Trump Administration . " Its Impeachment then "

krish

Who here has credited that 7 x GE loser with Trump's electoral victory?
... indeed, and these depictions are most outrageous ...

                                                                               
                                                                       

simsini

Does liberal tolerance extend to anti-Semites?
Presumably all the anti-Semites in the Labour party.

Toko Black

Most of the left are bonkers ..... not at all a biased view there.

The left didn't cause the growth in fringe and extreme movements nor lead to Trump winning.
There is no doubt that some elements of the left have been and are fruit loops that put feelings and beliefs before facts and reason.
However, it is an erroneous and misguided perception that those fruit loop elements on the left represent the actual left of the political spectrum in the same way that it is an erroneous and misguided perceptions that fruit loops elements on the right such as Britain First or elements of UKIP represent 'the right'.

Where do those erroneous and misguided perceptions come from ?
Well, in the case of the perception of the Left, it comes from the likes of Fox news, the Christian Evangelical movements and organisations in the US, Conservative blogs and the likes of Breitbart.
Why do the likes of Fox News et al push those erroneous and misguided narratives ?
3 main reasons:
1) Political expediency - demonising the political opposition and what they stand for to try and encourage voters to support their own agenda.

2) Change versus the Status quo - through out history, as civilisations have developed and progressed economically and technically, they have equally progressed socially and culturally.
In the west in particular, the movement has been away from traditional religious based moral and political authority to more egalitarian and secular based political, economic and cultural structures.
That in and of itself is often and constantly in conflict with elements of the conservative cultural, political and ideological positions.
Other factors, especially the accelerating rate of change in technology and science over the latter part of the last and the current century has been ever increasing the reduction in the stability and consistency of our lives.

Centuries ago, we would expect that for the most part, how we learnt and made sense of the world during our formative years would be reasonably consistent throughout our lives. The only real changes to our perceptions and understanding would be more personal and come from age and experience through relationships and having families rather than any radical cultural change.
Over time however, we have had to adapt to including the occassional radical cultural change into our lives.
For most of human existance, those radical changes tended to effect and affect only a few generations and occured only once in a life time.
Contrast that with the current norm of having to face radical cultural, economic, political and technological changes many times through out ones life.

It is hardly surprising then, given the rate of change in our lives that many people are fearful, confused and conflicted about the world and their place in it.
From a traditional political or social conservative ideological position, that is amplified by the changes not just being unsettling and confusing, but also being seen as negative/moving away from what is good, right and moral.

3) Money - capitalising on the large or at least relatively stable market of fearful, confused and in particular morally indignant people has been a reliable cash cow for the likes of Fox News. No need to take risky gambles on current trends and fashions that come and go, just stick to a stable and reliable format.

The right have been in power for the last 7 and 1/2 years, so it can hardly be blamed on the left wing even if it is the case that our politicians don't take terrorist threats seriously, which I would dispute in the first place.
There is a difference between whether you take something seriously and how you actually react and make decisions.
Just because a politician or individual citizen doesn't barricade the doors and arm him/herself to the teeth doesn't indicate a lack of seriousness or importance they place on the issue of terrorism.
Politicians, or at least a good politician should be balancing the seriousness of an issue with the practicalities, costs and effectiveness of any reaction, plan or policy to deal with it.

Cliff

I think you are over analysing. Your average voter does not look to the far right parties, otherwise you would see much greater support at General Elections. In the Uk the Christian 'right' influence is tiny. And hardly any average John Smith looks at Fox or Breitbart.
I would say it is more a case that our politicians and the BBC are in a left wing bubble that is ignoring the average Joe. He is getting pretty hacked off being told what he is supposed to think.
In the US it was NBC CBS and CNN all playing a lefty agenda which your average voter did not agree with.
So there was a reaction and they got Trump.

simsini

Your whole argument falls at the first hurdle when you say that the right has been in power for 7 and a half years. A government that oversees even larger immigration rates than Labour, an unsustainable socialist healthcare system, and runs down the countries armed forces cannot be described as such. The Conservatives are not conservatives at all. In fact, none of the top five political parties represent what their name describes them as apart from UKIP.

Politicians don't take terrorism seriously. They are not proactive in protecting us and don't even take the most basic measures to ensure integration or assimilation. This is vital for a cohesive society.

As for the perception of the left? They completely bring it on themselves by not basing their opinions on logical arguments. The Labour party for example always go for emotion over logic and try to manipulate people. Their instant politicking of Grenfell Tower showed that.

Then you have left wing news sources such as CNN in the US and BBC in the UK, which are both broadcasters of fake news simply by omission, as they pick and choose what they report to fit a liberal agenda. Another problem is 24 hour news and social media. They don't just report the news and let the viewer form their own opinion, they always put their own spin on it because they have so much time to fill. This means the same old people time and time again such as Owen Jones who nobody gives two hoots about.

rustybin

How would you suggest they do this? Further government meddling in our lives?

rancidpunk

I was just thinking, you know what this forum could do with? A regular militant anti-left/liberal soap boxer, there just never seems to be enough of them in these parts.

Jezza99

Absolutely spot on. It always makes me laugh when some people complain about the current Government being so "right wing". They clearly have no idea what a right wing Conservative Government looks like, this one as you say continues to borrow shedloads of money to prop up the busted socialist NHS and bloated welfare system which we cannot afford. It also borrows to fund foreign aid, instead of supporting defence or cutting taxes, not to mention all the virtue-signalling green policies and uncontrolled immigration.

simsini

Just a few examples...

Not allow ISIS members back into the country. Strengthen the treason laws watered down by Blair by making it treason to fight in any foreign land for an organisation that isn't the British armed forces.

Apply the same standards to all religions. I have seen the great musical The Book of Mormon in London, it mocks Mormonism from start to finish, and is hilarious. The same with Jerry Springer The Opera and Christianity. I actually thought we were getting somewhere when our politicians stood alongside Charlie Hebdo after they were attacked, but since them they have gone back to the 'thou shall not criticise Islam stance'. Why do they call people Islamophobes for the slightest criticism of Islam, but not apply the same to Trey Parker and Matt Stone as Mormonophobes?

Clearly demonstrate that there is only one rule of law in this country and it shall be applied to all equally.

Not entertain polygamy through the benefits system, even though it is rightly illegal in this country.

Investigate foreign influence of funding in political and religious institutions, and take action against it.

Bring back the national curriculum.

simsini

I forgot foreign aid in my post. This should be cut to only fund humanitarian natural disasters and crises only. They should completely scrap the pointless HS2 too and spend more money reinvesting in bringing back old railway lines which is currently being looked into.

Call me old fashioned, but I'd like to see a government that is spending its money on British citizens, then they can only spend abroad if we can afford it through running a surplus.