Friday 5 November 2004

The new political geography

We've all seen the red and blue maps of the various states. (Red = Republican, blue = Democrat.)

It's interesting to see an equivalent map showing the vote by county:

Some people think that this is the outcome:

2 comments:

David Farrer said...

Comments made on previous template:

David Farrer
This was an early version of the map and I believe that the grey bits were still counting their results.

20 November 2004, 19:51:01 GMT
– Like – Reply





ben cosin
Has no one noticed the gray bits? I presume that these are Nader, more than the rich variety of Libertarian, Green, Constitution (explicitly Christian) , Marijuana (yes, it has a website, and a rather attractive lady spokesperson!) , Socialist Equality (traditional Trot, but have a very good website wsws.org) ... 
In which case, nearly a fifth of Utah voted Nader (or whatever) and most of Maine bucked the Republicrats! 
look on the bright side. 
Ben Cosin 
PS in France, the traditional centres of the Socialist Party (SFIO or its successors) has been amongst the peasantry and school teachers. Cf William Jennings Bryan's appeal to poor farmer in 1896, Tom Watson's to poor farmers in Georgia in the next decade, and Bob La Follette in Wisconsin.Not to mention recent Peru or current Bolivia or Nepal.......Pace Montesquieu,Geography is not the queen of th political sciences, and hte results of a first past the post election always make poor geography anyway.

18 November 2004, 12:11:53 GMT
– Like – Reply





Alastair Ross
Welcome back, Andy Wood. I mistakenly assumed that Mr Dickson's rude retorts, in the face of the unassailable logic of your last posting bout, had produced a variation of Gresham's law. Happily,I erred,as you are made of sterner stuff.

9 November 2004, 03:14:57 GMT
– Like – Reply





Alastair Ross
The evidence of Adam Smith's Lodge membership can be found in minutes of meetings attended by him, but these are unlikely to be available to non-Masons. One person who knows more about Scottish freemasonry than almost anyone else is Prof David Stevenson of St Andrews University. He is not a Freemason, but was allowed unlimited access to Lodge records for the purpose of academic research.He is a very approachable scholar, so perhaps he could set the sceptical Mr Dickson right.

9 November 2004, 02:29:47 GMT
– Like – Reply





Andy Wood
Although you have already used the "grandmother" device. 
 
That's why I prefaced it with "Remind me again..." 
 
"The Grandmother Device". Sounds like it could be out of a spoof thriller about terrorists or something...

8 November 2004, 18:07:04 GMT
– Like – Reply





Stuart
Oh right, I remember you. 
 
You're the guy, the only guy in my experience, who has actually a sound track-record of cracking funnies on this blog. 
 
I defer to your superior wit. 
 
(Although you have already used the "grandmother" device. Please diversify.) 
 
Wikipedia.com actually gives Freemasons a reasonably good write-up. Although, of course, Wikipedia writers may include members among their ranks.

8 November 2004, 14:44:33 GMT
– Like – Reply

David Farrer said...





Andy Wood
Who's wondering? I see the joke has just gone over your head. Oh, well.

8 November 2004, 11:56:14 GMT
– Like – Reply





Stuart
-"...what age is your grandmother?" 
 
How very enlightened. 
 
And you wonder why the general public dislike freemasonry. 
 
If the Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Paedophiles of Scotland claimed Andy Wood as a member, that would not necessarily mean that Mr Wood was a member. 
 
Adam Smith is not around to defend himself against this accusation.

8 November 2004, 11:32:10 GMT
– Like – Reply





Andy Wood
"Was really a Freemason?" 
 
Sorry, formatting screwed up. Should be: "Was [insert name of famous person] really a Freemason?"

8 November 2004, 11:16:41 GMT
– Like – Reply





Andy Wood
Where is your evidence for Smith's membership of the Freemasons? 
 
C. Martin McGibbon, Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland, seems to think Adam Smith was proud to have been a Freemason. See this link: 
http://www.rosslyntemplars.org.uk/masonry_&_democracy.htm 
Found via google - I have no idea how reliable that source is. 
 
From my casual observation, the only people who are not Freemasons are those who say things like "Was really a Freemason?" 
 
Remind me again, Stuart, what age is your grandmother?

8 November 2004, 11:15:32 GMT
– Like – Reply





Stuart
Where is your evidence for Smith's membership of the Freemasons? 
 
Your claim is a little like Neil's claim that he knows that Smith voted "Liberal" (I assume Neil meant Whig): hard to verify or disprove. 
 
Just because you take an active interest in the occult, do not try to paint other innocent parties with the same brush, especially those not here to defend themselves.

8 November 2004, 10:27:56 GMT
– Like – Reply





Alastair Ross
Adam Smith was the quintessential 'man o' pairts' and, like many of his distinguished contemporaries, a freemason. He was far too intelligent to subscribe to any all - encompassing political ideology, such as those on offer today.I think he would have nodded approvingly upon hearing JM Keynes say "When the facts change, I do too. What do you do ,Sir."

8 November 2004, 00:16:16 GMT
– Like – Reply





Neil Craig
Jesus, God, William Wallace & Marie Curie never had the vote. Actively not being a believer I will let the Greens have Jesus, his Dad seems, from most reports, to be a bit of a statist.

7 November 2004, 21:26:11 GMT
– Like – Reply





David Rossie
David, what a Britano-centric question to ask!

7 November 2004, 15:57:18 GMT
– Like – Reply





Stuart
Neil has already, rather improbably, claimed Adam Smith as a Lib Dem. 
 
He may as well go the whole hog and appropriate the Lord, William Wallace, Marie Curie et al. 
 
Being an Aramaic-speaking Judaean, is Jesus eligible for a Scottish Lib Dem membership card?

7 November 2004, 11:08:50 GMT