AIBU To be sick of people making others feel bad about their election choices?

[AKMD]

Yes I will be voting conservative, not that it is anyone else's business and no, I really don't care who you vote for as long as you have carefully considered your choice. I will not judge you as a person or 'defriend' you if you vote a certain way, although I will feel exceedingly sorry for you if you vote BNP. AIBU?

[charley24]

Haha did Maggie Thatcher get rid of milk?
I used to love it, even went on afternoon for extra - all warm if any kids had been absent !!!

Perhaps I am strange !

[Snobear4000]

YANBU.

I am tired of it as well, and there's a lot of it going around on mumsnet.

I have made up my mind who to vote for. Not because I believe the party of my choice is godlike and the other three (or four, or five) are evil baddies. More because I have found many policies to agree with and to disagree with on each party's manifesto.

I can think of several tory policies I firmly believe are good policies. I applaud many things that Labour have done over the last thirteen years, whilst I feel they have become out of touch on many issues and have created a bloated bureaucracy hell-bent on micro-managing everyone in the public sector. And they went into the Iraq war, which I am opposed to. I would love a mix of the Lib Dems and Tory education policy. I believe the Lib Dems are less likely to be power hungry career politicians than the other two parties, but reserve the right to be wrong on that one.

Anyhow, I have made up my mind based on choosing the party with the least policies I disagree with and the most I agree with. And if someone else wants to choose another party, then that's their lookout. I will not attack them for it, nor think them stupider than myself or belittle their decision.

Unless it's the BNP.

[KurriKurri]

Hi Wahwah - I am not usually a snappy old bat!

[Snobear4000]

I forgot to mention...

I don't give a toss how much petrol costs, I like gays, I am an immigrant, I don't think "christian values" and marriage should be enshrined in law and tax breaks. I guess I can't vote tory.

However I sure would like to see better discipline in schools and for more able children to be streamed. I don't think the answer to Britain's education woes is to keep dumbing down schools until everyone "passes".

Christ on a bike I am confusing myself now. Once again, in this state I can't possibly begrudge anyone else their political choice.

Unless it's BNP.

Two days to go...

[charley24]

Do you know what I don't understand, why groups are allowed to call themselves things like The Black Enterprise, Doncaster Chinese Group, Irish Group etc. Yet you aren't allowed to call a group 'White.....'.

I have actually been racially abused by a group of black girls, I was called white trash, chalky etc. When I complained to the police they said it wasn't racist ? I explained how was that so, and even the officer said that if I had been black and called Black etc etc then the other party would have been arrested yet there was nothing they could do ?

I am just trying to work out why racism always seem to be white v's black yet I don't recall hearing of black v's white ?

I have a mixed race family and I have respect for all, regardless of colour, to me, people are people, but that day when I was screamed at (over swimming pool lanes by the way) I felt very victimised yet had no voice ?

Not trying to cause chaos, but would be interested in any views ?

[RabsGirlx]

to all you bnp basher i am giving them my vote as i did last time i am not Racist and homephobic and i am all woman i think the policies make alot of sense this country needs to be sorted its a mess! i personally agree with the policies such as bringing back our troops why should they fight a war that is not ours these men and women are losing their lives for nothing. i agree with the immigration policy it is time to close the flood gates this country is bursting at the seems there is no jobs housing and we are broke. stop and ask yourself why that is. i want my ds to have a bright future and not have the worry of not being able to get a job and support a family of his own. we are NOT second class citizens. we need to take better care of our pensioners who have worked all their lives and fought the war for this generation!!

[charley24]

Immigration is the biggest issue of all, yet many parties choose not to explain how they will solve the problem.

I am not racist, however I would like someone to exlain to me why my DD happily visited a synagouge, celebrated chinese new year and did a project on Islam, yet was sent home from school in December with a letter that stated the nativity play was unable to be performed as it could be considered offensive to other religions?

We embrace other cultures, I love to learn about other relgions/views etc, yet it is difficult to understand why we can't celebrate british traditions such as the nativity ?

Any opinions welcomed, or perhaps someone knows why the nativity was banned ?

[RabsGirlx]

charley24 you have took the words right out of my mouth. christmas is now called winter festivle in my city why is that? we do not throw christianity in anyones face so why phase it out. christmas is a big part in my life and want my ds to celebrate it as i have when i was growing up. im also sick of all this political corectness. this country is to soft and wont stand up for british beliefs the bnp will do this for us.

[SanctiMoanyArse]

Presumably becuase she ahs nut teachers Charley

I have a degree in world faiths and planned to teach;I actively endorse visitinh the centres of all mainstream faiths but cannot understand how a standard nativity could be deemed offensive

But you see there are always people who get it wrong- extremism often happens when someone witnesses such examples and assum,es it is anything more than a dim individual

Christmas lights banned in your town = end to the right to celebrate? Really? Well every other town manages it- maybe your council is a bit shit

etc

But no, a standard nativity shouldn't have been banned and the vast amjority of schools manage tp produce one

Although whilst I agree immigration is important the fact is that it most clearly is not the biggest one; or had ytou not noticed the deficit? or recession?

[SanctiMoanyArse]

Rabs as you are so policy aware then

dp has never answered this

aside from educational ones, what are the BNP policies on disabled people including children, and tehir carers?

The answer isn;t in their manifesto so I do wonder

TIA

[charley24]

Hello Sancti, Oh I agree it was terrible that no nativity could be performed and letters were submitted to the govenors etc, their word was that as some children couldn't take part then it was unfair to have the play.

But my main issue is that ALL of the children participated in the other visits/learning about other cultures and I was very pleased my daughters would learn more about our world.

We do have Xmas lights in our town by the way !

I see your point about immigration, yes it's not the biggest issue, however I would like it if parties would be more upfront about how they are tackling the problem.

Rabsgirl, I am of the opinion that EVERYONE should vote for who they feel highlights the issues most important to them individually. I do not take the view that I could not vote for someone who voted BNP, that is your personal choice and I have no right to try and sway your view.

The BNP Does make some decent points, however as they were previously a racist party, although now state they are not, I feel that their is a stigma, and many people will be too afraid to vote BNP due to their past history/previous policies.

However, it is OUR right to vote in whicever way we choose and I respect people's opinions and they can vote they way they wish to.

[RabsGirlx]

well maybe if the goverment wernt so lax on giving immigrants benifits as soon as they get of the boat there would be money and facilities for disabled people and their carers,also i know a lady who works in a care home where the residents are treated like shit and the carers spit on the floor when they are eating their meals but management cant do anything as its in their culture and they are worried the racist card will be pulled out

[longfingernails]

YANBU

I have a huge Conservative poster in my window but I have friends ranging the political spectrum from UKIP to Green.

Anyone who discards friendships based on politics is stupid. Character, warmth, loyalty, humour all transcend party politics.

I would probably have a bit of a problem with a BNP vote though. Many people who vote BNP are genuine racists; they are beyond the pale. Others are just frustrated with Labour and "the establishment" and know that voting BNP is the one thing the political elites are genuinely scared of. If a friend fell into this latter class, then hopefully I would be able to persuade them instead of giving up on them.

[SanctiMoanyArse]

rubbish rabs;I come from that sector and if management were doing this then the place could be closed.

Are you doing a DP on us? I asked for actual policy.

[charley24]

On the same vein, there are many British people who also feed off the state and will not work or better themselves. (And I don't mean decent people who cannot work due to illness or people who devote their lives looking after others).

[charley24]

This is the problem, does any one party tick all the boxes for an individual ? I can't make mine match !

I like a policy from them all ! So who do I vote for ?

[runnybottom]

You are voting BNP to take care of the pensioners? but only the white ones......

Have you actually read the BNP manifesto? I have. Its a bizarre mixture of lies, fake statistics, sweeping generalisations and nonsensical plans.

If you vote BNP you're a moron.

[Snobear4000]

Charley24... No party will ever have all the policies an individual would agree with. Members of a party, ministers, even, disagree on policy points. You need to vote for the party who has the most policies you agree with, or whose broad ideology you feel comfortable with, unless there is one great big policy that is so important to you that the choice is clear.

Failing all that, go with the party that you dislike least.

And thanks to RabsGirlx, for illustrating to us once again that the racists are usually the least literate, least likely to be able to punctuate correctly or spell, and therefore probably the least intelligent or most ignorant people in the community.

To quote Catherine Aird, ?If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to serve as a horrible warning.?

[IveStillGotIt]

Charley24- I too have been racially abused from black woman, at my work of all places! They seem to have a problem with anyone who isn't black, not just us 'white brittish' but the indian people as well. For example, if two or more of them are standing about, and someone who isn't black walks past, they look at each other and do a 'clicking' noise with their mouths. One day in the staff room, they were having a conversation about weddings and pregnancy (all but 1 of them are pg, and the've only been here 5 mins) and one of them goes "brittish woman have no morals, they have babys when they are too young and not married" and her friend pipped up "white trash" well this really offended me as i am not married and had my son at 18, and i am NOT white trash!
Rabsgirl- Regarding what the lady you know told you, that sounds like them in my work! They bring in food, that has leaves and twiggy bits in it, and if it goes in their mouth, they spit it out straight on to the table and the staff room floor! I have told my boss, and apparently it IS ok in THEIR culture to do this! Its not here, so i dont see why they should be allowed to do this!
I dont think anyone has the right to have ago at anyone about who they are voting for, my parents are voting labour! Im not im voting BNP, and i dont care what anyone thinks about my choice, cause thats exactly what it is MY choice, and my right to vote for who I want to!

[EggyAllenPoe]

there are myriad reasons why people vote for different candidates. My grandmother voted Conservative once, because she thought the candidate was a nice man when he came round to the door.

cutting out the other 60% of the population that don't vote the same way as you on the basis on some presumed difference in values is just ridiculous. especially given that in core-values terms the main parties are not that different.

[runnybottom]

An excellent post from Ivestillgotit, for all those trying to prove that BNP voters are in fact racist morons with the IQ of a potato.

You make it too easy, you really do.

[HumphreyCobbler]

I think I am more conservative on here than I am in RL, just because of the attitude mentioned in the OP. All of this "I wouldn't be friends with a tory" is just risible. Go ahead and be friends only with people who think exactly the same way as you then. You will be the loser.

It makes me think people should grow up. Do they realise that actual politicians, despite what they say in tv debates, are FRIENDS with people from other parties? That people can get on even though they think differently about how our country should be run? That it is possible to respect someone who holds sincere convictions even though they might not be your convictions?

[wahwah]

I agree that it would be stupid to stop a friendship based on politics, but my close friends are select and I've had them for years, so I'm happy that we share
similar values. Other 'friends/ aquaintances' I
am less fussy about although it's interesting that
many of us would draw the BNP line and are rightly offended by their frankly appealing to the most stupid racist etc policies, yet are surprised that I also draw a line.

(KurriKurri I am always a miserable bat!)

[IveStillGotIt]

runnybottom- I am not racist, and i do not have the IQ of a potato, and i am not a moron.
Enlighten me, where in my post do i come across as those things?
So you agree with racism towards white people then do you?

[ninah]

if you have a firm conviction about your choices then surely no one is able to make you feel bad about it?