AIBU to not understand why "normal" people vote Tory?

[olddogsnewtricks]

OK, so I'll probably get flamed for this but am genuinely interested! All the people I know who vote Tory are pretty well off so use private schools and healthcare. As a family we need the NHS and we need a good education system - and I can't see them getting any better under the Tories. Are these just not priorities for Tory voters or do they really believe they will improve even with a Conservative government?

make the companies pay rather than the state

At least labour took action. Unfortunately they were in the pocket of business so did this instead.

The Tories have done fuck all.

Do ppl really think employers will suddenly up their wages by £££££££££ if WTC is stopped.

Rents went up with the introduction of tax credits - TCs created a dependency on itself by falsifying what was affordable on average

NOT the only reason for high rents - all of the rental system needs an overhaul, but TCs were a crazy system of falsely inflating what was affordable on a lower income. There used to be cheaper areas of town where you could rent a home on a lower income for a lower rent than the posh areas but now they're all bumped up but it's all false! people ar now more reliant on TCs than ever.. they should at best have been a temporary stop-gap

If rents went up because of tax credits, then it is another argument for the need for social housing.
Private landlords don't give a monkeys about providing affordable homes.

Because no everyone necessarily sees Labour as the good guys. They see them as a party of high taxes, cronyism and financial recklessness.

I'm from a working class background & I have always voted Tory and next election I will again. I voted for Tories as Labour couldn't even be bothered to canvass in my area, it used to p me off that they made no attempt. It is probably one of the safest Tory seats in the country but there was a large working class community they didn't seem to give a toss about. From a young age I've resented Labour for that. I've moved to another Tory stronghold and our local MP is always championing the area and I think she has done good for our area so I will vote for her again.

I was lucky enough to have studied politics for A Levels and I strongly believe it should be made compulsory for all students to study it before GCSE level. They should be aware of the history and the ideology of the parties so they have the best possible chance of understanding what they are voting for. It annoys me at 18 we're given a vote but without the education, some of it was covered in pastoral classes but it isn't enough.

baby Because most people do vote for what is best for them and their family. Some don't but you will never persuade anyone to vote for (what you deem to be) better for the country. And as voters that is our right.

And generally it's Labour voters who claim to vote for the rest of the country's interests - right wingers tend to want smaller govt, minimum involvement

I voted for Tories as Labour couldn't even be bothered to canvass in my area, it used to p me off that they made no attempt. It is probably one of the safest Tory seats in the country but there was a large working class community they didn't seem to give a toss about

YES! They're not as "grass roots" as labour supporters would have you believe, as in they don't pound the pavements and actually MEET the people. In my area greens do (they are RIDICULOUS and infuriating but they do it), UKIP do it with bells on! Their candidates set up stalls and get themselves out there (again, this raises my blood pressure, but at least they're meeting their potential constituents), Our Tory MP is very accessible, I've had a long conversation with him myself in person, he also gives personalised replies to emails (I don't know if it's him or probably one of his team, but time is taken on the reply). OH he is BTW the WORST most privilidged type of Tory.. but he's out there speaking to people.

Other than the shot that comes in the junk mail leaflet I don't know our labour candidates from Adam. This has been the case in every, E.VER.Y constituency I've ever lived in.

We couldn't even manage one fucking day without this patronising "why are tory voters all meanies who hate nhs/disabled/schools/kittens" shit. Fuck mumsnet sometimes fuck it right in the stink pipe.
I'm voting tory. Maybe because im a cunt or scum or possibly because I'm a racist, who knows. But I know that tory voters have been accused of all of these things before we even got to midday. So if that's the left, then I'll swing right thanks

It's democracy op

I love the way people call Tory voters 'thick' when the irony is most of them will have had a better education and have a better standard of living than the average Labour voter

what has 'standard of living got to with 'being thick' ?? Actually most academics are pretty left wing so I am not sur how that fits into your model?

I voted conservative at the last couple of elections, and I will again in the forthcoming one. I dont absolutely love the Tories, but I prefer minimal interference in my life and a small govt. Also, frankly, I am financially better off under the conservatives, although I'm not a high income earner.
I have no time for Labour, I dont understand what or who they stand for. I agree with prev posters who said they hold the working class in contempt.

This was the same when Labour were in power. People asked what Labour were doing about social housing for example, and all the replies were 'Thatcher sold fof social housing!!!111' rather than an actual answer.

I agree with the sentiment but things don't happen in a vacuum, as is prevalent on this thread, there is significant amount of posters who have lived under 13 years of labour and have rejected it for valid reasons and some that think they can white wash said labour government and think that all our ills only started in 2010.

Your also not really asking the question of "what should be being discussed is how can this...be fixed?" as your nailing your colours firmly to the mast.

It is for Labour to offer an alternative

I just think that when labour candidates can't be arsed with their constituency at the audition/interview stage (i.e. running for election) then what use will they be on a local level once elected?

I know that labour favour central government but we need our MPs to act on local issued too and it takes the piss when they just re-hash a few key labour policies in their mail-shots and don't even make a token statement about the constituency, never mind getting seen/known in it!

Labour

Winter of discontent it was the darkest hours of the 1970s

Strikes

Violent unions

Allowance of the mortgage credit which caused the crash of 2007

Allowing tax liberty schemes

My personal favourite : no money left financially reckless

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8688470.stm

I too think it is political ignorance and an almost exclusively right wing media / promotional mouthpiece for the Tory party.

The Tories have made a right shambles of this country and it's time someone else took over. I will be voting for Jeremy Corbyn and Labour but can understand others who may want to vote Lib Dem instead.

UKIP and Tory voters I find completely incomprehensible... well, I guess if someone is very wealthy I can understand them thinking the Tories offer the best deal. But 'ordinary' folk who may work for or be reliant on public services? Nope.

I am still waiting for a Tory supporter to tell me what the Tories will do for those who are working but not earning enough to live and cannot afford to buy a property.

You can also add Brexit too as their leader was vague on his views - what a mess

At least labour took action. Unfortunately they were in the pocket of business so did this instead.

The Tories have done fuck all.

Blind tribalism at play, I would mention the increase of minimum wage and tax allowance to counter this but we will inevitably be trying to let labour take the credit of certain policies whilst also playing the not true socialism labour for the failures, your mindset doesn't help win people over

Funnily enough I think the press and tv is left wing

Labour introduced minimum wage

The Tory increases were hardly mind blowing. And the increase in tax allowances benefits all - it does nothing to reduce the gap between rich and poor.

If the Tories were serious about "just about managing" then they would support a living wage and give more power to employees so that they could argue for better wages.

But they won't.

I think there is a perception employers are holding out on employees. Most small companies have huge issues with salaries pension contributions taxation and NI. If salaries take a big hike so does the price of everything else that's inflation. It has to be passed on.

The country is bankrupt as it is with NHS, education and the benefits system. Does no one understand the economics behind how this country works?

I am still waiting for a Tory supporter to tell me what the Tories will do for those who are working but not earning enough to live and cannot afford to buy a property.

What are labour going to do?

Build ~20,000 more houses a year?
Increase minimum wage by an extra 50p of what the tories have promised by 2020?

If your naive enough to think the current housing crisis is just a Tory issue I suggest you do a lot more reading, building more social housing will only touch the sides, the property bubble is not just a UK issue and is multi faceted, if you think any government wants to really take it head on then you really don't have a grasp of the situation.

No party wants to be in power when/if a correction in housing market happens.

If the Tories were serious about "just about managing" hmm then they would support a living wage and give more power to employees so that they could argue for better wages.

So would Labour, but they aren't.