Buddhism and the UK Conservative Party

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tiltbillings
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Re: Buddhism and the UK Conservative Party

Post by tiltbillings »

purple planet wrote:Here in israel I vote usually for the most right wing party i find ( in israel right and left has nothing to do with economy - in some ways in economy the israeli "right" is actually left) to the part who has a hard anti teror agenda and is against giving away land - and on the other hand i want to vote for a party who has animal rights agenda - there was a left wing party who claimed to be a "green" party - mainly in enviorment issues but also a little about animals
Animal rights? Important, but so are human rights.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
SarathW
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Re: Buddhism and the UK Conservative Party

Post by SarathW »

Kim OHara wrote:
purple planet wrote:In every country and every city you never vote for a good candidate you just vote for the least worse candidate -
Sarath and Chownah, this might be the best advice for you on this thread.
Voting for nobody gives a vote to the opponent/s of the least-worst candidate that you could have supported. And you don't want to support the most-worst candidate, do you?

:coffee:
Kim
Hi Kim
I did not say that I am against voting or I do not vote.
:)
I am just a dreamer! that's all
:zzz:
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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Ceisiwr
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Re: Buddhism and the UK Conservative Party

Post by Ceisiwr »

Here in israel I vote usually for the most right wing party i find ( in israel right and left has nothing to do with economy - in some ways in economy the israeli "right" is actually left) to the part who has a hard anti teror agenda and is against giving away land - and on the other hand i want to vote for a party who has animal rights agenda - there was a left wing party who claimed to be a "green" party - mainly in enviorment issues but also a little about animals
I hope you don't mean the land that was annexed?
“The teacher willed that this world appear to me
as impermanent, unstable, insubstantial.
Mind, let me leap into the victor’s teaching,
carry me over the great flood, so hard to pass.”
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purple planet
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Re: Buddhism and the UK Conservative Party

Post by purple planet »

I hope you don't mean the land that was annexed?
i talk about all the land under israeli control even some that isnt and should be but i gave it only as an example - dont want to start a discussion on this subject - first cause i cant talk about other religons because of "terms of service" and its 90% of the issue and secondly it will derail this thread from the original post - it was a mistake i guess to post it - so im keeping away from this thread and other poiltical threads in the future
Last edited by purple planet on Wed Sep 25, 2013 10:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
chownah
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Re: Buddhism and the UK Conservative Party

Post by chownah »

Kim OHara wrote:
purple planet wrote:In every country and every city you never vote for a good candidate you just vote for the least worse candidate -
Sarath and Chownah, this might be the best advice for you on this thread.
Voting for nobody gives a vote to the opponent/s of the least-worst candidate that you could have supported. And you don't want to support the most-worst candidate, do you?

:coffee:
Kim
Kim OHara, this might be the best advice for you on this thread.
Electoral Politics is a game where hundreds of people get drowned at sea.......I don't play that kind of game.....it is a waste of my time. If voting could actually change society in a fundamental way it would be illegal. If you think that any of the politicians are going to change society in a fundamental way so that they lose their perks then you are dreaming. If you think the rich people who buy the politicians their office are going to work to fundamentally change society so they reduce their profits then you are dreaming. If you think society needs to be fundamentally changed then don't look to electoral politics......you'd accomplish more by getting rich and buying a politician.
chownah
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Kim OHara
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Re: Buddhism and the UK Conservative Party

Post by Kim OHara »

Hi, guys,
We've actually been :offtopic: since http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.ph ... 75#p262300 and we have drifted a long way from the politics of the UK. The situations in Thailand and Israel are quite different from the UK and Australia and I'm not qualified to comment on them, so how about we get :focus:

:namaste:
Kim
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purple planet
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Re: Buddhism and the UK Conservative Party

Post by purple planet »

I almost dont know nothing about uk politics - but isnt the Conservative Party against "mercy killing" and abortions ? that is a very buddhist way of thinking

before i was in to buddhism i was not 100% sure but defiantly leaning towards supporting mercy-killing and abortions - that was my "atheist view" but after getting "in to" buddhism i now am 50-50 on the subject
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Dhammanando
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Re: Buddhism and the UK Conservative Party

Post by Dhammanando »

purple planet wrote:I almost dont know nothing about uk politics - but isnt the Conservative Party against "mercy killing" and abortions ?
Not really. In all the mainstream parties these sort of things would be treated as issues of conscience. As such, any changes in legislation concerning them would be via private members' bills (as opposed to being official policy, with voting to be enforced by party whips). Having said that, one would expect to find more individuals opposed to abortion in the Conservative Party than in the other parties, simply because the party has a higher proportion of practising Christians and Jews than the other parties, and the commonest grounds for opposing abortion are religious ones.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ammed.html
Rūpehi bhikkhave arūpā santatarā.
Arūpehi nirodho santataro ti.


“Bhikkhus, the formless is more peaceful than the form realms.
Cessation is more peaceful than the formless realms.”
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Ceisiwr
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Re: Buddhism and the UK Conservative Party

Post by Ceisiwr »

purple planet wrote:I almost dont know nothing about uk politics - but isnt the Conservative Party against "mercy killing" and abortions ? that is a very buddhist way of thinking

before i was in to buddhism i was not 100% sure but defiantly leaning towards supporting mercy-killing and abortions - that was my "atheist view" but after getting "in to" buddhism i now am 50-50 on the subject

IMO its more unethical to enforce my ethics on others, in certain areas

Abortion and euthanasia should be legal, themselves being up to the individual.



As for uk politics, it had been rather boring. The wheel of power always changing hands from conservative to labour (and now new labour, which is just a capitalist party now) with occasional noises from the liberal democracts.


I say was as the political landscape seems to be changing now, with the rise of UKIP (further right than the conservatives, aims for withdrawal from the EU) and smaller parties gaining votes, such as the greens.

Personally I see a greater influence for the Neo-nazi "British National Party", much to my dismay.


Shame the communist and socialist parties don't seem to be making as much headway as the old parties fall back. There does seem to be more interest in Marx in Wales ATM among working people, possibly because of the economic slump and the ineptitude of "new labour". However Wales has always had a strong socialist slant anyway, mostly because of the mines.


Would be nice to see the monarchy removed, and have a Union of Socialist Republic's, comprised of a socialist republic of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland ... but I digress :tongue:
“The teacher willed that this world appear to me
as impermanent, unstable, insubstantial.
Mind, let me leap into the victor’s teaching,
carry me over the great flood, so hard to pass.”
chownah
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Re: Buddhism and the UK Conservative Party

Post by chownah »

Kim OHara wrote:Hi, guys,
We've actually been :offtopic: since http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.ph ... 75#p262300 and we have drifted a long way from the politics of the UK. The situations in Thailand and Israel are quite different from the UK and Australia and I'm not qualified to comment on them, so how about we get :focus:

:namaste:
Kim
The op asked if there was a party that would promote Buddhist ideals..........I think my post directly addresses that issue. To restate my point, If you think that some political party is going to take Buddhist ideals to the election booth and actually make some fundamental change in society, then you are dreaming.......much better to get rich......money influences politics way way way more than votes..........politics is not about changing society......it is about who will get to take the biggest piece of the pie while keeping things going in exactly the same direction.......if voting could change things it would be made illegal.......really, it would.
chownah
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Ceisiwr
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Re: Buddhism and the UK Conservative Party

Post by Ceisiwr »

The op asked if there was a party that would promote Buddhist ideals..........I think my post directly addresses that issue. To restate my point, If you think that some political party is going to take Buddhist ideals to the election booth and actually make some fundamental change in society, then you are dreaming.......much better to get rich......money influences politics way way way more than votes..........politics is not about changing society......it is about who will get to take the biggest piece of the pie while keeping things going in exactly the same direction.......if voting could change things it would be made illegal.......really, it would.
Unless you are the Bolshevik party or the Communist party of China ...
“The teacher willed that this world appear to me
as impermanent, unstable, insubstantial.
Mind, let me leap into the victor’s teaching,
carry me over the great flood, so hard to pass.”
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purple planet
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Re: Buddhism and the UK Conservative Party

Post by purple planet »

Want to add an important thing in my opinion - you should vote for who you think is less worse but if your not sure who is less worse then its best not to vote at all
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tiltbillings
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Re: Buddhism and the UK Conservative Party

Post by tiltbillings »

purple planet wrote:Want to add an important thing in my opinion - you should vote for who you think is less worse but if your not sure who is less worse then its best not to vote at all
Maybe it would be a good idea to educate oneself about the candidates and issues.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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Still Searching
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Re: Buddhism and the UK Conservative Party

Post by Still Searching »

I am trying to avoid judgement but I do strongly disagree with the Conservative Party.
David Cameron has caused a lot of problems with UK and making all these cuts and increasing taxes is making the economy go down hill.
Students are struggling because they can't afford equipment for classes, people are struggling to find homes because landlords want more rent, women are prostituting because they're not earning enough money to provide for their families, people commit suicide due to debt from their creditors.

I vote for Green!
"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment." ~ Siddhārtha, Gautama Buddha
Spiny Norman
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Re: Buddhism and the UK Conservative Party

Post by Spiny Norman »

josh71188 wrote: In a recent conversation with a Buddhist friend, she confessed that she believes the UK Conservative Party tend to promote inequality, greed and selfishness and thus confessed she could never bring herself to vote for them. This has led me to consider which, if any, UK political party hold values that reflect my own Buddhist inspired views. As such, I was wondering if any UK Buddhists out there had ever voted or intened to vote Conservative in a general election?
I wouldn't, though at times I feel disillusioned with the whole political class, and politics generally.
Buddha save me from new-agers!
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