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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be fed up of the political manipulation on mumsnet

350 replies

ZenNudist · 31/10/2024 14:00

It's incessant and it's wearing. It's been going on for years and I'm fed up of the massive amount of tory party generated and lobbying content blocking up mumsnet.

I appreciate mumsnet is seen as a key voter demographic but a lot of the threads being posted are so transparently fiction.

The billion VAT on school fees threads must have been a mix of real people and tory HQ.

Fake outrage started immediately and now well into saying that with less than 4 Months of government and before enacting their first budget the Labour Party are apparently making a mess of everything and reversing the great gains made during tory rule. What great gains? I don't know. I saw one post trying to take tory credit for reducing inflation like that was Rishi's doing, laughable.

I also have seen a few fake scenarios for adverse impact of the budget on inheritance and small business taxation. Speaking as someone who will be adversely affects by increasing employer NI and the reduction in business property relief I still support these changes. My friends who are small business owners feel the same way.

Labour promised not to put up the main rates of income tax and employee NI. They were clear that measures would need to be taken to increase the tax take. They still are trying to drive growth because at the end if the day increasing the tax base is the best way of increasing revenue to the exchequer.

I know a lot of mumsnetters say they can't spot trolls or AI threads. I also think a lot of people will not spot the blatant manipulation by lobbyists and tory campaigners.

Tory party now playing a long game.

The Tory party is funded by the rich for the benefit of the rich. The rest of the middle, the poor, the marginalised have almost no voice and no one funding a political machine to work in our favour.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
10
GreenSedan · 02/11/2024 07:18

Dotjones · 31/10/2024 14:20

Well if you weigh up all the right wing stuff against all the left wing stuff that's on here, I guess it's kind of a balanced debate.

I agree. There's just as many Labour plants as there are Tory ones.

EasternStandard · 02/11/2024 07:27

dontbedaft2000 · 02/11/2024 06:38

You can't even get some people to admit that Labour commissioned a report a few years ago and their OWN REPORT said that removing the fuel tax would cause 4000 elderly deaths - and then they went ahead and did it anyway. Apparently that's unfair criticism.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/winter-fuel-raid-could-kill-4000-pensioners/

All the gifts and money Starmer's gotten are just fine because if one side are allowed to be greedy, corrupt liars so are Labour.

And now many small businesses and independent farms feel under fire and are speaking up about it - but they must just be paid bots too.

It's all in people's imagination, Starmer, who got in on a very small minority, is the most beloved person ever and nobody has any valid fears, concerns or opinions about his behaviour or his party. Anyone who claims otherwise is just a paid shill.

Yes he’s really not, look at the ratings / polls plummeting but on mn it’s all glowing

The Resolution Foundation has been critical of the budget hardly a bastion of RW press

Some other issues being raised

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c79z87wzv2no.amp

And IFS summed up with

Mr Johnson described the forecasts as "pretty awful".

On mn this is a no go area, pp must be filtering like mad to only read pro Labour posts on here

A doctor checks a woman's pulse

GPs demand protection from Budget tax hike for firms - BBC News

GPs are warning that a rise to National Insurance from next April could force them to cut staff.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c79z87wzv2no.amp

SundayBloodySunday · 02/11/2024 07:30

I quite like the fact that there are a lot of differing opinions. But what I've really noticed is the rise in false right wing information. Really damaging incorrect data. For instance, someone posted we spend 101% of our GDP on welfare benefits, it was in the telegraph or something. It's incorrect, we spend 20% and that's in line with similar countries.

I hate to say this, but I noticed the same poster names that spread misinformation too. The worst bit is that they write well and it's very predictable the kinds of threads they'll be on. Sometimes I think they are on for some subversive reason and there is something going on that I don't understand😂

twistyizzy · 02/11/2024 07:36

SundayBloodySunday · 02/11/2024 07:30

I quite like the fact that there are a lot of differing opinions. But what I've really noticed is the rise in false right wing information. Really damaging incorrect data. For instance, someone posted we spend 101% of our GDP on welfare benefits, it was in the telegraph or something. It's incorrect, we spend 20% and that's in line with similar countries.

I hate to say this, but I noticed the same poster names that spread misinformation too. The worst bit is that they write well and it's very predictable the kinds of threads they'll be on. Sometimes I think they are on for some subversive reason and there is something going on that I don't understand😂

I notice the same but with left wing posters.
Doesn't help that Labour use false narratives, populist soundbites and downright lies.

ichundich · 02/11/2024 07:42

OrangeGreens · 31/10/2024 14:40

Oh yes some of the posts from very niche groups of people affected by policy changes certainly do ring alarm bells! There was one about a GP practice being forced to close today/yesterday that felt off to me… 🤔

I wonder if the BBC felt it was 'off' too? BBC News - GPs demand protection from Budget tax hike
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c79z87wzv2no

A doctor checks a woman's pulse

GPs demand protection from Budget tax hike for firms

GPs are warning that a rise to National Insurance from next April could force them to cut staff.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c79z87wzv2no

GoForARun · 02/11/2024 07:53

I think it's reasonable to hold the government of the day to account.

For 14 years people have moaned about everything that is broken and wrong in this country and blamed The Tories. Now that Labour is in the hot seat they can expect the same scrutiny. They don't walk on water.

I am not aligned to one party or the other - I like and dislike policies and personalities on both sides equally. But my husband is right of centre. A bit blinkered to be honest. He has loathed HIGNFY for many years: 'Typical Anti-Tory BBC Trots'. Suddenly, it's a complete revelation to him that the show is sending up the Labour Party!

Chill your beans, OP. The government of the day and the decisions they make will be - rightly - scrutinised. Some people are left of centre, some people are right of centre and it's healthy to discuss different points of view.

dontbedaft2000 · 02/11/2024 08:10

EasternStandard · 02/11/2024 07:27

Yes he’s really not, look at the ratings / polls plummeting but on mn it’s all glowing

The Resolution Foundation has been critical of the budget hardly a bastion of RW press

Some other issues being raised

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c79z87wzv2no.amp

And IFS summed up with

Mr Johnson described the forecasts as "pretty awful".

On mn this is a no go area, pp must be filtering like mad to only read pro Labour posts on here

I do hope it was clear that I was being sarcastic when I said he was beloved. He's fairly widely detested, and yet MN is still heavily pro Starmer.

Must be a real shock to the system to be slapped in the face by the wet kipper of reality, hence the OP's complaint I suppose.

https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/trackers/keir-starmer-approval-rating
https://thecritic.co.uk/the-authoritarian-populism-of-keir-starmer/
https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/keir-starmers-bafflingly-bad-start-as-the-uk-prime-minister
https://news.sky.com/story/keir-starmers-freebies-everything-you-need-to-know-and-why-theyre-proving-so-controversial-13217722
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/aug/09/social-media-problem-keir-starmer-elon-musk-inequality-poverty

How well is Keir Starmer doing as Labour leader?

Do you think Keir Starmer is doing well or badly as leader of the Labour party?

https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/trackers/keir-starmer-approval-rating

dontbedaft2000 · 02/11/2024 08:11

GreenSedan · 02/11/2024 07:18

I agree. There's just as many Labour plants as there are Tory ones.

Or maybe it's just mostly people posting their real opinions, and disagreeing with one another.

EasternStandard · 02/11/2024 08:52

Oh yep. It really is odd that mn should be the only place not picking up on this.

It’s probably the tactic to stop any of that reality by attacking any posters who are not pro Starmer as ‘bot’ etc as the op has.

Or other insults, it seems to have worked for a while but surely it can’t as his ratings are so low and Labour have slumped

EverythingAllatOnceAllTheTime · 02/11/2024 09:12

Keir Starmer has suffered the biggest post-election fall in approval ratings of any British prime minister in the modern era.

Just months after coming to office, the U.K. Labour leader is already languishing on an approval rating of -38, new polling of 1,012 adults by More in Common found.

It marks a precipitous 49-point drop from the +11 rating Starmer logged just after Labour won its landslide general election victory in July.

Widely reported before the usual mugs insist on a link.

dontbedaft2000 · 02/11/2024 09:16

EasternStandard · 02/11/2024 08:52

Oh yep. It really is odd that mn should be the only place not picking up on this.

It’s probably the tactic to stop any of that reality by attacking any posters who are not pro Starmer as ‘bot’ etc as the op has.

Or other insults, it seems to have worked for a while but surely it can’t as his ratings are so low and Labour have slumped

I must admit that screaming "racist phobic monster bigot!" at everyone who questioned Labour for years did result in a lot of silence on message boards, even from gobby old me. But it didn't stop us thinking, noticing, remembering - or talking amongst ourselves.

dontbedaft2000 · 02/11/2024 09:19

EverythingAllatOnceAllTheTime · 02/11/2024 09:12

Keir Starmer has suffered the biggest post-election fall in approval ratings of any British prime minister in the modern era.

Just months after coming to office, the U.K. Labour leader is already languishing on an approval rating of -38, new polling of 1,012 adults by More in Common found.

It marks a precipitous 49-point drop from the +11 rating Starmer logged just after Labour won its landslide general election victory in July.

Widely reported before the usual mugs insist on a link.

He got in with 9 million votes out of a possible 48 million, even Reform got over 4 million.

I wouldn't call that a landslide, so much as he was lucky so many were so apathetic.

In the UK's general election of 2024 voter turnout was estimated to have been 60 percent, the lowest turnout since 2001, when it was 59.4 percent. Between 1922 and 1997 voter turnout never fell below 70 percent, but in 2001 it dropped to just 59.4 percent.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1050929/voter-turnout-in-the-uk/

NoWordForFluffy · 02/11/2024 09:27

It's the FPTP quirk, isn't it? Get a dismally low % of the vote, but a massive majority in parliament. If there was ever a better argument for PR, I've yet to see it.

(I don't agree that the 'but Reform...' argument is one which should determine whether we have PR or not, particularly as I imagine people would've voted differently with a PR system in any event, as there's no tactical voting requirement.)

BIossomtoes · 02/11/2024 09:29

EverythingAllatOnceAllTheTime · 02/11/2024 09:12

Keir Starmer has suffered the biggest post-election fall in approval ratings of any British prime minister in the modern era.

Just months after coming to office, the U.K. Labour leader is already languishing on an approval rating of -38, new polling of 1,012 adults by More in Common found.

It marks a precipitous 49-point drop from the +11 rating Starmer logged just after Labour won its landslide general election victory in July.

Widely reported before the usual mugs insist on a link.

Not true.

Keir Starmer - once the most popular politician in the UK - has seen his personal approval ratings fall faster than any new Prime Minister other than Liz Truss.

At this point in the electoral cycle, who cares? It’s meaningless. In any case unpopularity is baked in.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20jx91xe2do

Sir Keir Starmer

Chris Mason: Starmer's willingness to be unpopular comes with risks

Even a colossal majority may offer little shield from the wrath of the disappointed, if delivery is deemed to fall short.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20jx91xe2do

ForMintUser · 02/11/2024 09:33

NoWordForFluffy · 02/11/2024 09:27

It's the FPTP quirk, isn't it? Get a dismally low % of the vote, but a massive majority in parliament. If there was ever a better argument for PR, I've yet to see it.

(I don't agree that the 'but Reform...' argument is one which should determine whether we have PR or not, particularly as I imagine people would've voted differently with a PR system in any event, as there's no tactical voting requirement.)

I’d be one of those people who would worry about Reform under PR, but you either believe or democracy or not and I think we definitely need some form of PR and to ditch first past the post.

NoWordForFluffy · 02/11/2024 09:35

ForMintUser · 02/11/2024 09:33

I’d be one of those people who would worry about Reform under PR, but you either believe or democracy or not and I think we definitely need some form of PR and to ditch first past the post.

I meant to say that! My belief that we need a more democratic system isn't conditional on the political parties of the day.

I voted for AV back in the day. Seemingly not many others did!

Louri · 02/11/2024 09:37

Yes it’s really annoying. Can’t political posts be moved to the politics board?

Babadookinthewardrobe · 02/11/2024 09:46

TentEntWenTyfOur · 31/10/2024 15:04

As if by magic, and to prove the OP's point... along comes this post.
😂

So ridiculous. Any post that doesn’t support your view is a bot apparently.

dontbedaft2000 · 02/11/2024 10:02

Babadookinthewardrobe · 02/11/2024 09:46

So ridiculous. Any post that doesn’t support your view is a bot apparently.

Yep, this exactly. It's ridiculous, and so incredibly immature and frankly just plain weird to just shout "BOT BOT BOTTITY BOT!" whenever someone disagrees with you.

EasternStandard · 02/11/2024 10:15

dontbedaft2000 · 02/11/2024 09:16

I must admit that screaming "racist phobic monster bigot!" at everyone who questioned Labour for years did result in a lot of silence on message boards, even from gobby old me. But it didn't stop us thinking, noticing, remembering - or talking amongst ourselves.

Ha yep and bot, HQ, mocking, insults you name it, I wonder why mn is so divorced from polling these days

As someone who has posted I'm glad you are now too, don't get put off and keep going Smile

Brananan · 02/11/2024 10:17

I think I have PTSD from the Corbyn years on social media.

Icanthinkformyselfthanks · 02/11/2024 10:30

@Kendodd , I really don’t think that’s true but if you’re going to go on endlessly about the sleaze of others you’d better be whiter than white yourself or you do risk being called out for the hypocrite you are. 😉

EverythingAllatOnceAllTheTime · 02/11/2024 10:35

BIossomtoes · 02/11/2024 09:29

Not true.

Keir Starmer - once the most popular politician in the UK - has seen his personal approval ratings fall faster than any new Prime Minister other than Liz Truss.

At this point in the electoral cycle, who cares? It’s meaningless. In any case unpopularity is baked in.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20jx91xe2do

You will sink with your ship, rather than brook any criticism of Labour.

So be it.

ViciousCurrentBun · 02/11/2024 10:38

Critical thinking skills mean regardless of an agenda on the left or right means many individuals can pick though any posts and make their own decisions. I welcome a board where views from across the spectrum are posted.

The echo chamber that some live in is incredibly dangerous and just dumbs down the nation overall.

EverythingAllatOnceAllTheTime · 02/11/2024 10:51

ViciousCurrentBun · 02/11/2024 10:38

Critical thinking skills mean regardless of an agenda on the left or right means many individuals can pick though any posts and make their own decisions. I welcome a board where views from across the spectrum are posted.

The echo chamber that some live in is incredibly dangerous and just dumbs down the nation overall.

Agreed.

Happy to try to see others perspectives and to admit when one is wrong.