Why talk politics here?

Sand

Is this a joke? Where's your evidence that people who go on marches (or engage in work for their communities or a chosen cause) are less political than people who merely cast a vote every 4 or 5 years in between watching telly and/or playing computer games.

The SWP and their ilk arent in power are they? The economy is run on broadly liberal lines, rather than whatever brand of trotsky, stalin, lennin or mao is sweeping the university campus...

Generally, its harder to run a political organisation and groom electoral votes than it is to pull together a few dozen, a few hundred, or a few thousand people into one spot to protest/support any one of a multitude of causes that appear on the hoardings that time around.

Established political parties can safely ignore protest mobs because theyre all sound and fury, signifying nothing when it comes to determining whose in power next time around...

Sgt. Sensible

Sand wrote:

The SWP and their ilk arent in power are they? The economy is run on broadly liberal lines, rather than whatever brand of trotsky, stalin, lennin or mao is sweeping the university campus...

Generally, its harder to run a political organisation and groom electoral votes than it is to pull together a few dozen, a few hundred, or a few thousand people into one spot to protest/support any one of a multitude of causes that appear on the hoardings that time around.

I asked you where your evidence is that people who attend protests are less political than those who don't. It's a bizarre claim that needs clarification. Surely if students are interested in "whatever brand of trotsky, stalin, lennin or mao is sweeping the university campus" then they are by definition political are they not? Personally I don't recall anyone being remotely interested in politics when I was at 3rd level. I remember some girl from a FF family criticising Mary Robinson's hair, but that's about as deep as it got.

Established political parties can safely ignore protest mobs because theyre all sound and fury, signifying nothing when it comes to determining whose in power next time around...

It appears recent events in Ukraine (where mass protests caused fraudulent election to be annulled), Nepal (where mass protests caused the King to back down and restore democracy), Venezuela (where mass protests caused coup to collapse) and France (where mass protests caused government to do u-turn on labour law) may have escaped your notice. There are also huge protests still going on in Mexico over the election result, but we'll have to wait and see what happens there.

sceptre

Sgt. Sensible wrote:

I asked you where your evidence is that people who attend protests are less political than those who don't.

In the interest of keeping this thread at least vaguely related to what it might have been at the start, feel free to start a new thread about it. It's obviously well off-topic for this one.

It appears recent events in Ukraine (where mass protests caused fraudulent election to be annulled), Nepal etc etc

See above.

I don't see the need for anyone to reply on this particular issue in a not-new-thread. I'm open to receiving comms via PM as to why I'm wrong.

Jackie laughlin

That's a good point about the discipline of text. I hadn't thought of that. We are much more considered and thoughful when we write. We also tend to review before sending.

I don't think it naive or idealistic (in the worst sense of the word) to wonder if (or even hope that) this is the future of political talk. I think it's interesting. However, I'm growing more pessimistic about the "blogosphere" and e-democracy generally.