To wonder where the normal people are?

What was the event? I dont understand how it can be "broadly leftwing but not political" - that seems a contradiction!

And then there’s the labelling. I’m gender critical so must be ‘far right’ and therefore love Trump and want to destroy the NHS and hate immigrants and read the daily mail. All because I think a fella wearing wig and taking some hormones does not make him a woman. Wild times!

It seems to be so tied up with their identity for some people. I’m lucky with my friends but I occasionally meet someone new who very quickly wants to find out where I stand politically (which is in a very woolly middle ground, so incomprehensibly boring to them!). These are NOT my kind of people.

And the stereotyping! A Tory friend spends her days since she retired doing voluntary work, raising money for good causes, driving people to hospital etc. Yet she’d be scum to some!

I think some people have just started yelling about their politics more. It never used to be a thing to discuss politics. That and social media echo chambers making people think certain views are so abhorrent they’re not to be discussed and their views being the only virtue. Hence people screaming about immigration, Gaza and trans to (in their eyes) make themselves look virtuous when irl it’s healthcare / education / budget that actually matter.

I’m a centrist. I don’t consider myself left or right wing. However, I have noticed that the left have become more extreme, violent, and intolerant than the right in recent years.

Throughout history and across countries the extreme left and right wings have always been the complete opposite of tolerant. Both are controlling, repressive, coercive and ultimately violent.

Tolerance cones from a moderate, balanced, non-ideological, evidence-based and rational position not from either extreme, by definition: extremes can only exist by characterising others as scapegoats or enemies.

Orwell, in "The Road To Wigan Pier" wrote of how socialism attracted too many cranks, which put off the 'normal people'
(OK, he wrote that the left attracts "every fruit-juice drinker, nudist, sandal-wearer, sex-maniac, Quaker, 'Nature Cure' quack, pacifist and feminist in England." - personally I'd choose different targets, but you get the gist 👍)

What event was this and who was it held by?

Far left. Far right. Same difference when each side think violence and silencing is the right way to win an argument.

I wish nuance existed.

What is normal? Kind? Able to hold your own political views without hating or disrespecting others? There's still a few about.
Just think, only a decade ago it was seen as weird to go NC with family at all, never mind because they vote for a different party.

Absolutely. I think of myself as centre (but then I guess lots of people do!) and in the past there really wasn’t this vicious hatred between the main parties, or the designation of Tories as ‘scum’ - they were just people with a different approach to economics in the 60s and 70s. It wasn’t all so personal, divisive and nasty.

At home.

I used to be active in one of the major political parties about 20 years ago. I’m still a member but I’m not active and haven’t been since the Brexit vote really; the whole political landscape became toxic, aggressive, and frankly quite scary. Fewer and fewer, normal reasonable people, and a rise in people who are incapable of respectfully disagreeing on an issue.

But would you celebrate Tommy Robinson being shot? No because you are a decent human being. The trouble is that we have bread a population that thinks life is a Warner brothers cartoon and the coyote came back to life after running off a cliff so it doesn't matter who you hurt.

Spot on. An issue has to be of the kind that attracts the rent-a-mob lot for demos and marches, not to mention the desecration of art galleries and so on.
Pin one of that omni-activism crowd down on the foreign aid budget, or the mechanism of devolved government, and they’ll remember a subsequent engagement pretty sharpish.

(It’s enough to make one miss the sight of bearded Trotskyites flogging Militant outside Littlewoods!)

I'm left wing and at home rather than out paricipating in extremist nonsense. Just as I assume normal Tories avoid Tommy Robinson right wing crap.

The be kind brigade who are anything but. We are mainly a centre right country and most people I know fit into that category as well as a handful of leftists I know and we are all normal centre right or left. Reasonable people.

I work with a couple of youngsters who go on Gaza marches and fill their social media with memes spouting hate but talk to them and they don't even know where Gaza is!! Plus they are so intolerant. Maybe it is their age.

And tiny but extremely vociferous minorities.

The vast majority of people fall into this category. But unfortunately political activism nowadays seems to cater only to the extremes.

I’m with this. I actually voted for my local MP who is labour and I’m been impressed with him. I’ve become very disappointed with mainstream politics- 10 years plus of labour 10 years plus of Tory and it doesn’t really matter nothing seems to change.

Im passionate about the environment but I don’t agree with many of the Green policies.

One million per cent, THIS.

I’m so tired of having Gaza, trans rights etc shoved to the fore when they are far from priorities for most people. Such issues just cause division and distract from the matters you mention, which is what most people would like politicians to focus on.

Yeah this is me.

generally believe in being nice to people, try to make the world a better place etc.

can’t stand either right wing hate the immigrants or left wing hate the tories any more.

The silent majority

Most people are 'normal'.
Ime, extreme right wing and extreme left wing are exactly the same type of people, its only their target groups that are different.

I think they’re not getting involved in politics because they come up against this kind of crap and can’t be bothered with it.

You want to discuss education, housing, healthcare etc - but it’s going to be #freepalestine, trans rights and boat people.