It seems to me that, for many years now, an over emphasis on catering to personal preferences and the cult of individualism has led to a fracturing of what was formally known as social cohesion. The broadening of the political spectrum within and without the old three party structure of UK politics is in my estimation one of the myriad consequences of this schism.
I am not saying that this is, de facto, a negative outcome but it seems to be a tenet of the new social paradigm that all views have an equal right to be heard no matter how extreme or obtuse. Whatever your viewpoint, there is a home for you somewhere online where your often ill-informed and prejudiced rantings will be supported and reinforced by a group of like-minded denizens of their mother’s basements. The most disturbing feature of this new politics is how it has also contaminated the parties that used to be in the centre albeit slightly left or right. Reinforcing ideological policymaking and reversing decades of progress towards a truly participative evidence based democratic system of government that works for the many over the few.
To watch the clip use the password: imincorrigible
Video © Comedy Central
Historically this could be managed by the vast bulk of society ‘understanding’ that such views are racist or undemocratic or whatever the issue might be but today that ‘bulk’ is no longer a cohesive whole. Consequently politics has become ‘noisy’ and off-putting to the silent majority; leading in part, I believe, to a decrease in political participation at elections and the apparent rise of extreme parties and groups without formal structures (e.g. Anonymous) appearing to be more representative of the people’s opinion than would otherwise be the case.
The rise of UKIP is in part a result of this atomisation. The ability of UKIP to decide the policies of the two leading parties even though their support had until very recently been minuscule is a perversion of the principles of democracy.
All views have some value to the person expressing them but an extremist minority that espouses purist ideological beliefs honed in the cauldron of the groupthink echo chamber should never be allowed to determine the course of an entire nation.
Related posts
- Fox hunting: the right-wing’s chronically angry war for ideological purity is killing Jon Stewart (video)
- Whether it’s abuse, poverty or disability, we are all survivors and we are stronger together (video)
- How Citigroup wrote the US budget and effectively repealed the Dodd-Frank bank reforms (video)
- Breitbart News: craven political hatchet men…..(corrected) (video)
- Propaganda wars: the loaded language of media bias in reporting the Gaza conflict (video)
- Why are there no reliable statistics for US police shootings of civilians in the United States? (video)
- Are you kidding me? “Pure political calculation” is why Republicans refused a congressional debate about war with ISIS (video)
- Jon Stewart: You cannot fix the Middle East by waving a magic bomb (video)
- Fox News: Obama’s announcement of military action against ISIS is “blowing an uncertain trumpet” (video)
- What is it with the Republican party’s refusal to accept the scientific consensus on man made climate change? (video)
- Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism (New Video source)
- Raising the UK terror threat level from “be afraid” to “panic” feeds public fear and that is what the government wants (video)
- Will refusing to pay ransoms to Islamic State prevent further terrorism? (video)
- We all want peace and democracy in the Middle East and that’s why we sell them so many weapons – what could possibly go wrong? (video)
- Through the Israeli looking glass: where a peace treaty is really a “strategic terrorist attack” (video)
- An Israeli soldier’s story – Eran Efrati (video)
- “Make a difference” – Jon Snow’s emotional appeal for the children of Gaza (video)
- Emily Maitlis’ surgical strikes blow Mark Regev’s defence of Israel’s attack on a UN school out of the water (video)
- Obama’s drone strikes are murder – it’s that simple (video)
- Obama: Judge, Jury & Executioner (video)
- If you have done nothing wrong you have EVERYTHING to fear: secrecy, surveillance, the IPT and RIPA (video)
- Force-feeding of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay is exactly like this (video)
- The “rank hypocrisy” of political donations (video)
- The sheer scale of child sexual abuse in Britain – reblog of Nick Davies article
- How much did government whips know about allegations of MP’s child abuse and where are the ‘dirt books’? (video)
- Former Tory minister accused of applying pressure on Simon Danczuk named as Edward Garnier (video)
- Internet sex offenders: not the real thing? (Reblog of Dr. Sarah Nelson post) (video)
- A public inquiry into an establishment cover-up of non-recent child abuse is not a “stale ritual” (video)
- Home Office claims that the Leon Brittan paedophile dossier is “lost” are not credible (video)
- Bryn Estyn, Oxford, Rochdale and now Cyril Smith but still no public inquiry (video)
- GOTCHA! Serial sex offender and paedophile Max Clifford jailed for just 8 years (video)
- Paedophile Neil Wilson’s Suspended Sentence Just Another In An “Endless Catalogue Of Insane Judgements By Male Judges Excusing Men Who Attack Women” (imincorrigible.wordpress.com)
- Pulped Jillings Report Finally Published But Where’s The Public Inquiry? (imincorrigible.wordpress.com)
- Cameron’s a congo bongo if he thinks banning words will help to stop child abuse (video)
- The facts don’t fit your prejudices? No problem. Be like Fox News and invent your own!
I Am Incorrigible 