I've been trying to write this post for some time. The last few weeks have been quite eye-opening to me, as well as worrying and depressing. I'm so bloody dismayed and angry at the state of the UK and its politics, and how powerless we are to make any real change now.

One of the biggest problems, in my opinion, is the sheer stupidity of the tribalism. Red vs Blue mindsets, powered by the mainstream TV and press, and even more by social media, have turned politics into a shouting match rather than a space for real debate. It feels like every issue is reduced to a football rivalry, with people picking sides and refusing to listen to anything that doesn’t fit their team’s narrative.

Take the current "welfare reform" bill passing through the House of Commons, for example. It’s been pitched as a way to save the UK’s budget around £5bn, but at what cost? As a disabled person, I’ve been saddened and angered by the deeply ableist nature of our society, and how this bill seems to target the most vulnerable under the guise of “fiscal responsibility.” The conversations I see, both in Parliament and online, rarely touch on the real impact these cuts will have on people’s lives. Instead, it’s all about scoring points, blaming the other side, and ignoring the human cost.

I’ve felt this personally. People I’ve followed and interacted with on social media, people I once thought of as “decent”, respond with things like “good luck with Reform” or “it would be worse under the Tories” whenever I or others affected by the bill raise concerns or protest. It’s become a daily battle, trying to leave a suitable reply, then blocking and moving on. I’ve become part of Angry Twitter, something I genuinely try to avoid, but it’s frustrating, rage-inducing, and exhausting to watch politicians and commentators debate our lives as if we’re just numbers on a spreadsheet.

Worse still is the rise of a third tribe: the far-right racists. Too many posts about disability cuts and their effects end up tainted by vile, racist comments blaming everything on immigration. It makes me sick.

What’s most depressing is how tribalism has made serious, considered, informed political opinion a thing of the past. It’s hard to have a real conversation about policy when everyone is more interested in “winning” than in listening or learning.

But it’s not just tribalism that’s the problem. Misinformation is everywhere, fanning the flames and making it even harder to have honest conversations. Social media is full of half-truths, out-of-context clips, and outright lies, all designed to provoke outrage and keep us divided. The mainstream press isn’t much better—so many headlines are written to grab attention rather than inform, and facts get twisted to fit whatever narrative is most convenient for the “side” they’re on.

It’s exhausting trying to keep up, to fact-check everything, and to push back against the constant tide of misleading or false information. And when you try to correct the record, you’re often shouted down or accused of being part of the “other side.” It’s no wonder so many people just give up and retreat into their own echo chambers.

I don’t have all the answers, but I wish we could move beyond this toxic partisanship. I wish we could talk about what actually matters - about people, about fairness, about the kind of society we want to live in. Maybe that’s naive, but I don’t think it’s too much to ask.