That's just it, people express their opinion as they see it, there just happens to be a left of centre majority on this thread. It's a shame that Imps doesn't post any longer because because he was a good contributor coming from a different perspective. I honestly can't recall any personal insults on this thread and it is an individual choice if someone leaves a Saints forum just because they can't agree on the politics thread.
To be fair, it is pretty much forced down the throat if you dont share this view. I dont know what happened with Imps, but i imagine he had enough, and ai know how he was feeling if that was the case.
I don't think he left because of this thread, people were always respectful to him and he enjoyed posting here.
I tried putting myself in his position, thinking how would I react if 90% of the posts were pro Pfeffel and Trump. Quite honestly I wouldn't take part.
Not really when you’re on the receiving end, it really isn’t. I keep saying, I’m not pro anyone, and when I’ve questioned things, it is like a torrent of downpour. It really isn’t that pleasant. Anyhow, night all.
I hope that I have never made you feel uncomfortable mate, i've always said that you are good poster.
I hope we keep this thread, I've been fascinated at the insight that some of our posters have. As a life long socialist I was pleasantly surprised to find so many like minded contributors amongst Saints fans. That said, I don't contribute often so probably haven't offended anyone on this thread but I do respect posters with different or opposite views. Not for me to preach but I've been around the block a bit, including forces, which tended to teach you to just move on from situations where you felt uncomfortable at can't control, so there are some threads on this forum which I don't even read. Chlics and all our more prolific posters, including you Billy, keep up the good work
From my perspective I would be disappointed if this thread closed. There have been many informed and lively debates. There is little doubt that the majority lean leftwards, but it is unusual for the debate to get personal. I have for many years read the Times rather than the Guardian because I want to understand reasoned argument I don't necessarily agree with, (and I can read the Grauniad for free on line). So I welcome perspectives and ideas when well reasoned that challenge mine. What I find difficult is the argument that starts... 'I am coming at this from no set belief, I am open to all views.. ' In my experience this is an opening gambit that means 'tell me what you think, then I can work out where to attack from'. Attack is too strong a word... may be.. At best it is shallow, at worst, in my experience, it is hiding behind a veil of set beliefs that are purposely obtuse. Funny old game..
Maybe you worked me out, or maybe, just maybe, when i said i dont have any set beliefs, is because i dont, or i am trying to work out what they are. The questions I have posed have generally been that i dont believe what is being said, or with the personal nature towards people, mainly politicians, and how angry they are said, with real venom, rather than working out a counter strategy. Really, I’m not that clever, particularly with politics. Maybe it is because I dont get the political system, that is counter productive and counter intuitive, and if people, parties and systems worked together, maybe there wouldn’t be the need to run our political system in such a dysfunctional way. But it is, and does, mainly due to people with such vehement views fuelling that need and desire. Funny old game, how things seem different when looked through someone’s else’s view.
Billy, I like your reasoning, where I struggle is with as you say... ' the questions I pose' rather than 'the views I have formed'. Sooner or later if you sit on the fence too long you slip and it hurts..
Ive only recently started to look at this thread, maybe over the past few months. My view is pretty much that the reasons i stayed away from politics too start with, as Libby said earlier, are why i think i will keep away from politics!
Imps may have been a Conservative and offered a perspective that Made people vote Johnson and Trump, but that doesn't he approved of either of them, and I'm sure he doesn't. No sane Conservative vives their approval to Trump. Indeed many Tories would like Biden to win.
Reading the last few pages, religión might be less divisive than polítics as nobody on here advances any particular view about the subject.
That last sentence may be true of Tory voters but probably not so for Tory MPs. A UK-US trade deal is going to be of less importance to Biden, than Trump, and I think Biden sees beefing up relationships with the EU as being a higher priority. I can see Johnson taking any deal with the EU, (then bigging it up as the best ever deal even if it is worse than the one he chose to renege on) if Biden wins, rather than take a double whammy of a no deal with both the EU and another no deal with the US.