Oooh...what an issue. I think that as long as the member of staff does not show any discrimination e.g. racial, homophobia, then it should not matter to you. If they can do their job properly without a problem then is there an issue? Once they display some form of discrimination then it becomes a problem. It is then that you have a duty to report to your managers. It's things like this coupled with gossip that combine to create problems for new members of staff in any business. As Tom said above you can't pick and choose who you work with. This has the same principles to it as someone who holds different religious beliefs to yourself. Gossip and preconcieved ideas are something i suffered from when i first started in the NHS, the gossip had no foundation and i found that people treated me completely differently than when they knew me. The issue above is one between you and your crewmate and not for discussion with others as hard as it may be. Maybe i have too simplistic a view, but as long as the person can do their job properly and you have no personal problem with them (due to their political views and your problems with those views, are you discriminating?!) then it is no-ones business but your and theirs. If you do have a personal problem with that person it again is between you and them. In the war, careless talk cost lives, in todays world careless talk costs careers, families and in the severest cases lives.