To be ashamed dh is voting conservative

[Jacobsmum1972]

I'm very left wing dh is centre right Aibu to not want friends or family finding this out.

There is a difference between someone who IS a Tory (or Labour) and people who vote on either depending on the leader, policies at the time and so on.

I have voted on the centre left all my life but I wouldn't put it past me to vote for a centre right party for government at some point. (in fact I did at the most recent local elections because the centre left candidate is a twat and I actually liked and trusted some of the candidates on the main opposing - rightish - party)

My own MP is a deeply caring tory. I know because he has helped my family and I have actually met him. He is the reason that I am conservative.

Just because you disagree with someone's policies doesn't mean that that person lacks empathy. IF you want to help vunerable people then sending the country down the toilet ecomonically is not a bright idea. Labour frittered money during their last months in office in a lame attempt to get elected.

Ive just been on the phone to my DSis about DN's SEN and the statement she needs for school etc. DSis is single parent, part time work topped up with benefits, 5yo daughter with SEN. I just asked because of this thread and she's voting conservative due to the approach to managing the economy.

The comment about all conservative voters having a lack of understanding and compassion is just bizarre.

Malice (interesting name) - thanks for the advice. I'm very happy with my social circle, I have really lovely friends, true and honest friends who don't agree with me about everything but they are all kind and caring people. Those are the kinds of people I want to be friends with. I could bring some selfish right wing people in, but I don't think that would enrich my life in any way.

I am respectful of everyone, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and entitled to vote for whoever they want, obviously. But I like to surround myself with nice people who I have things in common with.

It's so difficult this time round though isn't it? People are struggling to make ends meet right now. As a family we will probably be better under Tory/Labour, my gut instinct is telling me to vote for Lib Dem but as a family we would be worse off under them and as money is tight I can't vote for a party that will reduce our income further.

I'm changing my mind on a daily basis. Right at this moment in time I'm leaning towards spoiling my paper because I don't want to give any of them my vote. For the first time I feel a little more understanding towards people who vote Tory as it has to be better than UKIP, I would vote Tory to stop UKIP getting in.

"I think it's unusual when left and right wing people make a couple.

I've met a few right wing people and I've always thought it would be difficult for me to have a friendship with them because of their lack of understanding and compassion. Most seem to be quite selfish and money obsessed. I don't think I've ever met a caring Tory, maybe there are some out there, but I've never met one."

What a load of old twaddle. I've read some pretty unbelievable statements on MN but this really does take the .

thehuman - don't worry, UKIP don't stand a chance of getting in.

pilates - thanks for your opinion and biscuit. That is my experience and I think I understand people and politics fairly well.

For me, although things are clearly tough for many, we are moving in the right direction. We have made good progress in reducing the deficit and yes of course we are still borrowing (because there's no way that level of debt could be paid off overnight) but we are making progress. I think its quite scary that the progress made could be undone through rash promises of spending money we simply don't have. Those promises are just crowd pleasers.

Its silly to say things such as "Tories are selfish and don't want to spend money on the NHS". Of course they do. If we had a magic pot of gold then we would all want more money to spend on the NHS, schools, housing, libraries etc. But there is no magic pot of gold and spending unwisely could have a devastating effect when we are managing to pull ourselves out of this slowly but surely.

Unfortunately five years isn't that long in the scheme of things and its only towards the end of a term that the impact of the policies really start to be seen.

happybubblebrain I'm surprised that you know the politics of everyone you meet. Clearly you don't but I suspect that if you did you'd be pretty shocked. For a start, on numbers alone, the majority of people in the UK vote conservative.

Happy You've missed the point. Which was sort of my point.

I won't post a link (Daily Mail), I was just reading that Danny Alexander has supposedly leaked a memo detailing Tories plans to cut child benefit and tax credits. That could sway some people.

thehumanjam, the BBC are reporting that this document was commissioned by Danny Alexander himself as Chief Secretary! All parties believed it belonged on a dusty shelf.

I'm simply not believing anything. All parties do "What if....." studies. They mostly get binned.

I've met a few right wing people and I've always thought it would be difficult for me to have a friendship with them because of their lack of understanding and compassion. Most seem to be quite selfish and money obsessed. I don't think I've ever met a caring Tory, maybe there are some out there, but I've never met one.

And Bingo. The exact kind of intolerant, bigotted and very, very thicknonsense so beloved of some of the Left on this board.

We will see grovel. I suspect the Tories will be back in power either on their own or as part of a coalition and I'm pretty sure they will make some drastic changes to tax credits/child benefit, they will have to pay for the extra childcare from somewhere.

I wish the election was today. I'm not used to changing my mind as often as I have done this time. I've decided I'm voting Lib Dem .

I'm so pleased my friends aren't like happybubblebrain and others on this thread. I don't talk about politics much, but am very pleased my Labour-voting friends are still happy being friends with me. I'd miss them if they were as narrow minded as happy and co.

I wonder if you voted New Labour in, being all left wing and that?

my best friend is labour and I am conservative. She attempted to engage me in the politics conversation at the weekend. She is a teacher and has very strong left wing views - I did not engage as it always ends in a row. I dont think I have ever had a politics conversation where anyone was prepared to conceed a point!

Malice I am a caring Tory honest! To be honest in locals I am Lib Dem but with my middle class upbringing I dont think I could ever go Labour. If I was to put it in a ridiculously simplistic and probably ignorant way I would say that having been brought up in a nice detatched house by hard working parents (who came from working class parents), worked hard at school, started work at 16 and built my own succesful career I just dont identify with what Labour is saying not just because it isnt my little universe but because the Conservatives are talking my language. Does that make any sense?

I don't know anyone who can argue that Tory policies are in any way kind or caring, so I don't know how the people who vote for them can be either? Luckily most people don't vote for them and hopefully more people will understand this in time for the next election.

I don't think we've moved in the right direction in the last five years at all, but then I don't believe everything I read in the right wing media.

Bowerslam - maybe your Labour-voting friends are just tolerating you? Who knows, maybe you one of those compassionate Conservatives. Sounds like a contradiction in terms doesn't it.

Luckily most people don't vote for them and hopefully more people will understand this in time for the next election.

And yet we appear to have had a Tory led coalition for the last five years?

And will, most likely, have one again.

happy (and you had a dig at Malice's name - the irony) Ahh maybe they do. Good toleration levels though of 20+ years though. They are friends indeed to tolerate me for so long. Or maybe they and I are just more normal than you and your rather extreme views.

bubblebrain ( great nam eBTW )

I'm assuming from your posts that you are :

1. Quite young
2. Not terribly well educated
3. Reliant on benefits / low paid

Go on, indulge me!

bubble, my Tory-voting neighbour and I have very similar visions about the country we want to live in. We just don't agree about the best way to get there.

She volunteers for the Samaritans BTW - so I'm disinclined to suggest a lack of empathy!

Sherbert Im sure you are - as am I (I hope). Without wanting to give too much away, I was born and rasied on a council estate in East London (which was overwhelmingly Labour). I've seen first hand the effects that so-called 'progressive' policies have had. It's quite natural for our backgrounds to inform our political leanings (in my case I went 'against the grain') however, we should aways be prepared to consider a different point of view.

It's the tribal nature of things which worries me most and this place is more tribal than anywhere else (outside of Football) I note that for all of the "negative campaigning turns people off" we've had from commentators - it doesn't seem to have done the SNP any harm.

Erudite, I am

1. middle-aged
2. degree educated
3. not reliant on benefits in any way

0 out of 3. Good try.
Funny how my politics made you think that. Did you learn the word stereotype at school?