In the coming general election will you base your vote on …

[Katharinablumwasinnocent]

State of the country, economic performance, moral rectitude of the government or lack of..
So if you are unhappy with the way the country has been governed, general conduct of the Conservatives, you’ll presumably not vote for them. They’ve had 13 years to improve things. 13 years to level up (Not just Johnson’s plan but Northern Powerhouse before that etc too) and very little has been achieved.
Or
Tradition, how you’ve always voted. Don’t trust the other side however bad your ‘team’ are. Even though your team may have been corrupt, deceptive, inept (Truss, Johnson) or wish washy, indecisive, uncharismatic (Corbyn, Starmer) you’ll still vote for the same party.
I’m interested in tribal politics. The next GE will be fascinating to see if the Red wall continues to crumble and the Home Counties drop their loyalty to the Conservatives….. What does it take to change your allegiance ?

Another vote for any party who can recognise the difference between people assigned male at birth and the others , or as we used to call them : women and men.

I don’t want a Prime Minister who believes that some women have a penis.
I don’t want a Foreign Secretary who believes that men can ‘grow’ a cervix.
I won’t vote for a Party whose MP’s stand on a public platform with a person who encourages men to punch women in the face.

That narrows the choice down a bit.

I'll be voting for Labour despite not agreeing with some of their ideologies. There will never be a perfect political party. But I'm voting mostly based on the NHS and public services. The thought of it getting even worse and not being able to get an ambulance or hospital treatments and my loved ones dying unnecessarily is worse for me than gender ideology, even though that is important too.

Labour are the least worst option, and that'll have to do.

There is a single issue which is my gatekeeper and will automatically rule out some candidates, I will choose from those that remain based on other policies

I will vote on competence, decency
Then education and environment
Not fucking up the economy for a bit would be great
At the moment that's Labour

And I fully agree with this, as a swing voter I am often turned off voting for Labour as soon as all the thick/racist/gammon/boomer/uneducated/evil/no morals insults start flying from their supporters towards anyone that is not fully on board with Labour.

In my constituency they would vote for anything with a red rosette, the labour majority is one of the biggest in the country. I’ve always felt that no matter how I vote I make no difference. If I vote labour I just increase the majority and a vote for any other party they have zero chance of winning. I hate feeling that my vote doesn’t count and wish there was proportional representation so that my vote counted no matter what. I also think that would lead to more collaborative government and be better overall for everyone.

This

Perhaps - but the time between now and the GE will hopefully the different parties/MPa will make their views clearer, I will then be decide.

Here we go. Another slagging off the Tories thread and insulting those who may have voted for them in the past or present. For the record I am a neutral voter and I do a lot of research before each election and am often swayed by the current cabinet and PM. I also take into consideration the uncontrollable factors (such as war in Ukraine/global energy prices, COVID/whether economy (good or bad) is down to the country or international factors. I also believe that generally the system of switching govts every 5-10 years provides a degree of checks and balance to the system. But what I can't stand are sanctimonious and often niave voter's who slag off the other side and come to the debate with fixed (often inaccurate) viewpoints and seek to impose them upon the other side. What is the point of a thread like this.

I'm a tactical anti-Tory voter in what's historically been a three-way marginal.

I called it wrong last time and voted LD - it ended up fairly close between Labour and Con, with Con winning. I wish that in seats like ours the progressive parties would work together, especially given the current state of the Tory government.

I will vote Labour this time unless the polling suggests LD is a better way to go. I know the Labour candidate through mutual friends and I think she will work hard and do a good job.

Very much hope we have a change of government. I'm don't think 'all Tories are scum', but I do this this government is corrupt and reprehensible and it is time for a change.

I do a lot of research before each election and am often swayed by the current cabinet and PM.

Did you mean to add "....and their counterparts in opposition." ?

The Conservative Party does not know what it represents anymore. This is why there are so many leadership changes and reshuffles, with nobody in any role long enough to make a meaningful impact. This could have a major impact on their successes at the next GE.

The UK electorate does not know what Labour represents anymore. This is why they have failed so far to have any meaningful impact. This could have a major impact on their successes at the next GE.

That said, for me the important issues are in order: 1/ the environment, 2/ the NHS funding, 3/ police and education funding, 4/controlled immigration in a way that manages and matches resource provision and 5/protection of women's rights 6/whether I like or trust the leader and their cabinet. Neither party is clean cut with regard to the above. However, I am leaning towards labour at present due to the environment issues. The funding issues are much more complex as very dependent upon other circumstances. I also think that it's probably time for a change. I would love to vote Green, but their is a conflict there with women's rights. It's a real shame that Lib Dems have withered away into nothing because for a mid floating voter like me, they represented another option.

Similar with blue rosettes here.
Within two miles, a seat can be swung by less than 50 votes.
I'd need over 10,000 voters to have a rethink to see any change.
It's frustrating when some demographics and tribal thinking lead to some votes mattering less than others.

Last time my vote was based on a candidate not losing their deposit. I held my nose to do it, but it was a long term thought in not wanting to lose the wider option to vote for in future elections hoping that party will come to its senses. It was that or spoil.

I know that. If there was a box that said “Anything except Tory” I’d put my X in it. As there isn’t I’ll vote for the one with the best chance of ousting my Tory MP. I’d be happy with a hung Parliament, we’d be living in a different, better country if Clegg had turned left in 1997.

In most of the swimming pools round here your daughter would be in the same space but would have her own cubicle within that space. I don't really know what her autism has to do with it though because if they are that vulnerable they would not be alone anyway.

This.

Who do you plan to vote for then?

Nobody, as it stands today. Which is tragic in a democracy and not a position I thought I would ever find myself in.

Given the options you provide, I'd say she's both - a vulnerable woman.

The bottom line is that she can call herself whatever she likes and 'identify' however she wishes, but she needs her female rights and services to be protected as much as any other woman. And we need politicians who are going to do that and whilst they pretend they can't tell the difference, they can't.

Wanting to identify as something and actually being it are two very different things and material reality is unaffected.

If that weren't the case, we wouldn't have all this nonsense around 'men' needing period wear and having babies.

Or (necessarily male) rapists being in female prisons.

None of the current political parties representing my views. There are big issues and I do not see anyone willing to make the tough choices needed to improve society/life in general.

Minimum hour contracts instead of zero hours.
Three strike policy for carrying a knife. First warning mandatory course on devastation knife crime causes and community service. Second strike minimum jail term, which includes training for realistic job once released. Third strike mandatory 9 year sentence.
No interest in penalising parents who use private education. Far more interested in state education being reviewed and brought up to date for the age we live in e.g. new functional Maths GCSE which everyone takes and the current Maths GCSE becomes additional Maths taken by people who need a more in depth knowledge of maths and introduction of careers advice from Year 7.
Build more social housing but link apprenticeships in local areas to house building to encourage more youth into construction industry/electricians/plumbers.
Funding retirement/elderly care. If national insurance needs to go up or introduce a new social tax that everyone pays in to care for our elderly because right now it is a shit show or mandatory financial advise when you hit 40, so people think about their senior years and can save extra if necessary.
Also I think we do need to start conversations about assisted dying/advanced directives because we are living longer but not necessarily gaining a better quality of life and I feel we as adults should be able to chose.

These are a few issues with some real life solutions. I feel politically homeless, so either no vote/spoil ballot or an Independent.

The jails are full though aren't they @OnlyTheBravest?

(Not "the country's full" full but actually full.)

I'd rather tackle the root causes of crime such as poverty than clang the prison door on young people after the person's been stabbed.

I'm not interested in deskilling maths or the new feudalism of tying homes to jobs either tbh.

I want to end Brexit.

I think it's difficult for things to get better in this country with the Brexit drain on our finances and drag on our economy.

I can't have that.

Nobody's offering it.

But I can help to get the Tories out and end the Tory drain on our finances and the Tory drag on our economy.

So I'm doing that.

In my constituency I will vote for whoever can win who isn't a Tory. (Likely to be a Lib Dem I think.)

I agree with every single word of that, particularly around education and your ideas re Maths, careers advice, and training in the trades. Also the three strikes proposal re carrying knives. I'd vote for you. These are matters directly affecting the majority of people, not all the minority policies beneficial to few people that does so much harm to the majority.