https://www.moadoph.gov.au/blog/five-famous-australian-cross-party-friendships/#

In the above article there were five Australian friendships across party lines. Menzies and Chifley were an example.

In the US Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were examples of friendships across party lines.

https://www.businessinsider.com/nine-famous-political-friendships-transcend-party-lines-2018-11 lists others.

https://www.businessinsider.com/nine-famous-political-friendships-transcend-party-lines-2018-11#german-chancellor-angela-merkel-and-former-french-president-nicholas-sarkozy-11

The above lists political friendships that transcend party and country.

In some discussions on olo people with different political opinions call each other names. The discussion might be improved if people of different opinions would stop calling each other insulting names and could even be friends like the examples above.

David,
If you delete the ‘s’ from ‘https’ the OLO system will automatically convert your link to one in red, which allows instant access without having to copy.
It’s just an OLO thing.

At a Pommy football match;

Little Dick a Liverpool fan finds himself seated among a bunch of Bovver Boys from Manchester United! The Bovver Boys get angry with poor Dick, its a very cold day and one orders Dick to go get us cups of "Boveril", seems Bovver Boys like Boveril! The Bovver Boys order Dick to; "take off ya shoes and leave em' here, or we'll bash ya...now, get our Boveril!". When Dick returns with the lads drinks, he discovers, someone has crapped in his shoes. The Bovver Boys order poor little Dick to; "put ya bloody shoes on, or we'll bash ya!"..

Leaving the ground after the match saddened by Liverpools 3 nil loss to the Red Devils, Dick is confronted by a news reported and asked; "What do you think will stop violence from football fans?"

Dick; "I don't think violence will ever stop at footy matches, as long as they keep CRAPPING IN OUR SHOES........and we keep pissing in their BOVERIL!"

Dear Paul,

Brilliant!

Dear David,

Thank you for this discussion.

Disagreement without rancor?

That would be lovely.

However on a public forum such as this one - where
all sorts of contributors take part - inevitably
things can, and do, get heated at times, and people
will react if the right buttons are pushed.

Still, as you point out - all of us do need to try
harder to be civil. It is normal to be angry and
react, when being personally attacked. Also when
falsehoods are being proclaimed - it's also normal
to again react.

But you are right - we do need to try harder, difficult
as it may be at times.

Dear Foxy,

I am unreasonable. I would like to live in a world where people would discuss differences without personal attacks, sarcasm, name-calling or other distractions from a calm, rational discussion, but it is not this world.

Dear David,

I think you are one of the most reasonable posters on
this forum. I enjoy reading what you have to say.
I enjoy discussions where people disagree but are
well-matched in their arguments. It's like watching a
good game of chess.

I enjoy shows like QandA and Insiders - that have panel
members with different views.

Dear David,

There's an interesting story that I found on the web.
We're told that:

"When Michael Reagan attended the 2004 funeral of his
father, former US president Ronald Reagan, the man
sitting behind him, he recalls, was the last leader
of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev."

Michael Reagan recalled Gorbachev telling him that:

"Every time my father and him met, my father would
always end every meeting with "If it's God's will."
And Mikhail Gorbachev would say to me, "I would look
around the room to see if God was there."

"Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, capitalist and
communist were an unlikely pairing. But their series of
high profile summits have been praised for helping to
end the cold war. Together they negotiated a landmark deal
in 1987 to scrap intermediate-range nuclear missiles."

I believe that even Margaret Thatcher had said that she
could do business with Gorbachev.

Which goes to show - how things can work - given a chance.

I think Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev could think beyond what benefits them and their interests. I don't think Trump can.

Dear David,

Trump scares the daylights out of me.

Any idea what's preventing cross party friendships? Is it just intolerance? Or is something else involved?
Would having a common enemy help? I'm reminded a bit of the '90s British TV drama An Independent Man (starring George Cole, who's better known for paying Arthur Daley)

_______________________________________________________________________________

Paul,
Another version of that story (the original AFAIK) was told by Billy Connolly. His version was set at an Old Firm Derby. The Celtic fans go to one end of the stadium, the Rangers fans to the other end. Someone gets drunk and accidentally goes to the wrong end...

Dear Aidan,

Cross-party friendships do exist. As David pointed out -
they're usually made up of people who're capable of
thinking beyond the box. And as Ronal Reagan said:

"There's no limit to the amount of good you can do
if you don't care who gets the credit."

Can you name an Australian politician with such a mindset?

I may be wrong but to me our current PM comes to mind.
At least he's trying to unite people.

"At least he's trying to unite people."

Q! - Around what, exactly?
Q2 - And for what purpose?

If I was to get 2 magnets, and try to force the poles together, when they don't want to be joined as one, what is the purpose of it?

The left and the right, and all the other groups diametrically opposed each other...

ARE NEVER GOING TO AGREE.

It would be better if we just accepted this disagreement on the face value,
- than to think that somehow feminists and mysogynists (as an example) would ever find any common ground.

Tell me Foxy how do you get a feminist and a misogynist to unite on common ground?

And Q3

What sort of an actual mess does one create in trying to unite the un-uniteable?

In my opinion, all you create is one giant shite-fest.

AC,

There is a time when politicians must choose between what
is easy and what is right and a former US President Ronald
Reagan once said - "There is no limit to the amount of
good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit."

And Reagan a capitalist and Mikhail Gorbachev a communist,
were able to come together and negotiate a landmark deal
in 1987 to scrap intermediate-range nuclear missiles.
Their series of high profile summits have been praised for
helping to end the cold war.

Our current PM is trying to get people to talk to each
other exchange ideas and be involved in finding better
solutions for the good of everyone's interest and the
nation's. And for that we should all be grateful.

Knowledge is better shared and applied. Not what team you're on.
It's the end result that counts.

We all need to keep an open mind.
We can have very strong and well thought out views about some matter.
But at the same time we must be aware that there are alternative views.
By thinking about another person's ideas, we can perhaps learn something?
And modify our own ideas to include a new concept?
We can learn and grow by listening to others.
But having a closed mind is like a dead end street.
It can be very well made, but eventually it goes nowhere.

Hi IF,

Well said.

Not many accidents on dead end streets.

Nice idea for a discussion David. I find that speaking with people with different perspectives makes you think more critically about your own beliefs. The ideas that people cannot get along because they think differently and that someone is a bad person for having a particular belief are the basis of much unnecessary conflict.

"Our current PM is trying to get people to talk to each
other exchange ideas and be involved in finding better
solutions for the good of everyone's interest and the
nation's. And for that we should all be grateful."

Well that's nice.
All warm and fuzzy and cosy and wonderful.
- Like fresh smelling linen just out of the dryer.

"...for that we should all be grateful"

Why should we all be grateful?
Isn't it his job to do these things already;
Isn't doing these things what we should expect from him?
- You make it sound like the citizens of Australia should send him a 'thank-you' card for going 'above and beyond'.

"It's the end result that counts."

What if people don't agree on what those end results are?

Hi AC,

Yes the PM is doing his job. A great job. But
he's an exception. Not every politician
is of the same ilk as he is. And of course
in our system of government if you don't
like the job that's being done you can vote
people out. As we saw happen in our last election.