to ask you why you would vote Tory?

[Dromedary]

I have a nasty feeling that if an election were held now the Tories might get in again.
Lots of you out there support the Tories.
Some of the rest of us find that very hard to understand.
Can you explain your reasoning for us? I for one promise not to bash you for your views on this thread (but may do so on other threads).

I have to add that whilst I have mainly Tory principles, I do also think that Osbourne & Cameron are out of touch and don't have the experience they need.

I'd like to see someone with principles and the backbone to see through the tough changes needed. I get the sense that the dynamic duo are concerned more with spin & headlines than focusing on the long term good of the country. It was something I hated about Tony Blair and see this trend continuing.

That said I hate Miliband & Balls even more. After nearly two years out of power they've still seemingly only got one policy. Tax the bankers and use that money to pay for . And they oppose EVERY cut but at the same time say they'd have to make cuts too. Seriously....

Milliband shouldn't have stood against his brother, Ed Balls is a bully and borrowing more money will not get us out of this mess

Iraq, Afghanistan, Mass Immigration and screwing up the economy are not rectified by saying 'Oh yeah, sorry about that'

Enjoy, it's not about "abusing" Tory voters - I totally understand why the (selfish) rich vote Tory, why on earth wouldn't they?!

I am bemused as to why anyone else does as the Tory hierarchy hold anyone not as wealthy as them in utter contempt and is always been taught turkeys don't vote for Christmas. But maybe some turkeys do?

Partly anti-Labour/ anti-Liberal and partly pro-conservative (small c) management of the country. There are definitely things and people I don't like about the Conservative party (boorish behaviour, Nadine Dorries and David Cameron are all examples) but I think they have some good ideas. If only they could sort out what they all think about the EU...!

I have voted for all three major parties in my time.

I make a decision based on the policies being presented at the election. I know this is stupid because they are liars, however the alternative is to try and guess what they will actually do in power which is pretty much impossible to do.

I don't like the Ohhh nasty Tory fallacy. It's too easy and just rubbish really.

It is possible to hate the lib dems for being spineless.
hate the Tories for their education and disability policies
And hate Labour for the wars and the economy.

However, we're all going down with the ineffectual in power, we're all going down if we go to war again and/or really run out of money. Which leaves the Tories as the only party who probably won't ruin us all.

Rather a depressing choice though.

Knitting, some people are happy to vote for a party that supports good opportunities for social mobility, even if they are currently poor themselves.

Knitting and yet there you go. I am neither (I hope) selfish, rich or a turkey.

I support the Conservative party, reserve the right to criticise them and not vote for them if I choose. Additionally i respect your right to disagree and vote for whomever you choose.

TSC glad to see you engaging with the intelligent side of this debate, as usual.

Winky tax credits are benefits. You may not receive them, but far too many people do. Under Gordon Brown's administration, a family earning £55K a year was eligible to receive tax credits - ie. state benefits - if they had two or more children and used childcare.
That is just insane, and it was all about developing a large part of the population into clients of the state, so that people felt they had no choice but the continue voting Labour.

I believe in small government, and minimal state interference in people's lives. If government was more discriminating about who it handed out cash to, then there would be more for the disabled, the carers, the sick - who really are in need, rather than only being able to provide the insufficient level of support that we do at the moment.

Also, I really hate snobbery, both the traditional type and the inverted type aka "you went to private school" as if makes you a lesser person.

Those of you who vote tory because of the personal responsibility/freedom from control by the state type of shtick, does it not strike you that those who lead the tories are coming from a position of extreme privilege? If you have grown up with the benefits of a wealthy family and door-opening private education then this philosophy is supremely sensible. What it ignores is the influence of initial conditions on the less fortunate. Asking people who are struggling and come from a disadvantaged background to take personal responsibility is fine, but you have to accept that there are limits to what people can achieve and that in order to prevent the next generation from similarly struggling there needs to be help from the more privileged (in the form of good education, healthcare and, yes, benefits).

I speak as a non-supporter of any of the major parties (so not pushing the labour agenda at all). I am a socialist and believe that as a society we all should have a responsibility for one another and that the privileges bestowed upon those in power as a right of birth, religion or through their education and networking ought to be completely wiped out through parliamentary and educational reform and abolition of the monarchy.

If you just take a step back for a minute the whole thing is absurd. Power is bought or born into in this country and it needs to change.

(Disclaimer: I really wish I had the solution but I don't, so I try not to think about it most of the time)

" the Tory hierarchy hold anyone not as wealthy as them in utter contempt"

I don't know about contempt but I'm far happier to have a government that encourages us to create or accumulate wealth rather than one that despises people just for having a few quid and plots to part them from it. Or worse, hypocritically pretends... like Blair, Milliband, Balls and others... that they are down with the po' folk in order to ingratiate themselves.

'Maybe, but the benefit cap is only a cap. As long as its capped at a level that enables a reasonable standard of living, then there isn't a problem with it being applied to anyone who has to claim benefits.'

That depends on where you live, though doesn't it. If in the East where rent prices are high you f*ed frankly.

Fork do you not think the leaders of all three parties come from a position of extreme privilege?

Catriona, It's just jealousy & politics of envy. How many of us would send our kids to private school if we could? I know I certainly would.

So to then bash someone for having had the education we wish our kids could have had is jealousy pure & simple.

A lot of people with aspirations for their children like Gove's approach of making qualifications worth having again, rather than the annual "best results ever, aren't children getting cleverer" charade we had under labour, when every uni and employer continued to insist people were less and less qualified.

Many people believe in equality of opportunity rather than equality of outcome and want to be rewarded for their efforts rather than for merely existing.

Many people believe that living on one's income is far more sensible than to let borrowing spiral out of control and allow our children to pay the price.

Many people believe that Labour are generally hypocritical and, whilst claiming to be the "fair" party, actually show far more patronage than the Tories ever will, with Tony Blair et al being the ultimate exemplars. I think T.B is possibly the only PM we have ever had who was in politics purely for personal gain.

I cannot say that I love the Tories, far from it. They are also immensely hypocritical and also have not shown the competence that they promised. Having said that, I think that they are far more competent than Labour and their principles are far closer to mine (see above). They will therefore be once again getting my vote at the next election.

Cogito - the DWP themselves have said that fraudulent claims for DLA are very low. There are very few people who are 'swinging the lead' actually.

"Those of you who vote tory because of the personal responsibility/freedom from control by the state type of shtick, does it not strike you that those who lead the tories are coming from a position of extreme privilege?"

Not at all because I don't think it follows that someone has to be poor to help poor people any more than someone rich will only help rich people. We judge performance on outcomes... not incomes.

Yes felicity, they are. I focused on the tories because it's the topic of the thread but the problem with our political system is much bigger than them IMO.

The Tories bleat about 'strivers' but actually crush opportunities for social mobility. They are indeed hypocrites.

Cogito - I don't really understand your reply. I didn't really mean that rich people will only help rich people, rather that as a wealthy, privileged person taking "personal responsibility" is a bit different to someone starting from the bottom.