Lefty friend.

My DH's best friend is a die-hard Tory. Been Chairman of his County Council for decades, then a Borough Councillor as well as holding positions in theNational Party. DH joined the Liberal Party at age 14 (still a member at 78!), but they have never ever discussed politics. Despite being a Tory he's a lovely man and has done a lot of good over the years.

Our in-laws are Socialists and I dread every time they bring up anything political as they are convinced they are right and we are wrong!

I have a very good friend who I have known since we started Grammar School together. We never talk politics because our views are so different.

She and her husband are true Lefties and adored Jeremy Corbyn. They have a red front door, always put Labour posters outside and go on marches and protests.

They were both able to take very early retirement on so called health issues. They complain about people who have made a lot of money through hard work yet they are happy to stay in a relatives luxury holiday home in Dorset.

Both her parents were teachers and owned a very nice house so far better off than most of our classmates parents who worked on the land or at sea on very low wages and lived in council houses.
When she talks about her upbringing she makes out it was tough but it really wasn’t.

I love lots of other things about her so I never mention politics.😉

You are right. ANY arguments become draining!

I do challenge people when I feel it’s the right time or place ( it happened a lot post referendum; believe me I don’t hold back a lot of the time) but it isn’t worth getting into an argument with a complete stranger in the middle of nowhere. The main friend who speaks that way is more a friend of my partners and the friendship goes back a long way; I don’t feel that it’s my place to cause a rift between them. It wasn’t something that I could do when I still worked, either. I’m trying not to have political arguments with people online at the moment too as I find it draining and I’ve got other problems to deal with.

MayBee70 I would have to challenge anyone spouting right wing anti immigrant comments...

I would challenge someone walking a dog or at a bus stop too.
You don't have to beat people over the head with your views to calmly challenge someone.

i would not bow or curtsy to anyone either, i also would not say sir or ma'am, even if i was paid to meet royalty i would say no, i don't have a problem with royalty, i just have no interest in them, i am just an ordinary person and nobody is above or below me, we are all the same, just some have money and titles. when your friend starts asking questions just tell that is so boring, can we talk about something else, i am sorry but i don't know anything about the daily mail (i am 62) if i buy a paper it is the daily record and yes i am from scotland.

I have a few friends who often spout right wing anti immigrant comments and they never seem to notice that I don’t respond to their comments and immediately change the conversation to something else. The comments just spring up from out of the blue. I don’t understand why they don’t ever realise that I have never once agreed with them. I avoid starting any sort of political discussion with them because they are good friends in other ways. It sometimes isn’t even with friends but strangers that I have conversations whilst dog walking or waiting for a bus etc.I don’t understand why feel the need to throw such comments into a conversation.

I just say it's all clickbait b*ll*cks probably owned by conglomerates and unless I experience something myself or someone I know experiences something I don't believe a word of what any newspaper says whatever their stripes. I read bits here and there & draw my own conclusions.

Grandma70s

Cossy

Mmmmm Never discuss religion or politics or money with close friends!

What a boring friendship that would be.

I agree- I love a good political spat with good friends. I don't know what else we would talk about- knitting patterns or cake recipes? No thanks!

So much is how we were brought up? My family aways discussed politics and current affairs so I tend to migrate towards people who also do, although my views have shifted of course.
If you come from a family that isnt that interested, its probably very different...but maybe they love yoga...

Grandma70s

Cossy

Mmmmm Never discuss religion or politics or money with close friends!

What a boring friendship that would be.

Indeed. I make the difference between old friends from school days, and those I made later along the way. With the latter, we get on so well because of our 'general philosophy' of life and our common attitude to the most important things in life. Our attitude towards others, strangers, foreigners, those from different backgrounds and cultures, nature, the environment, animals, and access to good education for all, and many other topics. Does not mean we always agree about everything- but I wouldn't wish to be friends with someone who doesn't agree in the main, about the above.

M0nica

I read the Daily Mail, and the i and the Observer. Make of that what you will. I believe you should read papers that reflect all shades of opinion, not just ones you agree with - and the Daily Mail has excellent health and financial sections.

Someone who judges someone, just on the newspaper they read, is showing themselves up as facile and superficial.

Hmmm.. yes the DM reader gets "digs" if thats all they read,

but so does the "lefty woke Guardian mob" get labelled if thats all they read.....

getting along with a friend politically means knowing the limitations ie how widely you both read and working within them?

and do they get it form newspapers or online because paywalls prevent a lot of reading....

I read the Daily Mail, and the i and the Observer. Make of that what you will. I believe you should read papers that reflect all shades of opinion, not just ones you agree with - and the Daily Mail has excellent health and financial sections.

Someone who judges someone, just on the newspaper they read, is showing themselves up as facile and superficial.

Cossy

Mmmmm Never discuss religion or politics or money with close friends!

What a boring friendship that would be.

I'm a Lefty who reads the Daily Mail and the Guardian amongst other papers and news sites.

If someone called me a Daily Mail reader I'd have to hold my hands up.

Newspapers simply curate their readerships to maximise profit from circulation and advertising. The Guardian curates a left-leaning audience and the Mail a right-leaning one. Both audiences are being used to maximise profit. Newspaper content is selected to appeal to particular audiences. To some extent all this reflects the gullibility of newspaper readers.

It is a very basic insult, calling someone a Daily Mail Reader, and if you are retailing your own personal experience of something, oh, that is just Daily Mail Speak.
Just laugh at her; it means she has no defence to counter your point of view, but knows it is wrong because all her opinions come directly from the Guardian.

Not likely to meet any of them so it’s not a problem 🤣🤣🤣

BlueBelle

Well I wouldn’t curtsy either 🤣🤣🤣

AFAIK it’s no longer obligatory anyway.

Say I know you're really interested in politics, I accept you are but I'm just not as interested, and insist gently that conversation turns to common ground areas.

It's not always the "whether" to discuss politics, for me, as am interested, but whether with a friend you can embark on it in an open minded listening way not dogmatic. And some humour in it.

My brother and I have very different political opinions. We get on like a house on fire since we agreed to never talk about politics.

I have fallen out with a different friend over politics and do regret it, it is quite difficult to undo the fall out.

Religion and Politics are two subjects you should avoid discussing, with your friends. My lovely sis-in-law hates Trump with a passion. She gets quite heated. I don’t like hin either, but when every text conversation with her is just lists and lists of all the ‘evil’ he has done, it gets quite tiresome. 😫

Mmmmm Never discuss religion or politics or money with close friends!

She's a Guardian reader.