Mumsnet Logo
My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

AIBU?

To ask why people vote Tory?

596 replies

Tierne · 07/09/2022 14:25

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.

OP posts:
Report

Am I being unreasonable?

AIBU

You have one vote. All votes are anonymous.

bringincrazyback · 07/09/2022 14:59

Georgeskitchen · 07/09/2022 14:52

OP I'm guessing your weren't around in the 70s when the country was crippled by the unions, winter of discontent etc. Do some research. Look at the Blair years and how much debt we are still paying off from then. People make much of "12 years of tory cuts" while forgetting that 5 years of that 12 were a lib dem coalition.
Did you even read Corbyns election manifesto? If you did you will know very well why tories won the last election. Do your research before you post then you avoid looking like a dickhead

Not everyone considers it a dickhead question. I remember those times too, and I read Corbyn's manifesto, and these things haven't informed my political views in the same direction they have yours.

Report

AbstractDream · 07/09/2022 15:01

Most people are down the middle and sway one way or the other.

Report

Crumpleton · 07/09/2022 15:05

Georgeskitchen · 07/09/2022 14:52

OP I'm guessing your weren't around in the 70s when the country was crippled by the unions, winter of discontent etc. Do some research. Look at the Blair years and how much debt we are still paying off from then. People make much of "12 years of tory cuts" while forgetting that 5 years of that 12 were a lib dem coalition.
Did you even read Corbyns election manifesto? If you did you will know very well why tories won the last election. Do your research before you post then you avoid looking like a dickhead

Remember it well.
People have such short memories....or don't bother to research times gone by.
I've lived through Tory, Labour and a coalition government.
To be honest all spend time in office harping on about what the last party did or didn't do instead of changing the very things they're harping on about.
For me personally Starmer being one who has an awful lot to talk about but nothing to actually say.

Report

BitOutOfPractice · 07/09/2022 15:06

PolarPolly27 · 07/09/2022 14:34

Who exactly is Jack and why do people keep using this stupid phrase over and over on this forum?

Because it's a well known phrase or saying?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_alright,_Jack

The full phrase is "I'm alright Jack, pull up the ladder."

Report

AffIt · 07/09/2022 15:09

I would suggest it is because the UK population is, for the most part, much more small 'c' conservative (both socially and economically) than many would like to admit to - I'd go further and say many people lean to the right of centre, politically.

To add to this, the mean demographic of the UK skews towards the upper end and speaking very generally, people have a tendency to move towards 'small state' as they get older.

Finally, the appalling state of political / constitutional literacy that is endemic in this country (think of how many posts you will have read on this forum alone which thinks the electorate votes for the PM) means change will be slow, if at all.

(I am not a Tory voter, but people interest me.)

Report

Sunnyqueen · 07/09/2022 15:11

They are either privelidged and have an 'I'm alright jack' mentality or they are a bit mentally challenged.

Report

Mumoblue · 07/09/2022 15:14

I have seen/known a few people who admit to voting Tory to essentially “own the libs” (out of spite for the left wing) even if it’s shooting themselves in the foot.
I have no interest in “Tory bashing” because if you’re still committed to the Tory party there’s nothing I have to say that will affect that. I will say that I won’t pretend, after 12 years of them shitting the bed, that it doesn’t stink.

Report

x2boys · 07/09/2022 15:18

Sunnyqueen · 07/09/2022 15:11

They are either privelidged and have an 'I'm alright jack' mentality or they are a bit mentally challenged.

Just.becsuse people don't vote the way you do ,it's disgusting to call them mentally challenged, it's called a democracy people are allowed to hold different views from you.

Report

hattie43 · 07/09/2022 15:19

For all these people slating Tory voters let's not forget they got in this time with huge swathes of support from red wall voters so what does that say of any credible opposition.
When I was growing up it was very simple in my house , Tories were the party of aspiration and Labour the nerdowells . That was the sum of my political learning . It never leaves you , do well at school and make something of yourself . I hated school but got in at the bottom of a good company and following a good career i now have wealth .
I would absolutely never vote Labour because as someone else alluded to I don't want the remote chance they would introduce punitive taxes on land value or capital gains . I also have nothing in common with kaftan wearing yellow haired lefties spouting nonsense .

Report

midgetastic · 07/09/2022 15:22

From conversation

They believe that Tory will manage the economy better for us all as well as themselves

They believe that people are the masters of their own destiny , so should not need help and support from the state

They believe people work better when challenged and stretched by competing with others and so any state run organisation will be lazy and bloated and inefficient

Report

Stripyhoglets1 · 07/09/2022 15:23

Butterflyfluff · 07/09/2022 14:28

Because there’s no credible opposition

There really is. But people keep saying this to justify things to themselves.
Vote tory and own it.

Or

Report

Stripyhoglets1 · 07/09/2022 15:24

Vote Labour and things will be better again like they were when new Labour were in power.

Report

ChocolateCakeYum · 07/09/2022 15:24

I think a lot of people have convinced themselves the opposition isn’t any better and can’t run the economy not realising that out of the last 5 recessions 4 have been under a Tory government (and pretty much every Tory government since the year dot has been in charge of a recession).

Report

midgetastic · 07/09/2022 15:25

It would be better to ask why they think there is no credible alternative

Report

CookieCoo · 07/09/2022 15:25

I vote Conservative because I’m a capitalist. The accusations of greed and selfishness levelled at many people voting to the right are astonishing on MN. We pay an exorbitant amount on tax every year and get precisely jack shit back from the government.

I wouldn’t vote for Labour if my arse was on fire.

I wouldn’t have voted again for Boris, as I disliked him intensely and thought that his support of Cummings was one of his many reprehensible actions!! If he’d stayed leader, I would have spoiled my ballot paper.

Report

bloomflower · 07/09/2022 15:26

i think they vote tory because they've been gaslit into believing that somehow the tories are good for the country when the reality is the polar opposite.

Report

Freedomfighters · 07/09/2022 15:27

Stripyhoglets1 · 07/09/2022 15:23

There really is. But people keep saying this to justify things to themselves.
Vote tory and own it.

Or

I don't agree. Labour are an absolute disaster. And I can't see this changing for a very long time. I won't be voting for them. So I did vote Tory. And I'm happy with that decision.

Report

wigywhoo · 07/09/2022 15:27

nutellachurro · 07/09/2022 14:33

Stupidity and/or selfishness

Never met a Tory that didn't fit neatly into those categories

Bet you have!

Report

bloomflower · 07/09/2022 15:28

@CookieCoo but the tories are in power, no wonder you get jack shit back from the govt!!!

Report

Crumpleton · 07/09/2022 15:28

x2boys · 07/09/2022 15:18

Just.becsuse people don't vote the way you do ,it's disgusting to call them mentally challenged, it's called a democracy people are allowed to hold different views from you.

To be fair once a person stoops to name calling if someone has a different opinion they've already shown their not capable of having a frank discussion.

Report

x2boys · 07/09/2022 15:28

Stripyhoglets1 · 07/09/2022 15:24

Vote Labour and things will be better again like they were when new Labour were in power.

The difference with new labour ( and i say this as someone who hates Tony Blair) is that Tony Blair was very charismatic and he also made people believe things could only get better and they did for a while at least ,Keir Starmer has zero charisma.

Report

midgetastic · 07/09/2022 15:29

You have. Lots in common with lefties of any hair colour and dress sense

You are a human living in the same country relying on many things - energy and food and telecoms and water and roads that we all rely on

Even if you have private health and education you are relying on the people trained under the common uk system , you will still end up in the NHS for emergency treatment

Your life is fundamentally interlinked and reliant on everyone else in the uk.

You have more in common than you want

No man is an island
Nor is any woman

Report

Hyperion100 · 07/09/2022 15:29

The good news is that "most" people dont vote tory.

Remember that Johnson won his 80 seat majority after winning only 44% of the vote.

"Most" votes went to centre left parties.

This is why we desperately need electoral reform and to ditch FPTP in favour of PR.

Report

Butterflyfluff · 07/09/2022 15:29

Stripyhoglets1 · 07/09/2022 15:23

There really is. But people keep saying this to justify things to themselves.
Vote tory and own it.

Or

There absolutely is not

The Tories are far from perfect but they are a million miles better than any other option

I vote for my ‘least worst’ choice - and that’s a reflection on how bad the opposition is

Report

Butterflyfluff · 07/09/2022 15:31

Stripyhoglets1 · 07/09/2022 15:24

Vote Labour and things will be better again like they were when new Labour were in power.

Things we’re better when Labour were in power - I must have missed that!

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

We're all short on time

Log in or sign up to use the 'See Next' or 'See all' posts by the OP (Original Poster) and cut straight to the action.

Already signed up?

Sign up to continue reading

Mumsnet's better when you're logged in. You can customise your experience and access way more features like messaging, watch and hide threads, voting and much more.

Already signed up?