In my opinion, modern politicians are too scared of what the media has to say about them to make even slightly radical statements. This has lead, in Britain at least, to all the parties being basically the same. Do you agree? Discuss!
In my opinion, modern politicians are too scared of what the media has to say about them to make even slightly radical statements. This has lead, in Britain at least, to all the parties being basically the same. Do you agree? Discuss!
In American politics, this is nowhere near true, Donald Trump being the most obvious example. I think the U.S was headed down that path, but then Trump started running, and everyone realized how nice it was to hear a politician be honest, even if the honesty was some of the stupidest statements ever spoken by the human race.
In Canada, where I live, I don't know much about what politicians say as I get nearly all my news from American satire like Colbert, but from what I know, the parties are very different. For example, one party is against having only minor penalties for marajuana use(conservatives), one party is for minor penalties for marajauna use(new democratic party), and one is for legalizing it(liberal party). Then there's the green party that has some opinion that no one cares about
For example, one party is against having only minor penalties for marajuana use(conservatives), one party is for minor penalties for marajauna use(new democratic party), and one is for legalizing it(liberal party). Then there's the green party that has some opinion that no one cares about
And then there's the Marajauna Party, which has that one topic as its entire platform.
and everyone realized how nice it was to hear a politician be honest
this has begun to happen in Britain, with the left wing 'labour' party electing Jeremy Corbyn as it's leader. He has inspired the disillusioned younger voters with saying what he really means as opposed to what the mainstream wants to hear.
1. Newspapers and critical journalists/readers have been around a long while already and in my opinions politicians know how to handle/use that.
2. Politicians want their positions or programs to be known to as many people as possible and the media is the perfect mouthpiece for that.
My personal observations of the politicians in my country show me that the different parties are still very much distinct from each other. What is more, I doubt that it is a bad thing for politicians not uttering too radical ideas (I use the word radical here not in the 'ground-breaking' sense but in the political sense, as in radical left/right).
Of course politicians have learned that their public statements will be scrutinized and, in newspapers, be subject to the editors, but that is predominantly so in traditional media. Many politicians in my country have made statements in social media that they would not have made in traditional media, because there is on one side a sense of impunity ("It's my account, I can say what I want" and on the other side an ignorance of how public these social media really are. In my opinion they are not afraid of public scrutiny, it has more to do with duping the public opinion.
Newspapers and critical journalists/readers have been around a long while already and in my opinions politicians know how to handle/use that.
In the last English general election, because it was so close, none of the leaders of the main parties wanted to say anything that would lose the swinging voters. Thus they mainly said nothing, allowing spawns of evil the the far right UKIP to gain popularity and spark the ridiculous referendum that Britain is now having on staying in the EU. English Newspapers are all subtly behind certain political parties so every move is always scrutinized and analysed, leading to things like 'bacongate' which gained huge media attention and was just the leader of the Labour party looking slightly amusing whilst eating a sandwich
I am a Christian Conservative. As james146 said, Conservatives (at least me)
like Trump's honesty. However, as a Christian, I would love to see Ben Carson win. That said, however, I do think Ben Carson is too soft-spoken to be President.
