Thread 49 Sunak: He Left them on the beaches

[DuncinToffee]

3 Weeks to go

Previous thread
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5090939-thread-48-sunak-capsized-on-the-ship-of-lies?page=40

My ds did politics at university. Although he's a Labour member he's much more pragmatic than me, or I ever was! He's more interested in US politics.

Dd is Labour and has never forgiven LibDems and the university fees.

I always feel it's so terrible the debt they have compared to my free university education and my grant.

I'm near the older end of gen X. I'm getting more and more left wing economically and would probably be a centrist socially.

DS is all about the manifestos. He takes pride in looking in detail at things in the news and dislikes tribalism. He's not in favour of Scottish independence. As a musician who trained in England he's sick of hearing about free education for Scottish students - it's free provided you study in Scotland. And Brexit has badly affected his industry. He's also keen for a government to address the housing situation.

DD and her partner vote tactically to keep the indies out. They would vote green if the greens weren't in favour of independence.

@prettybird DD's partner's grandparents were very active snp campaigners. It split the family and caused a deal of hurt with independence supporters resenting family members for denying them their dream.

@prettybird

One of my ds is named after a character in the west wing ;)

Just catching up on the thread.

Another Boomer here. Always been left-wing but since the Brexit vote I've become more left -wing!

I live in a "leafy London suburb" - and for many years I was the only Labour Party member that I knew of in our immediate friendship group. Last month had a social meet up with a group of (relatively disparate) friends and 3 admitted to having joined the Labour Party! (All Boomers 🤷‍♀️)

Please take Trump's name out of this argument! No comparison.

Thanks for all sharing - enjoying your stories.

On a day to day basis I have to remain politically neutral although I find I have to reign myself in when teaching “An Inspector Calls” - was always surprised Gove didn’t ban the text for promoting socialism!

Yeah I don't think the prospect of a Labour government is scary to me in the way it scares my parents generation.
Blair/Brown was a far better era than this one. As shown in the stats and that Dan Neidle article upthread.

I grew up in a right wing family but spent a lot of my time at a friend's house and her parents were very left wing. I owe a lot of my current centre left position to them all!

My children both vote Labour. Neither are as woke as me!

DS1 did a politics degree but really isn't very political. If anything he's the one that could get sucked into dodgy stuff as he likes conspiracy theories. But mainly he's apathetic.

DS2 is more political and likes social and economic history and kniws more than me about the 1960s and 70s . I thought he'd do his dissertation on Scargill but he's doing it on 1968 student protests He has become less political though. But he definitely is a GTTO voter.

My DD (28 now somehow) grew up knowing I was political but not really being interested. It was just the 2 of us so no discussions to listen to. She has always voted, and always in the left as far as I know because she knows how important it is to have your say. She works for a charity dealing with the effects of crime and often also mental illness and has become more politically aware and more left wing as a result.

Just reading Wes Streetings comments on social care. I like the honesty about having to temper ambition with what is possible. Starting to be really hopeful for the future of the UK, which I haven't felt since Brexit.
I've been out leafleting for Labour - haven't had any other leaflets or seen any other signs in my ordinarily safe Tory seat. Its like the Conservatives have given up.

Left of centre GenX here. Having grown up in NI, I've had my fill of "exciting" politics. I just want competent, boring governance that advances our country in a responsible fashion.

Sunak's lies and D-day disaster discombobulated me so much I cleared out my coalhole. So here's a Tidy Tax.

DS1(17) is GenZ. He's very interested in politics, spent yesterday at a future of NI event with his school. He claims to be RW, but isn't, I think he just does it to try to wind me up. He's staying up to watch this election. It'll be his first, I'm hoping it's glorious.

DS is pure green. Even though I've explained to him far too many times that his one vote could cost our labour candidate the victory. His political interest started while he was still at primary school and decided his ideal job would be Labour PM.

DD let's it all wash over her in complete disinterest. She actually said at dinner the other night that she didn't know we were allowed to vote the Tories out.

One of the positives of allowing the vote at 16 in Scotland (at least for local and Scottish Parliament elections) is that it gets young people into the habit of voting from a young age.

I think it is positive to have a politically engaged population - even if not everyone votes the way you want them to

Iirc, the English Higher was on 5 May 2016. Included in the paper was a as usual divisive article by Julia Hartley Brewer (for the critical reading question?), saying that they shouldn't be given a vote in the EU referendum as they couldn't think for themselves. By all accounts, it encouraged a lot of young people to go out and vote immediately afterwards as there was a Scottish Parliament election that day

I grew up in Glasgow. I mean its practically obligatory to hate Tories.

I'm always interested in why the Scottish working class remain stolidly left wing at least in terms if voting, and haven't been lured by Faragists. Maybe it's the presence of independence debates so Scottish identity is the thing to argue over. Also the legacy of so many Labour figures being Scottish?

"One of the positives of allowing the vote at 16 in Scotland (at least for local and Scottish Parliament elections) is that it gets young people into the habit of voting from a young age.

I think it is positive to have a politically engaged population - even if not everyone votes the way you want them to "

100% this. Not all 16 year olds will vote, just like not all 55 year olds will vote. But giving them that choice can only be a good thing for future investment in outcomes.

(My extended family - Glaswegians - are Conservative members!)

Goodness. Are they from Giffnock , or Milngavie?

Hehe - the latter!

I've never understood the 'too young to vote' argument. We allow people with learning difficulties to vote. We allow people with cognitive decline to vote. At the same time, we allow people to join the military, decide where they live if not with their parents, work and pay taxes at 16 - but they can't vote. At 17, we let them drive cars - but they can't vote. There's no sense in any of it and I'm fully in favour of extending the franchise to 16 plus. I really hope Labour do it.

Something the tory minister on Politics Live or Question Time last week said has been bothering me. He was talking about Starmer raising taxes when he gets in and he said that within days Starmer would be claiming that the books are far worse than we've been led to believe. Then he'd use that as justification for having to raise taxes.

He was laying the groundwork for the lies they've prepared to try and gaslight us when we finally find out the truth of how much damage they've done, wasn't he. Stuff is going to come to light they've kept hidden isn't it? That's why they've all quit. Not to avoid losing their seats, but to get as far away from the explosion they know is coming.

Blair/Brown politically was about policy, and most if not all of the current Tory cabinet would not have been good enough for John Major's government. John Major and his government were not a zombie government.

We had Angela Rayner’s battle bus here today, she spoke very well, I was really impressed. Lots of us had photos with her and she was lovely to everyone and she was joined by June Sarpong who was also really lovely. There was huge consensus amongst the people I spoke to that we have to get this government out and that the alternative of another 5 years of this is something that would destroy the country.

Ah well, there you go! They don't count...