The Left have a become a snivelling self-righteous mob, busy bodying around, trying to shame others

[Northermcharn]

I read this quote and it encapsulates exactly how I feel

'I never thought I'd see the day when the Right became the cool ones giving the finger to the establishment, and the Left became the snivelling self-righteous ones going around shaming everybody'

AIBU to think this is what many people think these days? We didn't leave the left, the left left us.

*the quote is from John Lydon aka Johnny Rotten. He's deliberately provocative in lots of ways, but he meant this one. I fully expect some people to come on the thread to tell us all how he's a horror and said he likes Donald Trump. That would be them missing the point.. but.. Let Them..

Gosh! Did you mean to be so rude? Are you OK?

The posts on the local Facebook pages are from people who think the local Reform councillors will stop illegal immigrants, and the comments and images below are pretty typical examples of the Reform voters' posts, unfortunately.

Haha I'm laughing at quite a few people trying to defend the labour council that was. Except it LABOUR LOST

Dry ya eyes mates labour who?

Taxi for Houghton tatty bye old bean

Nar what when fromage came to tarn he got eggd lmao

They’re not in the majority. 70% of the votes cast on Thursday were for parties other than Reform and only a third of the English electorate was able to vote at all. I’m quite happy to watch them wend their merry way and reap what they’ve sown.

Incidentally, the screaming abuse and bullying on this thread are all in one direction. Why can’t you just be happy you got what you wanted on this occasion? I was celebrating in 2024, not haranguing people who didn’t vote the way I did.

Absolutely. But I do think they need to look at immigration too.

... I hasten to add the people most likely to push an authoritarian approach ARE Reform. Lots of talk about free speech, but only where it allows them to say whatever they like. They actively attempt to restrict media access/ censor media (banning journalists in Nottinghamshire from attending open council meetings for example).

If it was up to me, I would open the borders for the next few years leading up to the next national election and give citizenship to every single person who comes here. Make sure they drown out Reform's votership completely.

Then the right will never get anywhere in UK politics ever again.

I would say the Labour government are Centrist as are many of their MP's but there are a large vocal backbench element who are hard left (plus the Unions). Labour were elected on a centre Left platform of growth, helping working people and business. Starmer is too weak to stand up to the Hard Left element of his party, he hasn't got the charisma to charm them into looking at the bigger picture, and has caved in to them so many times they think they can just ignore what he says and act as the official opposition if they don't like what he says. How can you get anywhere when you suspend MP's for voting against your own budget, then say 'Oh yeah OK lets do what you wanted anyway' and pretending its because suddenly the economy is strong enough to deal with it when anyone with eyes can see its not? Putting stupid and ill thought out policies through that would have been fine if they had thought about it for 5 seconds, and many people would agree with, like capping the Winter fuel payment, but not making it so that pensioners who haven't worked a day in their lives get the same pension as those who have paid 25 years of NI. Stupid unforced error after stupid unforced errors. Good ideas made bad over and over again. Those same Leftist MP's not a peep out of them when it comes to funding cuts in education, or to scrutinise how actually inheritance tax for farmers could be made fairer for family farms, etc etc.

I have stated a fact. You have responded emotionally to a fact. So who is irrational do you think?

But it is not the priority the media have made it. Quite frankly.

It is just that is is easy to see (note the race aspects).

What they should be doing is looking at how to 1) raise tax revenue to pay for improved services and 2) support the economy to recover from a pretty terrible 10 years (Covid, Brexit, wars etc.).

Actually make changes that support people. And be honest that recovery will cost money and take time.

They also need to tackle things like foreign interference in UK politics by actually banning foreign donations to political parties. By having proper meaty fine for social media companies that continually allow fake news through lack of moderation (incidentally what the social media companies have asked governments to do as they cannot justify the cost of proper moderation without having a hefty negative financial consequence if they do not. Shareholders rules).

Also talk to people. Find out what the real concerns are that are being blamed on immigration, vaccines, women not being submissive to mental etc. most of that comes down to people not being able to afford a basic pleasant life.

The hard Left and the Hard Right are two cheeks of the same arse. Polanski and Farage are both charlatans. The centre ground Libertarian Left/Right has always been where most progress has been made. That has been left abandoned and wide open. Even by the so called Lib Dems, who are actually called Liberal Democrats!

It takes 30% plus to get in power. Not many can get close. Agree quibbling over the term majority is pointless, of course that 30% ish can give a parliamentary majority.

Sure.

So the solution is apparently “give full citizenship to anyone without limits so they vote for parties I approve of”. Righto.

Hyperbole is always a go-to for those without an argument, isn't it? (Along with condescension and changing the goalposts mid-discussion.) Examples of being 'screamed at' or 'bullied' by someone on the left, please.

Meanwhile, you end your post with a neat little threat.

How about look what they have done though. They got the workers right bill through parliament to strengthen workers rights, helped reduce child poverty, strengthened animal welfare and actually shown great diplomacy in a very volatile world. While I don't disagree that labour and Starmer have made mistakes, I'm unsure of why he is such a pariah in the media?

And there was me thinking the establishment was the banks, the City the billionaires, the Times and the Telegraph and the elite public schools i.e all of the institutions that have shaped and paid Farage...

Oh come on you are at least equally likely to be abused by left leaning posters on social media as right leaning ones. Tribalism is the problem here, don’t add to it.

It’s both, isn’t it?

Yes, I believe the far left have become bullying and nasty and there's a level of hysteria. The tik tok video of a leftist attacking an effigy if Farage was an example of this.

There are also bad attitudes on the far right.

Ok, I thought that might be what was meant by this - online forums, cancel culture, etc. Not what has been going on in the recent electoral campaigning.

As you know, cancel culture and purity spirals have been strongly challenged by those on the left and centre. I abhor them and most people I speak to do. As for debating online, apart from threads like this (where I don't think anything I've ever posted could be accused of bullying or screaming) I don't get involved at all and I don't think the majority of people do. It's a cesspit and not reflective of what the electorate think. It really isn't fair to ascribe to the 'Left' the views of SM obsessives.

And how do you think that would pan out?

Come on, I’d like a reply. So “open borders” - how many would come? Millions, many millions. How would the country pay benefits? House people? Provide healthcare? We’d have vast camps of new arrivals - all in order for you to give them a vote….

The same, women on FWR report being insulted on their own doorsteps for asking about women’s sex based rights.

It's possible to work full time on more than minimum wage and still get Universal credit if you're single with young children.

Indeed, and here's a selection of local comments in response to an online article about the elections, accompanied by a photo of brown skinned people (councillors). This is what people deem to be acceptable 'free speech' these days:

"Taxi drivers awards ceremony?" (139 likes)

"Is this England?" (89 likes)

"We’re all talking in a ‘hush’ way. Now here the real reason here, there are many more muslims in this photo. In my opinion, it does not matter what colour your skin is. As a Christian country, it’s reasonable to expect the people that govern this country should be Christian.
I will leave it here."

"Does this mean taxi fares will be cheaper looks like local taxi firm's Xmas party".

"Looks more like Bangladesh to me".

"Was this an English election, in England?"

"Spot the white face".

"The corruption in that photo is rife".

"That picture speaks a thousand words".

"This is [local city] in England yes?"

"OMG. I wonder if i could stand for parliament in Pakistan".

"Looks like a grooming gang".

"Oh my word. That's all I'm saying. Explanation not required."

"Spot the non Asian".

"Didn't know [local city] was in Pakistan. Countries [sic] done".

"2026 best food delivery man".

"Was the picture taken in Islamabad?"

"The absolute state of that photo".

"Any English left it [local city]?"

"Well done to Pakistan".

"[Local city]? I think you used the wrong photo by accident because this photo looks like it's from Bangladesh".

"Didn't have any white ones?"

"All British patriots".

"Spot the real English white man".

"Where in Pakistan was this photo taken?"

"You would not believe this is England".

"Home grown British politicians in charge".

"Proof that the climate is getting warmer".

"Spot the white man".

"Spot the white man".

"Look at this picture, it literally screams we need restore, the only party that will end this nightmare of what you see here".

"And how many anglo saxon white faces do you see there?"

"Barely an englishman amongst them, I wonder if I went to Pakistan and started a political party if I’d be accepted…… and people say the uk is racist haha".

"Where in the middle east is this?"

"Don't see British people".

Comment after comment like this, because 'free speech innit'. For context, if it matters, the majority of those in the photo were born here. The only comment that got moderated out was one directly referencing 'Pakis'.

Im guessing that’s Facebook? Facebook comments are a cesspool.

It was - the local newspaper's Facebook page (apparently moderated...) But generally reflects what I've seen across all social media platforms.