KMT vs DPP

Well I guess any blog that contains politics should contain a description of the major political parties and what the difference is. I have attempted long ago to influence the wiki, and surprisingly a few sentances of mine are left. This is amazing for such a hot issue, and the Chinese trolls who love to post absolute lies on the page all the time seem to have left it alone. Since it is probably a little less bias than myself and an interesting historical read see KMT.

Now to sum that up in a few all encompassing statements that will propably annoy both sides with its lack of detail;
The KMT represents the followers of the people who came from China and believe that Taiwan should still be a part of China.

The DPP represents people who believe that Taiwan should be independent of China.

One of the biggest differences that you can see is how money is spent when each party is in office. DPP beleives in investment for long term economics in Taiwan, and KMT believes in a maintenance only approach as a guardianship of the island. They both have the unique honor of writing history as they see it and changing history books to their liking in an attempt to persuade school children one way or the other depending on how the last major election turned out. This gives you the completely understated 5 second version of a 120 year debate, with lots of blood and violence.

One of the unique things that you will find as a foreigner is the general assumption (and disbelief even in the face of proof) that foreigners are incapable of understanding the finer details of politics in Taiwan. While we are at a disadvantage in not having lived our whole life here, I also think with careful attention to the details we are at an advantage to understand both sides of the issue better (as long as we don't use the all American "yeah... Taiwan should just be independent cause we are..." attitude). Take your time, read the history, and remember that the history your reading has probably been rewritten many times. Personally I like to find observations of diplomatic attaches or reporters with historical records describing facts....

No matter what you say, always remember in Taiwan politics is a hot topic.