AIBU to think my husband was too aggressive with a canvasser?

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We’ve had a few door knockers recently with local elections approaching. These are usually during late afternoon/early evening before DH is back from work.

Today, someone knocked slightly later and DH answered. He ranted at this person about various gripes with the country today (it was someone supporting a Labour candidate), not letting them get a word in and then said who he’d be voting for and ‘unless you change to that party, don’t fucking come back’.

He has some genuine gripes with Labour, he’s a business owner who has not been helped. But I think he was too strong.

His view is that if people want to knock on random doors, they should be prepared to face some strong words.

Oh Restore! The party that makes Reform look like cuddly socialists. Vile.

To be fair, I'd shut the door on any of them, political or religious. I've got much better roads for my time than listening to any of them when I'm perfectly capable of making up my own mind without their input.

He sounds deeply unpleasant. I’m happy to talk to anyone about politics although I’ve always been a centrist. If Reform or Restore came knocking, I’d chat. Say really? Are you sure? And politely say that he’ll would freeze over before I’d consider voting for them. When Labour came knocking during the Corbyn leadership, I said I didn’t mind some of their policies but that while Corbyn was in charge there was absolutely no way they would get my vote. No need for the language your DH used.

founded by ex Reform Rupert Lowe and slightly to the right of Reform

Do you definitely have Restore candidates standing? They’re not standing in many places, currently mostly around Great Yarmouth, where their leader Rupert Lowe is the local MP. He is ex Reform and, without wishing to be too direct, they’re generally considered to the right of Reform.

Oh good god.

I’ve never fallen to the Mumsnet trope before, but leave the bastard.

If his aggression and far-right political beliefs are as much of a red flag to you as they are to me, I’d be considering my marriage.

I don’t think you should be rude to religious door knockers either because at the end of the day they’re just doing what they feel called to do. We don’t tend to answer the door to them, but my brother once did. He was 11 or 12 and had read the bible cover to cover to see how he felt about religion. He then proceeded to have a nearly hour long debate with the jehovahs witnesses who had knocked our door. Poor woman 😬

How old are you?

What a ridiculous comment.

Its not a common complaint to my knowledge

'AIBU, no political party ever knocks on my door and Im upset about that'

I’m always polite to canvassers — I feel quite positively towards anyone prepared to get off their arse and make the case for a political position. Even with those I’d never vote for (Conservatives, Reform) I say ‘Sorry, but no’ and then mention whichever one of their policies is bothering me most that week. Canvassers feed back on the responses they get, so I see it as my chance to stick my oar in.

DP opened the door to a Reform canvasser last week and he really hates Reform, but he managed to keep it civil (although he did use the phrase ‘not in this lifetime’).

Say it like it is though? If you swear at someone who’s just doing their job you’re rude, aggressive, and a cunt!

I am responding to someone who said she believes in Healthy, reasoned debate.

And then behaves completely differently.

Saying it like it is .... ok, if that's what you want... she was hypocritical

To be fair, small businesses are getting a little hammered currently. If we want to keep them going, they may need 'help' (ie: not getting hammered) every now and then.

I also believe in healthy, reasoned debate.

Some people just aren’t capable of that though and you can recognise that.

Well that is irrelevant but the Op's husband didn't actually call him a name, he said 'don't fucking come back'
Calling someone a cunt is much worse even from behind a screen.

He sounds a bit of a twat tbh, "No thanks, not interested." Shut door, job done, same with chuggers.

When I vote, I always consider who has actually asked for my vote and I'm more likely to favour people who have. I take a dim view of candidates who 'phone in' their campaign.

And no, someone knocking at your door does not give you the right to be rude to them, unless they are rude or intimidating themselves. Shut the door on them if you want, but don't shout and swear.

When someone is shouting and swearing at me I verbally ignore until they get over their tantrum then and only then will I speak to them in a normal voice.

It's a splinter group of reform.

Yanbu.

Yes I’ve given Reform candidates a very stern “there’s no way I’d ever vote for your party, I find the policies disgusting” but ranting and swearing at them is not ok.

Labour lied and lied and are destroying small businesses. They will be leaving with a rocket under them if they dare call here. Shame on them.

Wouldn't swear or be aggressive but if someone is canvasing for a political party they've got to be prepared to hear that people really don't like their policies, and if those policies have negatively impacted you personally I would expect that to look more like a rant than a debate. Personally I'd just say I wasn't interested and shut the door.

There's a couple of local businesses near me that recently went under and its a direct result of labours policies, I wouldn't expect the people who owned/worked for them to have many good things to say to a Labour canvasser or be prepared to debate whether the policies that have turned their lives upside down are actually a good thing!

This ^^