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Politics

Lifelong Labour voters: how are you feeling?

156 replies

VerlynWebbe · 11/04/2024 17:25

I ask because DH and I were discussing this last night.
He is of the opinion that he'll do anything that gets the Tories out, even if he has to hold his nose a bit.
I can't do it, though. I can't get over their inaction over the genocide in Gaza. Like, I can't imagine walking into a polling booth and setting aside that massive abdication of morals.
But I know things are fucked in Britain as well.
I really find it upsetting and wondered if anyone else feels the same.

OP posts:
thesleepyhoglet · 12/04/2024 08:30

FKAT · 11/04/2024 20:04

Lifelong Labour voter here. I don't think Labour will change anything. They'll be a superficially nicer version of the Tory party but with added misogyny, self-ID and hate crime laws. They are not increasing welfare spending, keeping the two child cap and the Labour Welsh Assembly doesn't do any better at managing the NHS than England and in some ways it's worse.

Same with local authorities - Birmingham went bankrupt under Labour partly because of their legal fees to fight equal pay claims from women. I live under a London local authority that went from Tory to Labour in 2022 - nothing has changed except we now have a Pride and some very badly executed parking restrictions. The GLA under Labour has seen rising crime and violence, increaseD homelessness, bad housing development and poorly thought through environmental policies.

I'm not voting. If you want change you have to volunteer and lobby and campaign on an individual level. Voting isn't going to change anything much.

This.

I won't vote Labour.

ohfook · 12/04/2024 08:28

I feel the same. The tories have decimated my area and I'd never willingly vote for them. I've continued to vote for Labour despite their wishy washy stance on single sex spaces because I believed them to be a better alternative to the conservatives.

However I loathe the fact that this country (and as a taxpayer myself by extension) is complicit in support of a genocide. I firmly believe that no matter how 'complex' the situation is, once you're allowing newborn babies to slowly die alone in Nicu you can no longer claim to be any better than those you're fighting. I haven't seen or heard anything to suggest that Labour would withdraw the UK's support of Isreal so for the first time in my life I won't vote for them.

DramaLlamaBangBang · 12/04/2024 08:27

Alexandra2001 · 12/04/2024 07:28

You aren't looking at the recent history... had Starmer called for a one sided ceasefire, stop arms sales etc the press would have turned on him with accusations of anti semitism, this could then lead to Labour losing the next GE, ensuring another 5 years of the Conservatives, is that what you want?

On Gaza/Israel he is walking a tightrope and of course has zero influence on the Israelis or Hamas - only the USA has that.

Exactly. He has to deal with potentially being Prime Minister and having to deal with international relations. Him calling for a ceasefire would have achieved absolutely nothing. It may have stopped his Jewish wife from having to leave her home but would have done nothing to stop the violence in Gaza.

Freysimo · 12/04/2024 08:21

I last voted Labour back in the days of Tony Blair. There was a real sense of optimism then and he had some really good people in his Cabinet. I just don't feel this with Starmer. He's vacillating and lacklustre and the only one of his future ministers I can get on board with is Wes Streeting, IF he's allowed to reform the NHS.

Motheroffourdragons · 12/04/2024 08:15

This reply has been deleted

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ on behalf of the poster.

CurlewKate · 12/04/2024 08:01

"Put the peg on your nose if you must but vote Labour."

This. So this.

Zonder · 12/04/2024 07:54

Piggywaspushed · 12/04/2024 07:46

Love that!

I think of it every time someone says they can't vote Labour because of one issue, however big that issue may seem. The alternative is leaving us with the current government and that is not a move towards the world I want to live in!

RefreshingCandour · 12/04/2024 07:54

All of them are kowtowing as an election is round the corner. I am taking very little notice of what is being said to win voters as it doesn’t mean anything. They are all fannying around sitting in the fence and I don’t believe it will last post election.

I am, for the first time in a decade, feeling hopeful in the British public to oust this repulsive, self serving shitshow of a government. My dream is to never have a Tory government again in my lifetime.

Piggywaspushed · 12/04/2024 07:46

Zonder · 11/04/2024 22:54

I read this on Facebook and thought it was spot on.

A vote isn't a valentine, you're not declaring your love for a candidate.
A vote is a chess move, for the world you want to live in.

Love that!

Alexandra2001 · 12/04/2024 07:43

marmaladeandpeanutbutter · 12/04/2024 07:28

I'll also be interested to see their manifesto, then decide. For example, If they are talking aggressively about Europe and leaving us isolated, like the Tories, I may vote green instead.

TBF atm they are quite positive about closer ties to the EU, its not ideal but its better than the open hostility we have from the Tories towards the EU.

However, unless Europe, collectively, arms Ukraine (can no longer rely on the USA) then UK/EU relations will be the least of our worries & atm EU/UK are doing SFA, the last batch of UK air defence was 200 missiles - 1 days worth.
The EU have blocked, again, releasing more weapons to Ukraine.

Are we all fucking mad? if Russia wins in Ukraine (highly likely now) he will take back the Baltic states and NATO, without US help, will do nothing to stop him and Putin knows it.

I want Labour to be far stronger on this.

Zonder · 12/04/2024 07:34

Alexandra2001 · 12/04/2024 07:28

You aren't looking at the recent history... had Starmer called for a one sided ceasefire, stop arms sales etc the press would have turned on him with accusations of anti semitism, this could then lead to Labour losing the next GE, ensuring another 5 years of the Conservatives, is that what you want?

On Gaza/Israel he is walking a tightrope and of course has zero influence on the Israelis or Hamas - only the USA has that.

Well said.

marmaladeandpeanutbutter · 12/04/2024 07:28

I'll also be interested to see their manifesto, then decide. For example, If they are talking aggressively about Europe and leaving us isolated, like the Tories, I may vote green instead.

Alexandra2001 · 12/04/2024 07:28

VerlynWebbe · 11/04/2024 17:41

Good lord, no of course I don't think Rishi has done more! I don't even consider the Tories, they have been execrable for all my life! They have done precisely what I would expect a Tory party to do in these circumstances.

But Kier Starmer, actual human rights lawyer, could have spoken out when it became clear that there's a case for genocide, and could have challenged government over arms sales. Instead he's hedged his bets with a wan call for some sort of ceasefire - the barest of bare minimums. I'm disgusted.

You aren't looking at the recent history... had Starmer called for a one sided ceasefire, stop arms sales etc the press would have turned on him with accusations of anti semitism, this could then lead to Labour losing the next GE, ensuring another 5 years of the Conservatives, is that what you want?

On Gaza/Israel he is walking a tightrope and of course has zero influence on the Israelis or Hamas - only the USA has that.

NashvilleQueen · 12/04/2024 07:20

Same @BiggerBoat1 Tactical Lib Dem vote to GTTO. If labour had a chance here I would vote for them.

Goawayquickly · 11/04/2024 23:23

I'll be voting Labour as I have every election since I was old enough to vote.

I don't have the high hopes I've had in the past but right now I'd prefer anyone but the conservatives who have run the country into the ground.

I'm so disillusioned though, I can't see the country ever getting better or remotely being anything like the place it once was.

KatPurrson · 11/04/2024 23:14

I will vote SNP as in my constituency that is who will dislodge the incumbent Tory. If I lived in a constituency where Labour stood a chance I would vote Labour in a heartbeat.

To be dithering about this doesn’t make any sense to me.

It’s basically saying you are happy for things to continue to get worse because they won’t become perfect overnight.

But that’s ok because you didn’t personally get your hands dirty, even though it’s complicit in perpetuating Tory misrule. At best it’s detached from reality, at worst it’s a kind of solipsism.

Labour are not perfect. But they are better.

MrsFinkelstein · 11/04/2024 23:09

Im feeling great - delighted by the current polling. Feeling positive for the 1st time in many years.

You vote for the Party that you feel will take the Country in the direction you want it to go. It's not a declaration of love.

Palestine and the conflict over there is a complicated, multi-faceted issue that will not be solved by the LOTO in the UK issuing statements that hit buzzwords determined to be correct by a certain segment of the population.

Vote for who you want, but it does show how insulated some people are from the huge damage the Tories have done to feel that not voting for the one Party that has the best chance to remove them in order to make a point about another Country's conflict thousands of miles away...is a choice.

I'm old enough to remember the negativity from the ultra left in 1997 - that Labour "were just the same as the Tories". Some people just want to constantly be in opposition.

Justbetweenus · 11/04/2024 23:06

I’ll vote Labour. There’s no real pull factor (I also wish they were offering something bolder) but the push factor (Tories out) is very strong. Even if the size of the pie is no different, I am confident that the way Labour distribute the pie will be more aligned with what I believe is right.

Zonder · 11/04/2024 22:54

I read this on Facebook and thought it was spot on.

A vote isn't a valentine, you're not declaring your love for a candidate.
A vote is a chess move, for the world you want to live in.

lululu16 · 11/04/2024 22:30

I'm voting Green
The more people see their popularity grow, the more votes there will be for them going forward

JustAnotherSod · 11/04/2024 22:28

I try to think of voting like buses - no party will get me directly to the destination I want, but I'll vote for the one who is heading in the general direction I'd like (the country) to go.

Librarybooker · 11/04/2024 22:22

Feeling stoic but local issues perplex. Here the Lib Dems and Labour have a cycling lobby that I - a pedestrian and cyclist - find impalatable that’s making the city a bed place to live. But I can’t vote Conservative

marmaladeandpeanutbutter · 11/04/2024 22:19

Yes but the LP needs better arguments than votes for us or the other lot will get in. Starmer needs to buck his ideas up. He's too right leaning unfortunately, and it's costing votes. Others in the party are not.

shiningstar2 · 11/04/2024 21:35

Meant Tories have had 3 terms in Office
Clumsy fingers. 😁

shiningstar2 · 11/04/2024 21:34

I'll be voting Labour. The Tories have had 2 terms in office ...12 years ...and have used that time to totally decimate public services. Less real money for Education and every branch of the NHS. Not enough doctors and other NHS workers trained. A shortage of places .They would rather buy in qualified people from poorer countries than go to the expense of training more of our own young people. The problem is that people are impatient
Labour can't turn all this around in one term in office and when people realize this they are likely to be voted out the following time around..
If they can hold things together and refrain from squabbling amongst themselves, they are looking more electable, despite world problems, than they've looked for a long time.