UK - Why don't all the UK users of this site run for parliment.

[cannabis-sam]

There must be at least 300-400 UK members on this site, If we all worked together put a huge organized effort in I'm sure we could get a few elected, with people as sick of labour at the moment as they are I think independants have a decent chance. We all bitch about how shit our government is and what utter cunts politicians are, but not many of us actually try and change it.

I recons Drugs-Forum members should stand for election, and the ones not standing should make a big effort to campaign for said member and get all their friends to campaign.

even if it doesn't work it's a chance to make a change and I think it's our duty to try.

Don't fight the power, Become the power.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Good Call, we are the Power!

[BlondieUK]

That would work if we were allowed to disclose our identities

[cannabis-sam]

Actually I don't think you would, as you wouldn't have to post it on the site and it could be arranged outside.

Although I bet the cops already know who we all are

[kukulkan]

there is a party in swim's country devoted mainly to legalization.. they never make it to the parliament though

[RaverHippie]

this sounds like a stoner rant... no belittling meant by the term, I could imagine one of my best friends inspiring a room full of all my friends with such a speech...while stoned.

[honourableone]

Doing that succesfully could at best get media atterntion (which could be negative). But it getting people elected would be incredibly difficult. I don't really think that independants have much of a chance, because even the lib-dems don't. Support wanes for labour, increases for the conservatives and then stays the same for the liberal democrats. People just don't bother voting for other parties.

This does kind of sound like a stoner rant though, I have to agree there. It's odd how so many of SWIM's stoner rants involve in depth science or politics (though there is still the odd rant about letting all of the animals out of a zoo).

[Horiz]

While I myself am not a good candidate for a politician, lacking leadership and public speaking skills among other things, I would campaign the shit out of this with my friends! Being unemployed would give me a huge amount of time to meet and blow people's minds.

Thumbs up from me, why not make this a stoner rant that actually sees the light of day?

[cannabis-sam]

well it's four million votes if you get all the UK stoners behind you and turnout is only ever around %30-%40, that's fairly significant, plus all the people that could be convinced on ending drug policy, I mean hell we could go round to talk to people ask what they went and tell them that's what we stand for lol.

This may have been one of SWIM's stoner rants but I'm sure it could work with a little effort and planning. Although SWIM can imagine gathering a room full of stoners all ready to get something done and to make a difference, and then SWIM saying " anyone fancy a quick bong before we start" and a week later all anybodys done is sat around getting stoned and talking politics....without leaving the house,

[Dickon]

Sam,

I think it's a really good idea. I've been thinking about starting a political party. I've written some quite extensive notes for a manifesto. The basic idea being restoring freedom of choice to the individual, removing rather than creating legislation. Ideally making certain basic items such as food free. Setting up nationalized pharmaceutical companies (as curing diseases cheaply is not compatible with profit making). The idea was to be compassionate to the worst off, making dangerous driving the crime (not going above a certain speed, or shooting a red light when no one else is there. I'd get rid of the whole Automatic Numberplate recognition, and speed cameras). All drugs would be available without prescription. I'd ban alcohol advertising, and insist that all cigarettes were sold in all-but-identical grey boxes from behind the counter. I'd try to "deglamourise" potentially harmful things, but allow choice. I'm sure I'm missing out a lot, but the idea was to be "adult" about politics, and treat people as sensible. There is evidence to suggest that the more freedom you give people, the more responsibly they act. The law should be easily understood, and breaking it should not be simply a lifestyle choice, as it is now, where nearly everyone has driven at 40 in a 30 zone, or smoked a spliff. This makes a mockery of law: we live in a society of criminals. There might be some short-term adjustment problems, but the drug laws are just plain wrong; stupid, dangerous and wrong. I would also like to see a lot less people doing fatuous jobs, selling things that people don't need, etc. I'd like to see a less materialistic world, but would in no way aim for a communist model. In the seventies, it was predicted that robots would do all the manual labour, meaning people would work a two day week or some-such. The reverse has happened, and women now usually work too. So, although we can now automate production, we are vastly increasing the work force. How? By having more managers in the NHS than hospital beds. Yes, this is long term thinking, as I don't think people are going to change their attitudes overnight.

My plan was to type up a manifesto and distribute it to 1,000 random addresses near where I live, with an e-mail address for the QZ party, as I'm going to call it. Why? because it means nothing (it's the two 10-point letters in scrabble, and it's a bit like QuiZ), and won't allow people to assume anything by the name. If then, as I suspect, the idea will be received like a lead balloon, I can grumble about politics in the country in good conscience, knowing I at least tried to engage with democracy! If it takes off, I shall reluctantly see where it goes. I've no particular desire to enter politics, but feel it's my civic duty to try to change things. This is possibly a pipe dream (it's been in my thoughts a fair bit, and might yet bear fruit), but who knows, maybe there are enough interested people to make the party viable. Maybe DF could be the starting point for a new political movement in the UK!!

OK, if I haven't written up a manifesto in the next couple of months, someone give me a kick up the backside. If I do, I'll post a preliminary draft on here, and we can refine it. I do have some definite ideas, and don't know if they would resonate with others. I don't think a "single issue" party would get far anyway. Others more motivated could steal the ideas they liked and ditch the ones they didn't. I believe in the internet age a political party outside the mainstream could flourish without a great deal of money. The internet has made this possible.

Dickon

Reputation Comments on this post:

You outline an excellent and logical political view, keep realism in mind and really move the thread forward. I would lo...

[vinylmesh]

Or Swiy could just campaign and vote for the green party.

(swims not from the uk so he doesn't know how big they are)

http://policy.greenparty.org.uk/poli...rs/ppdrugs.pdf

[Dickon]

Well, thanks for the information. Although it's somewhat hedged, it does appear that they support legalization of all drug. I had thought they only were going to legalize cannabis. Phew! That's going to save me some effort! lol

[Mammon]

If you want names on a petition or something of that ilk, I’m not that bothered who knows my real identity – just PM me.

The idea of me being a member of a political party is a joke for me – I’d only hinder the cause.

How to actually change things within a two-party system? If you’ve got an answer (realistic) please tell me.

[Petethemeat]

Unfortunately the electoral system in this country is extremely biased against independents and smaller parties. The FPTP system ensures that those outside of the dichotomy of Labour and Conservative do not recieve proportional representation. For a pro-regulation candidate to even attempt independent election, he/she would have to run on an issue that resonates particularly with the local constituents- such as saving a local hospital... Only then could he use his/her small amount of political power to attempt to change things...

[cannabis-sam]

I actually think the reason it stands so much between labour and conservative and not other parties is because not that many people vote. Most the more intellectual people like most of the users on drugs-forum, who are open to things like drug regulation, see no point in voting for the exact reason that it's like choosing between dying of a heart attack and being hit by a bus, and many just can't see the point. If the more intelligent portion of the population; the ones who don't read the news of the world or the daily mail and think for themselves actually had some reason to vote things might be different. Although reading that the green party wants legalization I may throw my wieght behind them and start campaigning tirelessly to support them(especially as enviromental issues being big on people's minds).

[Fango]

I'm with you on going green, forgive the pun.

Personally, I feel that drug legalization/decriminalization/regulation is just not at the forefront of public interest. To make a real difference in drug policy the users of drugs forum need to back a cause that have agreeable policy on the subject, while offering agreeable policy everywhere else!

I really think that green could stand a chance this time round, The environment is such a large concern nowadays that the green party really could gain ground. Their drug policy is not quite as lenient as we could hope for, although they have good cannabis and heroin treatment policy. I must say I trust politicians as far as I can throw them, and drug policy will likely go out of the window as soon as they get into parliament. I think that decriminalization/legalisation is a minority view, and fighting for it might not be such a big deal after votes are counted and verified. I would hope this is just my cynical view towards politics, but I just cant see it happening.

If the government actually listen to the research on the subjects, they would see that criminalizing anything creates a black market for it. Anything that can be made safer and is actually a reasonable thing to legalise is just another thing that the goverment can regulate and claim tax on, putting the money poured into the black market back into the coffers of the poloticians. Isn't that what they want.

I think that another major factor contributing to no polotician making a stand on drug policy is that its a subject that can break a poloticians career in weeks, and just not a risk they are willing to take.