Are the UK electorate out of touch with reality?

"leftie" pops up here all the time ..surely its not leftie to want people treated with respect ,I read this morning about a woman who is disabled by a few illnesses including blind in one eye and heart problems ..she's had he electic wheelchair taken off her..so now she'll be confined to four walls as she cant walk any distance .I dont know about the rest of you but I'm bloody ashamed to live in a "country" that treats people this way

Thank you folks, many fascinating comments. From my perception you are all doing a great job by at least airing your own views and making people think.
That in its self is an achievement, I am afraid this old codger gets rather concerned about the apathy in our society and the little thought a bought the future of our young people and attitudes from many politicians that we know what is best and it is a waste of time consulting with the electorate, we prefer to listen to the lobbyists and the City.

Please do keep up the debates, but with a little more consideration for future generations needs and desires.

James

Could you define what you regard as "reality", please, James? I've a feeling that there will be a range of views about it, just as there is about everything else.

There is an argument that it's because of elitists calling people stupid, deplorable, right-wing, hard right, etc that people have, in effect, told the elitists to go boil their heads. We can't demand respect and then not respect people we disagree with.

So who do you think are the elitists thatbags? It seems to me it's a fairly meaningless term.

Whitewave I don't agree that political illiteracy 'boils down to inequality and poverty' it may be a part if it, but I think the greater part of it is more that people ( generally) are just not interested in politics as a subject, it comes very low down on their radar.
Inequality and poverty in the UK (compared to the past, and we all know that povery now is not what was classed as poverty in the past) is low.Education for all
Has eradicated a great deal of inequality.
You are either interested in politics or you are not.....most people are not.

The term is being used of some politicians and experts of various flavours, dd, e.g. those who call people who vote for someone they dislike as "deplorables" or "stupid" or "far right" when, in reality, they are not those things.

I say in reality because, for instance, on the one hand you have a philosopher, A.C.Grayling, who thinks the Brexit vote was/is a disaster and another philosopher of equal intellectual standing, Roger Scruton, who admires the guts of people who voted for Brexit. Both can argue their case eloquently. So what is the 'reality'? Probably somewhere in the middle, as usual.

Oooh err! Asking Grayling or Scruton "What is reality?" would be interesting.

I've been claiming for ages that "left" and "right" are meaningless in current politics, but I guess I'm not an intellectual like either of those two, so nobody takes any notice.

I'm fairly sure that I've never called anybody who voted Leave deplorable or stupid, although I think some of the people behind the manipulation of public opinion are deplorable - they're certainly not stupid.

Who are the 'elite'? and what have they done to upset the middle classes?

And does this apply in the UK too?

Thank you Anya. I'm going out,so I'll have a think about the article in more depth later.

I see what seems to be happening as a battle between different elites - like a Medieval battle between kings.

It seems that there is a powerful group (of mainly men), who want to replace the current establishment. They seem to want to rip up protections and rights which the non-elite have gradually acquired over the centuries.

I would go further than the article, because I think the definition of those who are smeared as "elite" is much broader than the mega-wealthy and mega-powerful.

Are we all taking this too seriously?

DD your post reminded me of this Two Ronnies update sketch....see above.

I must try to find an article that I was skimming this morning. But in summary it was saying that it is possible that the years 1940s -1980s may be seen as an aberration, and in fact we are heading back to what is arguably a more normal economic and social reality. The state will do very little more than defence and other obsolutely necessary things - like educating the workforce to the bare minimum necessary. But everything we now or have in the immediate past taken for granted will disappear.

Interesting theory. Many on the hard right would undoubtedly agree.

I've heard that view before,*whitewave*. It was someone on a radio phonein, arguing that the only time the UK (and England especially) accepted socialist views was during and after WW2, when everyone was in the same boat. Then by 1980 it returned to the status quo of rule by the moneyed classes. It's only the composition of the moneyed classes that has changed.

Is it only me who thinks James 2451 is being just a tad patronising?

In all the vox pops I have heard since the election was called the voice of the population has been reasoned and remarkably hard-nosed. They may not know which party has which policy, but essentially most say, 'they promise the world and never deliver' and 'Yes, but how do they intend to pay for it all?'

Inthe end any extra taxation, whoever actually pays it, comes out of our pockets.

jugger its because we are women - but I can live with it.

I can't make head or tail of his last sentence! What did you mean, James?Do you think we're not considering future generations?

tricia if it does turn out to be true, then we are a blessed generation.

I cannot think of any generation in history that has been more fortunate. It would be a terrible indictment if we were seen in time as the generation which left the country, indeed the world in a much worse state.

Doing well aren't we?

Surely this election is about both Brexit and what policies are in store. I'm concerned about the best outcome for Brexit and the policies that will affect us all; the two aren't mutually exclusive.

No, Brexit is going to happen, no matter what. Don't kid yourself that Theresa May or Jeremy Corbyn would change that. Jeremy was always very anti-Europe as a back bencher, he only paid lip service to the 'remain' campaign as he was caught between his conviction and political expediency. Theresa May was very quick to throw her hat into the ring after Brexit when Cameron jumped ship so her 'remain' convictions were soon cast aside.

So don't fool yourself this is about Brexit. It's about power and how our country will be governed over the next 5 years. Yes, Mrs May wants her 'mandate' but that is more power. I personally don't believe a word she says. Reduce unrestricted immigration? Not possible for at least the next 4-5 years, and besides she's promised that before, often! How about protecting workers rights? Yes, a year off without pay to look after a relative ....don't all rush at once will you!

Policies that affect us. She says schools have never been so well funded. really? Well that's about to end......

I don't trust her, I don't believe her and I don't think she's up to the job.

schools have never been so well funded Well apparently not according to what George Osborne has apparently written in an editorial in the ES. Now in his new incarnation you could be forgiven thinking he'd was an interested observer in what had gone on during the Coalition and not the instigator of austerity policies.