[Closed] Tim Farron

His voting record on LGBT issues is exemplary and his religious beliefs do not appear to impair his ability to be a reasonable human being.
There appears to be a concerted effort to embarrass him by professional excrement-stirrers in the media. Their efforts show more about them than about their target.

^This. I'm looking forward to voting for them on June 8th! 🙂

Do people believe that a person can seperate their values from their language and behaviours?

Everything we do, say and think is related to our values - why should an MP be any different? If Farron holds strong beliefs about homesexuality, I believe these values will play out in his working life.

Edit: Seen post above. Just voting for a policy is one part - how about all the parts leading up to new policies being introduced e.g. the priority he puts upon the bits of work he wants to spend time on.

edenvalleyboy - Member
Do people believe that a person can seperate their values from their language and behaviours?

Everything we do, say and think is related to our values - why should an MP be any different? If Farron holds strong beliefs about homesexuality, I believe these values will play out in his working life.

Sandwich - and she would be wrong as a more detailed analysis shows

I have read that open letter. Its written by a lib dem activist.

Try this analysis of his voting
https://stavvers.wordpress.com/2017/04/20/tim-farrons-homophobic-and-anti-choice-voting-history-in-easily-shareable-format/

http://bethgranter.com/blog/2017/04/tim-farron-has-voted-against-lgbt-rights-and-womens-rights/

He can attempt to weasel out of it all he wants but his record is clear. anti abortion and homophobic

and to add, TM will change her mind to suit her best interests and JC seems to like sacking people who defy his personal beliefs. Who you going to choose?

Who am I going to chose? I would vote for the candidate most likely to beat the tories even if that would mean holding my nose and voting lib dem
https://www.tactical2017.com/

@mikesmith - the person IS the belief system. It's basic sociology (not meaning that to come across as patronising).

Another way of looking at it. People also know how to integrate. Your friends will undoubtedly act one way in front of you (with them knowing your beliefs) and another in the comfort of their own value driven circle of friends.

Do you tell everyone you know all of your values? I bet you don't. You adapt to your social surroundings to fit in an be accepted.

Sandwich - Member
His voting record on LGBT issues is exemplary...

Do you know this, or are you just repeating what you heard on The Last Leg, verbatim? 🙄

@mikesmith - the person IS the belief system. It's basic sociology (not meaning that to come across as patronising).

Clegg gets a lot of stick from me (long term Lib Dem voter and donor) as he showed he has absolutely no convictions. Having stood on a platform of no tuition fee increases he waved through a threefold increase to £9k pa and he described the Alternative Vote as as "grubby little compromise" before campaigning for it in the Referendum 😯 He stands for absolutely nothing.

IMO the Lib Dems will not see a resurgence in this election. The coalition was a disaster for them and the prospect of an Labour/SNP alliance remains a key driver of the Tory vote in Lib Dem target seats in England.

Who am I going to chose? I would vote for the candidate most likely to beat the tories even if that would mean holding my nose and voting lib dem

There's nothing like voting with your hatred.

You aren't standing for anything; just against one thing.

It would make more sense if you voted for Labour because you believed in it against all common sense. It's how UKIP made great strides.

and the prospect of an Labour/SNP alliance remains a key driver of the Tory vote in Lib Dem target seats in England.

This. Although I think the lib dems are well aware of it.

the problem he faces is , given how the to books contradict each other on issues such as homosexuality, he is either a very poor christian or a very poor liberal.

Clegg was rubbish in that he capitulated on his principles to enable the Tories - I almost feel sorry for him /the party but not quite.

It's less than a week since the election was called. With over a month to go and a lot of ground to cover many things will change. We still have to see how the tories try and appease both side of their own support along with the kippers. May has to defend her record and changes of mind and all parties need to launch their Manifesto and more importantly their Brexit Plan.
It always appeared that TM wanted to commit to nothing until it was too late for any changes, she needs to come out with more of a plan than she has manged so far.

So the real message is give it a week. Then come back with the predictions.

There's nothing like voting with your hatred.
You aren't standing for anything; just against one thing.

In a two party system the best I can ever do is vote for the party most likely to beat the Tories * in the area where I live as nothing is worse that Tory rule.

You can call it hatred if you like or tactical voting as most folk do.

* does not include UKIP

Junkyard - Farrons position on christianity / the bible is the standard evangelical one " "Christianity is not a bit true. It's either wrong or utterly compellingly true" ie as he still states he is a Christian then to him every word of it is 100% true and right and he must follow the bible 100%

This is why he is dangerous in a way moderate Christians who accept the bible as a guide, as parables etc is not.

More analysis of his positions - from someone who is a christian and a lib dem

http://scottish-liberal.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/tim-farron-is-either-wrong-or.html

So will those criticising his views on homosexuality be happy now he has set his stall out at last?

greentricky - Member
So will those criticising his views on homosexuality be happy now he has set his stall out at last?

Bloody grubby line of questioning from the beginning.

Personally, I am going to be voting for the Lib Dems; I live in Oliver Fing Letwin's stronghold constituency. The only chance of one less nasty Tory is to vote Lib Dem. Frankly, Farron's religious views don't even enter into the equation. It's tactical [i]against the Tories[/i].

The Lib Dems are the only party around here that actually campaign for local people, and local people's concerns; the Conservatives have the luxury of sitting back in the knowledge that they are safe, despite the amount of cuts they are imposing on local and county NHS services, Mental health services, children's services, schools, special educational needs services, bus services, civic services . . . the list just goes on and on, yet still agricultural and silver haired people will still vote for the ftards.

But, hey . . . 'sovereignty', right?

In Dorset any national election vote for the Greens or Corbyn's shower-of-shite Momentum rabble is a vote that might as well not be cast.

So will those criticising his views on homosexuality be happy now he has set his stall out at last?

Not until partakes in gay sex on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square, but DD +1.

Clegg was rubbish in that he capitulated on his principles to enable the Tories

If Farron is perceived to be a threat by both the Tory/UKIP trolls on this forum and the Corbyn/Momentum trolls on this forum . . . well, that only strengthens my support for him.

I'd rather vote for somebody who recognises and reconciles a conflict in his beliefs than vote for the out-and-out spite merchants.

[url= https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2017/04/cruel-hounding-tim-farron-bloodsport-secularists/ ]Good article[/url]

With some great contributions from one chap in the comments section...

Tim Farron is the man of the moment. The voters have had enough of roast swan bones tossed down at them from the High Tables of Oxford, they are sick of Jamie Blair's overpriced Italian drizzles and they think Corbyn's vegetarian burritos will give them flatulence. The British people are pleading for Tim Farron's sausage, chips and beans. Forget the sandal of Corbyn, forget the kitten-heeled jackboot of the Maytriarch, it is the brown piss-catcher shoe on the foot of Farron that will be stepping into Downing Street on whatever the date is in June.

and

He's mild, he's bland, he has to rule this land, Tim Farron, Tim Farron.

"Good article"

Agree with every word. Mind you it's pretty much all been said on this thread already.

The trouble is that article does not address the problem - Farrons longstanding homophobia and his complete refusal to answer the questions.

He could have killed the whole line of questioning very simply by making a clear statement that homosexuality and homosexual sex is not a sin - but he can't do this as he is an evangelical Christian fundamentalist who believes every word of the bible is 100% true

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39703444

Seems like a straight answer to me.

Before all this I never new he was the Lib Dem leader so I guess it's raised his profile if nothing else!

grubby line of questioning from the beginning.

Indeed.

TJ, I think you're seeing it wrong on this one. I can't quote a dictionary definition of homophobia off the top of my head, but it's something like an irrational fear or loathing of homosexuals due to their sexuality - along those lines anyway. Farron quite clearly neither loathes, hates or fears homosexuals. A belief that gay sex is a sin, if that's what he believes, does not equate to a hatred or even dislike of gays. As I understand it, in his eyes, someone engaging in gay sex is no more wrong than sins committed by anyone else, including himself. It's disingenuous to think he looks down on or thinks he's better than gay people. I have a long standing admiration for your defence of the underdog and intolerance of bullying or oppressive behaviour, but on this one I think your stance is illogical and incorrect, and an unfair representation of Farron's position.

who believes every word of the bible is 100% true

So it seems if you really really need an excuse not to vote Lib Dem you can have one. Obviously a vote for a tory is going to go so very much better and none of them really hate people (and I mean really hate them not just accept that people can have different choices and it's not your place to pass judgement or laws on that)

TJ, I think you're seeing it wrong on this one. I can't quote a dictionary definition of homophobia off the top of my head, but it's something like an irrational fear or loathing of homosexuals due to their sexuality - along those lines anyway. Farron quite clearly neither loathes, hates or fears homosexuals. A belief that gay sex is a sin, if that's what he believes, does not equate to a hatred or even dislike of gays. As I understand it, in his eyes, someone engaging in gay sex is no more wrong than sins committed by anyone else, including himself. It's disingenuous to think he looks down on or thinks he's better than gay people.

Nicely put. FFS eating too much is a sin. If there were a culture that regularly over-ate would that make Farron a racist?

It's as ludicrous to think Farron has a problem with homosexual sex (a term nobody seems willing to define) as it would be to think he was going to make jealousy illegal.

The trouble is that article does not address the problem

TJ, Time to look up the meanings of the words "irony", "bigotry" and then the term "confirmation bias"

I met him at a local hustings (Montgomeryshire). it was surprising how knowledgeable he was about farming and the countryside. I also think its good he displays a tolerance for alternative lifestyles. The lib dems have some great ideas and I like their community spirit.

[quote=tjagain ]The trouble is that article does not address the problem

There is no spoon

I thought he came rather well out of this exchange:

[url= https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1293209427423664&id=986903328054277 ]Farron[/url]

Yea I saw that earlier, he comes across very well, especially as the leader of the tories and labour seem to be running away from any serious questions.

It'll be interesting to see how many empty chairs there are if the leadership debate goes ahead!

I think he comes across well because he's transparent and honest.
The whole homophbia thing is redicuous, he's consistently voted for gay rights etc.

May on the other hand.. Well.. Check her records online, they are free to view.

Here's a handy link to check what MPs actually vote for.

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/

God, I really miss Charles Kennedy 🙁

It turns out my local tory is homophic, thinks the disabled are a nuisance, a bit racist, and generally a nasty piece of work.

Shock horror.

Name names, Mattyfez?

"I think he comes across well because he's transparent and honest."

To be honest, I think he came across well because he's had training and experience in winning crazy voters over in confrontations with fake niceness, fake willingness to listen and fake sincerity.

Whatever the Modus Operandi he handled it well in my opinion and even the lunatic voter seemed quite nice in the end.

"God, I really miss Charles Kennedy"

Prompted by this I just checked Wikipedia and Farron is literally the worst ever Lib Dem leader (unless the one I don't remember was crap).

Paddy Pantsdown? He was awesomz, more Surfmat than Surfmat

I'm not going to name names, you can search all MPs voting records on the link I provided.

Then you can see for yourself what they do or do not stand for.

I thought he came rather well out of this exchange:

I thought so too. Not confident that many people would have.

To be honest, I think he came across well because he's had training and experience in winning crazy voters over in confrontations with fake niceness, fake willingness to listen and fake sincerity.

I'd agree that he handled it like he's had some media training - although they all have, surely? (even Dianne Abbot - whose name I always hear in a dead-ringers voice!) So I don't think that diminishes him vs everyone else.

As for was it fake - He didn't really get a word in! He politely challenged him a couple of times - but the bloke was raving like a loony. What set it apart was the comment to camera afterward...... exactly the right thing to say.

I'm not a lib dem, or a particular fan of Mr Farron - but I think he;s handled himself quite well in these last few days - more than can be said for many.

fun fact I did politics A level with him

He was always a liberal and always wanted to be a politician

He had not found god at this point

Yes he handled that very well and had some witty put downs about the other leaders but lets be honest if there is one skill the Lib Dem leader needs its dealing with folk who disagree with him and wont vote for him 😉

"I'd agree that he handled it like he's had some media training - although they all have, surely? So I don't think that diminishes him vs everyone else."

Deffo not, it's positive really. If your job is dealing with the media you'd better know how.

"As for was it fake - He didn't really get a word in! He politely challenged him a couple of times - but the bloke was raving like a loony. What set it apart was the comment to camera afterward...... exactly the right thing to say."

Yup, and genuine/trained aren't mutually exclusive, it's entirely possible he handled it well technically but that was also consistent with the way he likes to deal with people.

[quote=Junkyard ]lets be honest if there is one skill the Lib Dem leader needs its dealing with folk who disagree with him and wont vote for him

Meanwhile TM has no experience at all of this (at least not those who are voters - it appears that when she has to deal with those who disagree with her she's not very good at it).