Why are rural areas right wing and urban areas left wing?

If you look at an election results map of America, you will see an ocean of red with only a few blue dots, which might make you think the Republicans won overwhelmingly, but in fact Democrats received more votes (the daft electoral college is an issue for another time). This is because rural areas overwhelmingly vote for the right wing Republican Party while urban areas overwhelmingly vote for the left wing Democratic Party. This isn’t solely an American trend, a map of British election results shows an ocean of blue for the Conservative Party and only a few red dots for the Labour Party, even though there was only a narrow gap in terms of votes (42%-40%). Similarly, in France … Continue reading “Why are rural areas right wing and urban areas left wing?”

November 14, 2017PoliticsAmerica, Conservative, election, Europe, Left wing, Liberal, Politics, Right Wing, Rural, Urban Leave a comment

What Is The Best Electoral System?

In the aftermath of the UK general election, a lot of focus has shifted to the electoral system and questions have been raised over how fair and democratic it is. In particular, is it democratic for the Conservative party to win a majority of seats with only a third of the votes? Is it democratic for the 7.5 million people who voted for the Liberal Democrats, UKIP and Greens to have only 10 seats? Surely the fact that 25% of voters got only 1% of the seats is a sign of a serious problem with the electoral system? How can we make the electoral system better? There are three main electoral systems. The first and most straight forward is the … Continue reading “What Is The Best Electoral System?”

May 11, 2015PoliticsConservative, Democracy, election, Electoral System, Fair Votes Now, Green, Ireland, Labour, Politics, Proportional Representation, SNP, UK, UKIP Leave a comment

The Genocide And Gun Control Myth

There are many arguments that can be used against gun control and while I disagree with them all, some are plausible. However, there is one that is so completely absurd that it hardly deserves the dignity of a rebuttal. This is the notion that genocides were preceded by gun control and that taking away people’s guns is the first step towards taking away their freedom and finally their lives. This argument is filled with so much paranoia and historical inaccuracies that it is a wonder that anyone takes it seriously. Yet American politics is so extreme that a fanatical argument like this can find widespread support among conservatives. For example here are a few sites that claim gun control leads … Continue reading “The Genocide And Gun Control Myth”

March 5, 2014PoliticsConservative, Dictators, Genocide, Government, Gun Control, Guns, Mass Murder, NRA, Politics Leave a comment

Misunderstanding Hayek And The Road To Serfdom

“The Road To Serfdom” by Fredrick Hayek is a disappointing book. Conservative bloggers often race about it claiming it has great insights into modern politics. While I disagree with the Austrian school of economics I read it to here the other point of view. I found it a boring, out dated book that didn’t have anything particularly original or insightful to say. It’s mainly concerned with saying a totalitarian state where the government controls everything doesn’t work (you don’t say). The book might have been relevant when it was published, but I am at a loss to see its use today. I think to a large extent Hayek has been misunderstood. I have regularly heard people use Hayek to criticize … Continue reading “Misunderstanding Hayek And The Road To Serfdom”

September 24, 2012BooksBooks, Central Planning, Communism, Conservative, Economics, Government, Government Spending, Hayek, Libertarian, Masters Of Money, Obama, Opinion, Political Theory, Politics, Road To Serfdom, Socialism, Tags Austrian Leave a comment