I might vote Tory but that doesn't make me a bad person

Can't do links [shame emoticon], but read Allison Pearson in today's DT , she puts it well.

To go back to my original point - do Labour voters think that Tory voters all live enchanted lives? That we don't have vulnerable people in our families, that we don't care about the rest of society? We don't live in a bubble, we just have a different view of the solution to the problems the country faces.

Forgive me thatbags if this seems rude, but is not directed at you, but I have friends with D. Phils from Oxford who think R. brand is brilliant and clever
Well, to quote a song I think I remember "That don't impressa me much"!
His views on voting seem as relevant as Dolly Parton's on quantum mechanics (no offence Dolly) but my point was, I think, that the interview with RB and EM was another ill-judged publicity stunt, designed to make EM look "cool" just as the kitchen pic was intended to make him look like "one of us" and in case anybody thought he was too far removed from real people, his answer to Was he tough enough? possibly a variation of "can he fix it?" instead of Bob the Builder's (and Barack Obama's ) "Yes he can!" we got a ridiculous "Hell, yes" which must surely haunt him for years to come.

Spin doctors have a lot to answer for and their "masters" are the gullible ones if they do not realise these stunts insult our intelligence.

bags a doctorate in, say, biochemistry or English literature, or mathematics, or Ancient Greek does not necessarily make someone politically astute about 21st-century politics in the UK. It just means that they are knowledgeable about some aspects of biochemistry, English literature, mathematics or Ancient Greek.

Oops, I meant

Ahoy, HQ! we need a tongue in cheek emoti! doesn't quite cut the mustard.

(what does that mean? the bit about cutting mustard)

My post about his 'effect' on the outcome for Labour was, of course, tongue in cheek.

We are talking about his views on voting.

Soutra, I have friends with D.Phils. from Oxford who think R Brand is brilliant and clever . Yes, people are that gullible sometimes. With respect to the ones I'm thinking of, they're still young(ish) and may yet see sense, at least as far as Brand is concerned.

I hope you didn't think you upset me rosequartz, I find Russell Brand inasmuch as I have occasionally seen him on TV and was slow off the mark with the remote, a totally obnoxious self-opinionated hypocritical buffoon whose opinion on the time of day would leave me agog with indifference were I to ever be stuck without a watch!

Sadly Ed Miliband went down several degrees in my estimation by his ill-judged publicity stunt "interview" shortly before the election. Whether or not I am a supporter, I can admire integrity in many politicians (not starting to name names because that is a whole new minefield) but the so-called PR team behind many of them seem to be on another planet: remember William Hague's baseball cap, the Blairs and Carole Caplin and her shady husband , Boris on the zip wire, the Tale of Two Kitchens, David Miliband and that banana and Ed with Russell Brand

I automatically want to do the opposite of anything endorsed by Russell Brand- I can't stand him- the biggest hypocrite out.
I can't understand why people fall out over politics- far more interesting to have friends with a whole mix of views.
I don't tell anyone what I vote- since I finally made up my mind in the actual day they couldn't possibly tell either.(Actually I told my husband and the one son who was interested and my mother - but no one else)

Oh dear, I didn't think criticising Russell Brand would upset anyone.
Sorry!

I thought your posts were very good, Soutra and agreed with what you said in the main.

Soutra

Yes people do take notice of Russell Brand and as you stated, 'if do, more fool they'.

That's being gullable in my mind!

In what way gullible, * POGS?
Does anybody take any notice of the likes of Russell Brand? If do, more fool they, but I thought we were supposed to be mature, informed adults. Sadly while I gave my support to kittylester''s this tread seems to be deteriorated into another bunfight.

Many members have been very eloquent, not to say vociferous about their political opinions and I would like to be able to say, hand on heart, that even if we are not singing from the same hymn sheet, I will respect the principles of those whose beliefs are deeply held and genuine. Bickering is not what life is about, nor crowing over those who have been defeated (Farage excepted )
I dare say if the boot had been on the other foot we might have had a similar discussion, only from the other point of view, but I voted with my conscience as I hope did we all, But as the OP says, debate is good, but insults just cause division

rosequartz

Yet so many were gullable it appears.

Never ceases to amaze does it.

FarNorth
Did he really say that: 'You can't change the outcome of an election' ?

That is so profound

Profoundly stupid

Although you haven't answered my post of 21.17 GTwice.

Tegan -^^ what Ana said

Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock. So long Holly. _ Harry Limes
.....this is from another forum..probably doesn't apply to any of this but it always makes me chuckle when I read it. vive la difference, it's been a long, emotional day and I'm off to bed....

I think it was my response to your post that GT was so incredulous about, Tegan

Russell Brand - "You can't change the outcome of an election." Didn't the votes of millions of people change the result from what it might have been otherwise?
Let's hope anyone who was looking to him for advice has now seen the light.

No 't'. Soz.

He's such a child. (Russell Brandt)

No; it was an observation about people in general GrannyTwice. Strange thing is that people get so upset and angry about politics and yet, from what I've been told, politicians actually get on really well with each other when they're not debating things in public. No one is bad if they vote for a particular party as long as they genuinely believe that they're doing so for the right reasons; it's just so difficult to get those reasons across on forums such as this.

Doesn't look like it!