The Politics Knowledge Bank

[Mr Heliums]

On 14/05/2020 at 18:17, oaksoft said:

Personally, I form my political thoughts myself rather than being overly influenced by the opinions of others. I don't follow anyone or read opinion pieces of any type really. I get my news from sources as neutral as possible and make my own mind up on an issue by issue basis.

That’s a narrow attitude. 

You claim to get your news from sources that are as neutral as possible, but who decides a source is ’neutral’ other than the reader, who comes to news armed with prejudices and assumptions. None of us is a blank interpreting machine ready to be filled with raw facts. We're not six years old.

You say you're not  ‘overly influenced’ by writers, as if that’s unusual position. Who admits they are? But there's nothing wrong in reading good writers. If they influence, it’s because they’re insightful. They take facts and arrange them to present a view you hadn’t considered, or couldn't articulate, before. That doesn’t mean you should unquestioningly parrot that view. Again, no-one would argue that. But a good essay is a starting point to challenge or inspire. 

In any case, where are you getting these neutral sources? The FT isn’t neutral. Nor the Guardian. Even if you believe the BBC is neutral in the sense it’s even-handed (a stretch I know), it’s an even-handedness that only extends to presenting two opposing views and leaving them lifeless in front of you. If they can't offer opinion, what they should be doing at least is presenting the truth, or as close as they can get to it.

Anyway, like many, I don’t read British newspapers (other than the football bit of the Courier). I subscribe to the paper version of the international NYT. I love its global coverage, or maybe just its distance from the UK. Book reviews every day, and insightful short columns. It has an editorial position, but it’s well argued, which is better to my mind. I don’t always agree with it, but I’d rather see the other point of view when it’s well argued.

I try to read foreign newspapers too, but more for language practice (for that reason hardly high-brow – French-language equivalents of Metro). Still it’s often fascinating to read about the UK and Scotland from outside the UK. But in all of this, I'll read with prejudice. Can't help it.

(In Edinburgh and maybe elsewhere you can get access to many foreign newspapers free through libraries (PressReader)).
 

Edited May 16, 2020 by Mr Heliums

[welshbairn]

18 minutes ago, Mr Heliums said:

I try to read foreign newspapers too, but more for language practice (for that reason hardly high-brow (French-language equivalents of Metro).

My French is crap so I prefer papers like Le Monde because most of the big words are similar in English. I've tried to get the NYT delivered in Inverness without success, but it's my go to paper whenever I see it for sale, solid news and comment with hardly any padding.

Edited May 16, 2020 by welshbairn

[Mr Heliums]

17 minutes ago, welshbairn said:

My French is crap so I prefer papers like Le Monde because most of the big words are similar in English. I've tried to get the NYT delivered in Inverness without success, but it's my go to paper whenever I see it for sale, solid news and comment with hardly any padding.

Here's the link I used to resubscribe a few months back.  £2.30 a week for three months. Should deliver anywhere in the UK, although it's been unpredictable during the pandemic (I got six issues delivered in one day the other week). Still, it's not as if you're reading it for breaking news – besides it also includes the digital subscription.

[welshbairn]

1 minute ago, Mr Heliums said:

Here's the link I used to resubscribe a few months back.  £2.30 a week for three months. Should deliver anywhere in the UK, although it's been unpredictable during the pandemic (I got six issues delivered in one day the other week). Still, it's not as if you're reading it for breaking news – besides it also includes the digital subscription.

Cheers, already got a digital sub for the American version, might see if I can change it.

[welshbairn]

9 minutes ago, oaksoft said:

With respect, that is not your call to make.

Life is short and I will fill it with things that I consider important to me. I'm not really in the market for others opinions on that score.

[Mr Heliums]

3 hours ago, oaksoft said:

With respect, that is not your call to make. Life is short and I will fill it with things that I consider important to me. I'm not really in the market for others opinions on that score.

Not reading other people's views, not being 'in the market' for others' opinions, even red-dotting posts while responding 'with respect': yeah, I feel entitled to call it a narrow attitude.

Edited May 16, 2020 by Mr Heliums

[welshbairn]

I know all I need to know without consulting anyone's goddamn opinion. Pass the bleach Melania.

[NotThePars]

Sitting in a dark room to achieve true enlightenment only to emerge with pretty standard boiler plate post-Thatcherite political beliefs

[Genuine Hibs Fan]

This was meant to be the NICE place on the politics sub you animals!

[renton]

3 hours ago, NotThePars said:

Sitting in a dark room to achieve true enlightenment only to emerge with pretty standard boiler plate post-Thatcherite political beliefs

Maybe that's the dark truth that upon discovery, all those Buddhist monks dare not speak: the way to enlightenment passes through Right to Buy....

Edited May 16, 2020 by renton

[GordonS]

I'll agree with Oaksoft to an extent - I don't waste time reading the dribblings of people I regard as eejits. Someone on Twitter was telling me I couldn't understand that climate change was all a big conspiracy unless I read some book. I'm not investing that sort of time in total pish. Am I supposed to learn something if I follow Toby Young? Life's too short.

The value of t'internet like Twitter is you can choose your own news editors. For Middle East analysis I follow Sulome Anderson, Jenna Moussa, Tom Fletcher (former UK ambassador to Lebanon) and the Soufran Centre. Unfortunately Twitter's algorithm shoves contentious stuff in my face so most of what I see is yoons and cybernats being twats, people wanting to drive over cyclists and Donald Trump. I'm using it less and less as a result.

[scottmcleanscontacts]

I like to think I'm fairly well read when it comes to Political stuff, perhaps Sociological as well.

It interests me a great deal, but usually I stay away from debate on forums and the like as sometimes it can be like having a conversation with Vicky Pollard.

As with anything, the historical stuff is always open to interpretation......there are people who truly think Marx was advocating what would become of his ideas in Lenin's Soviet era and the like. What Marx was suggesting was and still is, fairness and equality, though he tends to not focus very much on things like race/religion etc.

Anyway, the truth is that probably more modern day arseholes - let's call them that, rather than leaders - are influenced more by the theories of Machiavelli and other 'Machiavellian' folk such as Bismarck.

Anyway, I digress. To cut to the chase don't believe the rhetoric that is used today to interpret Political/Sociological works. Instead, read them yourself.

[Alan Stubbs]

Disclaimer that I've fallen out of the routine of reading it since lockdown but the English language section of Spiegel is a decent read for European/world news. It has its own bent like anywhere else but they seem to get interviews with big players and they do plenty of proper investigative reporting.

I find it increasingly hard to find anywhere decent to read about Scottish politics. I don't want to do an Oaksoft and cocoon myself from the world but every established media outlet in Scotland seems to get shiter on a day to day basis.

If I didn't have to keep on top of some of it for my work, I would definitely be less informed than I was about 10 years ago. It is a bit of an echo chamber but even reading P&B is better than nothing. 

[SandyCromarty]

On 15/05/2020 at 12:13, MixuFruit said:

I feel bad for not mentioning the Sunday Post is a great Scottish paper these days.

I hope you are taking the piss here as It's a well known tory rag. 

[Highlandmagyar 2nd Tier]

For financial comments and history I like to read William Keegan of the Observer.  And his latest book Nine Crises is an eye opener. 

Edited June 18, 2020 by Highlandmagyar 2nd Tier

[SandyCromarty]

11 hours ago, MixuFruit said:

Not at all, a quick glance at its Twitter shows a neutral outlook in my view. Plus they get some interesting scoops sometimes.

Would the Thomson family wealth in 2019 of £1.4 Billion suggest in any way they are socialist? or heaven forbid Communist.

And the four Thomson owners presently are direct descendants of David Thomson who virulently opposed trade unions and would not employ catholics.

There is no suggestion that the present owners are of the same ilk.............................................................................................................................

[SandyCromarty]

1 hour ago, MixuFruit said:

Well if there's some subliminal messaging designed to reinforce the existing hegemony in this for example, it's awfy subtle.

https://www.sundaypost.com/news/scottish-news/poorer-parents-bearing-brunt-of-school-closure-costs-survey-suggests/

The reason behind this type article is all due to failing print media sales and print advertising over the last two decades where they have to aim leader articles at a broader spectrum of the population to include working classes, it is pathetic in my opinion when you consider that prior to the rise in internet access papers such as the SP were wholly right wing, in those days the working classes were given fodder such as the Hon Man and The Doc etc, the rest of the paper was, to use your word subtle in getting across tory doctrine albeit Conservative with a small c,  as a young man I recall reading my parents issue when the paper declared that the recent big increase in the price of coal was directly , but suggested subtly (again), brought about by the labour party, this btw  was during the term of a tory government.

The media in Scotland are predominantly right wing, take my neck of the woods where we have a two weekly publications here in Inverness, the company is owned by the Scottish Provincial Press who have 14 provincial newspapers in the North of Scotland, in all of these the owners have begged their readers with banner adverts online to give them financial donations to help the paper survive during the crisis, SPP is owned by two people, one of them is one of the ILliffe's who have a £145 million fortune and own a 17,000 acre estate in england, take out of that what you will.

 

[BB_Bino]

What have The National done over the last few months?

Lots of people commenting on Facebook threads that the paper has changed, used to be a reader but not now and all this kind of stuff. Did I miss something?

[NotThePars]

4 hours ago, BB_Bino said:

What have The National done over the last few months?

Lots of people commenting on Facebook threads that the paper has changed, used to be a reader but not now and all this kind of stuff. Did I miss something?

My totally ignorant guess is it's still cheerleading Sturgeon while loads of the radicalised da contingent want her replaced by Cherry

[John Lambies Doos]

Channel 4