To ask why people vote Tory?

[Tierne]

It has to be said that life in the UK on low or middle income is much harder than it seemingly is in other western countries of similar wealth. I dont think the Tory party is making this country a nice place to live in at all. But they keep getting voted in.

So if you vote Tory:
Why do you vote for them?
Would you ever change your vote and for what reason?
Do you feel uncomfortable at how Tory policies batter the most vulnerable in our society? For example making it impossible for people to get on the housing ladder, high rents and low tenant protections, no energy bill caps, etc?

NB: I dont want this to turn into a Tory bashing thread. I'd just like to hear how Tory supporters feel about their party.

I'm a single policy voter. That is the preservation of womens rights. If Labour are unable to tell us what a woman is, making the very existence and rights of women under threat, then I will vote for a party that a) does know what a woman is b) will ensure Labour stay out of power. The best chance of that right now is to vote Tory.

I'll repost this for all the single issue women's rights voters who may not have read my original. Your sex based rights were discarded by the Tory party. Please do not be fooled again.

I'll repost this for all the single issue women's rights voters who may not have read my original. Your sex based rights were discarded by the Tory party. Please do not be fooled again.

Which party recognises women's sex based rights then? For people who feel this is important, which party do you advise that they vote for?

@Freedomfighters I will not endorse any political party.

Tories are associated with wealth and status. Hard and logical, but not nice.

The main Opposition, Labour, is associated with the working people and feelings. Soft and emotional, but nice.

People like to feel rich and successful even if they’re not. So voting Tory and claiming to be conservative can make them feel aspirational.

I think it’s a class thing.

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make then. I think women stand more chance with a party that sort of understands what a woman is, rather than a party that thinks men can be included in the category of women. And at least Liz Truss clearly understands that women do not have a penis.

The main Opposition, Labour, is associated with the working people and feelings. Soft and emotional, but nice

These days of course, labour despises the actual working classes.

There isn’t one. Anyone who genuinely cares about this to the exclusion of all else has no party to vote for.

There isn’t one. Anyone who genuinely cares about this to the exclusion of all else has no party to vote for.

I think at the moment the Tory party is still the best party to vote for on this issue. I wouldn't spoil my ballot because I think that's a pointless thing to do. So for this, and other reasons, I will continue to vote Tory.

Tony Blair said that people voted Conservatibe because they believed it was the party if aspiration and they were good,at capitalising on it. He said he tried to make Labour the same. Je didn't say, though, whether he believed he'd succeeded.

People look where they are now and ask if they want to be in the same place in 10 years time. If no, they'll look at the party that will give the best opportunity to change that.

@MarshaMelrose i find that so difficult to understand given the fact the news cycle is currently dominated by the fact people are worse off than they were 10 years ago.

I didn’t vote Tory last time but I will in the next election unless another party comes to its senses on sex based rights.

Because I believe it is morally wrong to create a system which keeps lots of people on benefits instead of encouraging them to be financially independent.

Because I believe the state should be minimised and individual choice and freedom maximised.

Because they have had three female prime ministers and Labour have never even had a woman leader.

Because I don't want a party in charge who think that trans rights trump women's rights.

Because I don't want to pay even more tax on the thousands and thousands that I already pay, while funding my own healthcare, dentistry and kids' education separately.

I know some of these views are unpopular which is why I have name changed but I'm being honest. This is why I have voted Conservative in the past and probably would again. I just wish the Tories didn't come with dickheads like BoJo and Rees-Mogg and Dorries (and I could go on) attached to them.

The tories have kept people on benefits for 12 years too ! You forget that they have been in power for al this time !

I think the fact most British papers are avowedly right wing must have… something… to do with it. I think Keir Starmer would benefit from a more active grass roots, social media angle because he’s not going to get many impartial column inches - Andy Burnham is much better at creating ‘cut through’ moments but he has a broadly sympathetic, strong Labour base. I even think Sadiq Khan benefits from that although he is looking a bit tarnished these days, though in comparison to Boris I think… fucking hell it’s unbelievable what he got away with.

I completely agree with this. I find it so hypocritical and offensive that it's ok to say "Tory scum" - it would never be socially acceptable to say "Labour scum". It's almost de rigeur among certain groups of people to be as offensive as possible about Conservatives and ultimately it makes absolutely no difference to the way people vote in the ballot box.

Personally, I don't understand the concept of being a life-time supporter of any party. Why wouldn't you vote for the person who would do the better job?

I so wished that Andy Burnham was in charge of the Labour Party .
His marmite , most politicians are , but so much more personable than Sir Kier Starmer who will never be PM.

@toryinthecloset those are at least reasons! And not a single issue trans vote (I do not for a minute think the Tories will take a principled stance on any womens issues including trans rights, I think voting exclusively for that reason is going to end up with voters feeling betrayed. Like the Tory party will ‘know what a woman is’ if an influential donor turns out to be transgender which doesn’t seem implausible to me).

I would argue the point over some of your reason but at least that would be an informed conversation based on different ideological approaches. We are so starved of that! It’s just constant hysteria from the Tories rather than - ‘alright let’s have a look at the trains then there’s obviously an issue there’.

In work, i have benefitted from an old-fashioned, paternalistic, conservative attitude to job creation and there was a lot of it I couldn’t really argue with.. my old boss, however, will now be 77 and seems very much like a dying breed. It’s a big difference between, I don’t want to pay inheritance tax, and I think we should prop up energy companies with billions of pounds because … Thatcher.

My point is you can't trust the Tory party on this. They are no more or less likely to believe TWAW than any other party and theyll spin on a sixpence. Not only that, voting Tory "because at least they know what a woman is" is simplistic and dangerous. I feel sorry for any GC Bridgend voter who voted on this basis only to elect Jamie Wallis to the HoC.

Because the alternatives are risible.

YABU to start another thread. It’s not changing anyones mind. I’ve only ever seen one thread where it hasn’t degenerated into insults. This is not helpful to the left.

The fact that people can’t have a reasonable conversation about core values and the points on which they differ without resorting to slurs is utterly depressing. It’s narrow minded, facile and childish. It’s like twitter.

Same, floating voter and proud of it.

Why?

After 12 years of Conservative rule the NHS & public services are demonstrably & provably worse than in 2010, we pay higher taxes, we have fewer rights, most of us are - in real terms - poorer than in 2010, but apparently all other parties are 'risible'.

This is where decades of reading the Telegraph/Times/Mail/take your pick from vast swathes of Tory propaganda gets you. Living in some mad, deluded bubble.

It's not too bad though. Of course there are the usual abuse from some of the left, but it's been easy to ignore that and listen to other people's point of view. There's nothing here that would make me change my mind. But it doesn't mean that there couldn't have been.