waverunner said:
- Left/right - what's what, what do they stand for?
"Old" Labour = centre left: pro-trade-union, "tax and spend", nationalisation - hates the conservatives (tories).
"New" Labour = centre right: half way between neo-liberal and "tax and spend". Has moved right away from the old trade union and working class image, wears suits and works in PR - catch phrase is "modernisation" and "the third way".
"One nation" Conservative = centre right: 'traditional' values, deference, family, religion, doesn't really like immigration, hang'em & flog 'em re. crime, generally more anti-EU.
"Thatcherite" Conservative = centre right: neo-liberal, free-trade, free-markets, low taxes, privatisation, generally more pro-EU.
"Cameron / New Conservatives" = centre right: trying to do for the old fashioned conservative party what Blair and the 'modernisers' did for the labour party - mainly consists of being more liberal (eg gay marriage, immigration) and supposedly softer on the "tax and spend" issue.
Lib Dems = sitting on the fence: seem to say different things depending on where they are standing for election. Specific Lib Dem policies have at times included putting a penny on income tax for the NHS, calling for Proportional Representation in elections, setting up regional governments, various 'green' and 'social' policies - the 'sandles and wooley jumpers' brigade, seem to aim their policies at teachers, nurses and other public sector workers. Are the most pro-EU of all the parties.
Other parties worth mentioning:
Green Party (England & Wales - also have scottish and northern irish versions)
Plaid Cymru (progressively-minded Welsh civic nationalists)
Scottish National Party (fairly conservative imo)
Scottist Socialist Party (the most coherent and worthwhile of any 'left' parties in the UK)
Respect (front for the SWP - has an MP: George Galloway)
BNP (far right cunts - currently trying to pretend they are not a bunch of thugs)
UKIP (Broke away from the Conservative Party over the issue of the European Union which they don't want to be part of)
Various Northern Irish Parties, of which the biggest are the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) (protestant/"unionist" - headed by Rev Ian Paisley) and Sinn Féin (SF) (catholic/"nationalist" headed by Gerry Adams).
waverunner said:
- Newspapers? Which ones are left/right?
"centre left": Guardian, Independent, Mirror
"centre right": Times, Financial Times
"right": Sun, Telegraph, Express, Mail
waverunner said:
- Which countries does the uk really not get along with politically?
France.
waverunner said:
- What are the rules on voting in a general election in the UK?
All Commonwealth and Irish citizens who are resident in the UK and registered can vote in general elections. You get one vote. The candidate with the most votes wins - a "First past the post/winner takes all" system. There are 646 seats in parliament. The party that is able to command a majority (either alone or in colation with another party) then forms a government (Prime Minister and Cabinet etc.).
The queen is the head of state: head of the judiciary (courts) and the armed forces. She doesn't actually personally make any specific decisions but by being there means that noone else has absolute power over all branches of government and protects the established constitutional arrangement - ie we don't end up with President Blair, Brown or Cameron.
Although people posting on wikipedia will all have their own bias or pint of view, you could do worse than read this page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_the_United_Kingdom
...and follow the various links for more in depth articles.