Would you vote conservative again?

The tory party exists to ensure that the wealth of the country remains in the hands of the few. I don't belong to that demographic so there's no reason for me ever to vote for them - why would I vote to keep the rich and privileged rich and privileged at my expense?
Plenty of tories/tory party donors are doing very nicely from all this flux.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned on here (apologies if I've missed it) is the fact that the Tories have seriously jeopardised peace in NI, which has got to be one of their biggest crimes. And I've just seen Steve Baker on Sky explaining how the hard right ERG nutters in the Tory party won't accept any divergence from the approach to the EU - he actually said they would bring down any government that tried it like they have done before. I mean he may be a cunt, as described by KGM, but at least he's being honest there.

That's why I can't understand people saying they can't vote Labour due to the hard-left/momentum/links with the unions. KS has massively distanced the leadership from all of this and he's constantly being criticised by two of the biggest unions in the country. Yet the factions in the Tory party have torn the party apart, taking the country with it and brought down PMs and are now controlling which PM we get foisted upon us now and somehow some people still see them as the stable /sensible/moderate option? I just don't get it.

No, I can't possibly bring myself to vote Tory even though they seem to be the only party that knows what a woman is. But I can't vote Labour or Lib Dem either, because they definitely don't. So I guess I'll be spoiling my ballot paper.

First world problems

What problem do you have specifically with Starmer's knighthood? Politics of envy?

Which was a joke. It's very well documented. In 12 years of Tory rule the public finances are in a far worse state. And so are public services. We can't blame COVID for all of it, so don't try.

I've never voted Tory. They are purely about self interest. They have really plumbed new depths of late though. They have made us into a complete laughing stock across the world.

There’s no magic money tree

Can't believe people are repeating failed PM Theresa May's soundbite with any seriousness! The Tories have now well and truly shat on their reputation (which was somewhat unfounded anyway) for fiscal responsibility.

The word again suggests I have previously voted for them. Never have, never will. What they have done to this country in the last 12 years is akin to sabotage. They deserve to be kicked out of power for a very long time if assigned to oblivion is not possible. It makes me seethingly angry.

The Green Party here in Scotland are proudly boasting of their much heralded rent freeze becoming law. It’s made renters’s lives much much worse wherever it’s been tried in the world, but if you’re as thick as the Scottish greens you just don’t care to think beyond the nice headlines. I’d love to vote for a party who care about environmental issues, but there just isn’t one!

Voted Tory before but wouldn't vote for them in the next election. They've been in power too long, no talent left. Just the dregs of the party remaining. Not convinced Labour have any talent or clever people either. If you ask me to choose between the two it's a bit like asking someone if they'd rather die from ebola or the plague, both equally terrible options.

Yeah, compared this this shitshow!
What a pathetic thing to say.

I'm so glad you wouldn't OP.
Please try to turn more Tories. Fingers crossed there are thousands more like you!

It's ok to change your mind folks!

In an ideal world I would vote Green but I don't think they'd realistically have a clue how to run the country if they were actually voted in, and they don't have a clear policies on many things outside the environment.

And at least the Tories know what a woman is

This line really is becoming so tedious and stands up to fuck all scrutiny.

The Tories 'know what a woman is' because they've been ripping every single fucking shred of support for women away for 12 years.

The Tories are no friend of women. Any attempt to piggyback a satellite debate to paint them as somehow being 'pro-women' is disingenuous beyond all belief.

This kind of bullshit confirms the view that anyone voting Tory in 2022/23 is either stupid, callous, or both.

People don’t understand that at present, every decision is on a knife-edge

Chucking that unchecked mini-budget at a volatile market like a fucking grenade was a bit bloody stupid then, wasn't it?

As someone correctly said earlier in the thread, it’s the swing voters who decide an election, not people like me who would never vote conservative or people who would never vote anything else.

I am hoping that this time, the swing voters have enough common sense to see that the current government only cares about the few.

I've

It's poor show at the moment but it wouldn't stop me voting for them if they ever get their shit together.

Same as labour. Total shitshow under Corbyn but it wouldn't stop me voting for them if they ever get their shit together as well.

I've voted for both in the past. I'd have to look at the policies of all the parties at the next election before I decided how to vote.

Excellent post.

Brilliant post. 👍👍👍

@edwinbear, here you go. It’s highly illuminating. I worked in the NHS between 1999 and 2007 and the change was mind blowing. There was huge investment and it was closely linked to service improvement. We actually went whole days without a single person in the A&E waiting room. Of course, as you’ve observed, it’s all been thrown away now - and was long before covid.

www.kingsfund.org.uk/sites/default/files/field/field_publication_file/independent-audit-nhs-under-labour-1997–2005-sunday-times-march-2005.pdf

I have not RTFT so apologies.

So much of the current crisis has been outside anybody’s control, Covid, then the war and resultant energy crisis - there’s nothing any politician can do about that. There’s no magic money tree, Labour won’t do any better. Should we have let people die during Covid to prevent furlough costs ? Should we let people freeze due to Russia ?

The government can’t win here, if they throw billions of pounds at energy security and prices tank, the taxpayer will be paying for it forever, if they don’t commit and prices stay high, they will be doomed for failing to support people.

No government can deal well with volatility and risk - often they are dammed if they do and dammed if they don’t.

Even awarding contracts to contacts during Covid was understandable - competitive tendering takes months. People just don’t realise how complex policies are.

People don’t understand that at present, every decision is on a knife-edge.

I don’t trust Labour - it sticks in my mind that during the election campaign at interview a Labour MP didn’t understand that issuing government bonds was increasing borrowing….

I think Labour would have all the same problems plus more. And at least the Tories know what a woman is !

Because he is a competent economist who knows how to keep the money markets calm, which keeps all our interest rates down (or at least lower). He doesn't have 7 kids by different mums, he hasn't been caught groping anyone at the Tory conference and he seems fairly grounded and sane. And to be fair, most of his wife's money comes from shares in her father's Indian company, I don't know if she paid tax in India instead. That wouldn't bother me.

My worries about the Labour party have always been all that ridiculous crap about women and the damage to women's rights, antisemitism, plus momentum skulking in the background, and over-influence by the unions.

But I think the barometer has swung too far the other way, and we need more unionism now, to cut down on zero hours contracts, and poor staff treatment by the likes of SportsDirect, Amazon & Uber.

Plus the reactionary beliefs held by Coffey and JRM on such basics as abortion rights have shocked me. You'd think they were living in the 1820s not the 2020s, definitely not fit to have any real power.

Just to be clear, not at all a criticism of the care DS, nor baby received. Both of which were outstanding, but they are clearly so overwhelmed.

@Blossomtoes can you post it again so I can read it? I’m horrified by the state of the NHS, DS was in A&E with a broken finger (rugby) a few weeks ago. It wasn’t life threatening, we could wait (6hrs) but DS (and I) were absolutely horrified when a clearly very unwell newborn came rushing in with his parents. Even DS could see this baby needed seeing very quickly, but it must have been an hour before baby was seen. As DS went through, baby was all strapped up to monitors etc he’s still upset about whether the baby was OK or not 6 weeks later.