Where are all of the Labour voters in real life?!

[PBEEBIES]

I grew up on a council estate. I would say the majority of the people here were very “I’m happy for people to come to this country, but those who come over and don’t work/don’t assimilate are unwelcome” as their main political belief. Despite being a poor area with the majority of people on some form of benefit, they believed that people who work shouldn’t have to pay super high levels of tax and people should be able to keep what they earn etc.

I went to university and associated with “posher” people for the first time. I would say the political beliefs held by these people were very similar to those held by the people I grew up around. I met a few people that were stronger to the left and right here, but to generalise, the majority were all pretty middle of the road/right leaning in the same way that they were on my council estate.

I now have a well paid professional job and live in quite a “posh” area. The people here again, generally hold the same views as everybody at my university and the council estate I grew up on. Probably slightly more right leaning, but all pretty similar on their thoughts on immigration, taxation, government spending priorities etc. We’ve recently completed a house renovation and if ever the topic of politics came up with the tradesmen we were using (eg. If the news was on when we were in the same room), the general consensus was still the same. I have also noticed that 99% of people I have spoken to all seem to be anti Covid vaccine/think that there was some kind of government conspiracy with hiding the negative effects of the vaccine - this is ranging from the drs I know, to the tradesmen, shop assistants, students etc (not just a small section of society).

I’m suprised that considering I’ve lived in multiple cities in both rich and poor areas, socialised with and have friends in professional careers as well as tradesmen, students, across all ages… most people I encounter seem to all hold the same political views.

I have genuinely only ever met a few truly left wing people in my life, in real life. For example, I’ve never met anyone in real life who has stood up and said “I think that we should take asylum seekers as they’re at risk in their own countries” even though this isn’t extreme! I’ve never met anyone who has said “I think that our taxes should be raised so that we can improve public services”, or “I think it’s really important that we spend on making our country more energy efficient as this is important for eradicating climate change”. How is this possible?! Everyone I’ve ever discussed politics with across a wide range of social classes , careers, ages, locations has always been centre/right.

Please don’t focus on the fact that I’ve used immigration as an example throughout this, it was just one of the stronger examples that I can think of! Another example would be the trans issue - I’ve never met anyone who thinks anything other than “trans people are free to do whatever they like, but sex is a biological fact that you cannot change”.

I do agree to some extent. But my NHS working family tell me that the majority of their colleagues think the same too.

But I don't suppose your relatives are carrying out scientific surveys on the political views of all their colleagues. It is probably just a question of confirmation bias and your relatives only noticing stuff that seems to reinforce their views. Or possibly your relatives might be quite vocal about their right wing views and other colleagues may avoid discussing politics with them because of this.

I don't know if there has been any actual research into the political leanings of NHS staff, but we would need to look at the evidence rather than biased anecdotal accounts.

but they are unlikely to be socialising with people like you because their values and yours clearly don't align. It isn't rocket science!

Why, and what do you mean by 'people like you'?

Being right leaning isn't an affliction. My family and social circle are a mixed bag of political views. I don't think less of them for it. I'm married to my political opposite.

‘People like you’. Weren’t there claims earlier that most knew a range of voters, or is it that people can’t do that and you too stick to a narrow range.

I think you're conflating Labour voters with what you believe to be 'left wing'.
Some of the things you appear to associate with Labour voting are actually more akin to the Greens, or the kind of hybrid hard left/extreme liberalism that gets bundled up into 'the left' these days.
You may well not encounter many Green voters, as their percentage vote share is comparatively low.
You may also not encounter many embracers of extreme and fairly niche views such as those around gender ID, on account of them being...niche.
You will by the law of averages, given Labour got in and are still topping the polls, have encountered people who believe they are the party most suited to govern.
However this embraces a broad church and will include many who have views on certain things that align with you own. For example wanting to protect single sex spaces or wanting immigration figures to go down.
You will also have met those who don't feel the need to announce themselves to people who do not share their views.

You seem to have set off the bat signal @MrsBennetsPoorNervesAreBack ! 🦇🚨

How apt for you too.

Political choices often (but not always) reflect people's underlying values.

For those who regard political choices as moral choices, rather than merely pragmatic and/or self interested ones, the values underlying their politics are likely to be important to them. And it's hard to be close friends with people if your values simply don't align.

I don't care if my DH votes for a different party to the one that I vote for. In fact, we have voted differently at the last few elections. But we have the same underlying values which mean that there are certain parties that we would never contemplate voting for because they are fundamentally incompatible with our view of what matters. I couldn't be in a relationship with someone who had such incompatible moral values.

If you don't see politics in terms of moral choices and values, you might not care that much about other people's politics. Which is your prerogative.

I encounter many people in my daily life with differing views to my own. I treat them with respect and courtesy no matter what, and I'm perfectly capable of friendly interaction with people who I disagree with. However, I wouldn't choose to socialise with people whose views are fundamentally at odds with my moral values.

It is possible to know and associate with a wide range of people with differing views while being selective about those who you choose to socialise with, no?

Was that aimed at me? Perhaps you'd like to expand?

So people limit their input. Which is what the thread is about.

I'm fairly sure that if someone entered your social circle who was very vocal about immigrants rights, TWAW, higher inheritance taxes, banning private education, EDI as a positive, Badenoch recruiting a nazi and so on, it wouldn't add to the conviviality of the evening, would it?
I imagine you'd judge them pretty quickly as naive, spiteful, not caring about women, hypocritical, stupid, or any of the other myriad of things you and others accuse people with these views of being on here on the regular.
I keep seeing 'it's OK to disagree' from right wing people and the myth that only 'the left' are judgemental and intolerant, while they are open minded and reasonable. Which is absolute nonsense as you quickly learn when you read what they say about people who disagree with them.

Interesting that you believe this.

You're wrong, sorry. In my own household, there is a Reform voter and a Green voter. We're all vocal. I'm conservative, my dh is Labour (until Starmer who put him off). Its about tolerance and respect.
I certainly wouldn't judge any of them as naive or spiteful. Same for my friends and colleagues.

🎯

Surely this emoji says how you feel as the rest of the post isn’t correct for others.

That tolerance and respect isn't apparent on MN. Quite the opposite.

Didn’t you just do a post with a bat signal? For some reason.

Again, can you expand on that? You didn't reply to my last request for further explanation of your accusations so perhaps you will this time.

My post was to Mrs B, who understood my meaning perfectly.

Yes I didn't get a reply to the weird bat signal post. The poster seems to have an issue with me specifically.

We can see it, that’s how it works. If you’re going to say what you did about being respectful then emojis like that aren’t really it.

I grew up in a council estate in south east, went to uni and now about to retire live very happily in Dorset.
My family have always been proud Labour voters, as am I and probably always will be. We do all lean to left and believe in compassionate politics.
I supported Keir Starmer and found him, a clever thoughtful man. Had he been a more capable publicist I believe he’d still be in number 10 as his works showing results. I was disappointed with Labour for ousting him but Andy Burnham is different and doing a lot of good.
I am Labour and proud to be so.

Exactly, some people can discuss different views in families, perhaps others cut anyone off who votes differently.

So, when you listen to your Green voter verbalising their support for open borders, drug legalisation, male people self IDing into women's spaces, puberty blockers, are you honestly saying you don't believe them to be misguided at best or ignoring rights, principles and protections you believe to be crucial and therefore are irresponsible? Because you can't believe their opinions carry equal weight to your own, otherwise you'd share them. So you must surely have come to some sort of judgement about why they hold these 'wrong' in your eyes views?