Today is local election day and my wife and I have cast our votes. We voted differently. We always have. I voted in the hope that my small contribution will form part of a drive towards ‘Remain’ or the revocation if Article 50.
At times our ‘discussions’ about the overarching Brexit situation have degenerated to physical assault (her on me, to be clear).
Any others here experience this situation with their partners and how do you handle it?
Not a partner, but my parents: I voted Remain; they voted to Leave. Both are well-balanced, non-racists (with a mixed-race granddaughter and Sri Lankan in-laws). I know certain publications would have you believe all Leavers spend Friday evenings polishing their Nazi memorabilia, but that’s not the case here.
Happily we are perfectly aligned, other than on The Mighty Tull.
My parents were opposed. Or, rather, my father was a militant leftie and my Mum was a pragmatist. When he decided to “persuade” her (with force), that Mrs Thatcher had to be despatched, that was the cue for Mum and me to leave.
I watched it and it was awful. I never forgave him, so we didn’t talk for 30+ years and he died alone. I didn’t attend the funeral (and I was asked to pay for it, too, as he was broke).
Good God – that is awful and I am sure anyone reading this would have sympathy with all of you.
In general terms I understand the pragmatic position taken by your Mum. That is the standpoint of my wife who is a civil servant and is, by default, professionally committed to take such a pragmatic stance.
I struggle with her inability to discuss the significance of her vote and it’s consequences irrespective of her professional commitment.
Thanks, but we did OK. Lucky kid, in a way, as I didn’t know any different. My stepfather was lovely and, when home life was normal, my exam grades fell off a cliff.
I still don’t understand how, after all that, my Mum took up reading the Daily Heil and voted Leave. We don’t talk about it.
That is understandable.
My grandad was a leader of one of the first unions in St.Helens. He was a ‘ringleader’ of a strike and was thrown in jail for a few nights. My nan couldn’t stand it and made him resign from the union. Henceforth, in a staunch Labour seat, she always voted Tory to cancel his vote out. Perhaps, your mum continues to rail against your dad’s politics?
Otherwise, my grandparents marriage was great.
I don’t think she cares for domestic politics either way.
Her best friend is a Polish immigrant, her daughter-in-law is French/Spanish, my job will likely be impacted by Brexit, yet she sees no reason not to vote to keep Europeans out. As an engineer, I see this as highly illogical, captain.
The way people vote has nothing to do with logic.
The Suffragettes were wrong, all along.
As the Dog says, that’s awful. My folks always voted against each other, him son of a pharmacist, one of the first people to get a grant to go to university and she the daughter of a Cardiff docks welder. You can imagine the different perspectives. Thankfully they split up on a more or less civilised basis.
It/he was awful at the time, but it made me who I am now – educated, travelled, liberal, professional, a proud husband and father, married to a foreigner, enjoy my job.
My 1970s and early 80s were pretty awful, mostly because his union took part in sympathy strikes with the miners, nurses, bin men, car workers, you name it. We were always broke.
There’s no better motivation to pass my exams than having a father like mine. He told me school was pointless as I didn’t need certificates to earn a living (he worked trackside on the railways). I broke school records (I took, and passed, 12 O’levels), was the first in my family to go to university, earned more than my mum (an accountant) by the time I was 25, owned a house by my mid-30s. He would have hated me, a “management ponce” (or some other claptrap).
I’m still not keen on politics (I stay off those threads, apart from Brexit because it will affect my kids), steam trains or country music.
Strewth. If it had been me, I’d have only paid the funeral costs if I could have had a huge floral display saying “Good Riddance”.
Not Mrs. T, but my sister. We grew up in an aspiring middle class famly in East London and my parents were Conservatives. The MP was Winston Churchill, and I have a memory of being lifted onto my Dad’s shoulders to see him arrive at the local Conservative Club. Growing up in the 60s I was having none of that malarkey and went full on lefty, especially after leaving home for further education. I do remember some discussions and arguments, but nothing serious enough to sever the family.
Brexit is different. After a couple of large dry white wines, my sister goes all islamaphobic UKIP. It is horrendous.