Local elections in May - what are your plans?

[Lottapianos]

I'm in despair at how utterly dismal things are. I'm in a safe Tory seat but absolutely no way I am voting Tory. Labour are such an utter disgrace on women's rights, all prepared to pretend that they don't know what a woman is, and seem to just be hoping that we will shut up and go away. Other parties are no better on this issue.

I honestly don't know what to do. It's the closest I've ever come to not voting, something I never ever thought I would contemplate. How are you feeling about it all, and how are you planning to vote?

I'm a single issue voter these days. Never thought that would happen but, it's 2022 and clownworld so here we are.

I'm gonna vote for whatever party knows what a woman is and isn't afraid to say so.

i'm going to vote based on the economy, so hold my nose & vote Labour. I fully get the women's rights arguments, but right now women need an economy that works too.

'I'm gonna vote for whatever party knows what a woman is and isn't afraid to say so.'

Are you voting Tory then?

I will be spoiling my ballot, and telling them why.

I’ve always voted and never spoilt my ballot before but this time I did (I have a postal vote) with “Respect my sex if you want my x” and “partygate”.

I am over 60 now and I have never lived through a time with such an utter disgraceful set of ministers and PM. I feel so terribly sad for younger people to have all this to contend with. They are doing awful damage to our democratic system and are changing so many laws to suit and protect themselves. Austerity does not work. The rich get even richer and the poor get even poorer. I will be voting for my best local candidate who happens to be Labour. I also think that we should trial a basic universal income now, for at least one year.

The Labour canvasser told me a woman is someone who born a woman and someone who transitions to become a woman. I asked her to explain what she meant by someone and if both someone's in her sentence meant the same thing and she replied it's obvious what someone means and yes both are the same human beings and I should try to be more kind and compassionate. I said like laurel Hubbard or Karen White? Or Grace Lavery maybe? She said she didn't know who they were. So I won't be voting Labour. Might not vote but if I do it will be for the Party that respects my sex. This issue is too important to ignore.

I'm in Scotland and we have STV for local elections so I'm going.

Labour 1
Lib Dem 2
Tory 3

Won't give a preference to either Green or SNP cause I'm not a nationalist.

The union is the most important issue for me.

I will vote for whoever is most likely to beat the Tories. In my area that's Lib Dem, but I would happily vote Labour or Green if they stood a better chance.

The Tory party are a disgrace and think we'll all idiot plebs who don't notice their corrupt get-rich-quick schemes. The current Cabinet are some of the worst of the worst. They have ruined and are continuing to ruin the country, and don't give the tiniest shit about anyone who lives a normal life. They cannot stay in power.

'I also think that we should trial a basic universal income now, for at least one year.'

Sounds good to me, but there's more chance of hell freezing over

I will be voting for labour. I’m not happy with the stand on women’s right but I think overall Tories are worse for women.

Voting for my local independent candidate who is centre left and knows what a woman is.

Job done.

Tory. Even when I actually was a Labour supporter I voted Tory in local elections.

Probably green. I gave lib dwma a chance in 2010 and they were crap as a coalition with Tory. I may give them another go it will depend on policy and candidate. if not then I will go back to voting for the Green Party rather than give Tory a proxy vote by not using mine.

No way I can vote Tory and like you I’m disillusioned by Labour. Therese been active campaigns along Labour against two female labour counsellors In My area since the last election when Tory got in for the first time ever. I don’t know exactly what went on but they were two women I have followed for years and the fact they’ve left the party after being strong supporters says a lot to me about my current Labour lot and stammer doesn’t appeal to me either.

also I will vote because if I don’t I’m contributing to the breaking of what is left of our democracy and allowing us to move even more towards an authoritarian dictatorship. We may be a long way from that yet but we are much closer than we have been in my lifetime and certain bills going through parliament and lords horrify me as they take us closer still to that in my opinion.

We've has a local Tory leader for the last 23 years we've been Tory. He was fantastic. He was actually my sociology lecturer at uni and very hot on social politics. I actually thought he was Labour for my first few years of living here!

We've now got a new one. I'm going to ask to meet him.

Im so torn.

A massive part of me doesn't want to vote Tory for all the obvious reasons - but I would probably have struggled more if our past one was standing again as he's been amazing for our very economically mixed area.

Oh and I don't mean I'll vote Tory.

What I'm struggling with is whether to spoil or whether I can vote Labour (I've always been a swing voter with local councillor as Tory) but right now I don't feel either represents me the best.

Someone other than the Tories. I cannot vote for a party whose leader has no personal morality, and whose actions or inactions have led to thousands of deaths. If I believed in the death penalty (which I never have), I would be comfortable with seeing Mr Johnson hang.

Women disproportionately suffer from the cost of living crisis.

Don't vote tory. Self ID is the least of your worries if you are choosing between food for your kids and heating. Women in that kind of position are understandably more likely to sell their bodies as opposed to going hungry.

The tories have responded to the crisis with a klarna style loan for heating bills and a £150 council tax rebate. Vulnerable women deserve better than that.

I'm not concerned about self ID. My vote is anti SNP.

I’m a member of the Conservative party but will either spoil my ballot because this government is the worst I’ve lived through, or I might even vote Lab because 1) I’ve chewed off the ears of all my local candidates (am in a marginal ward so there has been a LOT of canvassing since Jan!) and our local Lab candidates are fully on board with single sex provision and why it’s essential for full female participation in society, and 2) I genuinely believe it’s in the best interests of the Conservative party to suffer losses at the elections because then we can get rid of Johnson, get someone sensible in, and bring integrity back to our party. We won’t get that opportunity if the party does well at the locals, because he will then cling on. We need rid of him, we need sense and decency, someone who says “hold on a minute, let’s have a think about this” instead of simply waving through some dreadful policy, and we need someone who will appoint a Cabinet of people who want to do a good job rather than just be yes-men and yes-women.

I've debated resigning my party membership but I want to be able to help select a decent leader when he goes. He’s mismanaging so many things, I can’t believe he hasn’t been forced out yet. The cost of living crisis combined with this stupid back-to-the-office push is going to hit families - and mainly women - with children hardest. And disabled people on low incomes. The Rwanda deportation proposals are unworkable and unconscionable when there are so many other potential options that are both cheaper and don’t involve sending people to countries where human rights violations take place. And he just bloody well lies and lies and lies, and his ministers lie for him too. I’m waiting for the VoNC that must, must be on the horizon - and will definitely be, if we suffer sizeable losses in the locals. So I really do believe the best thing I can do for the future of the country and party is to take whatever actions I can to help get rid of Johnson.

And that might mean voting Labour in a fortnight’s time, something I haven’t done since the 2001 general election. Luckily I have decent local Lab candidates, if I had some TWAW types then I would be 100% decided on spoiling my ballot!

I told the Labour canvassers I am a life-long Labour voter who is unlikely to vote Labour due to party's failure to defend women's sex-based rights. They looked weary and didn't give their views.

I’m in Scotland, so for me it has to be an anti SNP, pro women’s rights vote. Fortunately I’m in an SNP/Tory marginal, so I will vote Conservative on both counts. I know both Tory candidates, one of whom lives in my village and attends my church, and they’re both good guys with years of experience on the local council. The young Labour chap is also quite good on local issues, so he would still be better than the SNP.

A spoilt ballot is a vote Tory by the way. Tories never ever spoil ballots, never ever forget to vote, and never ever abstain from voting.

I honestly don't know and am weighing up the options.

I had considered voting Tory. I have voted Conservative in the past and I am not one of those people who has an ideological objection to voting Tory, but now with the fall out from party-gate and this appalling Rwanda plan, I just can't do it.

I would like to vote either Green or LD to register my opposition to the silvertown tunnel (I live very close to the proposed route), but neither party knows what a woman is.

Labour is a lost cause on women's rights and they support the tunnel (yes it's a niche local issue, but these are supposed to be local issues!)

Spoiling your ballot paper is ducking out of your responsibility for the way the country will be run for the next x years. Do you realize how much the suffragettes suffered for women to have the right to vote, long thick tubes forced down their throats to be force fed. Be brave and do your social bit.