You are sooo wrong. Clearly you haven’t been reading on here very long. The covid thread will put you in the picture. Then there is the war in Ukraine thread. Just two where as you say ‘right wingers’ have opposite opinions but strangely there is no name calling or labelling. My line of agree to disagree actually fits in those threads !!!

I guess the wider issue is just how polarised wider society has become. With perhaps football/sporting message boards being studied in the future as great examples of how the internet changed all kinds of discourse?

Back in their earliest forms both here and the BBS were amongst the forerunners of what we now call 'social media' and I know that on the BBS we would have all manner of events such as Christmas lunches, big meet ups (prior to the 5-0 Brighton match there must have been 100 plus of us in a basement bar in Victoria on a Friday night. Standing room only).

And people still argued and fell out but something changed, probably from about 2014 onwards.

Brexit really was a defining moment and I confess to never truly understanding just how much the EU meant to the Remainers. When I went and voted that day I truly believed the matter would effectively be settled. If Remain had won then as far as I was concerned, that was it. I had wanted a vote, been given that and if my side lost, that was it. Done and dusted. Never gave a moments thought to what the Remain side would go on and try to do in terms of over-turning it.

Lost friends over it, even to this day barely talking to people who before I had considered to be friends.

And that division continues to this day. Stoked up even more. Genuinely think we are past a tipping point now where nothing can ever be settled by the ballot box again because neither side is willing to cede to the other anymore.

Now of course, as a rabid Right Winger, I would make all kinds of passionate arguments about why this is the fault of the Left but the truth is that it does take two sides to tango. And I have relished this dance and still do.

Perhaps when we finally reach the brink when Jaw-Jaw switches to War-War we might all back down but I fear not. Just a case of when now rather than if. Because lines have been drawn in the sand. Unwilling, as things stand, to back down over them.

"The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." - 1984 - George Orwell.

I am sure you all had some fantastic nights out. And with people happy to share a drink who held all kinds of contrasting views.

But now?

Out of interest do you keep an eye on the average age of posters? And how many youngsters do you get registering new accounts?

"The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command." - 1984 - George Orwell.

Very interesting.

The question is how far right? I'm saying that with genuinely little knowledge or insight. If it is indeed just a reaction to the far left and the meeting of fire with fire, I do fear swinging from one set of ideologues to another doesn't represent progress at all. In this country we have seen everything swing so far left the CONS are essentially the left and the LABS have just become a circus. I wish for the left to be ousted as much as wish not for a too far right govt.

I still maintain we are living in a 'post-common sense' political and social landscape. Oh for centricity and logic!

Now Zaha's got a bit of green grass ahead of him here... and finds Ambrose... not a bad effort!!!!

Exactly but much of the time the social conscience leaves the majority behind !

Wholeheartedly agree.

I've just read that the 'righter' of the bunch will not have the PM, it will be the leader of the 'moderates' which hopefully will strike a nice balance. How accurate a prediction that is I have no idea however, may just be wishful thinking for the Swedes on my part.

Now Zaha's got a bit of green grass ahead of him here... and finds Ambrose... not a bad effort!!!!