to wonder why people say they would NEVER vote Labour/Tory?

[scarletlilybug]

Being something of a floating voter, this is something which genuinely bemuses me. Saying "never", that is.

"I'd never vote Tory".
"I'd never vote Labour".
What, regardless of the policies proposed/party leader? Is there no conceivable change that a particular political party could make to induce you to vote for them?

I'm downright worried by people who proclaim that "I will always vote xxxx".

For example, people who would never vote Conservative because of Thatcher? Notwithstanding the fact that she's been off the scene for almist 20 years?

OR who would never vote Labour because of Blair and the Iraq war? When he, too, is gone (or sort of - I shudder to think of him as President of Europe. But that's another issue...).

(These are just examples here of the sort of thing I've heard, to try to explain what I mean).

What's wrong with listening to the actual policies a party is proposing, making a judgement call about the qualities of their leadership - and then voting accordingly?

[TanyaBranning]

Unless the Conservative party completely abandoned the Conservatism at the heart of all of it's policies, sacked off all of it's MPs(ghastly in the main) and it's leader (wet and unconvincing) and ...um...just about changed every aspect of it's very core and nature....then NO, I will never vote Tory.

Simple, really.

[CaresMildly]

I guess my answer would be that you can dress a party up with voter-friendly leader, but the rank and file tend to hold their dyed in the wool opinions.

For eg Cameron seems like a really nice family-friendly person, but you can bet your bottom dollar that at least 50% of those at Manchester were ranting anti-single mother types.

Hence I personally would never vote Conservative!

[scarletlilybug]

I guess the reason I'm a floating voter, then, is because I accept that political parties can change. History has shown that they can, and do, IMO.

For example, I think Blair changed the Labour party with his New Labour project. I think he changed the Labour party too much, as far as some supporters were concerned, even if, on the whole, they were prepared to pay that price for a chance to get into power. Who's to say that Cameron can't do somthing similar with the Conservatives?

So whilst I take your point about rank-and-file members not always changing their views and philosophy as quickly as party leadership (apparently) does, I think they nevertheless will often accept changes of policy for pragmatic reasons.

Tanya - what do you understand by "Conservatism"... I don't understand why some think it's an inheritently bad thing. (Nor do I understand why some people think socialism is inherently bad, for that matter. Some Americans seem to be, quite lierally, terrified of it).

Still, I guess it's people like me - the floating voters - who decide the outcome of elections.

[6feetundertheGroundhogs]

OK Tanya, but you can put it this way too:

"Unless the Conservative Labour party completely abandoned the Conservatism Labourism at the heart of all of it's policies, sacked off all of it's MPs(ghastly in the main) and it's leader (wet and unconvincing) and ...um...just about changed every aspect of it's very core and nature....then NO, I will never vote Tory Labour."

The comments you make for the Tories can be directly and more effectively levelled at Labour.

Politics is not a FAITH, like Religion or Football, FGS.

[donnie]

scarlet you are right when you say political parties can change. As evidenced by so called New Labour which is, IMO, old Tory.

Anyway whatever people decide to vote just make sure you DO vote! too many no-voters these days.

[curiositykilled]

lol @ TanyaBranning - That is what I was also going to say!

Of course you could replace 'Conservative' with 'Labour' but that is why TanyaBranning's comment is valid. She said 'Unless the conservative party abaondoned Conservatism...' The Labour Party already abandoned Labourism...

It is certainly more realistic as a statement than simply 'I would never...'

[scarletlilybug]

"Politics is not a FAITH, like Religion or Football, FGS."

Exactly what I was trying to say - but much more succinct. Thanks.

[6feetundertheGroundhogs]

LOL!

[lovechoc]

I will never vote for either of those above mentioned parties, sorry to disappoint and be a minority (like usual for me!).

I vote SNP usually and don't consider changing my views in the near future.

[Tortington]

i will not always vote x

but i would rather eat my arse than vote for tory scum ever. For me there is a whole historical context that i just cannot seperate

[cory]

I don't even get how people can tell which party is Labour and which is Tory these days, let alone know who to vote for. Good job I don't have the vote, really.

[ThingOneofYourNightmares]

I'd never vote Tory. I'd never vote Labour. I am a Liberal. That means I vote Liberal Democrat.

[smallorange]

I will never NEVER vote conservative.

[Prunerz]

I will never vote Conservative. I simply do not like their motives. I will never be the sort of person who does like their motives; I won't be able to overlook their history, either.

[TheFallenMadonna]

Politics may not be a faith but it can be a philosophy. I do listen to policies, where they are offered, but I also remember that underlying what they do say there is likely a political philosophy that will inform the things they will do that they don't say.

[SardineQueen]

I vote Lib Dem these days. Used to support Labour.

Would not vote tory in a million trillion years ever. Unless they underwent a deep and fundamental change about everything they stood for, and then they wouldn't be conservatives any more, they'd be something else.

[teamcullen]

I would never, ever, ever vote conservative because the tories are only and always have only been interested in lining their own pockets.

Every policy Ive heard up to now is how they are going to take of the poor to pay back the debt, Like it was single teenage mothers getting £200,000 mortages

Oh yes, and because my dad would come back and haunt me

[CatIsSleepy]

oh i couldn't bring myself to vote tory, it just goes against the grain
i don't trust them-I'd rather not vote at all

would vote lib dem if Vince Cable was the leader
i heart Vince

[jasper]

aaaargh apostrophies

[louii]

I have never and will never vote for either of those parties, SNP voter here.

[Prunerz]

and speling

[jasper]

prunerz

[hannahsaunt]

I'm with tanyabranning . However, over my voting years I've voted for quite a spread of other parties so quite floaty other than the core principle.

[Prunerz]

jasper

[notevenamousie]

If you have a strong political leaning, then a party so against this can be a total anathema, I think. I personally could "never vote Tory" though currently it's to do with how much worse off I'd be than my ideologies.