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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to absolutely love the British for giving 2 fingers to Brexit party

51 replies

myduckiscooked · 13/12/2019 10:15

I have no skin in the game in this election because I am not from the UK but I simply adore politics and so I’ve been watching with fascination.

This election was about getting Brexit done, from what I could see, without a shadow of a doubt that is what the majority of people want now, so much so that people were willing to give Boris Johnson a vote. People from towns where the Conservatives shut their mines, closed off their only employment opportunities and made generations suffer on the back of that wanted so much to leave the EU that they were willing to put all that behind them and vote Conservative.

But you know what they haven’t done, endorsed that asshat Farage in any meaningful way. God I love the British for that. It would have been so much easier to throw your vote at a party you had no bad history with. All across Europe the far right has risen many of your voters, instead of endorsing that rise, went against core socialist values and beliefs to vote for a party that did not endorse hatred, bigotry, racism in an open and obvious way. I think you are awesome.

I know this outcome is a tough blow for Labour supporters but Labour under Corbyn totally lost their way, In time Labour will come back having learned a lot from the mistakes of this era and there will be a functioning opposition again.

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ChristaMSieland · 13/12/2019 11:57

And that is the point really, where the far right is on the rise everywhere around Europe you did not leave the position of centrists. This was the type of election that could drive people to extremes, it is a completely divisive issue.

First Past the Post helps too, in that regard.

horse4course · 13/12/2019 12:22

Like UKIP, the brexit party struggled to find enough people who weren't morons to fill the ranks.

Donations came from individuals who paid £200 just to be considered as a parliamentary candidate, a blatant scam.

They've done their job of agitating the Conservatives to manipulate them. They were always a spanner in the works rather than a serious political force.

MotherofKitties · 13/12/2019 12:27

I think the majority of people just wanted certainty after a long period of faffing about, one way or another. The Brexit Party whilst clear in their message are an untested party, so it was always going to be a two horse race between Labour and Conservatives.

I also think from last night the way the results have fallen have given a clear answer from the electorate; leave the E.U. A lot of people have questioned whether those who voted leave in 2016 knew what they were voting for, and now we have the election result we have, knowing the situation as it is, means that yes, people do know what they have voted for, and they've voted to leave (those who voted for Johnson anyway).

I say this as someone who lives is a northern Labour stronghold where my social media is currently blowing up in absolute outrage at the election result. It's a very divisive time. I only hope that the UK stays united and the rifts eventually heal.

AlexaShutUp · 13/12/2019 12:33

A lot of people have questioned whether those who voted leave in 2016 knew what they were voting for, and now we have the election result we have, knowing the situation as it is, means that yes, people do know what they have voted for, and they've voted to leave (those who voted for Johnson anyway).

I don't think they had a clue what they were voting for in most cases. And many of them are going to get a terrible shock when the reality becomes clear.

People should be very careful what they wish for...they might just get it and find that they really don't like it.

AlunWynsKnee · 13/12/2019 12:35

The Brexit Party isn't a political party though. It's something odd like a franchise. People bought their local opportunity.
The Conservative Party then rendered them obsolete by electing Johnson as their leader and they threw the towel in. Farage will now claim Johnson owes his victory to him and we will have him chuntering on for as long as he can find a microphone.

cardibach · 13/12/2019 12:40

If you believe this about the Tories: ‘a party that did not endorse hatred, bigotry, racism in an open and obvious way’ you haven’t really been following British politics very closely. Tories are absolutely bigoted and racist. Look at Johnson’s language. Look at MP candidates who posted racist and antisemitic things and stayed as candidates (and may have been elected, I haven’t checked) They are a hard right party. The electorate have just chosen one hard right party over another. This I not a victory for anything but inequality.

Original poster
myduckiscooked · 13/12/2019 12:42

my social media is currently blowing up in absolute outrage at the election result. It's a very divisive time. I only hope that the UK stays united and the rifts eventually heal.

I think getting Brexit done will help to heal those rifts. I am a completely a non Brexit supporter, someone asked unthread but I am from Ireland, I think we will be affected far worse than the UK by Brexit. However the British people want it done, they know what is on offer, they voted in Brexit with Boris and that has to now happen and we will have to suck up the outcome.

However the notion that all these extremists lay lurking under the cover who are filled with hate for immigrants as exemplified by the Brexit party have not manifested. Even in parts of Britain where the Conservative name was mud for 2 generations they were more willing to vote for a centre party they hated viscerally than extremists. Personally I far rather living next door to that that Brexit party ideologues. I really do think it says a lot about the overall calibre of British people.

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Original poster
myduckiscooked · 13/12/2019 12:47

If you believe this about the Tories: ‘a party that did not endorse hatred, bigotry, racism in an open and obvious way’ you haven’t really been following British politics very closely

I believe all humans respond to those they see as “others” in either an open minded or a closed minded way. That is human nature. Conservatives by definition are on the more closed end of that personality trait continuum but no they are not typically at the extremes.

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cardibach · 13/12/2019 12:49

‘Not typically’ in the past, myduck. This lot? Completely different. Leading Thatcherite politicians said nobody should vote for them. Thatcherites thought they were too right wing. Thatcherites. Let that sink in and then have another look at them.

Emmapeeler1 · 13/12/2019 12:52

Um, the Tories are not a centrist party, that’s why Farage was happy to pull his candidates out of some areas, as several pps have pointed out.

SheSnapsThenSheFarts · 13/12/2019 12:53

They didn't need to vote for the Brexit party. They have the Tories.

Emmapeeler1 · 13/12/2019 12:55

Thatcherites thought they were too right wing

Quite.

fpurplea · 13/12/2019 13:34

Can I just say, asshat comes from the expression of "having one's head so far up one's rear that they wear their ass for a hat." HTH.

Intruiged · 13/12/2019 13:47

I think the tories are interchangeable with brexit party. And rifts will get even bigger.

Loopytiles · 13/12/2019 13:49

What do you mean “getting Brexit done”? Leaving on what terms?

A hard Brexit is v unlikely to heal any rifts!

Loopytiles · 13/12/2019 13:50

And your OP is odd: the Tories essentially took on the Brexit party policies.

Original poster
myduckiscooked · 13/12/2019 13:51

Loopy Boris has a deal and an overall majority. He has well won an election on the basis of that deal and has a mandate. That at the moment is getting Brexit done.

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Original poster
myduckiscooked · 13/12/2019 13:52

the Tories essentially took on the Brexit party policies

The Tories fought an election on the back of Boris’ deal. The Brexit party want a no deal Brexit.

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SinisterBumFacedCat · 13/12/2019 13:53

Get Brexit Done is a bullshit. It’s more like Get Brexit Started. This is going to go on for years. I do wonder now if when Brexit is finally “done” people will remember to care about other issues like housing, NHS, social care for example. Hmm

AlwaysCheddar · 13/12/2019 13:53

What??? People voted for conservatives which is in effect voting for Brexit party too. Thus is a huge victory for Brexit party as we are leaving the EU.

FaFoutis · 13/12/2019 13:58

These Tories want a no deal Brexit too.
They are nowhere near the centre.

Original poster
myduckiscooked · 13/12/2019 14:04

Get Brexit Done is a bullshit. It’s more like Get Brexit Started

It is true that British Civil Servants will spend the next many, many years negotiating treaties when they exit the EU. Politicians on the other hand will be freed up to deal with the actual political issues of policing, NHS, education etc with foreign policy treaties only popping up from time to time as the politicians do their job of taking the entire credit for the Civil Servants years of toil as the agreements get signed. It will not be an issue for the politics of the day to day once the EU exit happens.

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scaryteacher · 13/12/2019 14:51

There was no Brexit Party candidate in my constituency. Looking at some of the results, people who would never vote Tory, voted for the Brexit party instead (in Sunderland iirc). It gave Labour leavers a voice.

Emmapeeler1 · 13/12/2019 23:02

And your OP is odd

Like a lot of political ‘discussion’ on here lately. Hmm

Saddler · 13/12/2019 23:12

You've got a limited understanding of the positive contribution that the brexit party made to this election removing labour votes and allowing the conservatives to win by bigger margins in seats, they also focussed peoples minds in tactical voting.