Trump has finally lost it.....

Whitewavemark

Big time. That is how it feels as a woman living in the US.

Hithere

Whitewavemark

Big time. That is how it feels as a woman living in the US.

So that is why the series (oh god senior moment) Canadian author about women’s suppression, seemed to so much touch a nerve with women, in the USA ?

Sorry, not familiar with that Canadian author.

I am a long- standing member of the Liberal Democrats.

Although I am probably to the left of the party, I started off as a member of the Liberal Party, whereas others of our generation might have started off as members of the SDP.

In the 1970s we returned from living abroad and settled in an area where there were only two political parties - the Conservatives and the Liberals. My husband had been active in the Liberals at university in the early sixties, whereas I had been a supporter of the Labour Party.

In the area where we settled, and still live, the Labour Party is virtually non-existant. The District Council has been LibDem for at least thirty-five years and they have done a very good job. The Countty Council has passed between Conservatives and LibDems and of course the LibDems have done a much better job than the Conservatives. The same is true of our MPs. We had an excellent LibDem MP for eighteen years until 2015 when he was succeeded by an appalling ERG member.

Unless, and until, we can achieve electoral reform based on PR, many voters have to vote pragmatically, as I first did when I cast my vote for the Liberal Party. Now when I cast my vote for the Liberal Democrats I do so on the basis of principle.

I’ll google it.

Got it

Margaret Atwood

The Handmaids Tale

Handmaid Tale. Margaret Attwood. It was written in the 1980s. I re read it last year and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up!

In the USA the republicans use "liberal" as a term of abuse.

Handmaids Tale.

Yes, this is the beginning.
Initiatives to change the restrictions in health insurance practices and eligibility, demonization of Planned Parenthood, elimination of abortion rights in many states, employers denying birth control coverage for their employees, etc.

Let's not start on having 0 common sense on school policies and covid.
It is not about putting children first, but controlling women.

How utterly depressing

We also have the determination of some of the Trans community to eliminate women as a 'sex' with distinct rights and protections..

I think I do understand what liberalism (classical liberalism anyhow) and libertarianism are, varian. It's the term neo-liberalism that I haven't understood yet.

Chambers Dictionary defines it as a political system that favours free-market economics within a liberal democracy.

If Trump is a neo-liberal that would suggest that he favours liberal democracy and yet just recently he has been accused of being anti-democratic because of his suggestion that the presidential election should be delayed. It can't be apparently so he would appear to be showing ignorance of the US constitution.

Neo-Liberalism is nothing to do with modern Liberals. It’s modern incarnation started in the Thatcher/Reagan era.

Very briefly it is an economic philosophy that believes in deregulation and that the “free market” should be extended to every part of public and personal life. The transfer of the State from the provider of public welfare and services to a promoter of markets and competition.

The beneficiaries are inevitably large corporate interests, and in societies that follow this model invariably the rich become richer and poor, poorer.

Which is the agenda of our Vote Leave Government

Of course varian, and we should not be surprised that a country like the USA elects the rich head of a huge business empire, rather than a politician, to be President.

Financial interests trump (ha ha) democracy every time.

Interesting that on the news they stated the economy improved and almost optimistic! Must be all that eat out to help out?. Money is certainly powerful. I must admit I've often had a little day dream about what it must be like to be Bill Gates. I do find the incredible wealth of Amazon Boss quite unnerving. Apparently during the pandemic on one day he made ten billion profit. I'm not sure how I feel about that,probably just sour grapes as an awful lot has been contributed by me ?. Finally government corruption in UK is trending on twitter. Havent read it yet though!

Bernie Sanders to introduce bill to tax billionaires during pandemic

nypost.com/2020/08/06/bernie-sanders-to-introduce-new-bill-to-tax-billionaires/

Just scrolled back varian and saw your post ^ I wonder how many people, even those who are interested in politics, ever understand these political terms^.

Just wondered if you meant me?

No, I certainly wasn't getting at you Greeneyedgirl nor anyone else in particular. I just believe that political theory is not well understood and the major influence on voting has been the attitudes and slogans pushed out by the vested interests of the popular press.

Greeneyedgirl

Just scrolled back varian and saw your post ^ I wonder how many people, even those who are interested in politics, ever understand these political terms^.

Just wondered if you meant me?

I doubt it. varian always posts in general terms.

She is right, though. Very few do understand these terms.

I think they turn people off, though. It's very hard to get any discussion going on here which involves political theory/philosophy. People prefer concrete to abstract...

MaizieD

Greeneyedgirl

Just scrolled back varian and saw your post ^ I wonder how many people, even those who are interested in politics, ever understand these political terms^.

Just wondered if you meant me?

I doubt it. varian always posts in general terms.

She is right, though. Very few do understand these terms.

I think they turn people off, though. It's very hard to get any discussion going on here which involves political theory/philosophy. People prefer concrete to abstract...

Abstract becomes concrete when exercised

varian

Liberalism has absolutely nothing in common with neo-liberalism or, for that matter with libertarianism,

I wonder how many people, even those who are interested in politics, ever understand these political terms.

I'm doing a FutureLearn course at the moment called "Propaganda and Ideology in Everyday Life". One of the points that has been made is how the idea of liberalism has changed over the years - and continues to change. In the UK, the nineteenth century Liberals were about free trade, whereas the Tories/Conservatives wanted protectionism to shield the farmers, who were their main voters.

The Democrats and the Republicans in the US have changed over the years too.

Among President Donald Trump's attacks, he claimed that Joe Biden, is "against God," even though Biden himself frequently discusses how his Catholic faith has guided his actions as a public official.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qZLtUFM80s

A Trump campaign ad used doctored photos of Biden

www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3TysJF0rMg

What is wrong with Trump supporters who seem to want believe blatant untruths and condone misrepresentation?

Another thought about Mike Pence. He is two faced supporting a president who has no religious beliefs, who has committed adultery and whichever other Commandments Trump has broken. And Pence calls himself a Christian.

I'm live and let live so far as faith or no faith is concerned. Maybe I'm not because I struggle with extremes. It seems that in the USA potential presidential candidates are under pressure to confirm they are Christian and oppose abortion. Well that seems the case currently