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Poll shows 75% of Brits identify as centrist, centre-right or right-wing

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/sep/10/britains-political-tribes-hinder-labour-chances-of-winning-coalition

A plurality of Brits, 45%, view themselves as being centrist. 30% identify as being either centre-right (17%) or right-wing (13%). Furthermore, 25% identify as centre-left (15%) or left-wing (10%)

Of those surveyed who identified as being centre-left, centrist or centre-right, only 20% believed that Jeremy Corbyn inhabited a political point somewhere around the centre / centre-left. 47% view him as being hard left

For a major party to win power, they can't just appeal to the hard left or hard right activists. They must make a pitch for the centre. Yes that means compromise. Compromise isn't a bad thing, only those who are completely imprisoned by the rigidity of their own dogma view any sort of compromise as being some kind of obscene moral failing.

Those who are practical, tolerant of political differences and realistic about what ordinary people (not politics junkies and activists) want realise that a party must appeal to centrist aspirations, using centrist language, but delivering these objectives using left-wing/right-wing mechanisms. For example, most people in the centre want to see work rewarded and fairness in the distribution of wealth. They want to see those who work hard, or create successful businesses, to be able to enjoy the fruits of their labour. On the other hand, they don't want to see massive inequality or people seeming to be able to earn huge amounts of money without paying their dues.

For the right-wing, they might use increases in the tax-free threshold and mechanisms to help people buy their first house. For the left-wing, they might implement tax credits and benefits that top-up the income of ordinary working and middle-class people with help particularly when they have children.

There are many different ways for the left and right to meet centrist aspirations using their respective tools and policy preferences. What won't work is to lecture the people with dogma, to accuse anyone who doesn't sign up to the ideology 100% as being some kind of corrupt traitor, and purging their party of moderates.

I believe under Theresa May the Tories really are making a grab for the centre. Unfortunately I cannot see Labour doing any such thing in the near future; it is stuck in ideological quicksand and all those who propose a way out of the quicksand are accused of being red tory scum etc etc. Is it time for a new party of the centre-left?

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Considering that in recent years leftists have assisted, apologised for and facilitated murder, child rape and mass sexual assaults, this is not surprising.
Reply 2
Avatar for mrlee37
mrlee37
Original post by ftw93
t. leftist cuck


Triggered
Long live our gracious Jezza, long live our glorious Jezza- the light and hope he brings to the little people
Original post by ftw93
t. leftist cuck


can you attempt to discuss without labelling someone lmao
considering that the youth are becoming more and more liberal this is hardly relevant.
Well obvious, can't have everyone buying into that stupid caveman club-bashing feud between Left and Right.

Some people (a lot it seems) prefer to pick & mix their politics as their own reasoning and desires dictate.
We must bear in mind that there may be people like me who would identify as centrist purely because they have no clue what identifying as either side really entails.

Original post by The_Opinion
Considering that in recent years leftists have assisted, apologised for and facilitated murder, child rape and mass sexual assaults, this is not surprising.


wut
Weird how young right wingers outnumber young left wingers.
I have this fear that UKIP will be the Conservatives main opposition by 2020, and it is becoming more and more probable. :redface:
Reply 10
Avatar for slade p
slade p
4
Left wingers are parasites.
Oh no! It seems Britain is the new Nazi Germany with all these center right wing extremists. how awful.


Just kidding this is a really good thing
I have confidence that eventually the Keynesian consensus will prevail again. Throughout history, investing to grow has proved far more successful than cutting to grow.

The Tories and right wing press have consistently trashed the word 'borrowing' to make it seem like an awful word. Governments should be borrowing when interest rates are low and investing into infrastructure projects, which acts as a fiscal multiplier.

Austerity is simply awful economics. If you reduce the amount of money that the poorest people have then they have far less to spend, if they have less to spend there is less demand. If there is less demand, businesses suffer.
On the other hand if you give them money which they spend, it creates more demand.

Ironically we lose far more money as a country when we give tax breaks than when we pay benefits. People on benefits spend nearly all their money, pumping it back into the economy. However when we give tax breaks to wealthier families there is increased likeliness of them either saving or spending abroad, taking money out of our economy.

Right wing economics is all about short-termism, gaining a pound now rather than ten in the future.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by fksociety
considering that the youth are becoming more and more liberal this is hardly relevant.


They're becoming more socially liberal. They're not becoming more economically liberal, polls show they are very much opposed to the (I hate to use the term) neoliberal consensus (and I don't mean that in the way idiotic hard leftists use it, as some kind of capitalist conspiracy, but as the general economic liberalisation that occurred in every English-speaking democracy in the 1980s, and which I would concede as a valid economic path at the time).

Young people are very unhappy with particular elements of capitalism; with how hard it is now to buy a decent house in a decent area, with how terms and conditions have gone down in the last two decades, with the increasing casualisation of work.

People don't want to go back to the bad old days of extreme unions holding the country to ransom, but that doesn't mean they therefore agree with the fanatical free-market dogma that holds sway in many parts of the Tory Party (that faction now thankfully on the way out with the end of the Cameroons).
Original post by AlexanderHam
They're becoming more socially liberal. They're not becoming more economically liberal, polls show they are very much opposed to the (I hate to use the term) neoliberal consensus (and I don't mean that in the way idiotic hard leftists use it, as some kind of capitalist conspiracy, but as the general economic liberalisation that occurred in every English-speaking democracy in the 1980s, and which I would concede as a valid economic path at the time).

Young people are very unhappy with particular elements of capitalism; with how hard it is now to buy a decent house in a decent area, with how terms and conditions have gone down in the last two decades, with the increasing casualisation of work.

People don't want to go back to the bad old days of extreme unions holding the country to ransom, but that doesn't mean they therefore agree with the fanatical free-market dogma that holds sway in many parts of the Tory Party (that faction now thankfully on the way out with the end of the Cameroons).


Cameron and Osborne essentially believed that the free market was always better no matter what, despite evidence to the contrary. They were very unwilling to accept that a publically run service could ever be better than a private one.

It is for that reason that they hacked away at the BBC, sold off the Royal Mail and continued to increase 'competition' into the NHS.

Capitalism is absolutely the best economic system we have, but neoliberal capitalism is not.
Original post by AlexanderHam
I'm not sure why you'd simply post a quote of me reaming you yet again. You seem determined to further your own embarrassment.

Anyway, it does certainly focus my mind on the point that I have literally never seen you make a serious or intelligent post; it's always just hard left nonsense, terrorist sympathising and conspiracy and fringe crap about aliens and what not.

Far easier to add you to my ignore list, I did intend to but you're so insignificant that I forgot. Just added now, I won't ever see a post from you again. Byeee :smile:


good, I'll still openly dismantle your posts while you can keep pretending its not happening, and I won't have to put up with your hypocritical, childish responses
Original post by AlexanderHam
They're becoming more socially liberal. They're not becoming more economically liberal, polls show they are very much opposed to the (I hate to use the term) neoliberal consensus (and I don't mean that in the way idiotic hard leftists use it, as some kind of capitalist conspiracy, but as the general economic liberalisation that occurred in every English-speaking democracy in the 1980s, and which I would concede as a valid economic path at the time).

Young people are very unhappy with particular elements of capitalism; with how hard it is now to buy a decent house in a decent area, with how terms and conditions have gone down in the last two decades, with the increasing casualisation of work.

People don't want to go back to the bad old days of extreme unions holding the country to ransom, but that doesn't mean they therefore agree with the fanatical free-market dogma that holds sway in many parts of the Tory Party (that faction now thankfully on the way out with the end of the Cameroons).


Do cite this poll that your basing your whole argument from. As far as im concerned, the youth are becoming more corbynite than ever. Socialism appears to be growing. But do correct me if im wrong
Reply 17
Avatar for Dewsy
Dewsy
11
Original post by fksociety
Do cite this poll that your basing your whole argument from. As far as im concerned, the youth are becoming more corbynite than ever. Socialism appears to be growing. But do correct me if im wrong


I'd be confident in saying that 90%+ of the people I know under 30 wouldn't vote for Corbyn.*
Original post by Dewsy
I'd be confident in saying that 90%+ of the people I know under 30 wouldn't vote for Corbyn.*


Well that just tells me the kind off people you surround yourself with.
Original post by fksociety
Well that just tells me the kind off people you surround yourself with.


It probably says what kinds of people you surround yourself with too. You're certainly free to support Corbyn but just don't expect any sympathy when Labour get utterly annihilated at the next General Election.
I personally know very, very few people who will vote for Labour because of Jeremy. I know a few who will probably vote Labour despite him as they can't bring themselves to vote against a party they've supported all their lives but I suspect the Lib Dems could possibly benefit more from those who traditionally support Labour but dislike Corbyn.

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