Is our country divided forever?

[Ancient Citizen]

We're all in this together.

For the many, not the few.

Surely you must find these words to be of great comfort?

Rag fans are 'The Many.'
Here's to another mid table showing in the division.
Us few will still laugh our cocks off.

 

[GSW Blue]

Strong and stable like a three legged table.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Travelled all over, lived abroad for a third of my life and wouldn't say I'm patriotic in any sense of the word. Met people from all walks of life with a myriad of different views on the world and always been a live and let live kind of guy. Moving back to Spain in a few months and can honestly say the only thing I'll miss is going to watch City.

And the chip muffins. Yer can't get a chip muffin in Spain, for love nor money!

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

We've been divided ever since those fuckin' Normans got into their boats and nicked our stuff. The only saving grace is that it only erupted into civil war once, as long as yer don't count those canutes from the Stretford End.

Yer can see how divided the country is immediately after the referendum. London wanted to remain in the EU, Scotland did, other areas did, and the Leavers were lambasted for being brain dead for ever thinking of voting Leave in the first place, but I don't recall any instances of Colonel Blimp and his militia hitting the streets. The one thing about 'Britain' is that we accept the shit that a democratic vote covers us in, we swill ourselves off and get on with it!

 

[Magicpole]

My family are already making arrangements for our 5 Grandchildren to leave the UK when they are old enough

Where are you looking to put them?

 

[pirate]

Barm or muffin?

the opening poster?

barm as in barmpot

 

[che_don_john]

I think that sooner or later there has to be a debate on the moral value and social worth of targeted media.

In a very basic sense, it is very valuable. It means that you are fed stories that you are likely to enjoy, products you are likely to buy, the words of authority figures and celebrities you are likely to agree with, etc.

But when that goes too far you create echo chambers where people become uninformed, ignorant and eventually hostile towards people who don't agree with them. They don't understand the opposite viewpoint because the only chance they have to see it is the opinion of it from someone who opposes it.

I think that this combines extremely badly with a real lack of critical thinking in society today (especially among the youth). People see something someone has said and immediately take it at face value without stopping to consider it themselves. Recent examples (that I admit are biased towards my political persuasions - you'll find examples from the other side) include:

• Every household will lose £4,300 in the event of the UK leaving the EU - is it really sensible to suggest that the possible drop in GDP will only affect households and not also corporations, and is it reasonable to assume that each household would lose out equally?
• We can fund half of our manifesto by reversing the corporation tax rate cut - cutting the tax rate increased the tax take, so is it sensible to assume that reversing that cut will also drastically increase the tax take?

People are being fed stuff that they are likely to agree with and they are becoming increasingly incapable of questioning it.

Best answer so far. I really feel that partisan news is one of the most detrimental and destructive things in modern life: it polarises people unnecessarily, and it suppresses free and critical thinking.

I remember a few years ago Question Time ran a kind of Leveson special and had the 'journalist' Jon Gaunt, who said something along the lines of "If people want partisan news then they should have it". I can not abide people who think this way - why would anyone want news to be filtered, altered and presented in a way that deliberately conforms with their pre-exisiting views and prejudices? Sure the point of news is to offer up facts and let us decide for ourselves what we make of them and how we feel about them?! We are meant to form our opinions based on factual information, not form our information based on opinions.

 

[Southbanken]

Best answer so far. I really feel that partisan news is one of the most detrimental and destructive things in modern life: it polarises people unnecessarily, and it suppresses free and critical thinking.

I remember a few years ago Question Time ran a kind of Leveson special and had the 'journalist' Jon Gaunt, who said something along the lines of "If people want partisan news then they should have it". I can not abide people who think this way - why would anyone want news to be filtered, altered and presented in a way that deliberately conforms with their pre-exisiting views and prejudices? Sure the point of news is to offer up facts and let us decide for ourselves what we make of them and how we feel about them?! We are meant to form our opinions based on factual information, not form our information based on opinions.

I agree with this and the quoted post, but i echo chambers and self selecting news are nothing new. Before social media it was the newspapers.

A quick question, the BBC have to be impartial in their coverage of political partys as part of their public funding, do other TV broadcasters have to follow the same impartiality laws?

 

[worsleyweb]

Where are you looking to put them?

Syria?

 

[blue_paul]

Over the past couple of years there have been some momentous political upheavals. Brexit and the general election if nothing else has highlighted the deep divisions across much of our society.

I think the country is now in a rapid decline that will only deepen divisions and eventually will lead to some pretty unpleasant domestic conflict within the next decade or two.

Rightly or wrongly my own realisation of how far things have gone was when I evaluated some of my own feelings. I am first and foremost English then British. I have no interest in being European, I have no problem with individuals from any other European country but I feel no affinity with them whatsoever and have no wish to be considered a fellow countryman or anything close. I feel I have much more in common with an Australian, New Zealander, Canadian or American.

It doesnt stop there though, I have also realised that I have nothing in common with anyone who voted remain, or for Corbyn...they are not the same English or British as me as far as I am concerned. Doesnt make them any better or worse but I do not feel any kinship with them. Nor would I ever be in a relationship or close friendship with such a person, doesnt make me wish them any harm, or mean I dislike them as a person but will generally try to have fuck all to do with them. I simply do not wish to live the kind of life they wish for, I despise what they believe in.

I fear for the future of this country, I see little reason to be optimistic regarding the future and can see nothing that could possibly bring the nation together.

Out of interest, are you an ex-squaddie with a liking for glasgow rangers?