"So you allowed yourself to be co-opted into the biggest group of arrogant, ignorant opinionated arseholes on the planet, devoid of empathy and compassion and most of all real life experience, and decided that was the measure of Tory voters across the board?"

No - but I had plenty of insight on how the party machine works on a branch, constituency and county level, and we were politically active as you might expect being guided by a chap like Nick (who I really liked, despite being politically miles apart from him). Allowed myself to be co-opted? No way, I worked to being co-opted because I was interested in politics, even at that tender age. Shine on, when you're canvassing for a tory on a rough estate full of angry people being hit the hardest you can either listen and learn or turn the other cheek, and life is for learning.

To think you get a skewed viewpoint of being a branch committee member, activist and someone actually interest in politics at 16 is nonsense; my opinions are based around doing and learning, talking to politically active people and politicians and are not the result of some indoctrination I was helpless to resist.

Shine on, why am I justifying myself to you?