Why do people say ‘all the parties are as bad as each other’ ?

Cameron didn’t push the remain argument passionately enough, because he didn’t want to alienate

Yes. Cameron only self servingly included an EU referendum at all in the manifesto to save his own skin because the leavers on the fringes on the party were pressuring him about that. He thought it would help him avoid challenges to his own leadership. he could see Farage getting attention.

Johnson wasn’t ever a leaver he just saw an opportunity to challenge Cameron for the top job and glommed on to it. They both should be absolutely ashamed of themselves for the destruction they’ve brought on normal people’s lives just to advantage their own careers and egos. It’s unforgivable the lying and incompetence.

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say that who wasn't a Tory voter. And I don't think any of them truly believed it, they just wanted to make themselves sound more palatable to others.

I say and believe they are all as bad as each other, because a small majority government means that policies don't get voted in, and lots of us feel that government is dictated to by such as powerful corporates, media companies, oversea trade agreements etc. I'll probably vote Labour this time, but I'm not expecting major changes. The working people will still have to pay a stinking amount of tax. People who don't want to work will still get the handouts. People who can't work will still barely be able to make ends meet, and the rich will get richer. People earning £40k as essential public servants will still be unable to survive living in London.

Infinitely better than this shower.

Often because they don't follow politics, have little understanding of what each party stands for or plans to do and can't see beyond the stereotype that politicians are all 'in it' for personal gain. Which while obviously has an element of truth, ignore the nuances of the degree this is the case, or whether their 'personal gain' happens to tie in with what they the voter may think is a good idea for the country. Also, many people who have a degree of cushioning from the impact of policy change, experience minimal personal difference regardless of who is in power, as no party is radical enough to bring about huge change, so they don't much care.

It's understandable that they just can't be bothered emotionally investing just to be let down again.
When you are young you can be very idealistic about politics.. but as you gain more experience you realise even the most well intentioned of politicians can't actually effect much change because 90% of politics is crowd control.
There's so many people with so many different views in this country that to stay in power you basically can't say or do too much.
Look at Corbyn.. captured the hearts of the young people.. but completely stifled and unable to get anywhere. The people who loved him perhaps loved him more than anyone loves any other politician but it was ultimately futile. Because he was also hated. That's what happens when you say anything...
That's why politicians make bland meaningless statements.

That being said I haven't given up on democracy. I'll still be voting. But unlike when I was young I do not expect massive changes.
I do want the tories out tho. I do think they really are a shambles who've run the country into the ground by only caring about wealth.
I don't think labour are much better. But the point is I do think they are a bit better.
I'd love the green party to be in power but that isn't going to happen.
However my local labour candidate is actually great. I see him out and about genuinely helping the community all the time and have done for years. I would definitely vote for him. I've not seen the tory candidate once. And I've lived here 11 years.. and he apparently lives in my town! He's never at any community projects.

@Diefrausagtnein - well areas that suffer should be subject to levelling up and buy in from business and EU style funding and getting people into online jobs etc - where there is a will, there is a way.

What is clear to me is that we need far more power locally politically again. That is the only system that will work. We need far more of our taxation to go locally rather than into some central Government black hole to piss up the wall on trendy policies of the day and waste time in Parliament shouting at each other and getting zilch done, whilst the press make a buck out of the whole fiasco.

People need to vote for their best local MP who they trust the most and look them in the eye, if possible.

What recent political history has taught us is that you are not voting for a PM. They may well be ousted in due course if they don’t toe the line. The exact same thing may happen to Starmer too. So if you like your local Labour MP, vote for them. If he or she is shambolic, vote for a better candidate. It really is as simple as that. If nobody votes the nutters in we will all be OK in the end.

I disagree. I have seen since life improve dramatically under Labour, and the standard of living drop dramatically under the Conservatives (both this lot and Thatcher/Major). Labour don’t vindictively starve out opposing councils in the way the Tories do. Unfortunately good times can’t last forever and people become despondent and let the other team have a run out. But I will say this emphatically - life has been much shitter under this Conservative regime for the entirety of their time in charge than it was under Labour at their worst (2009/2010).

OP it’s this.

I think it’s because over time you realise that once they are in power, they are all basically incompetent.

Just not true. I work in a role adjacent to politics so generally informed on party politics.

My political values are conservative, however I do agree the current government has been shambolic. So where does that leave me? Either voting against my general values and political views or voting for a shambolic government (further complicated by the fact my local Conservative MP has been great, so I have no reason not to vote for him other than the behaviour of his colleagues).

So yes, my vote does come to a lesser of two evils.

This. I've lived through many a Labour and Conservative government and they really are all the same. Promise you the world during canvassing but deliver next to none of it.

That's why it flips between the two major parties. Everyone gets fed up with the incumbent, gives the others a try. Elects them again "to give them a proper chance" then realises they're just as awful so it's back to the others. Never improves regardless of who is in.

Cameron didn’t push the remain argument passionately enough, because he didn’t want to alienate the more extreme wing of his party. He put the party first always. Same can be said of Corbyn.

The Royal Mail is the latest thing that's boiling my piss. They sold it off on the cheap and now it's going to a Czech billionaire?
That's bound to end well.
How much is a first class stamp going to be next year?

I have NEVER watched an interview where a politician answers straight questions with straight answers. You name the politician there will be interviews where they avoid answering a straightforward question.

For that reason i have zero trust in their words.....EVER.

I will never ever vote for a politician who acts like that or allows anyone within their party to act like that. Doesnt leave me with much choice but to hate the lot of them.

I don’t think they are all the same, just varying degrees of awful. All are awful but all have certain policy areas where they are slightly less awful than the opposition
I firmly believe that if the voting paper included a ‘none of the above’ option that would garner the majority of votes currently

So your explanation of how all politicians are the same is to reference when one of the candidates for PM said the exact opposite to the other one?

People who say they’re all the same are not paying attention for whatever reason often because of difficult life circumstances or they are quite vulnerable themselves or are really thick or are so rich nothing matters to them. It’s the least engaged people who are going to be the most vulnerable to policies that will affect them.

This.

It's a tactic to wave away indefensible behaviour by creating false equivalencies and both sides the argument to justify their vote