What is a Tory?

[Jacob]

I suppose my point is someone's politics is rarely so cut and dried I can have beliefs and opinions that might fit in both camps. So is it a sum of the balance of your opinions as to what you're labelled?

Which way do you vote? That's usually taken as a reliable indicator, unless voting "tactically".
Even more so if you are a paid up member of the party.

 

[AJB Temple]

People who are knowingly disingenuous Jacob are generally narcissistic.

 

[Jacob]

What? You mean it is simplistic to assume that someone who votes tory, supports tory ideas, or even is party member, might actually be a tory?

 

[woodieallen]

Surely, the point is that it identifies someone's politics, and certain of their values, but it doesn't describe the complex that is the person. It's like saying someone is white or black - in that case, it's just one attribute, maybe certain attitudes, but not the whole person.

I disagree. The context in which any of these words is often derogatory.

 

[woodieallen]

Second post is interesting, so presumably it was intended as an insult.

I don't think so. If there was no exclamation mark at the end then perhaps yes.

 

[Jake]

People who are knowingly disingenuous Jacob are generally narcissistic.

It's not possible to be unknowingly disingenuous. It's dishonesty, accusations of it triggered me on another thread, it's a serious accusation.

 

[Jake]

I don't think of Tory as an insult per se, there are very many good and decent people who are Conservative. Some aren't so great and some are atrocious, but the same is the case on the left. I think the problem is the Conservative party has ostracised a lot of the more reasonable and decent people it had as members and MPs, so now Tory seems more antagonistic (from both sides) than it should be - it's now got associated with being rather wing-nutty because that's how the party has gone for now - not quite as bad as Trump/GOP but seemingly doing its best to find those depths. Shame really, hope they find a better path or get replaced, maybe the orange book libdems can have a go at that.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

The origin of the word "Tory" is 17th century and linked to outlaw and brigand. How it evolved to be used interchangeably as a member or supporter of the Conservative Party s unclear.

Attributing common social and economic beliefs to all who vote C/T is grossly over simplistic. It merely means on balance that the C/T Party best reflects a supporters view.

Some seem to have difficulty understanding the concept. It is (and has always been) possible to support the C/T party and be wholly supportive of decent funding for NHS. education, support for those in society in genuine need, etc.

Assuming the Labour party inhabit the other side of the political spectrum, a similarly simplistic (and unfair) view of policy would be aligned to:

• socialism - economic and political philosophy characterised by social ownership of the means of production, or even
• communism - characterised by "from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs”

A graphical distribution of political views could be represented by a bell curve - most policies and politicians actually inhabit the centre ground. A few sit on the extremes of left and right.

Electoral success relies upon shifting public opinion a little to the right or left of centre, using rhetoric and selective statistics to suggest the opposition actually inhabit the extremes of the bell curve. Hence~:

• Tories insist Labour = nationalisation, high taxation, nanny state, support for scroungers etc
• Labour insist Tories = uncaring, privatise all, screw the poor, enrich the rich, etc

Neither model is "decent honest and truthful" - those supporting such stereotypical descriptions are worthy of no more credibility than the politicians who fed them the claptrap in the first place.

 

[Rewound]

Totally Outdated Rubber Yuppies

 

[Sideways]

Harking right back to an observation in the first post, about people looking for differences, I thought about what some people value from the experience of travel.
I've visited and lived in a few countries over the years and I'm always struck by how similar we all are, and how ingenious we are at finding different ways to solve universal problems.
They do say travel broadens the mind...