UK Tories are US Democrats

[Imran Siddiqui]

Something to vindicate kentonio

http://today.yougov.com/news/2014/11/06/taxation-and-morality/

[Ben Kenobi]

So the argument is that Tories are Liberals?

[Kidlicious]

So 2/3 of Brits think women should get free tampons?

[Colon™]

Also yougov:

Which one of the following do you think should be the
highest priority for the next government after the general
election in May 2015?

Con - Lab

Reducing the number of immigrants coming into Britain
33 - 17

Increasing the minimum wage to £8 an hour
8 - 27

Holding a referendum on Britain’s membership of the
European Union
24 - 7

Spending more on the NHS
7 - 28

Increasing the personal tax allowance to £12,500 and the
threshold for the 40p tax rate to £50,000
23 - 12

Consider EU membership as an equivalent to states' rights. The priorities of conservative voters don't strike as very democrat after all.

[Dauphin]

The "Spending more on the NHS" type questions irk me. I know they are proxy questions for improving services, but increasing a budget by £1,000 a bog roll so that it is gold flecked bog roll is not a sensible idea, but is within apparent policy of increasing spending on the NHS. The question should be spending more to achieve X. It's similar to the should we increase financial regulation without saying the purpose of the regulations.

[C0ckney]

colon: i think there's a separation to be made between questions of general principal, like the question imran posted, and questions specific to a certain political context; the analogies can never be perfect (although for what it's worth i think that in british politics "devolution" is a far better analogy than the EU for "state's rights") and are rarely good enough for meaningful comparison.

dauphin: i agree with that, but i think it's necessary to ask the questions in that way because it's nearly impossible to get a consistent 'x', becoming increasingly difficult as the area widens.

there's a broader issue here in that these kind of demands are local in nature - people invariably want their local surgery or hospital improved in some way - but are not made locally; instead being made to a national government, which renders them fairly ineffective. there's a big difference between 60 million people demanding that their local health services improve, and co-ordinating their efforts nationally, and 60 million people looking to the central government to 'sort out the health system'.

[Sava]

you know who really cares about their "property"?

slave masters

[Colon™]

colon: i think there's a separation to be made between questions of general principal, like the question imran posted, and questions specific to a certain political context; the analogies can never be perfect (although for what it's worth i think that in british politics "devolution" is a far better analogy than the EU for "state's rights") and are rarely good enough for meaningful comparison.

The poll didn't ask about devolution though. The debate re the EU and the US fed govt is quite similar in that they're both seen as intrusive and overweening, maybe even a threat to freedoms, by opponents.

And the trend is pretty clear, conservatives are worried about taxes and immigrants first, whereas labour puts social measures and healthcare first.

[Dauphin]

dauphin: i agree with that, but i think it's necessary to ask the questions in that way because it's nearly impossible to get a consistent 'x', becoming increasingly difficult as the area widens.

there's a broader issue here in that these kind of demands are local in nature - people invariably want their local surgery or hospital improved in some way - but are not made locally; instead being made to a national government, which renders them fairly ineffective. there's a big difference between 60 million people demanding that their local health services improve, and co-ordinating their efforts nationally, and 60 million people looking to the central government to 'sort out the health system'.

Quite, it is like asking people "Do you want to pay less tax?". It's a fluff question that has no real value as the answer is pretty much loaded.

[Imran Siddiqui]

colon: i think there's a separation to be made between questions of general principal, like the question imran posted, and questions specific to a certain political context; the analogies can never be perfect (although for what it's worth i think that in british politics "devolution" is a far better analogy than the EU for "state's rights") and are rarely good enough for meaningful comparison.

Indeed

And there are a number of Democrats in the US who are more conservative on social policy, including immigration (even Obama's plan involves "strengthening border security" as a main plank).

[kentonio]

So 2/3 of Brits think women should get free tampons?

At least 99% of UK women would happily wait in line to kick you in your sand filled vagina.

[Sava]

At least 99% of UK women would happily wait in line to kick you in your sand filled vagina.

I would pay as much as $50 to see that.

[DinoDoc]

This appears to be the most interesting graphic from the survey.

[Kidlicious]

At least 99% of UK women would happily wait in line to kick you in your sand filled vagina.

What a country.

[C0ckney]

Indeed

And there are a number of Democrats in the US who are more conservative on social policy, including immigration (even Obama's plan involves "strengthening border security" as a main plank).

labour talk very tough on immigration too, because that's what people want to hear (labour being too scared of opinion polls to outline a decent moral argument in favour of immigration), although in practise very little is done (was in labour's case) to actually limit the number of immigrants. this is for two reasons: firstly, the practical difficulties of doing so, as a lot of immigrants come from the EU and; secondly, the fact that big business wants a cheap, pliant, and insecure workforce, a role which immigrants play well, both by themselves and for the effect they have on the bottom end of the labour market.