My son has gone on the march

[funkadelic]

Hi, have been on here years but only lurk, don’t post. But today is the day.
I am in bits. My 22yr old DS is in London on this march. I am shaking and utterly appalled. We differ on politics massively and have done for some time. I work in education, have travelled and am bit of a lefty hippy but to be honest it’s becoming more about values and morals. He is fully immersed in the manosphere algorithm and I’ve always thought he is exploring himself and things and have chats about why he has the opinions he does and try and understand his point of view. I try not to belittle him but try and get him to critically think about things.
But this I can’t deal with. I am so upset that my son has gone to this, and that it is something that is so far away from me and my values, something that I thought I had instilled in him as well.
I am totally aware that it’s triggered embarrassment but that is my issue and I’m not putting that on him. He is still my son and I love him and his passion and interest in the world, just in something I believe is so wrong and makes me sad.
Please talk some sense into me.

Yes and this was reported in the Financial Times:

“Resolute 1850 was reportedly launched this Spring to “support Reform with policy development, briefing and rebuttal”, according to plans seen by the Financial Times.

In a presentation document seen, the initial aims of Resolute 1850 include:

-the reduction of state-funded services to shrink the public sector

-the opposition of DEI and Net Zero initiatives

-transitioning the NHS to an insurance-based system.

Resolute 1850 has been modelled on U.S. party-aligned think-tanks such as the America First Policy Institute. It plans to operate independently, host high-profile events including an annual “Davos-style” conference from 2026, and expand its donor base, including potentially seeking support from U.S. backers. At the same time, reports suggest that it is preparing a rebrand to the “Centre for a Better Britain” to make its aims clearer and more appealing to a wider audience”.

Well, I am always a tactical voter, so will weigh up whether the Tory or Reform more likely to beat Labour or the others and will vote for them. But definitely open to voting for them.

Why are you linking to an article that is 11 years old? In more recent times he has spoken more of being in line with a European type of health system.

Have you genuinely not heard of being an ally to people outside of a war context? Maybe in the context of being an LGBTQ ally?

(Actually, don't bother answering. The possibility of you expressing any solidarity with anyone other than other right wingers is so remote that it's barely worth considering)

You specifically mentioned not filling out tax paperwork meaning not paying income tax, ni and such like. Perhaps best to not say whatever thing first comes to mind if you don't actually understand what you're saying. Enjoy.

Isn't today's gatherings lead by Tommy Robinson not Nigel Farage? You do know they're separate entities dont you? I may vote Reform. Not yet decided. But I'm not a Tommy Robinson supporter. Neither I suspect are other Reform voters.

I live in an area where immigration is quite low, but very much adds to the area. I had a brilliant Polish plumber helping me last week, my neighbour is Italian, there's a Pakistani child in my child's class etc. Everyone integrates and gets involved in the community. So to me immigration here is positive.

I did live in a big city for a few years and found that really strange. Different areas and shops for different cultures. Total lack of meaningful mix between different types of people. It was not pleasant as it was clear as a white woman I wasnt welcomed in certain shops for example.

I can see why people will have very different views depending upon where they live in the UK.

Maybe economic immigration could somehow be targeted to areas and jobs of need like I think is done in Australia.

Farage is motivated by the interests of his donors and his own personal gain… the interests of this country be damned. But, hey, Brexit worked out well, eh?!

Yes it's the police I feel sorry for when there are protests.

Is there? Is it far right? Or is that just what the media are telling everyone to think?

Why do you think he’s done that? Is it because he knows people are scared of what he actually wants to do? I’d be delighted if he’d changed his view, but it’s not something he’s known for.
I had to use an old report because he said it once without knowing it was being recorded and has never said it again when it could be. Looking at his alliances and funding, which do you think is more likely? That he’ll follow a US model or an EU one?

Honestly, I'd let him get on with it but challenge him as much as possible in conversation.

So much of what these people believe to be true isn't, in reality.

He's young and impressionable and likely going along with what his mates are doing. There is a reason the crowds are mostly made up of young men (groomed via SM) and middle aged men (old school NF etc).

Just don't back off. It would be so easy for him to find himself in an echo chamber.

It's great that he has you to combat the confirmation bias of SM algorithms & general bullshit he's being fed.

No, it’s far right. SYL launched it via a picture including a code for Heil Hitler. It’s posted upthread.

The French healthcare system is in trouble and it’s in the process of being transformed into an American style system.
These are posts by French people on another platform:

What's also worth looking at is how different the healthcare system is now compared to 30-40 years ago, right here in France.

When people say we had the best healthcare system in the world (or close to it), that's not an exaggeration.

Since then, access to care has gotten worse. It's become incredibly hard to find a general practitioner who's taking new patients, many hospitals have either closed down or lost resources, seeing specialists has become difficult, the quality and amount of reimbursements have decreased... we're increasingly moving towards an American-style system, based on private insurance for reimbursements, so that the wealthy can afford care that's become inaccessible to others.

Healthcare workers are mistreated and underpaid, seeing their working conditions deteriorate and commercial logic taking precedence over patient care.

We're selling off our pharmaceutical companies, which, in any case, have largely outsourced their production, leading to constant shortages...

No, the French healthcare system isn't doing well. And more importantly, it's not getting better. And this is due to political decisions, which didn't start under Macron, of course, but certainly haven't changed since. We know what these political decisions are: they're the same ones implemented every time politicians try to destroy a public system in order to privatize it so their friends can make a killing off the backs of the French people: first make the system unworkable through absurd decisions and budget cuts, so that people have no choice but to turn to the private sector, then they can say that the public system doesn't work properly and needs to be shut down.
__
In Toulouse, access to healthcare is getting more and more complicated. The doctor you were lucky enough to see 3 months ago has disappeared, others aren't taking new patients, and the only ones available in under 2 weeks barely take the time to see you. For specialists (if they even agree to see you), you're looking at 6 months, unless you go to big groups where the consultation results are variable.
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The French system is in decline, it's a fact. It's not a lack of awareness, it's quite the opposite: the awareness of knowing what we had - the best healthcare system in the world (at least top 3) in the early 2000s - versus what we have now: a shortage of care throughout the country and chilling stories of patient care every month in the press, with bottlenecks and deaths in emergency rooms, and in parallel, unacceptable working conditions for caregivers.

Everyone I know in the hospital system tells me the same thing: it's not "going to collapse," it is collapsing.

Our political elites have methodically destroyed, for 25 years, the finest legacy of the post-war era: Social Security and equal access to healthcare.

My comment was in direct response to somebody who said that they will vote Reform.

False news, is it?

🙄

• The number of male victims (414) was similar to the previous year (412), while those who were female fell by 10% (from 173 to 156).
• There were 570 victims of homicide recorded in year ending (YE) March 2024

There are many ways to destroy people over and above shooting them, even killing them.

But feel free to be glib

Yes my husband just gone off on duty, there’s gatherings in our town so hope all police are safe. Apparently the violence and missile throwing is coming from both marches - The “anti facist” one snd the “unite Britain” one

Were any of them shot for their political beliefs though? Because that’s what the discussion is about.

From Hamas?

I think it says a lot that the OP's thoughtful, balanced measured explanation of her feelings is being dismissed by certain posters who appear determined to either mock her reasonably expressed emotions of disappointment as somehow overwrought and hysterical or to spectacularly misread her as denying her son the right to his own opinions.

Utterly bizarre. The OP has stated honestly that she feels sad. She has expressed a desire to respect her son's thoughts and feelings. She has interrogated her own emotions and reactions to his attendance. She has behaved, at every step, perfectly.

The personal reaction of some suggests that they, too, are struggling to contain their emotions. And less successfully than the OP.

And on that we can agree.

Define far right? Because is it just “far right” or is it a gathering of people who are not far left expressing. Concern over the impact if out of control immigration

😂😂😂. You assume I'm a right winger because I respect everyone's right to vote as they see fit.

I’ll be honest, as soon as the media start throwing the far right label about I usually lose interest. Bit like when the people of Epping who were genuinely concerned because they learned an immigrant had been sexually assaulting local children were all branded far right.