If there was a GE today who would you vote for?

Do you mind me asking what motivates them to vote Conservative? It's not a smart comment- I genuinely would like to know what people think they offer them as I really can't understand it.

In effect I’d just be voting for a very slightly more moderate Tory Party. I think you are right, but anything is better than what we have been living through: dishonest nest-feathering people with no integrity whatsoever - and any party that let BJ become PM is totally f*ed as far as I am concerned.

I will vote tactically to get them out. Not simple as it sounds round here unfortunately.

I have hope.

I mean I'll take "slightly better" but I hope for more.

I probably won't be voting Labour because I expect the Lib Dem candidate to have the best chance of ousting our Tory MP in our constituency, but I do expect Labour to form the next government and take on the almighty mess this country has become.

I know an ex-Tory mayor who says he doesn't plan to vote Tory in the next general election. ("This shower are not the Conservatives anymore. They don't 'conserve' anything. They are not the party of the countryside, of sound money, of law and order or the Church of England anymore")

And an ex-Tory voter who prefers Starmer's party discipline to Sunak's weakness.

Labour, but with zero hope of Starmer changing the direction of the country. In effect I’d just be voting for a very slightly more moderate Tory Party.
IE, basically more of the same shit and failed policies but a very slight improvement over the current lot.

I live in a strongly Conservative constituent (David Gaulke was our MP). Most of my friends and family are Conservative voters and will be doing the same at the next election.

That said, I very much doubt it will make a difference as the Conservatives have lost the swing voters, and possibly some diehard supporters too.

At least you thought about it and turned up. I respect your choices.

@comfyoldcardi I have spoiled my paper in the past. I lived in a very Tory town (with an MP with a 30,000+ majority despite being as effective as a chocolate teapot) and I'm a Labour voter. At local and council elections I often didn't have a candidate I could vote for - no Labour candidate and only Independents of indeterminate provenance (usually ex-Tories), UKIP, Tory and another dodgy party with Britain in its name. I spoiled my paper with 'none of the above' across it because, for me, not voting at all is simply not an option.

But I totally agree that those not voting are the biggest problem. They certainly hold the balance of power and that's a problem.

Was chatting to someone in the gym earlier, or rather he was holding forth, somewhat in the style of a golf club bore. One would presume from his work as a business man and background that he would vote Tory. After the had gone on a bit I thought I would suggest that the country would be improved by having a different government, he agreed and said that whilst he normally voted Tory he wouldn't next time.

Interesting to get the views from outside my normal echo chamber.

they are looking to see if they can count them, that’s all

Having worked at election counts, I can assure you that the spoilt ballots are counted and this figure is announced when each result is declared.

However, the number of spoilt ballots is usually too low for the candidates to care much about them, unless the result is very close.

TBF the Met have had to re open the parties thing and issued another 25 fines.

The idea that you believe that much of this never happened is for the birds.

But voting for the best fit is exactly what most people do.

And I assure you the candidates and their agents do read what is on a spoilt ballot paper. They have to as an agreement between the candidates is the only way a paper can be declared spoilt.

@verdantverdure - I love your "Brexit Tax"! Very funny

Your non vote won’t be counted. Why do you think so many ploppers on here advocate spoiling your vote

The candidates might not care, but they (or their election agents) will all stand in a huddle with the Presiding Officer and examine each spoilt paper in turn. So they will read each comment. However, their main aim is to see if any of these ballots could be counted as legitimate votes for them.

If I spoil a paper, it will be so I’m counted as one of the people who cared enough to turn up at the polling station, but felt unable to vote for any of the candidates.

People aren't lazy. They are worried about money, working hard, struggling to keep heads above water, struggling with childcare, unable to access timely healthcare. They are ill informed by hopeless political parties who are full of spin and long winded bullshit.Who on earth do you think you are, with your finger pointing and judgement? I am against Brexit myself (and educated, I might add) but thank god I don't think I'm so much better than the voting public.

I really despair at the numbers who don't bother voting or deliberately spoil their paper thinking it's some kind of message. They really don't care!! The candidates really aren't reading the messages you write on spoilt voting papers!

The only way to "send a message" is to vote for the best/nearest candidate matching your own views. I think people are just too lazy to bother doing any research etc. It's always the same "no one came canvassing or no one posted any leaflets" etc - so what? Just get on the internet and do a few minutes of research rather than watching videos of cats doing funny things!

Exactly

All the people who didn't bother to vote, or didn't find out anything about the policies of the parties or probable outcomes need to take responsibility too. It is soul destroying for those of us who were paying attention and trying to use our vote wisely.

Yes, I agree. Why should me and my children have to suffer because of their stupidly and racism. I'll also have my EU citizenship back thank you very much, they can give up there's.

There's no obligation to vote for the betterment of our people or our country though, is there?

Or even logically, in accordance with the evidence of our own eyes.

If people want more shit on beaches and demented mini budgets that put £500 a month on their mortgage payment, and some of the highest electricity bills in the world, and record NHS waiting lists, and crumbling concrete above schoolchildren's heads then they are at perfect liberty to vote for the Tories again.

I do sometimes think people should've been asked to out their money where their mouth is with Brexit.

What does it cost us? About a billion pounds every fortnight? 100 billion a year?

Share that cost between the 17 million people who imposed that economic millstone on the rest of us and help the country recoup the money if not the opportunities.

We could call it the Brexit Tax.

it could be debated that if people have the vote, then they too need to accept some accountability for the parties they choose

it does not help when you have the majority of the public as you put that vote for your "clowns"

so overall it could be debated that the public that voted the party into power should look into the mirror as to who is partly responsible too.