... to wonder if I'm the only Conservative voter on mumsnet? Is there anyone else out there or should I just go and hide my head in shame?

[freudianslips]

The title says it all. I'm not a toff. I'm just a normal mum and PhD student. I don't earn much and no-one in my family went to univeristy, let alone Eton. I'm getting the impression I'm in a tiny minority, possibly N=1. I haven't dared post on any of the political threads because I lack time and courage to be a lone voice of dissent. Anyone else out there or should I just accept that I sniff don't belong?

Glad you're better swc. If it makes you feel any better a few years back I woke to realise I'd had a dream about shagging Michael Portillo, and I wasn't even ill

Erm, smee, hate to shatter your dream but I believe that MP bats for the other team. Sorry.

It's okay duchesse, it was a nightmare I still shudder at. I most definitely surprised myself! Actually, I think he termed it as experimenting when a student didn't he? Still who cares, whatever his sexuality he couldn't be further from my type

"3 years at private school on my C.V would have scuppered my chances"

Er, yeah. That was probably the only thing wrong with your CV and covering letter. Bloody lefties, eh?

Now Michael Portillo is an interesting case of a Tory who lost his seat and rather changed his perspective on life. He became much nicer and perhaps not quite so anti-gay, shall we say.

I have it on fairly good authority that MP's marriage ship is flying under the flag of Convenience.

Metaphor overload. Time to go.

I have always been left of centre: brought up in a Labour voting family (dad a docotr, so therefore unusual in being left wing in the 60s and my a teacher) to beleive fundeamentally in free education and free healthcare and equality of opprtunity.

However, even my parents cannot bring themselves to vote Labour this time around. They have not forgiven them for things like the Iran War and for doing many things (like tuition fees) that the Tories only ever dreamt of doing.

Fortunately, in Scotland, we have an alternative: SNP.

I vote Tory and always will.

I am a public sector worker too and was stunned when I moved from the private sector that I was to be given a nice 2.5% pay rise each year even if my performance was shite - am sharing the pain!

MC- my husband is a public sector worker too, of the kind who is liable to be headhunted by any number of organisations worldwide. Even in the US (not known for its fondness of the public sector) he would be earning 3x what he earns here. He had not had even an inflationary pay rise for the last 4 years. His organisation recently finally managed to obtain a 2% rise for their employees. That's 2% for 5 years (prob a drop of about 10% in pay in terms of spending power). Hardly 2.5% a year.

Any other rise they receive is entirely performance related, meaning that eventually, people who are not up to scratch and fail to make their performance related pay are squeezed out of their jobs by economic pressures (unless of course they don't mind losing spending power year on year).

I would love to know where these departments are that give free pay rises every year however shite their performance has been. Oh yes, Westminster. Possibly the only one left.

Noooooooo - I work for the NHS - not Westminster at all!

Prob the only way they have of keeping extremely valuable staff with crucial skills. Front line medical staff are asked to do enormous amounts under pressure and achieve constantly whilst not being paid a fortune. How exactly do you measure performance for a nurse or a physiotherapist or a GP anyway? Easier with surgeons- kill rate is prob quite a good indicator. But with those others? More difficult.

Another conservative voter here! Again from a very normal background - state educated etc. etc. I also have very christian beliefs and find it insulting everytime a leftie suggests that conservatives don't care about the poor etc.

I'm a Tory too, normal state educated background. Agree with Prinnie (although without the Christian ethos).

Smee - can you send your Michael P dream my way, please?PLEASE?

Your vote, your choice. No need to hang your head in shame.
Hey we are told we are a democracy after all

Waaah, SpinDot, surely you're not serious?! Tell me it's a Saturday-night-had-far-too-much-wine-already slip of the keyboard . I have tried repeatedly to erase it from my memory, so appalled was I..

I am perfectly serious, smee. I have barely touched the wine all evening.

Now you're beginning to frighten me..