Classify me!

Starchild · May 6, 2003, 12:49

Lordy I'm boredy...

Give me a political philosophy. Take my social, economic, and political views and point me in the direction of who best fits them. I want to be labelled dammit, this being an individual is too much work.

Short Term Beliefs

There is as much logic to have trade barriers between countries as there is to have trade barriers between neighbouring towns. Trade should be free.

In keeping with the above belief, why restrict movement from, say Turkey to England any more than you restrict movement from Wales to England? Free movement of trade and capital has to be accompianed by free movement of labour.

Central banks should be independent from government and their decision making processes as transparent as the air.

Governments should be elected by a fair and just voting system. Power should be decentralised to the nearest most logical level (which may on occassion mean moving power up from national governments to, say, the European or UN level).

Companies should be run on ethical guidelines and pay their employees a livable wage. Corporate subsidies should be suspended and industries deregulated. Exceptions include healthcare and education, which should be free to use, and public ownership of a broadcaster that's objective and not beholden to corporate or government interests (have I mentioned I love C4 and the BBC?

)

Pollution should be taxed. Heavily. Renewable sources of energy should be given priority. Organic farming good, sensible GM farming good. The two should be combined for maximum effectiveness.

Science good. R&D shouldn't be based on profit motive or military applications but the sheer discovery. I want to see the culture of science, free sharing of information and peer review, codified into law. Copyrights should be short term protections and we're going to honestly have a discussion if current copyright concepts concerning media are meaningful any longer.

There should be an independent commission that decides on the pay of politicians. I'm tired of seeing MP's vote for their own pay increases.

Long Term Beliefs

Workers should own and operate their businesses in co-operatives. Government should become more responsive to the wishes of its electorate via the ability for recall and average wages. Government should withdraw, letting the worker owned coops and other voluntary/local organisations run things.

Colonise Mars. And the Moon. And the asteroid belt.

GM engineering of human germ lines acceptable for disease elimination.

Nanotechnology good. The Grey Goo luddites can stuff it.

Nanotechnology may be necessary for my utopian dream of humanity: society run by voluntary, cooperative organisations with people encouraged to explore their individuality with the only law being the Golden One. Maybe even a phasing out of the money economy in exchange for a reputation economy once nanotech makes concepts like poverty, want, and need irrevelant.

loinburger · May 6, 2003, 12:57

You are a Meat Popsicle. Welcome aboard.

Arrian · May 6, 2003, 13:11

"I am a meat popsicle"

I love that line.

As for a classification, Starchild, you're a dreamer.

Quote:

...society run by voluntary, cooperative organisations with people encouraged to explore their individuality with the only law being the Golden One

-Arrian

Boris Godunov · May 6, 2003, 13:31

Easy - You are a ho cake.

I didn't even need to read that long-winded opening post to see that, duuuuh.

faded glory · May 6, 2003, 13:33

lmao Meat popsicile

Wittlich · May 6, 2003, 14:22

A. Meat Popsicle
B. Ho Cake
C. Dancing Queen
D. All of the Above

Answer: "D" - All of the Above.

VJ · May 6, 2003, 14:27

Quote:

A. Meat Popsicle
B. Ho Cake
C. Dancing Queen
D. All of the Above

Great! We've come up with options - now post a poll so we could be 100% sure!

Drogue · May 6, 2003, 14:42

Quote:

Originally posted by Starchild
Short Term Beliefs

There is as much logic to have trade barriers between countries as there is to have trade barriers between neighbouring towns. Trade should be free.

In keeping with the above belief, why restrict movement from, say Turkey to England any more than you restrict movement from Wales to England? Free movement of trade and capital has to be accompianed by free movement of labour.

Central banks should be independent from government and their decision making processes as transparent as the air.

Governments should be elected by a fair and just voting system. Power should be decentralised to the nearest most logical level (which may on occassion mean moving power up from national governments to, say, the European or UN level).

Companies should be run on ethical guidelines and pay their employees a livable wage. Corporate subsidies should be suspended and industries deregulated. Exceptions include healthcare and education, which should be free to use, and public ownership of a broadcaster that's objective and not beholden to corporate or government interests (have I mentioned I love C4 and the BBC?

)

Pollution should be taxed. Heavily. Renewable sources of energy should be given priority. Organic farming good, sensible GM farming good. The two should be combined for maximum effectiveness.

Science good. R&D shouldn't be based on profit motive or military applications but the sheer discovery. I want to see the culture of science, free sharing of information and peer review, codified into law. Copyrights should be short term protections and we're going to honestly have a discussion if current copyright concepts concerning media are meaningful any longer.

There should be an independent commission that decides on the pay of politicians. I'm tired of seeing MP's vote for their own pay increases.

I agree with almost every word of that, with the exception that I have a slightly stronger belief in copyright law (to help innovation) and have little problem with MPs wages, as they aren't actually that high IMHO. Other than that, pretty much exactly the same.

Quote:

Originally posted by Starchild
Long Term Beliefs

Workers should own and operate their businesses in co-operatives. Government should become more responsive to the wishes of its electorate via the ability for recall and average wages. Government should withdraw, letting the worker owned coops and other voluntary/local organisations run things.

Colonise Mars. And the Moon. And the asteroid belt.

GM engineering of human germ lines acceptable for disease elimination.

Nanotechnology good. The Grey Goo luddites can stuff it.

Nanotechnology may be necessary for my utopian dream of humanity: society run by voluntary, cooperative organisations with people encouraged to explore their individuality with the only law being the Golden One. Maybe even a phasing out of the money economy in exchange for a reputation economy once nanotech makes concepts like poverty, want, and need irrevelant.

I agree with the strong science basis, that santitiy of life is not as important as curing disease, in some cases. I would probably go a little further on that. The last bit is dreaming, and would be great (have you read elijah's Mill Limit idea on the OTF?) but as an ideal, I quite like. I am less hot on worker control of things, and more on market forces, but I agree that government, especially our Labour one, should take more of a backseat.

Personally, I would consider myself partly Utilitarian (belief in doing things for the maximum happiness) with part of Mill's belief that Liberty creates the most happiness, so part (small part) Libertarian. And I vote Lib Dem.

Which political parties do you agree with? WHat are your views on legalisation of drugs, on the Euro and Europe, and on pacifism and war, among other things. Who do you vote for?

The Templar · May 6, 2003, 15:05

I want to be stereotyped
I want to be classified
I want to be a clone
I want a suburban home!
Suburban Home!
Suburban Home!
Suburban Home!

Starchild · May 6, 2003, 15:12

I vote LibDem but if the Greens ran a local candidate, I'd be tempted to vote for them. I support decriminalisation of pot, currently reading studies about E.

I think the UK should continue devolution with more local powers being handed to the Scottish Parliament, Northern Irish Assembly, the Welsh Assembly (oneday, maybe, the Welsh Parliament), and local English regions. I consider the passing of Parliamentary power sideways to the Law Lords an excellent move cause it establishes a legal check on Westminster's power.

In economic terms, I think the current structure of the ECB and the Growth and STability Pact need reforming but that the UK should join the euro (this is one of those "pass power up where needed".) I like the European "Idea" and favour a Confederation of European states rather than a federal superstate.

I think the military is, currently, a necessary evil. I supported the Afghan War, don't support the Iraq Invasion. I think war should be the last resort and I'm kinda tired with UK foreign policy being so heavily influenced by America.

Japher · May 6, 2003, 15:13

Your a Red diapper doper babby...

Drogue · May 6, 2003, 15:40

Quote:

Originally posted by Starchild
I vote LibDem but if the Greens ran a local candidate, I'd be tempted to vote for them. I support decriminalisation of pot, currently reading studies about E.

Wow, exactly what I did (we had one local Green candidate, so voted that and Lib Dem) I think that gives you your political classification, if you want to. You're part Libertarian (legalising drugs, and devolution) and part greenie (decentralisation and pollution controls)

Quote:

Originally posted by Starchild
I think the UK should continue devolution with more local powers being handed to the Scottish Parliament, Northern Irish Assembly, the Welsh Assembly (oneday, maybe, the Welsh Parliament), and local English regions. I consider the passing of Parliamentary power sideways to the Law Lords an excellent move cause it establishes a legal check on Westminster's power.

Again, I agree completely. Although Lord Irvine isn't the best, nor most scrupulous person to be a check on Westminsters power. However the idea is great

Quote:

Originally posted by Starchild
In economic terms, I think the current structure of the ECB and the Growth and STability Pact need reforming but that the UK should join the euro (this is one of those "pass power up where needed".) I like the European "Idea" and favour a Confederation of European states rather than a federal superstate.

I agree with that too. Although the biggest European failing is the attrocious Common Agricultural Policy. We spend over half the EU budget (total budget about 100 Billion Euros, with about 10-15 Billion from the UK) on subsidising farmers ineffeciency, who they dump it on the thirst world. If we remove that, we spend less subsidising (mostly French) farmers, and help the 3rd world, mostly primary economies no end.

Quote:

Originally posted by Starchild
I think the military is, currently, a necessary evil. I supported the Afghan War, don't support the Iraq Invasion. I think war should be the last resort and I'm kinda tired with UK foreign policy being so heavily influenced by America.

Again, I agree completely.

I think you are definatly part libertarian, part greenie and part centrist (Very much a green Lib Dem person) You don't really fir any one catagory exactly, but then very few actually do. Being a Lib Dem, you're probably seen as a Liberal in many senses, but I doub't that is completely true for everything. As for philosophy, that all depends on who you've read and agree with, and what you think for the future. That isn't my area, while I know I'm mostly a untilitarian, I wouldn't know enough to say what anyone else is. Hope this helps.

Starchild · May 6, 2003, 15:44

OMG. Drogue and I are the same person.

Drogue · May 6, 2003, 15:48

It rather scared me, but it's good. At least I know I'm not the only one who is like that politically

As for future values, I think we differ a bit there, but not by that much.

Buck Birdseed · May 6, 2003, 15:54

Well, the only party with both "Libertarian" and "Green" in its name is, of course...

Er, seriously, you might want to check out the Green ideology a bit more. Although they're generally more anti-progress than you, they've got similar ideas about social sustainability and longevity.

Inverse Icarus · May 6, 2003, 15:56

awh, i come in here to make fun of a gay and i've been beaten to the punch.

Drogue · May 6, 2003, 16:00

Green's aren't all anti-progress. I wouldn't consider Joshcka Fischer and his Green party anti-progress necessarily, just that they aren't ruled by progress to the extent that much of the rightist parties aren't. They think other things matter more.

What is that flag? How can anything with a Swastika on it signify libertarianism?

Buck Birdseed · May 6, 2003, 16:03

It's the flag of the nuttiest party in the entirety of the US, the Libertarian National Socialist Green Party. Click the flag for their website.

Imran Siddiqui · May 6, 2003, 16:09

Quote:

OMG. Drogue and I are the same person.

DL! DL!

Drogue · May 6, 2003, 16:19

With that many posts each

Be a hell of a DL

Buck: Thanks, I wasn't aware that anyone in the US was a Greenie

Drogue · May 6, 2003, 16:22

Quote:

Green and Libertarian ideology with nationalism

Nationalism seems to be a big, if not the big, idea of theirs (hence the flag) and is something I am against, as Starchild seems, from his ideas about Europe. I'm still unnerved about the flag and url (www.nazi.org)

Youn notice that environmentalism is their 11th goal, of 11. Not the Greenist of parties.

That is, IMHO, the worst parts of Green and Libertarian ideology.

loinburger · May 6, 2003, 16:40

Dammit, man, now the Germans aren't allowed to view this thread!

Drogue · May 6, 2003, 17:01

Why not? Because of the nazi posting?

Opps