Are you a pioneer, prospector or settler? A new(ish) way of categorising voters.

[Solopower]

I heard Graeme Cooke (one time head of David Miliband's brains trust) talking about this on the radio this morning, and I tried to find the article he has written, but without success. However, there was a piece about him in the Guardian on 14 July, here: www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/jul/14/ed-miliband-phone-hacking

Has this already been discussed on Mumsnet?

I think it's interesting because I have felt lost for the last 10 years or so - not knowing who on earth to vote for, and feeling that the old certainties as to who was left/right/centre just don't exist any more.

GC divides us up into pioneers, settlers and prospectors, rather than left, right, middle. Here they are, according to the article:

'Pioneers (41% of Britons) are global, networked, like innovation and believe in the importance of ethics.

Prospectors (28%) like success, ambition, seek the esteem of others and if they think a party can help them help themselves, they are on board. ... Prospectors are looking for someone who can advance their standards of living and social status.

Settlers (31%) see things in terms of right and wrong, are wary of change, seek security and have a strong sense of place ? patriotism and national security motivate them to vote'.

Unfortunately, however, this still leaves me out in the cold, as I don't feel I fit into any of the groups!

I'd be interested to know if anyone out there does.

I vote Green.

I'm socialist in that I want the greatest good for the greatest number of people. I also want a proper democracy and I don't want any one section of the population (whether a minority or majority) dictating to another. There aren't any parties (except for the Greens) that come close to that, imo.

That's why I think we should throw away this left-right business, because it's misleading. Everyone interprets it in their own way and it has become a sort of short-hand that means different things to different people.

The settlers and prospectors I recognise as encapsulating large, distinguishable, groups of people - and I think it's probably quite helpful to think of them in those terms. The pioneers I have problems with, as they either include too many people or leave too many out.

In a world of finite resources we need an economic system that respects that. That'll be socialism, then Solopower. As executed by a Socialist party. But I like what you do.