As the hysterical left weep into their lattes...

(I meant 'from there)

Nonio, I'm truly sorry if you have been upset by anything I've said, but I really don't know what that would be. I have just tried to explain that this is a discussion forum, and robust discussion is allowed. I certainly haven't insulted you, or anyone else.

I have already said that I don't know how to help you. Perhaps someone else can.

GNHQ, there is no point in me actually contributing to this thread. Can we have some new emoticons please ? A yellow card, a red card and a ducking stool for the real witches.

You need to click on FAQ in the blue outline panel at the top of this page, and then click on "My Gransnet" and take it from here.

Best not to do it though. Stay till it all cools down.

"MAGGIEMAYBE". I would like to stop the posts coming in, Maggiemaybe.

Can you tell me how? I thought (hoped) it would be a different sort of forum. I guess, this morning, I hoped that this thread was just annobjectionable headline with a more thoughtful discussion. I am one of those people who keep on hoping things will be better..

I cannot tell you how low I feel having participated, having read several threads, and joined ina v small number. I realise it is better for my well being to get out, but I don't know how.

I suppose I am one of the numerous on this site that you would describe as 'delicate flowers'. I think we are just ordinary people who are upset beyond measure at this sort of discourse. Maybe I am too delicate..or you,are unable or unwilling to walk in someone else's shoes...so are not able to understand why this discourse causes so much harm.

Why not just help me sign out? I will be happier..and so will you. I will go. i want to go.

Oh right. No idea then, I'm afraid. I've only had five in my three and a half years.

Do you know, I can't remember how you do it.

I expect Nonio means PMs.

Me too Lucky, I managed to drag my decrepit a***e out to vote, mainly for my sons benefit !

Nonio, you speak as though you are being held in this forum against your will. How do you ensure you get no more posts? What do you mean? The posts don't come to you, you just stop reading them!

lizzypopbottle - I understand what you are saying about those who did not vote. The decision as to which way to vote was a very close run thing for me and I nearly decided not to vote at all. But that felt like too much of a cop-out and I could not bring myself not to make use of the privilege of voting that others struggled for on behalf of us all.

I read it..and have made much the same decision that I made long before PRincess Di was hunted by the press to her death. I shall not support the press that do this. I have not bought a single newspaper who continued to do this since.

I shall not participate in this sort of debate. "Elegran": you sound as if you think that the debate was worth the insults. I don't think that you 'get' that it is possible to have a decent debate without the personal insults.

I do not think this "conversation" (to give it a more polite term than it deserves given it has fostered anger has failed signally to truly start to heal a single divide.)

That is not a success. It is yet another failure is the mess we choose to call politics, news and debate.

Shame on Gransnet.

How do I sign out of this forum to ensure I get no more posts?

So that's alright then

It made you read it though, didn't it? Exactly as the headlines in the Express make you look, if only to see what preposterous thing is being reported. Subsets of readers are feeling insulted every few minutes reading some publication or other. Nothing different about a latte-drinking lefty, no need for them to be more thin-skinned than a fat cat MEP, a posh Etonian parasite or a xenophobic racist.

Thank you Libby Purves!

cupcake the bias in the press is very heavily in the direction of right wing populism, never more so than in the run up to this referendum but it has always been thus. The Express was running an "anti common market" campaign in the 1960s. Most of these papers are owned by billionaires pushing their own agenda - either foreigners, tax-exiles or pornographers.

Margaret Thatcher's policies were hugely important in sowing the seeds of division and the destruction of the society she did not believe in. She was utterly discreditable and courted the pornographers who published front page headlines saying "vote for Maggie" and photos of topless models on page three. Even some of those who voted for her do admit that now. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Yes, Suzied ..I absolutely get the irony.

Hahaha, typo : " but not into their coffees" not "coffins" however Freudian that typo might be!

"Elegran". Having looked at this discourse...what would your aim have been in starting this thread? How might you have headed it in a way that might have had the best bits of this conversation included without insulting a subset of readers?

Is that too difficult?

It was mistaken to assume that people who are now very worried and very disappointed are 1) hysterical; 2) left leaning; 3) "luvvies" whatever they are... 4) weeping into their lattes.

It would also be an error of judgment to assume that those who voted for Remain fitted into any of these categories. I know people of the political left and right who voted for remain. I do not know one who is hysterical. I do know some who are very worried and angry at misrepresentations of facts. I have no idea what a "luvvie" is but, as far as I know I do not know one. I do know people who have cried,mid not into their coffins or teas. I am far from sure why that should result in the triumphant leader started (or rather continued) here.

I guess, Elegran, Gransnet has to decide whether it wishes to lean on the worst aspects of the news world or whether it wishes to foster constructive not insulting debate.

I hope the former. I will wait and see.

But don't you see the irony / hypocrisy of offensively stereotyping one group of people and complaining about others being being offensively stereotyped by them?.

What would you have titled it, nonio* ?

Titles are supposed to give an idea of what the post is about, and this one was about a link to an article by Libby Purves entitled "Hysterical lefties really need to grow up" and beginning :-

"As the culturati weep into their lattes while demonising the poor, old and insecure, the carry-on has been beyond parody"

The title of the OP does give a really good idea of the link! The lefty culturati (champagne socialists?) might feel insulted about the article itself, but you are not one of those, are you?

Goodness me, we're not children, or delicate blossoms liable to wither away if someone disagrees with us. No one on this thread has been called a racist. No one has been personally insulted. I didn't like the article in the OP, and said so. It's called discussion, and it's what we do in a free country. If you think there's anything to report, why not do so? But please don't tell the rest of us what we should say, or how we should post.

No posts have been deleted on this thread as far as I can see, Nonio. GNHQ say that it's been deleted.

"THATBAGS". : the answer is because the title that fed into our inboxes this morning fed the tone of this "conversation"

In case you do not know this is what it said : "As the hysterical left weep into their lattes".

If you wished to start a discussion that helped heal differences and brought people together would you start in this way?

I await your answer with interest. At the very minimum it does not seem skilful. I doubt you had any desire to do anything helpful at all.

Liuziepopbottle: now that is the sort of factual thread that I find helpful. We can all, regardless of our vote or views, look at this fact and start thinking of ways we can find out more.

Of course, this referendum vote had a far higher turn out than most elections.

I, for one, am curious about those who did not vote.

I'm also curious about the waverers who did vote but are reflecting on their decision whichever way they voted. They should not be insulted or abused. Why should they tell us anything at all that is truthful if that is what they fear?

Also about the voters who were sure when they caste their vote but now wished they had voted differently (whichever way they voted).

So long as no one is insulted there is (admittedly now a small) chance we could get a productive discussion going on this forum, if not in this rather regrettable thread. I am beginning to wonder whether, despite the name of this website and therefore the likely age span of participants, age and wisdom truly do go together.

Let us collect ourselves, take a deep breath, and make a determined effort to show that age does mean wisdom.