To wonder if you could be with someone who has different political beliefs to you?

I can’t see much difference between the current Labour Party and centrist Tories and that’s a good thing. Leaving the ECHR would be nuts, we want to reduce immigration but be sympathetic to refugees still. I think most people can agree that Boris and LizTruss were a disgrace.

Yep we vote differently on everything. We both recognise that we have different experiences and backgrounds which influence that.

Whats interesting is that if we got into power ourselves we would both agree on what needs to be done and how. It's just not being done by any of the parties.

My DH and I have voted differently in some elections, although you could say that we are both floating voters so similar in that respect.

Within a certain range of left wing views, including on some topics that I feel quite strongly about, yes, inevitably, since I don’t know anyone who I completely agree with on everything. But definitely wouldn’t form a lifelong partnership or family unit with someone who didn’t share important core values that would rule out conservative or reform voters. One of the things I most love about my partner is the authenticity with which he lives values that I really respect through volunteering and political engagement.

Depends.

I’m a lefty but I’ve had friends/exes who were Libertarians and thatcherites and we agreed on a lot of things.

You can be a Labour voter who believes that being gay is a sin (plenty of them where I live) or a Tory voter who believes people should be free to do as they please and that’s why we need a small state.

No idea who my worst half votes for .
But nothing like a good argument but my worst half knows who I'm a supporter of as I tell them all .

To my surprise, yes. On paper we are a long way apart politically, but in discussion we agree on more than we disagree.

We often bring individual politicians that we admire, of any party, to each other's attention.

We know the points on which we won't agree (Starmer, Johnson, abortion) and either steer clear or let the other have a rant and get stuff off their chests

The only way I can see a romantic relationship between two people with completely opposing political views being sustainable is if neither of them care very much about politics anyway. That way they could simply not discuss it, but even if they did it probably wouldn't get heated. DH and I are both very passionate about politics and social justice issues, so that wouldn't work for us. Although we don't agree on every single issue and that's fine, neither of us would want to be with someone who wasn't on the same page when it comes to the issues that matter most to us. I'm happy to listen to opposing viewpoints but I couldn't be romantically involved with someone who voted Tory or Reform. There are colleagues, friends and relatives with right-leaning views who I get along well with, but I don't have to live with them, make joint decisions with them or find them sexually appealing.

I couldn’t date a conservative supporter. I would also struggle to be close friends with one. Living in an echo chamber is fine by me as I know my beliefs are the right ones!

No I couldn't, political values are so closely linked to personal values.

Opposing views on women's rights/abortion rights would be a particularly big deal breaker.

Most people’s politics are intrinsically linked to their values. I couldn’t be with someone who didn’t broadly share my values, but I could get past some specifics in approach as long as they were well-informed and reasoned.

I’d have more of a problem with someone who said they had no opinion on politics or didn’t care about it. I’ll never understand how people can say that.

Well said. I feel exactly this way. My sister is married to someone on the opposite side (she's fairly centrist) and I don't know how she stands it.

I could be with anyone hard left or hard right tbh. DH and I are both centrists - me slightly more to the left and him slightly more to the right. But both of us feel politics is rarely black/white and issues tend to be nuanced....

Came here to say this. I wouldn't be with someone who didn't share certain core values that I hold. However, not sure any political party represents my views/values at the moment. DH and I have similar values and worldviews. But we might in theory vote for different parties. In fact, I myself might vote for a different party if I weren't a tactical voter.

No I couldn’t.

This. There are views about specific things that I couldn't tolerate, but frankly, mainstream centre to left end of Conservative and centre to right end of Labour... not exactly worlds apart!

No, I could be friendly with someone who held opposing views but not live with them. You need to be on the same page up to a point.

Yes, I’m centrish left and I wouldn’t have a problem dating someone centrish right. It’s the extremes of either persuasion I’d struggle with - I’d be as wary of Corbynites as I would of the Farage and Tommy Robinson bootlickers. LibDem or Green I’d be fine with too. I think it’s extremism that puts me off. I’d be the same with people who have strong fundamentalist faith of whatever persuasion. I’d be happy enough for my DP to go to the church/synagogue/mosque etc. every now and again, but having to live your life in a restricted way to comply with someone else’s faith probably wouldn’t work too well for me.

I couldn't be with someone who is extreme in their views, whether it concerns, politics, religion, or anything else.

DH is more right wing than me, but still only centre right, he's not a Farage fan. I'm more centre left. We do disagree and have debates on things but I think that's healthy. I couldn't be with anyone who supported Reform.

DH and I have different political views. We have been happily married for 18 years.
We have different views on many things.

I could be with an intelligent and kind person who had different political views to mine but I couldn’t be with a racist or misogynist.

Hmmm, depends how different. I'm left-leaning but not as militant as many of my friends, and I have dated people further left than myself. I also doubt I'd have a problem with dating someone closer to the centre, maybe even centre-right. However, I don't think I'd be able to be in a relationship with anybody who is racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist, anti-feminist or evangelical about religion, as I couldn't in good conscious date anyone whose beliefs fundamentally disrespect me and the people I love. I wouldn't be in a relationship with someone who held those beliefs regardless of party politics, though they seem considerably more common amongst Reform supporters, and increasingly amongst Conservative supporters as well.

I was with ExH for 22 years.

We had slightly different political views and occasionally voted for different parties.

We have both stood for the same political party (unsuccessfully, and at a very local level).

It wasn't a problem. We had reasonable conversations about politics and sometimes differed about which party we felt would be best at a given point in time.

In general we had similar views about what we wanted to see just slightly different views about getting there.

I couldn't be with someone with different values and I believe values are intrinsically linked to politics so no, I couldn't.

It doesn't mean I can't debate or accept difference, it doesn't mean I can't hear other perspectives and I have a range of friends with differing views.

But, to be in a committed, romantic relationship with someone could mean big decisions about children, education, money, health etc etc
I couldn't do all that with someone whose values and priorities did not align with mine.

Others can separate it but it's too closely linked for me.
I guess thinking about the last week and the conversations we've had and how upset we've both felt. I feel privileged that I have a life partner who values the same things as I do and sees my perspective even if they can't totally share it as a man.

Plus, I find people with certain views and values fundamentally unattractive.