This would be a site with both a news feed and a way for people to introduce their own material that would be the focus for single issue political discussion. This would allow readers to classify news against the single issues that the sites supports (abortion, death sentence, guns, lupins, etc.) and generally argue with each other.

There would be ways to vote, classify which side of a debate an event falls on and even introduce new single issue dichotomies. The idea would be have a compelling site that a casual reader could use to catch on the issues of his or her choice and prehaps then get involved.

The business model would be based on selling propoganda items, with the totals sold being public* so each side could try to out buy each other. Advertising would be possible as you could actually match individual campaigners with pressure groups seeking funds or volunteers.

*Thanks [absterge].
-- Aristotle, May 04 2001

Single Issue Fanatics http://www.jewishde...t/20000618-0-m.html
A favourite of Bernard Levin's [hippo, May 04 2001, last modified Oct 05 2004]

UK Tactical Voting http://www.tacticalvoter.net
This contains the article that inspired this. [Aristotle, May 04 2001, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Dennis Moore: Monty Python http://www.montypyt...cripts/dennism.php3
A reactionary hero whose sacred goal is lupins ... [Aristotle, May 04 2001, last modified Oct 05 2004]

Do you have some burning, narrowly-focussed hatred of Single Issue Fanatics? :-)
-- hippo, May 04 2001


An article on www.tacticalvoter.net pointed out that single issue voting was the way people wanted to vote these days. This would allow people to assess parties on all kinds of single issues, therefore allowing them a better, more informed conventional vote.
-- Aristotle, May 04 2001


peter: i think it's called a referendum. or a proposition in the states.
-- mihali, May 04 2001


I've always pondered that there are people out there who make a living working on or creating things that the rest of us spend very little time contemplating. For example, the guy who was able to put his children through college because he owns a factory that makes shoelaces or coat-hangers...

Even more astounding are the number of industry magazines that cater to these fringe industries. Perhaps they aren't down to single issue (which to me sound fairly dull) but they certainly accomodate a very verticle market.
-- RobGraham, May 04 2001


wooohooo, just got 'Aglet Review' in the mail!
-- thumbwax, May 05 2001


Now vote.com is getting close, although I envisage the proposed site would be closer to the HalfBakery to allow debate to inform (or divide) the people doing the voting. Fringe interests could be on the site as well as some fringe areas can take off, just like Nuclear Disarmament did for a time.

Ideally such a site would accomodate as many single/fringe issues as possible, so it could sell more merchandise and hook more people in.

How popular is single issue politics? I actually support (and I am a member of) a UK political party but I'm mildly passionate about privatisation and poverty. My wife is passionate about the survival of fox-hunting and equestrian activities in general. However beyond these annecdotal tales the rise of single issue politics has been noted, along with the power of their lobby's "soft money" in US politics.
-- Aristotle, May 05 2001


I did a quick investigation and magazines seem to have hit this domain name right on the head. www.singleissue.com is currently register, but apparently not used by Martin Newstands Inc.
-- Aristotle, May 07 2001


I agree with the idea however I frankly don't see a need for it.
-- JunkBug, Jun 17 2001


Hey Aristotle, you don't live near Stratton and rent out your house to holiday makers do you? I was on a holiday with my parents a month or so back. The people who owned the house were absolutely fanatical about fox-hunting and horse riding. There were pictures of foxes all over the place, and an alcove with otter heads and bits of fox up on the walls.

Since I'm rather against hunting, I found it all rather distasteful. I managed not to get into an argument by avoiding the owners entirely. What surprised me most were the sentimentalised pictures etc of foxes standing or running around. It seemed to me that the owners had a very strange ambivalence towards them - reminds me of that Monty Python sketch.
"I love animals... which is why I kill them."
-- Loris, Oct 10 2002



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