Onze site gebruikt cookies om diensten te leveren, prestaties te verbeteren, voor analyse en (indien je niet ingelogd bent) voor advertenties. Door LibraryThing te gebruiken erken je dat je onze Servicevoorwaarden en Privacybeleid gelezen en begrepen hebt. Je gebruik van de site en diensten is onderhevig aan dit beleid en deze voorwaarden.
The 2015 election result was a disappointment for almost everyone on the progressive wing of British politics, at least in England and Wales. A shock for Labour, which had expected to capitalise on unpopular austerity measures; a disaster for the Liberal Democrats, who now face a struggle for survival; and a frustration for the Greens, who saw their membership and average share of the vote rise significantly, but failed to add to their one parliamentary seat. By the 2020 election, the Conservatives will have led the British government for all but thirteen of the previous forty-one years. And the outlook for those holding progressive political opinions in the next general election is not auspicious, particularly against the backdrop of likely boundary changes that will make it very difficult for Labour to gain a majority in the future. However, beyond Westminster, there is evidence to suggest that there could be a majority for the progressives in 2020 if only the mechanics were in place for it to happen. The Alternative is a collection of essays that makes the case for a new, plural, radical politics.These essays, from a very broad range of politicians and civil society experts, set out a base of core values around which progressives can unite, proposing a number of big policy ideas that embody those values and, crucially, setting out an urgently needed new form of politics to achieve them.… (meer)
Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden.
▾Discussies (Over links)
Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek.
▾Besprekingen door leden
I am old enough to have been involved in politics in the early 1980's when, the creation of the SDP gave hope of both proportional representation and a real break in our two party political system. Despite taking a huge chunk of votes, the SDP never achieved the break through and things eventually returned to the old confrontational style. This lead me to start this book with a health dose of scepticism; the only new kids on the political block are UKIP, a party almost unbelievably, to the right of the Conservative Party. Labour, the largest of the centre left parties, is doing its best to tear itself to pieces and the government are moving the goalposts in terms of boundary changes before the next election: surely, the Conservatives are going to lead for many years to come.
Gradually, as I read the various contributors, my attitude began to change. If, and it is a big if, the left leaning parties can learn to work together, we could put a cohesive alternative to Conservative 'austerity for the poor and riches for the rich' policy. There has only been one election, since WW II, at which the right have received over fifty per cent of the vote. At the same time, they have formed the government for a great amount of time than anyone else, largely thanks to the infighting of leftist groups.
It is incredible to think that we are currently suffering a Conservative government when the party received 24.3% of the electorate's votes. This cannot be correct. It is fine and dandy to talk of 'strong government' but, where has this supposed strength taken us? We are slipping, year by year, further down the list of best countries in which to live. Our finances become more perilous - even as the ordinary working person becomes less and less well paid. We now have record numbers of full time working people claiming benefits, just to keep their heads above water. Where is any evidence that this 'medicine' is leading to a brighter tomorrow for any but the already very rich?
Members of political parties tend to be protective of their own party and venom is often more viscously aimed at a group with whom they share some views as opposed to the outright opposition. It is going to take considerable selling to get many members to accept any agreement, particularly as Labour are so much the larger grouping in parliament; at least in part, due to the vagaries of first past the post politics. On the other hand, there is a growing acceptance that, if we don't do something, we will have a prolonged period of Conservative rule and will lose, amongst other things, our beloved NHS.
I am still to be fully convinced, but this book has taken me some way along the road. ( )
The 2015 election result was a disappointment for almost everyone on the progressive wing of British politics, at least in England and Wales. A shock for Labour, which had expected to capitalise on unpopular austerity measures; a disaster for the Liberal Democrats, who now face a struggle for survival; and a frustration for the Greens, who saw their membership and average share of the vote rise significantly, but failed to add to their one parliamentary seat. By the 2020 election, the Conservatives will have led the British government for all but thirteen of the previous forty-one years. And the outlook for those holding progressive political opinions in the next general election is not auspicious, particularly against the backdrop of likely boundary changes that will make it very difficult for Labour to gain a majority in the future. However, beyond Westminster, there is evidence to suggest that there could be a majority for the progressives in 2020 if only the mechanics were in place for it to happen. The Alternative is a collection of essays that makes the case for a new, plural, radical politics.These essays, from a very broad range of politicians and civil society experts, set out a base of core values around which progressives can unite, proposing a number of big policy ideas that embody those values and, crucially, setting out an urgently needed new form of politics to achieve them.
Google Books — Bezig met laden...
(4)
1
Gradually, as I read the various contributors, my attitude began to change. If, and it is a big if, the left leaning parties can learn to work together, we could put a cohesive alternative to Conservative 'austerity for the poor and riches for the rich' policy. There has only been one election, since WW II, at which the right have received over fifty per cent of the vote. At the same time, they have formed the government for a great amount of time than anyone else, largely thanks to the infighting of leftist groups.
It is incredible to think that we are currently suffering a Conservative government when the party received 24.3% of the electorate's votes. This cannot be correct. It is fine and dandy to talk of 'strong government' but, where has this supposed strength taken us? We are slipping, year by year, further down the list of best countries in which to live. Our finances become more perilous - even as the ordinary working person becomes less and less well paid. We now have record numbers of full time working people claiming benefits, just to keep their heads above water. Where is any evidence that this 'medicine' is leading to a brighter tomorrow for any but the already very rich?
Members of political parties tend to be protective of their own party and venom is often more viscously aimed at a group with whom they share some views as opposed to the outright opposition. It is going to take considerable selling to get many members to accept any agreement, particularly as Labour are so much the larger grouping in parliament; at least in part, due to the vagaries of first past the post politics. On the other hand, there is a growing acceptance that, if we don't do something, we will have a prolonged period of Conservative rule and will lose, amongst other things, our beloved NHS.
I am still to be fully convinced, but this book has taken me some way along the road. (