To wonder why if the tories are so unpopular, they always get in?

[maggiethemagpie]

Are there a lot of secret Tory voters who won't admit it? They have won most elections since the second world war, so they must be doing something right (in terms of appealing to the electorate to continuously vote for them) yet I see a lot of Tory bashing threads on here and I don't know anyone in my own life who'd admit to voting Tory.

I'm not particularly a leftie, I'm a centrist if anything and believe a balance of left and right leaning politics is optimal, but it seems like it is very 'right on' to admit to a socialist view and wanting to do more for society's vulnerable or poor, but to admit to admiring conservative views is not acceptable. You hear of 'Tory Scum' but never 'Labour Scum'.

So who are all these people voting for the conservatives? Because they always seem to get in, and the Blair years when they did not, people say Blair was a red Tory anyway!

Or are people just afraid to admit what their political views are if it does not sound socially acceptable?

Because the left are typically vocal and sometimes nasty, and often not willing or able to have a serious debate without hurling names and accusations.

Because our political system is based on a few marginal constituencies.

Too many safe Labour/ Conservative ones which can be ignored.

I don't think the left has a monopoly on being unpleasant to people with different views. I'm on the left and have found there are plenty of obnoxious, rude people on the right who are happy to insult me.

About 24% of the electorate voted Tory, that means 76% did not want them to govern

I'm afraid that's not how it works. Those who do not vote or stake an opinion are therefore deemed to consent to the outcome of the majority vote.

I voted conservative at the GE because our local labour mp was shit. I could not give him my vote and the Tory MP was the one most likely to get him out. And she did. It was the best vote for my local area.

Also I wouldn't vote labour again until they expel Tony Blair. They rolled him out to endorse Ed Milliband just before voting day as though he is some sort of hero we should all listen to.

On threads around the election my reasons, apparently, we're not good enough and I was 'scum' and was 'happy to see the poorest and disabled walked all over' .

I can see why people don't say the voted conservative.

I voted Tory in the last GE first time I'd voted for them I was honest about it when asked and received appalling abuse on mn, fb and on rl. I'm by no means rabid I'm quite quiet polite I do a highly empathic job helping others. I think other Tory voters just don't want to face the vile virtue signalling I got. Fwiw I continue to be honest about how and why I vote as I know I'm not selfish/vile/racist/too old to vote but it's very hard facing abuse and not responding in kind.

I tend to judge those who say things like "I could never marry a Tory" or "I could never be friends with a Tory". My clever left leaning friends have no problem having relationships with someone who thinks differently to them.

louisa thanks for the patronising history lesson there (and bizarre explanation of the word "especially"). I know plenty about the Suffragist movement, thanks. No need to be a dick. I just don't believe in pushing the blame on non-voting women when there are plenty of men who could vote and don't.

You're most welcome, Milpool and I'm very glad to have cleared up any confusion that there may have been on your part.
Excellent news!

I think the FPTP system is largely to blame, coupled with the fact that there are a lot of older voters in the UK, who are likely to vote Tory. However, leftie as I am, I do think Tory bashing is very wrong. There is a huge gulf in attitudes between the Westminster Tory government and your average Tory voter out in the sticks. Those 'small c' conservatives just don't have anyone else to vote for - in the last GE the Lib Dems had rendered themselves unelectable and Labour had made a dman good job of nearly achieving the same thing. With no plausible alternatives, what choice did they have? Moving to a system of proportional representation would allow new political movements to grow, gain ground and really represent voters. The trade-off would be the likelihood of mostly coalition governments. Personally I'd like to see politics broaden out far beyond the two/three main parties in the UK.

They don't want to accused of I'm alright jack voting, perhaps. Which it can seem, especially by the baby boomer generation. Which I find baffling. To vote for the dismantling of the NHS and the welfare state, just as they get to the point where they are going to need it more than ever, is bonkers in my view.

Because the ones who shout the loudest and most often aren't always actually the most popular.

There is a sizeable minority of lefty voters who to put it bluntly are colossal arses when it comes to political discussions. My Facebook feed post general election was full of insults, doom mongering vitriol and bile aimed at anyone who voted Tory/UKIP. It was pathetic, no different to the tribal allegiance you find in football for supporting the wrong team, the sort of tribalism that makes you just disengage and walk in the opposite direction. Seriously what’s the point in trying to have a reasonable discussion with these people, who wants to be lectured by some hectoring pillock who is incapable of accepting that some people think differently to them, to be accused of being morally bankrupt, called thick or assumed to be the brainwashed victim of the tabloids? This is why I imagine quite a few Tory voters keep their views to themselves when asked by someone they don't know too well.

pointy I totally agree. The one big winner in every election is apathy, and no political party seems willing or able to change that. I have to wonder if there is a correlation between Scottish voters becoming more engaged and the adoption of deHondt. Perhaps it is more easy to vote when you feel that your vote counts for something - as someone said upthread voting in a 'safe' seat can feel like a waste so that is bound to have an effect on voting behaviour.

zabuzabu I know that's not how it works 😀, I was trying (not very well) to say that the reason the op doesn't encounter more Tory voters is that less than a quarter of the electorate vote for them; three quarters of the active voters she meets will have chosen another party. But due to FPTP it is the number per constituency that matters, not the overall number of voters. I hope that makes more sense than my previous attempt at an explanation!

Because Tory voters accept some people have different views, whilst Labour supporters won't.

Because they believe the bs fed to them by the media about benefit scroungers ect.
Because they're alright Jack and don't give a stuff about other people,
However all that said. Why should they care, and everyone is entitled to their vote.

Pan: I think you're right.

Yelling and shouting bile from those mostly on the left give the impression that the Tory vote will fail. It is quite frightening for those who don't realise that it means precisely nothing, so they remain quiet and vote the way they want.

It is always a shock to Labour voters on the morning of the result-how could it be otherwise when- until the ballot box-no-one has challenged them. It is in danger of becoming a pattern.

As we have had yelps for people over 65 not to be allowed to vote, it wouldn't surprise me at all if someone starts banging the drum for the end of the secret ballot!

DH and I are both small c conservatives and we are active in the local party - we have a Tory MP and probably always will. The abuse that most Tory voters get on here should give a clue as to why you don't seem to "know" any? I was called a cunt and told to "fuck off with [my] Tory bollix" (sic) by some charmer (who wasn't deleted - they never are). My crime was pointing out that the women I volunteer with at the local hospice are fellow Tories, to a woman, so it's not always accurate to assume that we are all baby-eaters who want to destroy the poor and disabled.

I'm a real leftie. I can never understand why the Tories get in, I'm completely baffled. I'm guessing it's often a financial decision for many older voters? I have no idea why young or poor people vote for them??? I understand some people can't forgive Blair for taking us to war and might vote Conservative for that reason.

I've always voted Labour, but I would prefer to vote for the Green Party if it stood a chance. Right now I think we need an alliance of Green, Labour, Lib Dems and SNP. Are the differences between them all that great?

Our FPTP electoral system skews the result' tories got approx one third of votes but over half the seats. If PR were in place it would be much more representative of public opinion.

Of course there are some people who are 'shy Tories', but the main point is still the one made about the FPTP system, which means that only 24% of active voters voted for the Conservatives at the last election, so 76% of people you meet who actually voted will have voted for someone else.

And then on top of that only 66% of people who were eligible to vote actually voted. So that means only 16% of people you meet who are eligible to vote voted Tory. The people who didn't vote (34% of those eligible) may not have voted because they actually don't have an opinion or don't care enough, even though I'm sure some are Tory.

"About 24% of the electorate voted Tory, that means 76% did not want them to govern"

Not really, because there's not way of telling whether how that 76% is made up - including those of any leaning who would have put the Tories second if it was a transferable vote (remember the Tories come second in Scotland) Plus of course those who vote for UKIP and are totally happy with the and thinks the Tories are a bit went but they'll do.

Sorry, I put 24% in when the actual figure is 36.9% so the total number of people is the 24% which someone had previously quoted. So ignore my post because it's all wrong.

I voted for the Green Party it was horrendous when they got in, in Brighton shambolic horror show. Posts like Alconleigh and Living in a lighthouse above are perfect examples of why Tory voters keep quiet, nasty name calling bigotry at its finest. For the gazillionth time, I'm not stupid I'm not selfish I don't want the NHS or the welfare state dismantled and I do 'give a stuff'' even on a thread where polite discussion is the tone abuse appears shame on you.

Because they believe the bs fed to them by the media about benefit scroungers ect.
Because they're alright Jack and don't give a stuff about other people,
However all that said. Why should they care, and everyone is entitled to their vote.

This sort of small minded post is exactly why you don't hear a lot from Tory voters. Doesn't mean Theo not exist though.