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?

You might be right. But I find it incredible depressing that we still live in a world that is so judgemental based on what clothes people are wearing. Frankly I don't give a sh*t as long as they do a good job. I think the world would be a better place if more people thought like this too.

And what seems particularly pernicious about this, is it seems to be focused on women's clothes.

I am enjoying the diversity of what Labour wear. That has been the case for years in Parliament where thre Labour bench modestly resemble ordinary folk with a bit of cash to spare.

The Tories are identikit, except for Mogg, who wore his 1950s chalk stripe double breasted suit. That was expensive but crap looking.

Sadly, people form first impressions with their eyes. So it is vital, in public life, to look right/appropriate/serious. Because if you don't, their ears will already have closed to your message.

Now I do disagree on that one. The fact is there are political people who look like a bag of hammers or their suit barely fits or they have a hump or a set of teeth that could grace a piano. Politics is about delivery. And that is how we judge them

But it is pernicious and we need to do better as a society! I understand what you are staying about first impressions but most people would not recognise a suit from a Savile Row tailor or one from M&S. As long they are clean and ready to do business it really does not matter where the suit is from for the vast majority of ordinary people!

Look, I remember being appalled by a cabinet minister’s dandruff on the District Line. It encrusted a good suit. But the effect was lost

It doesn’t bother me tbh and I like S&B generally

I quite like the idea it can be a bit more M&S if that’s the term being used

Do you follow French/Spanish/Italian politics at all @northernerinthesouth2000 and @Champagnesocialismo ? Look at the clothing. It fits, mostly flatters the body wearing it, and is relatable. It's a better cut version of my mostly Uniqlo and M&S wardrobe. Only in the UK is looking like an unmade bed regarded as intellectual. SKS has got his clothing perfect. Just by ditching white shirts for anything except the most formal occasions. His campaigning shirts have all been dark blue and open necked. It's relatable.

And while you might not be able to see the difference between M&S and Savile Row, any 1960s mod could see it.

Women eh .. still judging other women on their clothes, how completely depressing.

The Italian policeman directing the traffic looks better and has a better suit on than any British politician @Papyrophile

Politics sometimes termed rock n roll for ugly people. Which is a bit harsh but overall appearance is a limiting factor.

There are some interesting messages re Starmer. Special relatable Dad kit during the election. Black suit red tie (Tories wear navy or royal blue in Westminster). All very not Westminster and probably deliberate

I'm judging the men too @ExtraOnions

No I don’t really follow other countries political figures and really that’s beside the point. It’s nice to be able to afford fabulous clothes but not everyone has been that fortunate and some peoples obsession with how politicians and their partners dress is quite depressing and unnecessary. As long as people are dressed appropriately it really shouldn’t matter wtf they wear. Angela Raynor probably spent a while picking that outfit and I’m sure she felt amazing in it. Then to have people pick it over for very trivial things must be upsetting! Although I bet she’s learn to shrug it off.

.. well that’s ok then.

Still depressing..

@Papyrophile i understand if you were a financial PR person this might feel more pertinent, but I think politicians should be able to be scrutinised on other stuff. I include all parties and there probably is a tendency on here to support or attack based on alliance

Plus I think what they are wearing is actually ok for their brief

Uniformed men are a whole different ballgame @Champagnesocialismo .

The point @northernerinthesouth2000 is not that there are huge sums being spent on very expensive clothes. It is about buying well in the mid range. Nobody is mentioning the top designers here. This is high end high street, chosen well and probably tweaked to fit.

The point is it shouldn’t matter as long as dressed appropriately. As others have said there are more important things to judge our members of parliament on!

And one can’t escape the feeling that this “judging” is rather tribal in nature.

Westminster fashion has changed. Partly to do with COVID. People are more relaxed. And this can be a considerable power move. Being dressed like a surf bum while making big decisions is definitely a thing. If everyone else is wearing a suit then double points scored. Labour and Conservatives!

I understand @EasternStandard , but my job was to ensure the message got through. So the aim was always to look perfectly ordinary but perfect so the focus was on the message. Minimise the distractions. It is sad that the media will always focus on any distraction, so you can't offer any.

A surf bum?

Dominic Cummings and Liam Booth-Smith both

For a time during the Cummings era it was not at all unusual to see special advisers wearing a manky t shirt, manky trainers, and terrible jeans. Surf bum or someone who had slept in their clothes? Who knows? But definitely not standard Tory man.

I think the clothing criticism is actively wrong. If there is a defacto uniform that lends credibility to someone's words you can disguise all sorts of dangerous nonsense behind an 'acceptable' uniform and its message is lost. Nigel Farage is a case in point here. His branding (good suit, well designed literature etc) makes his party look mainstream but when you actually read the proposals, he's after a fascist police state.

He is a pound shop Enoch Powell, English nationalist. I agree, what he represents is hard right, but he has a simple ticket to pick up the disenfranchised. All his shiny gold buttoned blazers should not mean he is taken more seriously

It kicked off way back with Steve Hilton, who was beautifully satirised as Stewart Pearson in The Thick of It.