Labour Voters. Honest question

[Tryingtodobetter82]

I’m not looking to start an argument on this subject. I know it’s a very heated and emotive topic.

I have strong views on political issues. What with algorithms and biased news organisations, it’s very easy to end up only seeing information that confirms what we already believe. Because of that, you don’t often hear the other side of the political divide.

I’m honestly curious whether those who voted Labour at the last General Election, for reference I did not, would vote the same way if there were an early GE in January, purely hypothetical of course.

If so, I’d really appreciate you sharing what you feel they’ve done right so far in their term. I’m asking as I genuinely want to understand different perspectives.

YABU - I would vote labour again
YANBU - I wouldn’t vote for them again (or ever have)

They have been disappointing ☹️

This is closer to how the majority feel than the glowing posts.

After hearing all about the evils of Tory austerity, I thought Starmer would magically fix public services. I was wrong.

In the past I’ve been a ‘floating voter’. I didn’t vote either Labour or Tory last time around and I don’t see myself voting for either ever again. I align most closely to Lib Dem but frankly they’re useless at the moment.

The intended improvements to state education being funded by VAT on private school fees seems to have gone noticeably quiet, as have the gleeful posters shouting ‘bravo!” since Labour quietly muttered that the funds raised are being used for affordable housing instead. The Tories properly ballsed up state education and Labour doesn’t seem to have any plans to improve it.

One thing I will say is that our ‘new’ Labour MP is brilliant. If I could vote specifically for her without the party coming with her then I would. She really really cares about the local community and represents us well. The previous two Tory MPs - one of whom was a former Home Secretary - were utterly useless. They rarely ever visited the town and didn’t seem to give a damn. We’re lucky with who we’ve got now.

I wish we had more grammar schools. All my DC went to a state grammar school, all received a fabulous education.

We should be careful what we wish for there. Obviously Starmer is terrible, a human bollard if ever there was. However a replacement could be even worse. A far left loon is a terrifying thought.

After the election I spent ages watching PMQs when Starmer was in opposition. He kept on framing and talking like the Tories were all useless idiots and that labour were all well behaved and had all the answers.

Oh come on. It will take years to fix what the Tories destroyed. Maybe Labour could manage some significant progress after two terms, but of course a second term is now looking very doubtful.

I am sure the spiv will fix everything overnight if he gets in, though. We will all be able to walk down the street wearing watches, which we can't do at the moment.

I’m sure Starmer and co thought they’d be doing better than they are rn

As a proud Tory, are you happy with the Brexit unicorns?

I still go to the EU on holiday.

Had a chat with a friend of mine. They set up and had a business in the Artificial Intelligence industry. Because of Brexit and the fact the UK has less stricter regulations they were able to run their business in an easier manner and ultimately sold it for a nice profit. They told me the business would have been massively hindered or non existent had we still been in the EU.

When have public services ever been good? The NHS is so crap, I'm glad we all have private insurance in our family. Care is so much better. Don't know what's wrong in education, currently have a DD in a state grammar who is thriving.

Is that a yes to being proud of Brexit?

The NHS was making real progress prior to 2010. You can look up all the waiting times, the progress made in cancer care etc. Then Lansley got his hands on it and spent billions of taxpayer's money carrying out a totally unnecessary and, to quote his successor, "frankly ridiculous" reform.

https://www.health.org.uk/features-and-opinion/blogs/breaking-with-lansley-s-act

Labour's biggest problem is the right wing media and the fact that Keir Starmer has no interest in building a profile for himself. Labour's marketing of him and the progress made is almost totally absent. He's no Tony Blair, but is quietly going about making changes for the better. He's scored some own goals through political naivety which the press have seized upon unfortunately, but I genuinely don't understand the amount of hatred, vitriol and mistrust levelled at him after just 18 months and following 14 years of Tory damage.

Would i vote for them again? I'd vote for whoever in my constituency stands the best chance of keeping Reform out.

Is that when he insisted on referring to Sunak as PM?

No I mean rewatching the old pmqs when Starmer was actually the LOTO

Yes… and it’s now costing more than when it was being paid to all of them…

Is it? How?

I doubt that very much. Unless you have evidence to back that up?

Oh yes sorry I skim read. Yes. Back when Labour used to talk about themselves as ‘being the only adults in the room’ <hollow laugh>

Yes. Back then I was thinking if Labour do form a government how long is it will we and the media start complaining about labour.

Skim reading is fine; I do it all the time, on the trivial threads. But this thread is making a serious discussion about how we, intelligent and thoughtful parents for the most part, and principled people, think about the direction we would wish to see our politicians pursue.

I am happy to tell you that I (and DH) went self-employed in 1990 neither has had an employer since that day. DH started a business from nothing. I retrained as a teacher at 50, but most of my financial cushion because I am now a pensioner comes from considered decisions made while I was in my 40s, when I had my one and only child. The decisions I made in my 40s (25 years ago, plus inheritance from DM and DMIL) have been passed through us to our apprentice DC, who's scratching a NMW living in the SE right now, but who is sitting on a cash sum that will buy a starter home outright in any other region.

We're relatively well off at 70, but it isn't anything to do with inherited wealth, because we didn't inherit.

We created businesses, very small businesses in reality, doing useful stuff that our clients have to pay for. We don't deal with the public; it's all business to business. We have a few employees, all earning a lot more than NMW, and very high wages compared to the local average. We trade on what we know, and doing it well. It's an honest living that doesn't seek subsidies or UC top up funding for our team. But energy costs. This government is imposing 2% tax increases here and there, and we shall be paying every single increase. So our tax bill increase is really about 12% in real terms.

How many years would you keep working (we're already 70) to fund the common good?

More important, what would it take to persuade you to work self employed? Because until a government gets to grips with that question, there really can't be any significant economic growth. It is easy to be an employee; it's a whole lot harder to be responsible for meeting the payroll every week or month. Which is my main problem with this government. Not one member of it has ever had to pay a month's wages bill for a whole team of people they know and respect and like.

To be fair, I do think the period from 2016- late 2022 was by far and away the most dysfunctional of any UK government in modern times. It was a genuinely embarrassing time for the country.

Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude. I have had a delightful virus.

It is interesting to hear the other views, of which there are a lot.
The views have not convinced me to vote for labour, it makes me sad that Kemi was not in power years ago. They needed someone as straight talking as her years ago. But it’s now too little too late.

Similar to pp’s I just don’t know who I will be voting for next time around. Yet.

However, this post has really shown the strength of algorithms. I have deleted my news apps and although this might sound silly I have downloaded something called a “good news” app.

I am not putting my head in the sand regarding current affairs, but I am also not a person in any position to change what is going on at the moment.

It is depressing me & I cannot do a thing to change the outcome but I can change what I read.