Differences in political terms. UK v U.S.

[Refugee]

Liberal: A definition of a liberal in the UK would be a socialist, forever worrying about everyone else and everyone having to do something- a sort of Kumbaya person. (A Pelosi type).

‘Old’ Labour would concentrate on class interests. (Marxists and left over revolutionaries). Possibly a Reid, who we’d call a ‘champagne socialist’, (we’ll look after you).

Conservative, would be a bit like your Regan, individuality, low taxes, smaller government . . .

We had center, center left and center right, not fifty shades of grey. That changed around the mid-nineties. Old Labour became New Labour and also proposes cut-backs and less spending and both have become progressive. There’s less of a concentration on ‘workers’ from Labour, (there aren’t many anymore) and more on poverty and welfare issues. Reid for example, would be Old Labour.
Our politics, much like the U.S. are cyclic. Labour get in and spend like there’s no tomorrow. Every post war Labour government in the U.K has left office with the UK near bankrupt.

“The liberal Left was in charge of the government for 13 years and by the end had come close to destroying Britain. There was only one comfort: the scale of the disaster was so great that even members of its elite now admit the scale of their errors.”

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/peteroborne/100127372/in-every-area-of-our-public-life-the-left-is-losing-the-argument/ (http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/peteroborne/100127372/in-every-area-of-our-public-life-the-left-is-losing-the-argument/)


The Conservatives then come in, sort out the deficit with cut-backs and then Labour come in again and start to spend – and so it goes on. We are still very class conscious and although there’s not much difference between the two main parties now, people still see politics as workers v middle class/wealthy.


As an aside; some questions I’ve been asked in China that made me think twice.

Statement. We don’t have all these ‘leaders’ in the west, we can do what we individually like.

Q. Why?

Thinks. Bernie Madoff, Wall Street bankers and collapsed economies


Q. Do you have flag raising ceremonies in the UK?

Thinks. No, it might offend someone. Millions are more likely to burn a flag than stand to attention before it.


Q. Why do you pay people not to work?

Thinks. Change the subject. :smiley:

[Germanicus]

Chinese society encourages personal responsibility more than western society. They cannot afford a welfare state and are not fans of charity. This should come as no great shock. The Welfare State is a capitalist idea. Communists never wanted to pay unemployed people to sit around doing nothing. This was the idea of western 'social democrats'.

And I agree there is no real difference between traditional parties. In Australia the Liberal Party are an extension of the Tory party and our Labor is an extension of your Labour party. I have no idea why the Australian 'labor' party uses American English to spell Labor. It is stupid.

To me the US politics is just idiotic. It is bad enough that our major parties are almost the same but this is due to the fact that we have a Welfare State and have alleviated extreme poverty. Our societies treat poor people much better that are in need. the idea of temporary unemployment to Austrlians would be cold and idiotic. This would just create lots of homeless people and criminals right?

The conservatives in Australia and England are not anti-state fanatics like the 'libertarian' freaks of the USA. This is the biggest difference to me. US conservatives are anti-State 'free market' fanatics.

US politics is also WWE-like. No other part of the world has such immature and ridiculous politics.

edit- England gave the world Responsible Government. England. I wonder why the USA is seen as the inventor of democracy. It is nonsense. England gave the world Responsible Government.

edit- Republicans and Democrats are a duopoly that works together. They may seem far apart on wedge issues but they work for the same class and make gains for the same class. And as far as left parties go, the US democrats must be the most right-wing party on earth. They engage in minority politics and court unions but they could not care less about the poor and working class citizens of America. The fact that they claim Obamacare to be for the poor when it is actually all for helping corporations is disgusting. The Democrats are the most vile and worthless political party on earth.

[Refugee]

It wasn’t meant as a tirade against Americans, just explaining the differences. I’m sure they’re as confused with my definition of liberal as I am with theirs.

The Chinese have a ‘welfare’ system, but one that would just about keep you from starving to death. Plenty of labour camps though. Those also in managerial positions or the intellectuals are routinely sent out to plant trees or work on farms for short periods, (not foreigners), to remind them against the dangers of thinking themselves somehow elitist. Seems to be the opposite in the west, where the intellectuals think of excuses for some not to work and others to pay for them.