AIBU?
To ask why people vote Tory?
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.
Am I being unreasonable?
AIBUYou have one vote. All votes are anonymous.
MaryMcCarthy · 07/09/2022 15:32
People vote Tory because they don't realise the kind of capitalism they espouse is crumbling around us. They haven't been paying attention since 2008. They don't realise the significance of the range of interventions, quantitative easings and artificial stimuli that continue to this day. The edifice is being propped up, it's zombie capitalism, and for some reason the Tories think the solution is more of the same.
MonkNun · 07/09/2022 15:33
The OP’s question isn’t a bad one. They’re the most successful political party in Europe. They’ve been in power for the majority of the last 100 or so years. Given that most of the electorate are “working class” and they have a specific party, logically it shouldn’t happen. But it does. It’s clear that large numbers of working people vote Conservative.
Why is a big question, but I think we exclude the “I’m alright” mentality or the ridiculous suggestion that it’s because people are “thick”.
Butterflyfluff · 07/09/2022 15:35
x2boys · 07/09/2022 15:28
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.
Stripyhoglets1 · 07/09/2022 15:24
Vote Labour and things will be better again like they were when new Labour were in power.
This too
If Starmer had taken over before the last GE I would have voted Labour
But Corby was too stubborn to go and in turn lost the GE for his party
And Starmer has since proved to be about as effective as a chocolate fireguard
izimbra · 07/09/2022 15:36
"The Tories are far from perfect but they are a million miles better than any other option"
By what metric?
In 2010 76% of people were satisfied with the NHS. Today that figure is 36%
Life expectancy, having increased for decades, has now stalled among working class people in the U.K.
Inequality has increased.
Homelessness has increased.
Public services - the criminal justice system, children's services, social services, are worse performing.
That's no just me saying that as a Labour supporter - that's what the data says.
So what's your metric?
BeyondMyWits · 07/09/2022 15:38
I grew up in a house in the 70s where the tories were the party of aspiration... the people running the banks and big business were all tories, promoting growth, ownership and personal responsibility .... and Labour were all about taxing and unions, taking money from the middle earners to fund bloated, unionised, state funded, nationalised industries.
I had this drummed into me throughout childhood. Why do YOU think people (of my era certainly) vote tory.
MarshaMelrose · 07/09/2022 15:39
Opening post
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.
First response
Because they’re shitting ‘I’m alright Jack’ cretins that would smack your hand off of a life raft without hesitation to save themselves and think nothing of it, even if there was enough room on said raft.
Well done, op, at getting your message across.
Winceybincey · 07/09/2022 15:42
The most recent Tory landslide was due to Brexit. So many loyal labour seats became Tory overnight because the voters couldn’t see past the immigrants landing on the beach and the £350,000 a year that will be saved from paying the union being pumped into the NHS instead.
Ah, that money is still to materialise and we still have immigrants turning up on the beach! But on top of that we now have many more families sinking into poverty, more police stations shut, NHS on its knees, more people homeless or in hostels, the terminally Ill being forced to work etc etc.
Blossomtoes · 07/09/2022 15:47
izimbra · 07/09/2022 15:46
Blossomtoes, were you aware that there was an international baking crash in 2008?
🙄
Blossomtoes · 07/09/2022 15:37
Look at the Blair years and how much debt we are still paying off from then
Go on then, I’ll bite, how much? A link would be nice.
Yes I am. I’m also aware that Blair wasn’t PM in 2008. 🙄
CeeJay81 · 07/09/2022 15:48
What worries me is that the conservatives have shifted more to the right in recent times and still seem to win elections. There doesn't seem to be any moderate tories left and the ideology of the ones in power is rather scary. I can only hope that people will see it soon but now they are going to change the constituency boundaries in their favour I fear its too late.
ddl1 · 07/09/2022 15:50
I'm not a Tory. But there are two things to be remembered:
(1) Actually, less than 45% of voters vote Tory. The Tories keep getting in, because the other parties keep fighting between and within themselves, in a way that Tories, even at their most fractious (like right now), would never do.
(2) In our system, we vote directly for our MP, not the government. I know several people who vote for their Tory MPs who are 'good constituency MPs'. or sometimes against a Labour MP who has disappointed them, without being particularly strong supporters of Tory governments.
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