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Relationships

Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

I'm sick of my bf talking about politics

39 replies

ReyRey12 · 09/02/2026 19:49

This is a vent.

I am getting annoyed at my partner turning every conversation political. He watches too much news. Sky, BBC and GB News to get the full story from all perspectives. Reads Daily Mail, Telegraph and Guardian. Follows Tommy Robinson and Owen Jones.

We go for a lovely walk on the beach with windmills in the background. It becomes about how the UK pays the most for energy, net zero 2030 is unrealistic, and Germany is bringing back nuclear power.

I mention that I am rewatching The Crown. That turns into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Epstein, Mandelson and the Labour Party.

He is going to a meeting in a town I have never visited. I say I could come with him and just walk around town. That becomes about high streets being ruined, industry taken away, and towns becoming derelict.

I mention my friend coming to the UK on Erasmus. Then it is about how ridiculous it was to rejoin Erasmus because it costs so much, British student uptake on Turing was much higher, and the money should be used for that instead.

We work in local government and the NHS, so you can only imagine how much material there is.

I am getting tired of it. I do watch the news, but I do not know the details of climate plans well enough to debate them. And when I do have an opinion, putting it into the middle of a rant is pointless. Most importantly, sometimes I am just sharing my day without thinking that the PM’s incompetence is the reason my meeting went badly.

He does sometimes notice that I have not said anything. Sometimes I get annoyed and say something completely ridiculous like yes, let’s put them all in a queue and shoot them, and while we are at it let’s murder all the women and make the children watch. That usually stops it for about a minute.

And the thing is that he isn't the only one. I've noticed this from other people in social gatherings. Everything turns into politics. Sometimes on a saturday night I just want to talk about our lives and light things.

End of rant.

OP posts:
ThatMintMember · 09/02/2026 19:53

Have you told him you don't want to hear about it? If you havent, tell him. If you have and he still does it, dump him.

I hate watching the news and knowing what horrible things are going on around the world as it makes me feel anxious. My husband respects that and only tells me things that are relevant to me from the news. Your boyfriend needs to find other people to talk to about it!

Heyhelga · 09/02/2026 19:55

Getting too obsessed with politics is usually detrimental to one's personality I find.

mumofoneAloneandwell · 09/02/2026 19:58

I used to be that person (as a student though!) 🙈🙈🙈

tell him straight and then leave

life is too short to be fucking miserable about the state of the world!

boxofbuttons · 09/02/2026 20:08

Have you told him outright you're not interested?

Sounds like you're just not that compatible, tbh. DH and I both volunteered for similar political organisations when we met so we did (and still do) talk a lot about politics day-to-day because it's something we're both interested in and follow fairly closely. But if one of us wasn't I imagine we'd be bored to tears! Which is fine - not everyone is interested in the same things. But sounds like it's quite important to how he interacts with the world and less so to you, which I'm not sure is something you can just have a conversation about and it go away.

arethereanyleftatall · 09/02/2026 20:14

Eh?!? Relationships aren’t mandatory! You haven’t mentioned kids or anything, so if you’re not compatible with someone, which you’re clearly not, then end this relationship and find someone whose company you enjoy.

DustyMaiden · 09/02/2026 20:17

I’ll swap, mine only talks about football.

MaxTalk · 09/02/2026 20:26

He sounds like a total bore. Dump and run.

Jc2001 · 09/02/2026 20:34

GB News & The Daily Mail?

LTB

ReyRey12 · 09/02/2026 20:34

DustyMaiden · 09/02/2026 20:17

I’ll swap, mine only talks about football.

That's his second favourite subject. I don't mind that though cause I am a football coach and he is a good sounding board when I'm making game plans :D

OP posts:
ReyRey12 · 09/02/2026 20:43

I am well aware that relationships are not mandatory. I am also not going to leave him (unless it gets worse or his views take a turn).

I understand the comments about compatibility but we have been together for a while and this is relatively new. It hasn't always been like this. I am not completely ignorant about the world but there are a lot of topics I haven't done my research. Some I have. But mainly, me saying something very innocent turning political is annoying, not that we should never talk about politics.

I know we need to have a talk about this. We have had a conversation about this but it hasn't been direct enough. I think it was last week when he went off about something and then he noticed that he had gone off and apologised. And when i go down the "let's murder all MP's and problem solved" he gets the message. But I know I need to have a real talk about this. It just has been so managable before and in the past maybe 6 months it has gotten ridiculous (imo).

OP posts:
Schmitt2009 · 09/02/2026 20:45

It's one thing to watch the news and be informed about politics and the world at large but the level of interest and energy your BF is expending on politics is too much.
Like you said, not everything should turn into a rant about politics. And it's inevitable negative. Of course there are lots of problems in the world but it becomes overwhelming on a personal level to interact with all of them.
I would definitely tell him that you don't want to hear and engage with politics every single day. Maybe set an evening aside for him to discuss politics (rant).

On a deeper level, I think he might be very anxious about all the things going on in the world (who wouldn't be) but he consumes too many news and it's probably depressing him and he needs an outlet (you).
He needs to engage more with the lighter side of life. He cannot carry the world in his shoulders.

Best of luck to you.

ForTipsyFinch · 09/02/2026 20:46

Tbh I’m that annoying person 😅 BUT I do only discuss it with a select few people who are the same - but surely you’ve told him you’re not interested? How did it take it?

Isit2026yet · 09/02/2026 20:47

@ReyRey12 just tell him to shut up bluntly when he starts down that route.

Arlanymor · 09/02/2026 20:47

I only talk about politics with my friends who also talk about (and understand!) politics. Why is he so tone deaf that he doesn’t get that you don’t want to have these conversations - have you told him?

user1471453601 · 09/02/2026 20:48

I'm very interested in politics, it came with being born into my family. We all were interested. Conversations over tea were about politics. If you wanted to speak and be heard in my family, you talked politics.

But at the grand old age of 75, I've realised that not everyone is as interested as me. While I judge them for that (don't we all judge those who don't share what we see as vital interest?, Maybe, maybe not) I don't talk about politics to them. But I find it difficult. Cost of living? Politics. send provision, Epstien, politics.

But what I've learned is to know who I'm talking to, and not to treat them as my aduiancece

Some people I talk politics to, some I try to avoid talking politics to.

arethereanyleftatall · 09/02/2026 20:51

it’s absolutely baffling to me that you would want to be in a relationship with someone whose company you don’t enjoy.
but also, regarding the talking about it; again this is madness. He wants to talk about politics, you don’t; so why on earth would either of you change to talking about something you’re very clearly not interested in?
im not trying to be antagonistic; i just don’t get it.

Snoringboringbore · 09/02/2026 20:56

I used to have a friend like this. He’d get a bee in his bonnet on a certain topic eg vaccinations or leadership contests or the small boats or Brexit, whatever was the main issue of the day, and managed to bring it into every. fucking. conversation.

You could be discussing what you cooked for dinner last night or whether it is going to rain this afternoon and somehow he managed to edge his favourite topic in. I learned to recognise when he was warming up to eg Brexit or illegal immigration and try to fend him off but it became really irritating so I gradually stopped seeing him. I don’t miss him and his ranty monologues.

ReyRey12 · 09/02/2026 21:06

Schmitt2009 · 09/02/2026 20:45

It's one thing to watch the news and be informed about politics and the world at large but the level of interest and energy your BF is expending on politics is too much.
Like you said, not everything should turn into a rant about politics. And it's inevitable negative. Of course there are lots of problems in the world but it becomes overwhelming on a personal level to interact with all of them.
I would definitely tell him that you don't want to hear and engage with politics every single day. Maybe set an evening aside for him to discuss politics (rant).

On a deeper level, I think he might be very anxious about all the things going on in the world (who wouldn't be) but he consumes too many news and it's probably depressing him and he needs an outlet (you).
He needs to engage more with the lighter side of life. He cannot carry the world in his shoulders.

Best of luck to you.

He himself has said that he would be happier if he didn't watch the news. He has also himself mentioned he feels I'm right to not have 24/7 news on around the house. I do think watching news all day makes him anxious and since he is (imo understandably) critical of all sources he needs to watch and read it all. Quite honestly, the evenings he listens to his football podcasts are nice. He gets riled up cause they are getting relegated but those rants are very different than the ones concerning the failures of labour party.

We are about to go on holiday so there will be a news break. We even joked about putting our phones in the safe. Might actually try that.

OP posts:
Whatisgoingoff2024 · 09/02/2026 21:12

My husband goes through phases of political obsessions. I have made it clear I’m not interested though. He loves to read the news and enlighten me with the world’s misery. I politely tell him to shut up, or I’m not interested. He takes it on the chin and then stops for approximately a week or two 😁

canklesmctacotits · 09/02/2026 21:16

Well, there’s a lot going on in the world these days, and there’s a lot of shitty stuff going on in the world these days, and opinions are highly polarized and lots of people have opinions. So, it’s kind of understandable WHY he does it. BUT, if you don’t want to hear it he can’t force you to listen by droning on and on. Just because you’re next to him and have ears, doesn’t mean he can talk or rant.

Tell him to stop it, each and every time he starts up. Don’t shut him down completely because obviously this is someone who you don’t want to hurt or cut off. But he has to be reasonable and right now it sounds like he’s being totally unreasonable in how much of your your head he’s choosing to fill with his thoughts.

ReyRey12 · 09/02/2026 21:28

user1471453601 · 09/02/2026 20:48

I'm very interested in politics, it came with being born into my family. We all were interested. Conversations over tea were about politics. If you wanted to speak and be heard in my family, you talked politics.

But at the grand old age of 75, I've realised that not everyone is as interested as me. While I judge them for that (don't we all judge those who don't share what we see as vital interest?, Maybe, maybe not) I don't talk about politics to them. But I find it difficult. Cost of living? Politics. send provision, Epstien, politics.

But what I've learned is to know who I'm talking to, and not to treat them as my aduiancece

Some people I talk politics to, some I try to avoid talking politics to.

You never had a casual discussion about a movie without thinking the social impact of the film to larger society? Never talking about how gradma Mildred is doing without bringing up the lack of NHS funding? Not saying "nice jumper" without bringing up cost of living crisis? Never a conversation about how annoying the boss is without a side of a discussion about workers rights?

I don't mind being judged. I just sometimes during lunch break want to share something awesome I saw at Olympics and hoping the response is "that's cool" instead of an analysis on geopolitical relationships. I am very shallow and I own up to it.

I do have political opinions. I do follow the news. I did study political history. I'm happy to have a chat about politics at approprite time. It is just not something I want to do constantly. Sometimes an anecdote is just an anecdote.

OP posts:
partytimed · 09/02/2026 21:53

To be honest I’d love to be married to him I devour politics and the news and would love to talk about it much more at home!

user1471453601 · 09/02/2026 23:33

And yet @ReyRey12 you don't recognise when someone (me) is agreeing with you.

AmberDreams · 09/02/2026 23:38

Jc2001 · 09/02/2026 20:34

GB News & The Daily Mail?

LTB

What about the Guardian and Owen Jones?

Carlou · 10/02/2026 20:50

Good luck peeling the phone (with the news) from him on your holiday. Mine couldn't and although he said he would leave his phone behind, he secretly stowed it away in the luggage. Sad. It's an addiction.