uninspired..

[wing commander]

    Their has been some lively debate on this forum on the upcoming general election and people on here seem to have a passion for what they believe in, but outside of here,nobody wants to talk about it,they are totally uninspired by the whole thing.I cant even get a discussion going about it at work or in the pub,everytime I've tried it's shut down with apathy..

 I think the Andrew Marr show this Sunday was a real pointer as to why,I found myself shouting at the telly and that was to all of them frankly.

 First we had Ian Blackford of the SNP who clearly thinks they are in the box seat when it comes to forming a Government at the end of the election,he's clearly hoping for a hung Parliament so he can force through the independence vote and like a prostitute at closing time spent most of the interview making it painfully obvious that they would side with anybody offering them that.So the balance of power would be left with a party whose aim is not even to be in Westminster

 Then we had the Tory who was as uninspiring as my attempt at a home made shepherd pie.He spent his time defending every figure thrown at him with small sound bites and extortion of figures to try and convince people that proven figures were wrong.He wasn't even convincing me and I've always been a Tory.Ten minutes after he had finished his drivel I struggled to even remember any worthwhile comment he had actually made,he was awful.

 Then we had the headline act Jezza,things started badly when Marr had him squirming with his repeated asking of his own position on Brexit.He tried steadfastly to refuse to answer the question and with good reason because he knows the majority of the Labour big hitters are remain and they are doing bad enough without a civil war in a election campaign.If I'm honest I actually thought he recovered quite well after that although Marr took it a bit easier on him after his opening Salvo.However Jezza been Jezza he always drops a bollock somewhere.Today was Nato were instead of using his loaf and agreeing that it was a great success,he threw in a cryptic comment that left nobody in any doubt what his true feelings were,alienating another bunch of voters in the meantime,it's comments like that that will stop election momentum stone dead his attitude to foreign policy is frightening.

    So at the end of it what had been offered to engage people back into Politics?.. Pretty much nothing from any of them, at this rate I hope it's not raining or snowing on election night else turnout will be terrible...

[The Red Baron]

I find the evasiveness on all sides very frustrating. Even when they have just put out a policy announcement they seem to be deliberately vague when asked about specific aspects of it- which is important because it is invariably the detail of these things where questions and problems emerge.

Also the fact that on 13th December or soon thereafter the Prime Minister of the UK is going to be either Boris Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn is something I really don't welcome.

[SydneyRover]

Johnson at this moment is trying to inspire the CBI and talking about hats and rabbits

[wing commander]

  Sydney I was talking about them all not just BoJo..

[SydneyRover]

  Sydney I was talking about them all not just BoJo..

He's the only one talking to the CBI at the moment

[SydneyRover]

The CBI don't want brexit

[wing commander]

   Then it's not their lucky day because I'm dam sure they wont want the corporation and other tax rises Labour would hit them with either..

  However the  thread was more about the general apathy of the electorate to any of them rather than mud slinging at any one particular party.One thing that's shocked me is the percentages of people who have not even registered to vote for anybody which is really quite staggering

[tommy toes]

I've just watched Johnson waffling his way through. A young woman asked about engaging young people. He rambled on and on about infrastructure and technology.

[Donnywolf]

..... and I just read to tie your post and the OP together the figures of young people who HAVE NOT registered to Vote

I cant say I blame them but really they should be voting as it is there future. Climate change is a biggie for them (not for me at my age) similarly B****t is BIG and as we have seen REALLY BIG

They have a chance to make a point a statement a protest becasue if they dont they will be then saying "its all the oldies" who are resisting this that or the other again as they did with B****t

Easy to register - easier to Vote - come on DO IT NOW

[tommy toes]

.....and to add to your point John, Corbyn concentrated on climate change and the green industrial revolution.

[wing commander]

   I've got to be honest climate change isn't a real biggy for me either.On one hand it should be because its for my kids future and their kids future,on the other you look at the free for all in China,india and other countries like that and anything we do is hardly a drop in a puddle..

   Yes you could argue you have to start somewhere but until these continents come on board to the issue it wont change anybody's or the planets health...

[Glyn_Wigley]

   I've got to be honest climate change isn't a real biggy for me either.On one hand it should be because its for my kids future and their kids future,on the other you look at the free for all in China,india and other countries like that and anything we do is hardly a drop in a puddle..

   Yes you could argue you have to start somewhere but until these continents come on board to the issue it wont change anybody's or the planets health...

....which is all the more reason to keep banging on about it and not just throw your arms in the air and give up.

[River Don]

I don't think there is an example anywhere yet of a nation that has really successfully broken the link between economic growth and growing emissions. If just one can demonstrate it really can be done then it might make a difference.

Bush fires in Australia, California, Greece and Portugal. The destruction of the Bahamas, the typhoon in Japan. The intense heat in France and Central Europe. The intense cold snap in the US. Even here, extraordinary winter flooding and fires on the moors above us in the summer. It's clear, climatic warming leading to ever more intense weather events. One thing is sure it's only going to be worse and we can only expect more of it. It's sure because global emissions continue to rise every year.

I don't think the Tories take it at all seriously and I don't think industrial revolutions can be green. I just see complacency everywhere.

[i_ateallthepies]

It's precisely the fact that the rest are lagging that presents an enormous business opportunity for those that grasp it and develop groundbreaking solutions.  True, nothing we do will make a massive difference but sure as eggs is eggs, when the shit hits the fan and the ever increasing weather disasters create the climate for change (see what I did there?) amongst the most powerful nations we'd be in the box seat to sell them remedies.  Probably be too late by then but it's coming whatever we think.

[bpoolrover]

Unfortunately the younger ones are not really interested in politics as most of us probably were not at that age, some of the issue is they watch pm questions etc. And see supposedly grown ups shouting and making stupid noises for 2 hours and not much else, I have2 kids at voting age and while they say they will vote many of there friends have no intention of, maybe they should bring politics more in to high school? Would be hard to be impartial I suppose thou

[wilts rover]

I would agree to some extend with the WC OP. A certain percentage of people are very actively engaged and involved with the GE - but a lot of people are not. I have seen it in the press and on radio phone ins too - people saying they don't know who they will vote for - or if they will even vote.

Personally I put it down to Brexit. Only around 40% of people actually have a strong opinion on Brexit, the rest are don't cares.

So I think Johnson has (accidentally?) hit on a great campaign strategy by focusing on Brexit. He is both appealling to his half of that 40% - whilst continuing to bore & disengage the other 60% so much that they wont vote against him.

He has caught the LD's into doing the same thing - they only have the other half of the 40% to appeal too.

Which is Labour's challenge. Can they get the conversation onto wider topics that the 60% care about to engage them and get them to turn out? That's the big challenge as I see it.

[SydneyRover]

   Then it's not their lucky day because I'm dam sure they wont want the corporation and other tax rises Labour would hit them with either..

  However the  thread was more about the general apathy of the electorate to any of them rather than mud slinging at any one particular party.One thing that's shocked me is the percentages of people who have not even registered to vote for anybody which is really quite staggering

Sorry WC trying to do too many things at the same time, didn't deliberately want to drag thread off topic SR

[Donnywolf]

It is REALLY a pity that the younger generation are not "into" the Political scene as it is there futures

What did that adage used to be ? We dont pass the world on to the young we are actually borrowing it from them

Anyway I sympathise with them because i had better things to do as well at that age and was not politically aware for many a year after I could legally vote. Some would say I am still not ! Ironically it was the Referendum in 75/6 which alerted my interest

I voted Leave and spent years until I found someone who had voted Remain (or Join) even though there were twice as many Remainers than Leavers

Dont know if we would be right to introduce compulsory voting. We did it to death on a different thread but not sure it was conclusive either way

[SydneyRover]

I would hope that the massive XR rallies and protest have got the message through to vote for a party likely to give a shit.

[bpoolrover]

Not sure it would be right dw, they had a politics club at my kids school, you even got out of lessons at time and there were 8 members the school has nearly 2k students there is not the interest or teaching available