[HPforGrownups] Politics

[Irene Mikhlin]

No: HPFGUIDX 71599



Kathryn Cawte wrote:
>  
>  
>  Irene
>  
> This sort of discussion always tells much more about participants than 
> about the characters.
> Without even looking into my crystal ball I can confidently predict that 
> people who vote Labour will find convincing arguments for why all the 
> evil characters are Tory and vice versa.
> If it does not deteriorate towards flame war, it would be surprising.
>  
> Me -
> 
> I've already given my answers on this topic, but I will add a couple of
> things. Dolores Umbridge is very right wing I think *but* I wouldn;t say
> Tory. The trouble is the Tory party is the only right wing part of any size
> in this country so it's difficult to really put her any where else. If we
> had a Fascist party I'd probably put her there.
> 
> Voldemort would surely be BNP rather than Conservative, wouldn't he?
> 
> Lucius - no I'm afraid you're stuck with him because he is the very image of
> an old school Conservative. Aristocratic, blue blooded, great fan of
> patronage. He votes Conservative for the pure and simple reason that he's
> financially better off under a conservative government than under a liberal
> or socialist government (and yes I did mean all of those to have little
> letters since I'm not talking about specific parties).
> 
> (I'm assuming you're a conservative, because you're exhibiting the touchy
> attitude most of the Young Conservatives, sorry CF members, I know exhibit.
> They're so scared of being labelled as 'nasty' that they panic every time
> someone unpleasent is identified with the right. An attitude Ive noticed
> especially amongst people on the right of the party)

And I wonder how you were able to arrive at this conclusion. Based on my 
experience in other fandoms, I offered a symmetric argument without 
actually giving any examples, and from this you somehow managed to 
derive my political position?
Now, I don't happen to be a member of the Conservative party, or a voter 
  for this party, but if I was I would find myself in a lose-lose 
position now: greeted with such gems of logical thinking as "Dolores 
Umbridge, definitely of the right - someone that cruel has to be" you 
can't even protest. Because if said hypothetical CF member would say 
something like
"Sorry, what about Stalin? Trotsky? Baader-Meinhof? French revolution?", 
you would say they are too touchy, defensive, scared and protest too 
much. Not a nice position to be.

Unless you reasoning was that I don't like the discussion even before 
the "vice versa" part of the show materialized?
I can contribute to it myself, for the argument's sake.
Dolores Umbridge - control freak extraordinaire. It's so easy to make 
parallels between her educational policies and Charles Clarke, that I 
will leave as an exercise to the reader.
Let's go for the harder target: I postulate that my favourite character, 
Hermione, has Margaret Thatcher for a role model. Think about it:
Hermione is clever, ruthless, attracted to a successful older man and 
scares the bejesus out of her male peers. Oh, and she has a big hair.
All in all, sound way more convincing than comparing her to Clare Short.
;-^)

> 
> I am changing my earlier vote on McGonagall as a Conservative though I think
> my suggestion that she might wurprise everyone is closer to the mark. She
> votes Scottish Socialist I'd bet on it :)
> 
> I don't think I could come up with any Labour voters last time. Maybe Fudge,
> he seems very New Labour. Arthur might be a Labour voter too but if he is he
> s old Labour.
> 
> And you do seem to be forgetting that a growing number of us vote neither
> Labour *nor* Conservative. We're not the US, this isn't a two party system.

Ah yes, the lib-dems. Bridget Jones's choice at the next election, no 
doubt. Poor girl must be terribly disappointed with the Labour's party 
treatment of furry animals and gays. :-)))))

Irene