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Original poster

Are the conservatives really this popular?

999 replies

LabourHere · 02/12/2019 20:57

Listening to statistician on BBC who reckons the conservatives are head in all polls and will win a majority on election day.

I know only two people voting conservative (mil and dm). Who are all the other conservative voters??

Are the conservatives really going to win the election so easily?

If so...I'm very very sad Sad Wine

OP posts:
Nodancingshoes · 03/12/2019 18:26

Boris Johnson is not well liked among people I know but, luckily for him, he's considerable more liked than Jeremy Corbyn...

Nodancingshoes · 03/12/2019 18:27

Considerably even 😉

MaxNormal · 03/12/2019 18:28

People don't want an anti Semitic Marxist who would destroy the economy.

Great, we'll have a racist, homophobic, Islamophobic sociopath do s instead. Happy days.

Alsohuman · 03/12/2019 18:29

Which would be relevant if we were going to No Deal. We’re not

You’re really counting your chickens. You’ve heard of hubris, I take it?

ChristmasAngst · 03/12/2019 18:32

Love or hate Boris, it is generally thought that he did an alright job as mayor of London. That's a poisoned chalice and he did an alright job of it. He wasn't pushed out, he moved on to his real aim - PM.

Based on this I will give him a chance as PM.

LexMitior · 03/12/2019 18:42

Britain is a small c, conservative country. They vote accordingly. Very rarely, when they think matters have gone too far, they vote for Labour to spend and fix public services.

It’s pretty interesting that people will not vote for Labour to do that this time. Public services are in real trouble. People have focussed on Brexit. It’s not s great idea, because the question is what kind of country do you want after Brexit? The Conservatives aren’t being frank that they will start to restructure the economy which means deregulating. That means a lot of people having a lower quality of life, due to reduced rights and protections at work.

Labour are being frank - Corbyn isn’t a good pull for votes - but on any account, the idea that if you earn less that the current rate of higher income tax then you would be better off under the Conservatives is deluded. It’s all very well having reduced NI but if your schools and hospitals continue to decline, along with public safety, while your employment rights are diminished, that will be pretty cold comfort!

If people wonder what the Conservative end point of Brexit is, you should not bother with the manifesto. Try “Britainnia unchained”. That the future.

achainisonlyasstrong · 03/12/2019 18:45

Think that Corbyn is perceived to be a lot more radical than he is.

Some of his policies such as free tuition fees will also be a huge benefit to middle income earners though, but it's just not coming across.

Also free personal care for over-65s in England is a fantastic benefit for the elderly who need it and is a rehaul of social care. But perhaps the sad truth is that those who will benefit may not be those able or most likely to vote in this case.

achainisonlyasstrong · 03/12/2019 18:54

Also think that many people wrongly blame austerity on previous Labour Govt when it was a result of bailing out the banks and financial crisis which started in US. It was a result of banks not being regulated enough and not the result of spending on public services. Also people wrongly think that govt is like a household and think "where will all the money come from". However govt is not a household and can rely on future tax streams and can also print money to pay off debt (though this can cause inflation). If there is faster economic growth as a result of good investment in skills and infrastructure, money will come from future taxes and all good govts do this. If there's no growth, debt quickly will become unsustainable.

BoneyBackJefferson · 03/12/2019 19:00

Its a perfect storm.

ACautionaryTale · 03/12/2019 19:09

The only people I know voting labour are DH’s work colleagues - and they all work for the railway.

I’ve been told to not argue with any of their propaganda posts that appear on my Facebook as DH doesn’t want to fall out with them.

thehorseandhisboy · 03/12/2019 19:15

An ageing population also benefits the Conservative party, as that's the age group most likely to vote and most likely to vote Conservative.

I do think the voting age should be lowered to 16; it's the young who, as a age group, have the most to lose.

EnthusiasmIsDisturbed · 03/12/2019 19:18

Boris is likeable and a vote winner you don’t have to like him to acknowledge that (my dislike of Corbyn is very obvious but he sticks to his core beliefs and he is good at rally type campaigning ) Boris has twice been voted to be mayor of London (A labour city) and certainly won the vote for the leave campaign give him a platform and allow him to give a speech he is good at winning people over

I am not sure if it’s that he is seen as intelligent and people are amused by his bumbling act, that people like his ruthless ambition and drive and feel that will serve the country well, that he can hold an audiences attention or that it’s felt he is the better option out of a bad bunch

You don’t have to be likeable, genuine or honest to be a success in politics - that’s never been he case and I doubt it ever will

TomPinch · 03/12/2019 19:50

If people wonder what the Conservative end point of Brexit is, you should not bother with the manifesto. Try “Britainnia unchained”. That the future.

Co-authored by Dominic Raab who, according to a recent poll, is at real risk of losing his seat to the Lib Dems.

www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/politics/2019/nov/30/tactical-voting-dominic-raab-faces-portillo-moment

Voters in Esher and Walton take note.

Bartlet · 03/12/2019 20:28

Achainisonly- those two policies that you call out - free tuition fees and free personal care are hugely expensive and scarily open ended at a time of increased elderly people. Combined with all the other promises labour have made - investment in NHS, education, renationalisation, pension bribe to WASPI, reversal of benefits cuts. This level of expenditure is simple not feasible solely by charging people who earn over £80k a few hundred quid extra per year. This will involve huge amount of tax generation which we will all pay for either directly or indirectly. That’s what makes people nervous.

chomalungma · 03/12/2019 20:54

Boris is likeable and a vote winner you don’t have to like him to acknowledge that

Some people like him and some people hate him.

He's divisive.

It would be nice to have someone in charge who is less divisive. I don't know if that's possible in politics - which by its very nature is divisive.

chomalungma · 03/12/2019 20:57

This will involve huge amount of tax generation which we will all pay for either directly or indirectly. That’s what makes people nervous

Have you wondered what the cost is to the NHS and society at the moment for social care - or the lack of funding for it, and the knock on effect on the NHS.

We are all getting older. Somehow, this needs to be paid for.

Taxes are going to have to go up. Money to pay for it has to come from somewhere - but it is our parents and society who will benefit from it.

Unless people pay from their own homes and wealth?

StarbucksSmarterSister · 03/12/2019 21:09

Boris is likeable

I don't think anybody likes him. Even if they are going to vote for him.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 03/12/2019 21:36

In the past 4 decades, the only Labour govt has been a moderate/centralist one with a popular leader, Blair. Unless Labour want to remain in the wilderness for generations to come, they need to emulate that at the next GE and kick out the lefties/extremists/momentum etc

However unpalatable to some, this appears to be true - at least as long as we have a free vote. Shouting and stamping's all very well but it doesn't earn a majority, and I only wonder who the insult-flingers will blame if Labour lose yet again

Which brings me to comments such as "voting Tory is morally and socially unacceptable" and the question "why not just make it illegal?" We've had so many outlandish suggestions that it's surely only a matter of time before somebody says what a good idea it would be ...

Bartlet · 03/12/2019 21:41

Chomalunga - so why are Labour being disingenuous and claiming only people earning over £80k will pay £10 per month blah blah. To pay for the policies they’re planning there will need to be a pretty large scale transfer of resources involving not just taxes on income but also on assets. Claiming otherwise is making people fearful of how it will be paid for.

tattyheadsmum · 03/12/2019 21:49

I worry that even if Labour are soundly thrashed in the election, Corbyn will still cling on to power or the Labour party will elect another hard left leader. I can't understand their antipathy to New Labour; they won two general elections. Isn't that the whole point of a political party; to get elected so you can get shit done?!

chomalungma · 03/12/2019 21:59

To pay for the policies they’re planning there will need to be a pretty large scale transfer of resources involving not just taxes on income but also on assets

Corporation tax is going to go up as well. It's currently lower than other European countries. Tax is not just income tax but is all the other taxes as well.

Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is debatable depending on your POV.

EnthusiasmIsDisturbed · 03/12/2019 22:28

I agree Boris Johnson is divisive

Unfortunately I think the far left have too much of a stronghold on the party so if Corbyn goes he will be replaced by someone from the far left

jakeyboy1 · 03/12/2019 22:45

I was with some police friends at the weekend. Even they don't want to vote Labour this time having been die hard supporters previously. When I heard that I really did think Labour are fucked. They don't like Boris but they'll take him over Corbyn.

thehorseandhisboy · 03/12/2019 22:49

I was with some NHS workers who are Green Party activists at the weekend. They've never voted Labour before but are planning to this time, as they're so worried about the NHS.

If the Conservatives get in, we're pretty much all fucked.

MaxNormal · 03/12/2019 23:02

I see BoJo is still merrily shitting on the bereaved families of the victims of the latest terrorist attack.
How... likeable.