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?

In reply to the poster who is confused how women's rights are now " in danger " bearing in mind the huge increase in women MPs and the fact that Starmer has outright said he will protect women's spaces
There are unfortunately a significant bunch who will not be happy until Starmer outright bans transness and puts in place genital inspections before people can use women's loos and changing rooms.

Saying you will protect women's spaces means fuck all if you think "women" is a mixed sex category.

Let's wait and see whether he actually follows through on his promise, and what it means in reality.

I'm embarrassed I voted labour, I don't agree with many of their policies, but they were the least worst choice in my normally very secure Tory constituency. I haven't told anyone apart from my husband who I voted for.

Utter rubbish and nonsense.

Out of curiosity, which policies do you not agree with? Did you constituency become liberal or labour?

I agree. Mumsnet now has a reputation for being extremely hateful towards trans people. I don't want to see women's rights eroded but I don't like the way MN has become about this.

I 100% agree @Emmanuelll The black and white thinking here is very concerning. A very few people are speaking up now because this single issue is taking over almost every thread to the detriment of debate on anything else.

One murder doesn’t make the right in general more vocal. On the the whole, if anyone expresses an opinion that isn’t left and labour, then their supporters cannot simply accept that, they erupt into vile tirades. The level of brainwashing is high.

I don’t fully support either side, and for me, this election was a choice between bad or worse. There was no winning for anyone.

As a working person, if you think labour are going to help you get richer, I think you’re going to have a shock. They’re certainly not for the working class anymore.

'One murder doesn't make the left more vocal'. How can you equate 'vile tirades' with taking somebody's life? You are diminishing a really horrible act.

I agree that people should be less unpleasant to each other about their political views (despite what I said upthread when I was being facetious) but I'm pretty sure that's across the spectrum of belief and not confined to either party. The far right, however, has violence, and violent attitude, and discrimination written into its manifestos, that's kind of the point of it when you get to the bottom of their pledges.

I voted Conservative and I don't see it as a reason to be proud or ashamed. It is a mainstream political party which, until a few days ago, was the party of government. When the electorate is sufficiently tired of Labour, they will one day be the party of government again. That's the normal political cycle and how democracy works

Unfortunately, left-wing voters can be very spiteful and intolerant towards anyone who disagrees with them (as some of the posts on here demonstrate), so I understand why you might feel reluctant to be honest about how you voted with those kinds of people. If they ask you how you voted tell them to mind their own business. The shame is theirs for their intolerance, not yours.

I don't think it's very helpful to suggest that one side is more intolerant. People tend to suffer from confirmation bias when it comes to things like this. I can assure you that people of ALL political persuasions are capable of being intolerant of others who express another opinion, especially when they don't agree or don't like it.

What seems to missing from most people these days, especially the previous government, is any understanding or empathy towards those with differing opinions. People have become so mean and entrench in their views not willing to compromise. Let's hope this new government which is not yet corrupt like the previous one has the ability to serve with integrity and hopefully we will all benefit.

I have been on a lot of womens rights threads on here and I’d have to disagree.
There is sometimes the odd poster who comes on with one post which is anti trans but generally posters just don’t want their rights eroded.

The two issues of trans rights and womens rights are / should be independent of each other.
We can have both and that is what most women on MN speak of.

Left wing voters can be spiteful? Just have a look at the vitriol being thrown at Angela Rayner for everything from her dress sense to her accent via her early life. It’s vile. And it’s not unusual. See also Dianne Abbott and the Labour candidate for Clacton.

Complete agreement ^ I don't think labelling is productive, and just oozes hypocrisy if anything.

Tbf Akshata Murty has had much of the same on dress sense and other and sadly for a politician’s partner

That’s on the topic of who gets some backlash

Imo people can be pretty spiteful around politics which is a shame

Some people are horrible to other people. My point was that they aren’t always on the left. There are as many on the right. They are all despicable.

Mn posts can be as such at times, maybe irl too idk

That’s not just coming from Conservative voters though.

As I said. Vile people of all political persuasions. I think it’s safe to say most of it will becoming from the right in this instance though.

You and I have been on election threads.

Based on past form I’d have to disagree.
Although, who knows what the future holds 🙄

I suspect a confirmation bias.

As a Tory voter, I respect Angela Rayner enormously. To have faced, met and surmounted all the obstacles she has overcome to become deputy PM and Leader tells me she has grit and intelligence. But if she is going to really do her talent justice, she needs a friend to point out that it's not enough to buy Me&Em suits (brilliant colour for her) they also need to fit properly. It's trivial, but it detracts from her authority because it concedes that she is not awesomely effortlessly in control.

I'd also like Rachel Reeves to up her sartorial game instead of looking like a mid-ranking regional bank manager, dressed by M&S. She definitely needs a trip to a good female Savile Row tailor. Honestly, I'd suggest Cefinn and the Fold, but she might have reservations about consulting Sam Cam. This post is probably more suited to S&B, but as a former financial PR person, it would have been a detail of presentation that should be considered and dealt with before you put your client on a platform. It's about allowing the person and the message to speak without inviting or allowing any cheap criticism. Victoria Starmer has nailed it so far.

Got any tips for Boris who still looks like PigPen?

There is no saving Boris's style. You could give him a brand new Savile Row suit and he'd look as if he had slept under a hedge for a week in 25 minutes.

Fair point but look how Mrs Cameron senior smartened up Jeremy Corbyn. One sentence, conveyed by Dave. A walking miracle.