Election Year or Fear!

[swaledale]

Yeah but there won't be much debate when 3 of the most opinionated political posters on here are ignoring the other one!! But we will see how long that lasts

The only poster people have indicated they wont engage with is the dim red one. Given its not his opinions he spouts but those he gleans from the internet, its hardly going to stifle debate is it?

In matter of fact its likely to enhance the debate since those being engaged with are people who at least have their own opinions and no time will be wasted with one poster who just parrots utter tripe all the time and the Forum will be pleasanter, because the overt racism, xenophobia and bigotry will no longer be engaged with.

Now there are posters who covertly express similar opinions but at least they ahve a veneer of civility when doing so and aren't rushing on here to desperately post whatever they have read on some right wing ****wits social media or other internet source.

I find my involvement in this Forum all the more pleasant by ignoring and not engaging with the dim red ones posts. others will find the same should they choose to do so, if they wish to waste their time arguing with the dipstick, fair do's its their time to waste.

[Geoff Parkstone]

The only poster people have indicated they wont engage with is the dim red one. Given its not his opinions he spouts but those he gleans from the internet, its hardly going to stifle debate is it?

In matter of fact its likely to enhance the debate since those being engaged with are people who at least have their own opinions and no time will be wasted with one poster who just parrots utter tripe all the time and the Forum will be pleasanter, because the overt racism, xenophobia and bigotry will no longer be engaged with.

Now there are posters who covertly express similar opinions but at least they ahve a veneer of civility when doing so and aren't rushing on here to desperately post whatever they have read on some right wing ****wits social media or other internet source.

I find my involvement in this Forum all the more pleasant by ignoring and not engaging with the dim red ones posts. others will find the same should they choose to do so, if they wish to waste their time arguing with the dipstick, fair do's its their time to waste.

We shall see, but with no-one representing the right, I suspect the debate will merely become a number of left of centre luvvies just agreeing with one another. maybe someone will have to step up in Tricky's place. Sink the boats.....

[swaledale]

We shall see, but with no-one representing the right, I suspect the debate will merely become a number of left of centre luvvies just agreeing with one another. maybe someone will have to step up in Tricky's place. Sink the boats.....

How do you arrive at the conclusion that the rest of those on this Forum are centre left luvvies? I'd say that RA and myself are centre left, you verge from centrist to right of centre, Af is and I'm being kind centre right with dashes of further right on occasion, Sith seems centrist and MA centrist with the odd veer to the left. Others I'm not so sure of, but its hardly a left of centre consensus on here.

Our dim red friend can hardly be counted as a representing right wing views, because none of what he posts is original thought. Its simply repeated verbatim from a right wing media or social media source. I can get that from perusing the internet myself.

[ramAnag]

We shall see, but with no-one representing the right, I suspect the debate will merely become a number of left of centre luvvies just agreeing with one another. maybe someone will have to step up in Tricky's place. Sink the boats.....

Honestly GP. I know (think/hope) you’re joking but ‘sink the boats’! Really?
We all know you like to stir and make mischief rather than offer genuine comments, but I have come across two or three imbeciles wearing a T shirt motif expressing that same sentiment and I’m sure you wouldn’t really want to be associated with such cruel, irresponsible and ignorant idiocy.

As regards the ‘left of centre luvvies’. Where has that come from? What does it even mean?
For what it’s worth I agree completely with Swale’s interpretation of people’s political persuasions on here and would add an additional take for mac (traditional and responsible Labour man with beliefs stemming from his own occupational experiences) and RS (much more like yourself…centre right but always civil and reasonably so).
That’s my take anyway, although I may be wrong and apologies in advance if I am.

Beyond that, what we’ve got is one poster genuinely offended by TTR’s unsubstantiated suggestions and three who have, over time, concluded that it is a waste of their time to continue to try and argue against points which they have independently concluded to be generally dumb and dishonest.

What we don’t need, imo, is you picking up the devil’s advocate cudgel just for the sake of being contentious.

[Geoff Parkstone]

"What we don’t need, imo, is you picking up the devil’s advocate cudgel just for the sake of being contentious."

No, that would break up the happy karass* of like minded persons who reject all opinion that isnt the same as their own and ignore it. Still worse who seek to sideline it by belittling it. TTR's style of putting forward his views isnt the best but those who seek to ignore it do so at their own peril. Need I point out the voting pattern / polls showing the proponderance of people sharing TTR views.

It was the same in Nazi Germany where those in the middle or left chose to ignore the clear threat from the right. Most "good thinking Germans" Ignoring it or tolerating it as an easy way out - now remind me, how did that work out?

*see Cats Cradle, as you likely are of the right age to know

[ramAnag]

"What we don?t need, imo, is you picking up the devil?s advocate cudgel just for the sake of being contentious."

No, that would break up the happy karass* of like minded persons who reject all opinion that isnt the same as their own and ignore it. Still worse who seek to sideline it by belittling it. TTR's style of putting forward his views isnt the best but those who seek to ignore it do so at their own peril. Need I point out the voting pattern / polls showing the proponderance of people sharing TTR views.

It was the same in Nazi Germany where those in the middle or left chose to ignore the clear threat from the right. Most "good thinking Germans" Ignoring it or tolerating it as an easy way out - now remind me, how did that work out?

*see Cats Cradle, as you likely are of the right age to know

Not knowledgeable enough about Kurt Vonnegut and not wishing to over complicate matters. My point was that there’s a sufficient range of political opinion on here without you having to take an exaggerated stance to compensate for the possible lack of future response to TTR.

No one is denying that the whole question of immigration is complex or shouldn’t be spoken of. Neither is anyone saying TTR isn’t entitled to his opinion. What three people appear to have concluded is, I think, that when those ‘opinions’ appear to be little more than regurgitated far right bollux based on falsehoods and untrue accusations it really is more trouble than it’s worth to reply.

Personally I do feel as if I can’t do right for doing wrong in your eyes. If I respond I’m ‘stirring and shouting from the sidelines’.
If I avoid confrontation, I’m ‘taking the easy way out’.

P.S. Or, concise and shortened version, what MA said above at 7.16.

[swaledale]

"What we don?t need, imo, is you picking up the devil?s advocate cudgel just for the sake of being contentious."

No, that would break up the happy karass* of like minded persons who reject all opinion that isnt the same as their own and ignore it. Still worse who seek to sideline it by belittling it. TTR's style of putting forward his views isnt the best but those who seek to ignore it do so at their own peril. Need I point out the voting pattern / polls showing the proponderance of people sharing TTR views.

It was the same in Nazi Germany where those in the middle or left chose to ignore the clear threat from the right. Most "good thinking Germans" Ignoring it or tolerating it as an easy way out - now remind me, how did that work out?

*see Cats Cradle, as you likely are of the right age to know

As I pointed out, that might be relevant in real life, but on this Forum? No point whatso ever and there will still be a number of centre right, with the odd further right view points expressed on here. The fact that AF bridles at being described as centre right just shows how far the Overton Window has shifted to the right.

In point of fact, voting pattern and polls don't indicate a preponderance of people sharing the dim red ones views. It is much more nuanced than that. With people who were right leaning, have in some instances gone further right to Reform, but then some who were left leaning or centre right have gone towards the Greens or the Lib Dems and others just not voting. Even in the US, Trump only just got over half the votes cast.

It does amuse me that people think a party led by a lying grifter who spends more time making money than doing his job as politician, who got it so wrong with Brexit, which hasn't improved their lives in any way, still willing to vote for him, but then obviously there are some very stupid people out there.

[Geoff Parkstone]

"Beyond that, what we?ve got is one poster genuinely offended by TTR?s unsubstantiated suggestions"

To be fair, Sith wasn't too happy about it either, so make that two posters....