This election: has it always been like this?

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I feel like this is the first election I’ve really opened my eyes and followed properly researching and fact checking for myself. I’m 36 years old and have voted in 5? 6? General elections.

Is it always this bad? The constant smearing and the lies (I’m talking about the tories). It’s absolutely disgusting. Is this what the run up to the election is always like? I’ve never seen it this bad before.

@1066vegan quite. Look at all the stuff said about corbyn. Black is white. Up is down. Mumsnetters are pretty good at recognising gaslighting on relationship threads not so much in politics! I'd laugh if I wasnt crying.

Have seen nasty campaigns in the past particularly right wing press attacking Labour leaders as pp said. Neil Kinnock was vilified. I think the difference now is the level of hate towards anyone with different political views fuelled by Brexit and social media. People post things online they wouldn't have the courage to do face to face. This is the first election when I haven't put a poster in my window. Leave voting area with a lot of angry people who believe anything they want to hear. I say this as born and lived here all my life but it has changed so much and not for the better.

Yep. Nastiest campaign I remember, and I remember all the way back to the 70s. It’s extremely disturbing.

Brilliant posts @1066vegan... this is the first time I’ve checked facts for myself and the lies that the tories keep pedalling and are being believed by people is shocking. I’m not saying Labour haven’t done similar, but Boris is just smearing Corbyn constantly. There is no evidence behind his claims and I find this offensive attack really horrible.

YANBU OP this shit slinging campaigning is another unwelcome import from the USA

I think it is a case of all parties saying they are better than everyone else and to trust them.

Sad fact is, trust in politics has been lost, how are the winners going to regain that trust 😳

No.

I’m an ex-Labour activist, and it was never like this in my time. We were in a very important Midlands marginal seat in the late 90s and we fought hard for every single vote, but politics was certainly never as nasty as it is today.

We hated the BNP, obviously, but ourselves and the Tories treated one another with respect. They were decent, well-meaning and sincere people.

Brexit has poisoned our country, our society and our politics.

Definitely nastiest election with the most fake news, lies and smears I can remember. The language is being mirrored in real life too with people thinking it's fine to be casually racist, rude and aggressive. Tories are definitely leading in this but no real scrutiny or challenge from the media is also to blame and complacency from voters another factor. There was a time we wanted leaders to be principled and show leadership, now we get bargain basement Trump alikes . Sad and depressing times .

I agree with much of what you say, @1066vegan, but it isn’t just one sided.

Labour, my old party, has also been taken over by an extremist minority who are prepared to tolerate and turn a blind eye to antisemitism because they are so blinded by hatred ‘zionism’ and ‘imperialism’, ie Israel and the United States, that they don’t regard their attitudes as racist.

Before we were able to win in 1997, we first had to defeat and expel these cranks. It’s a tragedy that Labour has forgotten about that.

AgeLikeWine now that I don't agree with. The claims of anti-semitism are disputed, and I haven't found any evidence that there is more anti-semitism in the Labour Party than there is elsewhere.

As for 'extremism' in the Labour Party, I think you're mixing up anti-semitism and economics and using one to smear the other. There is a very good argument to say that the Party was 'hijacked' by a bunch of Tory-lites under Blair, and Corbyn is restoring a more socialist voice that should never have been lost.

Media wise I saw a meme - it used to be that the news told you what had happened, and you had to decide how you felt about that. Now, the news tells you how to feel, and you have to decide if it happened. It really does feel like we can't trust any of the major news sources.

I hadn't seen that, but it's exactly right. It is what is happening when this anti-semitism meme comes up. We're being told how we should feel about economic styles and patterns of thought without ever being given the arguments for and against.

I think that this is a very nasty election. Don't remember the leaders getting half as nasty last time.

The amount of election leaflets I've received has been staggering. Last time I received 4/5 tops but this election I've had more than double. I live in an area that's a marginal seat and the Brexit vote was pretty much the same as the final national result. Only had a Tory canvasser knock and the young man ran away when I wanted to discuss austerity.

@AgeLikeWine sorry but I don’t agree with you about the anti semitism being more rife in the Labour Party than in any other party. I actually saw the video where Ruth Smeeth apparently left the event in tears. There was only mention of newspapers and the people who control them. What is anti Semitic about that? If I say that the Sun and Fail are controlled by Murdoch, I’m saying it’s him. Not his religion.

As for Israel, it’s horrible that people can’t react or speak out against their government and what they’re doing to Palestinians without being labelled an anti Semitic. We can speak about every other country, like Turkey, Iraq, Libya and how they treat neighbours and citizens, but why can’t we say anything against Israel?

I feel that labelling every tiny thing as anti Semitic is dangerous. We’ve got to a point where I feel We can’t speak out against the Israeli government incase You’re labelled anti Semitic. The term is being used as ammo, and the real Jews who are experiencing prejudice are being ignored.

Also, no one seems to care about Muslims. So many Tory MPs exposed making islamophobic comments, but no one cares. So many Muslims being killed and tortured in nazi type concentration camps in China, but no one cares.
If you are talking about anti semitism because you care about Jews and other human beings, then care about the Muslims too and hold the Tory MP’s accountable for their slurs.

Social media and having 24 hour rolling news does make a difference

I think the country is very split and that is also reflected within the parties and the feelings felt and language used is more powerful

Yes it’s been a nasty election.

politics has always been a dirty business lying and spinning stories is not new it’s always gone on but we should expect higher standards unfortunately because the bar is so low at the moment we have no choice but to accept what we have

But politics has changed politicians have become political celebs, have more influence in board rooms sitting in on various committees when really all they should be doing is their job as an MP

Few now appear that dedicated

No, they have sunk to an all time low.
Really shocking.

I personally don't think the TV debates help - it all becomes like some kind of "I'm a personality" contest.