h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Merely exercising my democratic right to disagree - as vigorously as I like - with the electoral majority.

Oh absolutely - and well you should. Far too many people these days trying to stifle democracy.

What I can't accept that is these various rightist groups are presenting raw expressions of popular opinion. They are pushing the debate along with lies. They cannot claim to be the voice of The Little Man when they are supported by the press and by mainstream politicians who have their own interest in deflecting attention from real issues.

"These parties are effective lobby groups for unsavoury policies"

Policies you don't personally agree with, you mean? That's why you get a vote - you get to disagree, and register your disagreement. You don't get to stop them holding those views or lobbying for them, and if the lobbying is effective, well, you can bleat about it or you can lobby for the opposite. And if you lose, well, welcome to democracy.

You also seem to be insinuating that "pushing the debate along with lies" is something unique to minority parties like UKIP. To which the only possible response is to mention the phrases "weapons of mass destruction" and "forty five minutes". Remember that? One of the most egregious lies in recent political history, and it came not from some little-Englander single-issue nutjob, but from the government. Pushing debates along with lies is what politicians do - ALL of them.

Yes, yes. But we have the glorious paradox that it doesn't say in my contract that I have to accept the result of the democratic process.

I'm not disagreeing. Of course if I call far right policies 'unsavoury' it *is* a personal judgement. It's the only kind of judgement I've got.

"it doesn't say in my contract that I have to accept the result of the democratic process"

Indeed. There's always terrorism.

Yes. But that's not the only form of dissent and we we have a big problem when people start eliding the two.