Anyone in Hartlepool - what on earth is going on

[Purplecatshopaholic]

Genuine question. (Apologies if this is in the wrong place, I don’t post much). I’m Scottish and in Scotland, and I am constantly aware these days of how different the views are of Westminster up here, to across the border sometimes. We also have our own Labour Party leader up here. But really? Is Keir Starmer that bad? Are other parties not available? Who on earth is still voting for Boris…? Any WHY?

And they feel like Boris does? Are they thick
You know calling people thick is a great way to get them voting the correct way....... oh wait.

Because ordinary working people don't feel that the Labour Party represent them any more.

It is an enormous leap from there to believing that the Conservative Party represents them. It doesn't, never has and never will.

First female Mp they have had in Hartlepool. Previous MP stood down after sexual assault accusations, labour candidate writes creepy misogynist tweets which presumably he thought were clever and funny. They also had a sex offender standing as an independent (maybe he missed seeing his face in the news!). I’m pleased that a woman won.

Why isn’t the Guardian an alternative anymore?

It's very American focused, especially towards Silicon Valley wokeness. Some of the reporting too is very biased and inaccurate. It's all a bit concerning tbh.

Brexit and furlough.

As far as many people are concerned, the Tories have saved many jobs. 🙄

There has always been a core of traditional Tory voters in the north. That's not new. And most of the north was pro Brexit.

Places like Hartlepool have not benefited from decades of Labour, so naturally, they want to give another party a chance. It's not so much about Boris - people don't vote for the PM- but for their choice of MP on the ground. They obviously feel that Jill W will support them and their needs best.

@NoNotHimTheOtherOne

Because ordinary working people don't feel that the Labour Party represent them any more.

It is an enormous leap from there to believing that the Conservative Party represents them. It doesn't, never has and never will.

At least the Tories aren’t hell bent on degrading my rights as a woman.

It's the old age chestnut

You don't rise by knocking someone down - this is very much how the Labour Party is now operating - it's a parasitical game that has unfortunately spread.

Sadiq Khan has had ample opportunity to get policies onto tables in London - unfortunately there's very little show for what he has done. The leak that 150 bus routes are being cut (London has 700 in total) really hasn't helped. Tube services have been cut, ULEZ isn't popular due to poor consultations on exemptions, and knife crime hasn't had a dent in it.

I didn't vote conservatory either before anyone comes out and calls Tory at me.

Labour need to get some good policies in the areas they can (and there's many, and a lot they could do at local level), a strong leader and a different way to try and make gains.

@AgeLikeWine

Labour are going to continue losing until they actually start listening to the people who live in places like Hartlepool.

The Labour Party emerged from the trade union movement to represent the economic interests of working people in Parliament. Now, it represents the cultural & ideological attitudes of a tiny, unrepresentative ‘woke’ middle-class metropolitan sect.

If Labour wants to win again it must start listening to the ordinary working people outside the M25 who it is supposed to represent. Lecturing and patronising white working class voters who feel ignored and abandoned about ‘colonialist’ statues or Palestine or fucking pronouns is not the route to success. Nor is sneering at their patriotism and desire for law & order, or telling them that the feral criminals who destroy their communities are ‘marginalised victims’, or telling them that their concerns about uncontrolled mass immigration are racist.

I didn't vote yesterday as I feel politically adrift. This sums up exactly I feel.

Big fact: Boris Johnson lies. He has done it throughout his career. Lots of his previous bosses have put this on the record. Yet people like his persona and obviously don’t care.

Keir Starmer is more considered but isn’t charismatic. Labour has a massive mountain to climb because ever since Tony Blair they have been unelectable. The old working class is gone. Labour appears to a group of people mostly in cities but with very mixed views. Ranging from very left wing to mildly left but Brexit still hovers over the nation and this will not go away.

My DH has offices in Hartlepool. They gave no issues recruiting great employees and they are on a fantastic newish business park. It’s untrue to say there is no investment. Just not enough of it.

In many old Labour areas, the schools are poor, the infrastructure isn’t great and too many jobs have low pay. This is what needs changing. Instead we have HS2.

At least the Tories aren’t hell bent on degrading my rights as a woman.

Some of them are. Crispin Blunt, Maria Miller and Penny Mordaunt spring to mind.

I think we need to stay very alert.

At least the Tories aren’t hell bent on degrading my rights as a woman

They are though.

@Lightswitchesoffatnight

and others have explained why it wasn't a surprise to many of us

And many others and not just on here, have said how surprised they are by the voting figures.

It’s really cleaver to be wise, when you know the result @SunsetBeetch 😂

Sunset has been saying that it was the likely result for some time actually.

Listening to PMQ’s each week is now hilarious with Starmer running rings around Boris.

Unless he learns how to run rings around him in a more public manner I don't think that this is going to help him much. I have seen him in PMQs and he is clearly a great barrister - but that doesn't mean he would be a great leader.

Many (most?) people don't watch PMQs and so he is close to invisible to them. That's a problem for Labour.

(I voted for Labour in yesterda's elections but it hurt me considerably to do so - I really wish they were so much better than they are and that the choice to vote for them wasn't so hard or require so many compromises for me)

Sunset has been saying that it was the likely result for some time actually

Well done her! It’s a shame she had to post such a patronising response to me, otherwise I would have taken her comments more seriously.

@ScabberPig

I've voted Labour my whole life. I didn't vote yesterday , I just couldn't bring myself to. I can't vote for Labour, they just want to eradicate women's rights and are way too woke (and I'm part of LGB) I won't vote tory as a working class person who relies on benefits right now. My local libdem candidate is a moron.

I feel incredibly shite about it.

I really fought with my conscience and decided not to vote. This is the first time in my 30+ years and I feel so guilty. I was a Labour Party member until last year. Now, I'm politically homeless.

I'm in Liverpool I couldn't bring myself to support the council in light of the corruption.
I didn't see any party canvas locally. Not as much as a leaflet through the door from anyone.

My heart breaks. I don't say that flippantly.
My mental health has crashed witnessing the corruption and disregard by this government. The rampant flag shagging, the msm ignoring/ condoning it all.

This is what needs to be etched on a plaque on the wall of Stamer's office and put it much better than my post bove which was in effect the same point.

"<strong>AgeLikeWine</strong>

Labour are going to continue losing until they actually start listening to the people who live in places like Hartlepool.

The Labour Party emerged from the trade union movement to represent the economic interests of working people in Parliament. Now, it represents the cultural & ideological attitudes of a tiny, unrepresentative ‘woke’ middle-class metropolitan sect.

If Labour wants to win again it must start listening to the ordinary working people outside the M25 who it is supposed to represent. Lecturing and patronising white working class voters who feel ignored and abandoned about ‘colonialist’ statues or Palestine or fucking pronouns is not the route to success. Nor is sneering at their patriotism and desire for law & order, or telling them that the feral criminals who destroy their communities are ‘marginalised victims’, or telling them that their concerns about uncontrolled mass immigration are racist."

Labour can choose to ignore the above.Iit has not won a general election since 2005 and we Tories (I am from the NE and support Conservative policies) will be glad but Labour will the ones who suffer for it.

Labour are riven. They’ll be in the wilderness for years at this rate.
This morning on R4, John McDonnell is adamant that they need to be more radically left wing (which is insane, why would Hartlepool have voted for a right wing party if what they really wanted was a more left wing party than current Labour.
And Peter Mandelson is adamant that they need to be a more centrist party - his main explanation (other than COVID) for their loss? Jeremy Corbyn.
If these two represent what’s going on in general within the party now, then well, I’m lost for words.

Labour aren’t listening to voters.

Totally agree that Labour appears to have lost its way. Corbyn was an utter DISASTER of a man for their core voters, he was really only popular with students and the London chattering classes. Then to replace him who do they elect... another male member of the London chattering classes.

I know the woke-ness and the women's rights thing is a massive issue on MN and rightly so. But in the wider community it's more about nobody really knowing what they're all about. What are their policies? No idea.

Now here's a headfuck for a lot of you... yesterday I voted for BOTH Labour and Conservative. Labour on the constituency vote in Scotland as they are the only party with any hope of dislodging the odious SNP. And Conservative on the regional list vote for the same reasons.

42% turnout. I think a lot of people have given up.

@ScabberPig

I've voted Labour my whole life. I didn't vote yesterday , I just couldn't bring myself to. I can't vote for Labour, they just want to eradicate women's rights and are way too woke (and I'm part of LGB) I won't vote tory as a working class person who relies on benefits right now. My local libdem candidate is a moron.

I feel incredibly shite about it.

Exactly. I have also voted Labour all my life but didn't vote this time for the first time in many years. I don't know what they stand for, I don't know their policies. They don't represent me. I didn't want to vote for conservatives either as I don't agree with a lot of their policies so I felt I had no one to vote for.

When are the woke going to realise that their agenda is fuelling the country’s swing right? If we are left in a position where voting Tory is the only way to secure women’s rights, then Tory’s will be immovable from government. Kier is totally hamstrung by the hard left relics from Corbyn’s leadership...

@TrickyD

That’s another mistake thinking the voting is purely on class or wealth . You are way off the Mark .

Also I wonder as an aside if the investment in the Freeport to create jobs and the wind farm ( manufacture up in uk) both in that neck of the woods made a difference ?

Kier is creepy AF and quite pathetic really. Must be so awful that most people prefer the other thing