Anyone else wobbling about voting Labour?

[MaryMaryVeryContrary]

I desperately want to GTTO but the last few years have taught me that ‘any change’ isn’t always good and things can get worse, even if you think they can’t.

I’ve watched all the debates now and Starmer is so… wet. I don’t like him. The first thing he did when women’s rights were mentioned his first thought was men who ‘identify as women’ and how ‘marginalised’ they are. When asked about immigration he squirmed and squirmed before muttering about his role as DPP (who cares? We want to know what you plan to do NOW). When asked about his support for Corbyn he said ‘but I didn’t think we would actually win..’

There’s something about him which is making me very uncomfortable and I just have a bad feeling now about what would happen if he was leader.

Anyone else? If you’re not voting Tory or Labour, who are you voting for and why? I assumed I would vote Labour this time but my gut is suddenly screaming at me not to!

I'm not a Labour supporter, but even if I was I wouldn't feel annoyed. I'd feel the same. That you're not very bright.

The only thing Ive been sure on is I won't be voting Labour. No way.

Yeah, I agree. Boring, competent, not richer than the King type guy.

I'm definitely voting Labour

Well, I won't vote Labour. Not in this election cycle and possibly never again.

Just watched Keir Starmer being interviewed on ITV1 by Paul Brand, and I saw the Labour Party Political Broadcast earlier, and tbh don't ask me why, or ask me to explain it, but I am warming to Starmer, and leaning towards voting Labour. (Despite the issue with the womens identity issue.)

I don't believe any of the other parties care about women - and their rights - any more than Labour. And lots of what they say/state/promise aligns with my values. Not 100% decided, but maybe 80% decided that I will vote Labour next week.

@IpsyUpsyDaisyDoos

Just because it's apparently 'always the quiet/reserved ones' who are the psychopaths, that doesn't mean all quiet/reserved people are psychopaths! 😆

I didn’t say I was voting for them and yes I am from a farming family as well and yes we have been screwed. But they want us to pay full inheritance on farmland etc which we never needed to before. If I inherited I couldn’t afford to do that so unless another family member could that would be farm gone

Because it’s not one OR the other is it? Labour aren’t amazing just because the tories are a shower of shit. We can vote for other parties, if at all.

I have no faith at all so sadly, and for the first time, will be putting in a spoiled ballot

You need to change your user name really. I don't think it's awfully clear!

Agree with this...

My vote will be given to the party who's policies I feel are closest to what I agree with.

I'd never base my vote on who I like or dislike.

I'd never be so shallow as to call another person out on their choice, purely because its exactly that, their right to choose.

There have been times I'd tick the box of no confidence in any leader if it existed.

Everyone thought Boris was great fun and look how that turned out!

Anyway, the alternatives include Sneery Sunak and Fascist Farage so no, I won't struggle to vote Starmer in the slightest.

I especially look forward to Farage moving to his new constituency if Clacton.

Hopefully this will mean he won’t have time for his media jobs. What a loss to LBC radio and our TV screens! He’ll finally have to live among those he refers to as ‘the little people’. Go on Nigel, you’ve talked the talk as ‘man of the people’, now walk the walk.

Yes this ‘man of the people’ - once educated at the prestigious Dulwich college where he was almost expelled for his racist views; nowadays poncing (probably uninvited) at D Day anniversary while forming a party that Hitler himself would approve of. Astonishing.

I have voted Conservative since 1979.

I don't think the Conservatives deserve to win this election.

However, on my assessment of our local candidates, I think the Conservative candidate (a new one after 20 plus years, in a constituency where a donkey with a blue rosette would win ordinarily) is the best person to represent the local constituency and is an excellent choice to be part of a party that needs to rebuild itself.

I shall vote locally, for my local Conservative candidate.

Starmer needs professional styling/grooming in terms of hairstyle, elocution. I suggested hair last year on AIBU and got shot down.

But, in spite of poor presentation, he's a solid bloke with a good CV, and I think he genuinely CARES. I don't think there's a single Tory MP who gives a flying fuck about anyone other than themselves. Look at the record of self-serving...

No wobbles here, Labour are the only party I agree with

That's the right attitude @RosesAndHellebores .
I think I would struggle to vote Conservative even if the candidate was by far the best one, but where I am there's only one decent candidate.

Lib Dem, because Vote for Policies identified their policies as being most aligned with my views, or Independent, because he's local and I like the idea of an MP who is free to act as he chooses instead of toeing a party line.

Labour have not said that their scrapping IHT Relief on farmland.

I despair at how easily so many people are being conned by the Conservative lie and smear machine. I'm not massively keen on Labour, at best they look the best of a bad choice, but I detest how the Conservative election machine can correctly and successfully work on the basis that a large part of the electorate are both thick and politically illiterate.

It can't work the way you're imagining.

You have to start with the way FPTP works. It is a system based on geographical areas. A small party is niche - they appeal to smaller percentages of voters. To appeal to lots of people across a country you have to either focus on a common cause (Scottish independence, Brexit) or be mainstream.

What use is it if the 10% of potential Green voters all vote green? They will win no seats.

FPTP is not PR and therefore PR-style voting behaviour doesn't work.

Sure, but the party that has 326+ potential constituency MPs elected forms the next government, and the party's policy suddenly become extremely important. In most (European) countries you could laugh and say "don't be ridiculous - no party will win that many seats!!!" But in the UK they can and frequently do.

Well, that of course depends on what you think the Tories “should be” (and of course, you’re perfectly entitled to your opinion on that).

I prefer “One Nation” Tories; i.e. the ones who believe the rich have a duty to care for the poor, and believe that government intervention into “the markets” is sometimes required (so they’re not opposed to, say, the existence of a minimum wage).

Reform are more like the Thatcherite wing. All power to the markets and hopefully some money might trickle down to the poor. (Except, of course, Thatcher was pro-Europe).

If you’re very wealthy and vote purely out of self interest (which is an entirely legitimate way to vote), then I can understand the appeal of Reform, but I’m not convinced that dragging the Tories further to the right is likely to result in electoral success for the party.

I agree with so much of this. In 2022, net immigration was 750,000. Every time I see that written down it shocks me. Add in illegals and it was probably closer to a million. A million extra people in one year!! WHERE ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO LIVE?? This isn't Australia. It's a small, crowded island with horrendous traffic and rabbit hutch houses jammed on top of one another. I 100% do not trust Labour on immigration. To say that Starmer is evasive on this issue is an understatement. He has no intention of cracking down, that's clear. In fact, things will get much worse, especially if they have a big majority. Restrictions will be scrapped, barriers will be removed, deportations will be blocked, and so on.

Starmer has described himself as a YIMBY. I'd respect him more if he just came out with it and said "listen, you bunch of horrible little NIMBYs. We have no intention of stopping mass immigration. You're just going to have to get used to it. If that means you can't get to work because of the traffic, or that the fields and woods near you are covered in houses and flats, well boo hoo. You'll just have to live with it, won't you!" That is what he and his party really think.

Starmer is basically a socialist. The man supported Jeremy Corbyn ffs. That alone should be enough to make you hesitate. This is too serious. Anyone who supported loony left Corbyn isn't fit for office. And when quizzed on it, he said "oh, well, I knew he was going lose anyway." What kind of a f-ing pathetic answer is that?! Starmer is on the verge of being our PM, with the country's fate in his hands. We need someone strong and solid, with a sense of responsibility. Either a) he didn't support Corbyn but was too weak and gutless to say so, or b) he did support Corbyn, and is in fact a borderline communist pretending to be a moderate.

YES YES YES. This thread is a depressing read. People have fallen for the Tory propaganda “they’re all as bad as each other” type rubbish. The Tories have had 14 years and the country is in bits!