The Council of Elrond Had It All Wrong

[f4f3]

I've just finished listening to "Any Questions?" on Radio 4. It's kind of like Question Time with fewer fascists, but this week it had to address the same issues. Someone asked what the mainstream political parties should do to recapture votes which they'd lost to the BNP. Well first of all, it's a crap question. Every party is losing votes, as people choose not to vote for anyone, but the BNP lost fewer than most others.
But, in the way of the programme, the independent (a union official) suggested actually providing jobs and houses (addressing the root causes) and the marginalist suggested engaging the fascists in a debate they could only lose. Then the Labour and Tory candidates spoke up. Labour suggested letting local people rent local council houses. The Tory attacked Labour for introducing a points-based immigration policy with no absolute cap on numbers of foreigners coming here and sleeping with our daughters (I think there is a quota based system for that).

This sounded a lot like deciding to fight evil by being a little bit evil yourself. "Evil-lite", as Dr Evil would say. Is it just me, or is this a fundamentally stupid, immoral, dangerous and, dare I say it, evil approach? You don't fight evil with evil, you fight it with good. Well, good and a handy and disposable hairy footed short person....

In the words of my people, it's as if Gandalf had said "Well, Sauron, I mean he goes a bit far, but he has a point. Something does have to be done about all these dwarves and elves cluttering up middle-Earth. And hobbits? Well, we all know what they're like. Loveable scamps, you may say, but you haven't seen them on a Saturday night, rolling down Bree high street out of their heads on ale and wacky backy. If Isildur was here today, he'd be turning in his grave."  And what would that make Gandalf? I think we all know what happens when you try to be just a leeetle bit evil...

Comments

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

I don't really think it's a good versus evil thing. I see more as this. Neither Labour or Conservatives really stand for anything other than being in power. They have no real principles. Power comes from votes. The easiest way to win votes is to promise people what they think they want (and try and scare the rest into thinking the same). In this scenario cheap vote winners are policies that pander to widely held prejudices so that's what they do; immigrant bashing, "tough on (largely non-existent) crime", "immorality" (whatever that is) and so on. We have the same thing in Canada only worse as our "natural party of power", the Liberals hasn't held a irm principle in its entire history. The sad thing is the whole process alienates people who really don't see the point in voting for The Mirror versus The Mail or v.v, so they stay away. Net result, governments get to claim a "democratic mandate" with the support of a quarter of the electorate and slimeballs like the BNP gain strength, even if it's only relative.