Comments on: Turning politics into a cartel http://www.liberalconspiracy.org/2008/04/29/turning-politics-into-a-cartel/ If there wasn't one before, it's time we started it... Thu, 24 Jul 2008 09:07:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Nick http://www.liberalconspiracy.org/2008/04/29/turning-politics-into-a-cartel/#comment-9244 Nick Wed, 30 Apr 2008 08:28:16 +0000 http://www.liberalconspiracy.org/2008/04/29/turning-politics-into-a-cartel/#comment-9244 Sunny, Labour are increasingly interventionist when it comes to the upbringing of children/young people (forcing them to stay in education until th age of 18, collecting their DNA as a matter of course and increasingly setting targets for early years development). The fact that they aren't pushing marriage doesn't mean they are not pushing other values with equal vigour. Sunny, Labour are increasingly interventionist when it comes to the upbringing of children/young people (forcing them to stay in education until th age of 18, collecting their DNA as a matter of course and increasingly setting targets for early years development). The fact that they aren’t pushing marriage doesn’t mean they are not pushing other values with equal vigour.

]]> By: Sunny Hundal http://www.liberalconspiracy.org/2008/04/29/turning-politics-into-a-cartel/#comment-9221 Sunny Hundal Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:09:02 +0000 http://www.liberalconspiracy.org/2008/04/29/turning-politics-into-a-cartel/#comment-9221 Nick, when you're talking about intervening in people's lives, the left would only do so to ensure equality (letting lesbian mothers adopt for example). Its the Tories who want to 'protect' marriage. You can't blame Labour for heavy intervention there really. Nick, when you’re talking about intervening in people’s lives, the left would only do so to ensure equality (letting lesbian mothers adopt for example). Its the Tories who want to ‘protect’ marriage. You can’t blame Labour for heavy intervention there really.

]]> By: Nina http://www.liberalconspiracy.org/2008/04/29/turning-politics-into-a-cartel/#comment-9196 Nina Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:32:57 +0000 http://www.liberalconspiracy.org/2008/04/29/turning-politics-into-a-cartel/#comment-9196 I understand that you've been writing about politics for a while and presumably following it so the question begs, why do you think that Boris Johnson would take that job? Why do you think it lacks sense to offer such a job to a conservative? Do you honestly want to live in a world where people with different political stances and opinions don't talk to each other or work out where their common ground is? David, I have to say, I don't like that idea very much. I understand that you’ve been writing about politics for a while and presumably following it so the question begs, why do you think that Boris Johnson would take that job? Why do you think it lacks sense to offer such a job to a conservative? Do you honestly want to live in a world where people with different political stances and opinions don’t talk to each other or work out where their common ground is? David, I have to say, I don’t like that idea very much.

]]> By: Nick http://www.liberalconspiracy.org/2008/04/29/turning-politics-into-a-cartel/#comment-9191 Nick Tue, 29 Apr 2008 08:34:09 +0000 http://www.liberalconspiracy.org/2008/04/29/turning-politics-into-a-cartel/#comment-9191 Well the Smith Institute is a charity and for it to take a party-political position would be illegal under charity law. Working with the CSJ could just be the Smith Institute's way of projecting a non-partisan position that it blatantly doesn't have, as Guido Fawkes discovered last year. I don't think you have much to worry about anyway. The Conservatives capitulated to social democratic ideology sometime ago and will now happily be led by the left on things like anti- (relative) poverty targets. That sort of conservatism with a religious tone can be assimilated quite easily into a left wing establishment, since both have the same deadly combination of smug sanctimony and economic illiteracy. About the only thing keeping the left and right apart on that front is the question of whether to treat marriage as the cornerstone of society or trying to discourage it for being too bourgeois:) Both sides, however, just love intervening in people's lives (often private lives) for their political ends. Well the Smith Institute is a charity and for it to take a party-political position would be illegal under charity law. Working with the CSJ could just be the Smith Institute’s way of projecting a non-partisan position that it blatantly doesn’t have, as Guido Fawkes discovered last year.

I don’t think you have much to worry about anyway. The Conservatives capitulated to social democratic ideology sometime ago and will now happily be led by the left on things like anti- (relative) poverty targets. That sort of conservatism with a religious tone can be assimilated quite easily into a left wing establishment, since both have the same deadly combination of smug sanctimony and economic illiteracy. About the only thing keeping the left and right apart on that front is the question of whether to treat marriage as the cornerstone of society or trying to discourage it for being too bourgeois:) Both sides, however, just love intervening in people’s lives (often private lives) for their political ends.

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