Avoiding politics

I like a discussion, but hate argument. So I leave the political threads alone. As do many others on this thread

I also feel same way as Beckett and Jainsworth posted on a brexit thread once never again

What happened tinaf1?

I (politely) disagree with you about links urmstongran.
Someone might give a brief summary of an article, but often the article itself is a worthwhile read. I’ve been introduced to several writers and blogs by links that other GNers have posted.

What I do find tiresome is when someone posts a link as an answer to someone else’s statement, without any explanation. That used to happen a lot on the political threads and seems pure laziness to me - basically saying ‘I can’t be bothered to state my own opinion, just read this link instead.’ Especially when the links turned out to be to long, boring articles.

And when the link-poster would then come back and berate people for not reading the links

Fair enough janeainsworth
Good point.

And when the link poster uses links to known supporters of their opinions!

As in:

Remain -
The Guardian
The Independent
Channel 4 news
The Times

Leave -
The Telegraph
The Daily Mail (although less so since the change in editor!)

ad infinitum - you get my drift!

Why do keen debaters assume that because posters don't wish to argue here, with them, that they are not interested in politics? Perhaps they do their own reading and thinking, and vote accordingly, but have no desire to take part in a fencing match over it all.

Elegran
Because they genuinely believe that only they are the font of all political knowledge and 'some' of us should hang on their every word.

And be edukated.

My reason for not getting involved is as OP suggested, political discussion only leads to argument. Family divided by Brexit which isn't a good situation for the past 2+ years

I am interested in politics, but only to a certain degree. I find that the smallest action will get blown out of proportion with arms waving on all sides. The media will get a hold of it and we won't hear of anything else for days or weeks.
In Canada we get just as much American media as Canadian, so double the bombardment.

Quite often I find I can't make a proper informed decision because of all the back-history of an issue. My hubby has a longer memory....remember when the opposition party voted down that issue, now they've turned tables, etc. I could never be a politician!

I do the best I can to stay informed with both national and international issues. Getting a bit bogged down with your Brexit, I admit!

Am very interested in politics, but as many posters say, why go round and round the mulberry bush on Brexit threads, there’s nothing new to say.Hopefully, when we have left the EU, those threads will go back to the usual politics of the day (although that can get very boring too.)
There will be many people on here who are very interested in politics but don’t fancy tangling with those who browbeat
And posture and virtue signal on GN threads.

I am very political, but I’m not aligned to any one party. A dear friend and colleague is politically poles apart from me, but I have a huge respect for him and I understand that he holds the views he does because his world view has been shaped very differently from mine. He has a very close relationship with our local MP and is helping me to table a question to be asked in the HoC. I actually canvas for our MP’s opponent (an independent), but my friend has respect for my views. Politically I am a thinking Christian, lefty, green remainder. I oppose the arms trade, am not a fan of capitalism, support Extinction Rebellion and welcome immigrants (including into my home). My close friends are of many political persuasions, but somehow we rub along in spite of our differences. The only time I get cross is when people I know maintain belief in myths peddled by certain news sources in spite of actual contradictory evidence.

I’m interested in politics, why wouldn’t I be? However I have absolutely no interest in either being patronised or shouted down by those who are perhaps more confident in a debate than I am. Just because many of us don’t express a view on here doesn’t mean we don’t have our own opinions.

Exactly grannyqueenie.

Agree with grannyqueenie. The Silent majority voted for Brexit. They made their own minds up without having to debate the issues with strangers. Then they get on with the business of living. There is more to life than Politics!

They don’t wish to discuss it with you Varian. Sorry.

I don't know whether to laugh or scream, reading some of the responses one here. Am I on a different Gransnet site from some of the posters? What I'm reading here just doesn't match what I see on the political threads!

It's just that some of the most stinging, critical replies to the OP on this thread seem to be from posters who are amongst the most vociferous on the politics forum, and whose posts regularly include the very things that they are criticising here.

Is it just me?

Anyway, in answer to the OP, I imagine that as other posters above have said, it's not necessarily lack of interest in politics that stops a lot of Gransnetters from posting on the politics forum, but rather a fear of being verbally attacked (or whatever the written equivalent is), as regularly happens, with people on both sides of an argument being equally guilty of this.

That said, I've known a lot of people over the years who say they have no interest whatsoever in politics, though many of them had very strong views on issues that rather belied the claim!

The reason that many people avoid posting is that the line-up on the political threads is the same as it is in Westminster - two rows of benches facing each other, each of them full of protagonists for one of two diametrically opposing views, neither of them ready to concede that anything that the "other side" approves of is worth tuppence. I remember the response on here when the Government passed one measure that had previously been part of the opposition plan. It wasn't "They've got it right at last! The country needs that." It was, "How dare they steal that! That is ours." And that is the attitude in the other direction, too.

Perhaps we should burn down the Houses of Parliament and rebuild with a semicircle of seats containing people with graduated views who would actually put effort into working together instead of trying to annihilate one another for the good of a narrow party and their own advancement to power.

If people tell me they are not interested in politics, I answer, "but politics is interested in you!" Every aspect of our daily lives from what we pay for goods, what we receive in income or benefits, what schools are available to our children and grandchildren etc. etc. is a result of a political decision, centrally or locally. This why I am an activist,going on demos, leafletting for local candidates, attending party meetings and social events, raising money for the party I support.

I am very interested in politics - however - I will not discuss my views online to avoid arguments. I strongly believe that we should all vote as many struggled in the past to get us that right

M0nica Callistemon toscalily Alima and Urmstongran said it all for me.

we seem to need politics ,its just that nobody agrees on what needs to be done. theres the problem of the type of people who go into politics-theres a quote somewhere that if people who show an interest in politics then they should be banned from going into it! Theres the problem of the hubris syndrome that takes hold of some politicians-look at history.
Putting the needs of the vulnerable first then take it from there,unfortunately, power ,control and greed and serving the rich seems to win the day every time.I don't think we have evolved enough as a species to do the job properly.
Some figures in history stand up for what needs to be done but every time they are crucified or murdered...…….
I despair about politics,I wish things weren't the way they are.

Dh and I have always voted, my dd does and if there is another election my gd will be able to vote this time.
But and it’s a big BUT I am so disappointed with Parliament at the moment it’s like watching cat and dogs fighting,
I am asking myself do I want to vote.

I heard Will Self say a couple of years ago ‘We have a political class unfit for purpose’. And we seem to have a large section of the population who are uninformed, and seem unable to argue: If someone takes a different point of view, instead of presenting their own case, they shower abuse. I would add it is opting out of human responsibility not to engage politically: it is about how to protect and share precious resources, especially for generations to come.