What drives the British electorate?

First topic message reminder :

Having had an interest in politics from way-back I have been watching how the face of British politics has changed over the last few years and this has encouraged me to think about what drives the British voters.

I know that a lot of us come from fixed political philosophies and people like those are liable to keep voting for the candidates that wear the correct colour of rosette rather than looking deeply into the policies of each candidate. Having said that I have also noted that many voters now come from the demographic known as the "floating voters" and it is these voters that often have the making or breaking of potential governments in their hands when they go to lay their little crosses.

The question I really want to ask is: Do the voters, ( if not voting in a traditional left or right direction ), vote for the party that promises them the most at the time rather than voting for any specific party philosophy, or are the British voters actually far better educated about what each of the parties stand for and they vote accordingly ?

In other words... Are the great British electorate BOUGHT each time that they go to the polls or in the main do they think carefully about what will be the result of where they lay their individual crosses ?

Regards....

Papaumau.

Let's kick uglism out of politics

Extracts from an amusing article by David Schneider:-

I'm sure most politicians would change their face if it would win them an election (most of them have got two anyway). Everyone from seven-year-olds who look crap on school photo day to Neil Kinnock arse-over-tipping on the beach knows that images can be devastating. Or redeeming. Remember that footage of Gordon Brown leaving Downing Street for the last time, hand-in-hand with his two little kids?

Was Labour's struggle in the 80s and 90s to make themselves electable just about finding a leader who was reasonably hot (if you'll forgive me for making you think of Blair in those terms)? Not so much clause IV as clause phwoar. It's the dental work, stupid, not the economy.

Of course, Cameron is no Ryan Gosling when it comes to looks. He can't be much more than a six, even to his wife – even to a Tory shires lady who really hates badgers. Clegg was maybe a seven just before the last election and a three after it. At best. Which all sounds a bit shallow, and yet that's how people seem to be judging Miliband. I suspect that one reason the accusations of weakness and indecision stick to him, even though he has often showed considerable boldness (Murdoch, Syria, the unions, fratricide), is because his body language seems so apologetic. It seems that people who would never dream of not voting for someone because they were black or gay feel it is all right to not vote for someone because they "don't look right".

For the whole article:-
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/22/kick-uglism-out-politics-david-schneider

Ivan wrote:Let's kick uglism out of politics

Extracts from an amusing article by David Schneider:-

.... Was Labour's struggle in the 80s and 90s to make themselves electable just about finding a leader who was reasonably hot (if you'll forgive me for making you think of Blair in those terms)? Not so much clause IV as clause phwoar. It's the dental work, stupid, not the economy."

Gawdelpus if a General Election in Britain ever turns out to have been a Beauty Contest. If that happens we really shall have the government we deserve.   

Our media, particularly the Press, keep the electorate in a state of total intellectual muddle, and since the Labour Party gave up serious connection with organised labour, there is very little coherence to put against it. The result is huge waves of meaningless emotional nonsense. All we can hope for is that people at least know they are being robbed and kept poor, while the bilgehounds rant on about 'recovery'.

oftenwrong wrote:Gawdelpus if a General Election in Britain ever turns out to have been a Beauty Contest.  If that happens we really shall have the government we deserve.   

I agree OW if a general election was turned into a Beauty contest I would think the UK very shallow, but then Scameron or Clegg are not what I would say Beauties quite the opposite in fact.   I take it this is about Ed Miliband been awkward on photo set up by their spin doctors, at least Ed has been honest about his camera appeal but he has something the other do will never reach and that is Openess and HONESTY in bucket loads  that neither Scameron or Clegg have or will ever have because they're "BORN LIARS".

We've all met him - most of us have tried to debate politics with him ----

...while some of us tend towards a few words of contempt dressed up in such a way that they never catch on...

We've all met him - most of us have tried to debate politics with him ----

During the six-year lifetime of this forum, he's appeared here in at least three different incarnations.

Intrigued...

Thet demned elusive Pimpernel!