I used to be pretty interested in current affairs; R4 Today/PM in the car on the way to and from work, regular browsing of the Beeb and Guardian news apps etc. Lately though I’m wondering why I bother. It’s especially come to a head with all the election stuff; I know how I’m going to vote (LibDem FWIW), I know I’ll end up with a Tory MP anyway (yay for living in the Cotswolds), I’m pretty sure BoJo will be PM, as effing appalling a prospect that is.

On top of that the environment is f****d, nothing will be done of enough substance to stop that so it’s just a matter if time until the inevitable consequences are felt, Brexit will happen in some way or other regardless of how I feel about that and various other geopolitical shitshows may or may not have an impact on my everyday life. There’s absolutely sod all I can do about any of this, so why do I care about listening to/reading about it?

Have a read of this instead

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Notes-Nervous-Planet-Matt-Haig/dp/1786892677

I understand what you mean. The problem is that, if you do stop exposing yourself to news and current events, you insulate yourself away from the things that you should be challenging. That won’t help you, it will just make you feel even less engaged with things.

News is mainly bad things happening in the world, because that is what is deemed significant. You just have to look past that and try and assess it all impartially.

you insulate yourself away from the things that you should be challenging

Tell me how I challenge, with any likelihood of making a significant impact, the inevitabilities of catastrophic climate change, Brexit or a Tory government and I’m all ears.

I agree. It all seems a waste of time especially the election as I have a postal vote so voted this morning

I watch the news at 6pm every night on bbc1. not for the news content, just to see the lovely Sophie Rayworth. she gives me a nice warm feeling.

I like reading the news, read the Guardian, Independent, Economist, FT, Sunday Times every day / week. But for some reason, can’t stand listening to it on the Radio and we don’t have a TV. Means I have no idea what any politician sounds like but I know all their policies.

I also find developing an emotional disengagement to Politics is a good way to be. A know people in Labour / Momentum, who will probably be at risk of suicide if the Tories get a big majority as for them this elections means everything, the ultimate battle of good verses evil etc.

Sadly, when you lose interest in politics it doesn’t mean politics loses interest in you and when ‘normal’ people walk away all it does is leave the way clear for the headbangers.

Hang on in there, I suspect a whole swath of the country feels likewise and there may be some surprises come the 12th.

Getting involved in campaigning again in the last few years has actually done me quite a bit of good, I’m fully aware that I can’t change the world on my own but I’ve met a lot of really decent people all pulling in the same direction and realised I’m not just on my own screaming into the void.

I’m fed up to the back teeth of all the lies (from the tories) promises of spending more than the Royal Mint have ever even produced (labour) & just general shite from all the others.
The best news i could hear would be that theyv’e all been sacked & wev’e got new MP’s from another planet whov’e travelled a few light years to sort the place out. Cos as far as i can see, wer’e ****.

I feel very much like you IHN. Some good advice above but can’t help feeling we’re all ultimately ****. Makes me depressed/worried for my kids more than anything.

I gave up on TV news years ago and never listen to radio news.

I do read the guardian every day tho and check other papers for particular stories

The problem is that, if you do stop exposing yourself to news and current events, you insulate yourself away from the things that you should be challenging.

True but the quality of journalism particularly on R4 seems to be taking a dive. It tends to be confrontational for the sake of it (or at least with little hope of adding to the story) and the journalists seem completely incapable of understanding or challenging statistics particularly when they are presented with a cause that the public and the journalist will instinctively side with.

It’s getting so bad that an interviewer the other morning almost succeeded in making Michael Gove, in full condescending arrogant mode, seem reasonable.

Amongst the guys I work with only a handful seem to be up to date with current affairs, and I fear that is why we are heading for the abyss of another Tory government on the 12th.

True but the quality of journalism particularly on R4 seems to be taking a dive. It tends to be confrontational for the sake of it

Agreed, I don’t know why anyone bothers going on it, Boris etc have shown there is no need to be interviewed. Not R4, but after JC’s mauling with Andrew Neil, Bojo won’t make the same mistake of taking part as he has far more to lose from participating than he could ever gain. Daft state of affairs.

The BBC (radio) news is **** appalling & I don’t watch the news on TV. I’ll read the Grauniad, Indie and occasionally the odd Torygraph article. And this-

Tell me how I challenge, with any likelihood of making a significant impact, the inevitabilities of catastrophic climate change, Brexit or a Tory government and I’m all ears.

Revolution? I’m with you if you fancy it.

I’ve switched off from the election stuff. My vote is based purely on doing what gives the best chance of a non-Tory mp in my constituency. As far as I’m concerned letting Boris take us out of the EU will do more damage to this country than anything any other party could do in a single parliamentary term.

Sadly, when you lose interest in politics it doesn’t mean politics loses interest in you and when ‘normal’ people walk away all it does is leave the way clear for the headbangers.

I’m not advocating disengagement from politics, I will absolutely vote and think everyone should. I do know though that my vote will not stop a Tory MP being elected in my constituency, he currently has a majority of 25,499, with 60.6% of the vote last time.

screaming into the void

I think I’m advocating accepting that the void is there and you can’t fill it, rather than screaming into it.

Similarly blessed with a Tory majority of 28,000, my vote won’t count for much. I gave up buying the Guardian when it moved to the right post-Rusbridger but I find the comments in response to newspaper articles on FB often illuminating and amusing, providing a nice balance. I only see the telly in pubs and hotels and am constantly reassured I’m not missing much. I’m interested in current affairs but when exposed to the media I’m mostly looking for their selection/angle/take/technique in putting over a particular view.

I stopped watching the BBC News after the referendum.. Glad I did really because if i exposed myself to the raging morons I too would become one, and I’m better than that.

What I dislike is the constant exposure to it all. There is no need to listen every half/hour to the BBC saying the same old garbage about lyingbohard and his enormous ego.

The news should be once every 4hours starting at 0600 on the radio and once at 10pm on the tv.

I’m pretty sure BoJo will be PM, as effing appalling a prospect that is.

That isn’t a certainty is it.

Vote against the lying idiot and he won’t be PM.

You have to understand how insignificant you are. In a country of 65 million you are effectively nobody. You’re the active ingredient in homeopathy.

A person can never really comprehend that. Like interstellar distance. Our brains are just not wired up that way.

But trying to understand it helps.
Pick smaller battles – reducing the pool of others increases your significance and agency. Make an improvement in your local area. Or your garden.

Also, having a fuckton more sex than you currently are really helps with existential despair.

I have spoken.

Gave up some months ago. Changed my facebook pssword to a random one so I can’t go there either. Feel much better for it.

That isn’t a certainty is it.

I’m going to say yes, it is. I’ll happily take a gentleman’s wager on it.

Vote against the lying idiot and he won’t be PM.

Sadly we don’t vote for the PM, we vote for our MP, and my MP will be a Tory regardless of how I vote.

You have to understand how insignificant you are. In a country of 65 million you are effectively nobody. You’re the active ingredient in homeopathy.
A person can never really comprehend that.

I think what I’m saying is that this is the comprehension that I am now discovering.

I’m with you on this, spent a few years in the late 90’s with no telly and found that not knowing about stuff doesn’t really make much actual difference to one’s life but one person can still make an impact on issues and can be a catalyst for change so don’t give up on trying.
Anyone recommend a better news outlet than R4 – as above needlessly confrontational interviewing does my head in.

This is a worrying trend. “The news isn’t reporting news I like”, so people either switch off or gravitate to news sources that are exclusively skewed to the opinions they want to hear.

Soak it all up, from every angle.

Keeps me informed (or manipulated) and entertained.

This is a worrying trend. “The news isn’t reporting news I like”, so people either switch off or gravitate to news sources that are exclusively skewed to the opinions they want to hear.

Or the news is just becoming short attention span based sensationalist drivel and ignores the complexity of the underlying issues, so I don’t bother listening to it.

The First Past the Post System really doesn’t help as in many seats, it’s a foregone conclusion who will win / lose. Proportional representation would mean everyone has an influence and might get people more engaged.

In short yes.

I’ve removed most of my News apps from my devices, But my Twitter feed is still a endless stream of Brexit and Election news, half truths and outright fabrications from every faction.

I’ve decided that whilst it’s important to be an informed voter, that after I vote I’m giving up caring about politics, there’s good and there’s bad people involved, but on balance it’s a toxic business.

I’d join in a revolution if someone wants to start one, but this democracy lark is past its sell-by date. The morons have voted for chlorinated chicken, and they will soon vote for continued austerity and NHS waiting lists. So let them have their democracy good and hard – I’m lucky enough that I can bear the consequences, so I’m done with it.

You have to understand how insignificant you are. In a country of 65 million you are effectively nobody

Balderbash and piffle. Excuse my french

I think my interest in the news waned not with all this fake news but when they stopped putting a human interest story at the end (bunny rabbit found on the motorway found safe and well type of thing). I say brig this back and people wont get so miserable about the news.

At the end of the day, we are all living through a period of huge upheaval in this country that is massively changing things. The implications of this chaos are huge and will last generations. Yo

I get frustrated and depressed in equal measure by Brexit and where we are, but still find the twists and turns of it absolutely fascinating… in a slow-motion car crash sort of way, so consume loads of news.

I get my ‘proper’ news from the Guardian and Channel 4 news, but I bought the Times yesterday just to compare their analysis on a ‘know your enemy’ basis. I also follow the Twitter accounts of Corbynite far left headbangers and far right wing Brexiteer fruitloops to get that angle too

The problem i think is that there is no longer any difference between politics and business.

Our politicains can all seemingly lie us much as they like, and seem to all have some sort of finger in the pie so to speak, so i just can’t believe a single thing they say, due to a confilict of interests that seems to be tollerated by the “system” these days…..

This is a worrying trend. “The news isn’t reporting news I like”, so people either switch off or gravitate to news sources that are exclusively skewed to the opinions they want to hear.

I agree, however…

Soak it all up, from every angle.

…what does that acheive?

The problem i think is that there is no longer any difference between politics and business.

This. The idea that quality of life should come at the expense of the planet and other people is just wrong. I’ve said it before in similar threads, capitalism needs to be break (or be broken) in order to move on. The news agencies’ obsession with the economy is (part of) the issue. It doesn’t matter, it really doesn’t **** matter when you end up with people dying because of it (austerity). Crash it and move on.

At the end of the day, we are all living through a period of huge upheaval in this country that is massively changing things. The implications of this chaos are huge and will last generations. Yo

I torn between that, or it’s just a perfect storm of small issues that are causing a great big one.

Really, it should be the end of the 2 party system, but FPTP maintains the status quo and I’m not sure if, say, the LD over-took Labour and became one of the ‘big two’ again they’d be as happy to tear it all up.

I listen to the radio while wrecking the environment by driving to and from work and I have also given up on politics so I toggle between R4 and R3; switching over to R3 as soon as politics comes on R4. The problem with that is that PM on R4 is not always politics; it often has interesting stuff on and I enjoy that and don’t want to miss it.

My knowledge and understanding of music has definitely improved though thanks to Brexit; Radio 3 is excellent in the evenings as they feature studio guests, some of whom are quite jazzy or folky and always interesting when they talk about their music.

Not “slowly giving up”, have given up. BBC Brexit TV in the mornings particularly. Reporting absolutely NOTHING for days and days until I just switched to BBC2 after the weather every morning.
Last week was Dom Does the USA and it was quite entertaining. Replaced by a cheesy murder investigation thing, so I just watch something off my Sky box. Danny’s House this morning, quite a laugh.

Vote against the lying idiot and he won’t be PM.

Sadly we don’t vote for the PM, we vote for our MP, and my MP will be a Tory regardless of how I vote.

Doesn’t have to be, if you don’t vote for him/it/them.

I turned off my radio to stop getting angry / depressed at the news. I found myself shouting at the radio and getting to work already pissed off.

Once I did that I listened to either nothing, or some interesting podcasts, life did get a little better.

I dont do social media (except STW), I do read the Guardian website for news, but only the articals that interst me, so avoid the pointless politics etc.

I live in a Tory majority, so my vote is also a complete waste.