I've just discovered my brother-in-law is a freeper.

[Taxloss]

Or a Tory, as we call them in Britain. He plans to vote Conservative in the next election, he's just told me. He's a lovely guy and we get on like a house on fire, so I'm baffled as to why he's planning to vote Tory. It has really upset me.

[FuzzySlippers]

1. Are the Tories really so much different

than Labour these days?

[Taxloss]

2. Yes.

I would say more different than the Republicans and the Democrats.

[candy]

3. Get over it,!!!!!! Just avoid politics and enjoy your relationship..

We all have friends of different religions,why not different politics?

Lighten up!

[Taxloss]

4. That was my plan, but you're wrong to think this isn't a big deal.

Religion isn't a big deal in Britain, and it's really rare for someone of my age and class to meet someone who doesn;t vote Labour. It knocked me backwards that my fiancee's brother might be a Tory.

Lovely guy, though. And the same evening I discovered my sister-in-law is deep-red Socialist Labour

[u4ic]

5. My father

believes in unions, socialized health care, 'spreading the wealth'/helping the low income/disadvantaged, higher welfare/disability rates...and still votes Conservative (in Canada).

Go figure. :shrug: (he's also 80, and a Conservative back in his day is quite different than now)

[Taxloss]

6. It's a funny old world.

I remember being staggered that my mother votes Green, not Labour.

[NightTrain]

7. I'm sorry to hear that.

Have you tried talking to him, to find out why he's doing it? Perhaps you could get through to him somehow. Just a thought.

[Taxloss]

9. We had a long argument about it.

For about half of a family supper! I mean it's weird; me, my fiancee, my sister, my father and I are Labour; my mother in law and father in law are Communist; my mother is Green, and my sisters in law are socialist. I never expected to have a Tory lurking in this bunch.

[Taxloss]

10. Dupe. Delete.

[ComerPerro]

8. I thought you meant a literal "FReeper"

as in, "Hi, I have a user name at Free Republic . com and post regularly".

But, sucks man.

[MrModerate]

11. Never thought "Tory" was synonymous with "freeper"

Any more than "Republican" is . . .

Freepers are sick, mean whackos, where Republicans (voters, anyway) are Americans who disagree with most of the people on this board (and who are Sooooooo wrong about some things, but that muddies my argument, so I'm not going to go there).

Are Tories sick, mean whackos?

[Taxloss]

12. Well, Britain isn't so polarised.

Blair's betrayal of the Labour movement has left the political scene really confused. But frankly you'd have to be mad to want to vote Tory right now; they're a bunch of raving ultra-rightists.