Reluctant to join the discussion.

Oh dear!!!!!!

gillybob I don't ignore you and I hope I haven't offended you. I think we actually want the same things. I find your posts interesting, because I've had some similar experiences.

Of course you don't ignore me daphnedill quite the opposite actually. Whatever gave you that idea? I have really enjoyed our recent discussions.

My point (obviously poorly made) was a general one to anyone and everyone. Not to anyone in particular. Meaning that we all have an equal right to have a say. ?

Fortunately WW knowing about does not equate with being extreme.

Try this interesting link.

I think youll enjoy it.

uk.isidewith.com/political-quiz

I am far from extreme

Daphne, it was you who spoke of people having a certain amount of knowledge

Blimey. I am shocked. Thank you for the link Mair (I think)

You're not the only who is shocked, gillybob!

Why is anyone shocked? I came out as 85% Labour, 83% Green (which was a surprise), and only 41% Conservative and UKIP. I probably would have forecast that before I took it.

dd, it wasn't a post of yours that made me defend the boat people phrase. Just so you know

I'm not so much shocked as mildly surprised!

I was 10% ukip I must have pressed the wrong button.

I didn't even look that far down.

?

Somebody comes along with a viewpoint not based on evidence.
Ah, but daphne does a viewpoint have to be evidence-based? Can one not have a view, a strong feeling about something or someone and express it without being challenged to produce their evidence?
Sometimes that view has been formed over decades, from life experience, from observing.

A view is just that - a view or a feeling - an opinion
It is a pity if a poster cannot express an opinion without other posters demanding (sometimes quite aggressively) that they produce the evidence to back up their opinion.

Apologies for taking so long to respond to your post but I have been out enjoying RL

Not sure about the percentages bit; that seemed a bit random. Relieved to see that I didn't side with Cons or UKIP on any issue. Some of the questions were not applicable to the UK

the very fact that this thread was started shows that there is an appetite for political threads that all could join in without fear of snide personal remarks.
It will work if Gransnet members want it to work.

I agree with that sentiment. What is the point of expressing an opinion based on your own thoughts, your own life experience or asking for clarification of someone else's point only to be demolished by personal and sometimes unpleasant (well, downright nasty) comments by another poster.

Just as there is a place for the estranged thread, the crafting threads,and the book thread.
morethan quite.
and, indeed, ones about fluffy rabbits (or was it kittens? no doubt someone will correct me)

You could try just ignoring any "nasty comments from another poster" Jalima I find it works for me.

Not sure a political opinion is worth having if you refuse to let it be challenged.

I enjoy having my views challenged ww but there are ways and means of challenging an opinion that don't have to be nasty and or/have an air of "know it all" about them.

Frankly, I don't want to read dumbed down politics or opinions based on little more than myth or prejudice. Therefore, I would hope that posters have a certain amount of knowledge.
I would hope that anyone who has an opinion would be welcome to join in.

I don't have a first in PPE from Oxford and I would have thought that anyone who had or wishes to debate politics at a more advanced level would be able to do so on another forum. This is Gransnet and grannies (and others who are not grannies) are surely allowed to have an opinion and express it on the news and politics threads.

Any attempt to discourage all from joining in smacks of elitism.

The truce won't last long if certain posters keep trying to tell people how to post
That is precisely the point!! At the risk of sounding rather cross, you are grumbling about posters daring to post on the political thread if they don't have a certain amount of knowledge. [disbelief]
Sorry, didn't want to get cross on this thread so I will wave my white flag.

I give it 2 weeks at the outside this "love in" is going to be a real challenge

It all depends on what the opinion or view is about surely? Some need to be predicated on a factual base others are related to a political philosophy or moral/ ethical viewpoint. So for example - there is a debate to be had about whether or nor child benefit should exist. There is no right or wrong answer to this factually but if someone posted ' I don't think CB should exist - why are we giving parents £50 a week per child' then it may be that their opinion or view is based on wrong information and that if they knew the real figure, their view might change.

Perfectly fine if the answer is couched in reasonable terms giving the correct information and not:
'Don't be silly, check your facts, you must be a rightwing fascist because you don't agree with child benefit'
which is not a reasonable answer.