Have you ever changed your mind on a political issue?
#1
Don't know if anyone follows Simple Politics on social meejah but they posed this question this morning and I thought it was quite interesting. 

When I was younger (18 ish) I voted Conservative and was pretty individualist/libertarian. As I've got older I've come to believe that 'success' or lack thereof is mostly down to circumstance and luck (to pre-empt accusations of jealousy, I've got an alright job in my favourite place in the world - I'm fine). As a result, I've become more in favour of the redistribution of wealth and heavy investment in public services and education to attempt to level the playing field even a tiny bit. No one should be a billionaire in a society where even 1 person is homeless. 

I used to think the "war on drugs" was a good thing and we needed harsh anti-drug laws but am now in favour of Portugal-style decriminalisation and education. Addiction should be treated as a medical, not a criminal, issue. 

I used to be quite Patriotic and thought Britain was super duper. Now I think being 'proud' of the accidental geography of your birth is ridiculous and Nationalism is a plague.

There's loads of others and plenty more where I'm still on the fence (whether Universal Basic Income is a good idea, for example). 

Without devolving into a slanging match, has anyone got any examples of issues on which they've changed their mind and why?
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#2
Believe it or not I was pro-EEC until it became clear it was a poltical project with Maastrict.
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#3
I was never a fan of Peter Mandelson, or Blair for that matter, other than their capacity for winning elections. I would always have conceded that Blair was - and remains - a brilliant performer; right there with Clinton and Obama.

I've modified my view of both (if anything I actually like Mandelson the more of the two) and - having listened quite a lot to both of them recently - I see them as two of the most perceptive political analysts around (which is no doubt why they knew how to win). Sadly I doubt that anything they have to say will be of interest to the current Labour Party.
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#4
There are probably more than this but here are a few earlier opinions I had which I changed my mind on.
Abolishing Private Education. Joining the Euro. Being against military intervention in the Balkans.

There are some opinions I have held and to some extent still hold today, on which I am fa less strident than I am today, for example, I was vehemently opposed to the UK having an independent nuclear option, still not sure it's the best use of the defence budget, but I am definitely more relaxed about it on moral grounds.

On HS2 I was very much in favour when it was first suggested, but overtime I have become less convinced by the need for it.

I am sure if I thought about it longer there would be more examples where I have had a change of mind.

(02-29-2020, 10:53 AM)Ossian Wrote: I was never a fan of Peter Mandelson, or Blair for that matter, other than their capacity for winning elections. I would always have conceded that Blair was - and remains - a brilliant performer; right there with Clinton and Obama.

I've modified my view of both (if anything I actually like Mandelson the more of the two) and - having listened quite a lot to both of them recently - I see them as two of the most perceptive political analysts around (which is no doubt why they knew how to win). Sadly I doubt that anything they have to say will be of interest to the current Labour Party.

Nothing annoys me more (that might be exaggeration) than Labour members chucking the Blairite label at anyone who they disagree with. But i'm not sure what relevance Blair has now. No doubt his government was comfortably the most competent Govt of my adult lifetime (and maybe my whole lifetime, I was born in 1961), but the things that Government need to do today are far different from those needed in 1997.
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#5
(02-29-2020, 12:08 PM)Shabby Russian Wrote: On HS2 I was very much in favour when it was first suggested, but overtime I have become less convinced by the need for it.
I'm the exact opposite. I was against it then I looked into it as a case study for infrastructure and realised it's a necessity and a priority on the British railway network to build.
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