Urgh! I will still live in a tory seat, how to make peace with that?

[BusyCM]

150 years of Conservatives here, no chance of Labour getting in. Closest competitor is Lib Dems but still a huge gap. Though we do have Lib dem councillors in now which was a shock last year so maybe I should put my vote there?

And no I can't move house!

There are many decent places to live with Labour MPs.

I live in a Tory safe seat. You could put a blue rosette on a lamppost here and people would vote for it. (I live in a little enclave who vote for different councillors - we’re the naughty end of the constituency.) Unfortunately my MP likes to climb the greasy pole and therefore refuses to do anything that doesn’t help his career. Labour and the Lib Dems would have a chance of unseating him if they worked together, but they don’t. (Both parties locally are quite arrogant and think they have a chance and when you tackle them on it when they are campaigning, Labour in particular are deluded.)

Proportional representation is the way forward.

I'm in a safe Tory seat. But looking back at the 2019 results I've just remembered how atrocious the Labour candidate was. The new one does seem to be better so maybe things will finally change.

@AppleStrudel23

Totally agree . OP's response was ridiculous.
There could be any number of reasons she couldn't move , army barrack housing , house tied to job , caring responsibilities, school catchment areas etc but nope the old woke privilege trope, so unoriginal and dull

Why is it any of your business?

And throw the female population under a bus.

And to add, i said its the one thing I said I couldn't change, but some MNetters act like you're lying.... why do I need evidence that's good enough to prove to you why I can't move?

I'm in the same position, it's very depressing. This is the problem with the stupid 'first past the post' system.

I hear you op. It is really disheartening. I lived for many years in a ridiculously safe Tory seat (Rayleigh and Wickford) with a toe curlingly awful and hopeless MP (Mark Francois) and my Vote counted for nothing.

I made my peace with it (almost!) by campaigning for my party in local constituencies where we stood half a chance and writing to him regularly with my gripes.

I now live in a much closer call constituency and it Feels much more relevant to me now.

I've never lived anywhere where my vote counted, it pisses me off.

I'm hoping we get a candidate from a non-TWAW party but it's highly unlikely.

If there are things you urgently believe done in your local area which could be influenced by the constituency MP, why don't you stand yourself? Good few independent MPs in Parliament. Or you could actually join whichever party you feel represents your views.

I was waiting for someone to suggest standing yourself as an MP. Even more ludicrous than the “just move house” response.

No, it isn't. MPs aren't a special class of humans. They're normal people who have decided to involve themselves because they think they can help to achieve something. There is a long history of local people standing and winning as Independents to achieve something specific in their local area. Also lots of opportunities to contribute to local politics as a councillor.

If you choose not to do that, you accept that your influence in politics is limited to your vote, and that everybody else has one too, which might be different than yours.

My constituency has had a Tory MP with a very comfortable outright majority since it was created decades ago. It is annoying to feel your vote doesn't count, but it helps to remember that the national government of the day makes far more difference than an individual MP. And who knows what will happen this time...

There is hope. It's recently been reported that a lot of the older lifelong tory voters are dying off and are being replaced by more liberal voters who would never vote tory (a lot of the MN demographic, affluent, liberal) so while those people probably wouldn't vote Labour, they'd probably vote Liberal Democrat and some of the safe tory seats might not be as safe as they've been in the past.

I have been a political campaigner at a constituency level all my life @DreadPirateRobots so I know how it works. But, a bit like moving house, all of that stuff you mention to become an mp does not happen in 6 weeks to start with, and does not happen in the way you describe either.

You get people who say "I vote for (party) as my late husband, father always vote for them". Sod them, use YOUR judgement as YOU will have to live through that party's policies etc. NOT your late loved ones who died 20+ years ago.

I live in the county but the city has had the same mayor for 12-14 years now and despite ruining the city with pointless cycle lanes which nobody uses, moves the market etc there are idiots who still vote for him as he's the same party as the 3 or 4 city MPs.

Someone suggested that voting should stop at the age of 75, as can't do jury service after 75 due to diminishing thinking. If that was applied in June 2016, we would still be in the EU as every over 75 I knew voted Brexit. My DF is 75 and asked him would it bother him if he wasn't able to vote again. It wouldn't.

I honestly would hate to live somewhere where so many people were selfish or stupid
enough to vote Conservative at the moment.

Just knowing so many of my neighbours could vote for these corrupt people that have made my life so much worse would really upset me.

Where I live is diverse in almost every way apart from the fact 78% of voters vote for parties that aren't Tory/Reform/BNP etc.

I have a friend who was thinking about moving to Uxbridge but due to then voting in Boris Johnson and then the most recent byelection has decided not to. I don't blame her!

I'm in a safe Tory seat that has had a useless arrogant MP for ages and no serious alternatives to vote for.

It is likely to remain Tory but fortunately Useless MP is not standing again and the new candidate seems like a proactive, decent human being with a mixed cultural background that will give the benefits of a different insight and life experience and leadership ability.

We vote for the MP not their party, and a candidate can also switch party.

Since childhood I’ve only ever lived in areas with a Conservative MP you in place. Where I live now there were 2 elections where Labour didn’t even field a candidate. When they do they have never polled better than 3rd and have never managed 10% of the vote. I’m actually surprised it’s that high as I can’t recall the last time I spoke with anyone local who admits to voting Labour.

FPTP means areas like mine don’t really focus on the GE as there’s not really anything up for grabs.

One thing about living in a less diverse political area is that local politics passes you by to large degree because the status quo is never going to change.

It is a lovely semi rural area to live in with almost no crime or anti-social behaviour.

I'm in Wales. We're mismanaged into the ground by the senedd it's worse year on year. Nothing will change here no matter who gets in.

Which independents are you thinking of? There’s Martin Bell who had the advantages of being famous already and being up against a manifestly corrupt Tory.

Obviously some MPs who have lost or given up the whip are nominally independents now, but weren’t when they won. Who else?

If it makes you feel any better, I feel exactly the same way about living in an extremely safe Labour seat!

The constituency boundaries have changed here, but it will still be the Tory who is elected. The Lib Dem has been proactive in local elections, so maybe that will swing some votes her way.

Swap your vote? I did this last GE. I
Make your vote count by tactical voting. My seat is safe Labour, but I voted Lib Dem to assuage the conscience of my swapper, who lived in a marginal. She voted Labour, who had the best chance of getting the Cons out. https://www.swapmyvote.uk/