Why is MN pro-labour?

[CanNeverDecide]

I'm relatively new here, only posted a couple of times.

Not hard to notice it's all a bit hard core left on here...

Why is that? Genuinely curious to know why this particular cohort of people that have come together are pretty much all left wing.

From wikipedia about Orwell's 1984

"In the year 1984, Ingsoc divides Oceanian society into three social classes, the Inner Party, the Outer Party, and the Proles:

1.The Inner Party make policy, effect decisions, and govern; they are known as ?The Party?. One of their upper-class privileges is (temporarily) shutting off their telescreens, for time alone. They live in spacious, comfortable homes, have good food and drink, personal servants, and speedy transportation. No Outer Party member or Prole may enter an Inner party neighbourhood without a good pretext.
2.The Outer Party work the state?s administrative jobs; they are the middle class, whose ?members are allowed no vices other than cigarettes and Victory Gin?, and who are the citizens most spied upon, via telescreens and surveillance. This is because, according to history, the middle class is the most dangerous; they are the ones to incite revolution, the one thing The Party does not want. They live in rundown neighborhoods, use crowded subways as transportation, have poorer food and drink, and are denied sex for any other purpose than having children within marriage, and are expected to look at it as a duty, rather than pleasure.
3.The Proles are the lower class of workers . They live in the poorest conditions. The Party keeps them happy and sedates them with alcohol, gambling, sport, sexual promiscuity, and prolefeed (Fabricated books, pornography). They are not constantly watched by The Party. A few agents of the Thought Police mark down and eliminate any individuals deemed capable of becoming dangerous and spread false rumours. Proletariat are 85 percent of Oceania?s populace."

Note that the Outer Party are the bougeois middle classes. All communists hate and despise the bourgeois, in exactly the same way that the aristocratic elite also hate the bourgeois.

Broadly people who trumpet 'I grew up in the 80's and remember how awful things were' think Labour is the answer and people who grew up in the 70's and remember how awful things were vote Tory.

People who suggest that left-wing = kind, caring and right-wing = callous, greedy are people with cosy little coteries of mates who all agree and haven't had much experience of life. I know selfish bastards who are left-wing and incredibly decent kind people who are Tory. And vice-versa.

Some on MN are like people who always read the Mail because it supports what they already believe or insist on The Guardian because it is their little badge of allegiance. They like patting each other on the back for agreeing with each other and it reinforces their views. The Lab vs Tory entrenched positions are held by people who don't like change, they feel more comfortable with traditional stereotypes.

Cos we're wet lefty BASTARDS

Ah - I see - it's about fiction.

"Ah - I see - it's about fiction."

yes, you're right, it is about the Labour manifesto.

I'm pretty sure the Labour Party Manifesto doesn't mention the Inner Party.

probably not, but I think we can agree that it is a work of fiction.

They often refer to themselves as 'the Project' though.

Scary, I take your point about the Tories spending more resources on Devonport. We go to Cornwall a lot and think like a lot of areas who depend on tourism without much manufacturing, it's difficult. Wish though that there was a massive tax on those with 2nd homes with the money going straight to education. A lot of locals can't afford to live in the area where they grew up.

But at least the A30 has been improved

I have just been on holiday for a few days and have really missed the poltical discussion on Mumsnett, which I only joined this year.
My early impression was that there was a lot of left wing sentiment. In particular, there seemed to be so many people who would vote Lib-Dem, which intensified after the first debate. Born out by the Mumsnett poles, of course.
I have always found labour voters the most outspoken people. A tendency to say they were the only people who really care about other people as opposed to tories who only care about themselves and the rich. I come from tory voters who were very far from being rich.
i wanted the tories to win but now don't. There is such a lot of ill feeling about Margaret Thatcher. She and the tories put the economy back into equilibrium. When they started to run out of steam, labour was given a chance. We all know what they did. Spent money they didn't have. Whoever gets in now, it's going to be hard for us all. In particular, for people who lose their jobs. My husband, our principle family earner, had a period out of work.. It was horrible and frightening. It will also also be hard for the majority of pensioners and the other most vulnerable members of society
Labour caused our terrible debt. Let them be the ones who are remembered as causing the suffering to people now that there is now no possibilty of avoiding sorting it.

You have to avoid the speed cameras on the A30 though!

That's why the Tories get my vote, as I think they'll do more for us in the SW than labour has done. I also hope they'll rethink moving all the submarines to Scotland; Devonport has been a submarine base for years, and the yard is good for so much more than refits. It's not like there are huge amounts of other major employers around.

Wish though that there was a massive tax on those with 2nd homes

aren't alot of these 'second homes' in actual fact holiday lets that bring in much needed tourist cash?

"My husband, our principle family earner, had a period out of work.. It was horrible and frightening."

Yes. Many millions felt the same under Thatcher, ninna. Millions for years and years.

Like I said, I don't vote Labour but please don't talk crap about Thatcher.

erm, the situation during the 70's was far from rosy?

whther you personally have been unemployed under any particualr government does not decide your vote - you should be thinking 'which party is most likely to do best overall?'

it is perfectly possible to be unemployed under the current govt and vote it back in (believing that things will get better) or indeed vote in a different party (believing that is the change necessary to get the economy going) or of course, let completely different issues decide your vote.

I fail to see how the Big 2 are offering anything hugely differnt to the unemployed - both are promising financial recovery as the rememdy.

Places like Cornwall and the lake District will always attract tourists. My experience in Cornwall is that a lot of the 2nd homes that are rented out, are only occupied in the high seasons, and otherwise are empty in the low seasons, so income is very seasonal. The owners also tend to be non local people, and most businesses, and of course there are some exceptions, are national with very few local shops.

Agree with Scary's sentiment about needing major employers.

There's one village in Cornwall that is so full of second homes that they've closed the primary school, and I think the shop/PO closed as well. The summer season doesn't last long, and there is a winter to get through. Whilst I love Cornwall all the year round, not everyone does.

Yes. Let's remember the 1970s and the 1980s.

I think the problem is that those of us who were around in the 1970s were mostly small children, and remember it fondly, for all we probably remember having heard that the country was in a state. By the 1980s we were growing politically aware, so cut our political teeth on anti-Thatcherism.

I did make posters for the Tories in 1979, though, and stuck them on our garden fence! (I was 11). We lived just down the road from the school that was the polling station, and the posters read:

Conservatives lead... along the road... to better days.

i cu my teeth on pro-thatcherism...having been through unemployment in the land of 25% inflation, power cuts and strikes....my parents were happy to be led by the iron lady. things did get better too. And then worse again in the recession of the 90's...and then better again! and then labour inherited a growing economy which it kept going until the recent financial mishap. The UK got a shedload better off in those ten+ years. Although the national debt still grew....

I think people forget how different things were, that the country was much less wealthy, and the things the state does now were a fiscal impossibility then.

I hate Labour, right wing, murdering, torturing, scum. Bring the Tories on, feel the fucking pain...

The things the state does now still are a fiscal impossibility!

(sorry, couldn't resist that!)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZP6zv6ifnY

Maybe it's because the WC, poorer types didn't make it onto the other private forum?