I know NOTHING about politics. How can I start to learn?

[MeAgainAndAgain]

I read the headlines online. Sometimes I read the article but mostly I’m drawn to the ‘people’ story eg I probably wouldn’t read about education but I would read about how a specific law/whatever has affected these specific people (teachers/students) in this specific school/area, and the individual hardships that situation has created. But education in general? No idea. Same for eg health, any other random section of the government.

But I want to have more of a general knowledge of what is going on, I want to follow the Today programme and understand who is who, what the problems are and how they are proposing to sort them. I want to feel ‘in the loop’ and interested and to learn rather than go with the flow and enjoy it as background noise.

BUT where do I start? There’s too much politics! What shall I read? What shall I watch?

Edited - eg I have no idea who Grant Shapps is. I know he’s out. I think he’s Tory. But why do I know his name? It’s a very familiar name but why? And repeat this for literally every person and every topic to do with politics. Where do I begin?

I’m not specifically interested in education or Grant Shapps, they are just examples as to my level of knowledge.

@Loopytiles and @MayIDestroyYou are giving a good demonstration of another political idea: the narcissism of small differences. I think there's something good explaining that on Wikipedia too 😂.

Hadn’t heard that phrase before! Interesting.

from wikipedia: the narcissism of small differences (German: der Narzissmus der kleinen Differenzen) is the idea that the more a relationship or community shares commonalities, the more likely the people in it are to engage in interpersonal feuds and mutual ridicule because of hypersensitivity to minor differences perceived in each other. Coined by Freud.

not sure how it applies to @MayIDestroyYou and my MN exchanges on this thread, but would be interested @mybeesarealive

Read the Daily Mail or watch Fox News. Can't go wrong.

I used to listed to R4 Today programme but now enjoy Times Radio Matt Chorley (soon to move to R5 Live). Podcasts 'Not Another One' with Steve Richards (Lab) Miranda Green (LibDem) and Tim Montgomerie (Tory).They have a wide range of experience and look at things from different political viewpoints. Similarly 'How to win an election' or whatever it might be called now. Another podcast. Hosted by Matt Chorley with Polly McKenzie (LibDem) Danny Finkelstein (Tory) and Peter Mandelson (Lab). Both podcasts can be fun to listen to as well as informative

I completely disagree with the implications from some posters that there's no point being interested in politics. Politics affects everything, more or less. For me it's mainly a hobby based on lifelong habit, but also keeping an eye on what the world is up to so I know what to prep for!

OK, you only get a vote once every couple of years (if you include all levels of election), but if you don't pay attention how can you possibly make proper use of that vote? Also, it is actually pretty interesting once you get into it, at whatever level you're comfortable at. If you watch any fiction series whether soap, drama, fantasy, whatever, you get into that and it's not even real. And lastly, how can you know whether you want to go into any kind of political activity unless you know what it's all about? You could be missing out on your next great life step. Not necessarily standing for Parliament, though I'm sure you'd make a better fist of it than many some who did, but getting involved in a local campaign or serving on the Council or all sorts of possible engagement depending on your abilities, energy and time available. Or at the very least, know what the buggers are up to who are supposed to be looking after your community. Makes sense to me.

Oh, and yeah, many good suggestions above as to where to look for info. Some more accessible than others.

@Anniegetyourgun “I completely disagree with the implications from some posters that there's no point being interested in politics. Politics affects everything, more or less.”

I’m ploughing through this thread very slowly, but I just wanted to add to this. I heard a long time ago someone saying how they didn’t understand how people could not be interested in politics as politics affects absolutely everything in your world, from the big stuff like Ukraine to the fact your local playground is closing or has rusty equipment. That quote has been stuck in my head for a long time.

@MeAgainAndAgain it's always worth taking an interest in politics. As you said it affects everything from street lights and playgrounds to what your national and local government is doing to improve your home town jobs and environment. I also find it fascinating to watch. I'm sure your local paper of radio stations will produce newsletters or podcasts on what is happening locally as well as all the suggestions here for national politics.

@RobinStrike exactly. Even if you have no idea who the PM is or anything about Westminster, you still walk out of your house (that you pay council tax, gas, electric, water bills on) and you have a road, pavement, street lights, your wheely bin and the drains in the gutter. All of this is politics whether you are interested or not. If other people decided to mess with this without your approval you’d soon be interested! 😁

Because main stream tv and radio is heavily biased.

I do find it ironic that @Gramsci has either:

1. Experienced these news sources themselves, in order to have an opinion on them, but wants to deprive others of the same opportunity to decide.

Or

2. Never had any first hand experience of them but sheeplike taken instruction from other people, cutting out any opportunity to make up their own mind. And now seeks to have others join the unthinking flock …

🤔

I listen to several different podcasts:

TRIP
TRIP US
Political Currency
Newscast
Americast

The Rest is Money also has a political slant to it though they obviously focus on the financial aspect.

If you want to familiarise yourself with how politics “works” in the UK, Alastair Campbell has just written 2 books aimed at kids (one Primary level and the other for teenagers) that explains our political system. There’s no shame in reading something aimed at kids to start your journey off, it will give you the basics to build on.

I would personally avoid following politics or getting involved . It will bring you nothing but frustration and anger .
Once you workout a better formula than the old rhetoric being spouted by career politicians. You will hit a wall of frustration and misery ..As economics and in our current society there is no accoutablity or responsibility from government ( even worse in the EU vs privatisation = we are victims with things happening to us outside our control ) . They will tell you they care but if they really invested time and energy into fixing things - there would be no recurring problems or at the very least a stability would be achieved . Instead over he past 40 years everything you could imagine is in decline

Cheery 😆