Lefties 7: Simples

[Ewe]

Hope this is ok, I was getting withdrawal symptoms!

Splitters!!!

I found that hiatus quite stressful...I agree that at some point we should engage a wider range of political opinion and let go of each other but please not just right now. Anyway Cartoose pops in occasionally doesn't she? That's diversity in action.

marking place for proper reading tomorrow

(and roffling at lefty schism)

have been boycotting Guardian for the last week so this thread and R4 my only news sources right now

Definitely not, I am only studying because I absolutely have to! I will use any old excuse to put off working, even ironing and dusting.

It's not very enjoyable pw, I don't recommend trying it for fun, I thought I was going to forget everything as soon as I walked into the room. I think mainlining sugar and coffee helped somewhat!

Do you think if we didn't have lefty in the title would just descend into the usual political bickering we do on all the other threads though?

very good tyv

oh fuck I said another unelected pm!
I;m trying to process all this. I'm struggling.

I'd got my head round a v short ConDemNation.

I'm now thinking that the only way this is a good thing is if it's astonishingly, rigidly solid. So effectively a 4 year pact. Seems unlikely.

Welcome Jenny. Please place your perishables in the communal fridge and remember to hand over 80% of your post-tax income to the collective.

I was thinking I ought to do an Open University course in economics or something (if they do old-fashioned courses like that). My economics ignorance knows no bounds.

OBM how were the viewings? Who was that guy you squealed at?

AppleTreeWick Mon 10-May-10 22:25:17

Twitter is reporting Boulton having had a go at Ben Bradshaw also this evening...

DaveHameron - he is losing it, isn't he....

Prolesworth - oh yes. It's pretty mellow in here. there are a couple of good-natured threads out there, but at least one other that is v. v. something.

Oh boy. It's the obituary for Gordon's political life on R4 atm. Which is a bit sad.

Well OK the lefty thing

a) MN is an unrepresentatively lefty place I think. Which of course is one of the reasons I like it so much. But there is an element of, um, triumphalism about having many many fast-moving lefty threads.
b) Like it or not, MN is Watched by other media outlets, and having so many lefty threads makes it even harder for MNHQ to argue that it is organisationally neutral (no reason why most of you should care about this but they pay me money )
c) One of the great things about MN is that it forces you to interact with people whose opinions are diametrically opposed to yours. I think that's an intrinsic part of MN and a really important one. Having hived-off areas that are effectively off-limits to non-lefties isn't in the spirit.
d) When we start slagging off Tories on here, lost of posters (who are lurking but not posting) experience it as a personal attack, but feel that they can't respond.

I feel a bit sorry for all the journos and politicos: they just all look KNACKERED. Gove on the Newsnight trail had that 'if I blink I'll fall asleep' look. And Michael Crick looks like he needs a holiday.

Bless.

animula - it's a howling political wilderness out there, with many lost souls searching for something to hold onto in the storm.

At least here in the lefty tent we have our charcoal brazier and each others' warmth for comfort.

And Pol's communal fridge of course.

I think that the GB-haters are getting really wound up that he is leaving office with purpose and dignity and purpose. Those who have hounded him can't bear it....

You should do it! I don't tend to get on well with economics, reading Capital nearly finished me off last term.

Just imagine how annoyed Boulton and the right wing press are though, not surprising he snaps!

Do you think the country in this present conundrum so that mumsnetters can keep talking about politics?

Nah, didn't think so myself either.

What course are you doing, Ewe? Sorry if you mentioned it before and I have forgotten.

I looked into OU courses but they are ££££ when you are abroad. Might think about them next year if DH gets his bonus.

Ah, Westminster Hall on Newsnight. I love that place.

policywonk Mon 10-May-10 22:35:43

very reflective post IMO.

I think people are actively disagreeing on these lefty threads just without rancour or flouncing or undue bite.

We sort of started out with a huddled masses response to external stimulae, we occasionally spurt into individual actions (voting, joining, throwing money at problem, posting on other threads (JOKE), over feeding fish)that demonstrate our comittment to the group (well I may be alone on the fish thing), we discussed backgrounds searching for shared values/thingummies, bad things happened to people, good things happened to other people and the external stimulae keeps throwing us curve balls and so we huddle back round the fire to try figure it out.

But imho we are disagreeing alot.

pwonk, yes, I see. Have we really been slagging them off though? And quite a considerable number of us here talked fairly extensively as wankers anyway.

I don't feel triumphant, nor that the talking itself is. It's just exciting and we feel the need to share/make sense/be part etc.. There was no intentionality in the threads, just a 'place' to be I think...

NC: does he have balls of absolute steel, do you think? Or is he crapping himself?