To think that Conservatives don't actually care about 'red wall' voters beyond getting their vote

[Tuesdaysintheazores]

But people who live there and are going to be voting Conservative obviously do feel that they are the best people to represent them. Very interested to hear from people who live in red wall areas. AIBU?

YABU = Conservatives actually do care about these people now

YANBU = Conservatives just trying to get the votes and seats

[jetadore]

YANBU and the same applies to a lot of the conservatives core voters!

[AfternoonToffee]

I think the same could be said about Labour.

On a local level I think the individual MP's care a lot, it just isn't translated to a national level. I'll be voting Tory on Thursday, because I feel that candidate has much more drive than the other and a proven record of success. (Mayoral election)

[ofwarren]

YANBU but who else do we vote for?
I'm not going to vote for a party who can't/won't define what a woman is.
I'm an ex Labour member

[Tuesdaysintheazores]

That's interesting yes sounds like you just don't believe any of them, so looking at the local candidates rather than the parties. What about things like nurses pay, food banks and exams fiasco?

[CoolCatTaco]

They couldn't give a flying fuck about any of you outside their own very elite social class.

[FourTeaFallOut]

These are areas who held the Conservatives in absolute contempt. It has taken a Herculean effort by the Labour Party to turn these voters blue.

[newnortherner111]

Could it be least worst, not best?

[AfternoonToffee]

@Tuesdaysintheazores

That's interesting yes sounds like you just don't believe any of them, so looking at the local candidates rather than the parties. What about things like nurses pay, food banks and exams fiasco?

People just feel that Labour don't care about them anymore and certainly haven't in the past.

I honestly don't know, I am not a native and simply an interloper, but I see 'red to the core' people turning their backs on Labour, I'm guessing they haven't been given the name Liebour for no reason at all.

This time I am voting for the candidate not the party.

[Tuesdaysintheazores]

It has taken a Herculean effort by the Labour Party to turn these voters blue.
Yes what's Labour meant to be doing that's worse than what the Conservatives are doing?

[AfternoonToffee]

@FourTeaFallOut

These are areas who held the Conservatives in absolute contempt. It has taken a Herculean effort by the Labour Party to turn these voters blue.

Absolutely. They are voting for anyone but Labour. I only voted Labour in the last GE because I wanted to try to keep a Tory out of another seat in what was in essence a Brexit vote.

[I realise there is no rhyme or reason to my voting pattern]

[AfternoonToffee]

OP (without judgement or funnyness) do you live in one of those areas?

[StoneofDestiny]

Tories care nothing for the 'red wall' voters to voted for them. Frankly neither do I having watched this governments performance, lying and Covid mis management. They got what they voted for - sadly the rest of us did too.

[Prestel]

What I find fascinating about this question is the fact that everyone, including journalists who should know better, tend to talk about it in terms of Labour voters becoming Tory voters, which may be true in some cases but an awful lot of the time it's a case of young, left leaning voters moving out of these areas and into the cities chasing jobs, leaving older, more affluent and right leaning retirees with very different priorities behind. How much is a general change in demographics as opposed to a change of individual minds is a really interesting question but I see few efforts to answer it. The fact is, however, that places in the south such as Bristol have gone the other way and are more Labour than previously beause of younger people moving there for work as older people retire out of the city.

[ofwarren]

I live in a northern town which was Labour forever, until it wasn't.
Lots of my extended family are turned off from Labour due to what they would consider "woke" politics.

[Tuesdaysintheazores]

AfternoonToffee No I don't, that's why I'm curious about it really - I live in London and can see that the Conservatives don't look out for me & mine. I don't believe that they actually care about people just about votes and power, but people must feel differently and see it differently

[Tuesdaysintheazores]

I'd never thought of it that way Prestel

[AfternoonToffee]

Corbyn was a major factor, they also saw a major lack of investment in the area under the previous Labour government, and also Brexit. Brexit was to be the answer to all the issues and to get Brexit you needed to vote blue.

Brexit was (is?) going to herald a new brighter future of investment and job opportunities, that was the promise, they voted to make that happen. Had they (as a whole) not felt so let down they might not have voted the way they did. There is also a perception be it right or wrong that the local Labour MP's did nothing for the area, so they voted them out. It is bad now but the feeling is that it was worse under Labour.

[Tuesdaysintheazores]

One of the interesting things for me is that we've had a Conservative government for 10 years is it?

[Lordamighty]

Identity politics are killing the Labour vote in their traditional heartlands but they appear to be too stupid to do anything about it.
Twitter likes are not votes.

[mollythemeerkat]

@ofwarren

YANBU but who else do we vote for?
I'm not going to vote for a party who can't/won't define what a woman is.
I'm an ex Labour member

This is a problem but would be hung, drawn and quartered before voting for the Tories. Feel homeless!

[Mumbot345635]

Yanbu

[FourTeaFallOut]

I think that rather over simplifies the point. Take Hartlepool, ten years ago the Tories were as vilified as ever and tomorrow they will take the seat. In 2012, the median age for the population of Hartlepool was 41.3 and by 2027 council modelling suggests it will have increased to 42.4. That's hardly the big shift in age to dismiss the result on people inching to the right as they age.

[Tuesdaysintheazores]

Identity politics are killing the Labour vote in their traditional heartlands but they appear to be too stupid to do anything about it.
Sorry if this is a stupid question but what do you mean when you say identity politics?

[ofwarren]

@Lordamighty

Identity politics are killing the Labour vote in their traditional heartlands but they appear to be too stupid to do anything about it.
Twitter likes are not votes.

Totally agree with this. This is what I hear from people I knew at school, cousins, neighbours and on the Facebook page of our local newspaper.

[tanguero]

As has been said before on here. If people had been allowed to have a conversation about immigration, without immediately being shouted down by the woke left as...'raycists', then Brexit would'nt have happened, and the Labour Party wouldn't be scurrying out of Hartlepool come Friday morning with their tail between their legs.