... 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?

Ah but I never said labour were better did I?(maybe I did, wione taken so perhaps)

Am not a huge fan of Labouur in the main- as I say often-

Public Notice: Other Parties Are Available

But representative candidates is eomthing I look fro,and I have not ofund that in the Tories.

Worked in customs under Kenneth Clarke. No thanks.

Barack Obama was the editor of the law review at Harvard, and earned his place there. yes, he should be admired for it.

Hide your heads in shame .

Absolutely Ilovemydog.

And in fact I presume DC attended a prestigious Uni and that should be admired also.

But its the places you get on merit that count, not thae places (Eton) that are paid for by the likely-merit (or inheritance) of someone else-like Eton

That ws all my point was really

Has anyone just watched 'When Boris met Dave' on More 4? Very interesting.

Another Tory here. Have always voted Tory since I could first vote in 1984, and still do so, mainly because of their stance on Defence.

Not only can I remember Mrs Thatcher getting in, I can also remember the Labour govt she defeated - the power cuts; Red Robbo; the over mighty and powerful unions.

Labour have over regulated and emasculated British society and destroyed the sense of community that used to exist. I will be glad if the Tories restore that.

Hang your heads. I will never vote Conservative. I have very vivid memories of what it was like just before Labour took power and the type of society that they engendered. Do you not remember the relief and joy when they were booted out. Saying that I feel very let down by Labour - really let down in fact. As let down as I feel though I would much rather continue with Labour with a new leader than have a Tory g'ment. So, it will prob. be Lib Dem for me, partly by default and partly becasue I seem to find myself aligning with them more. Also my sister was at uni. with David C. and I also met him and whilst you maybe can't judge a 40- something by their 20-something self, it might give you a few clues and let's just say that he and George Osbourne are far from my favourite people.

This has been an interesting read over breakfast (and a good way to put off starting work).

Does anyone else struggle with a perhaps illogical and unfair response to the Tories?

Logically, I hate what they stand for - I worry they will cut lots of good stuff Labour have brought in (better maternity/paternity rights, child tax credits etc); I despise their 'me me me' ideas to the detriment of others who haven't been as lucky as them; I hate the fact they're going to disband the organisation I work for (sorry some self interest there ).

But most of all, I can't stand their arrogance and 'born to rule' persona. I realise I'm prejudiced against the very posh (after all, Boris Johnson has as much right to stand for office as a self-made person). But I can't help it - it's what gets me more than all the logical reasons. Poor from me.

I'm 100% with Riven & Mackerel, I'm no fan of the current Labour party, but I think the Tories will be worse. And for what its worth I do think that its a real problem that Labour as well as the Conservatives are full of rich privately educated people - I remember very well right at the start of this Labour govt in 1997 hearing Harriet Harman talking about social security in terms of 'helping them', that is sooo much the problem, none of them can see that Social Security is not about "THEM" its about "US", 90% of us in this country are a couple of months away from needing their help if things go wrong, and we should all remember that. We aren't paying taxes to help "them" we are paying taxes to help all of us, we all use schools, NHS etc all the time and we are all likely to need cash benefits at some time in our lives.

D'you know, Mackerel, I felt none of that 'relief and joy'. I felt utter gloom on the day that Labour came to power, and I have felt low-level gloomy ever since.

The idea that the Conservatives are all me, me, me is just ridiculous. As is the idea that they are the only party with 'born to rule' types (Tony Blair, anyone?) Why should someone's background be held against them, anyway? Surely everyone would agree that a poor background shouldn't stop people from doing what they want to do - so why should a 'privileged' background?

As for the idea that I could be judged by my 20-year-old self if I were to become PM: eek.

I don;t know how you get poorer but able people into politics though.

I was offered the chance to stand locally; however there was no way I could have afforded the childcare necessary to stand, and Dh worked nights. It was an eye opener.

But also- I don't know who is any good tbh, I voted Lib Dem for ages but was put off by a few local bods who were really quite mean when I stepped back (due to ebing pg); I get e-mails from the Greens and whilst I loke theit p[olicies on the citizen'd wage tor eplace CA etc, agaion the internal bickering is ridiculous, I would never choose to sahre a room with those people, the way they talk to one another.

Conservatives are IMO pretty much against everything I am for, and whilst I like a lt of what Labour have done (CTC, response to recession, surestart, gay civil marriages etc) there's a lot I think is pretty devious and frankly all I cann see generally across the board is a lot of me me me crap and self agrandisement (sp).

Short of setting up the Peachy party (I wish) I really feel there is very little out there worth my vote. I like some of what Labour have done so will go with them, but it is on balance the best of a bad bunch. Which is a pretty sobering thought.

DC makes my blood run cold.I know that'sridiculous,and that I know nothing of the realman, nevertheless it is the truth. My experienceas of the conservatives are not positive- rfom the well placed MP and ex-vcabinet minister who laughed and said 'how ride these localsare' when I refused to shake his hand (he cut me off as I tried to explain it was becuase I had eczma at it was painful),to the Tory MP my Mum campaigned for who left her PG sat outside a polling booth in the seventies without a drink pr snack and refused toeen acknowledge her.

But then there's the Labour MP who responded to my pleas for helpwith our ds3 who ahs SN with 'I don't get involved in taht sort of thing' (the Lib Dem AM did).......

All a bunch ofcrap

Dh grew up in a Lib Dema rea,s ays they were good, no chance rfor thema round here and much as I am opposed to tactical voting in principle,a vote for them is a vote for Tory pary in prctice.

Apols for cahin of consciousness posting!

I've always thought of myself as a dyed in the wool leftie. However, I do feel we've had enough of Labour and it's time for a change. Otherwise they get too complacent

However, I find I can't bring myself to vote Conservative. I simply don't feel represented by a party that stuffs it's leadership with Eton educated Cambridge graduates who keep company with far right European homophobic fascists. The Tory's really were the worst in the MP's expenses scandal. The moat cleaning and Duck Island were Torys after all. I just find them too smug in a "Let's punish poor people for the exceses of society as a whole" way.

I guess for the first time in ages I'm a swinging, undecided voter.

I normally vote conservative and come from conservativ family. Attended private and public boarding schools and tend to be blue leaning. However i am quite stuck with the upcoming election as i just don't have faith in the conservatives and don't seem to be able to buy anything Cameron is selling. I am definitely a floating voter at the moment. I have never voted Labour as knew they would just spend their way into a crisis - it is what they have always alwyas done - but i am leaning more towards the liberals at the moment.

Holy I think I was aprtly responsible for the background thing, and as I said further down it's a mix of backgrounds we need- any party where all are from the same type of upbringing is a negative, whether that be left right or in the sky, because the country is a mix.

It's not a case of rich - is bad but too many rich is bad, there's a difference.

The day Labour got in I still view as masively wonderful, my Boss was horrified but then he was a prize shit (I would quantify that by pointing out he amde a living offering loans at 500% to poorpeople in desperate straits and then banging on their neighbours doors when they didn't pay- not about him being a Tory, just about him being a shit). My lie uner Labour has been progressively moving upwards in terms of posibility- it became possible for me to go to Uni, for us toget decent jobs, to move forwards;when bad luck struck it was ossible for us to cope. that to me is the difference, because where I lived then and with what it was like, Tory meant dead end. Nobody going anywhere and constant struggling.

slug - ditto.
I've been a party activist since..forever...but no more.

Can't take another second of being bullied and patronised form the top.
A term in opposition will do the party good.

Why would anyone want to vote tory?

I mean yes labour is a bit rubbish atm but at least they mean well.

My Dad taught me the basic difference, which is that left wing is about everyone getting access to the same things, sharing things out fairly, etc

and right wing is about a few people getting on Ok but at the expense of the poorer ones.

It's kind of 'I'm alright Jack'

In the words of Sam Whitwitty

'What would Jesus do?'

I'm very disdappointed not to see the Lib Dems capitalising on all this.

We're an in the middle family- on one side I am a carer and DH is a student, but he also has his own business that we plan toexpand, and when I finish my MA I expect to go into selfemployed work as well, to fit aorund the boys.

So Lib Dems maybe a natural place?

So where the F are they?

I do think though that in the line between state and the individual, Gordy and his mates have swung much too far towards the state.

It must be possible to provide a fairer society without turning into Big Brother, no?

Yes LC, but there doesn't seem to be that middleroad on offer does there?

It's a bit like being in an ice cream shop where everything is fancy, chocolatey or rippled and just shouting 'I only wanted vanilla!'.

Protection for the vulnerable without recourse to changes thatwill exempt many from support, no ridiculous surveilance or red taope burdens, a dash of common sense and a limit on the moat cleaning.

It isn't out there.

Another Tory voter here. Both dp and i come from true blue families. Cannot wait to see the back of Labour and the past 11 years.

I am old enough to remember the awful labour years in the 70's.

Nobody ahs told me how they feel tory policy is fair or good.

Not everyone can be well off so why should some at the expense of others?

Surely that is just plain common sense?