Historical figures who have held "elected" positions

weeler "temp banned"
Posts: 7382 Joined: 25-09-05 Location: Dublin
Submitted by weeler on 15 November, 2006 - 11:41.

I have a politics assignment in which I have to write a profile of a person involved in politics who I admire (past or present) of course I was going to write about Jack but then I noticed that the person had to have held an elected position to count, sake.

So far the best I've got is Jim Larkin. Suggestions? (actually Negri was elected once wasn't he?)

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Steven. ""Best hair at Unison conference""
Posts: 1899 Joined: 27-06-06 Location: London
15 November, 2006 - 11:43

Johann Most used to be an MP before becoming an anarchist, so did Proudhon. They weren't so good though...

ticking_fool
Posts: 553 Joined: 12-03-05 Location: UK, Liverpool
15 November, 2006 - 11:45

Choose some no mark Tory who spent 50 years polishing the bench and getting pissed - at least he didn't do any particular damage and seemed to have a good time.

Jack "Yes we can"
Posts: 10281 Joined: 22-09-03 Location: Brighton
15 November, 2006 - 11:48

I was elected as chair for Colchester Solidarity Group, surely that's enough? angry

Seriously tho, what kind of election does it have to be? Maybe some TU figures from the late 19th/early 20th C? Especially as it'd piss off revol. wink

Marx was elected to the IWMA exec, too!

revol68 "the voice of britain"
Posts: 17899 Joined: 23-02-04 Location: Belfast, BRITAIN
15 November, 2006 - 11:49
guydebordisdead wrote:
I have a politics assignment in which I have to write a profile of a person involved in politics who I admire (past or present) of course I was going to write about Jack but then I noticed that the person had to have held an elected position to count, sake.

So far the best I've got is Jim Larkin. Suggestions? (actually Negri was elected once wasn't he?)

Ask your politics lecture/tutor whether they think they are teaching a group of 14 year olds. What sort of Mickey Mouse course are you doing?

Write a profile on a politician you admire, ffs!

nastyned "I look inside myself and see my heart is black"
Posts: 953 Joined: 30-09-03 Location: Woking
15 November, 2006 - 11:51

Otto Rühle's yer man.

Jack "Yes we can"
Posts: 10281 Joined: 22-09-03 Location: Brighton
15 November, 2006 - 11:53
nastyned wrote:
Otto Rühle's yer man.

Fuck, that's who I was thinking of and couldn't remember. Definitly the best suggestion yet.

There were probably some other decent people in the Reichstag at the time, I'm pretty sure?

revol68 "the voice of britain"
Posts: 17899 Joined: 23-02-04 Location: Belfast, BRITAIN
15 November, 2006 - 11:56
Quote:
There were probably some other decent people in the Reichstag at the time, I'm pretty sure?

BB "Insurectionists suck donkey cock!"
Posts: 1514 Joined: 12-08-04 Location: Brighton
15 November, 2006 - 12:08

Federica Montseny?
Juan Garcia Oliver?

Quote:
then I noticed that the person had to have held an elected position to count

embarrassed

weeler "temp banned"
Posts: 7382 Joined: 25-09-05 Location: Dublin
15 November, 2006 - 12:35
revol68 wrote:
guydebordisdead wrote:
I have a politics assignment in which I have to write a profile of a person involved in politics who I admire (past or present) of course I was going to write about Jack but then I noticed that the person had to have held an elected position to count, sake.

So far the best I've got is Jim Larkin. Suggestions? (actually Negri was elected once wasn't he?)

Ask your politics lecture/tutor whether they think they are teaching a group of 14 year olds. What sort of Mickey Mouse course are you doing?

Write a profile on a politician you admire, ffs!

Studying journalism. Obviously thats not the exact wording of the brief but it's still pretty lame.

All the most interesting people in history (even the bourgeois ones) were either never elected or else got their "elected" position through a coup/revolution which doesnt really count.

revol68 "the voice of britain"
Posts: 17899 Joined: 23-02-04 Location: Belfast, BRITAIN
15 November, 2006 - 12:38

ah, journalism, the art of writing well about things you understand badly. wink

weeler "temp banned"
Posts: 7382 Joined: 25-09-05 Location: Dublin
15 November, 2006 - 12:39
revol68 wrote:
ah, journalism, the art of writing well about things you understand badly. ;-)

Says him.

revol68 "the voice of britain"
Posts: 17899 Joined: 23-02-04 Location: Belfast, BRITAIN
15 November, 2006 - 12:41
guydebordisdead wrote:
revol68 wrote:
ah, journalism, the art of writing well about things you understand badly. ;-)

Says him.

hey my understanding is fine, it's my writing that is shite.

weeler "temp banned"
Posts: 7382 Joined: 25-09-05 Location: Dublin
15 November, 2006 - 14:24

Was thinking I might do one on an impotent elected figure to show that electoral politics has had the least impact on society historically, especially in the 20th century.

Real power comes from the barrel of a gun.

Steven. ""Best hair at Unison conference""
Posts: 1899 Joined: 27-06-06 Location: London
15 November, 2006 - 14:28
guydebordisdead wrote:
Was thinking I might do one on an impotent elected figure to show that electoral politics has had the least impact on society historically, especially in the 20th century.

Allende?

nastyned "I look inside myself and see my heart is black"
Posts: 953 Joined: 30-09-03 Location: Woking
15 November, 2006 - 16:40

No, that's Mao wink

Joseph K. "the thinking man's idiot"
Posts: 8618 Joined: 14-03-06 Location: Brighton
15 November, 2006 - 17:52
guydebordisdead wrote:
revol68 wrote:
Write a profile on a politician you admire, ffs!

Studying journalism. Obviously thats not the exact wording of the brief but it's still pretty lame.

tbf, i think half the BBC get this assignment every time a statesman dies, so at least your course is equipping you with 'career skills' tongue

davethemagicweasel "a joke without a punchline"
Posts: 251 Joined: 14-11-05 Location: Birmingham, Sheffield, UK
16 November, 2006 - 00:00

I think godwin was elected to parliament once, but didn't last long.

So gives you the chance to point out that he concluded it was a pile of steaming shite.

Serge Forward
Posts: 1233 Joined: 14-01-04 Location: Leicester, East Midlands
16 November, 2006 - 00:18
guydebordisdead wrote:
Was thinking I might do one on an impotent elected figure to show that electoral politics has had the least impact on society historically, especially in the 20th century.

There was a brilliant lomg quote from Snowden on the futility of parliament and how it's impossible to claim any meaningful definition of socialism while being an MP (I read it in the long defunct early 80s Tyneside mag Black Star). The magazine commented that unfortunately Snowden didn't follow his own advice and so went on to become a viscount. I've never seen the quote anywhere outside of the Black Star article. Anyone else know if it can be located anywhere on t'internet?

Feighnt "the definition of "nobody important""
Posts: 958 Joined: 20-07-06 Location: canada, nanaimo
16 November, 2006 - 01:07

(cool, it worked!)

madashell "KSW, LOL"
Posts: 3114 Joined: 19-06-06 Location: Merseyside
16 November, 2006 - 01:09

The last two posts here are looking pretty odd, any dodgy tages in your post Serge? :?

Feighnt "the definition of "nobody important""
Posts: 958 Joined: 20-07-06 Location: canada, nanaimo
16 November, 2006 - 01:33
madashell wrote:
The last two posts here are looking pretty odd, any dodgy tages in your post Serge? :?

that's why i said "cool, it worked"

serge hadnt properly done a /quote in his message, so it overlapped a bit with the "post your comment" box (you know what i mean, happens all the time here). that's why serge's response is enclosed in his quote of guy.

i was curious to see if i could close the quote with the /quote command - it worked smile

Joseph K. "the thinking man's idiot"
Posts: 8618 Joined: 14-03-06 Location: Brighton
16 November, 2006 - 06:48

fixed, you troublesome scamps wink

Serge Forward
Posts: 1233 Joined: 14-01-04 Location: Leicester, East Midlands
16 November, 2006 - 07:55

Dunno what happened there. When I posted the message, it froze my machine and when I tried to get back to this page again, it kept freezing the computer. But seems ok now. By the way, I'm not suggesting for one minute you write about that twat Snowden, but the quote from him is spot on.

Feighnt "the definition of "nobody important""
Posts: 958 Joined: 20-07-06 Location: canada, nanaimo
16 November, 2006 - 08:23
Joseph K. wrote:
fixed, you troublesome scamps ;)

sad and i was so proud of myself!

Joseph K. "the thinking man's idiot"
Posts: 8618 Joined: 14-03-06 Location: Brighton
16 November, 2006 - 08:26

tongue

it is interesting from a techie viewpoint (perhaps) that a tag in a subsequent post can close one from a previous post though, so cheers!

Steven. ""Best hair at Unison conference""
Posts: 1899 Joined: 27-06-06 Location: London
16 November, 2006 - 09:23

guydebord if you do this and it's any good we could put it in the library if you want? That goes for any other students with political essays...

the button "jesus christ, john, have you actually even read any marx?"
Posts: 5636 Joined: 07-07-04 Location: Lewisham, London
16 November, 2006 - 09:59

I'd do Thomas Paine if it was my essay -- he's a fascinating character, and was elected to the National Convention in revolutionary France: -

Quote:
Paine was an enthusiastic supporter of the French Revolution, and he was given honorary French citizenship. Despite his inability to speak French, he was elected to the National Convention, representing the district of Pas de Calais. He voted for the French Republic; but argued against the execution of Louis XVI, saying that he should instead be exiled to the United States of America: firstly, because of the way royalist France had come to the aid of the American Revolution; and secondly because of a moral objection to capital punishment in general and to revenge killings in particular.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Paine

BB "Insurectionists suck donkey cock!"
Posts: 1514 Joined: 12-08-04 Location: Brighton
16 November, 2006 - 12:05
guydebordisdead wrote:
Real power comes from a battleaxe

grin

Volin "I don't have an -e at the end of my frigging name"
Posts: 910 Joined: 24-01-05 Location: Scotland
17 November, 2006 - 13:09
davethemagicweasel wrote:
I think godwin was elected to parliament once, but didn't last long.

When?

I'm sure his only connection to parliament is that in his old age he was given a job of maintaining/look after the grounds. Completley out of chance I'm sure, it mysteriously burnt down under his care, and they had to build the new parliament.

wink!

Anarchoneilist
Posts: 208 Joined: 10-12-04
17 November, 2006 - 13:22
nastyned wrote:
No, that's Mao ;-)

Allende was actually elected, Proudhon and Paine were basically nominated to the National Assembly and (I assume) people voted for them.

In his prison confession, Bakunin told the Tsar he should run the country and educate the populace enough so that governent was unnecessary.

Liebknecht, Luxembourg and Eisner if they hadn't been murdered by proto-fascists?

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