Silly question about voting in the election-sorry I'm a wee bit dumb!

[user1493759849]

Sorry to ask here; posting for traffic.

I live in an area that is verrrrrry Conservative. Approximately 60% of the population of my (fairly rural) county, voted Conservative in the election in 2015, and it's usually around that figure. (Labour got about 15%, and libdem 6%, UKIP 13%, something like that.)

So here's my question...

When I vote in a GENERAL ELECTION; if I vote for Conservative, am I voting for my local Conservative MP, or for Theresa May directly? And if I vote for Labour, am I voting for my local Labour MP, or Jeremy Corbyn directly?

While I'm here, also (another daft question,) if Corbyn decides he wants to push something through (or May for that matter,) is it true they cannot do it unless the majority of the MP's agree with it? (So like Corbyn couldn't take down Trident like he wants to, unless the majority of his party say yes?)

Please be gentle.

So like Corbyn couldn't take down Trident like he wants to, unless the majority of his party say yes

Unless the majority of MPs say yes.

Although MP's can and do rebel. JC himself rebelled against the Labour party over 600 times, 418 whilst they were in government.
here. He has never supported a Labour manifesto previously.

You're directly voting for the person to represent your constituency. In my (historically v v Tory) area, the only person with a hope of beating the Tory candidate is an independent who doesn't therefore have a 'leader' to become Prime Minister.

Please don't think "it's not worth voting because X always get in in my area". Things do change, and it's down to people voting. My area is a pretty safe seat, with only one other party coming close. Last time I wanted to vote for another party but decided to vote for the second party as I didn't like the party that always got in. As it turned out, the third party got a lot more votes - I should have stuck with my instinct, it might have made a change..

The OP doesn't sound lacking in intelligence - she's worked out what she needs to know, come to a place that can inform her, at the appropriate time to help her decide, and drawn some logical conclusions with her new knowledge.

She was worryingly ignorant though. I do think that the basic workings of our democracy should be covered in schools.

@thehipho
This is what I'm struggling with at the moment. My MP is Dan Jarvis (Labour) who I really like and who has been brilliant for our town. I really want to vote for him. But I can't stand Jeremy Corbyn and I absolutely do not want him as PM.

This is a good point too. Several people I know live in an area that is Conservative run, and although they're not 'traditional Tories,' they like the MP as he has done a lot for the area and is a pretty decent man, and the Labour one they had prior to that was a bit useless. So they like their Conservative MP.

But they doesn't want Conservatives in No.10.

So who should they vote for?

And thanks to 'aintnobody,' no it isn't a lack of intelligence, just a lack of knowledge about politics. That is why I am trying to educate myself, before the 8th of June.

Please,please don't think your vote doesn't matter or doesn't count, if there is virtually no chance of changing the MP where you live.

Overall, a much reduced majority, repeated in lots of places, has the power to make a party sit up ,take notice, and moderate its policies. There is a very real effect, even if a local result doesn't change.

And if you vote in a moderate , of any party, their voice and vote is there, in Parliament and behind the scenes, to influence the direction their party takes.

The media, and to some extent parties themselves, like to present UK elections as if they are Presidential ones. This person vs that person for the top job. Not really how our Parliamentary democracy works.

Remember, a lot of elections in this country are "won," or maybe "lost" by those those who didn't bother to vote.

Thanks folks.

Just one more question. Sorry to ask another one.

Several people I know live in an area that is Conservative run, and although they're not 'traditional Tories,' they like the MP as he has done a lot for the area and is a pretty decent man, and the Labour one they had prior to that was a bit useless. So they like their Conservative MP.

But they don't really want Conservatives in at No.10. They would prefer Labour in there.

So who, in the opinion of people here, should they vote for?
Conservatives or Labour? Or someone else?

Could you provide a link where it says that JC wants to 'take down' trident?
He hasn't said that he wants to get rid of it?!

The country is split into voting blocks.

Each vote is counted in a block and a winner decided.
This player is then sent to join their group..

At the end of the day the person with the most players in their
group wins.

So no you don't decide with your vote directly for Team A or B, you do vote to show who is your player...

user14 - if you live in a safe seat DON'T vote tactially, vote for your preferred candidate. In your situation, you're unlikely to influence the outcome, but you will be recording your preference.

History If you read pretty much anything about Corbyn prior to the manifesto launch, you will see he wants to scrap Trident. He has lost that debate with the party, but doesn't mean he has changed his mind.

"So they like their Conservative MP.

But they don't really want Conservatives in at No.10. They would prefer Labour in there."

I can understand going for a personal vote if the MP is not from your party, but a similar party, but not if you are Labour and your MP is Tory because you're going from left to right. In this case you just say that you respect the MP as a person, but you won't vote for him as you probably don't believe in anything his party believes in.

I liked listening to Anne Widdicombe speak and I also have a lot of respect for Ken Clarke, but I would never vote Tory because I'm not right wing and I disagree with them fundamentally.

JC said he would scrap trident in the 7 party debate on tv.

User you are quite right to ask questions and are from being unintelligent. I agree that tbis stuff should be taught in school.

It makes you wonder how many people don't understand the election process and actaully vote for something they don't want.

OP the Tory MP will definitel get in. Vote Labour so that your voice is heard nonetheless.

Is british politics missing from the curriculum. Very sad state of affairs.
And they want 16 year olds to have a vote
OP - if you genuinely didn't know all the things people have told you on here - it is quite shocking.
Do not use the childish 'tactical voting' (Best for Britain are funding that and you know who is behind that organisation?) vote for the party that represents your beliefs and what kind of society you want to live in. It saddens me that the young are being blatantly brainwashed to vote for labour in their own selfish interests!

You vote for your local party candidate of whichever party you support , (or you may just like the local candidate and vote for her/ him based upon you liking what the candidate has done for the constituency you are in whilst actually preferring another party all together )

Usually for the important decisions that actually change the law they are voted upon by each MP , this can either be as a free vote ( the MP decides which way to vote ) or by following the party whip ( the party whip asks the MP's of his party to vote in a certain way ) when the whip decides the vote direction there are sometimes a few MP 's that may still be allowed to vote against the whip but this is usually only in exceptional circumstances

Oh dear - having to ask this makes me wonder why some people don't need to take a test before they can vote

BusyBeez - at least OP has the courage to admit she doesn't know thing and she's trying to learn now. Should have done it earlier, but better late than never. Good for you OP.

However, I do worry about these campaigns to sign up people who've never voted before - there should be political education for those people at the same time.

Some people should take a test to decide whether what they write is rude! Politics isn't taught, and so I applaud one one trying to find put how an election works and about the parties before an election. Nobody should be made to feel stupid for trying to find out important information that they don't know.

Re: your last question. Personally I would vote for the government I want rather than the local MP. I have rarely had need of my local MP but national policies affect me everyday.

It's worth noting that a lot of new legislation gets put through these days without being approved by a majority in Parliament, using statutory instruments or similar. These loopholes arise from the fact the UK doesn't have a proper written constitution and complicated and often obscure or ancient practices that are often abused by whoever is in power. So there isn't a guarantee that a Prime Minister or Government can't enact something that a majority of MPs disagree with.

A recent high profile example is when Theresa May tried to claim (unsuccessfully in the end, due to a legal challenge by a citizen) that she could activate Article 50 without Parliamentary approval. But this bypassing of Parliament happens surprisingly often, much more often than most people seem to realise.

Is british politics missing from the curriculum. Very sad state of affairs.

Yes, sadly the three subjects that you need a decent understanding of to exercise your role as a good citizen (philosophy, politics and economics) do not feature at all in the compulsory national curriculum in the UK. As a PP said, we would not be in the mess we are in if they did. And I have been saying for years that I think it is a very deliberate thing that they are excluded.

There was a campaign a few years ago to introduce philosophy from primary school upwards, because it teaches people how to think rationally and critically. It seemed to get little traction though, presumably because vested interests don't want an electorate that can think and see past their logical fallacies.

It is no coincidence that a large percentage of politicians studied PPE at degree level, yet think none of these subjects should be taught in state schools.

Oneiroi I don't think it's a desire to keep the masses in ignorance that prevents the teaching of PPE rather it's a question of where would the teachers come from?