Westminstenders: The Undecideds

[RedToothBrush]

Apparently the pollsters are nervous.

There are far more undecided than there have been at this stage in recent general election.

This makes it a hugely fine line between a hung parliament and a massive tory majority.

The weather on Thursday isn't expected to be nice and this could affect turnout. The blue corner are particularly nervous about this, but don't forget those postal votes.

Whatever happens on Thursday at least this election campaign is nearly over. And that can't be a bad thing.

And Christmas is in a fortnight so we can all drown our sorrows or celebrate in style.

You always have time to restock the drinks if you end up resort to them on Thursday

(New election special thread on Thursday rather than bunging up Westminstenders BTW)

Poll clerk said she’d been doing it 10 years and never seen anything like it

I saw 4 other people. 3 of us were carrying our postal votes (I also had DH's). I was there at 6.53!

My boyfriend is going to nearby marginal all day to say to people my girlfriend is an a&e doctor and my baby needs the nhs (she had cancer,is through treatment now), please vote labour for the nhs

So proud of him (he’s not been v political before last couple years)

Argh I’m late. Thank you all for the support and strength!

Oh, and our local '...for Europe' Facebook page has been bloody feisty this week too with plenty of discussion about tactical voting. Most of us are (and those that aren't have had desperate pleas to consider their vote). I had an LD officer PM me to tell me he was voting for Labour but couldn't say that publicly.

I'm in a key NW seat which was historically LD but went Tory last time. Labour were second last time. The tactical sites say to vote Labour and a weekend Deltapoll showed an 8% lead to the Tory with Labour in second.

Sadly, the LDs won't back down and the candidate won't endorse their Labour opponent as per Cardiff and Stockton.

I actually posted LD leaflets 3 times when the tactical recommendation was for them. So I might - annoyingly - be responsible for some people voting for them. But, what can you do?! I was doing the right thing at the time!

Tactical voting leaflets have been posted and handed out. So I REALLY hope we go Red this time (and I've never voted Labour before today!).

I spoke to three school mums yesterday who were anti tory but voted ld cos they could not bring themselves to vote Labour. All three said they did not like any party and it was a least worst choice they had agonised over. (all postal voters). Two said they might have changed their minds if they had been voting today. None liked the revoke policy although all 3 said they wanted to remain.

DH spoke to Conservatives last night in a strong affluent tory area who said they could not vote tory as Brexit was not Conservative and Johnson was against everything they stood for.

I know LD candidates and councillors who have cried because they feel their free choice of who to vote for has been taken away. They are voting Labour despite their being political and personal financial reasons why they find Labour an appalling vote, but its the only option they feel they have left and all that stands between democracy and dictatorship.

DH knows people in staunch Labour Northern strongholds who can't face voting Labour. And who have friends who are all struggling with it.

Tonight I'm sure will throw up surprises. I do think there will be some shocks. The mood is one of desperation for a multitude of reasons. Across the political spectrum.

I add the point that the west assumed that the Arab spring was about democracy when in reality it was about a deep seated desire for dignity. In some deprived areas this is driving politics. In some more affluent it is more the opposite and about a dehumanised view of the world. It goes deeper than soundbites about the NHS and into a mere 'feeling' that is unquantifiable and explicitly describable. Something that other parties haven't been easily able to counter because of a credibility problem which is every bit as big as Johnson's lies.

A feminist should understand women being discriminated against is, at its heart, due to biology. An anti racist has to be able to identify racism and listen to those community concerns. If you stand for something you have to be able to understand its core nature.

Johnson is a product of the failings of the left and liberals, every bit as much as he is the triumph of the right and the heir to his heritage and privilege.

Whatever happens today these are the things that need to be faced up to in the long term. And that might be a very long term.

I've already postal voted but just before 7 am this morning I was parked by a polling station in a SE Tory stronghold. They were all elderly people but up so early in and in the dark? One couple were being helped out of a vehicle by a Tory volunteer. The woman was so infirm they almost had to carry her in- at 6.55 am!

Will people vote for more homeless deaths, or for more help for them ?

Two perfectly good, well-built council houses have been demolished at the head of our estate. Their occupants were assisted living and had learning difficulties. We don’t know where they have gone.

They were demolished to make way for a new development. There is a ready-made entrance further on the estate, left deliberately years ago in case they decided to expand the housing, but these are private, expensive houses being built and the developers don’t want our future neighbours sullying their tyres. Much better to pretend the social housing doesn’t exist.

The development was bulldozed through.
It’s being built on formerly greenbelt land that was reassigned brownfield solely so the (Party member) landowner could sell it.

I don’t think the Conservatives will bother themselves about homeless people except to swell their numbers.

I've warned my very left leaning / Corbyn supporter son to not be too disappointed when the tories are back in tomorrow. I'll just sit and cry as this year has been awful for us personally and seeing Boris and the Conservatives back in number 10 will make it even worse. A hung parliament might give me a bit more hope.
Go and vote today. I just wish I didn't live in a safe Tory seat and it would make a difference but it won't. Waiting for the ' first past the post isn't fair' threads tomorrow!..
it's not , but it's all we have.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/eu_referendum_2016_/3766766-Westminstenders-Brexit-means-Brexit-A-definition?watched=1
New Westminstenders thread.

Election thread to follow shortly.

There was a queue, at 7am for what it’s worth
Never seen that before

Region/Marginal?/current political persuasion - eg Labour stronghold.

I just cannot understand how people in the North of England could forget what the Tories did to them. I am Irish, and we have LONG memories.

There was a queue at the polling station in our safe(ish?) Tory seat at 7am. I then ran into the Tory candidate leafletting outside the station - had a quick, polite chat about the rules around canvassing on polling day (!!) and - again very politely - refused his offer of a leaflet, told him I'd already cast my vote and it wasn't for him.

I wish I'd said more but I don't think I'd have stayed polite...

Longest wait I have ever had at polling station at 7.01 this morning.
Presume we are still safe con with Hunt (couldn't find the site again which says) so not sure what turnout means here?
DH going during the day so will ask for his experience!

On poll clerk duties today, busiest I've seen it!

theconversation.com/how-important-is-turnout-in-a-uk-election-the-recent-actions-of-the-parties-give-you-a-good-idea-128522

Turnout ramifications.

I actually posted LD leaflets 3 times when the tactical recommendation was for them. So I might - annoyingly - be responsible for some people voting for them. But, what can you do?! I was doing the right thing at the time!

You might still have done the right thing - you might get some one time Tory votes who couldn't bring themselves to vote Labour. One less fo the Tories, so one less Labour needs to worry about.

The80sweregreat I sympathise. My young adult DC will likely be devastated and bewildered by the result too.

The advice on comparethetacticals has changed TODAY for some places.

comparethetacticals.com/

DH has just said this will be the first year he won't be voting Conservative , I was like 'wait ? , what ?, I married a Tory ! ' And then he remembered he hadn't voted for them last time either, because of Brexit.
He does have a couple of redeeming qualities , I am sure I will remember them if given enough time

One of the strong drivers of the Arab Spring was climate change. Crop failures and water shortages helped drive migration, leading to pressure and instability.

My belief is that come Friday the results will show that Labour voters voted Libdem to stop the Tories but the Libdems will not have reciprocate the action.

I'm LD voting Labour, despite the Labour candidate looking pretty awful (I suspect from the Brexit wing of the party). Anything to try to keep a Tory out in a tight-ish Con/Lab marginal.

You might still have done the right thing - you might get some one time Tory votes who couldn't bring themselves to vote Labour. One less fo the Tories, so one less Labour needs to worry about.

Oh yes, true. Thank you, @Peregrina.

My polling station in a Tory target seat (currently Labour) was the busiest I've ever seen it. The new Labour candidate has run a very good campaign but I'm not hopeful. Love the story of the Tube announcer BigChoc.

Looking on another thread still about 30% of those replying are undecided. Feeling nervous, but it does help being part of this.

My biggest concern about the undecided is that they go with the status quo.

I also saw it on FB last night. So many people really not happy with the choices they have.

That's me voted. No going back now

Many women are spoiling their votes as we don’t believe any party is standing up for women’s rights and/or is actively suppressing women’s voices. It is not an easy decision, and of course we know that it is a small gesture, but they should not be taking our votes for granted.