more on Hold the Vitriol

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

Delivered-To: dfarber+ () ux13 sp cs cmu edu
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2003 14:47:36 +0000
From: Goncalo <goncalo () mail eunet pt>
Subject: Re: [IP] Hold the Vitriol
To: dave () farber net

>
> I worry about the polarization partly because I'm afraid
> that America is now transforming into something like Old
> Europe, the political moonscape that I remember when I was
> a student in England in the 1980's.
>
> Two friends, both named Chris, epitomized Britain to me
> back then. Right-wing Chris was an an ardent Conservative
> from the south, a graduate of an exclusive private school;
> left-wing Chris was a working-class bloke from the north, a
> Labor Party supporter from a state school. Right-wing Chris
> read The Telegraph; left-wing Chris read The Guardian.
>
> That was pretty typical of the tribalism of Old Europe.
> Left and right came from different social classes, lived in
> different areas, attended different schools and despised
> each other.
>
> Since then, Europe has matured and become much less
> polarized - becoming more like (Old) America. And
> unfortunately the U.S. is transforming itself into the
> classic European pattern of reinforcing cleavages. A red
> state/blue state divide overlaps an evangelical/secular
> divide and a Fox News/Al Franken divide.
>

As I read this, and being an European, I could not help but make a
small correction (if I'm allowed).

It seems the author (and I apologise if I'm wrong) thinks the English
political system is the same political system you can find in the other
European countries.

The English political system is in fact an exception across Europe:

The English political system (like the American one) prevents (not de
jure, but de facto) the existence of more than two political parties,
with the "winner takes it all" rule.

In the rest of Europe anyone can create a political party, run for
elections, and get (proportionally) as much seats as votes in the
election.

So although there is some bipolarization in some countries between the
two most voted parties (and this varies from one coutry to another),
you always have lots of political parties between the far right and
the far left, giving you lots of shades of grey to choose from between
the black and white.

Regards
Goncalo 

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