About this blog
It’s a blog – what more need I say? Probably quite a lot, but for now I’m only going to mention terminology, tone and comments.
Terminology
When talking about UK politics, I will generally avoid using the terms “Tory” and “Tories” as these have emotional overtones. Instead, I will talk about “the Conservative party, ” or “Conservatives.” If and when I use “Tory” it will because those overtones matter. Oddly, there don’t seem to be widely accepted nicknames either for Labour or the Liberal Democrats except for the simple contraction “Lib-Dems.”
When talking about the present coalition government, I will similarly avoid such terms as the “Con-Dems” but will talk about either “the government” or “the coalition.” On occasion I may use initial capitals.
I will try to avoid the increasingly meaningless terms “right” and “left.” Instead, I will talk about where policy lies on two axes: state control versus economically liberal, and authoritarian versus libertarian.
Tone
Generally, I try to avoid partisan mud-slinging and overtly partisan rhetoric. I try (though sometimes I may fail) to maintain a neutral tone and discuss the pros and cons of policy. Clearly my own views will be apparent!
As you’d expect, when I discuss a topic, it is usually the case that I feel strongly about the issue (or I wouldn’t bother). So don’t mistake my relatively neutral tone for a lack of opinion or as an indication of the strength (or otherwise) of my feelings.
Comments
I will not tolerate ad hominem attacks: attack the argument not the person. Any such comments will be deleted. If a user persists with such attacks, that user will similarly be deleted!
