ABOUT ME
I'm 25 and I've been a libertarian for about 2-3 years now. I am a libertarian because I think freedom should be championed because it's in man's nature to desire freedom. Basically ever since I've had an interest in politics, freedom oriented ideologies have made more sense to me. I'm not a socialist for example, as I don't believe economic inequality is always a major problem.
You'd find some libertarian writings on this site, based on British political issues from a libertarian perspective.
I first acquired an interest in politics by attending a local college course on the subject, which taught basic British government and politics. I try and use the Internet to keep abreast of political issues.
Political sites
One political site that intrigues me is the
Political Compass. It seeks to be an alternative to the left-right political spectrum which some believe to be archaic and outdated. My rating on the test is quite accurate, though I disagree with the relevance of some of the questions. Why is one's views on art of relevance to one's political views? Their (that is the owners' of the site) explanation is that extreme social conservatives disapprove of some forms of art, in some cases art that is 'abstract'. But not all social conservatives 'detest' art. What about religious fundamentalists? The former Taliban regime in Afghanistan actually outlawed art. I don't personally believe that Islamic political perspectives and viewpoints can be properly placed on a 'left-right' spectrum (I have never properly studied Islamic political thought).British political spectrum
In regards to the political spectrum from a British perspective, then I think it still has SOME bearing. In relation to the three major parties, the Conservatives would occupy a centre-right position. New Labour would be in the centre, whilst the Liberal Democrats would possess a place slightly to the left of New Labour.
Since the time of Neil Kinnock, the Labour party has succeeded in moving itself across the political spectrum (to a more centrist position) in order to become more electable. Prior to Kinnock, the Labour party was a democratic socialist party. Under Tony Blair, especially with the creation of 'New Labour', Labour has been transformed into a social democratic party. The need for change within the Labour party emerged after a terrible defeat in the 1983 general election. Due to (in part) influence from the left of the party by people such as Tony Benn, the party instituted reforms of its constitution and internal structure. The party also adopted a hard left manifesto for the 1983 election, which included negotiating an exit from what is now the EU and nationalising the UK's major companies. The electorate dismissed such policies as Margaret Thatcher won a landslide victory (generally in part due to Britain's victory in the Falklands War a year earlier). When Kinnock became leader he attempted to reform the party by expelling Militant, a group of hard-line leftists in the party. The party also gradually accepted the Thatcherite reforms of the economy, which included privatisation and the curbing of trade union powers.