[GildedButterfly]

I am 20 and I really dont know how i got this far with knowing so little about politics and society. Its coming to the time know where the gaps in my knowledge are being exposed, and I really want to learn as much as I can about politics and society in general as quickly as I can. If someone could give me ways of teaching myself about politics-whats the difference between lib dems/conservatives/labour, why did people dislike thatcher....i feel overwhelmed by how stupid i feel. Could someone please help?

[g_star_raw_1989]

What is the difference between the lib dems/conservatives and labour? Not much.

If you want to keep on top of current affairs the best thing to do is read a decent newspaper or something like the The Economist.

[emilie18]

Don't feel stupid! Plenty of people are unsure of what is going on in politics. As mentioned above, read a good newspaper (I like the i), browse on the BBC news website under "politics", watch the news a bit more. Also I'd recommend taking a look at Sociology revision websites, both GCSE, AS and A-Level as they cover some of the main differences between the different parties, their approaches and their policies. Honestly, Google is your best tool right now, just type in any queries and read the articles that appear. You'll soon get an idea and start to understand a bit more about politics.

Hope this helps.


I don't mind being negged, but at least explain why!

[Pharmacist 90]

hahahahh

[SpiggyTopes]

Just watch the news (not Sky news), Question Time and Daily Politics and you will soon pick it up!

[sammy-lou]

(Original post by GildedButterfly)
I am 20 and I really dont know how i got this far with knowing so little about politics and society. Its coming to the time know where the gaps in my knowledge are being exposed, and I really want to learn as much as I can about politics and society in general as quickly as I can. If someone could give me ways of teaching myself about politics-whats the difference between lib dems/conservatives/labour, why did people dislike thatcher....i feel overwhelmed by how stupid i feel. Could someone please help?

http://idontgetpolitics.co.uk/politics

Idiots guide to..!

As for the specific questions you asked e.g. Thatcher - Google! Check out some reputable information websites as well as politics forums - good for getting a range of opinions, which is essentially what that sort of thing is about.

[edd360]

Neither do I, and I'm keeping it that way. Either way someone will be trying to rule how I live to no avail, I do what I want bitches.

[lovlymaria]

Haha



This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

[bramz19]

Not knowing anything about politics doesn't make you stupid. If anything, the people I know who run their lives in line with political parties are the stupid ones.

[tory88]

Read a decent newspaper, when you have a basic understanding move onto the economist. Watch question time, daily politics etc. and done.

[Clip]

Is your name Jon Snow?

[Manitude]

Wikipedia, simple english version, can be really useful for getting the basics of a topic without being bogged down by extensive detail/jargon.

[AhzhaK]

Watch This Week.

[bramz19]

(Original post by emilie18)
I don't mind being negged, but at least explain why!

My rep is worth more than theirs. You're welcome.

[foxes-are-ginger]

Does anyone else feel like politics should be taught at school, like as a sort of once a fortnight class?

[Super Cicero]

I read the title and thought you were Jon Snow.

Edit: Damn, beaten to it!

Read newspapers - read the Telegraph for a right-wing perspective and the Guardian for a left-wing one.

[Kittiara]

You're not stupid! Besides, you're willing to learn, and that's more than many people ever do.

I'd start by Googling the different parties and reading their manifestos. That will give you an idea about what they say they are about.

Also, like other people say, read some newspapers or their websites. The Daily Mail is pretty conservative, the Guardian more left-wing. That will also give insight into how politics influence the media, and therefore the general public.

Don't just stick to one source of news. The BBC is supposed to be unbiased, but that isn't true. It is interesting to see different perspectives on different stories, so have a look at Fox News, and compare that with RT, and compare that to the BBC, and so on. What is being covered and what isn't, and how it's being covered will teach you a lot.

Daily Politics and Question Time are good programs to watch, like another poster suggested. What politicians say, and what they don't want to answer to, is interesting, especially when you then have a look at what policies are being pushed through.

And if you have Twitter, you can look up politicians on there and even try to interact with them.

Good luck!

[Kibalchich]

Read some history books.

[Astronomical]

(Original post by GildedButterfly)
I am 20 and I really dont know how i got this far with knowing so little about politics and society. Its coming to the time know where the gaps in my knowledge are being exposed, and I really want to learn as much as I can about politics and society in general as quickly as I can. If someone could give me ways of teaching myself about politics-whats the difference between lib dems/conservatives/labour, why did people dislike thatcher....i feel overwhelmed by how stupid i feel. Could someone please help?

Basically all you need to know about politics is that it's a mess.

The Lib Dems and Labourites try to suck up to the poor by blaming the rich for everything, and want to raise taxes just for the sake of it, even though it makes no economic sense and if anything will cause resentment that will see them leave the country altogether. This is especially prevalent in Lib Dems.

Labourites in particular don't understand economics, and have somehow convinced themselves that the best way to reduce the budget deficit is to spend more money we don't have (thereby increasing the budget deficit ). Most live in the North of England and have a hereditary hatred of Thatcher because she closed their unprofitable and unsafe mines, decades ago. They are headed by the hypocrite of the century, the one and only Ed Miliband, who seems to insist on blaming the Conservatives for problems that occurred during the previous government's, that is, a Labour government's, tenure.

The Conservatives are trying to address the deficit by streamlining the public services, essentially by reducing the number of administrative staff in the NHS and police, though this is causing some unemployment issues. They're also trying to fix the benefits mess left by the previous Labour government that was enabling some families to claim up to £100k a year in housing benefits in one extreme case. Having said that, George Osborne seems at times to change his mind every five minutes about trivial issues such as how much a pasty costs depending on it's temperature - a serious political issue, of course.

[Inheritorz]

Watch the news. I find it quite interesting actually.