I also do my best to input information of that sort for the benefit of English readers who may wish to know more of the entirely different situation in Scotland and the need to interpret UK data with care so far as Scottish constituencies are concerned.

Beyond that I sometimes take the opportunity to rubbish partisan comments by others. That does not mean excepting the party which I currently expect to vote for in the next elections, and I have made it clear more than once that in my view their distinguishing policy is neither necessary not desirable, though I will vote it for it reluctantly.

As a Unitarian, I am opposed to faith systems of any sort, be they religious or political. I have never been a member of any political party.

Oh woe is you!

I mean, really!
How naive you are.

Yeah, yeah – “hey I know, i’ll set up an online polling site where anyone can leave comments, and no-one will ever leave partisan comments.”
[rolls eyes]

If you want a dry academic exercise, then set up a proper forum with membership and control and moderation and qualified membership… I suspect you decided you want the hit count to climb up the blog polls to gain status… fine – just don’t bitch about the sideeffects of it!

The internet is *public space*… you are like a street performer, and all the people who post round here are the audience – get over it!

you’re in the *public arena* – you know you’re a major source of info – and you want to be… plus you’ve got your mugshot up on YouGov, career building.

So don’t have the cheek to take a swipe at the punters who’ve helped you up by visiting and contributing – as though there are an angelic bunch of disciples who toadyingly follow your instructions to the letter, and the rest a neandertha riff raff who are kicking down your sandcastle and “wooining evwyfing, mummy”.

EVERYONE who comes here makes partisan comments, and MOST do it in moderation and have rational discussions that are usually about 80% to do with the polls – that’s reasonable… obviously people who come here to visit are interested in politics and have feelings and views about things, it’s entirely unrealistic and disingenouous to demand that they don’t – we’re not a research group in a university statistics/poltiics department, we’re mix of people from all walks of life with varied experience and qualifications.

Frankly, I think you’re throwing your toys out of the pram.

If you want to do it properly to filter out the sh!theads, go for it (not these silly nuisance bolt ons that you’ve stuck on) – I might even help (as an engineer), but don’t bitch and moan at your own audience – that’s bad netiquette – very bad!

tsk…

I kind of feel sorry for you all!

You don’t have to ‘become’ a party in order to engage with politics. Feel free to vote Labour, or whoever, but they are just a party, and not remotely worth labelling yourself or anyone else with. Life is best when we are as un-tribal as possible, and we are free to relate to one another as human beings, rather than the embodiment of some category.