Comments on: politics in the city http://www.oblomovka.com/wp/2008/10/12/politics-in-the-city/ Casual Dismissals from Danny O'Brien Tue, 20 Jul 2010 11:15:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: nick s http://www.oblomovka.com/wp/2008/10/12/politics-in-the-city/comment-page-1/#comment-588 nick s Mon, 13 Oct 2008 23:29:49 +0000 http://www.oblomovka.com/wp/?p=1218#comment-588 <i> I wonder what the %age of joke candidates is in PR votes?</i> I'll be waggish and say-- in parts of Italy, probably all of them. I wonder what the %age of joke candidates is in PR votes?

I’ll be waggish and say– in parts of Italy, probably all of them.

]]> By: Danny O'Brien http://www.oblomovka.com/wp/2008/10/12/politics-in-the-city/comment-page-1/#comment-586 Danny O'Brien Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:52:04 +0000 http://www.oblomovka.com/wp/?p=1218#comment-586 @jornB Fixed: I meant <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/witter" rel="nofollow">witter</a>, and am flattered by your search! @nick, I think that Linus is mulling over the carnivalisation and polarisation of all US politics, compared to proportional representation systems. My point is that if there is polarisation, it adds to the spectacle, and perhaps the spectacle adds to our closer observation of what goes on. This is I think the Anglo-Saxon complaint that all other political systems short of outright civil war are in some way too boring for tears. (You can tell when I think I am playing to my own horrible prejudices when I end on a rhetorical question.) I wonder what the %age of joke candidates is in PR votes? @jornB Fixed: I meant witter, and am flattered by your search!

@nick, I think that Linus is mulling over the carnivalisation and polarisation of all US politics, compared to proportional representation systems. My point is that if there is polarisation, it adds to the spectacle, and perhaps the spectacle adds to our closer observation of what goes on. This is I think the Anglo-Saxon complaint that all other political systems short of outright civil war are in some way too boring for tears. (You can tell when I think I am playing to my own horrible prejudices when I end on a rhetorical question.) I wonder what the %age of joke candidates is in PR votes?

]]> By: jornB http://www.oblomovka.com/wp/2008/10/12/politics-in-the-city/comment-page-1/#comment-585 jornB Mon, 13 Oct 2008 08:47:20 +0000 http://www.oblomovka.com/wp/?p=1218#comment-585 CindyS is missing a left chevron above, and 'whitter' looks like a neologism, which (b) I expect you knew, but it took rather a while to research (even checked Finnegans Wake). CindyS is missing a left chevron above, and ‘whitter’ looks like a neologism, which (b) I expect you knew, but it took rather a while to research (even checked Finnegans Wake).

]]> By: nick s http://www.oblomovka.com/wp/2008/10/12/politics-in-the-city/comment-page-1/#comment-584 nick s Mon, 13 Oct 2008 06:49:42 +0000 http://www.oblomovka.com/wp/?p=1218#comment-584 You've watched 'Our Friends In The North', I hope? (I was going to say: rent it, but it's not available in Region 1, as far as I can tell.) For most of my childhood, I was in a somewhat marginal constituency, made less marginal by the outward thrust of the suburbs, but the town centre would elect a dog in a red rosette and that led to entrenched blocs, rumours of graft, and bitter inter-party fights that made Jacobean revenge tragedies look like Dora the Explorer. (Reeves and Mortimer's Cox and Evans are very clearly modelled on two local councillors from back home.) See, I think Linus misses the point a little, but that you're also talking past him. SF politics covers a fragment of the national spectrum, and it's within those constraints that the distinctions are paradoxically most profound. (Tangentially, it's also the area that's most open to electoral experimentation.) That's to say, you'll find SF politics in pretty much every one-party municipality regardless of the country. Once you hit congressional-district or statewide politics, though, the amount of money required to campaign in any serious fashion combines with broadcast media to warp the political discourse. It ceases to be politics on a human scale. I've made one serious political donation in my life, and that was to Martin Bell in 1997. Now that was money well spent, even accounting for its role in creating the monster that is Oliver Kamm. Money is speech only to the extent that REPLIES ON THE INTERNETS IN ALL CAPS ARE SPEECH. They're in a register that doesn't fit. In the meantime, I'll be glad to watch the Canadian returns come in on Tuesday night. You’ve watched ‘Our Friends In The North’, I hope? (I was going to say: rent it, but it’s not available in Region 1, as far as I can tell.) For most of my childhood, I was in a somewhat marginal constituency, made less marginal by the outward thrust of the suburbs, but the town centre would elect a dog in a red rosette and that led to entrenched blocs, rumours of graft, and bitter inter-party fights that made Jacobean revenge tragedies look like Dora the Explorer. (Reeves and Mortimer’s Cox and Evans are very clearly modelled on two local councillors from back home.)

See, I think Linus misses the point a little, but that you’re also talking past him. SF politics covers a fragment of the national spectrum, and it’s within those constraints that the distinctions are paradoxically most profound. (Tangentially, it’s also the area that’s most open to electoral experimentation.) That’s to say, you’ll find SF politics in pretty much every one-party municipality regardless of the country. Once you hit congressional-district or statewide politics, though, the amount of money required to campaign in any serious fashion combines with broadcast media to warp the political discourse. It ceases to be politics on a human scale. I’ve made one serious political donation in my life, and that was to Martin Bell in 1997. Now that was money well spent, even accounting for its role in creating the monster that is Oliver Kamm. Money is speech only to the extent that REPLIES ON THE INTERNETS IN ALL CAPS ARE SPEECH. They’re in a register that doesn’t fit.

In the meantime, I’ll be glad to watch the Canadian returns come in on Tuesday night.

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