UK Politics

I did not like Black Wizards "fuck-off you foreigner" post. I bet he did not like my post. Rather: the content of the video, which heavily criticizes the Tories.

You won't hear him about that, he rather tries to distract from this sensitive matter.
 
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I read the post, I don't take that meaning from it. But then, I didn't see the original post he was responding to, so what do I know.
 
@Forostar, when I asked...
Black Wizard said:
Foro, why do you get so stressed about other countries' politics?
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I was merely wondering why this matters so much to you and why you get so upset about another country's politics. This was not an attempt to distract from the video you posted. If you've been paying attention to this thread recently then you'll see that I have been heavily critical of all political parties in the UK, including the Conservative Party. I am well aware of their shortcomings and don't need a video to tell me. I was also unable to watch the video when you posted it because I was reading the forum from my phone on mobile data. It was not a "fuck off you foreigner" post - you should be well aware that I have engaged in discussion about British politics with non-British members of Maidenfans, including yourself when you choose to engage constructively. My post was not a personal attack, merely a perfectly reasonable question.
 
I find it odd (to put it mildly) and feel unwelcome when this is questioned.

I am engaged, interested in politics. Interested in social matters. I am interested in the world. The UK is not a nation from another planet. I like to know what's going on there. And I do like it when matters get coverage like this. I feel it is very deserved.

The video was an angry rant, a sharp analysis. And a heartfelt advice.

@Perun
I also wonder if UK politics can be discussed here. There is EU politics, but everything is so connected to matters in this topic that this might feel like a better place. Or a separate UK topic.
 
@Forostar Thanks for the video, I’ll try and watch it later. I am sure @Black Wizard does not have anything against the Dutch. You are not English! :lol:

The last 10 years in the UK have demonstrated how pernicious Tory governments can be for those who struggle to make ends meet, with brutal austerity policies that have resulted in a record number of people having to use food banks. The cuts have affected the NHS, social care, children’s centres that help families in need... The list is endless.

My wife an I volunteer at our daughter’s school (state school) to make sure that the kids’ education is not badly affected by a decade of cuts. Guess what? Some of the parents would vote Tory without any second thoughts. :mad:

That being said, the third party with more seats in Parliament in the country I was born is a fascist one, so I guess things can be worse than in my adopted country! :lol:
 
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Forostar said:
I also wonder if UK politics can be discussed here. There is EU politics, but everything is so connected to matters in this topic that this might feel like a better place. Or a separate UK topic.
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I don't know. Is it really an issue? I guess we could just consider this the "UK thread".
 
Forostar said:
I did not like Black Wizards "fuck-off you foreigner" post.
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Before you react to what I'm about to say, please take a moment to consider who its coming from - someone who has been down this road before with you, and still considers you a good friend. None of this is coming from a place of dislike or argument. I just...I've just had enough of this. Please read everything before you react, and please, take some time to consider what I'm saying before you react.

It's deeply unfair to Black Wizard to categorize his post this way. Wiz is secure enough that if he wanted to tell you to fuck off, he would have. He doesn't feel the need to veil it, I am sure. It very much feels like you chose to read this interpretation - for what purpose, I don't know.

I worry that, deep down inside, you don't respect the rights of others to have differing opinions from you. That the world is black and white, and you're on the side of right, ipso facto, others must be wrong, and any difference from that must be corrected. And I say this as someone who tends to agree with you politically in every single way. The fact that you treat people who must be considered your friends this way I find even more worrisome.

To be fully and openly honest with you, I get stressed out every time I open the forum and see there's a response in this thread (or any politics thread) from you, because I'm never sure if it's going to be reasonable, engaging conversation or something going off the deep end. And I get stressed out because people have seen the deep end enough to misinterpret some of the more reasonable stuff as deep end stuff. Does that make sense? I am not asking you not to post. I am not asking you to change your opinions. Brexit pisses me off too, it's one of the dumbest political things that's happened in a world full of dumb political things. I am asking you to respect the people that you have sat in a room with and drank beer and gone to great shows with. To respect people that in some cases you've welcomed to your home and who have welcomed you to yours - or would, in a heartbeat, if the opportunity arose.

This silly forum, for me, has built some life-long friendships that are going to last far beyond the last time Steve Harris strums a bass guitar, and I'd consider you one of those friends, as I do Perun, and Ariana, and Black Wizard, and many more. But when I see this stuff, man...it's like, does this guy get it? Does he understand that he's talking to people who genuinely care about him as a person? People who want to be friendly, who are happy to spend a lot of money to spend time with him, doing something we all love to do. And then boom, you toss a bomb, something that could be considered wildly insulting. Or you refuse to listen to that person. I think to myself, Man, does this guy even like us? Or are we just assholes on the Internet that are wrong and have to be treated like idiots and morons?

I've been pondering this for years. I can have disagreements with everyone else here. I can't have one with you. It's always a fight. When I was younger, I'd play into it, and I'd turn it into a rip-roaring battle. Nowadays, I don't even bother, because the person I care about won't listen, won't change, and won't even realize what he's doing. Maybe it's that you can't realize what you're doing, I don't know. All I know is that I can't do that with you. And I'd like to, man, I'd like to pick your brain on stuff and see how you see the world more, and compare worldviews and experiences and thoughts. But I can't, because I don't have time in my life for that level of stress and frustration. So I disengage. Sometimes I fire off one moderate post about respecting opinions, but this is probably the last time I'll try to really get through.

This has become a bit of a novel, and I thought once or twice about sending it via DM instead, but I'm not going to. Part of it is that I know I'm speaking for several other people (no names, but you know who they are). Part of it is that I want to move this discussion on. Part of it is that I feel like it needs to be an open conversation. I don't have anything to hide on the subject.

That being said, my DMs remains open if there's something you want to converse about privately - as it is for anyone - pertaining to this, or other things. Always.

I would ask that others do not respond to this message to add points or to say "yeah" or whatever. Please let it stand on its own.
 
@Forostar I have finally watched the video. I hope you know Jonathan Pie - the character featured in the video you have posted - is not really an unbiased journalist discussing a thorough study of Conservative policies (ironically he fails to mention that many of those policies were implemented by the coalition with the Liberal Democrats).

I mean, I disagree with most of what the Tories have done, dislike the pathological liar that is Boris Johnson with a passion, and hell would freeze over before I vote for them, but perhaps you could have tried finding a more balanced analysis to share? :)
 
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