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 Who is your political hero? |
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 Apr 4 2021, 09:14 PM
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#21
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 BuzzJack Legend
Joined: 13 April 2007
Posts: 36,654 User: 3,272 
        
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QUOTE(Dill Doe @ Apr 4 2021, 09:48 PM)  He was more left wing too, right? He was more of a traditional Labour man than Blair, yes. However, he was shrewd enough to know what he could sell to the electorate and what would be more difficult. |
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Apr 5 2021, 12:31 AM
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#22
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 Shakin Stevens
Joined: 29 December 2007
Posts: 46,140 User: 5,138
 
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He would have been a Brownite imo!
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Apr 5 2021, 09:25 AM
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#23
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Shakin Stevens
Joined: 29 December 2007
Posts: 46,140 User: 5,138
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A rare clip -
https://twitter.com/modernuklabour/status/1...9621064709?s=21 This post has been edited by steve201: Apr 5 2021, 09:26 AM |
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Apr 5 2021, 02:21 PM
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#24
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 #38BBE0 otherwise known as 'sky blue'
Joined: 27 October 2008
Posts: 16,170 User: 7,561
  
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QUOTE(Iz �� @ Apr 4 2021, 11:44 AM) Wouldn't say a politician who served, my first thought would be someone like Noam Chomsky who has spent a life advocating for greater political education and articulating out the structural and framing problems with our system that god-willing will someday be changed. Gotta rep the Chomsky - I'd also write-in for Slavoj Žižek who is really engaging and entertaining! I'm not entirely comfortable with having heroes, certainly not for elevating individuals to that unhealthy level by which they are unquestionably lauded, seen to be infallable and/or even worse any behaviour they exhibit that doesn't conform to that perfect caricature thrust upon them is simply forgotten or conveniently ignored. I mean it's like the David Bowie song “’Heroes’” - the single artwork has the quotation marks there to represent irony- I believe it was written in Berlin about a young couple meeting secretly to share a forbidden kiss - anyway there is a bitter irony in how it is used so liberally to soundtrack every bloody time the media wants to celebrate 'heroes'. I'm going off on one here... I think it's far better to celebrate positive (heroic) characteristics that ALL people are capable of exhibiting. So for politicians that would be those who unite and don't divide, those than can inspire and lead the public debate instead of following it through focus groups, and those that can enact great change. I think it's fine to respect and appreciate political figures even if you despise them for simply being capable of shaping a big change in the world in their vision. For that reason I'd say I probably begrudgingly respect the impact that Margaret Thatcher had, although some would argue that the change in 1979 was inevitable and she just happened to be in the right place at the right time to enact that change... ditto Farage and the 2016 Brexit vote even if I absolutely despise the tactics used and the forces unleashed that managed to get that result. Few could argue there have been many more influential political figures in the 20/21st Centuries to have such a big impact on the UK. I'm not even going to seriously entertain Chris' assertion that Boris Johnson (a born opportunist, serial liar who believes in nothing but himself and his ego) is his 'political hero' given that it's probably about 95% just to troll us all (and the ensuing argument will be boring, repetative and pointless). If I'd pick a political figure from recent history that I very much like and respect I'd probably say current New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern, who has not only handled the Christchurch terrorist incident so incredibly well and respectfully but has been consistently top of the world states to deal with the COVID-19 global pandemic and has seriously impressed me on a number of different issues too. In history obviously I'd have to agree on Clement Attlee, even though I didn't completely agree with everything that he did but possibly put forward Nye Bevan as well for his tireless effort, against the opposition of the British Medical Association and the Tories, to put together the groundwork for the creation of the NHS in 1948 - let's not forget at a time when the UK was in twice as much debt (relative to GDP) than it is now. Oh and that quote about the Conservative Party being vermin was also good. ! |
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Apr 5 2021, 03:17 PM
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#25
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Shakin Stevens
Joined: 29 December 2007
Posts: 46,140 User: 5,138
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In fairness to Farage he was anti European from the early 90s but yeh Johnson is a typical Tory politics. He’s followed the brexit position as something he can use to further himself and their party the cameloeons they are.
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Apr 6 2021, 03:42 PM
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#26
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Shakin Stevens
Joined: 29 December 2007
Posts: 46,140 User: 5,138
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Suppose il add mine
Probably Clem Atlee, Nye Bevan, Tony Benn, Bobby Sands, John Hume and James Connolly. This post has been edited by steve201: Apr 11 2021, 10:13 PM |
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Apr 11 2021, 09:30 PM
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#27
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#38BBE0 otherwise known as 'sky blue'
Joined: 27 October 2008
Posts: 16,170 User: 7,561
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Not a politician as such, but we've had Chomsky and Žižek ref'd here - I'd definitely say Dr Viktor Frankl for me, one of the most inspirational people of the 20th C. I'd never actually heard of him before Lockdown but a friend recommended me Man's Search for Meaning which I took as an audiobook to listen to on the train journey to Scotland last September when I went by myself on a hillwalking holiday in Pitlochry. It was such an eye-opener and also pretty inspiring to learn of how he experienced one of the most atrocious, cruel and hopeless situations imposed by humanity on humanity, and yet was able to survive and find hope through his own 'will to meaning'. It's been a bit of a revelation and He unpacks the famous Nietzsche quote 'He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.; I've been watching some of his interviews touring the book and finding he speaks which such clarity. Combining this with reading 'Bullshit Jobs' by DAvid Graeber and how our own self sacrifice doing purposeful work to give our own lives meaning (with wages inversely proportional to the usefulness of the work, and consumerism used to fill the void where this isn't possible) is helping me to understand why the world is like it is and why there is so much anger and resentment is absolutely everywhere today.
Anyway this interview from Frankl is great - the way he talks about finding meaning at 6 minutes in, I totally get it. He's got so many great quotes too. |
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Apr 22 2021, 10:23 PM
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#28
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#38BBE0 otherwise known as 'sky blue'
Joined: 27 October 2008
Posts: 16,170 User: 7,561
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Having political heroes can I think also be dangerous too however, nobody is completely infallible - I think it's fine to root for somebody or have great admiration for something that they've done or said but to hero worship them can lead you to make bad decisions, a cult of personality can develop in the wider population and ultimately much worse. So I think that's what my main issue is with heroes.
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