Do you think some people didn't know what level of government they were voting for?

[unn]

Yesterday, at a café, I overheard two elderly ladies saying that they voted for Reform in the county council elections as they wanted their heating allowance back and want the Labour government out in Parliament.

How bloody ignorant are these people? The county council has zero responsibility of your pensions and heating allowance. They deal with potholes and local education.

Probably have forgotten that the general election was 10 months ago.

In my experience (used to work for both national and local government) a lot of people are really ignorant of how it all actually works.

This is exactly how Brexit happened. Socrates was right.

There was a thread on here started by someone who was planning to vote Reform to "Stop The Boats".

People vote in stupid ways during local elections either because they are protesting over something or because they really haven't got s clue.

Isn’t democracy wonderful. Everyone gets a say, even if they haven’t got a clue how it works.

Reminds me of Brexit, boomers thinking leaving the EU would stop the boats, mean more money for the NHS, not actually knowing how trade and freedom of movement actually benefits us.

Even if they win who knows if the heating allowance will be restored (the general election is mean)

Cross posted with others!

Voting for your party of choice for MPs in local elections, if they do OK, sends a message for general elections. Other people in your constituency realise there is a chance your party could get elected and so their own vote for that party wouldn't be a 'wasted' vote.

Furthermore, if you trust a party at parliamentary level, then you may well feel you can trust them at local level without doing further research.

I do agree some are ignorant, but Reform getting so many gains does send a clear message to the main parties and will have an impact on the next GE so isn't completely irrelevant.

Yanbu. Funny how it's not taught about in schools. I think a basic level of politics should be taught. I will hold my hands up and I am not well versed either and panic I have made a bad decision after voting.

Yep, seen a lot of people talking about stopping the boats in my local Facebook group, and I’m not sure how they think Staffordshire County Council - one of the most inland areas - is going to help with that.

Similar to the guy interviewed back in 2016 - voting Brexit to keep out the Muslims!

And I really dislike tendency of people to use sweeping generalisations against people who vote differently eg the typical 'if you voted Brexit you are racist' and such like.

People have different perspectives and priorities. Some vote on single issues, some vote for a party because on balance they feel they are best despite not liking a specific policy.

It's reductive and doesn't help discussion.

Slagging off the electorate calling them thick, racist, selfish, etc is not a way to win hearts and minds and votes.

Please don't tar all older people with the same brush

People may well be ignorant of who they’re actually voting for but it’s also shortsighted of posters on here to suggest that voting behaviour at local elections has no impact on national policy. Labour will be taking notice and can see that what they’re doing is not necessarily what some people want.

Another thing I want people to stop doing. Vote for a certain party because their late father always voted for them. Their late father died 30 plus years ago. Is your late father going to live through the consequences? No.

I think they just meant they wanted Reform in government and success in local elections is paving their way for this.

I think your dismissal is misplaced.

Obviously they may very well be ignorant, but not necessarily.

The main way that minority parties effect change is by shifting the policies of big parties in response to an electoral threat. That’s the model.

If these women like Reform policies and want them nationally, the best way to do that is to give Reform a strong local showing, given there wasn’t a national election this week to vote on.

In fact, a vote for Reform in the locals is probably more nationally impactful than in the nationals, given the much increased odds of them actually getting the result they want.

Maybe you just sat next to a table of psephologists, OP.

Would you pack it in with the boomer narrative. FFS some of us are more clued up about how governments work than others.

Just like any other age group.

Freedom of movement hurt some demographics a lot more than others! You need to educate yourself!

So because people haven't voted how you wanted them to vote then they are thick or uneducated?
It's that exact attitude that pushes people to Reform FYI.
The intellectual superiority complex of the left minimises anyone's opinion which doesn't match their own. It's that attitude displayed by Labour which people are voting against.
The metropolitan elites sitting thinking they know what people in the Red Wall + North want when they haven't got a clue. Millions feel disenfranchised and completely disassociated from Westminster. That's what drives support for Reform!

Carry on because you are guaranteeing a Reform government at next election. FYI I have never voted Reform but I'm not so arrogant as to not read the room and understand why so many people do.

Yanbu. Five minutes on a local facebook page will prove it. Totally oblivious to how it works.

TBH it's probably worse now than ever before. 30yrs ago people were thick but at least we had newspapers and only four TV channels so they'd probably get some well balanced news coverage. These days people don't read the papers, won't watch the news because it's "biased" or their "anxiety" and they pump unchecked crap into their brains from their phones.

Whatever the reasons these particular people had (and to be fair the OP only overhead snippets of conversation which doesn’t tell the full story) the fact is some people are ignorant. Brexit was proof of that - you only have to look at the people who pretty much immediately backtracked after voting for it when the obvious consequences dawned on them

It is taught in schools. It's part of PSHE. Schools cannot do everything though..at some point adults need to take responsibility to learn themselves. If you're not "well versed" and want to be, go learn. Read a newspaper, a website. It's not hard to find info on the basic structure of UK politics and what the parties broadly represent.

Funny how it's always the elderly that posters overhear on here