Four legs good two legs bad...

A._Badger

ILW wrote: »

I have to say that as a taxpayer (not involved in any big business) I do find some of the things they bring to light very interesting.

It's the same old, same old tactic. Ignore the message, smear the messenger.

How often do we hear this from Left's broadcast organ, the BBC? The WWF, Greenpeace et al portrayed as grass roots movements, while their EU funding is ignored, Leftist think-tanks whose allegiance is curiously mislaid, while Right wing ones are conspicuously labelled, union-funded agitprop mobs passed off as concerned citizens.

Instead of tackling the, sometimes very significant, findings of the TPA, the comrades point to the source of funding, as if that invalidates the investigation.

It would be amusing if it weren't so predictable and boring.

A._Badger

michaels wrote: »

Have no idea of the ins and outs of the Tea Party movement but I do know the Republicans have not of late been bastions of small govt...

You're quite right. And you'll find some of the most trenchant criticism of the Republicans (and Bush, in particular) within the Tea Party movement. Which is why attempts to smear it it as a GOP front are pretty facile.

ILW

A._Badger wrote: »

It's the same old, same old tactic. Ignore the message, smear the messenger.

How often do we hear this from Left's broadcast organ, the BBC? The WWF, Greenpeace et al portrayed as grass roots movements, while their EU funding is ignored, Leftist think-tanks whose allegiance is curiously mislaid, while Right wing ones are conspicuously labelled, union-funded agitprop mobs passed off as concerned citizens.

Instead of tackling the, sometimes very significant, findings of the TPA, the comrades point to the source of funding, as if that invalidates the investigation.

It would be amusing if it weren't so predictable and boring.

I do agree to some extent.
If ANY organisation want to dig around and find where a government is squandering taxpayers money, I for one do not care who is funding them.

michaels

Talking of outing hacks:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=2401025 this thread raises some pretty shocking stuff showing marginal effective tax rates of 95% in some cases but how many people just 'come across' such tables and chose to post them on here?

I'm also slightly suspicious of poster like 'The_White_Horse' who almost seem too much a caricature of a Tory voter and wonder if they could actually be plants intended to smear the parties they appear to espouse?

nickmason

ninky wrote: »

i started a very reasonable thread in which i pointed out that a city lobby group had criticised the tory policies on capping skilled migrants. when nickmason (a signed up conservative member) stated that the lobby spokeswoman is a member of the labour party and therefore just towing the party line i pointed out this was incorrect - she is in fact a crossbencher and the lobby group is non partisan. i don't think it is hypocritical of me to post that thread at all. !

I ought to admit at this point that I do recognise that Baroness Valentine is a crossbencher. It was an honest mistake; I have just been trying to find where I'd got the reference of her as a Labour peer from, but can't find it. I wasn't sure whether to come on and explicitly admit that (it's not as if everyone apologises when they are found to have made an honest mistake after all), but in the light of the above, it does seem fair!

I still think you're deranged Ninky... ... and doing a valiant job.

nickmason

michaels wrote: »

I'm also slightly suspicious of poster like 'The_White_Horse' who almost seem too much a caricature of a Tory voter and wonder if they could actually be plants intended to smear the parties they appear to espouse?

I agree - frankly, I can see this to be quite powerful, and I am nervous that others will find it too tempting. I hope not.

ninky_2

nickmason wrote: »

I ought to admit at this point that I do recognise that Baroness Valentine is a crossbencher. It was an honest mistake;.

fair enough. we all make them. post in haste regret at leisure and all that.

given that fact why do you think the london first city lobby group have criticised a cap on skilled migrants. and do you believe it is the best way to manage immigration?

ninky_2

nickmason wrote: »

I agree - frankly, I can see this to be quite powerful, and I am nervous that others will find it too tempting. I hope not.

i think we could all get a little carred away with the power of the house prices, economy and recession forum. it's not visable to the casual viewer (you have to have signed up and signed in) and it has pretty low (if committed) traffic. as a place to debate it's fun. as a place to influence voter opinion then energies would be better spent elsewhere.

i actually think the most useful thing it could provide to potentional canvassers is a guage as to the arguments they might be faced with and ways to combat them. as such they should be grateful to the role played by those with opposing views. after all, preaching to the converted it not going to change things.

michaels

I bow to your superior knowledge on the matter

However you do kind of refute the argument of your second paragraph with your contribution to the debate on here which as others have pointed out tends to be of the 'everything GB does is good, everything the other parties do is bad' persuasion

ninky wrote: »

i think we could all get a little carred away with the power of the house prices, economy and recession forum. it's not visable to the casual viewer (you have to have signed up and signed in) and it has pretty low (if committed) traffic. as a place to debate it's fun. as a place to influence voter opinion then energies would be better spent elsewhere.

i actually think the most useful thing it could provide to potentional canvassers is a guage as to the arguments they might be faced with and ways to combat them. as such they should be grateful to the role played by those with opposing views. after all, preaching to the converted it not going to change things.

Snooze

Joeskeppi wrote: »

It's the fundamental reason that politics is a load of immature tosh. It's fanboyism for grownups.

People vote for their favourite party regardless of what they say or do.

So true. Politics is like a grown-up version of 'Xbox or PS3?'. It's an argument that never ends because there are no right or wrong answers. Similar thing with best browsers too. *yawn*