A Conclusion on day modern politics

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 The Ice Doctor 01 Mar 2018

It works on these principles:

1) Poisoning the well –  presenting adverse information about a target person with the intention of discrediting everything that the target person says.

 

2) Abusive fallacy– verbally abusing the opponent rather than arguing about the originally proposed argument.

 

???????3) Tone policing – focusing on emotion behind (or resulting from) a message rather than the message itself as a discrediting tactic.

 

4) Appeal to authority – an assertion is deemed true because of the position or authority of the person asserting it

 

5) Appeal to fear – an argument is made by increasing fear and prejudice towards the opposing side

 

6) Wishful thinking - a decision is made according to what might be pleasing to imagine, rather than according to evidence or reason. We will all be better off.

 

7) Manipulation of the mass media - appeal to the masses

 

8) Lies - claim that is presented as true without support, as self-evidently true, or as dogmatically true. This fallacy relies on the implied expertise of the speaker or on an unstated truism. Propositions are claimed to be true or good solely because majority or many people believe it to be so.

 

 e.g. £250 million pounds and a red bus.

 

9) Fallacy of relative privation  – dismissing an argument or complaint due to the existence of more important problems in the world, regardless of whether those problems bear relevance to the initial argument. For example : Immigration

 

10) Straw man fallacy – an argument based on misrepresentation of an opponent's position. e.g The man is a spy.

 

 

Have I missed any?

 

2
Clauso 01 Mar 2018
In reply to The Ice Doctor:

You've missed £100m on the side of the bus, for starters...

3
 Andy Hardy 01 Mar 2018
In reply to The Ice Doctor:

Have you missed the part where the only people who can change a government are those living in marginal constituencies?

And the only people who can choose our next PM are the <200k Tories?

Edited to add: I don't really know the exact number of Tory party members there are, because they won't divulge.

Post edited at 17:33
1
 krikoman 01 Mar 2018
In reply to Andy Hardy:

> Have you missed the part where the only people who can change a government are those living in marginal constituencies?

> And the only people who can choose our next PM are the <200k Tories?

> Edited to add: I don't really know the exact number of Tory party members there are, because they won't divulge.


Sadly you're right, I've never lived in a marginal seat so my vote has never "meant" anything.

Unfortunately, I can't see full PR working in the UK, there doesn't seem to be any will to work together in any party, and I suppose their philosophies are diametrically opposed so it's bound to be difficult.

MPs aren't really answerable for their actions either.

2
 balmybaldwin 01 Mar 2018
In reply to Andy Hardy:

They have less every day judging by the half mast flag at the local golf club

 DaveHK 01 Mar 2018
In reply to The Ice Doctor:

How much of that list is actually modern? Lots of those tactics have been around since antiquity!

Post edited at 22:53
 stevieb 01 Mar 2018
In reply to The Ice Doctor:

I think one of the biggest modern principles is the 51% rule. 

Politicians make little effort to represent all the people or unite the nation, they just try to appeal to 51% and happily demonise others (shirkers, the bankers, metropolitan elite) to achieve this

In reply to stevieb:

That's a v astute comment, that I fear is shockingly true.

1
 BnB 02 Mar 2018
In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

+ 2

A sad state of affairs. It's only recently that I voted against an alternative voting system but I've since come round to the view that coalition would be (and indeed was) significantly better than a system that bestows unrepresentative power on one party or another.

Thanks for the PM by the way.

 jethro kiernan 02 Mar 2018
In reply to The Ice Doctor:

You forgot demonising other elements that make up a democracy ie “experts”

the civil service

judges

experts

unions

The education establishment 

 

 

 

Post edited at 07:55
Andrew Kin 02 Mar 2018
In reply to The Ice Doctor:

TBH you are just as bad as the politicians.  Breaking it down into subsectors of influences.  I bet there are people much more qualified than you sitting in the offices of Labour and Conservatives doing exactly the same thing to determine where best to target.

Why not tell it straight.  Its outright lies and broken promises to the public to win popularity and maintain control.  They all do it and the better ones are the ones who succeed.

I don't do popularity contests and I realised in the last few years its downright corruption to the highest level, even if those involved don't realise it.

 SuperstarDJ 02 Mar 2018
In reply to stevieb:

> I think one of the biggest modern principles is the 51% rule. 

> Politicians make little effort to represent all the people or unite the nation, they just try to appeal to 51% and happily demonise others (shirkers, the bankers, metropolitan elite) to achieve this

Not even that many.  Labour had a 35% strategy in 2015 reasoning that this would be enough to allow them to form a government.

Both main parties are working hard to deepen divides and entrench prejudices around ideological lines and to shore up their support rather than reaching out to build a consensus. 

Post edited at 12:17

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