Anyone else longing for a new political party?

[HelloMrBond]

I’m early 40s, have voted conservative all my adult life but the latest offering of conservative MPs makes me wonder if they could ever form an effective government. They have lost their way. On the other hand, they have been allowed to loose their way by a completely inept opposition, I believe a strong party opposite keeps the party in government on their toes. If there was to be a GE tomorrow, for the first time in my life, I’m not sure how I would vote. The Labour Party do have a handful of good quality MPs with good ideas, but the current shadow cabinet are nothing short of a rabble, the idea that their leader doesn’t know what a woman is and the thought of Angela Raynor being deputy PM sends shivers down my spine. In my view, there is a current huge gaping hole in modern British politics for a centrist party who could potentially cause huge ripples at a future GE snd would stand up for and represent the average hard working, tax paying families and individuals of the country.

All I want is for Labour to come to its senses about the woman’s rights issue. With a couple of exceptions (Zara Sultana?) they’re got rid of most of the Corbynite headbangers, but they need to realise that there’s a debate to be had.

You do know that Starmer and Braverman’s interpretations of the 2010 Equality Act are identical? And Tories like Caroline Nokes think TWAW?

I’m with you, OP. There is no one I’d vote for.

Yeah, but I’d cut off my arm before ever voting Tory so it’s irrelevant

PR doesn’t necessitate a party list system.

Does any country with FPTP have anything other than a 2 or 2.5 party system?

In Canada we have the two major parties, the Conservatives (right wing) and Liberals (centre, or centre-left). Then there’s the NDP (left) who maybe pick up 10-20% of the vote but have never formed government and (iirc) have only been the official opposition once.

If there was initially enough appetite for a centrist party, all that will happen is that it will squeeze out on of Labour or the Tories. If Labour are the party squeezed out, the centrist party will move centre-left, and vice versa if it’s the Tories.

There’s no room or desire for a new centrist party. Change crashed and burned even when Labour were going through a particularly mad spell.

This.

I'm happy enough with Labour but could certainly live with a Lib-Lab coalition. Realistically that is the best chance of a way out of our current malaise rather than a new party. Unless we went over to proportional representation; which would offer more consensus. If you want change in the short to medium term then I would say Labour or a coalition. The liberal democrats are a centrist party anyway.

The FPTP electoral system doesn't lend itself to multiple parties unfortunately. Would be better if we reformed the electoral system first.

I'd just be happy with getting rid of the Tories, as I am certain a Labour or Labour/Lib Dem coalition would be less bad.

Labour members voted to introduce proportional representation into the manifesto at the conference. I'm not sure if Keir is keen but any Lib-Lab coalition would have to include a commitment to another referendum.

I am conservative and have respect for what Angela Rayner has achieved. Do I think she should be leader? No. That doesn’t mean she shouldn’t be listened to. She grew up in the same country from a different background and many her shoes continue to live in poverty, struggling along. Her contribution to the country is extremely valuable and if she isn’t listened to, it’s great waste. She is a true diverse candidate bringing in a different perspective and opinion. She also has a lot of real world experience.

I really don’t respect the current leadership. The quality is extremely poor. I shouldn’t look back to David Cameron or Tony Blair and wish either of them were the leader today.

Can we vote for you as the next PM? I fully agree with what you say and it's the common theme of lots of people I work with who are heartily fed up with always being the "easy targets" for tax rises, particularly NIC, but also student loan repayments (the younger ones that is, or parents with children who are facing decades of student loan repayments which are basically just yet another tax on workers!).

@HelloMrBond

we need a pro Europe Macon type party/moment

How would that be different from the Lib Dems?

There is no party I would vote for. It's as depressing as f**k.

I frequently invent a new party in my head but it is unlikely ever to be replicated in an actual party.

YANBU. I want a sensible, centre-left party to vote for. One which doesn't despise their potential voters and blame its lack of votes on people having the wrong opinions. One which is willing to admit it knows full well that biological sex is real and important. One led by a politician who isn't too scared to say that only women have a cervix.

Not really. Just the ones we have get their acts together. Politics needs to go back to being more in the background for me.

It’s become intrusive and I’d be happy with them to be less all over the shop

I get the impression German politicians are less personality more just get it done (from inside remarks which are admittedly one view)

I was part of Change UK and don't regret it for a moment. Imho it was part of making Labour face what they had become and in a way did the same for the Tories, if only by highlighting how deliberately they chucked out everyone who was not completely nuts.

But it never had a chance electorally and wasn't really meant to. I'm content with Labour again now. I think Starmer has done a good job of pulling it back into shape, and want to get behind the party in the hope that they will win a next general election on a scale that will let them do genuinely big stuff including PR and getting rid of the increasingly more and more awful House of Lords.

@Fairislefandango who does the LP despise for their opinions ? Intriguing ..

I should say that I'm gender critical and always have been. I think Labour are turning a corner on this, and that Braverman, Truss, Rees-Mogg and co being determined to turn the clock back to some mad 80s fantasy will be at the cost of women and particularly single mums first. I won't back that, and I won't pretend both sides are equal.

I’d like to vote for this, too.

Unless they have a major revamp, the libdems are irrelevant. They only achieved 12 seats in the last GE so highly unlikely to be the key to giving either party the power to form a govt. They need a leader with charisma and some good ideas to make a dent and get back to their relevance of the 2010 GE.

I genuinely wish the monarchy would have a more active role in the government, they are stable figures with staying power never seen in the governments du jour and that's really what you need from someone running a country. I don't actually care about democracy it hasn't covered itself in glory in any country anywhere and has just led to performers who like to argue going on to perform and argue a lot instead of getting things done, and they never think long-term because it doesn't benefit them.
I think a benevolent dictatorship would be better. I miss living in a country that had one and I know that's probably a VERY unpopular view.