The first Facebook election
Discussion
Facebook came of age in 2006, the last general election was 2005.
It seems that although it's not the done thing to discuss politics in polite circles, it's ok to do so on Facebook - to all your friends and acquaintances.
Various friends came out as LibDems during the TV debates, and the ensuing hoo-ha and false polls. They were giving it the big 'we are', and waiting for their time. All were very derisory of the last Tory government and indicating they'd hate the Tories to be back in charge.
The morning after the election when it became obvious the LDs performed worse than in 2005 - they were all very subdued. Since then, the slagging off has continued. All have made their views of a Tory-LD coalition quite clear.
I don't understand these people - do they want to share power and soften the blow of a Tory government, while resolving the country's significant problems together - or do they want a paralysed government and the Greek problem to approach, not like a ripple, but roaring and destructive like a tsuanmi?
Some friends have even come out as Labourites - even worse!
Your own personal Facebook experiences around the election pls?
It seems that although it's not the done thing to discuss politics in polite circles, it's ok to do so on Facebook - to all your friends and acquaintances.
Various friends came out as LibDems during the TV debates, and the ensuing hoo-ha and false polls. They were giving it the big 'we are', and waiting for their time. All were very derisory of the last Tory government and indicating they'd hate the Tories to be back in charge.
The morning after the election when it became obvious the LDs performed worse than in 2005 - they were all very subdued. Since then, the slagging off has continued. All have made their views of a Tory-LD coalition quite clear.
I don't understand these people - do they want to share power and soften the blow of a Tory government, while resolving the country's significant problems together - or do they want a paralysed government and the Greek problem to approach, not like a ripple, but roaring and destructive like a tsuanmi?
Some friends have even come out as Labourites - even worse!
Your own personal Facebook experiences around the election pls?
Just like all online forums.Most of my friends are Lib Dems. I havent spoken to them since mentioning that i was voting Tory.
They aren't well versed in economic and historical facts - as soon as try to explain anything to them - it eiher results in anger or yawning. I guess it's really my fault for hanging around with Artists instead of Accountants. :-|
They aren't well versed in economic and historical facts - as soon as try to explain anything to them - it eiher results in anger or yawning. I guess it's really my fault for hanging around with Artists instead of Accountants. :-|
I ended up removing several people from my friendlist on Facebook because they turned in to rabid Lib Dems over night and invited me to Lib Dem groups and fanpages daily. Even a "I'm not interested" didn't deter them, and they were constantly sticking up "Reasons why I'll vote Lib Dem" in their status every hour so it was constantly on the feed front page. So I removed them, and enjoyed peace and quiet for a while.
I think a fair few of them shot their own party in the foot with this, they were worse than Jehova's Witnesses and nobody likes THEM so why would being as bad as a mad relgious group win people over to your side?
And yes I'm getting the whining from those that are left on my Facebook as well (the ones that were less rabid at the time).
I think a fair few of them shot their own party in the foot with this, they were worse than Jehova's Witnesses and nobody likes THEM so why would being as bad as a mad relgious group win people over to your side?
And yes I'm getting the whining from those that are left on my Facebook as well (the ones that were less rabid at the time).
teapea said:
I have discovered through facebook that almost all of my friends support labour or lib dem. and that most people I know think that to be a tory supporter you either have to be "rich" or "posh"
One of my friends who has come out all LibDem and social conscience on me is a senior manager for a very well known global brand and has recently bought a £500k plus house.
There's been some good writing on this subject (particularly from Chris Dillow) of late. The gist of it is that so-called "new media" and traditional media outlets are all arguing about who managed to capture the hearts and minds of the public.
All very well... BUT:
The Lib Dems stayed in mostly the same place. This is particularly surprising when you consider the public were a lot more upset with Labour than they were in 2005. So while Facebook was full of people joining "vote Lib Dem!" groups and posting Liberal Democrat supporting messages in their status bar, it actually made no difference at all.
Same with television. It may have done wonders for Nick Clegg, but it didn't make anybody reappraise their crusty old local Lib Dem MP in any new light.
Print media? Well, more people voted Conservative this time out, no doubt about it. Then again... wouldn't you expect them to? Brown's government was astonishingly unpopular. The Tories did well in their homelands, and they did well in the swing constituencies that normally come out to punish unhappy incumbents. For all that the press managed to so wittily and originally append the word "gate" to a story about the word "bigot", the people who that story was targeted at still went out and voted Labour. Gillian Duffy's Rochdale home even ousted the Lib Dems in favour of Labour.
The reality is that for all the stupid, misinformed and tribal reasons people vote for their MP, at least those reasons are their own and nothing to do with what their Facebook mates or the Sun are telling them.
All very well... BUT:
- Facebook and social media came out almost entirely Liberal Democrat.
- Television - particularly the debates - spend most of its time claiming Nick Clegg was "winning" everything in sight.
- The print media came out almost overwhelmingly Tory or Liberal Democrat.
The Lib Dems stayed in mostly the same place. This is particularly surprising when you consider the public were a lot more upset with Labour than they were in 2005. So while Facebook was full of people joining "vote Lib Dem!" groups and posting Liberal Democrat supporting messages in their status bar, it actually made no difference at all.
Same with television. It may have done wonders for Nick Clegg, but it didn't make anybody reappraise their crusty old local Lib Dem MP in any new light.
Print media? Well, more people voted Conservative this time out, no doubt about it. Then again... wouldn't you expect them to? Brown's government was astonishingly unpopular. The Tories did well in their homelands, and they did well in the swing constituencies that normally come out to punish unhappy incumbents. For all that the press managed to so wittily and originally append the word "gate" to a story about the word "bigot", the people who that story was targeted at still went out and voted Labour. Gillian Duffy's Rochdale home even ousted the Lib Dems in favour of Labour.
The reality is that for all the stupid, misinformed and tribal reasons people vote for their MP, at least those reasons are their own and nothing to do with what their Facebook mates or the Sun are telling them.
teapea said:
I wonder if all the people who came out lib dem on facebook, i.e. most of my friends, simply couldn't be bothered to turn out and vote.
Do you consider your friends representative of the nation in general? I'd suggest the sample size is too small and they probably aren't representative either.
s I lost about 4 so called friends during the run up. But I was posting about the one eyed slacked jawed dictator on a daily basis and calling anyone who votes for him being akin to a turkey voting for Christmas. The final straw was when I stated numpties shouldn't get a vote, long term workshy, prisoners, etc. I must have upset a few when I suggested workhouses and forced labour for benefits.
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