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..

It's Trumpism all over again. British people like to think they're far better and more intelligent than Americans but here we are, going down the exact same path.

I don’t refer to any specific legislation. Read again. You have misunderstood.

I agree OP. Have also been thinking about this. The naked contempt the left now have for the working class. The left is now - Labour, the professional lanyard class, and the Greens, urban 'progressives' (a medical condition you do not want to have). They are sneering while they punch down. I am not a reform voter, but I do not believe all those who've moved over to reform are idiots or bigots. They are mostly working class people who are sick of being ignored and insulted by student politicians who think they are their betters. They are sick of shallow identity politics and political correctness in place of practical measures. As for Johnny Rotten, he's always been astute, called out Savile years before anyone else, and was dropped from TV appearances as a result. A proper punk who does not care what anyone thinks and knows the establishment when he sees it.

Then what are the right worried about if the legislation doesn't exist? It is also unlikely to ever exist as no political party is going to implement a policy that increases unemployment? Are they just whipping people into a frenzy over nothing then over imagined policy and legislation?

What are your thoughts on their policies? Do you think that any of the rich elite of reform leadership care about working classes? Do you really believe that they are going to make the country any better? Nigel has been quite clear about an insurance based system replacing the NHS, their thoughts about disabled people and SEN children have been abundantly clear, do you trust them to actually improve workers rights when they talk of scrapping legislation designed to protect them?

Who are you referring to as 'The Left' exactly @Northermcharn? You haven't made that clear. You've just thrown in a quote that is meant to be inflammatory.
Who are you referring to as the cool right who are putting a finger up at the establishment? Farage? Trump? They literally are the establishment and I struggle to describe either of them as 'cool', especially the one that is bombing the shit out of Iran, blockading Cubans, causing economic collapse and starvation, supporting Genocide in Gaza. Really, really not cool imo.

If what you actually mean is that Labour are no longer the part of the working class or working people and are essentially the same as the Tories, then I agree with you.

I think what's embarrassing is how little you seem to understand the mood of the country. Mind you Mumsnet has always been sanctimonious lefty central, which does not represent the average person's views.

There are issues on the left mainly around free speech. I’ve found this irritating as an academic who very much believes in the university as an institution of precisely this - free expression and unrestrained exchange of knowledge. I heard Tommy Robinson was booked to speak at Oxford uni and thought, good, why not. I don’t think ‘controversial’ speakers should be banned from universities and I equally hate the notion of a person being attacked for having a different opinion e.g Kathleen Stock at Sussex.

I spoke at length to my students about this once after I mentioned Jordan Peterson and had two students basically lay into me. I asked if they had read his books, they hadn’t so I said they should do that first before attempting to argue. I read literature from all sides of the political spectrum, it’s part of being a critical thinker (as I told them).

I agree with this! I've been trying to get my kids to read Mein Kampf for years, and they just keep saying it's a load of incoherent racist drivel.

Young people nowadays! Give me strength!

They won’t, they will eat themselves. There are too many tensions in their uneasy alliance of priorities.

I’m in Somerset where the voted Lib Dem. That doesn’t mean I can’t sport political gaming and propaganda attempts when I see it to manipulate the “mood of the country”.

Agree with every word.

They have insurance based healthcare systems throughout Europe. They work brilliantly in providing excellent, timely healthcare for all. What’s your issue?

Why are you asking @halfpastten those questions? @halfpastten said she's not a Reform supporter (as I also said), and explains why many people have voted for them (which is correct). You seem to have missed all of that and gone straight to 'do you really believe that they [Reform] are going to make the country any better' type questioning. This spectacularly misses the point (and supports my op at the same time). Which is exactly what politicians have been doing (especially Labour but not only Labour), and hence the current situation.

'I agree OP. Have also been thinking about this. The naked contempt the left now have for the working class. The left is now - Labour, the professional lanyard class, and the Greens, urban 'progressives' (a medical condition you do not want to have). They are sneering while they punch down. I am not a reform voter, but I do not believe all those who've moved over to reform are idiots or bigots. They are mostly working class people who are sick of being ignored and insulted by student politicians who think they are their betters. They are sick of shallow identity politics and political correctness in place of practical measures. As for Johnny Rotten, he's always been astute, called out Savile years before anyone else, and was dropped from TV appearances as a result. A proper punk who does not care what anyone thinks and knows the establishment when he sees it.'

Appreciate the sentiment but I don’t think Peterson is on par with Hitler somehow. He’s a good writer for starters.

The Kathleen Stock debacle is a case study in how the left went wrong.

No one is trying to 'sway' political views. Do you understand how irrelevant MN is in the real world?

Confirmed by the goady leftie threads on here and some of the replies here. I want the NHS, but don’t think we should pay ££ for translators, I want a decent welfare state that helps those in need not giving ££ to people that have never paid in, won’t work, I don’t want hoards on men arriving on small boats.

I agree. Mein Kampf is broadly well-written, at least there are clear themes.

Peterson's stuff is just incoherent drivel about some races having lower IQs than others, and how women should stay home and cook.

Let's not kid ourselves that the system will be like Europe. Farage is a Temu wannabe Trump.

Have you actually read his books? He doesn’t say either of those things. Beside the by, I never said I agreed with Peterson so your arguments are proving my point. The inability to even listen to the other side of the argument without immediate dismissal is part of the issue.

I asked because they say that the contempt the left have got the working classes has shifted the working class to reform, so I asked whether they think reform will be any good for the working class? I'm sorry, I didn't realise that on an internet forum you could police what questions I post for someone? My bad.

Thought I'd share. Some of these lovely Reform councillors that were elected:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DYJiL_kDegC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

These are the people Op thinks are "cool".

You do know the Right do exactly the same. Farage, Johnson, Rees Mogg etc al all use the word pleb. In fact Cameron said it to a policeman!

Because it's been shit and they're incapable of admitting that as that would require some self reflection and acceptance of blame. It would require them to admit that they were sold a lie and foolishly fell for it. I wonder what sunlit uplands their current gullibility will take us to. 7.5% interest rates, poverty, division and even wealthier elite?