What does it mean when peeps say they're in a 'safe' Labour/Conservative area?

[TheLightSideOfTheMoon]

I don't really understand it.

I vote Green but keep being told that in my area you can only really vote Lib Dem or Tory.

My mother claims that last election only 17 people voted Labour in our area last election. This number changed to 13 when I saw her today.

Can thst happen?

Are areas 'safe' so it's pointless voting for anything else?

Surely they just count the votes up on the day? How can they say in advance who it's between?

Or is that a conspiracy thingie to make people think it isn't worth voting otherwise?

Oh and nobody ever comes to our door other than UKIP.

this Tory seat is so safe that the Mp does not even bother campaigning. Not that he appears to do much the rest of the time apart from his business interests, but it makes no difference. This is also a leave-voting area and he is strongly for that.

I still think that if we don't vote for the candidate/party we want, there's no point. Regardless of whether it will make a difference - maybe one day it will.

please vote.

If you believe the internet is listening to you ... this popped up just now on my FB feed.

Safe Tory seat, we don't even get fliers or anything for any parties. We get ignored. Used to live in an area which was very changeable and we had people knocking on the door nearly every day

There are plenty of so called safe seats that became less safe in 2017, and I expect even more will do so this time. Kensington, Broxtowe and Hastings spring to mind.

I still think that if we don't vote for the candidate/party we want, there's no point.

Agree, if you don't vote then you don't really have a right to complain about what you actually got.

Very safe Tory seat here. Has been Tory since 1910 according to Wikipedia.

2015 election saw the tories get 51.4% of the votes and in 2017 this had gone up to 63.9%

Our MP is a fairly new up and coming one. He will be around for a while I think and also will start to get much better known. He is currently known to those who take an interest in politics, but Id imagine a few people might not have heard of him unless they live here or follow politics at all times (not just election)

Also according to wikipedia we have been the safest Tory seat in the whole of the UK in the past. This was back when we had another MP (who has fairly recently retired from politics) who was very well known.

Had one flyer through our door and that was for the current Tory MP, also have neighbours with his picture in their windows. Nothing of any other candidates.

Last election Tories got 3X more than the next nearest candidate, as has been for many years. Rest didn't really get a look in.

Re Brexit constituency were strong leave as is Tory candidate, so I guess fairly certain to keep seat.

if you don't vote then you don't really have a right to complain about what you actually got.

It's more insidious than that ... people who don't vote are always assumed to be for whatever the latest wheeze of the day is. Higher taxes ? Well 60% of people clearly wanted that. But surely only 30% voted for it ? Ah, well, yes, but you know that 30% who didn't vote ? Well clearly they are happy with it or they would have voted.

It was how Richard Nixon created this "silent majority" narrative which was bollocks partly how he got away with it for so long. His biggest problem was he was a crook.

Yes it’s unlikely but shocks do happen.

I’m currently in what was a safe labour seat but for last 2 elections has been snp.

I’ve lived all over Uk so out of curiosity prompted by this thread I’m looking at previous constituencies:

1st labour since 60’s but snp last time

2nd Tory since the 20’s! Bloody hell!

3rd Tory since 1890’s!

4th mix of liberal and Tory which surprises me for a Scots constituency

5th switches regularly between labour and Tory which I suspect is quite unusual

6th as for 5th which surprises me, mainly Tory in recent years and seen at the moment as a “safe” seat BUT the current Mp is being allowed to represent tories in this election despite s major personal scandal involving criminal charges AND he’s pissed off a lot of locals over a local issue which is on a matter close to their hearts so I think that could well prove to be a mistake (I’m still in touch with a lot of friends from this area is why I know about these issues and what locals are thinking)

7th Tory since 1870’s!

8th Tory from 1880’s with a couple of Lib Dem “blips” currently Lib Dem

9th mix of Tory, Lib Dem
and labour.

But there have of course historically been shocks.

What most people will be thinking of will be the labour landslide of 1997 which did indeed throw up some surprises but I believe was also the case in 1979 when thatcher came to power.

Complacency is always foolish I think.

I too don’t believe there is such a thing as a wasted vote, everyone eligible should vote and if anything I think there are certain people not allowed to vote I think should be.

I’ve mentioned this before but I was stunned when I first met my ex that he genuinely believed politics “doesn’t affect me” he was in the sodding army! More directly affected in a literal life and death way by the decisions of politicians than pretty much anyone else! We had many discussions and I managed to encourage him to start reading papers and watching news and current affairs shows and then when internet hit using that too. One works night out I mentioned his attitude/belief and his boss happened to overhear and gave him a lighthearted but genuine “bollocking” about it, pointing out in ways I wouldn’t have had the...right? To as not actually being in army myself that he was an idiot to think it didn’t affect him. One of the things he mentioned was the fact that what ex was paid was decided pretty much directly by politicians! I’d said as much to ex but for some reason he wasn’t completely convinced and this confirmed it ‘extra’ for him. The boss and I had different political affiliations (not surprising for an army officer to be a Tory voter really) but we agreed on the importance of being informed and voting!

The next GE after this conversation was 1997 and ex was REALLY confused that his boss liked tony Blair and that I didn’t vote labour that time (he knew I was at that point a previous labour supporter and considered myself a socialist) it was difficult to try to explain to someone with a basic understanding of politics and who was still learning a lot of the nuances why I didn’t trust a popular labour leader JUST because they were a popular labour leader.

He was also kind of thrown when I cried at the news of John smiths death.