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

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

That is so profound

Profoundly stupid

rosequartz

Yet so many were gullable it appears.

Never ceases to amaze does it.

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

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!

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.

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)

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

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.

We are talking about his views on voting.

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

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

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

Oops, I meant

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.

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.

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.

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

kitty I'm a Labour voter who doesn't believe all tory voters live enchanted lives. I don't believe all Labour voters are dreadful people either

Would you like to learn how to do links Soutra?
Not sure I am necessarily the one to teach you, but I used not to be able to do them. But when you know how[I had it all written down for a couple of months before I mastered it automatically], it is not that hard. Just some button pressing.

kitty I don't think all Tory voters lead enchanted lives. Nor do I think they are bad people. Some labour voters are not at all on my wavelength. I never could understand why anyone voted labour in 1997 with Tony Blair at the helm. He scared the pants off me then and went on to exceed all my worst expectations.

I think it is interesting to debate different political views and learn from one another. It's probably just a raw time to be doing so, that's all. If I was scared in 1997 I'm terrified now. I hope I will find things won't be as bad as I fear.

Nor do I I am64. I've bred 3 and they are all thoughtful people, concerned about society. We just think the answer lies in different directions. DH has a theory that they are Labour voters as their formative years were during Maggie Thatcher's tenure. Their two younger sisters grew up while Tony Blair was in charge and they vote Tory!

Yes please soontobe! It's how you find what to put in the ruddy square brackets and then how to put that in the post.
Tutorial very welcome

To be fair to Russell Brand's stupidity, he did mean that he now realised that his change of heart about voting (ie "I've changed my mind. That lovely Ed came to visit me. Everyone vote labour") would immediately make the nation do as he recommended. He really thought he could swing the result all on his own.

(I expect you knew that anyway)

Soutra - you google.

Sometimes Oxbridge types are clever at particular subjects like maths or chemistry but not all that astute when it comes to other matters like politics.

However I quite like RB and his views even though his mannerisms are irritating. A Guardian columnist today said he reckoned RB might have been right after all when he said voting was a waste of time for some people. It certainly was for me because the Conservatives always get in where I live.

I have a mixture in my family as well kitty. Inlaws are all different as well. We manage to get along and even to laugh at ourselves and at one another.

I did persuade my daughter to tell the conservative candidate who called at her father in law's door yesterday that they were a household of labour supporters. Not sure FIL was amused, but the rest of us deserved a smile as the day unfolded