Britain's Torygraph Offers Advice to Teahadists: Tea Party Could Learn From Nick Clegg

[Turborama]

Tea Party supporters should take some lessons from the Liberal Democrats' Nick Clegg if they really want to shake up politics, says Alex Spillius

By Alex Spillius
Published: 5:31PM BST 08 May 2010

You would need all the tea in China to fill the gulf in political views between Nick Clegg and the average Tea Party supporter.

A typical Lib Dem is anti-nukes, pro-abortion and not terribly keen on the death penalty. Tea Party types believe the NHS is socialism and gun ownership is a gift from God.

But they do share one thing in common: the challenge they pose to the political establishment of their respective countries.

Both the Lib Dem leader and the grassroots movement that has swept the United States in the past year have risen from obscurity to unnerve the political establishment.

Full article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/7696646/General-election-2010-Tea-Party-could-learn-from-Nick-Clegg.html

LOL at calling Teahadists a "grassroots movement". This part had an element of truth, though:

"most are just angry Republicans looking for a new and probably temporary home."

[elocs]

1. Hey, we have members of our very own Gungeon here who believe gun ownership is a gift from God. n/t

[AnnieBW]

2. Yeah, like the Teahadists would listen to the "Librul Dummy-crates"

Liberal Democrat. In the US, it's an insult. In the UK, it's a political party.

[FrenchieCat]

3. Tea Party would be to the right of the Tories,

because they ain't nothing more than the Republican base given a voice by the media.
In otherwords, they are the sore losing Republicans of the 2008 election.

If the Telegraph writer doesn't know this yet, someone should break the news to him.

[Turborama]

4. To be fair, they did mention that they are "angry Republicans". n/t

[rurallib]

5. tea party dudes representation in the media way out of proportion

to their numbers. That will soon be exposed.
It is a media created movement that is promoted by the media for the media. Can't last.

[sabrina 1]

11. Exactly, and the Telegraph is contributing

to the myth that this 'movement' is anything other than the base of the Republican party thinking they needed a 'new direction' to take back control of the government. We'll see what happens in November with their candidates when it's not just Republicans voting. Otoh, they will continue to get media coverage for some reason, making it seem as they they are a huge movement so some may fall for the rhetoric.

I just they'd learn to spell!

[LeftishBrit]

6. Ye gods. That's a bit nutty even for the Torygraph.

I get REALLY pissed off by the idea that all that is anti-establishment is similar. There are anti-establishment right-wingers, anti-establishment left-wingers, and even anti-establishment centre-left people like some of the LibDems. In any case, Clegg himself is not even particularly anti-establishment. (I voted LibDem but would have preferred a more left-leaning leader for the party.)

We do have British teabaggers. The most organized segment of them is the BNP - which I am happy to say was utterly humiliated in this election; best news from it!

[Turborama]

8. What about UKIP?

Are they like the Teabaggers too?

[LeftishBrit]

9. Many are.

The party is a combination of (1) single-issue anti-EU people; (2) disgruntled right-wing ex-Tories who think the party's got too 'wet' since St Margaret Thatcher left office; (3) people who would frankly join the BNP but associate it with 'lower class' people, and think UKIP is posher; (4) those who just want to send a 'Screw Everybody!' message. There is in practice a lot of overlap between these groups. It is overall a very right-wing party. Fortunately, it did badly in the election.

[Turborama]

10. So, UKIP are a posh version of the BNP?

That's hilarious, snobbery amongst the wingnut racists.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

7. I almost stopped at "challenge they pose".

Then stopped for good at "grassroots movement".