Ask a Brit thread

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Is it true that New Labour is to the right of the pre-Thatcher Tories?

No. I'm not sure where that myth comes from (assuming that Butler was a typical Tory perhaps? But even that doesn't make a great deal of sense... he'd be on the right of the Labour Party as it is right now).

[Filuwaúrdjan]

On economic issues, absolutely

I'd disagree with that. In terms of state ownership *possibly*, although neither have acted much on that either way (the Tories did privatise Steel in the '50's though) but not in a lot of other ways.

Mind you, economic issues are in many ways very different to the '50's and it's impossible to compare directly.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

One thing I should add is that the Labour Party is an extremely broad church and the average views of a supporter haven't changed a great deal over the past... let's say 70, 80 years.
What changes is where the power in the Party is concentrated (as with the dramatic far left surge in the early '80's) rather than the Party moving left or right.

It should be pointed out that in the early '80's most of the old Bevanites would have been considered as being on the *right* of the Party... even Mikardo (who used to be regarded as a far left firebrand) was thrown of the NEC for being too "right wing"!
Looking at things from a historical point of view, Gordon Brown's ideological position is pretty similer to the views George Brown had in the '60's (although he has the advantages of not being an unstable alcoholic...) while Blair has always struck me as being a bit of a Gaitskellite (which is why I'm slightly suprised he didn't head off SDPwards in the '80's like most of them did).

[CARLHAYDEN]

What's up with the TV fees? Every TV owner has to pay a substantial fee to the BBC, and I've heard stories about non-TV owners being harrassed for not paying the fee.

The BBC is a state-owned broadcasting company and is supposed to produce quality programming. It's not allowed to use commericial advertising to fund itself so the Government let's it charge a license fee (which, contrary to to what you've been told, is pretty small) to all households that have a TV that picks up BBC stations (ie: all of them).

An interesting article on the "quality" of BBC 'news' reporting:

Tory fury as BBC sends hecklers to bait Howard
By Patrick Hennessy, Political Editor
(Filed: 24/04/2005)

The BBC was last night plunged into a damaging general election row after it admitted equipping three hecklers with microphones and sending them into a campaign meeting addressed by Michael Howard, the Conservative leader.

The Tories have made an official protest after the hecklers, who were given the microphones by producers, were caught at a party event in the North West last week. Guy Black, the party's head of communications, wrote in a letter to Helen Boaden, the BBC's director of news, that the hecklers began shouting slogans that were "distracting and clearly hostile to the Conservative Party".

These included "Michael Howard is a liar", "You can't trust the Tories" and "You can only trust Tony Blair".

Mr Black's strongly-worded letter accused the BBC of staging the event "to generate a false news story and dramatise coverage. . . intended to embarrass or ridicule the leader of the Conservative Party". The letter said that BBC staff were guilty of "serious misconduct". At least one of the hecklers was seen again at a Tory event in the North East, Mr Black added.

Last night, the BBC claimed that the exercise was part of a "completely legitimate programme about the history and art of political heckling" and said that other parties' meetings were being "observed". However, The Telegraph has established that none of Tony Blair's meetings was infiltrated or disrupted in similar fashion.

The Conservatives have called for an apology and an assurance that no such incident will occur again. It has also demanded that the BBC promises never to broadcast the footage. The corporation said it would investigate "very fully". It and other broadcasters have a statutory duty to remain impartial during election campaigns. The corporation's guidelines for producers state: "Our audiences rightly expect the highest editorial and ethical standards from the BBC."

Tory officials became suspicious at the meeting in Horwich, near Bolton, last Wednesday, when they saw BBC camera crew focusing on the hecklers rather than Mr Howard. They twice challenged the two men and a woman involved, and discovered they had been equipped with radio microphones.

Mr Black said that they described themselves as "shoppers". In fact, they were under direction from a BBC team making a programme called The History of Heckling for the BBC3 channel. The programme, whose producer is Paul Woolwich, is in the process of being edited.

Mr Black's letter said of the hecklers: "It is entirely clear to me that the success of their presence required an element of performance on their behalf, and that this was a premeditated event intended to disrupt the course of Mr. Howard's speech.

"I do not believe that the BBC should be in the business of creating news. It also appears that the same crew was at the Michael Howard visit to Stockton-on-Tees and it can be no coincidence that someone with them was one of these 'hecklers'.

"I understand that Sally Freestone, the assignments editor UK Special Events, was 'aghast' that the BBC had engaged in such behaviour.

"This is a clear and serious breach of recognised BBC producer guidelines, and accordingly a breach of Section 5.3(b)1 of the BBC Charter Agreement. I also believe that the recordings which were taken of these organised hecklers, of ordinary members of the crowd and/or of Conservative officials who reacted and were recorded, would amount to 'surreptitious recording' under those guidelines."

Such recording requires advance approval from the relevant department head, Mr Black noted, and consultation with the BBC's controller, editorial policy. "Is it suggested that these requirements have been satisfied?" his letter asked, before concluding: "My disappointment with the BBC for this attempted coup d'theatre is profound." He addressed his letter to Ms Boaden, who took over as director of news from Richard Sambrook. Mr Sambrook, a key figure in the row between the Government and the BBC over the death of David Kelly, the Iraq weapons expert, is now director of the Corporation's World Service and Global News division.

Last night a BBC spokesman said: "This is a completely legitimate programme about the history and art of political heckling. The programme observes hecklers at other parties' campaign meetings and not just the Conservatives. The hecklers were not under the direction of the BBC and their activities did not disrupt the meeting in any way. The incident at the Michael Howard meeting only plays a small part in the overall programme. However, we will be investigating the complaint very fully and will be replying in due course."

The spokesman was unable to provide details of any other campaign meetings attended by the BBC3 crew. He said that the hecklers had not been paid a fee, but could not say whether they had received expenses. The dispute is the latest in many rows between the BBC and the Tories. Last autumn the Conservatives lodged an official complaint about Mr Howard's Newsnight interview earlier this year in which Jeremy Paxman questioned Mr Howard about the sacking of Derek Lewis, the head of the Prison Service, when he was home secretary in 1995. A Conservative spokesman claimed that the continued focus on the case of Mr Lewis, almost a decade after the event, showed the "endemic bias" of the BBC.

Many Conservatives are still angry about coverage of the May 2003 local elections when - despite the Tories gaining 565 council seats - the BBC focused on the resignation of Crispin Blunt, the shadow trade minister.

[Hatman 🍁]

Most people here like Canada a lot. Because you don't beat us in sports we care about there's no point developing carefully affectionate insults

Likewise... (brits dont beat us in sports we care about)

[Platypus]

They don't beat us at sports we care about, either

[Filuwaúrdjan]

They don't beat us at sports we care about, either

Not until recently anyway

[Platypus]

We've beaten you in every sport Melburnians care about-even soccer/football. We've only lost to you in one major sporting event I can think of in recent times, the rugby union world cup, out of how many test matches, rugby games, etc.?

Oh, and your females marathon runners are better then ours-but at least we have control of our bowels. that's what English food does to you...

BTW, what I meant be my question before was, does the UK feel any ownership or protectiveness for the commonwealth countries, especially the 'white' ones? Does the UK feel superior, and sorta like it's the boss?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Does the UK feel superior, and sorta like it's the boss?

With the exception of the Blue Rinse Brigade and members of UKIP, no.

[Hatman 🍁]

As a citizen of the commonwealth, would I be allowed to partake in your elections? (providing that I would have to live in the UK)

[Peter]

As a citizen of the commonwealth, would I be allowed to partake in your elections? (providing that I would have to live in the UK)

I think you can, yes.

[12th Doctor]

I just wanted to say that I find the Labour Party's theme for this election to be quite clumsy.

"Britain Forward Not Back"

Maybe this is a product of the culture gap, but wouldn't it sound better if it were, say:

"Moving Britain Ahead"

"Moving Britain Forward"

or perhaps simply

"Labour: Moving Forward"

[Platypus]

"Britain Forward Not Back" sounds fine with a comma after 'Forward', I think.

[minionofmidas]

"back" is a synonym for the Tories, led as they are by a former cabinet member of theirs, thence it has to be in.

[Emsworth]

As a citizen of the commonwealth, would I be allowed to partake in your elections? (providing that I would have to live in the UK)

I think you can, yes.

Rather oddly, so can a citizen of the Republic of Ireland.

[12th Doctor]

"back" is a synonym for the Tories, led as they are by a former cabinet member of theirs, thence it has to be in.

Yes, I understand that "back" means the Tories, but not only is it a very clumsy sounding, but a good political slogan should say what you are about, not contrast you to the other side.  Sadly, possitve leadership politics, as opposed to simply setting yourself opposed to the other side is something that never caught on in Europe and is starting to retreat here in the United States.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Slogan's over here are often... not brilliantly phrased... "Let's GO with Labour for a NEW Britain" (Wilson, 1964) comes to mind.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

What are your strip club restrictions? Are certain places as unenlightened as certain US states that actually ban full nudity and lap dances?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

I have no idea at all

[Kodratos]

What are the steps to becoming a barrister in Britain?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

What are the steps to becoming a barrister in Britain?

This is from memory but I think you get a Law Degree, then work in someone else's Chambers.

Pete will know more

[JohnFKennedy]

What are the steps to becoming a barrister in Britain?

Two options:

3 year law degree then a BVC (Bar Vocational Course) then two six-month pupillages. You also have to join an Inn of Court (Lincoln's Inn, Gray's Inn, Middle Temple or Inner Temple).

Alternatively:

3 year degree in any subject than a one year GDL (Graduate Diploma in Law) which is a conversion course followed by the BVC and two six-month pupillages in a Barrister's Chambers. As before you have to join an Inn of Court.

[minionofmidas]

"back" is a synonym for the Tories, led as they are by a former cabinet member of theirs, thence it has to be in.

Yes, I understand that "back" means the Tories, but not only is it a very clumsy sounding, but a good political slogan should say what you are about, not contrast you to the other side.  Sadly, possitve leadership politics, as opposed to simply setting yourself opposed to the other side is something that never caught on in Europe and is starting to retreat here in the United States.

Welcome to First Past The Post and its inseparable twin cousin Negative Campaigning.

[Platypus]

well, there IS negative campaigning here, too Lewis. But after following the US election quite closely, it sweems we have less them them, and about the same about if not less then the UK.

BTW, i'm thinking the tories have a really bad slogan. Are you?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Oh the Euro elections were much nastier...