Religion and Ethics Forum

General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Sriram on June 01, 2017, 02:21:38 PM

Title: Interest in the British elections
Post by: Sriram on June 01, 2017, 02:21:38 PM
Hi everyone,

Here is an article from CNN about the International interest or lack of it in the British elections.

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/01/opinions/weirdest-election-in-memory-campbell-opinion/index.html

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Of the many elections I have covered in my time as a political journalist or worked in as a campaigner and strategist, the current UK general election is perhaps the weirdest, the most surreal, I have ever known.

If any readers outside the UK were unaware that we are even having one, fear not: you are far from being alone. Indeed, the seeming lack of international interest in the election is one of the many factors making it so strange.

The BBC recently ran a piece on just how little attention it is getting in the US, by comparison with the presidential election in France, for example, where Emmanuel Macron v. Marine Le Pen commanded attention around the globe for weeks.

So what is going on? Is it just that the world has to digest the daily outpourings of Donald Trump and the scandals engulfing his Administration and cannot cope with any more political news? Or does it say something about Britain becoming less interesting and less relevant to the world?

I fear it is the latter. Though Britain's vote to leave the European Union may have seemed in tune with these populist, Trumpian times, the US remains a superpower, whoever is at the helm.

Britain, on the other hand, has signaled not merely its own insularity, but with it our own future decline, reflected in the falling value of sterling -- and now in the falling interest in our politics.

When the election was called, the Russians were asked -- sign of the times -- whether they intended to hack and misinform their way into this one as they did the American and French elections. A Kremlin spokesman was possibly for once telling the truth when he said "we have no interest in the British election."

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Do you think this situation can be reversed?

Any views?

Sriram
Title: Re: Interest in the British elections
Post by: Humph Warden Bennett on June 01, 2017, 06:06:17 PM
Ever since I was a kid UK politics has been slowly fragmenting from the yah boo tow party model of the fifties, now we seem to be back where we started from. TBH I don't blame the rest of the world for not taking  too much interest.
Title: Re: Interest in the British elections
Post by: Rhiannon on June 01, 2017, 06:38:17 PM
I have to say it's never crossed my mind that the rest of the world should be interested in our elections.
Title: Re: Interest in the British elections
Post by: floo on June 01, 2017, 06:44:59 PM
I should think the British election is of interest around the world, as even though we are a small country, in comparison with many, we still pack a bit of a clout, even if it isn't a big as it used to be.
Title: Re: Interest in the British elections
Post by: Harrowby Hall on June 01, 2017, 07:41:06 PM
I should think the British election is of interest around the world, as even though we are a small country, in comparison with many, we still pack a bit of a clout, even if it isn't a big as it used to be.

What do you mean by a "small country", Floo?  What, to you, are the appropriate characteristics with which to make comparisons?

Would you be surprised to learn that - in terms of GDP per capita - the IMF consider the "largest" countries in the EU as Luxembourg, Ireland and Sweden (in that order)?

How do you perceive size?

As to the question posed by Sriram, I suspect the rest of the world has little interest in watching a country mutilate itself.
Title: Re: Interest in the British elections
Post by: Sriram on June 02, 2017, 05:46:55 AM
I should think the British election is of interest around the world, as even though we are a small country, in comparison with many, we still pack a bit of a clout, even if it isn't a big as it used to be.


The linked article is precisely about the fact that there seems to be no interest internationally.
Title: Re: Interest in the British elections
Post by: Enki on June 02, 2017, 10:36:47 AM

The linked article is precisely about the fact that there seems to be no interest internationally.

I wouldn't really expect it. Sriram. However I do think that in many fields(e.g. cultural, artistic, scientific, sporting) we exert a powerful influence compared with our political standing in the world.
Title: Re: Interest in the British elections
Post by: Rhiannon on June 02, 2017, 10:43:55 AM
I think that's true. And post Brexit that won't change, except in the field of science. Which is something to hang onto I guess.
Title: Re: Interest in the British elections
Post by: ProfessorDavey on June 02, 2017, 12:50:40 PM
Ever since I was a kid UK politics has been slowly fragmenting from the yah boo tow party model of the fifties, now we seem to be back where we started from. TBH I don't blame the rest of the world for not taking  too much interest.
There has been a poll released this morning with both Labour and the Tories polling above 40%. And note that includes Scotland where, of course the SNP will be polling high 40%. That is astonishing. We are back to a position in England and Wales where it is effectively a 2 party election.
Title: Re: Interest in the British elections
Post by: Humph Warden Bennett on June 02, 2017, 06:13:01 PM
There has been a poll released this morning with both Labour and the Tories polling above 40%. And note that includes Scotland where, of course the SNP will be polling high 40%. That is astonishing. We are back to a position in England and Wales where it is effectively a 2 party election.

Very disappointing. But times change.
Title: Re: Interest in the British elections
Post by: Sriram on June 05, 2017, 03:34:34 PM

There is today a link in the CNN site where people are asked to leave a voice mail about 'What do you think the UK's place in the world should be?'

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/02/world/uk-election-voice-mails/index.html

I found that quite funny because no one can decide off hand what UK's place in the world should be. What does that even mean? What place? In which context? In which field? Compared to whom exactly? And more relevantly...why?

Any views?
Title: Re: Interest in the British elections
Post by: ekim on June 05, 2017, 04:19:45 PM
There is today a link in the CNN site where people are asked to leave a voice mail about 'What do you think the UK's place in the world should be?'

Any views?
Somewhere between New Zealand and Australia might be quite nice.   ;)
Title: Re: Interest in the British elections
Post by: Robbie on June 05, 2017, 04:29:52 PM
No that's too far away.
To the right of Ireland and the left of Denmark and Germany would be ideal with plenty of surrounding sea.

Seriously, sririam I agree with you, it is a really silly question.
Title: Re: Interest in the British elections
Post by: Sebastian Toe on June 05, 2017, 04:56:46 PM
There is today a link in the CNN site where people are asked to leave a voice mail about 'What do you think the UK's place in the world should be?'

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/02/world/uk-election-voice-mails/index.html

I found that quite funny because no one can decide off hand what UK's place in the world should be. What does that even mean? What place? In which context? In which field? Compared to whom exactly? And more relevantly...why?

Any views?
Its a stupid question.
Title: Re: Interest in the British elections
Post by: Shaker on June 05, 2017, 08:53:53 PM
There is today a link in the CNN site where people are asked to leave a voice mail about 'What do you think the UK's place in the world should be?'

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/06/02/world/uk-election-voice-mails/index.html

I found that quite funny because no one can decide off hand what UK's place in the world should be. What does that even mean? What place? In which context?

As you say, nobody can decide such things.

Except people weren't being asked to; they were asked for their opinion as to what ought to be the case, which - steps back in amazement - isn't the same thing.