?

 

Nope. Definitely not.

[Paulie Dangerously]

I've been looking forward to another leftie/righty thread on here

[Saintslfc13]

You mean like G4S and Serco?

 

Deliberately and fraudulently overcharging for people out of prison on a tag, fucking up the security contract at the Olympics, having people die in their care due to staff being not properly trained etc

 

Because they won't be awarded hundred million pound contracts from the government ever again will they?

 

Nope. Definitely not.

I don't think what you've pointed out actually conflicts with anything I wrote. In a world where those companies weren't propped up by government contracts they'd be fucked. In the world we live in their corruption and incompetency is seemingly rewarded by more government contracts.

[VladimirIlyich]

If caring more about the 95% of the population who struggle to live from week to week over the 5% who own the vast majority of the wealth and power makes me a raving lefty then guilty as charged.

Not having to rely on the state would be fantastic here on planet earth but when that ethos is spouted by people,usually Politicians and especially a current government who do the opposite of what they say,i tend to be very sceptical with good reason.

 

Now Im off to take that test where I will most likely be further left than Old Chairman Mao.

[VladimirIlyich]

I got 7.50 and 5.85.

No idea what they mean but i feel like an Olympic Contestant,although I think those marks would miss me out of the medal positions.

[Rico1304]

If caring more about the 95% of the population who struggle to live from week to week over the 5% who own the vast majority of the wealth and power makes me a raving lefty then guilty as charged.Not having to rely on the state would be fantastic here on planet earth but when that ethos is spouted by people,usually Politicians and especially a current government who do the opposite of what they say,i tend to be very sceptical with good reason.Now Im off to take that test where I will most likely be further left than Old Chairman Mao.

95%?

[VladimirIlyich]

I'd say 95% of the population are in need of an income to survive and the other 5% are able to work if they want.

There are a few different sections within the 95% bracket but I'd say that those 95% represent the cross section of British society outside of the fantastically wealthy and powerful ones who pull the strings.

[stringvest]

and why might that be?  Would you rather believe it's incompetence on the government's part?

[Jairzinho]

I think we're probably lucky that they're fairly incompetent.

[Rico1304]

I'd say 95% of the population are in need of an income to survive and the other 5% are able to work if they want.There are a few different sections within the 95% bracket but I'd say that those 95% represent the cross section of British society outside of the fantastically wealthy and powerful ones who pull the strings.

Maybe I'm being pedantic but that's not what you said. Having to work is a long way from struggling to survive.

[Hades]

I live in the real world and not some crypto-fascist theocracy where there are only good people and lazy people. So yes, I'm way to the left by normal people's standards and this forum is a haven.

[Rotpeter]

Where's Dennis Tooth when you need a proper leftie to take your measure against?

[Rico1304]

I was bang on Nelson Mandela!!!

[Bobby Hundreds]

Sure that wasn't Winnie Mandela.

[VladimirIlyich]

Maybe I'm being pedantic but that's not what you said. Having to work is a long way from struggling to survive.

This is the problem Rico. Millions of people who have jobs have no idea what would happen to them if they lost those jobs.

Those redundancy payments dont last long and getting any state help is like a minefield now.

Lots of people are kidding themselves.

[Stu Monty]

I don't think what you've pointed out actually conflicts with anything I wrote. In a world where those companies weren't propped up by government contracts they'd be fucked. In the world we live in their corruption and incompetency is seemingly rewarded by more government contracts.

 

Mate, if you don't even have a government to distribute contracts to the private sector then how do you envisage society working?

 

Even if you didn't have a central government, and it was more local, the same incentives would be there to give it to shite private companies.

[Creator Supreme]

Gulag for liking a skinny latte? Blimey NV, so much for a benign dictatorship :)

 

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[Liverpool lad]

I fancy a Tory negathon