Why do people keep voting the tortes in again and again

[Thomasina79]

Not wanting an argument, just wondering. Another Tory has been dismissed for dishonesty and day after day we hear of stories about people having to choose between heating and eating. Surely people realise we need a change of government? The NHS and other support services such as teachers are on strike. What next?

Because the Tories ran down the country for years before.

There was no extra capacity left to take the covid strain

Honestly, I have no idea what to expect from the next election.

I've never voted Tory but my constituency is one of the safest tory seats because its VERY rural, full of wealthy landowners. The last two elections my MP has had 70% vote, so it's fucking pointless me voting. I only do it so I can bitch and moan. To be honest, my last 2 votes have gone to the Green Party as a absolute waste,

Politically, I'm homeless. I'm mainly centre-led. In an ideal world, I'd vote Lib dem but they seem completely hopeless.

I genuinely think that the last election was an "anything but Corbyn" vote as much as an "I want Boris" vote. Corbyn is a great person to have on the backbenches to remind people of what the party stands for, but as a leader on a global stage would have been horrendous. I absolutely would not have wanted him in charge with the threats of Putin nuking us.

But the conservatives have a) literally killed off half their core voters through their covid policies, b) pissed off the self employed (I was part of the Excluded group so could NEVER vote for Rishi), as well as entire sectors in NHS/teaching/postal/rail and c) presided over a cost of living crisis that has made the rest of the country struggle for money. Combined with the number of scandals, rule breaking, law breaking and literal corruption I can't see how they can recover from that.

But equally, what the hell are Labour standing for? Keir should on paper be a good leader, but he seems so weak and ineffective.

Did you vote for him out of interest
No don't live in the UK, I live in Ireland where Tory policy on Brexit has caused no end of issues.
For a country of 70million plus having only two dominant parties is your main issue, same problem in the States. I live in Ireland a population of 4 million and we have proportional representation which often results in rainbow coalitions but also means we have at least 5 main parties to choose from and 3 further smaller parties and smattering of independents

Yes calling people thick and stupid for having the audacity to thin I differently to you is guaranteed to make them vote the way you think they should 🙄

I voted Labour last time. The manifesto was a sensible socially responsible one that wouldn't have looked out of place in most European countries (or further afield) - but was cast as something horrific by the right wing media.
My vote didn't matter anyway because due to our shitty system, a nematode worm with a blue rosette would get elected here - so my vote counts for fuck all and I am ignored.

Is it because no one can work out exactly where Cake Starmer stands, apart from on the fence?

A reference to Nye Bevan’s description of the Tories perhaps, and similar to Angela Rayner’s use of the word “scum.”

I don’t agree with the use of it at all, and wouldn’t use it myself, but let’s not pretend that language like this is used equally in both directions.

Yeah, but look at who posted that.

It did in other countries; of course it did.

@Grumpybutfunny you'd vote against a party who supports sex based rights and safety?

So you'd purposely vote that men like Adam Graham and Andrew Burns should be placed in a cell with females and if a political party disagreed with this it would be your reasoning to not vote for them?

Why do people keep voting the tortes in again and again

I'm Scottish. We never don't vote 'em.

But we do like to put men in women's jails so can't feel too smug.

^ Excellent point - PR is way overdue in the UK, but we won't get it because we're all so hidebound in stupid wanky traditions and change averse.

Yes, both alienating, both unhelpful but the OP asked about conservatives.

I think if you were loyal enough Labour supporter to vote Corbyn last time there isn’t much point in trying to get your vote by Tories as it’s the people in the middle who switch that win elections.

I’m very relieved that the electorate decided as they did as Corbyn / Labour with pandemic and war would not be my preference.

Since you were open on who you voted for I’ll return and say I have voted Labour in past but they’ve lost my vote for various reasons recently.

😂😂😂😂😂 History says otherwise, they are all shit, just with differing levels of lying, corruption, immorality, delusion etc

FTPT is an unfair way of voting and PR would be much better.

Under PR in 2019 they would have 77 seats less - with the Lib Dems making the most ground gaining 59 .

Another problem is too many people don't vote. For example in the referendum, if you add together the Remain voters and those who didn't vote - its a much higher figure then those who voted to leave. The new Tory law insisting everyone take photo ID to vote will decrease the amount of voters (but they know that).

The Tories are never voted in by the majority of the country. The country has virtually always been more left wing and central, but the voting system we have means the Tories get in more often than not.

In 2019 only about 65% of eligible voters in the country bothered to vote. The Tories had the most candidates win in FPTP. And would have had the most candidates under PR (although a lot less), but the reason a lot of people don't vote is because their vote doesn't count under FPTP. If the people who didn't vote and those who voted for other parties were added together - it shows that the majority of the people in this country did not vote for the Tories. Yet here we are.

Where I live, the MP is a Tory and gets a 28000 majority each time. I don't vote for him and there was about 35% of voters who didn't vote.

Every vote has to start counting . If Labour have the guts to bring in PR I can see the Tories never getting in again. Until then there is only tactical voting that might help, as seen in a few by elections lately.

@WednesdaysNameIsFullOfWoe

Oh come on, there's mud slinging on both sides.

The Tories pick up on it more because they want to be seen as the 'polite' party.

Interesting that they only got upset about the word 'scum' and not the rest of Rayners comment.

@MichelleScarn I don't think any party should be campaigning on the basis of sex end of. Politics has bigger problems than who is in which loo so any party that waste time on it wouldn't get my vote. I want a party that is going to campaign (and follow through) on the important issues education, health and considering the comments today from the US security.

There is, but I don’t think it’s equal.

I think that there’s some accuracy in the view that the right view the left as mistaken about what’s for the best, and the left see the right as venal, which is reflected in the discourse..

Tories get upset when people call them scum because they're generally scum and don't like being reminded of it. I went to school with a couple of Tory MPs who've both served in cabinet in recent governments and they are genuinely sociopathic people who explicitly don't want what's best for the country. They don't even understand what's best for the country. They're good at convincing people to vote for them though, I'll give them that.

It’s not so much politeness. It just sounds too low intellect to run politics with insults and words like scum.

It’s a democracy we all have different priorities- that’s the point of voting. Some get too irate when it differs. I don’t agree with some but no point shouting insults at people.

Labour have lost over last decade plus because they need to listen better. Let’s face it they need the people they call scum to vote for them next time if they want to win.

In 2019 only about 65% of eligible voters in the country bothered to vote. The Tories had the most candidates win in FPTP. And would have had the most candidates under PR (although a lot less), but the reason a lot of people don't vote is because their vote doesn't count under FPTP

So, I've read that voters are more aware of party policies in marginal constituencies but is there a higher turnout as well? I though socio-economic markers were the greatest factor in determining voting participation?

Fuck knows, like how can anyone with even the tiniest bit of humanity in them look at a Jacob Reese-Mogg or a Suella Braverman and think, yup your the MP for me?

How can anyone defend a government that has inflicted 12 years of austerity on the country for absolutely no benefit at all (more debt, less public services, more inequality, lower standards of living)?

How can anyone justify the actions of a government so morally berfet they appoint racists, homophobes, liars, cheats, thieves and frauds to positions of power and then try to gaslight the electorate when their actions are exposed?

How can anyone put their faith in a party so economically inept that they genuinely think giving the poorest in society an extra £2.80 per person (after cutting £15 per person from budgets) while also giving the top 10% an extra £1000-2000 per person, is an example of "levelling up"?

Maybe those who still vote tory suffer from some sort of Stockholm syndrome, maybe they fall for the the tory lies and genuinely believe the tories will make them rich. Personally, I just operate on the principle that if someone votes tory they are very likely to be an arsehole and someone best avoided.

@Grumpybutfunny but you do understand that's what you see as important issues and not everyone agrees on what an important issue is?
I do, you labeling it as being about 'who is in what loo' is reductive if you are following any recent politics in the news.

Let’s face it they need the people they call scum to vote for them next time if they want to win.

Nah, the tories are doing such a grand job of killing or scaring off their key demographic that they're not going to win the next election (not that they want to anyway).

Who votes for the tories?

The old, the rich and the better off. The old are dying quicker now thanks to tory austerity, the rich are being scared off because tory ineptitude has curtailed investment opportunities and trashed the economy, the better off are reconsidering because they're being financially impacted by tory mismanagement.

The next year or so will see Rishi's crew of theives asset strip as many public services as possible, while setting fire to the shells that are left behind, before they're kicked out in 24.

The tories have no interest in winning the next election because they know they've fucked up so badly it will be impossible to fix. Better to let Labour take the helm for a few years, let them put out as many fires as they can, while the tories snipe from the sides.

Then once things have been settled and rebuilt the next generation of tories can come back in and repeat the process. So it was, so it is, so it will be.