If STW was a Political party, where would we be?

100% of the folks who’ve posted a political compass have been in the lower left quarter, and yet at least 3 posters think the tone of the forum is way to the right of that.

The tone is definitely left wing but that is made up from around 10 posters on political threads. There are a lot of other people who don't post on the threads and now and again a right wing person pops along to say they just get shouted down as soon as they say anything so don't bother while other right wing people (the sort I work with) don't really want to be questioned as they struggle to justify the shit the tory party get up to but happily vote for them anyway.

The tone is definitely left wing but that is made up from around 10 posters on political threads.

But none of the published compasses on this thread are those political big hitters.

There are a lot of other people who don’t post on the threads

So how d'you know what their politics are? and if they don't contribute anyway...

and now and again a right wing person pops along to say

But if the forum population is soft right (as you claim) that should be the prevailing sentiment rather than the occasional poster dipping in and out, and saying they're not allowed to voice an opinion.

I think we would be in coalition with MumsNet.........

The trouble with thatcherism is eventually privatising profits and socialising losses means the country runs out of money.
Given the way she pissed oil money up against the wall and gave away vital infrastructure and housing cheap without any real maintenance plans its baffling that people keep saying that quote.
Many of the problems we face today are down to her and those who followed throwing away of our countries assets.

I don't disagree, but how many posters have said they're libertarian left. But would also demand regular re-testing of drivers? Or stricter environmental legislation?
Or that something be done about sewage in rivers?
How absolute is the right to free speech?

Those are all authoritarian.

How many posters would repeal Cycle 2 Work Scheme (because it's clearly not used by the majority to buy a sensible bike for cycling to work) , and add an additional tax on luxury hobby equipment?

That's left wing.

Trying to reduce that to a 2 dimensional graph is impossible because people can and do hold hugely different views on different topics.

I'd happily endorse environmental laws that amounted to a de-facto ban on private car use.

I'd also die on the hill of not needing a license to ride a bike.

Does that make me authoritarian or liberal on environmental and transport issues?

I think we would be in coalition with MumsNet………

They're right of centre over there, doubt they'd coalesce with this leftist paradise 🤣

Personally I'd say it makes some people feel good about themselves to see bad (and by bad in this case I mean right wing) in others where there is none. It helps them with moral superiority.

A bike forum community (term used with trepidation) is always going to have it's outliers. As a sport it's got more than it's fair share of middle aged and middle class. So there will be closet tories in our midst. But if we are to talk in generalisms the tone of most contributors is centreist left. Blair not Corbyn, could listen to Rory Stuart without getting too hot and bothered, but would love the opportunity to harm Rees Mogg with a rusty spoon.

But if the forum population is soft right (as you claim) that should be the prevailing sentiment rather than the occasional poster dipping in and out, and saying they’re not allowed to voice an opinion.

Just a feeling I get, that's all. Living most of my life under a right wing government and being surrounded by right wing people has undoubtedly taken it's toll on my hope!

So how d’you know what their politics are? and if they don’t contribute anyway…

It is patently obvious that all the political threads lack any sort of contribution from a Tory perspective. When, for example, was the last time a Rishi Sunak supporter posted on the Rishi Sunak thread?

Anyone doing so could at best expect to be called a troll, that is usually what happens to anyone who goes against the stw political consensus.

The idea that no one who claims to ride a mountain bike is likely to be a Tory supporter is really not feasible. In contrast the idea that punters who support and vote Tory find the political threads too hostile is far more believable.

t is patently obvious that all the political threads lack any sort of contribution from a Tory perspective.

Exactly. So why then do some posters think there's a soft right bias to the forum? It makes no sense. There's almost unanimous condemnation of Starmer's reforms of Labour form a further left perspective on his thread, so none of the political threads are particularly soft right biased

but how many posters have said they’re libertarian left. But would also demand

Oh fo'shure it's always a spectrum, and you can only answer the question the compass asks after all. There was a really interesting article on YouGov about the popular ideas from opposite sides of the political spectrum that appealed to their opposites (ie left wing ideas popular with right wingers and vice versa) which is exactly what you're talking about

It is patently obvious that all the political threads lack any sort of contribution from a Tory perspective. When, for example, was the last time a Rishi Sunak supporter posted on the Rishi Sunak thread?<br /><br />

I seem to remember a thread a few years ago where someone asked why people voted Tory & specifically asked that only people who voted conservative should answer it. The idea being that we could gain some understanding as to why conservative voters acted in the way they did & what they themselves thought their motivations were. The result? we had pages of people saying that Tories were selfish bastards who were only concerned for themselves & they had blood on their hands etc etc. Not one person who voted conservative popped up to actually answer the question posed.

-7.5 for both measures so hard lefty as well. Although I think we need proper applications for the big jobs (I reckon I'd have a go at foreign secretary) 

Hannah for president! 

Not one person who voted conservative popped up to actually answer the question posed.

Well after 13 years of Tory governments the dynamics of the political threads on stw will presumably change significantly following the general election - which will very likely occur in about 6 months time.

Some people's contributions to the political threads never go beyond expressing their loathing for the current Tory government.

I am intrigued to know what their focus will be once we no longer have a Tory government.

Some people’s contributions to the political threads never go beyond expressing their loathing for the current Tory government.

Do you even irony dude? Others focus mainly on the shortcomings of the opposition and why not to vote for them.

^^a ffs does postimages not work on here anymore? Whatever, I score -6.5 on left economy: -7.95 on libertarian left which, flawed test as it is, seems about right - right down in that bottom corner.

P.s. this apparently makes me a blairite centrist on the political threads

Damn those moderates, going round being er moderate...

I am intrigued to know what their focus will be once we no longer have a Tory government.

Just some basic adulting would be good. Politics that are not driven by the comments section of the Daily Mail, some policies that help rather than demonise the poorest parts of society and some basic infrastructure rebuilding and modernisation.

It'd be nice if green policies took centre stage and an understanding that without environmental protections there's **** all point in "growth" or "the economy" cos it'll all be on fire or underwater within a decade.

That's all. Just some common sense and evidence based policies rather than a feathering of their own nests.

Others focus mainly on the shortcomings of the opposition and why not to vote for them.

So? Perhaps they are not impressed with the opposition. Are you suggesting that is a problem and such opinions should not be expressed?

I am suggesting that the lack of opinions from a Tory perspective is a problem, imo. I personally would welcome more politically diverse discussions on stw, as was once the case.

Do you even irony dude?

What does that mean?

the idea that punters who support and vote Tory find the political threads too hostile is far more believable

I have to agree, but I don't really see why they should - IF they believe that there is a valid justification for tory policy and practice.  Although there's a number of gobby ****ers on here and pile-ons are fairly prevalent, presumably that could be addressed by cogent argument, preferably from several right-leaners.

However, if they are tory just because they want to stay personally "rich" then I can see the need to keep a low profile

This surprised me.  I expected to be somewhere in the bottom left quadrant. but nowhere near so far to the left! I've taken it before and been more in the middle of the box or closer to the centre.  Not sure if the questions have changed or I've become a bit more radical in my old age!  I've mentioned on here before, I was a proper little Tory boy in my teens and twenties, due to upbringing, peers and parental influence. Joining the army as a teenager and staying in for a couple of decades didn't do much to help foster a progressive world view either!

As time has passed I have slowly drifted leftwards, the opposite direction to what conventional wisdom says.  Though not by as much as the compass shows, or so I thought.  Quite a few of my friends have followed the same path including surprisingly, a fair few* former army mates. Which just goes to show conventional wisdom is sometimes bollocks!

*Though to be fair, a good few more are somewhere to the right of Attila the Hun on the spectrum. We just get pissed, reminisce and avoid politics whenever we meet up.

If STW was a Political party, where would we be?

Left to centre left.

( I have not taken the test so not sure but I want to be a dictator with power, loads of power, absolute power! LOL!)

I expected to be somewhere in the bottom left quadrant. but nowhere near so far to the left!

Almost off the graph!

You are Jeremy Corbyn and claim my right to expell you from the Labour Party.

Not sure if the questions have changed ....

This ^^ I reckon.

I didn't bother doing it as I have always believed that it is deeply flawed.

This ^^ I reckon.

I think so.  It just doesn't feel accurate.  -3 or -4 on both axis would feel about right. Don't expel me just yet comrade!

 I have always believed that it is deeply flawed.

In what way?

I'd say where you are on the graph is much less useful than where you are on the graph in comparison to a political party or another person. What your number (or anyone else's) is is largely irrelevant. It's quite a good tool to put under the nose of the passive voter - the kind who vote tory because their family always have.

A significant advantage of a one-party state is that it avoids all the arguments that delay progress in a democratic political system.

I struggled with this question. Factually, it would undoubtedly be easier for a one party state to implement their policies, so I selected "strongly agree" though I in no way actually approve of a one party state (unless I personally was the benevolent dictator, of course)

I've always thought of myself as more authoritarian as I got older though as (a) some people are so wilfully ignorant or stupid, the state needs to put some barriers in place to contain their own stupidity or (b) some people are born grifters and barriers need to be in place to protect other people. So I'm surprised I'm only "mildly authoritarian" 🤷

Oh gosh, another Libertarian Left result. I am finding the consistency of these results to be a bit suspicious, and am wondering whether the questions are all that good for teasing out where everyone actually lies, or if there's some intention to make folks generally think they're more left wing than they realise. The questions that feel like they'd move you towards the Authoritarian and Right quadrants seem to be so full-on culture war and/or corporatist it feels like few people would align themselves strongly towards them.

Edit: I'd probably categorise myself as a wishy-washy lefty, and not pushing towards the radical like my score here would somewhat suggest.

OK. I've wasted the last couple of hours on 3 posts explaining my political journey and deleted them. The biggest takeaway was the 1970s and the politics of envy. Absolute carnage and destruction by unions under a Labour government. I remember all that. I blamed Labour and that was ingrained. The next 25yrs I honestly didn't engage, I was too busy making a life for my family. My pals didn't engage much either, work was challenging and leisure was just that. Mid 2000s, well that went well. Struggled out of that and probably still stuck with old allegiances. 2010 onwards? LibDem, Greens, back to Conservative, mainly because of our local guy. I have never found it in me to vote Labour, and still see nothing that deserves my vote. Boris onwards? Never, ever again. I'm in a kind of wasteland politically now, and that's a bloody shame, because this is my country.

Make of that what you will.

For context  I've had couple of beers and I'm watching Once Upon a Time in Iraq.

I may need to lighten up a tad.

I struggled with this question. Factually, it would undoubtedly be easier for a one party state to implement their policies

There were several problematic questions along those lines eg "A genuine free market requires restrictions on the ability of predator multinationals to create monopolies."
A "genuine" free market cant have any restrictions by definition. Once you add those its an impure semi free market so how can it be answered.
Or
"The businessperson and the manufacturer are more important than the writer and the artist."
How is that being used and how does it handle the issue that they can be one and the same.