To be a secret Tory voter and feel embarrassed about it?

[SecretToryVoter]

I’ve just gone to do my vote and had to admit to myself that I’m one of those secret Tory voters and would be embarrassed to admit it to friends / family!

A month ago I was adamant that I would be voting Labour but ended up changing my mind for a number of reasons

1. Keir seems to have a number of grand ideas of what he wants to do but no substance behind how he’s going to do it (where is he going to find an additional 6,500 teachers as just 1 example)
2. Womens rights
3. my Labour candidate has been helicoptered in and doesn’t look good on paper whereas the Tory candidate is a local, well respected councillor
4. Tory policy is closer to my values overall

anyone else had to admit to themselves that they are a Tory at heart for this election?

I don't think the OP should be embarrassed for wanting to vote Tory.

I do think @SecretToryVoter should be slightly amused at herself for the bizarre performance of cognitive dissonance and fence-leaping, just to land at exactly the same place she probably always would have started at.

Let's break it down:

1. Keir seems to have a number of grand ideas of what he wants to do but no substance behind how he’s going to do it (where is he going to find an additional 6,500 teachers as just 1 example) This is a fallacy which is often rolled out - what do you mean by 'no substance' behind it? Did you fact-check Boris' manifesto on the day? And how are some of those pledges looking five years on? Bridget Philippson has gone into a fair amount of detail on delivery. Did you read it?
2. Womens rights Labour has been consistent on this - there's not been any real change between a month ago, and now.
3. my Labour candidate has been helicoptered in and doesn’t look good on paper whereas the Tory candidate is a local, well respected councillor Tory areas breed Tory councillors, or so it tends to be the case. Plenty of people get 'helicoptered in' when a party is in the ascendancy like Labour is. It's because there are more seats to fight, and more chances to win.
4. Tory policy is closer to my values overall Why didn't you just start and end with this?

So yeah..

I think maybe you've just always seen yourself as Tory? That's fine, but none of points 1-3 were necessary - just skip to 4. It's ok.

Good question on why I feel embarrassed. I guess there’s a lot of anti-Tory rhetoric in my circles and therefore indirect peer pressure

i also think the Tory government have acted awfully (Liz Truss / Covid parties) but I have voted looking forwards rather than backwards

i think I need to just accept that i voted for the right reasons for me personally and own it

There is a reason yes - the fact that lab voters think it’s ok to be very rude to con voters. So people vote con in secret.

Nope more likely the op is scared of being shouted at/cancelled/attacked for her views.
The sheer amount of vitriol I have seen aimed at Tory voters is frankly scary. My Jewish friend says it’s worse than any religious discrimination.

No doubt millions of people are voting Conservative today. That's their right. But doing so because you think they're better on women's issues boggles my mind.

Had this kind of conversation with my children. Told them to not tell randoms or even friends who they would/do vote for when older.

Said you’ll always get idiots who suddenly won’t be your friend or will try to berate you for not voting how they do.

It’s why there can never be genuine good debates between general people just look on here. Admit you want to vote reform or Tory and omg your the devil your a racist your stupid too thick to vote should be allowed to vote. Bet you voted Brexit you gammon and such nonsense.

All parties have good polices and bad policies, they all have good members and bad members. There is no wrong party to vote for that’s the point in a democracy.

You are entitled to your views - though you mention womens rights. Anyone who thinks voting Tory is a feminist decision baffles me - just as a tiny drop in the ocean of how they have harmed women - sure start closures/ failure to invest in early years - failure to support proper nursery funding and childcare. I have seen playgrounds/ play services/ childrens groups literally shut their doors because of austerity - despite being well used.

I'd be ashamed too.

I think that statements says a lot more about you than anything else.

Intolerant.. it was plain rude, what they wrote.

So what exactly are you looking forward to with your vote? What do you think will be achieved that wasn’t possible during the 14 years they have already been in power?

It’s weird to criticise the current government imo but then claim it’s irrelevant to your vote and the future is all that matter. It’s actually nonsensical.

Too transparent OP.

Reads as though it’s from Tory social media team. Trying to convince waverers to come your side of the fence, with the old ‘jump in the water’s fine!’ routine. We see you!

We’re going to have this until 10pm aren’t we?

100% this.

I can't bring myself to vote either tory or labour but id be equally as ashamed to admit to voting for either of them! They are a disgrace and we need someone new.

I think this may be a perception issue or an issue of extrapolating personal bubbles. I've certainly seen lots of Conservative voters in different social/family groups be very rude (from the patronisingly sneering to the flat out offensive) to those who they perceived as left-wing.

Well, there is an obvious reason they can't discuss it with friends and family and it's not because they will be kind

Good points

Although

1. I didn’t vote for BoJo, partly for that exact reason
2. I feel that Tories have clarified their position on this in the last month whereas Labour has done the opposite
3. I want a local MP who understands / fights for local issues.
4. obviously manifestos have been released in the last month so I think this has been crystallised

@Teentaxidriver

I think that statements says a lot more about you than anything else.

What does it say about me?

@RubySloth

Well, there is an obvious reason they can't discuss it with friends and family and it's not because they will be kind

The reason is OP is embarrassed. OP has given the reason. You don't need to invent another.

Yep, that's me. The only choice here is Con/LD (there's a Labour candidate but they put zero effort in - no canvassing or leaflets around here so that's another reason not to support them), & so I chose the one who supports women's rights. I don't mind telling people in my day-to-day life, but I have a couple of very old friends further afield who go to Billy Bragg concerts & can't wait to GTTO, & I'm not going to mention it to them! Funny, I used to be even more Labour-supporting than them until Labour went anti-women. I never thought I'd vote Conservative, but I just have & I rather liked it.😂

I expect it's because of the abuse you get from Team Kind if you don't share their viewpoint.

This is what I’m doing.

You should never vote in a way where you feel embarrassed. It's an indication that you haven't done the right thing, sadly.

It's a free country, thank God, we are lucky that we can vote for whom we wish, and have a choice of candidates. It has always been thus though. The left are generally very vocal about their intentions, the right less so, even before social media. Vote for whom you want, but you don't need to shout about it.

In my little family we have one labour, one conservative, one reform, and one spoiled ballot. We all still love one another and can have excellent debate and discussion of our reasoning.

No.

This administration has been pulled up by the UN for serious violations of disabled people’s human rights, with policies that have left numerous disabled people needlessly dead. I don’t know that a different party will definitely do better, but I’m not risking the life of my mother and my disabled friends by voting for the people who will definitely continue to treat them as expendable.

Frankly, our household would be better off with lower taxes, and (unless something really unexpected happens) we won’t be too badly affected by the Tories’ impoverishing policies. But regardless of other important issues (and yes, there are many important issues where I disagree strongly with Labour, Lib Dems, Greens etc.), my first aim this election is to try and save the lives of vulnerable fellow-citizens. So I won’t be voting for the party that has severely worsened the NHS crisis and been responsible for causing numerous disabled people’s deaths, even if it might gain me a little extra disposable income.

I don’t know you, and I don’t know your values. But I would ask you to consider the Tories’ treatment of disabled people and the NHS, as well as the massive growth in poverty on their watch, and ask yourself whether this is compatible with your values.