Where can I go to get educated about current political issuses?

By that logic, New Statesman and The Telegraph are surprisingly similar, one left, one right. The Guardian isn't some commie bible, it's just the most left-wing of the mainstream papers.

Yes it's very cool to say the Guardian is another hateful propaganda machine. Thing is, it isn't. Yes the Guardian has a left-centre agenda. Just like the Independent. But has it penned a series of articles condemning David Cameron because his Dad kept a diary when he was 17?

Even if you ignore the huge differences in the level of their views, one is a tabloid and one is a quality newspaper. It's really that simple.

It's not cool to say the Guardian is a hateful propaganda machine, it is actually very contrary to what a lot of people think.

The Guardian does however promote the idea that everyone is oppressing everyone, that racism is hiding round every corner and that if the next prime minister isn't a black transgender woman with no legs we are the most prejudiced nation on Earth.

The Guardian basically preaches to the middle class to make them feel like they are in touch, but I would argue that Guardian readers are far less in touch with the "common man" than Daily Mail readers are, but then again Guardian readers are the enlightened.

Reply 21

Burridge

17

Personally I read The Guardian, Huffington Post UK and the New Statesman (weekly magazine but the website is good too). For a bit most biased journalism I read blogs such as Left Foot Forward and (the now defunct) Liberal Conspiracy. For more neutral sources I opt for Sky News (Adam Bolton has a decent slot each day) or Total Politics (monthly magazine - I use the digital edition from the app store).

Daily Politics is also good if you have time (BBC1, every week-day), as is Question Time and Newsnight. PMQs is on every Wednesday at 12pm, try watching that too.

And although it sounds quite bizarre, Twitter is really good too. I follow just about every major politician, journalist, news source and think-tank on there (as well as a bunch of arm-chair politicians, admittedly) - my feed is constantly filled with tweets about politics and current affairs, links to popular articles and new research. It gets a bit boring at times, so I balance it out a bit by following iLGD, celebrities and footballers :biggrin:

Original post by MatureStudent36

They're rather similar. They just target the bonkers brigade from either end if the political spectrum .

They're not that similar - you can't dismiss them as "the same" but with a different target market. The Guardian is an intelligent read - it's a broadsheet (or berliner if you wish). The Daily Mail is just a sensationalist tabloid. As somebody has already said, the Mirror is comparable to the Daily Mail, the Guardian certainly isn't.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 22

tengentoppa

18

Original post by St. Brynjar

The Guardian and the Mail are in no way comparable.

They are in the sense that they are overtly biased and filled with vitriolic, intolerant comments.

Reply 23

St. Brynjar

18

Original post by tengentoppa

They are in the sense that they are overtly biased and filled with vitriolic, intolerant comments.

In which case every newspaper can be compared to the Mail.

Reply 24

tengentoppa

18

Original post by Burridge

They're not that similar - you can't dismiss them as "the same" but with a different target market. The Guardian is an intelligent read - it's a broadsheet (or berliner if you wish). The Daily Mail is just a sensationalist tabloid. As somebody has already said, the Mirror is comparable to the Daily Mail, the Guardian certainly isn't.

The comments in their articles are remarkably similar in their virulence and melodramatic tone, I have noted.

Reply 25

StretfordEnd

15

Original post by Burridge

X

I keep meaning to 'do' twitter but when I mentally make a list of all the people I'd follow I end up thinking it'd be too much:

- Major party twitter accounts
- Major party figures
- Prominent backbenchers and cabinet/shadow cabinet
- Select committee chairs
- Political journos
- Major UK think tanks
- Major academics/economists/figures in social policy

I keep thinking if I have all that on my dashboard there would just be too much crap to wade through...but if I trimmed it all down to the barebones I wouldn't get much from twitter that I wouldn't have got via news media anyway.

Do you honestly find it's that useful? (Sorry for the dead long post. Got a bit carried away!)

Reply 26

Manitude

20

BBC news can give a decent and supposedly neutral overview. Having said that, I've heard left wingers call it right wing and right wingers call it left wing.

Wikipedia is intended to be as neutral as possible and cites from a lot of different sources so can give a really good overview, but isn't great at covering current affairs as they happen as it's an encylopaedia not a news website!

The Independent, in theory, is apolitical, but most people seem to think otherwise.

PMQs can give you a good idea about what's going on in the UK in a particular week but be careful as there's a lot of posturing and one-upmanship in it. The main parties leaders are actually fairly good chums outside of parliament and their bickering in PMQs seems to be just because they're expected to do so.

Reply 27

Burridge

17

Original post by StretfordEnd

I keep meaning to 'do' twitter but when I mentally make a list of all the people I'd follow I end up thinking it'd be too much:

- Major party twitter accounts
- Major party figures
- Prominent backbenchers and cabinet/shadow cabinet
- Select committee chairs
- Political journos
- Major UK think tanks
- Major academics/economists/figures in social policy

I keep thinking if I have all that on my dashboard there would just be too much crap to wade through...but if I trimmed it all down to the barebones I wouldn't get much from twitter that I wouldn't have got via news media anyway.

Do you honestly find it's that useful? (Sorry for the dead long post. Got a bit carried away!)

Honestly I really do. I spend quite a bit of time on there - it makes me feel really engaged :biggrin:

I follow 1,600 accounts - I'd say that about between 500-800 of them are accounts that tweet about politics. Celebrities and football accounts make up most of the others.

I think I've struck a decent balance - to the point where my feed isn't solely politics, which would be incredibly boring, but enough politics to the point where I tend to know everything that goes on. But it depends on your preference I suppose - maybe you're not as enthusiastic about it all as I am? Maybe I'm a bit sad :biggrin:

But honestly, even though it sounds quite bizarre, for politics, I'm better off spending my day on Twitter rather than a news-site like the BBC; I get the news faster and a greater variety of takes on it.

Reply 28

The Socktor

18

Original post by FrankTHEsehlat

I'd like to know some resources (preferably available online) where I can find out more about the workings and various views surrounding current uk political issues such as EU , welfare, climate change, economic policy, immigration and privatisation in order to inform my own views on the subjects

Climate change is more of a scientific issue I would think, so I'd advise just watching this guy's videos: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL82yk73N8eoX-Xobr_TfHsWPfAIyI7VAP

Politically speaking, first and foremost, learn critical thinking; it should help you avoid getting swayed by fallacious arguments.

After that you're best off just talking to people and trying to understand their worldviews and if you find them appealling then well, following them.

Reply 29

gr8wizard10

21

London School of Economics and Political Science.

Reply 30

username402722

19

You should not forget the party that first advocated the vote at 18, all day pub opening, protection for Wensleydale cheese, pet passports, and now supports practical policies such as the 99p coin to save on change, socks in packs of threes and recognises Ant and Dec by naming an airport after them.

http://www.loonyparty.com/

Reply 31