So that was different
Yesterday I was in the local convenience shop buying mince for Rosie, and what was on the shop radio? Prime Minister's questions, with the new Labour leader asking questions of David Cameron that had been sent in by the public.
There are shops around here where you can hear live political debate (I'm particularly thinking of the butcher's counter in Callington, which can get lively and opinionated) but it's the first time I've had national politics supplied with the butter.
I am not sure about this. I am not sure about the idea that people can send questions to politicians is an exciting new departure in democracy. Isn't that one of the main bits of an MP's job? OK, some MP's don't seem to consider it particularly important, but there is a whole infrastructure for taking political problems to the Commons. The problem is that 'the people' are not united and a lot of the things that some groups want are actively contradictory and poisonous to other, equally important and genuine groups. As I understand it, that's why we have a legislature rather than just a vote button.
It sounded like a radio phone-in show, missing only the soundbites from people telling us what they reckon and how they feel about it. :-/
I'm a bit worried about the attitude 'Corbyn is unelectable'. Clearly, the man IS electable. He just got elected, in an election where voters had to pay three quid to vote. And they did, in spades. I haven't yet heard a compelling argument as to why this cannot possibly be scaled up.
If you want to know what I reckon, then it's that conviction is a very effective selling point to a politician, particularly when he's selling to people who don't spend a lot of time thinking about why things might be a little bit more complicated than they think, and maybe aren't great at working out how much stuff costs.
But the idea of Corbyn in power... He's spent his entire life refusing to compromise, which is an honorable path, but surely not one that is ideal in a Prime Minister. I suspect that a lot of people would find out too late what they'd voted for. But being prepared to compromise (or even, being in a position where compromise is required) is apparently not a popular attribute with the Twitterati, as the Lib Dems have discovered.
There are shops around here where you can hear live political debate (I'm particularly thinking of the butcher's counter in Callington, which can get lively and opinionated) but it's the first time I've had national politics supplied with the butter.
I am not sure about this. I am not sure about the idea that people can send questions to politicians is an exciting new departure in democracy. Isn't that one of the main bits of an MP's job? OK, some MP's don't seem to consider it particularly important, but there is a whole infrastructure for taking political problems to the Commons. The problem is that 'the people' are not united and a lot of the things that some groups want are actively contradictory and poisonous to other, equally important and genuine groups. As I understand it, that's why we have a legislature rather than just a vote button.
It sounded like a radio phone-in show, missing only the soundbites from people telling us what they reckon and how they feel about it. :-/
I'm a bit worried about the attitude 'Corbyn is unelectable'. Clearly, the man IS electable. He just got elected, in an election where voters had to pay three quid to vote. And they did, in spades. I haven't yet heard a compelling argument as to why this cannot possibly be scaled up.
If you want to know what I reckon, then it's that conviction is a very effective selling point to a politician, particularly when he's selling to people who don't spend a lot of time thinking about why things might be a little bit more complicated than they think, and maybe aren't great at working out how much stuff costs.
But the idea of Corbyn in power... He's spent his entire life refusing to compromise, which is an honorable path, but surely not one that is ideal in a Prime Minister. I suspect that a lot of people would find out too late what they'd voted for. But being prepared to compromise (or even, being in a position where compromise is required) is apparently not a popular attribute with the Twitterati, as the Lib Dems have discovered.