To think that between Biscuitgate and Question Time.....

[Mamazonabroomstick]

we have proved that the British public are ignorant to real polictical discussion?

WE have the PM on here for an hour, despite the many intellignt well considered questions the one that gets the headlines is about a biscuit.
Dick Griffin goes onto a polictal debate show and rather than question his policies and some of the things printed in his party manifesto they allow him to play the victim and escape all real debate.

Here we have 2 fantastically rare opportunities to discuss real political issues and we waste them in favour of headline grabbing nonsense.

do we just not care about politics anymore?

I think some people in the media think we couldn't cope with wouldn't be interested in the serious ishoos... so they make it all nice an fluffy for us.

There is indeed a problem. I have been most depressed.

Love the way the NG on QT was reported as a huge big question about democracy and ... hey ... it was Jeremy Vine for the middle classes.

On the + side, there are quite a few of us on here who are v. disaffected.

i agree. and i find it bloody insulting to be thought of as "just a bunch of mums"

I'm not sure he was allowed to play the victim and are you sure he thought he was? He looked mightily pleased with himself despite being in an obvious minority. His politics WERE discussed... wasn't that the point?

We may be "just a bunch of mums" but we are the electorate and we are raising the next generation to our ideals and values.

Perhaps we should start a mumnset pressure group?! We could call ourselves a think tank and get lots of funding and change the world

Yes. There seems to be this perception that none of us can cope with anything containing information that can't be delivered in more than two minutes.

But ... maybe they're right? The logic of the market says that serious political information is not a big seller ... ?

thyey weren;t though.
they wanted to attack him as a person and discredit him. that is fair enough and i understand why they would want to do so. but it is a relativly short programme and many of the issues printed in his white paper were ignored to make space for his character assasination.

There arfe some people who will vote for the BNP simply because of their stance on immigration without realising where they stand on teenage pregnancies, legalising rape, education etc etc.

these are the things that need to be heard.

Yes - you made the point on the other thread that it all evaporated somewhat into "opinion". (That was you, wasn't it?) I thought that was a good point.

But it does all raise the question as to where we are supposed to get our political information from, in an easy, convenient form.

I agree Mamazon

I am reminded on the Creationists in the US. Their ideas seem so loony to us here in the UK but they have so much influence in the States. The reason they have so much sway is because people are going by faith rather than fact and to do that in relation to the BNP is very, very dangerous.

Unfortunately I think the people who vote BNP are not interested in looking at the big picture, they're seeing a little bit that appeals and putting blind faith in place of logic when it comes to actual policy.

But if you believed the papers you'd think I'd only be interested in Mr Griffin's tie or summat.

on? of

Tsk. Is late. Should go to bed.

well as long as he eats the right kind of biscuit all will be forgiven

Re "just a bunch of mums" - Michelle Obama, anyone? Hillary Clinton? Maggie Thatcher? Need I go on?

Totally agree with Mamazon re the character assasination as opposed to proper political debate.
I don't support the BNP but I think that the BBC was right in their decision to allow him to take part. They cannot change the threshold rules to pick & choose who is allowed to take part when it suits them, and to do so would ruin their politically impartial stance.

Given the level of public apathy towards politics in this country, perhaps this media atention for the BNP will encourage more people to actually bother to find out what the BNP really stand for and to use their votes wisely.

Another point - NG is a prat and a racist. Period. I have no time for that.

But... I hate to say this but some of the BNPs ideas on education found here student.bnp.org.uk/2008/10/education-for-a-british-future-the-bnp-education-policy/ (a student groups opinions admittedly and not from a BNP website) I can agree with.

For example:

"We are against the ?trendy? teaching methods that have made Britain one of the most poorly educated nations in Europe." AGREED

"...an entire generation whose average level of attainment is now lower than before the introduction of universal state education." - AGREED

"...different individuals are born with different abilities and potentials.
All are entitled to the same chance of realizing their own potential, but this cannot be done be forcing them all into a low-grade ?one-size-fits-all? education system." - AGREED!

"Under the present regime Britain is rapidly becoming the worst-educated major
nation in Europe....This has not come about by accident or due to mysterious forces like
?permissiveness? or ?the 60?s.? It has been the result of deliberate attempts by the left
to abandon the traditional purpose of schools ? to educate ? in favour of using them as instruments of social levelling and politically-correct indoctrination, combined with the right?s economics-obsessed lack of interest in the problem." - AGREED!

"We will end the practice of politically correct indoctrination in all its guises and restore discipline in the classroom, give authority back to teachers and put far greater emphasis on training young people in the industrial and technological skills necessary in the modern world. We will abolish student tuition fees ? which are a stealth tax upon education, and create apprenticeships in our rebuilt manufacturing industry.
We will also seek to instil in our young people knowledge of and pride in the history,
cultures, and heritage of the native peoples of Britain." - FINE BY ME!

However, here comes the catch...

"Prior to our forming a government, we will fight tooth and nail against the looming
catastrophe of forced integration within secondary schools."

Nope! They won't get my vote!

Biscuits just been mentioned on Have I Got News For You.
Ian Hislop did a rather dismissive 'Mumsnet: an information exchange for young mothers' ref.

My husband snorted at the term " young mothers" which I thought was a bit rude

Am quite pleased to be classed as 'young'!

God, how patronising are these people? Clearly none of them can be arsed to actually click on the website and see it for themselves.

Get Hislop on for a webchat and he'll rue the day...

Great idea! I'll start a thread. Well done, ManicMummy.