Long-standing Conservative voters thread

[Katypp]

Any one else who has - up to this point at least - been a Tory voter?
I have voted Conservative at every national election (I am late 50s). This one is probably the most likely to change. Purely because I think new blood would be a good idea. I live in a very Labour area and have never shared my colours with anyone from being in my early 20s.
Given the fact that the Tories usually win, I suspect there are a lot like me.
I know it's a big ask, but I hope thar this might be a sensible thread for other natural Tory voters to discuss the election and not be called names and shouted down like we are on every other thread.
If you are a Labour voter, please don't hijack the thread and tell us how wrong we are. There is free speech in the UK and we are just as entitled to hold our opinion as you are to hold yours.

There is a new Poll out that is different to what I have seen before. Is it on BBC?
It was sent to me but I can't find it for confirmation.

Labour are on a majority of 264 with 457 seats
LibDems second on 69
Conservatives 57
Reform 17 (sic)
Greens 4
SNP 23
PC 4
NI 18
IND 1 Corbyn

Sunak wasn't brilliant, I will grant you that, but Starmer very noticeably refused to answer the questions put to him. Why do you imagine that is?

It could have been something to do with Sunak talking over him. Starmer got a huge round of applause when he told Sunak he might be a bit less out of touch if he listened more. Did Sunak answer any questions? My perception was that all he did was attack Starmer.

Come on now, you're making excuses. Starmer made no attempt to answer questions. He was perfectly capable to talking over Sunak if he wanted to, but it suited him not to.

I'll be holding my nose and voting conservative after watching the debate. My DH is a labour til I die type person, and he surprised me last night when he said he cannot vote for Keir Starmer! Absolute shocker in our house! DH is voting for an independent. First time ever he has not voted labour! Two of my DC's can vote for the first time next week. I encourage them both to do their own research and read the manifestos etc. I expected them both to vote labour tbh, both they have both decided on lib dem. They also said all of their mates are voting lib dem too.
Let's just hope that thr conservatives can regroup and reorganise whilst they are in opposition.

He shouldn’t have to talk over his opponent. It’s a great pity that neither moderator in the two head to heads has made any attempt to rein Sunak in. Aggressive shouting and drowning out your opponent might work in PMQs but it doesn’t in a TV debate.

I'm the child of two Conservative voters. I did vote Conservative as I could not abide Jeremy Corbyn. I am a little unsure now, but I think I will vote Lib Dem. I don't really understand what Reform are about.

That’s not what I witnessed. Can you be specific?

Zonder
We're all paying higher mortgages and rents

Not all of us - I remember reading that around 60% of mortgage holders had 5 year fixed rate mortgages in 2022 - others had extended the term of their mortgage to counter the rate rises. (Obviously some deals will have expired by now.)

Our pensions took a 40% hit

Do you have a teacher's pension? Surely, public sector pensions and state pensions have done very well over the last 2 years as they are index linked to inflation?

Pension funds in general look ok here - (the steep rise after Covid is unusual);

https://inews.co.uk/inews-lifestyle/money/pensions-and-retirement/what-inflation-means-pension-2857141

Wow, when you put it like that....not a very good list for prospective voters.

People who are saying they are voting Tory because they thought Rishi sounded convincing in a debate worry me a bit. Boris & Tony Blair and even David Cameron were good in TV debates and looked slick but we all know what they did in office.

I never look at what a person says as a good snake oil salesman could buy and sell you, I watch what they do and the Tories & Sunak's record has been abysmal whilst in power. I saw a tweet earlier that summed it up nicely.

Rishi wants you to
Forget the lies
Forget austerity
Forget Boris
Forget the lawbreaking
Forget energy bills
Forget the ‘betting’
Forget Brexit failure
Forget Liz Truss
Forget NHS
Forget filthy rivers
Forget crumbling schools
Forget 14 years of failure

I also saw another quote that summed things up nicely "If you want a snapshot of the Tories 2024, consider this - after a decade of cutting the real term standard of living for the majority, increasing borrowing to c. £2.8 trn, and enriching their mates by billions, we have a country that is, literally, swimming in s**t.

Re. The gambling shambles.
Its a disgrace but not something that would sway me to vote one way or another.
Irrespective of the Party any renegade ( in whatever way ) MPs or potential MPs should lose their position and we should move on.

I’ll vote on policies.

Look at those, decide what’s both realistic and beneficial and what I feel is important.
At the moment Labour don’t have anything on the table so they re not up for grabs.
I would never vote for Independents simply because I believe there’s support in numbers in Parliament and I couldn’t trust an independent to always vote the way I would.

Of course Labour has policies. Perhaps you don’t want to know about them. It’s not difficult for you to google their manifesto. You can even read a short summary.

When you say Labour doesn't have anything on the table what do you mean?

I couldn’t trust an independent to always vote the way I would.

No MP of any persuasion will ever always vote the way you would. Stop wanting the moon on a stick and be realistic.

Postal vote deed done
No going back.

What did you decide in the end @Katypp ?

I voted Lib Dem. The first time I have ever not voted Conservative.

I knew you had morals.

Good call. Particularly if you’re a carer.

Good call 👍

Lib Dems are 'trans women are women'. Women's rights to dignity safety and privacy come way behind men's feelings.

This is not a priority for me.

The safety and dignity of women and girls isn't your priority?

That sounds like a faux statement that the charity chuggers use. It's emotive and designed to guilt you into doing something you object to and always makes me question the motives of those who use it.

There is no evidence or genuine reasoning that might persuade me, so they resort to guilt.

As a woman, I believe that the harm that has and is being done by the tories to women is greater than the hypothetical harm being suggested as a possibility if Labour will this election. If Labour try to impose greater harms to women, then I will do my utmost to prevent this as will many others who are not blinkered by single issue politics. So fuck off with your attempt at guilt tripping.