Old Statesman, New Statesman or Politician?

Their are many posts on here about politics.. At one time a party leader stayed put, win or lose an election they still led their party until deposed at the party conferences; which incidentally lasted  5 days so policy could be fully debated. A sort of elder statesman type, for you through thick and thin.

Then the politician, better know as the career politician who makes sure his tows the party line, with job security and pension in mind.

Lastly we have the New Statesman, the Alan B'stard man, reflected in some of todays "Leaders" over the past decades. Lose and I'm off to the city, union head office etc., write my memoirs, job elsewhere that will pay me well.

They tell us they do it for us red or blue or do they line their own pockets Do we have any genuine statesmen or are they Alan B'Stards's?.

The trouble with politicians nowadays, is that a lot of them are university educated, usually on the PPE course, and have a very narrow world view and not many of them have any real world experience before they find themselves making decisions that affect each and every one of us. It really doesn't matter how well or badly they do in politics, as they simply move into something else more profitable if it all goes t1ts up. They tend toward populist policies that win voters, rather than what is good for the voters, however unpopular it may seem at the time.

In a nutshell, they are careerist and are looking to their own success more than they are the people they purport to represent. Working class politicians are dying out and they are now middle class in the main, with very similar backgrounds and views. There isn't enough of a mix of people from differing areas of the population.

Tony Blair was the biggest example of this and he steered the Labour Party away from the left to the point where there was not much distinction between left and right. The Jeremy Corbyn's of this world now have low to zero chance of getting elected in the current climate, and they have gone back to another Blair type with Starmer. As a Labour supporter, I didn't care for Blair and I don't much care for Starmer either.

Politics is so vanilla now and there isn't the obvious difference between the two main parties as there once was. The ones with the best image and media backing usually prevail, and that is the Tories sadly.

I think the day of the working class politician was numbered when the unions were emasculated, the economy became service oriented and university places boomed. Bright working class kids who would have got into politics via union leadership roles, now go to uni and have careers that don’t lend themselves to activism, mostly in non-unionised businesses. Stick your head above the parapet and you’re out - job security and solidarity being things of the past.

Quite a lot of politicians still come from a legal background or journalism (note the two main leaders). One profession don’t often lie but are clever with words and the other tell enough porkies to make Pinocchio blush.

Quoted from ginnywings

The trouble with politicians nowadays, is that a lot of them are university educated, usually on the PPE course, and have a very narrow world view and not many of them have any real world experience before they find themselves making decisions that affect each and every one of us. It really doesn't matter how well or badly they do in politics, as they simply move into something else more profitable if it all goes t1ts up. They tend toward populist policies that win voters, rather than what is good for the voters, however unpopular it may seem at the time.

In a nutshell, they are careerist and are looking to their own success more than they are the people they purport to represent. Working class politicians are dying out and they are now middle class in the main, with very similar backgrounds and views. There isn't enough of a mix of people from differing areas of the population.

Tony Blair was the biggest example of this and he steered the Labour Party away from the left to the point where there was not much distinction between left and right. The Jeremy Corbyn's of this world now have low to zero chance of getting elected in the current climate, and they have gone back to another Blair type with Starmer. As a Labour supporter, I didn't care for Blair and I don't much care for Starmer either.

Politics is so vanilla now and there isn't the obvious difference between the two main parties as there once was. The ones with the best image and media backing usually prevail, and that is the Tories sadly.

Absolutely! For many it’s off to university to become an MP no real life skills required. Not the faintest idea what it takes to run a small business. I’d love to see some of our top business leaders be given a shot those that understand what it takes to succeed. They’d need paying a hell of lot more so I’d suggest cutting the number of MPs as I think there is far to many, we only need one for North east Lincs for example.

The trouble is that people say politics is too bland, the Labour party and the Conservative party are two sides of the same coin.

However the minute anybody says anything further to the right (in my case) or the left they are shouted down often with vitriolic abuse thrown in for good measure.

This non-footy forum seems to have more people from the left of the political spectrum and some of them are very antagonistic to any right of centre views, its a bit like the comments page in the Guardian. For balance, the world view of Jeremy Corbyn was also shouted down in other media but I would prefer it if there was a real choice between right-wing and left-wing views and let the voters decide on the future direction of the country.

It doesn't worry me as I have my own views and will stick with them just like everybody else, but it is a reason why although fiery debates happen online all the time, actual politicians steer clear of anything too radical as it just ends up either being shouted down or a slanging match.

One thing I have learned though is no amount of arguing in political forums has ever changed either sides opinion of anything, ever.

Corbyn stuck around for a 2nd general election and the electorate gave him the expected message "which part of "No" didn't you understand 2 years ago?"

The idea of MPs being public servants is entirely lost on 99% of them.

The only time in my life someone who got it had a chance of winning, he was hounded by the billionaire press & liberal bedwetters to the point that he was assaulted (his attacker jailed), the army were using pictures of him as target practice, commentators said he would “reopen Auschwtiz”, and someone set off to try and assassinate him then murdered an innocent Muslim when they couldn’t find him.

Stand up to the billionaires and that’s what you get in this dump of a country. That’s why both Houses of Parliament are stuffed full of self-serving lackeys for the capitalist class.

Quoted from ska face

The idea of MPs being public servants is entirely lost on 99% of them.

The only time in my life someone who got it had a chance of winning, he was hounded by the billionaire press & liberal bedwetters to the point that he was assaulted (his attacker jailed), the army were using pictures of him as target practice, commentators said he would “reopen Auschwtiz”, and someone set off to try and assassinate him then murdered an innocent Muslim when they couldn’t find him.

Stand up to the billionaires and that’s what you get in this dump of a country. That’s why both Houses of Parliament are stuffed full of self-serving lackeys for the capitalist class.

That's what happens when you want to break up media monopolies and redistribute wealth. How dare he?

The attacks on him were disgraceful, but the great unwashed fell for it as they always do. Even members of his own party were in on it.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

Corbyn stuck around for a 2nd general election and the electorate gave him the expected message "which part of "No" didn't you understand 2 years ago?"

I don't think it was as black and white as that. Corbyn performed demonstratively better in 2017 than anyone "in the know" thought he could. It should have been a foundation to build on but the absolutely catastrophic change to the conference agreed Brexit policy cost them dearly everywhere but London. If Corbyn had a major fault it was not listening to what M.P.s all over the north were telling him and instead listening to the likes of Starmer and Seamus Milne.

Quoted from ska face

The idea of MPs being public servants is entirely lost on 99% of them.

The only time in my life someone who got it had a chance of winning, he was hounded by the billionaire press & liberal bedwetters to the point that he was assaulted (his attacker jailed), the army were using pictures of him as target practice, commentators said he would “reopen Auschwtiz”, and someone set off to try and assassinate him then murdered an innocent Muslim when they couldn’t find him.

Stand up to the billionaires and that’s what you get in this dump of a country. That’s why both Houses of Parliament are stuffed full of self-serving lackeys for the capitalist class.

The people rejected Corbyn and his socialism! To say he had a chance of winning is a stretch, he had nowhere near the numbers and this was against the worst PM in living memory, there was a slim chance he could’ve got through the back door, with a dodgy coalition of some sort but I cannot think past that thought without a shudder.
I give Corbyn his dues though he stuck to his far left principles and Lew is correct to say far left or right and you get shouted down.

Look at Farage and the abuse he gets just like Corbyn totally unjustified, shouted down as a far right extremist in the eyes of the MSM.

Have to defend the soldiers though as he’s never showed any support for our magnificent troops.