So sick of all the political nastiness

[HotDogGuy]

And I’m not talking about the political parties.

I have my own mind about who I am going to vote for, in prior elections (maybe 2 elections ago) I would quite happily have a reasoned debate with people about politics because it was civilised - no name calling, no vitriol, just an exchange of ideas and generally ending in we’ll agree to disagree.

But now people thinks it’s acceptable to attack those that do not agree with their own political views. It is not. I disagree with how my husband is voting and how my mum is voting but it’s their choice and they can make that choice based on whatever they want - how it personally affects them, wider society. It is their right to vote for whoever they want to vote for.

If someone is so passionate about one political party then join them and campaign in an acceptable way. 99% will not but instead will feel they have a duty to attack those who vote differently.

And whilst a lot of politicians (from all sides) are behaving terribly I think politics has just caught up with social media where people think it’s ok to be nasty and have a go at others for being different.

Not expecting any response to this but needed to rant after reading yet another political thread on Mumsnet

Totally agree.
I want to see the election fought on " the good I can do"
Not "the other party will be worse"

100% agree! We all have different views and that's fine. What's not ok is the personal attacks when someone doesn't agree.

I agree with you .
Some of the posts I've seen on here and on Facebook are absolutely vile.
Clearly lots of activists are out in force but I find the nastiness off putting and unnecessary.

Agree, I believe voting is a very personal and private thing. Problem is all the left wing champagne socialist celebrities. Ppl will listen to them like they actually have a clue! Emma Thompson millionaire yet wants Jeremy Corbyn to be prime minster...a man who wants all her money..

Agreed, politics shouldn't be approached like picking a football team to support; yet so many people are this vocal about having such an all or nothing view of the world.

I never ever disclose who I am voting for, and try to avoid discussions on any aspects of politics. It rarely ends well.
I hate all the nastiness and lack of respect for those whose opinions differ. We can’t all agree on everything.

Where America leads we follow!

The only people I ever see post things about political nastiness are people who generally vote right wing and dislike the obvious issues with their party of choice (I.e. racism, anti-immigration, anti-women, anti-LGBT, anti-climate change) being pointed out.

The stakes are higher in elections right now. It's not a matter of who has a better budget, it's a matter of major social issues and challenges to rights and freedoms, and which side of these issues you fall on. So it's not surprising people get emotional.

YANBU sick of being told I am scum on here and elsewhere for being a Corbyn supporting Leave voter.

I almost wrote a post saying the exact same thing. Fed up with seeing people being called selfish or idiots or worse just because their views differ from someone else’s. We all have our own opinions on who to vote for based on our personal beliefs or experiences. Just because someone may disagree with me it doesn’t make them right and me wrong. I’m avoiding all the political threads on MN -and there are scores of them every day now - to avoid the vitriol.

Tiring isn’t it.
I’ve seen loads of people say things along the lines of I can’t be friends with people that vote X etc. Why?!

I think all this bitchiness and snobbery alienates people that are new to politics.

I so agree. I have never known an election where people have become so emotional and so very intolerant of other views. It then makes them seem aggressive in any discussion; I dread any one else I know bringing up the election....

@HulksPurplePanties that's funny the majority of nastiness I've seen has come from the left.

This campaign has been an absolute nightmare. Lies, disinformation, snarking, goading, attacking. The whole country has lost its mind.

And comment like this really don’t help:
a man who wants all of her money

On an £80k+ salary the extra tax would be no more than £8 a month. I mean, ffs. I earn about £15k and a tax increase of £8 a month for me wouldn’t be the end of world!

Let’s have calm and sensible debate please, not mud slinging and outlandish, incorrect claims.

It’s all very dramatic, then we sit and wonder why the younger generation wants nothing to do with it. This isn’t a great result, but most can’t be bothered with all the hassle of it.

Yep it’s been a scrabbly and low effort. Fake FB posts etc all on the low. All the stuff on here and sm.

Yanbu I've been on another thread this morning and it's unreal the posts are on another planet. People should vote for for their kids not vote this or that.
Christ what happened to using your right to vote, the freedom of choice and not being persecuted for it.

Momentum seem to be the nastiest organisation, a mixture of professional agitators, socialist ‘workers’ etc. Seem to have many of them sat in mummy’s spare room sprouting lies

On this thread even. Both sides have used low tactics. Probably one side more than the other due to the do anything approach.

Completely agree OP. The vitriolic responses, the lack of reasonable debate, not to mention the faux moral superiority of certain types.

We need some good policy driven debates rather than, you're 'far' left/right so want to eat babies and if you ever said anything someone I know agrees with (including telling the time) then they and their whole family deserve to be dumped on an island and left there.

Both sides and many of their more excitable supporters are just as bad as each other.

Both sides have used low tactics

Absolutely

I judge the parties by how their hardcore behave. It's only the conservative placards being defaced and smashed up here. If vandalism is how the grass roots express themselves, then I'll have no part in it.

I think the high levels of emotion and vitriol are because the stakes are so high in this election.
In previous years it didn’t make an enormous difference who was in power - both parties were just fractionally off centre politically, to the point that Thatcher allegedly said Blair was her “natural successor”.
In Scotland, we face an existential threat to our country- we are fighting a party that wants to tear our country apart and drag us out of the U.K. - despite their own economic forecast showing independence would be a financial disaster. Forgive me for campaigning very strongly against such idiocy.
In England, you have a very polarised election between left wing Corbyn and right wing Johnson. Their policies are not just mild variations of each other, as in previous years, but complete chalk and cheese. And the candidates themselves are anything but bland - they’re both absolute Marmite. You love or hate them, but it’s hard to be indifferent about extremists!
All of the above is a recipe for high feelings and harsh words, but at least it’s been invigorating and there have been lots of meaty issues to debate.
Hunker down, by Friday morn it will all be over. Bar the shouting...!

Comments like leckfords as well are so unhelpful and pointless. All Labour supporters aren’t momentum. All Tory supporters aren’t torybots. Jeremy Corbyn isn’t going to steal all of every bodies money. Boris Johnson probably isn’t going to bring about Armageddon. Honestly, where is the basic politeness (on all sides!) to hear others opinions, and the intelligence to consider other points of view?