If there was a general election tomorrow and you were an ordinary woman on an average wage..

[Kreuzberg]

Who would you really vote for ? A party wishy washy on self ID and other trans issues with a gobby brash deputy leader who puts her foot in it and a lacking in charisma but well meaning leader or a party that implemented austerity, savage cuts to all public services, oversaw the deaths of 150,000, deceitful, pork barrel politics, corrupt, but with a teflon coated populist leader, plummy voiced slick mps and a less wishy washy stance on self ID (although not necessarily to be trusted)
What is most important to women earning £30,000 who are going to be hugely affected by the spiralling cost of living, struggling to heat their homes, feed their kids ? Issues very much the result of conservative policies like brexit, austerity etc or trans issues ?
I'm not pro self ID but not cat in hells chance I'd ever vote tory either. Their past record is not erased just because they say they know what a woman is. I'm addressing this to average earners too as they are on the front line.

Labour - the issues at stake are so much bigger than self ID, which was a Tory initiative, after all. I really couldn’t vote for a corrupt, dishonest party that’s going to plunge so many families into poverty, regardless of how much they try to stir up culture war issues.

@Benjispruce4

I work in state schools. Nobody in their right mind would vote Tory if they really knew what they have done to schools.

My sister, husband and MIL all teach at state schools. I know better than most the dire funding situation schools are in, and you're right in the sense that it would appall most people if they really knew what was going on. However, not one of them will vote Labour. The ongoing safety of women and girls is by far the most important issue, especially to those of us with daughters.

@Narutocrazyfox

Tory. Have to send a message to Labour this time!

Well an 80 seat majority last time sounds like a message

How can you trust a party with the economy if it doesn't have a basic grasp of human behaviour ?

I'm an ordinary woman on a normal wage and I would vote either Lib Dem or Labour by trying to second guess who would be more likely to beat the Conservatives around here (the answer to that is actually nobody but I still won't give them my vote).

I believe in the idea of safe spaces for women and it's the sort of thing I will lobby my MP on but I will not base my vote in the issue when the Conservative Party policies make life worse for all but the richest. I would vote for any other party to the left of them.

I also work in a state school and the dire funding of both education and healthcare would be strong drivers in my decision not to vote Conservative.

@luckylavender it does, but clearly not enough for the message to sink in.

I'm furious with labour for not providing decent opposition, but now they can't even grasp basic science I find myself hoping there's another Tory landslide and maybe then they will start listening to their constituents!

Labour all the way

I would never vote for a party that does not recognise women. That issue takes priority over everything. Labour have allowed the nutters to take over and ordinary working people are not a priority at all for them anymore. Just ask one of their "members".

@MrsDThomas - you don't have to pay for your prescriptions or to park in your hospitals.

[quote Narutocrazyfox]@luckylavender it does, but clearly not enough for the message to sink in.

I'm furious with labour for not providing decent opposition, but now they can't even grasp basic science I find myself hoping there's another Tory landslide and maybe then they will start listening to their constituents![/quote]
Great. People are really struggling in this country and you want another Tory landslide. I don't understand people really.

@raspberryjamchicken

I also work in a state school and the dire funding of both education and healthcare would be strong drivers in my decision not to vote Conservative.

This is also very different in each of the four parts of the UK in regards to education and healthcare:

Scotland - SNP has responsibility.

Wales - Labour has responsibility.

England - Conservatives have responsibility.

Northern Ireland - DUP and Sinn Féin have responsibility.

As can be seen in the example of Wales, its not automatically true that Labour are the best party at governing. Their record in Scotland was so poor the SNP exploited it to gain power there.

I can understand those who feel no political party really cares about the people. They either only care for themselves or for a section of the electorate aka their voters.

But never the people as a whole.

Labour

I think there's a certain arrogance amongst tory voters on here that once again they'll win despite their horrendous record. Like the complaints that labour didn't listen to it's core electorate, so the same is happening to the tories. They really don't appreciate how angry ordinary people are. And it's not just the red wall they have to depend on. You can only rely on the 'but labour' excuse for so long. In addition Wes Streeting has declared 'men have penises, women vaginas' so maybe the tide is turning.

30K is not average btw.

I'm politically homeless so am hoping there's going to be a local independent who I can vote for as I won't spoil my vote.

I can't vote Tory because of Boris/Rishi.
I can't vote Labour because they don't know what a woman is as Starmer is weak.
I can't vote Libdems because the local candidate is likely to again be my neighbour who is a complete imbecile.
I can't vote Green because they want to ban ALL traffic from our town centre and force people onto buses (even for hospital appts).

It only leaves the hope of an independent who is not completely crazy.

Labour. Never voted Tory in my life and not about to start now. I dont trust the Torys to look after the most vulnerable in society.

It’s hard to know how it will go.

Labour appear to be leading in the polls so it feels up in the air.

I don’t feel Labour is hitting it on the issues that are important to me (and others going by posts) but maybe they can win without us.

It’s more frustration than anything as I’m a central floating voter and Blair’s Labour was closer to what I wanted (apart from the war part). I had higher hopes initially for Starmer as a move to the centre but we’ll see.

However, not one of them will vote Labour. The ongoing safety of women and girls is by far the most important issue, especially to those of us with daughters.

They should be wary of Conservatives too. I wonder what GC feminists who voted Tory in Bridgend think, now that Jamie Wallis has come out as the UK's first trans MP.

@DownNative - I think the way you've laid out your argument is disingenuous. Whilst it's true that these governments are devolved, the budgets are handed down and for some things Westminster has ultimate control. England is the only country with complete control & Westminster decides the funding.

[quote luckylavender]@DownNative - I think the way you've laid out your argument is disingenuous. Whilst it's true that these governments are devolved, the budgets are handed down and for some things Westminster has ultimate control. England is the only country with complete control & Westminster decides the funding. [/quote]
On the contrary, it's not disingenuous as the devolved administrations all have the capability to decide how and where to spend the money. Westminster doesn't control what they each do with it.

For example, in 2015 the SNP deliberately underfunded essential services in Scotland such as the NHS and schools to the tune of £200 million. All that to try blaming Westminster for cuts to those services instead of themselves which is an established part of Nationalist politics. The SNP tripled austerity in Scotland as part of their grievance politics.

It's such a problem in Scotland now that the UK Government has started to give money directly to various councils instead of to the SNP to dole out.

COSLA have been very critical of what the SNP has been doing with funding Scottish Councils, for example.

What Westminster does have control over is RESERVED powers, but this has no impact on the budgets for any of the devolved administrations whatsoever. It's a separate issue.

LuckyLavender - Labour aren’t avoiding prejudice to the trans community by saying women can have a penis and it’s not right to say only women can have a cervix. They are telling outright lies. They are laughable rather than laudable.

Quote " Eternal austerity makes complete sense - if you're rich ." From a newspaper article from 2013. And here we still are , except so much worse off than ever before.
Feel free to discuss class politics for those continuing to vote Tory.

Labour.
I simply cannot understand why anybody would vote Tory after 12 years of plundering this country to make the rich richer and the poor poorer.
Austerity policies did not work and even before Covid, Tory policies had increased the national debt. Yet even after 12 years in power, Labour policies are still being blamed.
And don't get me started on Johnson, a proven liar, hateful Priti Patel, Rees Mogg who couldn't care less about people like you and me with entitlement and arrogance seeping out of every pore of his body.

@Whatdidisay

Would never vote Labour until they can define what a women is and protect their rights so...... I never thought I would be a single issue voter but for the sake of my daughters and women in general I will vote for the party who Is most likely to stand up to this lunacy.

I agree, & I used to be a Labour member. It's that fundamental.