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Garryck, rather than beiong defensive, maybe you could address the very valid points I made in my first post? That'd be good training for an aspiring politician!

And shouldn't you be out campaigning, or on a more mainstream forum, where people might be more inclined to listen to you? Why on earth are you targeting a forum for postgrad students, who are at best uninterested and at worst antipathetic to your ideas?

Right, I've got work to do and am disengaging from this conversation.

The thing is, Britain is not a democracy in any substantive way. Our legislature (and the administration drawn from it) relies on an majoritarian constituency system that elects politicians on the basis of them representing their constituency. Arguably, although this is a system that has come about through evolution and so has no overarching design, political parties (including yours if it was elected) represent a corruption of the way in which this system of representation operates by requiring an MP to vote in line with the rest of the party. In that sense, then, your attempt to get into power through the party system, and your promise not to substantively reform the electoral system, means that you are doomed either to failure in your aims when you get into power or, much more likely, electoral failure.


Hmm, having just read your first message about X Factor style policies I feel that I've wasted my time. I mean, seriously? You think that the way to deal with apathy is to lower the requirements to get involved in politics? It would end up with an uninformed populace voting on issues they don't understand every week, instead of just every 5 years.

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Great money making scheme Garryck, you could be the 'Simon Cowell' of the political World.. You could hold auditions for aspiring MPs across the UK. The ones with the best policies could come on your show and explain them to a much wider audience and after they finish boring everyone to death (if anyone is still alive) he/she can text in YES or NO as to whether this person stays in or not. After the preliminaries, the quarter finals and the semi finals have taken place, the finalists can then get involved in an intense political debate so as the audience can judge "WHO HAS THE GREATEST POLICIES!!! (said in a very slow deep voice)

I can imagine this show will have extremely high ratings.. just like the parliament channel on Sky Television..

Garryck, you could host your show with Nick griffin, that will without a doubt boost your ratings.

omg i have so many issues with these few statements.... firstly, if as you say politics has been reduced to catchy slogans, then any wonder many people have become so apathetic to politics and politicians. Politics is what should be governing the country and to have it reduced to a selection of soundbites that have no meaning is a very dangerous state of affairs.
As to the PM being the one in charge....I see at least one serious candidate for this years election who doesn't even know what he thinks himself and appears to all intents and purposes to be the puppet that the party controls. He just repeats whatever his party has told him to believe in. No credibility there then.
Lastly, you say you've set out honestly what you will do....I appreciate that, because now I know without a shadow of a doubt that you are a candidate/party that I hope never to see in parliament, poor even as it is at the moment, this 'x-factor' style running of the country would be laughable if it wasn't disturbingly similar to how policies are drawn up and implemented already.

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Dear Students

Is there anybody who would be able to help me in my campaigning in Colchester.
From the comments posted so far I will be surprised to get any kind of positive
response. If the views so far from some of the replies I have received is anything
to go by then young people from your University have little interest in a better
country or world that is a shame. (In fact I am shocked) I have taught young people
to drive for over twenty years and they have always been the most open minded
and liberated group in society.

Garryck PPc Colchester

Ok, I deleted my last comment because I didn't want to be unkind. But now you've really riled me!

So Garryck, your definition of open-minded is what? That people agree with you and tell you how terribly right you are?! Why yes, what a sound definition.

"Your university" - we're not "a" university, we represent a range of institutions worldwide. Know thine audience.

"no interest in a better world", no Garryck, most people on here are incredibly dedicated to the pursuit of a better world, hence slaving away at research every damn day for less than a minimum wage. We're not supporting your policies for the simple reason that we do not view them as any kind of realistic route to a better world, it's not apathy, it's a whole-hearted disagreement.

Please tout your theories elsewhere, you're not getting anything from this (except perhaps troll-esque debate) and you have no relevance to this forum in the first place.

ps - text speak is barely respected in a light-hearted post, in political argument it's downright embarrassing.

@ Teek

Hear, hear! You beat me to it, well said (sir?).

lady!
and you're quite bang on there Teek! if our original poster can't take a bit of healthy criticism and debate from us poor folk I truly think we've nothing to worry about...except the state of affairs if this is the current type of up and coming candidate....oops, maybe I'm being mean! I'll step out now!

As Algaequeen says, in the word of that nattily hatted comedian...

I'm a lady!

I understand that the beard can be a little confusing though ;-)

I said I wasn't going to participate in this thread anymore, but am now really annoyed. Garryck, you've shown us your defensiveness, and now your condescension. Not everyone on this forum is a 'young person' - in fact, there's lots of us who are older here. You can't simply dismiss us because you think we're young. What sort of a politician are you anyway, who is unable to engage in proper debate and just insults us??? As I said in my last post, if you could address the very valid concerns I raised in my first post about why I don't think your scheme would work, then I might listen to you.

Sue, I think you just described the average politician...

No offence meant Garryck, but ths is not the best platform for your recruitment drive. Good luck.

Garryck, garryck, garryck. I am a little disappointed to be honest. I understand you are passionate about wanting to make change but insulting us has just lost us, myself included.

I do wish you well, genuinely, but maybe it's time to find a new audience.

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============= Edited by a Moderator =============
inappropriate content

Traditionally speaking, the concept of "good" and how to achieve a good (or better) world have been the centrepieces of political debate. It is not simply the case that because you think you stand for change (although I fail to see substantive policy evidence of this, more vacuous catchphrases) you are necessarily a force for good and for the creation of a better world. If anything it seems your ripping off of political ideas from Simon Cowell (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/dec/14/cowell-plans-political-x-factor) would lead to a far worse world and for the vast majority of intelligent people to disagree with your ill-thought-out ideas.

I just noticed tht in the original post you put BSc Law at the bottom. There seems no real reason for this - I can only think you wish to impress us with your educational achievements. I'll tell you what. I'll match your BSc Law with a BA Politics and I'll raise you a MA International Relations.

Anyone else want to add their qualifications to this thread?