Have other people noticed...

[LeftishBrit]

that in the last few years there has been an increasing tendency for voters, politicians and journalists to treat politics and policymaking as a sort of football match, with the main emphasis being on who WON and who LOST.

I came of age politically in the 80s, the days of Thatcher here and Reagan in America. Most of what was going on politically was very disastrous in my opinion. But political argument, IIRC, at least had a pretence of being policy-focused: 'There is no alternative'; 'This tough medicine is needed to get us out of the red', etc. Those of us on the left were sneered at, according to the subject and the degree of leftism, as 'wet liberals' or 'loony lefties'. I was told that if I did not vote for Thatcher, 'we'll all end up appeasing Russian dictators' (well, I suppose they were right - I didn't and we are!), or even 'all speaking Russian'. But I don't remember being told that I had to get in line because 'we WON' and 'you LOST' and to 'get over it and stop moaning!'

Are my memories selective? Was it worse from this point of view in parts of the country that were more directly targeted by Thatcher's cuts (I lived in London for most of that time, and have always lived in the south)? Or is this a real change in the discourse, even accepted now by many on the 'losing' sides?

[putitinD]

1. +1

[T_i_B]

2. I remember politics being viewed as something of a game 15 years ago

Then main culprits back then were triangulating Blairites, obsessed with winning elections at any cost. Although Blairites were never sore winners like today's far right, who seem to go out of their way to be utterly classless and as boorish as possible in victory.

So I can't help but feel that Blairism contributed to the problem, and the short term gains for Labour back then have been obliterated by the long term pain. However, that can only be a small part of the explanation of why politics in 2017 is so utterly poisonous and hostile to serving the common good.