... 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?

I feel I am lucky - and yet at the same time, standing alone when I say that I take responsibility for my actions. Even when I screw up I fix my mistakes and move on.

The Tory way of life supports this.

It is my opinion that the Labour government treats its people like imbeciles and infantalises them - and so we have an island full of morons now bereft of their own common sense and/or analytical skills.

flightattendant It makes perfect sense - unless we are communists then there just cannot be an equal balance. Sadly under the current government the divide between rich and poor has become more extreme than it ever has been. People (IMO) vote Labour because they want "equality", but we cannot simply "raise people from poverty" because by injecting money, we devalue it and so everyone's "worth" increases... the poor are still poor - it's just their baseline is numerically higher.

But who really wants equality? Those well off (and I'm talking about those who drive nice cars, live in big houses and whose kids go to private schools - lots of mn posters there!) don't want to be on a level financial playing field with the poor - so why vote Labour? Those with no intention of working will vote Labour.

While I don't think Labour are doing a great job at the moment, I have no faith in the tory policies at all. They all seem like sound bites - poorly thought out and aimed at obtaining media headlines rather than actual real polices you could use.

Oh and blue ladies - behold a new spanner. An old friend of mine - life long Labour supporter whom I met at uni when he was doing his PhD in politics has just come back from the labour party conference. Updated his status to read "xxx has always believed in first past the post but now thinks it's time to move to PR."

They're going to try and move the fecking goalposts in their desperation!

But skihorse there is a massive gap between wanting absolute communist style equality, and wanting people who have had bad luck along the line to suffer.

It's saying that whilst I don't expect people on benefits should be able to shop in Harrods, I do think they should be able to buy enough food without worrying. I don't suppose they (we) will be able to live in Chelsea, but tehy should be able to get a house to rent that suits their basic needs rather than be in a B&B.

The gulf between that protection of the vulnerable (soemthing that we should allaspire to becuase who knows where we will be next year?) and wanting complete equality is massive.

Thanks Skihorse.

'But who really wants equality? Those well off (and I'm talking about those who drive nice cars, live in big houses and whose kids go to private schools - lots of mn posters there!) don't want to be on a level financial playing field with the poor - so why vote Labour?'

Well, the point is that nobody would be 'poor' and nobody would be 'well off' if society was fairer. I don't know how it ought to be accomplished but I sure as hell reckon it is a good premise.

'Those with no intention of working will vote Labour.' That's just insulting to anyone voting labour.

"so we have an island full of morons now bereft of their own common sense and/or analytical skills."

Ah, is this why the Conservative vote has increased?

We are a 'rich' left-wing household. It's about appreciating that we've been lucky. We're all just a car-crash away from a life on IB. Or indeed, as a carer. So there should be a safety net there for those who need it.
Plus it's nice to have things like schools and hospitals and police.

bobbingforpeachys I expect to have another round of bad luck - in my life I seem to lurch from crisis to crisis and I hope there will be a safety net there for me if and when I need it. But, I'm resourceful and I usually figure things out.

In the meantime, it pisses me off that people who don't work have more money & time than I do when I do work - in a job I have because I was able to go to uni whilst accruing student loans.

If Labour do get back in - who here would blame me if I were to move back to the UK whilst stashing what little money I might have, demand a council house and put my feet up for a few years? Why not play the system like everyone else?

Did I miss something?
When did the tories say they would get rid of schools, hospitals and police?

heathenofsuburbia So you'd be happy being as "poor" as the people Labour claims to support? You'd quite happily give up your admittedly "nice" lifestyle/posessions to feel equal? Please, do so - you don't need to wait for the GE, phone Women's Aid today and donate your stuff. I trust you manage your family on ~400 a week and donate the rest to families worse off than yourselves? You my lover are a "champagne" socialist!

My reasons for not voting Conservative:

• I think their economic policies will be disastrous and have a fair chance of pushing us into full on depression (still in hoc to outdated neo-classical ideas which are totally irrelevant in the current world context).
• I think that a more equal society would (pace evidence from Scandinavia & elsewhere) be a society in which everyone, richer and poorer, is be happier, and where there is less crime and social unrest. Having said that, Labour are no-where on the second point - not sure if the Lib Dems would be any better, but don't see them as having a cats chance in hell of getting in so not much help.

I voted Tory when I lived in England.

I would again although living outside the country I am less well-informed than I was.

My main issue with a Labour government is there lack of understanding for rural communities and a rural way of life, as bronze said earlier.

But I ahve student loansd too, and Dh is accruing one right now.

He works the maximum he can as his bsusiness slowly expands.Ilook after autistuic children at home. I can't send DS1 into care as he will endanger other children, SSD refuse to help. They says there is no demand for chidlcare- there is, I've asked people. A Nanny is a no-no, ds1 hits people who come into the house, it's an ASD thing.

So- what? I am resourceful, never in the past ahve we been so helpless- when the boys were first DX's I packed up and went to Uni as that fitted around school hours and when we were poor, I went back to work when the babies were 9 weeks old.

This time Ic an't find the so called obvious solutions. Well Ic an- it'sme finishing my education and taking on consultancy work in a growing firld; I should be able to start that a year next April when I qualify.

Hopefully DH's business will continue to grow, his degree includes having the Regs (electricians training qual) tby the end of the year so he can combine that in; ther est is specialism related to his firls, he's happy to combine as many hours with study as he can get.

So tell me please where I am going so wrong as to feel like people (often Tories) hate me for this? Ican only see that it is by claiming for my CA (that and TC's are all we egt with DLA for the boys which anyone can get if disabled and isn't means tested, Jordan would qualify as much as us for her boy).

I've had no support RE work at all; I don't qualify for back to work help, or training (I was refused a palce on a TA course that could have fitted around school becuase of my degree). I apply for daytime jobs but have no reply let alone offers. I don't know how I'ddo thema nyway in teh summer ets- DH ahs workined up and SSD won'toffer us a summer palce until July at the best (IF we get it) so can't guarantee anything.

Taht's relaity.I am bright, resourceful, I amanged to get A's in my finals despite DH being sat outside with a 5 week old BF baby and having not slept for weeks, I wriote my dissertation with said baby on my lap. That'snot lazy or lack of effort.

And if I get a job and the boys do tehir usual up all night screaming buit, when should I sleep? ATM the DLApays twice a week for DS4 to go to a CM so I can sleep / take a bath then.

So go on- i'veaske dpeopleendlessly what I should be doing becuase I do wonder what I am not seeing, if there is some obvious asnwer I am missing- ???

Skihorse is heathen a cahmpagne socialist?

personally I see her as wisely investing in an insurance scheme for her own family should the worst happen.

Difference.

I didn't say I wanted to be equal. I said we were left wing.
I believe the better-off should contribute more to the costs of maintaining a civilised society.

Not entirely sure why 'champagne socialist' is an insult really. better than a 'champagne-I'm-all-right-Jack' surely?

Oh, come and be my friend.

I won't vote for the Conservatives, but only because I can't vote here. You think you are alone here? Not only am I American, but I am a devoted Republican. I voted for George W. Bush twice. I also voted for John McCain / Sarah Palin.

Courtesy of another fab MNer, I met, shook hands with, and spoke to Margaret Thatcher a couple of years ago. It was such a priviledge!

"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."

My experience is the opposite. All I have done is struggle under labour.
Born in 1962 I have lived through the horrible 70's , the 80's were a breath of fresh air where people really did get a chance to move upwards, I bought my own flat which I would never have been able to do nowadays. The miners and the unions were the cause of their demise by holding the country to ransom through the strikes of the 70's.

Labour may be putting more people through university but all it has done is devalue degrees and made them meaningless as everyone now needs a degree to a job that would have taken just o'levels when I left school.
Under labour in the 70's my grandparents lost their home and their business because of the ridiculously high taxes. They weren't rich, they had 4 acres of land with green houses where they grew tomatos and cucumbers.

To me labour is about dragging every one down to the lowest, tories are about creating wealth and pulling every body up.

Chapagne Socialist is of course an insult because it demonstrates blatant hypocracy.

Well, I do want to be more equal. If we lived in a society where there were good public services, as there are for example in Sweden, I would be perfectly happy to pay more taxes.
Interestingly, way back in the 90s, when I was working as an economist, I was in a small company with around 20 economists (all well paid, expecting to pay more tax under Labour), and 8 or so secretarial/admin staff (badly paid, would pay less tax under the then labour proposals plus in some cases benefit from the proposed minimum wage). All the economists bar one (Welsh, voted Plaid) voted Labour, all the support staff bar two voted Tory. Not sure what that tells you, except perhaps that people are more altruistic than they are often given credit for.

Bruffin please inform me how the Tories will pull my amily up?

That's what I have been asking them with no eposnse aprt from policies as yet undecided.

Based on the information below about our life, I would love to know.

I tend to vote on who i think will be best for my local area (staunchly conservative area). As for the general election ,well its a tough one really ;
who will raise taxes ? they both will
who will further mess up education and health ? they both will
who will solve the afghanistan issue ? neither will
Who has the most self serving smug arrogant politicians in their party ? its a draw at the moment .
and i really really wish that people would stop calling the present party in power labour ,the labour party died with John Smith .

heathensuburbia but that's exactly what a champagne socialist is. You claim you want equality and you wish for the more wealthy members of the community to support the poorer ones - nothing wrong in that. But, you're saying you want to be looking down on "the poor" which very much makes you an "I'm all right jack" champagne-sipper!

I find it interesting that all those who use the argument that the Tories privtised utilities etc have not mentioned the ongoing labour privatisation of schools, hospitals and prisons...

Oh and as a nurse ,im really looking forward to my pay freeze . Perhaps if the NHS hadnt wasted so much money on 'consultants' who they generally ignore ,because they suggest increasing staffing levels, we could hold off the pay freeze for another year . Im going to have to think of another way of finding that 47p a month pay increase

But there sis a middle way where peoplecan believe that work benfits such as affluence if you attain it can be enjoyed without wanting to leave the poorer people in straits

That isn't champagne socialism, it's sense.