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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think the Tories don't want to win.

75 replies

Graceflorrick · 29/05/2017 22:21

AIBU to think the Tories want to lose the election. Could it be that they know Brexit will go so badly that they would rather lose the election than be associated with the negotiations and implementation?

So now they're blatantly targeting schools, pensioners, social care etc to do everything possible to stop people voting for them!

OP posts:
Atenco · 29/05/2017 23:10

You may well be right. It hadn't occurred to me but I've noticed a strange change in BBC Radio Four lately, like the powers that be there are hoping for a Labour victory and I can only assume that they are planning for the New Labour crowd to ouse him after the election, because Radio 4 absolutely hates Corbyn.

Silencio · 29/05/2017 23:13

She may be falling on her sword indeed in order to escape the total cock up to come. Boz as FS seems to be mildly suicidal

CowParsleyNettle · 29/05/2017 23:16

I'm a Tory and there's more worrying things that foxes and ivory.

Fox hunting is a vote to repeal the act, I imagine they'll vote to keep the ban and nothing will change.

The Ivory thing, I agree. At the moment the sale of post-1947(I think( ivory is banned, so you cannot trade new stuff, just antiques. A total ban would make it illegal to sell an antique piece, yes it might stop a few unscrupulous dealers 'overestimating' the age of things but selling a chess set from an elephant killed over a hundred years ago doesn't really do much harm. Maybe they should instead add a 10% premium to antique ivory sales that's donate to help the existing elephants?

PigletJohn · 29/05/2017 23:19

"TM coming out and saying she'll leave even if they win was shock"

did she really say that?

It seems to me that her approach is to be Boss rather than leader or politician.

You will remember that her top tories were saying there would be no cap on the social care charge, only a day before she announced that there would be. This suggests that they had not been consulted, or even informed of the possibility of a U turn clarification.

It is said that she has a reputation as "the submarine" because even insiders have no idea which direction she is going in until she unexpected pops up and launches a torpedo. Dissent is not tolerated. You will recall that there was a surge of resignations and sackings of experienced specialists who said she would not listen to them.

Hammond and Buffoon Boris are for the chop the week after the election. C Hunt is hardly seen. Perhaps he is busy polishing his CV. Osborne has effectively retired. The front bench is going to be composed of second-stringers.

LittleLionMansMummy · 29/05/2017 23:21

It's utterly bizarre. She's not alienating people, she's specifically alienating traditional Tory voters with her latest announcements on pensions and social care.

CowParsleyNettle · 29/05/2017 23:25

It will be a tax on tweed next :D

PeterhouseMS · 29/05/2017 23:36

It was a very poor performance by Theresa May tonight. Worryingly poor.

Theresa May is almost in the same league as Diane Abbot in terms of competence.

IfYouGoDownToTheWoodsToday · 29/05/2017 23:39

You're wrong OP.

The explanation to it all is that they are arrogant and narrow minded and they thought they had it in the bag.

They feel they don't "need" pensioners, teachers, NHS workers, police officers, etc etc, to vote for them, because they were 20 points ahead and everyone else will vote for them.Hmm

Their arrogance is hopefully, going to bite them on the arse.

BlondeB83 · 29/05/2017 23:53

Definitely!!

munki · 29/05/2017 23:58

I thought this too, wrt the foxhunting thing but then I read an article explaining that it actually means the opposite - tm is very motivated to win. The reason why is that there are many people who are very pro go hunting, who are very motivated to campaign in an constituency that is marginal between a pro- and an anti-foxhunting candidate. These people don't necessarily have a political affiliation, but in practice the pro-foxhunting candidate is always a Tory - so it makes sense for tm to give them a call to arms - she knows that doorstep canvessing is really important and as labour have far more members the tories are always fighting a losing battle on that front.

Tm does arrogantly assume that the people who really care about foxhunting NOT being legalised are less likely to vote so she can get away with it.

munki · 30/05/2017 00:00

Fox hunting, not 'go' hunting, whatever that is, obv!

tabulahrasa · 30/05/2017 00:04

I said the plan was to lose and then not have to negotiate brexit and then spend the next 20 years blaming labour the day the election was called...

There's no way to negotiate a brexit deal that's going to go down well with enough people, whoever does it is stuffed.

noblegiraffe · 30/05/2017 00:08

She called this election with a massive lead in the polls because she thought Corbyn was so awful that she would walk it and get a massive majority to push through shitty projects like grammar schools without any fuss.

She did not call this election to lose it. She was so convinced that Labour were destroyed that she didn't think it mattered what she said. And to be fair, Labour fell apart even worse than the Tories post-Brexit so pretty much everyone thought the same.

PigletJohn · 30/05/2017 00:16

Since a long decline in dementia will result in an (undefined) Theresa-tax on your savings and house; and since other diseases such as cancer and hear disease won't, I was amused to see an FT columnist asserting that his adult children are encouraging him to eat more pies and cakes. Stand by for your grandkids buying you cartons of fags.

DonaldStott · 30/05/2017 00:19

I am absolutely perplexed that its the fox hunting thing that has changed people's minds!

Treat disabled and elderly people however the fuck you want, but mention animals and people are up in arms!!!????

Jupitar · 30/05/2017 00:22

Treat disabled and elderly people however the fuck you want, but mention animals and people are up in arms!!!????

It's because many people still don't realise how badly the disabled and elderly are being treated. Whereas saying you want to bring back fox hunting is pretty indisputable

PeterhouseMS · 30/05/2017 00:34

Since a long decline in dementia will result in an (undefined) Theresa-tax on your savings and house; and since other diseases such as cancer and hear disease won't, I was amused to see an FT columnist asserting that his adult children are encouraging him to eat more pies and cakes. Stand by for your grandkids buying you cartons of fags.

Cake Wine Gin Grin

MeowWoof · 30/05/2017 00:46

I don't think being outrageous matters a shit any more.

Trump was very blatant, and went as far as claiming that people would still vote for him even if he shot someone. He was right.

In this post brexit / Trump world, outrageously bizarre behaviour seems to be attractive to the majority for some reason.

JustAnotherPoster00 · 30/05/2017 00:46

TreeTop7 If you wanted some news about disability related stuff this website is very good

www.disabilitynewsservice.com/

As far as I know John Pring the journalist that runs it has no political affiliation and it does appear to not be politically biased

MovingtoParadise · 30/05/2017 00:54

It's totally the opposite:

THEY THINK THEY HAVE A MASSIVE LANDSLIDE COMING AND A HUGE MANDATE

If you don't want that you must actually go and vote or the above will be exactly what they truly expect

I WISH they were deliberately tanking

Guepe · 30/05/2017 01:33

I was actually thinking similar the other day! I don't believe they are actually trying to lose, but victory in this GE comes with the most poisonous of chalices.

BoysofMelody · 30/05/2017 03:05

*It's totally the opposite:

THEY THINK THEY HAVE A MASSIVE LANDSLIDE COMING AND A HUGE MANDATE

If you don't want that you must actually go and vote or the above will be exactly what they truly expect

This.

They thought they thought they were unassailable with 20 points plus leads in the polls and they could get a lot of contentious stuff in the manifesto. There was logic behind it: when they tried to get the controversial stuff through parliament, they could use the 'you stood on this manifesto' to any backbenchers tempted to rebel. Likewise, it would be possible to deflect criticism from the public and campaigners to unpopular policies by saying 'this is the policy we went into the election with and that's the policy the public voted on.'

But they overlooked the fact that support for May was wide, but shallow, she was seen as dull but efficient and a safe pair of hands. Continued exposure during the campaign has made her look anything but. She looks robotic, cold and at times downright odd. Once her reputation for competence took a beating, a section of support evaporated.

I don't think the damage is fatal sadly. At the start of the campaign, I thought it would be a Tory majority of 85 to 90. I thought it would be about 110 at one point and now I'd say a Tory majority in the mid to high 60s is most likely.

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 30/05/2017 03:51

I agree OP. The dementia tax was....odd. Alienating so many of their core voters. Ill advised at best.

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 30/05/2017 04:04

I don't think she wants to win. Dh and I are perplexed. I can't quite put my finger on i, but she seems to be deliberately sabotaging her campaign.

Flatpackback · 30/05/2017 04:29

It's pure arrogance. Our local MP declined 2 hustings though I did see him at one. He has a huge majority and has been MP for 20+ years. He actually said "I'm assuming I will be re-elected..." He has no need to make any effort whatsoever, smug bugger.