who is a member of a political party?

[SenoraPostrophe]

For those of you too soft to look at the Iraq thread, I'd like to draw your attention to some posts by PeachyClaire:

"Thing is, if you hate the status quo join a party, campaign against it. ...

And the only way for the libdems to imrove is by recruitment. I know they cocked up the last elections, but when everyone says oh yes them- what do we do? How do we move forewards? If people criticise, but don't join?
The amount of peolpe who say @ah yes I like them but they;'re only the smaller party'- Oh well theyw wouldnt be if more people joined!! "

...and she'd right.

I'm a member of a political party for the same reasons (the greens) although actually I'm thinking of switching alleigance. How many of you moan but don't do?

The issue is NOT how many people belong, but where they vote.

there is no political party that i have faith in nor agree with now that the labour party has turined to shit.

so i don't belong anywhere.

nor do i have a religion.

I'd love to believe in a party and campaign etc, and would equally like to have a belief system more than the one we seem to make up as we go along- but haveing investigated various options both dh and i remains resolutenly unrecruited

ultimately, yes it is, Aloha. But the members of a party have the power to set its policies, setting the agenda for future elections.

well, all except the members of the labour party, who can set as many policies as they like only to be ignored by TB...

If more people joined the smaller parties, their policies would reflect the worries of real people more closely.

mrsjohn... I do kind of agree actually. the reason I'm waivering is that there are too many hard-core vegan types in the green party (they run ads for that bollocks report about milk and stuff). But my point is that parties are made by their members. and the way to chwnge them is to join.

or maybe we should start a mumsnet party instead?

i am up for a mumanset party- and a religion too, having a need for bopth somehwo

not si flippantly, i believe that there should be a government that has reperesntatives form the main politivcal parties, but also some representation from the pressure groups too... people like the anti-vivs and amnesty and local groups svaing hospitals etc... they cna have opinions and debate on all sorts of other realted issues and the main politcial points too.

I blong to a political party and am very active do fundraising, canvassing, leafleting and would certainly be a councilor by now if I wasn't barred and am considering a career in politics in the future.

I do have issues with the liberal democrats they are like one of those "healthy" ready meals which look good at a quick glance until you take a closer look at the contents.Some of the most underhand politics I have ever witnessed has come from liberal democrat camps and tbh often their policies are not thought through. I do find myself agreeing quite often with them but at present could not vote for or join them.

I don't agree with all that my party does but you can make more change from within.

really? But some of those mionority groups a;lready have disproportionate power (eg anti abortion groups).

But in a way I agree. I think that replacing the house of lords with an elected version is a mistake - think they should use ordinary people selected randomly instead. pay em a good wage so they'd be able to give up work and let them server 5 years each.

religion: have you tried humanism?

twinset: the problem with democracy is that those in power quite often get a bit devious in order to stay there. That's true of all parties who hold a decent number of seats on any elected body.

But I guess you're not lib dem then.

perhaps, maybe becayse they present themselves as more holier than thou it is more shocking when the do something underhand. But I have seen lib dems do really nasty smear campaigns in a number of areas in an attempt to get or mantain power and from what I have heard from people from bith main parties they are quite renowned for this.

I am not lib dem although almost did vote for them once as I do agree with much of their general principles but often it is just not though out well enough, their tax policies being a prime example.

i think it is lovely and marvellous that people really feel they can make a change from within-- like the blair babes

the oparties are run by crazy media machines and flounder around day in day out trying to come up with policies that nwe will vote for- not ones that do any good.

If you go into the houses of palriment with an ounce of good intention i reckon by the end of the week you'll have it stripped from you... party politics has had its day i reckon.
There is absolutely no parlimentary democracy nowaadays, the PM/top of the party decides what will ahppen and then blackmails the rest of the party to vote for the policy by either having a hold over them personally, or by allowing the MPs to ahve theire own casue celebre to have soem sort of hearing/publicity/whatever..

I don't want ot be this cynical, but there you go, i don't believe ONE WORD OF WHAT ANY OF |THEM SAY.
and that is it.. they are the biggest untrustworthy group of individiuals that exist. IMHO

we need something new and radical and alive to sort out politic in this country , not a bunch and media savvy lawyers on a personal trip for publicity and large expense accounts and the abiltiy to vote in their own pay rises FFS!

I can assure you that I am no Blair babe!

how many members do you need to have a party?

But the "disproprtionate power" that some of the groups have is at least open...and anit- abrotion group can't pretend it is other than what it is... not like the shifty party politicians IMO.
I don't necessarliy agree with the policies of all of the non party activisits, but surely that is the point of democracy- they need their say... and then the parilemtn can decide...

twinset: I had guessed as much. there's only one party that people dare not name on mumsnet...

Twin set, it doesn't matter what party you are assoc with, the deeper you get into it the more you will have to comprimise to fit in and to stay in favour- one day in 10yrs/whenever, you will start believeing all they say .. i think idealists and even grass roots pragmatists get chewed up and spat out every time.. sad but true.

conservatives- bunch of oldies who don't know what time of day it is lead by a serial twit.
labour - a bunch a lodnond clever dicks who are so unbelievebly cynical it is staggering- i pesronally don't care which party anyone is assocaited with, just astounded that people still feel they can actually "do" something through a political partry TBH... all dead on the water IMHO obviousy

so when did you try, MrsJ?

or are you just being bitter without ever having the experience?

no i didn'' try to become a political person, i think i saw through it all at quite an early age,
but, for example, i don't think in this day and age people should be homeless, so i don't go along to my MP and say that- or try to become an MP to say that- I find a group that campaigns on behalf of homelss people and does somtiong physically helpful and give some of my time and money to help. I meet homelss people and get involved in a grass roots level whilst looking at the literature they group produces and tryin to see an dunderstand where the problems are.... and then volunteer through my work on various issues that involve homeless people... Now, if that group actually has a say in on the floor in the house of commons- how powerful would that be?
If when there was a "debate" about how to help, there were homelss people there , invited by the vairous pressure groups who hold seats in the house- that would be much much more of a debate than the number crunching speeches given by people who have never experieinced anything so bloody scarey and depressing and draining as not having a place to sleep.

Domestic violence- pressure group has a seat in aprliament and more debate will be had- real people will be able to speak...

anti- hunt/pro-hunt

local issues- do we want a tesoc on the street corner.

the activisit groups somtimes have common agendas and can debate issues together with the party politicians ON EQUAL TERMS!

At the moemnt, there is no political debate and no democracy.

and trying to get into a politcal party to change something is like trying to hold up a careering train with a piece of celery IMO.
complete waste of time and ebergy..
Party politicas is dead, but they just haven't noticed yet.

Political apathy/not voting are two seperate issues.
Apathy is becuase many people are sick and tired of the suits and smiles.
and not voting is really rteally frightnening, but who IS there to vote for???

that's what I'm saying though. If more people tried to change the system there wouldn't be any need for so much cynicism.

I do agree that most politicians lack experinec in certain areas (hence my random choice suggestion for the lords), but there does need to be an elected element and we should make the best of it.

must go to bed. will think about this.

me too SP, but it has been fun
and twin set, nothing personal- on the internet you can say stuff like this and don't get the full fall out- i am sure that i wouldn't be able to say how niave i think joining a political party is to your face- but hey, that's the internet- sleep well

I have been a member of a political party (the same one ) since I was 16, so for 21 years but I am massively massively disillusioned.
the way this country is rub is completely fucked. the mainstream parties are all completely out of steam. the other parties are too tied up with small scale issues.
the way the three main parties handled this issue this week about the Navy hostages selling their stories - it literally turned my stomach. there is no morality, no sense of the bigger picture, nothing but hypocrisy, short term thinking and craven opportunism.
it really did make me feel sick.
up until then, I was idly thinking of doing a bit of campaigning and canvassing, but I just don't have the heart or stomach for it.

join me- !!
we'll overthorw the gvmnt and bring back democracy- just get the mn gang in with a weaning thread... they will all be off to spend more time with their family after the first 15minutes!!