Would you vote Conservative at the next election?

Like you, voted Green / Labour until for (30) years. I was expelled by the Labour Party (still waiting on my subs refund and enjoying annoying them with emails about it) for expressing distaste at their labelling Womens Place UK a hate group.

I joined the C Party a few months ago to try and have a voice from within to try to change many of the things I hate about them.

Seriously though. If Labour were in power the GRA reform would have gone though and all of our single-sex provisions, that women have fought for for centuries, would have been wiped out instantaneously. And it would set a world-wide precedent - many countries would then follow suit. So if there is a Tory Govt who understands the severity of this and is facing huge political pressure to back down and isn't doing it, then they have my support.

Would you really vote for a party that willingly hosted and promoted antisemites? Honestly we can play this game all day. I am simply objecting to the idea that the left is naturally good.

I am no fan of Boris or his government. But I trust them more not to silence debate today. That’s all.

Dances they did the right thing once. Doesn't mean they're not a terrible party. Cutting funding for women's refuges and children's centre, no intention of closing the gender pay gap. No consideration for women on low pay or zero hours contracts.

Even Hitler was kind to animals apparently.

But they're Untrustworthy liars Out for themselves. We have seen it over and over again. Would you really vote for a man who is a lying racist and Misogynist?

This. Also, that they are happily dancing us over an economic cliff with a no-deal Brexit. You have to realise that having crashed the econimy AND still managed the worst death toll from C19 in Europe, they know perfectly well how badly a no-deal Brexit will impact upon us. That they're happy to do this tells you all about their attitudes to the general public.

I've often considered whether there was any way I'd vote Tory and I came up with one once: if there was an outwardly racist (Britain First, etc) candidate who looked like they could genuinely beat the Tory to the seat and no other party was in with a shout.

I spoilt my paper last time, having been a lifelong Labour voter, but their stance on women did it for me. I was, I have to admit, only able to do this because I live in an incredibly safe Tory seat.

Well if people vote Tory because others think them uncaring they are showing themselves up as not the brightest lamps on the street.

This was all that seemed to pass for political argument by labour at the last election - “let’s just insult Tory voters then they are bound to change their mind” It does the opposite. If labour want to win voters then they need to do rather more than throw round playground insults at anyone who disagrees with them. How could I vote for a party whose only argument is to call people names, be it ‘not the brightest lamp on the street’ or ‘transphobe’?

I wish there was someone I could get behind. I’ve been a member of the Labour Party (long time ago) and voted mostly labour with a smattering of Lib Dem or Green over the years. I voted labour last election with a horrible taste in my mouth.

Could I vote Tory? Yes I think I could if it was for someone ethical who treated women as equals. That person is not Boris Johnson. My local mp is not much bettter - slightly less crass but still arrogant and superior. True blue safe seat here though!

Not the right type of woman

Sappos
Don't pretend you care about vulnerable women if you support policies where any man can access women's spaces.

I am a vulnerable woman. I have e been sexually assaulted and abused and I will act in my own best interests, to keep males out of female changing rooms.

Or don't I, and women like me, count?

I don't think I've ever seen this much damage done to the country in my life than the Tories have managed in the last ten years.

I take it you weren’t born in the 1970s then?

If in 4 years , the tories are left on the economy and central on social policies (ie. not woke) then I will vote for them
If Labour are in this position , I would rather vote for them instead

covid and brexit will be long in the past by then - I don't people will vote one way or the other on how Covid was/ wasn't handled. People will have forgotten IMO.
Or like me, think mistakes were made but it was handled as well as it could have been given the circumstances - not a popular view on MN I agree - but what people I speak to in the real world think.

The electorate does keep letting the Labour Party down doesn’t it

I am a former member. Family of labour supporters. Had a Labour Party canvasser on my doorstep last year telling me they didn’t want my vote because of what I asked him about women

Well if people vote Tory because others think them uncaring they are showing themselves up as not the brightest lamps on the street.

Don't know how any feminist could vote for a party that is damaging to vulnerable women

ALL the parties are damaging to vulnerable women.

Calling tory voters bonkers etc is part of what lost lanour the last election. The arrogance of “all tories are evil and we are the enlightened ones”. Keep going with that. It’s ensuring a tory win come the next election.

The Tories might be damaging to vulnerable women, but the above is the ultimate damage - we wont exist.

Bonkers! Don't know how any feminist could vote for a party that is damaging to vulnerable women and truly believe the Tories are our only hope of existing.

I mean, realistically this would just be my first spoiled ballot. I can't vote for any of them anymore

Yes I would consider them. I am a centrist and normally feel we need to change governments regularly in order for the worst excesses of both sides to be subdued. But Labour and Lib Dem’s need to basically completely rebuild their parties to incorporate common sense before I could vote for them. Kier looks promising but I doubt he can do what he needs to by the next election. But we have a good while until the next election so who knows what will happen by then.

In terms of Covid - I think BJ has not done as well as he should have but given the choice was Corbyn I think it could have been worse. Presentation aside, Nicola Sturgeon has not done any better in Scotland and arguably done worse than BJ.

The willingness of the left to close down debate has been the biggest shock of my lifetime.

This is why I find the whole issue so difficult. If it were simply welfare cuts and shitty handling of covid and the resulting death toll it would be a no-brainer.

But I'm old enough to remember the cold war and have friends my age from the former eastern block countries so I know what left-wing totalitarianism looks like (I even travelled there back in the day before the Berlin wall came down). And Momentum's totalitarian instincts scared the shit out of me. Not just on gender - I always thought this was simply the canary in the coal mine. Their repressive tendencies go across the board (look at how they treated Jewish people within the Labour party).

I'm also old enough to remember (albeit hazily) the winter of discontent, and the sky-high inflation and unemployment figures, so I know it's not as simple as "massive welfare cuts - clearly bad" (which they are for the avoidance of doubt). "Completely tanked economy in pursuit of ideological purity - also bad!" The knock-on effects of shafting your economy in terms of suffering, life expectancy, etc. is also hideous.

So a lot of it hinges on whether Starmer can really get a grip on the far left "no-debate, no-platform" faction in his own party. Like a lot of people I want some sort of social democracy, an open society with free speech, and an adequate social welfare safety net. The problem with the last election is neither main party was going to give me that.

It is a single issue for me.

It is an existence issue for women, for the right to define ourselves, organise ourselves, protect ourselves.

I've had enough.

Yes. Did last time and will do it again.

Also, all my life I have voted not for personal interests but for what I think is fair for all.

The parties I have voted for do not consider what is fair for women or for me.

No more. I am going to vote in my own interest and in the interests of women as a group, to rid us of the oppressive ideology being imposed on us and in front of which we are being asked to kneel.

If that means voting Tory, sobeit

That could be society in general now but I hope not and certainly as am MP you should be rising above student identity politics or at trying to - not actively partaking and thinking you are doing a good job for all your constituents.
Case in point, the new mp that went to work in care home just to criticise the ppe situation. Turns out the care home she worked in had plenty of ppe.
that sort of stunt just turns me off and should be beneath MP's.

I want reasons to vote labour in 4 years time. I hope I will be able to.

It’s not a single issue. It’s about truth, freedom of speech, resistance to a totalitarian approach. I actually don’t care all that much about self ID because selfishly it won’t affect me or my children all that much. I care about what’s happening to our society and about how women but also just dissenting views generally are being silenced.

The willingness of the left to close down debate has been the biggest shock of my lifetime.

Never.